by David Zenian
Houston - Armenia has a dozen or so ambassadors serving in the major capitals of the world, but not all are accredited diplomats.
One such person is Dr. Garabed Eknoyan of Texas, the president-elect of the National Kidney Foundation and a highly successful nephrologist and "roving ambassador" who combines the science of healing with the history of ancient medicine.
As one of the major driving forces behind the International Association for the History of Nephrology, Dr. Eknoyan lectures extensively to scientific audiences around the world.
"My pet project is a major study on the history of Armenian Medicine. I hope to present it at an upcoming conference in Jerusalem ," he said at a recent meeting.
Preparing for his new endeavor, Dr. Eknoyan has spent endless hours reading and researching the roots and nature of kidney disease in Armenia - from the simple kidney stone, to the effects of uric acid.
He has looked at archival materials and interviewed fellow doctors and dozens of patients.
Dr. Eknoyan rushed to Armenia a few days after the 1988 earthquake to treat survivors severely traumatized by being crushed under the rubble of collapsed buildings.
The experience has changed Dr. Eknoyan, not only professionally, but also as an Armenian.
"I learned a lot from the Armenian earthquake, both as a scientist and as a person. The experience triggered a great interest in the effects of natural disasters on kidney decease," he said.
Born in Aleppo, Syria in 1936, Dr. Eknoyan receiving his medical degree from the American University of Beirut in 1961 and continued his post-graduate training at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, and later at Boston City Hospital, and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School.
His hospital appointments have included key positions at the Cincinnati General Hospital in Ohio, the Veteran's Administration and Methodist Hospitals in Houston, and others.
At present, he is a professor at Baylor College of Medicine, along with holding the position of attending physician at two major Houston area hospitals and consultant at the third.
In academia, Dr. Eknoyan has served on the staffs of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in Ohio, Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, the University of Houston College of Pharmacy, and the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Houston.
He is also a member in more than 20 medical professional associations, holds editorial positions on numerous medical publications, and serves on the committees of dozens of professional groups in the United States and abroad.
Dr. Eknoyan, who has published at least 215 articles and scientific papers since 1962, now holds the title of president-elect of the National Kidney Foundation.
While nephrology is his life, what makes Dr. Eknoyan unique is not only his science but deep and profound understanding of history.
"We have to tell the world who we are. Every Armenian should do this - each in his or her own field. We have to be roving ambassadors," he said.
Given his popularity in the international medical lecture circuit, Dr. Eknoyan is one of them.
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Armenia: A New Era
