Dr. Nawal Nour actively researches the health and policy issues regarding female genital cutting (FGC) and speaks at academic and national conferences regarding the medical management of women how have undergone this practice. Committed to the eradication of FGC, she conducts workshops to educate African refugees and immigrants on the medical complications and legal issue of this practice. She served on a FGC task force for the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology and was the primary author of "Female Genital Cutting, Clinical management of Circumcised Women," a slide-lecture kit for obstetricians/gynecologists on the medical management of circumcised women in the United States and Canada. A board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist, Dr. Nour is the Director of the Obstetric Ambulatory Practice at the Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. She is an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. She also established the African Women's Health Center which provides appropriate health and outreach programs to the African community in Boston. Dr. Nour was honored as a 2003 MacArthur Foundation Fellow for creating the country's only center of its kind that focuses on both the physical and emotional needs of women who have undergone FGC. Born in Sudan, and raised in Egypt and England, Dr. Nour came to the United States to attend Brown University. She received her medical degree from Harvard Medical School in 1994, and completed a chief residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA in 1998. She received the CFHU Fellowship and obtained her M.P.H. at the Harvard School of Public Health in 1999. She was subsequently awarded the H. Richard Nesson Fellowship from the Brigham and Women's Hospital for her community work and outreach. Publications: Nour, N. "Female Circumcision and Genital Mutilation: A Practical and Sensitive Approach." Contemporary Ob/Gyn. 45:50–55. 2000 Nour, N. "Female Genital Cutting: Clinical and Cultural Guidelines." Obstetrical and Gynecological Survey. 2004;59:272-279. Nour N. Cultural Competence May Limit Stereotyping. Focus: Harvard Medical, Dental and Public Health. Sept 3, 2004. Morris S., Nour N. Benign Vaginal Villi Noted at Time of Defibulation of Female Genital Cutting: A Case Series. Obstetric and Gynecology 2005;105. Nour N., Michels K., Bryant A. Defibulation to Treat Female Genital Cutting: Effect on Symptoms and Sexual Function. (submitted for publication)
Nawal Nour
Director, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Associate Professor, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass.