On May 7, 2007 the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard University held a teach-in on the current health crisis in Iraq. The teach-in brought together doctors, anthropologists, journalists and others to exchange perspectives. The main goals were to provide information and to develop scholarly and activist networks for further collaboration on this crucial topic. The audience was comprised of students, academics, and physicians affiliated with Harvard and other educational institutions in the area, as well as the wider Boston community; over 50 people attended.

The teach-in started at noon and was divided into three main sessions: After initial welcoming remarks by Professor Steven Caton, Director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Deema Arafah (Harvard Medical School), Dr. Mary Kay Smith-Fawzi (Harvard Medical School), Dr. Sheri Fink (Harvard Humanitarian Initiative), and Dr. Evan Lyon (Partners in Health) examined the dimensions of the crisis. Starting with a more general framing of the current health care crisis in Iraq, the session continued with more concrete data and information on the devastating situation. The highlight of this session was the screening of a 16-minute movie by Dr. Salam Ismael (Doctors for Iraq), who gave a testimony of the self-sacrificing efforts by himself and his colleagues to save the lives of their fellow countrymen, especially at the beginning of the Iraq War. Dr. Salam Ismael was able to join the teach-in via audio link from London to answer questions by the audience and the panelists.

The second session looked at the health care crisis in Iraq from a cultural perspective and evaluated its impact on the community. Huda Ahmed (Elizabeth Neuffer Fellow, Massachusetts Institute of Technology) started by informing the audience about her experience as a journalist in Iraq during recent years and her news coverage of Iraqi medical facilities in particular. Omar Dewachi (Department of Anthropology, Harvard University) spoke about the challenges the medical education and profession currently face in Iraq.

Finally, Professor Abdul Hadi Al-Khalili (Cultural Attaché, Embassy of The Republic of Iraq to the United States, Washington DC) gave the Keynote Speech. Professor Al-Khalili presented the audience with invaluable insight into the changing nature of the Iraqi healthcare system under the various regimes during the twentieth and present centuries. Most interestingly, he gave concrete suggestions how students, academics, and physicians, as well as the general public can contribute to rebuilding Iraq's healthcare system.

Dr. Susan Kahn ended a successful day of informative presentations, vivid discussions, and what seems to be the beginning of research collaborations on this topic, with concluding remarks that stressed the great urgency of the situation. Post-event activities include the setting-up of a webpage to disseminate information about the crisis. The Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard was very pleased with the turnout as well as the individual presentations and hopes to see many fruitful collaborations coming out of this event.