Local urologist reflects on 50 years in practice
When Dr. Adel Mohamed opened his urology practice in Smithfield in 1975, he was one of a few foreign-trained physicians on the hospital’s medical staff. Today, he stands out among the 800 or so members of UNC Health Johnston’s medical staff for a different reason: his dedication to innovation and patient care.
At an age when most physicians have long retired, Dr. Mohamed is working as hard as ever to meet demand for urological services in fast-growing Johnston County.
In fact, Mohamed scoffs at retirement. “It’s for the birds,” he says. Plus, he continues to love his patients and the myriad ways he’s able to help them get back on track--from bladder tacks to hernia repairs.
Throughout his five-decade career, Mohamed has consistently brought cutting-edge technology to Johnston County. He was among the first urologists in North Carolina to offer penile implants for impotency, lithotripsy for kidney stones, Aquablation therapy for enlarged prostate, and robot-assisted surgery for minimally invasive procedures.
To stay current, he attends annual meetings of the American Urological Association in Las Vegas, where he sees and learns tech advances and meets pioneering urologists. And he’s lectured, too, at international conferences and shared his knowledge with medical students at his alma mater in Cairo, Egypt.
“He is fearless about learning new things,” said Dr. Robert Lippitt, a former urology partner. “He focuses and studies for days and with little sleep. He seeks out experts, then visits them, sometimes for weeks, to observe, and ask questions.”
Since a teenager, Mohamed has had an insatiable curiosity about how things work. At 16, he took apart his bike and put it back together. He once spent hours with a watchmaker to learn how to repair watches. His creative mind has produced 11 patents on surgical instruments, including a device that closes surgical wounds with absorbable sutures under the skin.
Beyond his medical innovations, Mohamed’s generosity has touched countless lives. “He’s given away millions of dollars in free surgical care, and once gave his coat to a patient who didn’t have one,” Lippitt said. And his zest for life is reflected in his hobbies, flying, scuba diving, and underwater videography, which he still enjoys.
Back in 1975, when Mohamed wondered how locals might accept a foreign graduate, hospital administrator Lloyd Gilbert offered reassuring advice: “If you do good, they will do you good.”
Gilbert was right, Mohamed says. The community welcomed him and his wife, Amina, with open arms. A local physician even built an office for the young urologist.
“Since opening day, we’ve felt the community’s support,” he says. Fifty years later, that support continues as he serves the patients who have become an integral part of his life’s work.
