Hijab in the OR was created and led by Dr Deena Kishawi.
Deena Kishawi, MD, is a Chicago-born and raised Obstetrician and Gynecologist physician. She is a product of Chicago Public Schools and attended DePaul University for her undergraduate degree, in which she majored in Cognitive Neurosciences. She attended Stritch School of Medicine Loyola University Chicago for her medical education. She completed her residency at Ascension St Joseph’s Hospital in Chicago.
Her personal experiences in the operating room revealed to her the need to raise awareness about the barriers faced by hijab-wearing women in surgery. This led her to create educational materials about Muslims in medicine – as trainees, students, residents, and physicians, as well as patients. She has led a national movement to create accommodations for hijab in the operating room and has presented policies, presentations, and Grand Rounds about this (amongst other related topics) nationwide. She has also led hospital-wide policy changes that create inclusive environments for hijab-wearing Muslim women. Dr. Kishawi is interested in diversifying the field of surgery including surgical subspecialties to accommodate females and minorities who would otherwise be hesitant to pursue surgery as a career choice.
She is also interested in health outcomes unique to Middle Eastern and North Africans residing in the United States. She has spearheaded national legislation and policy to create a demographic identifier in healthcare surveys and the U.S. Census for Middle Easterners and North Africans. Her current research investigates health disparities within this community regarding women’s health.
With her fluency in the Arabic language, her ability to resonate with Muslim patients in healthcare, and her work with immigrant, refugee, and first-generation communities in Chicago, she is currently conducting research on these vulnerable populations and is working towards training and educating healthcare providers about the unique challenges these population face.
She strives to teach, research, mentor, and learn within her medical community as well as the Muslim community at large. Her research interests include medical education, Islamic bioethics, religious and cultural competence, and health equity.