Ibrahim is a third-year anesthesia resident at the University of British Columbia and a medical school graduate from the University of Alberta. He is also in his first year as a student in the Master of Global Surgical Care program. Read on to find out more about Ibrahim, his experiences, what led him to the MGSC, and more!
What are some of your hobbies & interests (cooking, sports, travelling, etc?) What do you love to do in your spare time?
I love watching and playing soccer (big Arsenal fan!). I also love to travel and try to get a couple of trips in a year with friends and family. Other interests include salsa dancing, snowboarding in the winter, and getting together with the homies.
Can you please tell us about your career or professional background?
I completed my undergraduate degree in Health Sciences at the University of Calgary, followed by medical school at the University of Alberta. I’m currently a third-year resident in the University of British Columbia Anesthesia program.
What has inspired you to study and work in the field of global surgery? What has been most meaningful to you in your surgical education journey so far? Please share any experiences you have had in global surgery work.
Global health was a big part of my motivation for a career in anesthesia. The opportunity to use the skills learned in medicine and be a meaningful contributor on any medical team in any corner of the world was a big attraction. Specifically, I think there is an opportunity for impact at a large scale in the field of global surgery—to make vast changes to the lives of those less fortunate, and to help combat systemic injustices and promote sustainability in under resourced communities. It’s been quite eye-opening through this MGSC program to be able to put some language around the thoughts that float in our heads when it comes to global surgery, and to firmly understand the ethical principles of global surgery. Critically appraising the tension between what counts as “good healthcare” vs “good-enough healthcare” and in what ways we as providers can do our best to uphold the former has been particularly meaningful.
What attracted you to the MGSC? How do you plan to use the skills and knowledge gained from this program in your career in the future?
As physicians, we’re often given automatic authority and trust to do global health work simply because of our credentials, and much of it is well intentioned. But that doesn’t mean we’re automatically qualified or prepared. My philosophy, which I’ve carried with me through my early career, is to do our best to prepare ourselves well to serve the populations we aim to help. In medical school, I had the endocrinologist teach me about HbA1cs and the intricacies of diabetic management, and the neurologist teach me about seizure management. This too (global surgery/global health) is an area of expertise, and I wanted to equip myself with as much theoretical understanding as well as a practical approach to global surgery to be best positioned to make meaningful, non-colonial, and maximally beneficial contributions in my global health endeavors.
I understand you recently participated in a surgical mission to Guatemala. Could you tell us more about how you became involved and what the experience was like? How did your role as an anesthesiology trainee influence your participation in the mission, and were there any insights from the global surgery program that shaped your experience?
This was my very first time participating in a mission and it was incredibly eye-opening and heart-warming—very much a catalyst for more work like this for me in the future. I had an opportunity to spend two weeks in Antigua with an incredible organization called Health for Humanity, which consists of a host of surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, and a logistical team who come together to provide much-needed surgical interventions to low socioeconomic status (SES) and marginalized populations. I found out about the organization through Dr. Young and Dr. Sveinbjornson, anesthesiologists I had gotten to know through the UBC program, and was very fortunate to have the support of my program to attend this mission.
My biggest concern when preparing to attend the mission was that I would “give” more than I “take,” which is always a delicate balance as a trainee, and even more so in resource-constrained settings. I was reassured this would be the case; I saw that as an R3, I could work in different types of rooms (gyne, ortho, peds, plastics, etc.) and be a meaningful support, learn from various anesthesiologists from various regions (and countries), and learn about the intricacies and challenges of anesthetic care in low-resource settings. Let’s just say most of the anesthetic machines were many years my senior! Participating in this experience, which incorporates some of the concepts I’m currently learning through my courses, was particularly timely. Questions like “How do I meaningfully consent patients with language barriers?” and “How do I uphold the ethical principles of justice in care when the resources available aren’t the same as back home?” were front of mind. It also inspired me to see the many years of dedication of my colleagues, some of whom had been doing this work for over 20 years, building community partnerships along the way, establishing trust, and making the best with what they had.
Can you tell us more about your experience so far as an anesthesiology trainee in the MGSC program and any advice you have for allied health professionals interested in our program?
I’m about one semester in and I have to say the flexibility of the program has been incredible, particularly while going through residency at the same time. There’s the opportunity to go through the program part-time and learn at your own pace, and many residents and staff (with busy schedules) have come and gone through the program with many positive experiences. I think if you have any questions, feel free to reach out to the MGSC team or get in touch with current students. I’m glad I made this commitment and I feel so much better informed even just having gone through some of these introductory classes.
Is there any work/document/article that you are currently working on that you’d like to promote? Our community would love to find out what our students are currently working on. How can our community learn more about you? (Website, LinkedIn, YouTube, etc.)
LinkedIn: Ibrahim Sadiq and Instagram: @ibrahim_sadiq15