Combat physician Hamawy enlisted in the
New Jersey National Guard and served 8 years as a
reconstructive surgeon, a general surgeon, and a
flight surgeon in the Medical Corps during the
Iraq war, including a 9-month deployment in
Baghdad at the 31st Combat Support Hospital with the
U.S. Army. He operated on hundreds of service members and civilians, including future-
U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth, who credited him with helping save her life after her
Blackhawk helicopter was shot down in 2004. Duckworth later recalled "When I was wounded, within 20 minutes, I was in front of him – and he is the doctor who not only saved my life, but was able to prevent me from becoming a triple amputee by employing a vascular procedure that he'd just learned in medical school." The Combat Support Hospital treated an average of 15 traumas a day, but during the busiest days, such as during the
Second Battle of Fallujah, they treated up to 40.
Private medical practice Since returning from military service, Hamawy has been a
reconstructive surgeon in
Princeton, New Jersey. He has been an expert opinion in articles about
plastic surgery in
fashion and celebrity
gossip magazines such as
Life and Style and the
Hollywood Reporter, the latter of which he criticized a plastic surgery mobile game that appeared targeted at children due to its effect on their
self-esteem and
body insecurity. == Physician in disaster zones ==