Dr William Harmon remembered at SIUT

Harmon played vital role in the establishment of paediatric nephrology at SIUT

KARACHI: A memorial meeting was held on Wednesday in remembrance of the American physician Dr William Harmon at the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) Dewan Farooq Medical Centre. The meeting was presided over by SIUT director Dr Adibul Hasan Rizvi.

Harmon, a professor of paediatric transplant nephrology at Harvard Medical School, passed away on the evening of July 8 in Boston. He played a vital role in the establishment of paediatric nephrology at SIUT, which helped to save the lives of millions of children in Pakistan.

"He was suffering from malignant cancer and knew that he would not survive for long," said Rizvi. "Harmon was often referred to as a giant in his field and played an instrumental role in setting up the pediatric nephrology unit at SIUT," he added.

Harmon was associated with SIUT for the past 25 years, Rizvi told the audience, consisting of students and doctors. He was better known in the academic and clinical world for designing and successfully implementing several paediatric kidney transplant therapeutic trials.



"He always supported us and told us not to worry. He said we can get a solution out of any problem," Rizvi said, remembering Dr Harmon's first visit to SIUT in 2001.

"He always asked people to visit SIUT when they visit Pakistan and see how transplants are done free of charge in a developing country," recalled Rizvi.

Rizvi said that the hospital decided to start a separate OPD for children since they were neglected. SIUT now helps 500 children per week and Harmon was the one who helped and encouraged this initiative, he said, while showing an old picture of OPD 14.

Harmon gifted three volumes of his books, worth $9,000, to SIUT's library, in addition to participation in training sessions of doctors at SIUT.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 14^th, 2016.