Biography (in his own words):

“I am a Palestinian whose family were originally members of a Bedouin tribe of the Nagab. They  left the Nagab like so many others and settled in Rafah, where I was born and grew up. I then moved to Alexandria in Egypt to study medicine and upon qualifying, I worked in Libya as a  doctor from 1982 to 1986. I subsequently studied psychiatry in Vienna from 1987 to 1990. I returned to the Gaza Strip and worked in the community mental health programme. In 1993 I  studied for a Diploma in Child Psychiatry in England. I have worked as a psychiatrist both within the Ministry of Health and for the Gaza Community Mental Health Association. I am committed to developing community-based psychiatry in multidisciplinary teams. I recently completed a PhD at the University of Leicester in 2003. I have published extensively on the topic of  post-traumatic stress amongst Palestinian children. I am a member of the Faculty of the School of Public Health of Al Quds University and am closely involved in the management and teaching  of the Masters in Public Health that is taught in Gaza.” (Source: “Palestinian Refugee Children and Caregivers in the Gaza Strip,” Chapter in Children of Palestine: Experiencing Forced Migration in the Middle East, Berghahn Books, 2005, p. 149.)

Dr. Thabet also spent a number of years in Canada teaching and doing research, and engaging as an affiliated scholar with the Centre for Refugee Studies at York University. He passed away in Canada in 2020.

In a tribute to his mentor and frequent collaborator, Dr. Panos Vostanis described Dr. Thabet as a “pioneer of child trauma research.” In light of his extensive contribution to the scholarly record, a special collection of Dr. Thabet’s research publications has been established to honor his memory and to ensure that his work is not only preserved over the long-term, but that it will also continue to advance greater knowledge and understanding on the mental health needs of individuals affected by war and conflict.

Explore his research output in these locations:

Acknowledgements:

Many thanks to the following individuals and entities for contributing to the development of this special collection: The Arab Journal of Psychiatry, Dr. Panos Vostanis and Dr. Dawn Chatty.