Huntsville Heroes: Dr. Ali Houssan

Dr. Ali Houssan

Written by Nina E. Woody Photos by Steve Babin

Even without the COVID-19 pandemic going on, Dr. Ali Hassoun is a very busy man. An internist specializing as an infectious disease specialist, Dr. Hassoun not only maintains a private practice, but wears many hats as a supervisor, an educator, and a go-to resource for information on COVID-19 in the Huntsville community.

As the head of the infection control center over Huntsville, Madison, and Crestwood hospitals, Dr. Hassoun supervises and directs staff on how to reduce and prevent infection in the hospitals. This includes tasks such as employing environmental protections for cleaning patient rooms and cleaning the operating rooms to reduce physicians’ and nursing staff’s chances of getting infected.

“It takes a lot of work and collaboration,” Dr. Hassoun said, “but I have a team of seven infection preventionists who are a great asset and help for managing infections and providing recommendations.” He added that these individuals are specially trained through the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Alabama Department of Public Health.

Dr. Hassoun is also a volunteer faculty member for UAB and the UAH School of Nursing and teaches with the Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine (ACOM) and the Auburn University branch of the Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM).

Besides all of these duties, Dr. Hassoun has found time in his busy schedule to become a valuable resource for disseminating accurate information on COVID-19. He has given numerous media interviews on the COVID-19 pandemic at local hospitals, how patients are responding to new treatments, and the importance of mask wearing and social distancing.

In a July interview, Dr. Hassoun stated that he believed that people would be wearing masks for at least the next six months. Now that we are near the end of that time period, he thinks that wearing masks will be extended for another 6-9 months. His main worry is people not following the rules and protecting themselves.

“We were hoping people would learn from the peak in July and try to follow the rules this time,” Dr. Hassoun said. “Most people want to do the right thing but there are a few who will not and do not care if they get the virus. It’s been challenging.”

Dr. Hassoun feels that it is important to continue to be an important source of timely information to inform the public and to correct misinformation about the spread of the virus in Madison County, even if it means working long hours.

“It is difficult to even gauge how many hours I work from day to day especially when I am on call because I am always available to answer questions from other physicians and patients alike,” Dr. Hassoun said.

Dr. Hassoun came to Huntsville 17 years ago. After graduating from the University of Baghdad College of Medicine, Iraq in 1991, he completed his fellowship residency in New York and worked for five years in Auckland, New Zealand.

Upon deciding on a place to move, Dr. Hassoun and his wife, who is also a doctor, landed in Huntsville. “We were looking for a community, not too small and not too large, to have the ability to practice medicine and engage in other activities,” he said. Dr. Hassoun admitted that the move at first was a major change but were encouraged by what they experienced. “From the beginning, we saw that the medical community here in North Alabama was progressive and open-minded,” he said. “It’s not too crowded here and it’s a nice place to live.”

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