About the Nikhil J. Bhatt, MD International Humanitarian Award
The AAO-HNS Foundation supports otolaryngologists around the world who demonstrate a unique commitment to the specialty as part of our continued effort to foster a global otolaryngology community.
The AAO-HNSF Nikhil J. Bhatt MD International Humanitarian Award honors a non-U.S. otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeon who has selflessly treated people for whom access to care would have been financially or physically prohibitive. The Award is in fulfillment of the AAO-HNSF’s aim to foster a global otolaryngology community, and made possible through the generosity of Nikhil J. Bhatt, MD, a longtime advocate of AAO-HNSF international affairs.
The 2023 nomination process will be open January 4 – March 15. Submit your nomination today!
2022 International Humanitarian Award Recipient
Thana H. Nassir, MD, PhD, FICMS, longtime advocate for and supporter of the AAO-HNS/F, is the recipient of the Nikhil J. Bhatt, MD International Humanitarian Award. Dr. Nassir is best known for her dedicated and selfless service to the poor in her native country of Iraq, particularly during times of war and conflict. Her colleagues have recognized her for her unlimited charitable support for those who are disabled or displaced from their homes and in need of medical attention but who could not otherwise afford surgery.
Dr. Nassir is a skilled surgeon and consultant at the Iraqi ORL Head and Neck Surgery National Center in Baghdad. She is also a supervisor at the Iraqi Higher Education Institute and the Graduate Iraqi and Arabic Board and was president of the Iraqi Society of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery for eight years.
Dr. Nassir’s Iraqi colleagues shared moving letters of gratitude written by the parents of children on whom she operated at no charge. One family’s son needed a critical operation, which the family could not afford due to difficult circumstances. Dr. Nassir performed the surgical procedure at no cost to the family.
According to one colleague, her charitable contributions are without limit, calling her a pleasant, sincere, honest, and compassionate person and professional who has earned the respect and admiration of all who know her. Dr. Nassir has received many letters of gratitude and appreciation from and through the Iraqi Ministry of Women, the Iraqi Ministry of Health, the Iraqi Commission for Higher Medical Specialization in Otolaryngology, and more.
Previous Recipients:
- 2021: Niels van Heerbeek, MD, PhD | Tanzania
- 2020: Marlinda Adham, MD, PhD | Indonesia
- 2019: José Manuel Colmenarez Mendoza, MD | Venezuela
- 2018: Professor Mohan Kameswaran | India
- 2017: Johanna Sembergman, MD | Venezuela
- 2016: Nega Kiros Hagos, MD | Ethiopia
