Hesham A. Hassaballa

Hesham A. Hassaballa is a Pulmonary/Critical Care physician currently practicing in the greater Chicago area and has been a Beliefnet columnist since 2001. He has written extensively on a freelance basis, and his commentaries have been published in the Chicago Tribune as well as other newspapers around the country and around the world. He is author of the essay "Why I Love the

," published in the book

(Rodale), winner of the prestigious Wilbur Award for 2003 Best Religion Book of the Year by the Religion Communicators Council. He is also author of the

, published by Doubleday in 2006, and an avid writer for his personal blog,

.

In addition to writing, Dr. Hassaballa helped found the Chicago chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations and has served on its executive board. He is co-chair of the Media Relations Committee of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago, and he is also a resident Scholar/Fellow at the International Strategy and Policy Institute, a Chicago-based Muslim think tank.