The horrors of war have loomed large before Australian surgeon Dr Bushra Othman (BM, BS ’10), who has been volunteering to perform emergency surgery on war victims in Gaza.

As a Board Member of the Palestinian Australian and New Zealand Medical Association (PANZMA), Dr Othman was the first female surgeon to volunteer for PANZMA’s medical missions to support the people of Gaza. These missions were coordinated by PANZMA with the World Health Organization and Israel, provide emergency medical aid to Gaza and the West Bank.

She has worked on several medical missions at the hospital in Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza, one of the few operational medical facilities in the war-torn area.

Dr Othman, a Palestinian-Australian, says she went to Gaza out of a sense of duty but admits that nothing prepared her for the reality on the ground.

As a surgeon specialising in the treatment of gut-related diseases, Dr Othman’s technical expertise was matched by her deep compassion and unflinching commitment to ethical care in a war zone.

Her advocacy has inspired colleagues, informed the public, and brought humanity to discussions too often dominated by politics.

Full profile coming soon!

 

Dr Bushra Othman has been awarded a 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award from Flinders University for distinguished humanitarian service as a general surgeon providing critical medical aid in Gaza, Palestine.