Nurul Islam (April 1, 1928 – January 24, 2013)
was a Bangladeshi physician and educator. In 1987, he was selected as the
National Professor
National Professor ( bn, জাতীয় অধ্যাপক) is a prestigious teaching award given by the Government of Bangladesh for outstanding contribution on the field of education. It is awarded by the president of Bangladesh according ...
of Bangladesh. He founded and served as the vice-chancellor of
University of Science and Technology Chittagong. He was a Founding Fellow of
Bangladesh Academy of Sciences
Bangladesh Academy of Sciences is an academic forum for Bangladeshi scientists and technologists. Established in 1973, it aims to fulfill the role of promoting research and development of sciences in Bangladesh.
History
After the partition of ...
since 1973.
He served as the personal physician of Bangladeshi President
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman ( bn, শেখ মুজিবুর রহমান; 17 March 1920 – 15 August 1975), often shortened as Sheikh Mujib or Mujib and widely known as Bangabandhu (meaning ''Friend of Bengal''), was a Bengalis, Beng ...
.
Early life and education
Islam was born on April 1, 1928, in Mohammadpur village,
Chandanaish Upazila
Chandanaish ( bn, চন্দনাইশ) is an upazila of Chattogram District in Chattogram Division, Bangladesh.
History
Chandanaish is one of the first inhabitant of the early settlers of Chittagong. Muslim traders and preachers from the ...
,
Chittagong
Chittagong ( /ˈtʃɪt əˌɡɒŋ/ ''chit-uh-gong''; ctg, চিটাং; bn, চিটাগং), officially Chattogram ( bn, চট্টগ্রাম), is the second-largest city in Bangladesh after Dhaka and third largest city in B ...
to Syedur Rahman and Gulmeher Begum.
[ Rahman was a school teacher. Islam was the youngest of eight siblings.][ He passed SSC from Gachbaria Nityananda Gourachandra Model Govt secondary School and ISc from Calcutta Islamia Science College in 1943 and 1945 respectively. He then earned his bachelor's in medicine from ]Calcutta Medical College
Calcutta Medical College, officially Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, is a public medical school and hospital in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It is the oldest existing hospital in Asia. The institute was established on 28 January 1835 ...
in 1951. He completed MRCP in 1954 and TDD (Diploma in Tuberculosis Diseases) in 1955 from University of Wales
The University of Wales (Welsh language, Welsh: ''Prifysgol Cymru'') is a confederal university based in Cardiff, Wales. Founded by royal charter in 1893 as a federal university with three constituent colleges – Aberystwyth, Bangor and Cardiff ...
.
Career
Islam joined Mitford Hospital
The hospital, originally named after the philanthropist Robert Mitford of the civil service, who served many years in Dhaka as collector and later, as judge of the Provincial Court of Appeal, was the most important medical institution, not only in ...
and then Dhaka Medical College
Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (abbreviated DMCH) is a public medical college and hospital located in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. It houses medical school as well as a tertiary care hospital on one campus.
The country's first ev ...
as an associate professor in 1958, and Chittagong Medical College
Chittagong Medical College (CMC) is situated in the port city of Chattogram, Bangladesh and is the oldest medical college in the south-eastern part of the country. It is affiliated with a tertiary level hospital where clinical students are tra ...
as a professor in 1962. With Nuffield scholarship, he worked as visiting professor in London during 1963–1964. He was the founder and director of the Institute of Postgraduate Medicine Research (IPGMR) which is later renamed to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) is a graduate medical university in Bangladesh. It was established in 1965. The university offers postgraduate degrees only, not offering undergraduate medical or dental degrees.
History
Est ...
(BSMMU) for 24 years.
He served as the Founding Dean of Faculty of Postgraduate Medicine at the University of Dhaka
The University of Dhaka (also known as Dhaka University, or DU) is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is the oldest university in Bangladesh. The university opened its doors to students on July 1st 1921. Currently i ...
