Waheed Arian
Dr Waheed Arian is an NHS doctor and global health consultant. He speaks on overcoming adversity, PTSD and mental health issues, leadership, innovation and addressing organisational and systemic inequalities, as well as sharing his extraordinary story.
Waheed was born in war-torn Afghanistan in 1983. With his family in constant flight from conflict, he spent much of his childhood in extreme deprivation in refugee camps in Pakistan, where first-hand experience of the power of medicine inspired him to dedicate his life to healing and helping others. He arrived in England as a refugee aged 15 and went on to study at Cambridge, Imperial College and Harvard. His highly praised autobiography In The Wars was published in 2021.
He is the founder of Arian Teleheal, a pioneering global telemedicine charity that connects and enables doctors in the UK, US, Europe and Australia to advise medics on the ground in war zones and low-resource countries, saving and changing millions of lives. In 2022 he launched Arian Wellbeing, an innovative digital mental health venture designed to offer high-quality services – trauma-informed, culturally sensitive and expert-led – to the public and the staff of organisations to improve mental and physical wellbeing.
Dr Waheed Arian is represented at Jenny Brown Associates by Lisa. For all enquiries contact lisa@jennybrownassociates.com
Waheed’s website: drwaheedarian.com
Waheed’s Twitter: @DrWaheedArian
Waheed’s Instagram: drwaheedarian
Books by Waheed
In the Wars
Transworld Publishers, June 2022
‘A riveting story of loss, exile, and rebirth.’ KHALED HOSSEINI, author of The Kite Runner
‘One of the most incredible life stories you will ever hear.’ JAMES O’BRIEN
‘A thrilling and absorbing read from first to last. What a life and what an inspiration.’ STEPHEN FRY
Born in war-torn Afghanistan, Waheed Arian’s earliest memories are of bombs. Fleeing the conflict with his family, he spent much of his childhood in refugee camps in Pakistan, living sometimes ten to a room without basic sanitation or access to education. After he contracted tuberculosis, his first-hand experience of the power of medicine inspired Waheed to dedicate his life to healing others. But how does a boy with nothing hope to become a doctor.
Waheed largely taught himself, from textbooks bought from street-sellers, and learned English from the BBC World Service. Smuggled to the UK at fifteen with just $100 in his pocket, he found a job in a shop. He was advised to set his sights on becoming a taxi driver. But Waheed had bigger ambitions.
Working through PTSD and anxiety, he studied all hours to achieve his vocation. He was accepted to read medicine at Cambridge University, Imperial College and Harvard, and went on to become a doctor in the NHS. But he wanted to do more. In 2015 he founded Arian Teleheal, a pioneering global charity that connects doctors in war zones and low-resource countries with their counterparts in the US, UK, Europe and Australia. Together, learning from each other, they save and change lives – the lives of millions of people just like Waheed.
This is an extraordinary memoir of a boy who recognized the power of education and dreamed about helping others. It’s a tale of courage, ambition and unwavering resilience in the face of all the challenges that life can throw in your way.