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Although the buildings in Dubai might be more modern, none of the institutions there can rival the knowledge accumulated within the walls of the Medical School in Pécs, says Dr. Fariborz Bagheri, who started his career in Pécs and has since become one of the world’s leading urologists. As the motivational speaker at the 2025 graduation ceremony, he spoke with us about the things he is grateful for in Pécs, both from a professional and personal point of view, and what he believes is most important for young doctors today.

Written by Miklós Stemler

Even though he was not born or raised here—and has not lived here in over fifteen years—Dr. Fariborz Bagheri still feels like he is coming home to Pécs. As he puts it, his heart always skips a beat when he reaches the edge of town and spots the TV tower, just like it does for so many locals. All this is especially meaningful considering that, over more than three decades of his career, he has worked in numerous countries and world-class clinics and achieved huge professional success in Dubai. Yet none of that would have been possible without the defining two decades he spent in Pécs. Like in any good story, coincidence, or perhaps divine intervention, played a great part.

“I was born in Iran and grew up in Dubai; Hungary was not even in my plans when I was eighteen, I barely knew it existed. I already knew that I wanted to be a doctor, but my goal was America. However, a friend of mine was studying here and told me this was an excellent university where you could study in English. To this day, I am so glad it happened this way because Pécs turned out to be the perfect place for me. If someone asked me now what I would do if I could go back to 1988, I would say exactly the same, because this was God’s plan for me,” he recalls the beginning of his journey as a doctor.

Not only the supportive environment of the Medical University in Pécs, but also the welcoming, friendly atmosphere of the city and the whole country helped his integration as a general medicine student.

“From 1988 on, I lived in Hungary for over twenty years, and I still come back regularly, and in all that time, I never once felt like an outsider. I think that this kindness, friendliness, and acceptance are the greatest values of this city and this country. During my first four years at university, I rented a room from an 80-year-old lady, Grandma Gabi. She really treated me as if I were her grandson; she cared for me with so much love, which I really needed after coming here from thousands of kilometres away. To me, she was Grandma Gabi, and she called me ‘my little Borzi.’ And I got the same love and support from my teachers and Hungarian friends as well.”

Although becoming a doctor had been Fariborz Bagheri’s childhood dream, he only discovered urology during university due to an unforgettable experience.

“I was in the fourth year of my studies when I had the opportunity to observe an endoscopic procedure performed by Chief Physician József Székely at the Urology Clinic. It was fascinating to watch him work inside the kidney while following everything on the monitor, and I decided right then and there that I was going to become a urologist. After graduating, I could have gone to America or England, but I chose to stay. I completed my specialist training in Pécs and started working at the Urology Clinic.”

His interest in technology and surgical innovation remained central to Dr. Bagheri’s career, so much so that he and his colleagues played a key role in introducing laparoscopic surgery in Pécs, then later helped spread it to other clinics in Hungary and neighbouring countries. But as he says, he received far more than just technical skills from the Urology Clinic.

“It is very important for a doctor to have a good mentor; someone who guides them, spots their talent, and helps them develop it. That is what happened to me. My first teacher was Dr. István Buzogány, who helped me enormously, but there were so many others too: Professor László Farkas, Chief Physician Zoltán Fábos, Professor Árpád Szántó, who is the current director of the clinic, Dr. Ákos Pytel, Dr. Csaba Pusztai, Professor János Hübler, Professor László Somogyi, and Dr. Kinga Villányi—I hope I have not left out anyone. Beyond all the knowledge I received from them, the mindset they taught me was just as important: the systematic, humble work that can be essential in complex surgeries; without that, I could not have performed the surgery that ended up in the Guinness World Records.”

That surgery, during which he and his colleagues in Dubai removed kidneys weighing seven and six kilos, drew a lot of media attention, but the professional and human aspects of the procedure mattered just as much, and the idea of applying for a Guinness World Record only came later.

