Spirit of Hong Kong Awards: Gaza nurse’s obstacle-laden road to becoming a professor
Border closures and travel restrictions prevented Hammoda Abu-Odah from leaving Gaza on six occasions. Today he is a lauded Hong Kong nursing professor
On six occasions, Hammoda Abu-Odah, a Gaza nurse-turned Hong Kong scholar was offered an opportunity to study overseas. But each time, border closures and travel restrictions prevented him from taking them up.
Abu-Odah had obtained a nursing degree in his native Gaza but set his sights on an academic career abroad. He kept working, teaching and conducting research, despite the many challenges that prevented him from leaving.
Finally, on the seventh attempt, he made it to Hong Kong, where he eventually completed his doctorate at Polytechnic University in 2021 after receiving a Hong Kong PhD fellowship.
“If I had given up after losing six scholarship opportunities, I would not be here in Hong Kong teaching today,” he said.
