Sherif Zaki, one of Egypt’s finest disease detectives, has died.
Zaki died of congestive heart failure in Cairo on 28 December at the age of 65.
Zaki co-founded the Al-Ahram Forensic Medicine Institute and the National Medical Imaging Research Institute, two of Egypt’s foremost medical centres of excellence.
Dr. Zaki, together with his wife, Mademda, also co-founded the Faculty of Human Rights, University of Cairo.
The father of three was a legal specialist, specialising in health and legal issues.
He worked at the Faculty of Health Sciences in Alexandria from 1975 and at the staff clinic of the large teaching hospital, Al-Ahram University, in Cairo, for over two decades.
Dr. Zaki was also working at the International Egypt Institute, Cairo, when he retired from public service, due to his deteriorating health.
Zaki was also a founder of the Egypt Public Medical Residency Program, established in 1996.
This programme has since developed into the first ever international residency programme in public health in the Middle East.
Numerous work projects associated with Zaki’s college of research studies came to fruition in different continents, at medical centres, universities and research institutes worldwide.
Zaki’s family and many colleagues mourned his loss.