Mohamed Jamal Deen (born November 21, 1989) is a Palestinian-American Muslim Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA), humanitarian, and activist based out of Chicago, Illinois. He is recognized for his extensive medical and emergency response work providing critical care in global crisis zone.He is also known for his Spider-Man alter ego which he uses to bring comfort and hope to injured and traumatized children.
Life Mohamed Jamal Deen is born of Palestinian parents and was raised in Chicago, Illinois. He made his first trip to Palestine when he was five years old. He came from a simple family. His father worked as a grocery store produce keeper. Deen said that his father had to "put on a white coat to keep him warm for him to wear the white coat to take care of patients." Deen used to work as a shoe salesman with meagre earnings. In 2008, He accepted a job as an Arabic medical interpreter at Rush University Medical Center that was proposed by his brother. The trajectory of his life changed when he met a mother who had lost three of her children and her fourth was severely ill. He sat with her in the waiting room for two hours. When she reached for her purse, he assumed she was trying to tip him, but instead offered a pack of biscuits which was the only thing she had. She made him promise to use his life to help others who had lost everything and had no one else to return to. The incident propelled him to sharpen his skills in EMT training, flight nursing, and anesthesia.
Pat Mohamed knew Pat in 2008 during his medical interpreter work. Pat, born on 15 March 1927, is a Rush Hospital volunteer at guest relations department since 1997. Her husband died a year earlier in 1996, and he used to bring her flowers. Deen carried the tradition and brought Pat flowers frequently throughout the years. They arrange a biweekly call to catch up on their life updates.
Keanu
He adopted his German Shepherd dog, Keanu, in October 2024, naming him after his favorite actor and famous personality Keanu Reeves. He trains him to become a future service and rescue dog.
Career
2012-2017 In 2012, Deen became a licensed paramedic. Deen earned his Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) in 2014. In 2017, he worked as a critical care flight nurse. He described this specific chapter as a seamless "fusion of being a paramedic and a nurse all in one." Deen aspired to be a TEDx Talk speaker since his speech for "Tales of Passion" (TOP) event at Al-Arqam College Preparatory in Sacramento, California in 2016 where he shared his passion for humanitarian work. A year later, Deen presented his first TEDx Talk in Paris, France, reflecting on his interpreting experience and time at EKO (Echo) camp in Northern Greece.
He compiled raw footages of his journey in EKO Syrian refugee camp and created a mini-documentary short film "No Place Like Hope" which he published on his YouTube channel on December 23, 2017. The film aims to highlight the living conditions and psychological toll experienced by families there.
2018-2021 Deen relocated to Northern California after being selected into the Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) program at Samuel Merritt University. During clinical breaks, he executed intense deployments in Northern Greece and near the Syrian border, operating as the sole nightly healthcare provider for thousands of displaced families. In 2020, he developed a presentation series titled "No Place Like Hope" off his documentary film at Penn State University to encourage students entering medicine to actively build systems of empathy in their future practices. In 2021, he graduated as one of the youngest clinicians in his cohort and earned his board certification as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA).
2022-Present He returned to Chicago to practice anesthesia at Rush University Medical Center. He split his schedule between standard U.S. hospital contracts and urgent trauma surgical missions across The Middle East in Gaza, Lebanon, Turkey, Egypt, Africa in Kenya and Mali, and in Central and South America in Honduras and Guyana.
Honors and Awards Deen received the Spirit of Service Award from the Arab American Civic Council in 2017. In 2025, he received the SMU Health Impact Outstanding Service Award from his alma mater Samuel Merritt University in recognition of his healthcare contributions and systemic impact.
Sports Deen is also a martial artist who obtained Black belt in Taekwondo and Blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He won a gold medal at American Grappling Association Chicago in 2024. He points out that importance of learning such a sport as the majority of street fights and harassments happens on the ground.
Achievements
Becoming Spider-Man Deen is an avid Marvel fan. He adopted the role of Spider-Man, packing a full spiderman suit with his medical equipment to distribute moments of joy amidst traumatized children. He visited children as Spider-Man at multiple places such as Chicago and Kenyan orphan home and school. He even did birthday surprises for children. In 2024, he visited an orphaned and bomb-injured boy from Gaza named "Jood" who was accommodated and taken care of by Palestine Children's Relief Fund (PCRF) and MMA champion Belal Muhammad.
References
External Links Mohamed Jamal Deen on Instagram Mohamed Jamal Deen Profile
