“As a postdoctoral fellow at UTHSC, I’m working to find a cure for osteoarthritis. That’s been my objective in life since I was in high school back in Pakistan. There’s a tradition of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), our prophet, that there is no disease for which there is no cure. To me, it is my religious obligation to work on finding that cure, and research is the best way to do that. It allows me to study and understand the disease. Arthritis is a leading cause of disability in the world and drastically reduces a person’s quality of life. Working in the VA Medical Center, I see a lot of soldiers coming in, veterans who have served the country for a very long time. They have serious joint problems, and we need to do something for them. Someone once asked me, ‘Why aren’t you working on heart disease? It’s more serious than arthritis.’ My answer is this: My mom suffers from arthritis. If I can find a cure, then I will have done something for the woman who took care of me for nine months in her womb. I will have helped my mom."
Fazal-ur-Raheem Bhatti was one of the table hosts at the 10th annual Memphis Interfaith Dinner.
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