About Nasry Michelen

Biography of Dr. Nasry Michelen:1922– 2018

Dr. Michelen was born in San Juan de la Maguana, Dominican Republic into a distinguished family that had migrated from Bethlehem, Palestine. At the age of 13 his father sent him and three of his four brothers to live with their aunt in Bethlehem.  He had to learn Arabic while enrolled in a British school; where he also learnt English. From an early age Dr. Michelen, and his brother Yamil, were involved in issues of social justice. They published a newspaper, and organized marches and protests. He received his initial schooling in the Dominican Republic but obtained his medical degree at the American University Of Beirut in Lebanon. He went into medicine not only because he wanted to help people but also because he was curious about how the body functioned. He took a year off from medical school to teach at a high school in order to pay for his education. He also partially funded medical school by playing chess, ping pong, poker and pool for money. He was politically active in Beirut, a well-known student and popular movement leader.

He married his best friend’s sister, Marie Armaly, a Palestinian from Haifa, and established a practice as a surgeon in Bethlehem; where he was the leader of a popular front. He ran for city council against the government’s candidate; and when it became clear that he was going to win the election, the government deported him, his wife, and his newborn son Walid, to the Dominican Republic. He had not been back to the Dominican Republic since he left at the age of 13. His wife did not know Spanish and had to adapt to a new culture. The adjustment was difficult for both of them. He practiced in the San Juan region’s public hospital system. He had two other sons, Nasry and Oscar. His administrative skills and acumen were recognized by the Minister of Health who awarded him a scholarship to obtain his master’s in Public Health at Columbia University, New York. Upon his return from studying he was appointed Superintendent of Hospitals during President Trujillo‘s dictatorship. Dr. Michelen was a fierce critic of the regime, during and after Trujillo’s reign. He was one of the leaders of the opposition to the new government that was formed after Trujillo’s death. The government’s persecution was such that he was forced to leave the country, along with his family.  He returned to New York, where he eventually was appointed  Executive Director of Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx. He was the first Hispanic and Dominican in New York State to be an executive director of a hospital.

As executive director of the hospital Dr. Michelen recruited a cadre of Latino physicians to the medical staff in  an effort to provide culturally appropriate care and better serve the predominantly Latino population of the South Bronx. He successfully advocated for the building of a new Lincoln Hospital at 149^th St. and the Grand Concourse. He was also part of a group of community activists, Los Gavilanes (The Hawks) that fought for better services in the South Bronx. In 1968 Dr. Michelen was one of the founders of Hostos Community College of CUNY and its first president. Once again Dr. Michelen was a pioneer as Hostos was one of the first educational institutions to offer bi-lingual education. Having staffed Lincoln with many Hispanic physicians, Hostos’ focus was to train predominantly Hispanic para-professionals to serve the South Bronx and other underserved areas. His dream was that it would become a four year college and a medical school.  When he realized that the  City University of New York was not interested in this vision, he resigned. He was then appointed by Governor Mario Cuomo as the  director of the Division of Hospital Accreditation of the New York State Department of Health. As director, he was a strong advocate for patient care and patients’ rights. He was responsible, among other achievements, for the department’s requirement that all hospitals post the Patient’s Bill of Rights in a visible location. He was also a professor of the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine.