Rashed Nizam
Twenty years ago, a close relative’s blindness sent Rashed Nizam more than 7,000 miles away from his homeland Bangladesh to learn how to fight it.
Now, Nizam is the board certified ophthalmologist and the founder of Mid Missouri Eye Center. And he was selected as the Physician of the Year by the National Republican Congressional Committee’s physician advisory board in 2003.
Nizam said his major was not ophthalmology at first. The moment he decided to jump into it was when his grandmother lost her sight.
“I remember how my grandmother grabbed my arms and told me how painful and frustrated she was because she was not be able to see my face,” Nizam said. “That’s a turning point of my life: I decided to be a ophthalmologist and tried my best to give back light to people who suffer from blindness.”
Nizam came to America to obtain a certificate from Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates in 1994 after getting a diploma in ophthalmology from Dhaka University in Bangladesh in 1985 and finishing his microsurgery training in Japan in 1988.
“I have learned a lot from Japanese culture,” Nizam said. “I remember there was a man who ran every midnight. When I was in Japan, I lived in a wooden house. I could hear him going out for running every night. I was curious why he ran during that time, so I asked. And he said he was trying to beat the time.
“I was inspired by his words. You see, there are not many people who value time that much today.”
Nizam then went to Brown University to complete residency training in internal medicine from 1994 to 1997. During that time, he was elected as Brown University Fogarty Fellow. He also completed a study on HIV in Bangladesh, which was the first published report on HIV diseases in Bangladesh in AIDS journal.
Even though he was starting to catch the eye of the ophthalmology organization in eastern United States, he decided to come to Columbia and planed to start his own business.
“The reason I chose Columbia was that it is a university town with educated people,” Nizam said.
At that time, Nizam had two children. His daughter was in sixth and his son was in fifth grade. The youngest son was born after the family moved in Columbia.
“I hope they can get educational messages to be good human beings through everyday life,” Nizam said. “Columbia is a good choice.”
Now, his daughter and elder son both graduated from MU and are seeking further education in graduate schools, and the youngest son is a junior at MU.
Nizam also sees something unique about the people in Columbia.
“People here value family a lot,” Nizam said. “I often see parents, children, sisters or brothers of my patients to gather around and show supports for them. I feel like people in Missouri, especially rural Missouri, are very family-oriented, which matches a lot with Muslims’ family values.”
Even though Nizam has experienced several different cultures and spent a long time in America, he still sees himself as a devout Muslim. He said he believes that being a Muslim gives him a lot of good qualities.
Muslims are fasting during the Ramadan month, which means they are not allowed to eat or drink anything from sunrise to sunset.
“You can see the struggle,” Nizam said. “But it is all about self-control and self-principle. You can achieve a spiritual uplifting through physical sacrifice. Through that, you come closer to God.”
Mustafa Sawani, an economics professor at Truman State University, has been a friend with Nizam for over 20 years.
“He has always been very devoted to Allah,” Sawani said. “A man who is truthful to his Allah is a reliable man.”
Nizam joined Moberly Regional Medical Center as staff physician and served as the chief of surgery for the first eight years in Columbia. He was taking root in Columbia due to his dedication to his career. A year after the award from the Republican Congressional Committee, he was elected as Fellow of American Academy of Ophthalmology.
When talking about the honors of his achievements, Nizam said he feels more responsible instead of proud.
“ ‘With great power comes great responsibility’,” Nizam said. “The more recognition I get, the more careful I am, because people will have higher expectation for me and expect me to do a better job.”
“He is very committed to his job and really cares about his patients,” said Joanna Aleshire, the office manager of Mid Missouri Eye Center.
Nizam said he also owed his success to the God he believes in.
“You must have a goal and work hard for it, then you can leave the results with the hand of the God,” Nizam said. “I never say that I am a successful surgeon, I only say I am a safe surgeon, because the success belongs to the God.”
Nizam said he believes that all his achievements and happiness come from his dependency of the God.
“You could probably buy pleasure for a temporary time, but the long lasting happiness always comes from God,” Nizam said. “I can feel the joy when I was recognized, but most time I feel it more when I do a successful surgery and have my patient see the light again.”
Nizam was appointed as the clinical assistant professor at University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine in Kansas City and he often goes back to Bangladesh for academic exchanges. He tries to be an active member of the communities in Columbia and his homeland.
“All I want is to see more and more people getting the help they need and have faith in God again,” Nizam said.