Local Hero: Anatomy Man

You can't be around this medical school very long before you either hear about, or bump into, Dr. Al Walid El-Bermani, our flavorful associate professor of anatomy. Brash, droll, combustible, at times outrageous, El- Bermani brings the antic spirit of vaudeville to the classroom and the lab. His serious aim is to teach the students in his care precisely how the human body is put together-and that approach seems to be working. Nearly every graduating class over the past 25 years has cited him for the excellence of his teaching. El-Bermani, 70, lives in Somerville,Mass., with his wife, Ava.

This interview, conducted by JeffWilliam, '10, originally appeared in somewhat longer form in The Connective Issue, the online student journal.

Q: How did you end up at Tufts, and what drew you to medicine?

I was trained as a thoracic surgeon in a suburb of Baghdad. When the country started experiencing political issues, I skipped from the area. The communists were in charge, and I was anti-communist. Since I don't keep my mouth shut, I felt my life was in danger. I went to teach in the medical school at Mosul University in northern Iraq. I had to teach almost every course: anatomy, histology, neuroanatomy and the clinical implications in all of those classes.

Iraq was getting too dangerous, and I had two possibilities. There was an opening in England for a thoracic surgeon, but the American Medical Association representative who brought me to Mosul told me I should go to United States. There were positions for a Ph.D. at Boston University, U.C. Davis and somewhere in the Midwest. I couldn't decide, so I went to Boston first and said if I like, I stay. And I never left. I've been teaching here at Tufts since 1976.

Q: If you could go into any career besides medicine, what would it be?

I would teach. I would teach anything. I enjoy motivating students. I consider "multiplying" doctors to be better than practicing as a doctor myself. If I've been teaching for 32 years at Tufts with about 140 students [each year], how many is that? And that's just at Tufts. I also enjoy building, designing, carpentry and fixing things. In fact, I used to fix bicycles to give to poor kids. Right now, I'm building a new kitchen for my neighbors, and I'm teaching them while I do it.

Q: Do you watch "American Idol"? If so, in what ways would you compare your teaching style to Simon Cowell?

I have seen it, but I do not watch it. He is judging, not teaching. He only points out things that are wrong and doesn't fix them. I use the Socratic Method. How do I get you to the answer? I ask you a question! By getting you to figure out the answer, I know it is forever in your head.

Q: While we appreciated your impeccable timing in getting kidney stones just before our abdomen exam this spring, we were also worried about you. How are you feeling now?

Hey, if I have the tools, I'll get the stones out myself! I'm not feeling 100 percent, but maybe after my kidney clears. You learn the kidney physio yet? Oh, then you understand. I knew there was a problem when I started getting headaches, and my blood pressure was above normal. I knew it was my kidneys causing the hypertension. I always question my doctors, and I treat all of them the same way. I have a higher standard because I know! Of course, I don't tell them I'm a doctor until afterward.

For one GP, he only lasted 15 minutes. When he finished the physical, I asked if he was sure he was done. When he said yes and I was fine, I said OK, and I got up and left. I knew he wasn't a good doctor because he didn't use all of his clinical skills, if he even had all of them.

Q: Do you plan on retiring, or is punching and kicking med students just too much fun?

No! If I can contribute to educating 10 to 20 percent of students to be the best, I've done my job. What you retire for? To get old and do nothing? I will have retired when you see my body on one of those tables. (TM)