Christina lamb
Interview with Parveen Khan, M.D., April 22, 2006 12:00pm

Dr. Parveen Khan (b. January 9, 1947), Pediatrician with her own private practice, member of the Pakistani Civic Association, and medical doctor for Global Medical Relief during the devastating earthquake in Pakistan in 2005 is a testament to human strength and courage. The first part of the interview documents her birth in a small village in Pakistan where she was the first woman in her entire town to attend medical school. Struggling through social and gender stereotypes, she attended Dow Medical College where she was one of only 50 women among 300 men. She was escorted by a chaperone at all times and forced to cover her entire body. She then worked for six months with children with Spina Bifida in the south of England. From there she worked for two years at Queen Mary Hospital in London, England in pediatrics. The second part of the interview discusses her journey to the United States through an arranged marriage and the hardship of being separated from all of her family and friends. She continues with her story, touching on her move to Staten Island in 1980 after she was accepted at a second year residency level at St. Vincent’s Hospital on Staten Island. She reflects on the gender discrimination she faced during her residency and the extreme discrimination against female residents who became pregnant. She reminisces on the birth of her first two children and then finally the birth of her daughter Sarah who suffered brain damage due to oxygen deprivation at birth. She recounts her continual struggle to work miracles with her daughter, raise two more children, and run her own pediatric practice. The final portion of the interview delves into Dr. Khan’s selfless work with Global Medical Relief during the destructive earthquake that ravaged Pakistan in 2005. With continuing character and strength, she worked tirelessly to bring children who had lost limbs in the disaster back to the United States for treatment. After countless letters and phone calls, she was able to bring a nine year old girl who lost her leg and is currently keeping both the young girl and her mother in her own home. Finally, Dr. Khan discusses her mentoring of young people for the future and her personal leadership with women on Staten Island. Dr. Parveen Khan is truly an incredible woman of unending courage and leadership.