Syrian refugee who reached Europe by boat vows to help war zone families with forensic dentistry degree

'I will be able to pay back the support I have received here by helping identify the victims of war,' says Rawad Qaq

Refugee dentist Rawad Qaq pledges to help fix Syria after his graduation (University of Dundee)

A refugee forensic dentist who crossed the Mediterranean to flee conflict in Syria has vowed to help families in war zones with his new degree.

Rawad Qaq endured a treacherous 22-day journey by boat, travelling first to Germany before reaching Dundee in Scotland on a humanitarian scholarship to study for his masters.

The 27-year-old has now secured a fully-funded scholarship from the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) to complete his PhD at the university.

He said he hoped to help families who have lost loved ones in war zones by introducing forensic dentistry and facial reconstruction in Syria.

“I could not help during the war five years ago but now because of studying in Scotland, I will be able to pay back the support I have received here by helping identify the victims of war, not only in Syria but in other countries also ravaged by war like Iraq or Yemen,” he said.

Mr Qaq, who currently works as a medical interpreter for the NHS, will graduate with a distinction, the highest award.

“You cannot even begin to imagine what it means to graduate with this degree,” Mr Qaq said of his course.

“The education here has been fantastic, it has had a huge impact on me. Every topic I studied in my masters was related in some way to Syria, whether it was the study of mass graves, identification of people by their teeth, health records or data problems.”

Professor Mark Hector, dean of the school of dentistry, described Mr Qaq as an “exemplary student”, adding his “academic brilliance was one of the reasons he had been granted a highly competitive three-year doctorate grant”.

“Rawad is an exemplary student, highly motivated, conscientious, honest, ethical and altruistic,” he said.

“Judging from the standard of work he has produced for his masters in the school of dentistry I expect that he has the will and ability to become one of the leading experts in forensic dentistry for the identification of the decreased in Europe, if not the world.”

Mr Hector is confident Mr Qaq’s research will support efforts to ensure human rights for the victims of the Syrian conflict and to promote justice and peace in Syria.

Over 10,000 Syrians have so far been granted refuge under the Vulnerable Person Resettlement Scheme, more than half of the UK’s target of bringing in 20,000 by 2020.

A study by academics from the University of Glasgow revealed two-thirds of Syrian refugees aged 18 to 32 in Britain are either in employment or studying.