Development of Gastroenterology and Hepatology in Iran: Part I-Training Programs and the Iranian Association of Gastroenterology and Hepatology

During the first half of the 20th century, all subspecialties of internal medicine were managed by general internists and there was no gastroenterologist in Iran. The first group of Iranian gastroenterologists who had completed their training program in France started working in Tehran in 1951. Later on, other specialists trained in USA and the United Kingdom joined them. Some of these specialists and some internists with special interest in gastroenterology and hepatology were in charge of gastroenterology education in divisions of internal medicine in the Medical Schools of Tehran, Shiraz, Isfahan, and other universities, while most of them were also practicing gastroenterology in their private offices on a part-time basis. The establishment of subspecialty training program in gastroenterology and hepatology was firstly started in 1976 in Tehran University and later on and since 1984 in Shaheed Beheshti, and Shiraz Universities. This was a major step in the progress of this subspecialty, which is now one of the most active medical disciplines in Iran. In this paper, we aimed to describe the development and evolution of gastroenterology and hepatology in Iran during the last 60 years with emphasis on physicians and scientists, who played a major role in providing the first gastroenterology services in the country or had a major role in training, education, and research in this field. We also describe the attempts that led to the establishment of the Iranian Association of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, as the most important nongovernmental organization in this field.