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Dr. Yoasif Rofa

Yoasif Hanna Rofa, born in Baghdad, Iraq on March 25, 1955, is the oldest child among four to a Chaldean-Christian family. After finishing high school in June 1972, Rofa entered the Baghdad University Medical School in September 1972, and graduated as a medical doctor in 1978.

In November 1985, Dr. Rofa earned a government sponsored scholarship to an Egyptian University to study for a Masters Degree in Psychiatry. After completing this program, Dr. Rofa returned to Iraq and practiced psychiatry in different hospitals until October 2006.

While Dr. Rofa practiced general psychiatry, he always held a special interest in helping victims of domestic violence. This interest was further helped by his attendance at a training course in Orvieto, Italy on violence in September 2004 that addressed the tragedy of exposure to torture and mass violence, while offering insight for treatment of these victims. This annual activity is sponsored by the Peter C. Alderman Foundation in partnership with the Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma. It provided local caregivers in post-conflict countries with the tools to treat the emotional wounds of victims of terrorism and mass violence.

In May 2006, Dr. Rofa received an invitation from the Peter C. Alderman Foundation to come to the United States and give a presentation about his experience with the class and how it affected his vision in management of mental patients in Iraq. While in the U.S., Dr. Rofa learned of threats his wife and family received regarding his visit. Dr. Rofa then applied for asylum in the U.S. which he was granted in June 2007. He is currently awaiting his application for his wife and two children to join him in the United States.

Dr. Rofa was recently granted employment authorization by the United States government and hopes to continue to work in the mental health services field.