Dr. Esam Omeish – Muslim-American Thought Leader and Community Servant

Esam Omeish is a member of the board of Islamic Relief USA, a nonprofit organization composed of diverse leaders committed to humanitarian aid worldwide. A prominent speaker and thought leader within the Libyan-American and Muslim-American communities, Esam Omeish has spoken at events hosted by prominent think tanks such as The Atlantic Council and Brookings Institute, and has appeared on CNN, PBS, MSNBC, ABC, and C-SPAN. President Obama invited him to attend a White House speech on Libya in April 2011, and he was appointed by the Governor of Virginia in 2009 to serve on a statewide commission on immigration.  

Also a successful surgeon, Esam Omeish has been treating patients at Inova Alexandria Hospital in Northern Virginia for more than 20 years. He is a former section chief for General Surgery and, since 2006, has served as chairman of the Department of General Surgery. Dr. Omeish was Outstanding Physician of the Year in 2007 and elected to the Medical Executive Committee as member at large for 2006-07. Esam has also overseen a private practice and chaired the board of a community medical clinic offering free care.    

Esam Omeish was born in Libya and immigrated to the U.S. as a youth 40 years ago. Esam maintains leadership roles with several organizations working to improve living conditions in the country of his birth. Previously, he served as national president and chairman of the board of an Islamic charity and educational organization. Esam has also chaired several local Muslim community organizations.  

Dr. Omeish graduated from Georgetown University with a double major in biology and government and earned his MD from Georgetown University School of Medicine. Esam completed his general surgery internship and residency at Rutgers Medical School. Dr. Omeish resides with his family in Fairfax, Virginia. He and his wife, a molecular biologist, have four children.