“Normally, a human kidney weighs about 150 grams, but together, these two weighed 13 kilos. The patient had polycystic kidneys, and for years, we tried to convince him to have the surgery, since the swollen kidneys were pressing on his other organs. Unfortunately, people are very afraid of surgery in Dubai, and the patient only agreed when he could no longer walk and could barely breathe. During the procedure, even the smallest mistake could have caused massive bleeding, and the experience I gained at the clinic in Pécs was crucial for success. After the surgery, my son suggested we submit it to the Guinness World Records, and it took a year to get the certification.”

This approach toward surgeries and medical advice in general in Dubai inspired Fariborz Bagheri to take on an educational role beyond his strictly clinical work. On his Instagram account, where he now has about 60,000 followers, he creates videos about different urological conditions and their treatments.

“The trust between doctor and patient is incredibly important, and sadly, it is very weak in Dubai, as patients often do not trust doctors’ knowledge or advice. In many cases, they ask for second, third, even fourth opinions, which is their right, of course, but often it just creates more confusion and wastes precious time. That is why I consider the great relationships I have built with my patients my biggest achievement. Sure, I could have performed the Guinness World Record surgery in Hungary too, but it was such an important result I could only achieve in Dubai.”

In addition to all this, Dr. Bagheri had already earned the trust of his patients in Pécs, which the “Jewel of Pécs” award and honorary citizenship he received in 2007 also proves. He won the prestigious award as a result of votes from his patients when he was working as an assistant professor at the Urology Clinic. Winning the same level of trust from often-sceptical patients in Dubai took tremendous work, and Fariborz Bagheri credits the mindset he learned in Pécs for helping him succeed.

“One of the gifts I brought with me from here was diligence. If you are not diligent, you do not get the surgeries, you do not get the chance to prove yourself, and you do not grow. This is what I brought with me to Dubai, where I arrived in 2010. The routine was that the clinic usually worked from 7:30 in the morning until 2:30 in the afternoon, and then everyone left. I told the medical director that I wanted to see more patients and keep working into the early evening, like we did in Pécs. He said they could not pay me extra for that, and I replied I did not want more money, just more patients, because I wanted to further develop the urology department, and doing three or four surgeries a week was nothing; in Pécs, we did fifteen a day. I had two surgery days a week and often worked until eight or nine in the evening. I really believe that the positive energy you give from the heart comes back to you, and that is exactly what happened because patients began to appreciate my work and my attitude.”

Fariborz Bagheri considers this patient-focused approach to be one of the most important things for future doctors: to look beyond their narrow specialty and pay attention to the patient as a whole.

“Do not just focus on, say, removing a two-centimetre kidney stone, concentrate on the whole patient. They have plans, they want to be with their families, and right now, they are scared. We must address that, and it is not enough to be good at our profession; we have to behave a bit like a psychologist, too. Moreover, it is very important that we always remain humble. Pride is one of the greatest dangers for a doctor, especially in the operating room, if we are giddy with success. We must work humbly, slowly, and with complete attention.”

In his speech at the graduation ceremony, he described six fundamental pillars that underpin success both professionally and personally, and by following these, we can live a happy life and do our best at our jobs. Do no harm to others or yourself; have goals; have mentors you can learn from; be disciplined; stay organized and use your time wisely; and be persistent, do not give up!

Fariborz Bagheri’s involvement with Pécs has not ended with his speech to the young doctors; he still has an active relationship with his colleagues here. In 2017, he earned his PhD at the Medical School in Pécs, and in 2021, he was appointed honorary associate professor. He continues to co-author research papers with his colleagues.

“I have stayed in close touch with colleagues from Pécs, Budapest, and Kaposvár ever since I left. Every year, we publish at least one study together, and I really hope this will continue because I love them, and I love working with them. No matter where in the world we live or work, we must never forget where we started—because the real value always lies in human connections and humble work.”

Photos:

Dávid Verébi