From refugee to dishwasher to medical doctor, Dr. Heval Kelli has had quite a journey. Now, the decorated cardiologist has stepped up during the Covid-19 pandemic, despite contracting the virus himself.
“We’ve been through trauma,” he says, referring to his family’s fleeing from Syria. “And feel like now we can step up and be there for Americans.”
In addition to his regular duties as a heart doctor, Kelli also volunteers his time in numerous community projects. He has co-founded multiple mentorship and education non-profits, providing resources he himself didn’t always have to his community. Recently, he has devoted much of his time to volunteering at Covid-19 drive-thru test sites.
Heval Kelli’s American Dream: From Dishwasher to Doctor
Born in Syria to Kurdish parents, Kelli and his family lived in refugee camps in Germany for five years. His father was a civil lawyer but, due to his ethnicity and refusal to work for the government, he was jailed. Following his release, the family had to leave Syria, ending up in Germany, and then the US in 2001.
“He went from being a lawyer to fighting heart disease and depression after what he went through,” Kelli recalls, “He was so prominent, and now in America he can’t practice.” Kelli and his family arrived in the US only two weeks after the September 11th and settled in Clarkston, Atlanta.
“It was hard to think about becoming a doctor when you’re learning English and struggling as a refugee,” he says. As his father’s health failed, Kelli found a job as a dishwasher in a restaurant near Emory University, watching the students as he worked. He worked throughout his time at Georgia State University, supporting his family through multiple jobs, and his education through grants and scholarships. Through a chance encounter, Dr. Omar Lattouf, an Emory professor and cardiologist, became Kelli’s mentor and helped him realize his dream of medical school.
This year Kelli completed his fellowship at a place a block away from the restaurant at which he used to work.
Giving Back to the Community
After struggling upwards, Kelli now uses his position to give back. He has co-founded multiple non-profit organizations; Young Physician Initiative and U-Beyond focus on medical membership, something that Kelli himself did not have for a long time. He has also started the healthcare outreach program You4Prevent, and co-founded the Kurdish American Medical Association.
“I don’t want to be the exception,” says Kelli, “The whole goal of this is that these minority or low-income students have someone come to their home and say, you could be like me and here is how you do it.”
Kelli also created the Mentoring Initiative for New Americans, which helps refugee and immigrant students attend college and medical school.
After Coronavirus Diagnosis, Heval Kelli Returns to Helping His Peers
Kelli has worked tirelessly throughout the Covid-19 epidemic alongside his wife, fellow cardiologist Kazeen Abdullah. Although he himself contracted Covid-19, as soon as he recovered, he returned to work, where demand for doctors is skyrocketing due to the pandemic.
“I came during the worst time of US history [just after 9/11] as a Muslim refugee and I was welcomed by southern white Christian conservatives,” he says. “Now I’m going back during this crisis and returning the favor.”
In addition to direct medical services, Kelli and his wife have been translating coronavirus data into Kurdish and Arabic and helping non-English speaking members of their community understand exactly what is going on. “The first thing [refugees and immigrants] are facing is a lack of resources and education tailored to them and their languages,” explains Kelli.
Learn more about Dr. Kelli’s philanthropic efforts on his personal website or Twitter.
