Prof. Dr. Pëllumb Karagjozi was born on December 24, 1936, in Gjirokastër. He completed his primary education in his hometown and his secondary education in Shkodër. In 1959, he graduated from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Tirana with an “Excellent” diploma. He was awarded the degree of Doctor of Medical Sciences in 1991 and has published scientific articles both domestically and internationally, along with several books in his field of study. Later, he earned the title of Professor. His desire and passion for medicine were inherited from his father, Dr. Tahsim Karagjozi, who graduated from Berlin and was a distinguished doctor in Gjirokastër and Shkodër.
After completing his medical studies, Pëllumb Karagjozi was appointed to serve at the Medical Polytechnic, and after three years, he became a doctor in the Orthopedics Clinic at the Civil Hospital of Tirana until 1969. That year, he was transferred to Krujë, where he opened the first surgery and trauma department, performing hundreds of operations. In 1973, he returned to the Orthopedics Clinic in Tirana and was appointed an external lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine and deputy head of the clinic.
Pëllumb Karagjozi combined his intensive work as an Orthopedic-Traumatologist with teaching and scientific research. In 1982, he defended his dissertation on “Pseudoarthroses” and earned the title of “Candidate of Medical Sciences.” Three years later, in 1985, he received the title of “Docent.” In 1991, he defended his second scientific degree, “Doctor of Medical Sciences,” and in 1992, he was appointed head of the Orthopedic-Traumatology Clinic. In 1993, he became the head of the “National University Orthopedic-Traumatology Service,” and in 1994, he was awarded the title of “Professor.”
His scientific research activity is extensive. He introduced original techniques, such as the prevention of periarticular ossifications, published in France’s “Revue de chirurgie orthopedique” in 1986, and in the American journal “Clinical Orthopedic” in 1990. His technique of “LCA Reconstruction with Biceps Tendon” was successfully presented in 1988 at the International Congress in Athens. His functional cast technique in the treatment of children with coxofemoral dislocation was published in 2001 in the Journal of the Orthopaedic and Traumatology Association of Macedonia and Thrace. Additionally, he pioneered the treatment of gunshot fractures with internal fixation.
Dr. Karagjozi has successfully represented national orthopedics at international congresses (Greece, Italy, France, Hungary, Macedonia, Kosovo, Luxembourg, Turkey, and Portugal at the 7th European Congress). In 1993, at the Orthopedics Congress in Turin, he was awarded the “Silver Scalpel” prize. A year later, he was accepted as a member of the “International College of Surgery” based in Chicago. From 1996 to 2004, he served as the “President of the Albanian Medical Association” and represented Albania in European Congresses on health issues. He was also the president of the Orthopedic-Traumatology Association from 2002 to 2005.
Prof. Karagjozi has completed several qualifications abroad, such as in France (1978), Hungary (Budapest 1988), Italy (1990) at “La Sapienza” University Clinic and at Bologna’s “Rizzoli Clinic”, and in Ferrara and Pescara in 1992. In 1994, 1996, and 1997, he participated in first-aid trauma training courses in New York and Michigan. This preparation enabled him to publish eight works (solo or with collaborators), including textbooks and monographs. He has published 102 scientific articles and papers, both domestically and internationally.
His significant contributions were particularly evident during the Kosovo war in 1998/99, where he dedicated the entire Orthopedics and Traumatology department to treating many members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) at the Military Hospital in Tirana and providing care to displaced civilians. As the head of Orthopedics and Traumatology, he prioritized the treatment of Kosovar Albanians by suspending elective surgeries. The treatment of KLA members was carried out not only at the Military Hospital in Tirana but also at other centers and in-home visits to the soldiers’ accommodations. I often accompanied him on these visits.
Prof. Karagjozi has played a pivotal role in educating many generations of doctors in General Surgery, particularly in Orthopedics and Traumatology, not only in Albania but across the broader Albanian-speaking territories.
Prof. Pëllumb Karagjozi married Evelina Kërçiku in 1969, and they have two sons, Andi and Endri. He currently resides at Avni Rrustemi Square in Tirana.