Dr. Allen C. Hassan, MD, JD, DVM
The only individual in United States history to hold doctoral degrees in Medicine, Law, and Veterinary Medicine.
Sacramento Top Doctor Honor
Recognized for pioneering family practice, PTSD evaluations, and humanitarian work.
The Memoir & Documentary Base
Preserving the rosters of 774 volunteer physicians and firsthand testimonies.
From Iowa Farm Boy to Battlefield Surgeon
Born in Iowa, Allen C. Hassan grew up steeped in Midwestern values of hard work and service. Enlisting in the United States Marine Corps in 1954, he served with honor in Annapolis, Maryland. That military training forged a lifelong kinship with enlisted soldiers and veterans.
Driven by a deep humanitarian passion, he earned his Medical Degree (MD) at the prestigious Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa, followed by internship training at Mount Zion Hospital in San Francisco and specialized psychiatric training at Mendocino State Hospital.
In 1968, at the height of the Tet Offensive aftermath, Dr. Hassan chose not an easy domestic practice, but the war zone. Volunteering through the American Medical Association, he was dispatched to Quang Tri Provincial Hospital—operating alongside Vietnamese nursing staff amidst the continuous thunder of artillery shells.
Returning for a second tour in 1969 with the Committee of Responsibility, Dr. Hassan traveled across the war zones of South Vietnam to evaluate gravely wounded and paralyzed children, arranging their evacuation flights to the United States for specialized restorative surgery.
The Triple Doctorate: Medicine, Law, and Veterinary Medicine
Recognizing the interconnectedness of human health, civil justice, and biological science, Dr. Hassan pursued degrees that allowed him to fight for patients not just in surgery suites, but in courtrooms and state medical tribunals.
Advocacy for Over 3,000 Combat Veterans
Upon returning to private practice in California, Dr. Hassan dedicated his life to evaluating combat veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injuries, and toxic Agent Orange herbicide exposure. In his companion book The Ghosts of War, he documented the enduring neurological toll of combat and championed dignified compensation.
Career Credentials & Appointments
"Dr Hassan, a farm boy from Iowa, who had served in the US Marine Corps before studying Veterinary Science and then Medicine, was singularly well prepared to undertake his voluntary medical service in Viet Nam to provide medical and surgical care for civilian sick and war wounded. He describes with great frankness and clarity his self doubts, but his writing indicates that he coped well with the enormous workload of the war surgery..."