Dr. Omar Dewachi is an anthropologist and healthcare practitioner at Rutgers University, where he also serves as the chair of the Anthropology Department. His work is centered on the intersection of war, health, and society in Iraq and the broader Middle East. With a distinctive blend of medical practice and anthropological research, Dr. Dewachi investigates how prolonged conflicts have reshaped public health systems and social structures across the region.
He is the author of Ungovernable Life: Mandatory Medicine and Statecraft in Iraq, which critically examines the 20th-century history of Iraqi medicine, illustrating how political upheavals and state interventions have deeply influenced healthcare practices and policies.
Dr. Dewachi’s forthcoming book, Chronicles of War Biology, extends this exploration by analyzing the transformations in healthcare and the biological impacts of warfare in the Middle East since the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq. His research highlights how war has contributed to the rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in conflict zones, where disrupted healthcare systems, the overuse of antibiotics, and the collapse of infection control measures create an ideal environment for resistant pathogens to proliferate.
His work offers crucial insights into the enduring effects of conflict on health, providing a deeper understanding of how violence and instability have restructured both healthcare infrastructure and the social fabric of the region. Dr. Dewachi’s contributions are invaluable for those seeking to comprehend the long-term impacts of war on societies, particularly in the realms of medical anthropology, global health studies, and AMR in conflict zones.