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 () is a prestigious teaching award given by the government of Bangladesh for outstanding contribution in the field of education. It is awarded by the President of Bangladesh according to ''Bangladesh National Professor Resolutio ...

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 (BAS) 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 partiti ...

since 1973. He served as the personal physician of Bangladeshi President

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (17 March 1920 – 15 August 1975), also known by the honorific Bangabandhu, was a Bangladeshi politician, revolutionary, statesman and activist who was the founding president of Bangladesh. As the leader of Bangl ...

Early life and education

Islam was born on April 1, 1928, in Mohammadpur village,

Chandanaish Upazila Chandanaish () 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 then Islamic worlds had been ...

Chittagong Chittagong ( ), officially Chattogram, (, ) (, or ) is the second-largest city in Bangladesh. Home to the Port of Chittagong, it is the busiest port in Bangladesh and the Bay of Bengal. The city is also the business capital of Bangladesh. It ...

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 Medical College, Kolkata, also known as Calcutta Medical College, is a Government medical college and hospital located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It is one of the oldest existing hospitals in Asia. The institute was established on 28 Janua ...

in 1951. He completed MRCP in 1954 and TDD (Diploma in Tuberculosis Diseases) in 1955 from

University of Wales The University of Wales () 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 – the university was the first universit ...

Career

Islam joined

Mitford Hospital Mitford Hospital, officially Sir Salimullah Medical College and Mitford Hospital, is a public teaching hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Situated in Old Dhaka area, the hospital serves as a teaching hospital of Sir Salimullah Medical College. The h ...

and then

Dhaka Medical College Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) is a public medical college and hospital located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Established in 1946, the college houses a medical school as well as a tertiary care hospital on its campus. History Site during ...

as an associate professor in 1958, and

Chittagong Medical College Chittagong Medical College, abbreviated as CMC is a public university, public medical school, medical college located in Chittagong, Bangladesh. It is the second oldest and second largest medical educational institute and hospital in Bangladesh ...

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 Bangladesh Medical University (BMU; formerly known as Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, commonly known as PG Hospital) is a graduate medical university in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It was established in 1965 as Institute of Postgraduate Medic ...

(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 (DU), is a public university, public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Established in 1921, it is the oldest active university in the country. The University of Dhaka w ...

. 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 list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...

. 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 The Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology () commonly known by its acronym BUET, is a public technological research university in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. Founded in 1876 as the Dacca Survey School and gaining univer ...

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 Civil decorations of Pakistan, civilian award in the State of Pakistan. It recognizes individuals who have made an "especially me ...

(1970) * Fazlul Haque Memorial Award (1982) * Academy Gold Medal by

(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 Award (), formally known as the Independence Day Award or Swadhinata Padak (), is the highest state award given by the government of Bangladesh. Introduced in 1977 by President Ziaur Rahman, this award is bestowed upon Banglade ...

(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 Award Recipients of Sitara-i-Imtiaz Academic staff of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League central committee members Academic staff of Sir Salimullah Medical College