.[
In May 1989, Islam established the Institute of Applied Health and Science (IAHS) which was later renamed University of Science and Technology Chittagong (USTC).
]
Social activism
Islam founded Islamic Medical Mission, Janasheba Foundation and ADHUNIK, an anti-tobacco organization recognized by the World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...
. He formulated "The Bangladesh National Drug Policy 1982". He served as the Chairman of Bangladesh First National AIDS Committee and National Drug Administration Committee.[
]
Personal life
Islam was married to Anwara Islam from December 26, 1962, until her death in December 2012. She was a professor at Dhaka Education Extension Center. They had two daughters, Nur-E-Jannat Ayesha Dina, a BUET
Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, commonly known by the acronym BUET, is a public technological research university in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Founded in 1876 as the Dacca Survey School, it is the oldest institution for the study ...
and IBA graduate serving as the Deputy Program Director of USTC Business Faculty, and Neena Islam, an MBBS, BCS (Health), FCPS and MBA, serving as an associate professor in the Family Medicine Department in USTC. Their son, Ahmed Iftekharul Islam, is serving as the Vice President of the board of trustees of the Janasheba Foundation.
Islam died on January 24, 2013, at the LabAid Hospital in Dhaka. He was buried in the USTC campus.
Awards
A partial list of Islam's awards:[
* President's Gold Medal (1963)
* ]Sitara-i-Imtiaz
The Sitara-e-Imtiaz () also spelled as Sitara-i-Imtiaz, is the third-highest (in the order of "Imtiaz") honour and civilian award in the State of Pakistan. It recognizes individuals who have made an "especially meritorious contribution to the ...
(1970)
* Fazlul Haque Memorial Award (1982)
* Academy Gold Medal by Bangladesh Academy of Sciences
Bangladesh Academy of Sciences is an academic forum for Bangladeshi scientists and technologists. Established in 1973, it aims to fulfill the role of promoting research and development of sciences in Bangladesh.
History
After the partition of ...
(1982)
* Daymi Award for Religion and Social work (1986)
* Rangdhanu Academy Award for Social Service (1986)
* WHO Commemorative Medal (1990,1992)
* Bhashani Memorial Gold Medal (1993)
* Ibn Sina Medal (1995)
* Independence Day Award
The Independence Day Award ( bn, স্বাধীনতা পদক), also termed Independence Award ( bn, স্বাধীনতা পুরস্কার), Swadhinata Padak, and Swadhinata Puroskar, is the highest state award given by t ...
(1997)
* Gold Medal-RCP Edin (1999)
* Social Service Award by the Government of Bangladesh (2000)
* Bangladesh Nutrition Society Award (2002)
* Bangla Academy Award (2003)
* Hussain Shahid Suhrawardi Award for tobacco-free society (2003)
* Dr BC Roy Gold Medal and 'Chikitsa Ratna' Award for Medical Science, Kolkata (2003)
* Enriching Communal Harmony & Human Rights Award, Kolkata University, India (2004)
* WHO, DG's Special Award for outstanding work in the field of tobacco control in the South East Asia Region (2005)
* Marie Curie Award for Medical Science (2006)
Books
Islam wrote total 27 books and over 100 articles in international medical journals.
* Tobacco Smoking : Opinions, Questions & Answers
* Medical Diagnosis & Treatment
* Tropical Eosinophilia
* Essential Drugs for Village Practice
* Prescription and Professionals
* Something About Health
* Some Thoughts
* Jibon Srotay (In the stream of life)
* History of IPGMR
* Bangabandhu (in the eyes of his personal physician)
* Thoughts on Complementary Medicine
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Islam, Nurul
1928 births
2013 deaths
People from Chittagong
Bangladeshi physicians
Bangladeshi medical academics
Alumni of the University of Wales
Academic staff of the University of Dhaka
Fellows of Bangladesh Academy of Sciences
National Professors of Bangladesh
Recipients of the Independence Day Award
Recipients of Sitara-i-Imtiaz
Academic staff of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital
Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League central committee members