DR . WHO
Now semi-retired , Dr . Seyal is in the office one day a week . He said he can ’ t bring himself to retire fully yet because his patients keep him coming back again and again . “ The patients are very appreciative , some of them I ’ ve known for 30 years . It ’ s gratifying to see patients doing so well ,” he said . He chuckled as he fondly remembered one patient in particular . “ I have one elderly gentleman that I see every three to six months and he always gives me a $ 2 bill . He carries a bunch of $ 2 bills and says he only gives them to people he likes .”
With his recent free time , he ’ s able to get back to some of the things that bring him joy outside of the clinical setting . Some of his favorite pastimes are reading and researching , dating back to his early school days . He recounted one story from when he first moved to Louisville and was in a used book store .
“ I bought a book called I Remember . It was written by Abraham Flexner , a Louisville native . I read the book and became extremely interested in his life . He was an education icon . His life history was so riveting , I was just blown away . I did a lot of research and got in touch with his biographer , Dr . Thomas Bonner . He asked me to send some things from Louisville and I was included in the book , Iconoplast : Abraham Flexner and a Life in Learning , published in 2002 . Eventually I plan to write a book of my own about him .” he said .
The 100-year anniversary of the Flexner Report was in 2010 and Dr . Seyal thought there should be a centennial celebration in Louisville . In conjunction with Dr . Edward Halperin , then-Dean of the UofL School of Medicine and also a scholar on Flexner ’ s life , the two served as co-promoters of the Abraham Flexner Report ’ s Centennial , held on May 4 , 2010 ; Dr . Seyal gave the first report on the life and legacy of Abraham Flexner .
In addition to his work with Abraham Flexner , he is also fascinated by the life of his brother , Simon Flexner , and hopes to write his biography one day .
As can be seen in the photos accompanying this feature , Dr . Seyal is passionate about calligraphy , particularly Islamic calligraphy . He writes in English , Urdu and Arabic and has won several awards for his work . This fascination started in high school , but once medical school began , it fell off with his busy schedule . Picking it up again eight years ago , he said it ’ s a calming way to start his days .
“ I do it every morning for several hours , I spend time practicing and learning . I would eventually like to write a book on the history of Islamic calligraphy .”
To accompany his calligraphy , he also has an impressive collection of fountain pens - nearly 4,000 . His collection has grown over ( continued on page 36 )
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