Faculty Profile: Mohab Foad, MD
Lesson from Childhood
As a child growing up in a suburb of Cincinnati, Mohab Foad, MD, knew he wanted to be a physician. His parents are both physicians, but it was Uncle Mohab, his namesake, who inspired Dr. Foad to become an orthopaedic surgeon.
Uncle Mohab lived with Dr. Foad's family after suffering from almost total paralysis following an accident and stroke. As a boy, Dr. Foad remembers feeling helpless as he watched his uncle struggle with physical limitations. Now, as a surgeon, he is able to help people gain more function and improve their quality of life.
Dr. Foad's uncle gave him insight into what life is like for patients who face medical challenges. "As a child, I watched my uncle perform daily tasks with no leg function and very limited arm function," recalls Dr. Foad. "I realized at a very young age that even a little bit of ability makes a big difference in people's lives."
"I Like to Fix Things"
An inquisitive child, Dr. Foad was fascinated with figuring out how things work. He spent a lot of time taking mechanical gadgets apart and putting them back together, a prelude to his career as a surgeon. He even built his own computer.
"I decided to become an orthopaedic surgeon because I like to fix things when something doesn't work," says Dr. Foad. "It is rewarding to see positive results for my patients when they gain some function they didn't have before. I know firsthand how important this is in their everyday lives."
Filling a Gap in Medicine
Dr. Foad became passionate about treating brachial plexus injuries as a medical student at the University of Cincinnati.
"I noticed there is limited care available for children and adults with these injuries," says Dr. Foad. "I wanted to fill this gap in medicine to make sure people receive the highest quality treatment so that they have a chance at recovery or improved use of their arm and hand."
With his background and expertise gained from his extensive training in the area of orthopedics and hand and microvascular surgery, Dr. Foad performs nerve repair and shoulder surgeries on children with brachial plexus injuries as a member of the Brachial Plexus team at Cincinnati Children's.
Today, Dr. Foad is one of only two surgeons in the region that treat children and adults with brachial plexus injuries. The other surgeon is Kevin P. Yakuboff, MD, who is also a member of the Brachial Plexus team at Cincinnati Children's.
"My Family is My Hobby"
Although Dr. Foad's uncle recently passed away, family continues to play a major role in his life. When asked what his hobbies are, his immediate reply is, "my family." After graduating from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, with a degree in biology, he returned to his hometown and graduated from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.
He married his high school sweetheart whom he met at Cincinnati Country Day School, Susan Foad, MPH. She is the Outcomes Coordinator for Cincinnati Children's Brachial Plexus Center.
They have two children, whose lives are influenced by their family's interest in the healthcare field. "We teach our children not to take anything for granted," says Dr. Foad. "Someday we hope that they too are motivated to use their own unique gifts to make a difference."
Read more information about Dr. Foad.
