SIU Scholarship: Dr. Ausama Saadi Abdul Muhsin

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• Ausama Saadi Abdul Muhsin, SIU Scholar

When I joined the Department of Urology at the Nahrain College of Medicine, Baghdad, Iraq, as a lecturer, it was a troubled time because of the war of 2003 and its consequences. I asked myself how I could become a better surgeon and teacher for my undergraduate students. The facilities available to me were not optimal; the important question was how I could maintain my confidence to help more patients, learn more surgical skills, and upgrade my surgical and academic performance.

Every surgeon knows that inadequate surgical experience leads to fear and frustration. However, patients cannot recognize a urologist who is not properly qualified; they seek cures and put their trust in the hands of the surgeon that they consult.

I believe that the nature of humanity is similar all over the world, and because there are people like those working in the Société Internationale d'Urologie (SIU) who care about the distress of other people and work hard to improve the surgical experience of urologists, the dreams of hope and life can become realities for many patients and unskilled surgeons. It was with this belief that I sent in my application to the SIU scholarship. When I was accepted at the Mansoura Urology and Nephrology Centre (UNC) in Egypt in 2006, I left behind my wife of 2 weeks to follow my dream of learning as much as possible from the 6-month experience, knowing right from the first moment that my surgical, academic, and social life was going to change dramatically.

I observed and participated in many surgical procedures. I also attended regular meetings and discussions of controversial issues, trying to broaden my mind and become more than just an efficient technician using surgical instruments. I learned a great deal from the large number of patients and the variety of rare and complicated urologic conditions referred to the Mansoura UNC.

Success is not an individual effort; it requires teamwork. I learned from the whole team at Mansoura, especially from their work ethic, which was geared toward hard work, success, and prosperity. Some professors and colleagues were extraordinary, helping us join their clinical programs and participate in presenting surgical cases as one of the team. In particular, Professor Hassan Abol-Enein, the head of the Mansoura UNC, mentored me in surgical, academic, and social arenas and allowed me to contribute to research papers.

I cannot forget to mention the social advantages of studying at a center where one can meet people from all over the world. I established close friendships and collegial relations with urologists from countries such as Italy, Germany, Nigeria, Ghana, the United States, and Turkey.

Upon my return to Baghdad, I tried to apply what I had learned to help my patients and students. My academic life proceeded successfully, and I published 4 articles based on my experience at the Mansoura UNC during my SIU scholarship.

There are no words to express my happiness and deep gratitude to the SIU scholarship program and to the center where I learned much and spent some very memorable days. The experience truly changed my life, and it has led to continual development in my academic and professional life. I am currently (November 2008) at the Mainz Urology Clinic in Germany for a training course, where I hope to be able to complete 2 articles with the aid of my professors and colleagues in Mainz and the Mansoura UNC. The 2 proposed articles are “Surgical pathology archive in Iraq—where do we stand?” and “Urology practice and research in Iraq in 2009—can we overcome the international gap?”

I would like to stress again the benefits of the SIU scholarship to my academic and research activities, in addition to the practical and social advantages. I thank the SIU again for the long-term rewards of the scholarship experience.

Abbreviated CV. Dr. Ausama Saadi Abdul Muhsin was born on December 13, 1972. From 1990 to 1996, he studied at the College of Medicine, Nahrain University, Baghdad, and graduated with the MB, ChB degrees. His postgraduate training began in 1998 at the Al-Kadhimia Teaching Hospital, and in 2003, he received the Fellowship in Urology of the Iraqi Board for Medical Specialization (FIBMS Urol). He is a corresponding member of the European Association of Urology (EAU). Since 2004, he has been a senior lecturer in the Department of Urology, College of Medicine, Nahrain University, Baghdad. He has published 7 articles in various medical journals in Iraq and Saudi Arabia, and he has attended 10 international congresses and workshops.