| Professor Selwa A. F. Al-Hazzaa is a Saudi Ophthalmologist at King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center and is Chairman / Head of the Ophthalmology Department since1997. She is considered as one of the most influential personalities in Saudi Arabia, and the Arab World in general. She is also considered to be a pioneer for Saudi Women, as she is one of the first Saudi women to acheive international success academically; professionally; and politically. She has been an active advocate in empowering Saudi women with the support of the Royal Family after being appointed to be the first female physcian to enter the royal palace to treat the late King Fahad 1997 – 2005.
In January 2007, Dr. Al-Hazzaa was appointed as Senior Advisor to the Minister of Health, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In 2003 she was the first female advisor to Majlis Al-Shura”Saudi Parliament”. In January 11th 2013, in a historical move and per Royal Decree from late King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, Dr. Al-Hazzaa became one of the first ever-female members of Majlis Al-Shura”Saudi Parliament” allowing women for the first time to be part of the Kingdom’s formal advisory body.
Dr. Al-Hazzaa was named “Arab Women of the Year” in the field of Medicine and community services in 2005 from the Arab Women Studies Center in Paris. In addition, Forbs International Magazine chose her as one of ” The Most Powerful Arab Women for Year 2005″ and was again chosen as the “Arab Woman for year 2006”. Most Recently, she was the recipient of two awards from Arab Women Award 2015 , in the field of Medicine and for Lifetime Acheivement. Dr Al-Hazzaa was awarded as a “Distinguished Saudi Women in Medicine & Health for 2015” from ‘Sayidaty Awards’. Dr. Al-Hazzaa was granted the degree of Doctor of Humanities, Honoris Causa the highest honor of the Franklin University in Switzerland in 2017.
Dr. Al-Hazzaa was elected as an Executive Member of the International Council of Ophthalmology (ICO), the highest rank in Ophthalmology worldwide, being the youngest member; the first female from the Middle East, and the only female ophthalmologist from the 5 continents. Currently Dr. Al-Hazzaa is a professor; college of medicine Al-Faisal university; Saudi Arabia and Adjunct Professor at Keck college of Medicine; University of Southern California, USA.
Dr. Al-Hazzaa is an author of 68 articles; editorials; review articles; book chapters the most important in Duane’s International Ophthalmology, on “Genetic Eye Diseases in Saudi Arabia”. |
