In large research networks, the local reference is often lacking. COVIDSurg also works at the international level with doctors and representatives from low- and middle-income countries, rather than assuming a universal standard for industrialised nations. One of these representatives is Oumaima Outani, who works to raise visibility and to improve medical standards in Africa. In this interview, she encourages young people to go their way and create their own happiness.
Interview by Sarah Polzer
Mrs. Outaini, you are still a student, yet you have already contributed to many projects. What were your first projects?
My first one ever was a cross-sectional study evaluating the Moroccan population’s perspective on organ donation. I later found out about collaborative research projects. The idea sounded very doable and was open for medical students too. My first project of this type was a study called GlobalSurg four. Participation in this project gave me enough courage to dare to do other things. So, I presented my first case reports in the Middle East Spinal Cord Injury conference and one of the conferences of the World Federation of Neurosurgeons.
When did you join the GlobalSurg network and what motivated you to become part of COVIDSurg?
When the pandemic hit, my colleagues and I were asked to leave the hospital and our clinical rotations were suspended. This left me with a feeling of helplessness. I could not get over it, which led me to join COVIDSurg in my capacity as national lead. This was how I wanted to contribute and all I could do at the time. After joining the dissemination committee, I also became part of the operations committee monitoring data-entry across the world and the writing team, working on scientific publications. COVIDSurg projects are shaping the guidelines of surgical care during the pandemic. I feel tremendously honoured that I got to be part of it and witnessed many of its new projects taking shape and form. While I could not be on the frontlines, research and ensuring Moroccan hospitals are taking part in this big study was my way of contributing to the global efforts against the pandemic.
Which personal insights do you draw from the work with the COVIDSurg team?
I believe this is where a big portion of research is heading, you cannot obviously have access to large data sets on your own, you need more people, more hospitals and more countries to chip in, in order to increase your sample size and to obtain more reliable results. The Global aspect of this collaborative makes me appreciate it even more. Having lower income and lower middle-income countries participate in this collaborative is a great way to make more of our scientists and doctors in Africa visible and make sure the clinical recommendations COVIDSurg makes take into consideration our patients and hospitals’ particularities.
Besides COVIDSurg, are there any projects that are particularly close to your heart?
The first project I first authored was a book chapter in Neurosurgery, the book is not online yet, but this project is very special to my heart since it was my first time leading a team and a project from A to Z.
You work a lot on an international level. What do the collaborations deal with?
I recently was invited to join a group of fresh doctors and medical students from many developing countries under the leadership of an amazing junior researcher from Afghanistan. Most papers tackle global health challenges from a novel youth’s perspective. I had the honour to serve as the president of a Research Association in my medical school from October 2017 to October 2019. During my mandate, my wonderful team and I managed to host four research trainings, one of which was an advanced meta-analysis workshop that we co-organized with professors from the University of McGill, we organized the second edition of TedMed live with the sponsorship of the Norwegian embassy as well as many futuristic conferences, one of which was with a jury member of the Nobel Prize Committee at Karolinska Institute.
Through the global work you have already travelled a lot. Which impressions have surprised you the most?
I was surprised by how I changed and grew as a person after each trip. Traveling to new countries, especially with people you do not know can teach you a lot about yourself and with the right intentions and efforts, you will come out of it better, stronger, nicer and more curious.
You are nearing the end of your studies. Which subfield appeals to you the most and what fascinates you about it?
Ever since I started my medical education, I struggled to pick one subfield within medicine. I love the instant gratification of surgery, the holistic approach of primary care, the fast-reasoning skills of intensivists, the privilege that oncologists must accompany their terminally ill patients and help their patients navigate that phase in their lives. I discovered ophthalmology very late in my medical studies and its various subspecialties. The way it drastically changes people’s lives also fascinated me. I manage to find something fascinating about everything I study, which is good. This fascination inspires me to study more but it is making my decision-making process a lot tougher, and I only have a few months left to decide.
Besides COVIDSurg, are there any projects that are particularly close to your heart?
The first project I first authored was a book chapter in neurosurgery. The book is not online yet, but this project is very special to my heart since it was my first time leading a team and a project from A to Z.
You work a lot on an international level. What do these collaborations deal with?
I recently was invited to join a group of fresh doctors and medical students from many developing countries under the leadership of an amazing junior researcher from Afghanistan. Most papers tackle global health challenges from a novel, a youth’s perspective. I had the honour to serve as the president of a research association in my medical school from October 2017 to October 2019. During my mandate, my wonderful team and I managed to host four research trainings, one of which was an advanced meta-analysis workshop that we co-organized with professors from the McGill University in Canada, we organized the second edition of TedMed live online conference with the sponsorship of the Norwegian embassy as well as many futuristic conferences, one of which was with a jury member of the Nobel prize committee at Karolinska Institute.
Through the global work you have already travelled a lot. Which impressions have surprised you the most?
I was surprised by how I changed and grew as a person after each trip. Traveling to new countries, especially with people you do not know can teach you a lot about yourself and with the right intentions and efforts, you will come out of it better, stronger, nicer and more curious.
You are nearing the end of your studies. Which subfield appeals to you the most and what fascinates you about it?
Ever since I started my medical education, I struggled to pick one subfield within medicine. I love the instant gratification of surgery, the holistic approach of primary care, the fast-reasoning skills of intensivists, the privilege that oncologists must accompany their terminally ill patients and help their patients navigate that phase in their lives. I discovered ophthalmology very late in my medical studies and its various subspecialties. The way it drastically changes people’s lives also fascinated me. I manage to find something fascinating about everything I study, which is good. This fascination inspires me to study more but it makes my decision-making process a lot tougher, and I only have a few months left to decide.
How do you deal with the dilemma of decision-making and what advice do you have for other students who are in a similar position?
Oh, I think it is important to talk about it. Many students who are in my shoes, they completely freak out when they meet their colleagues “who always knew “what they wanted to become. In fact, I was criticized a lot for not making up my mind sooner, for not working in one field, for not putting all my efforts into one specialty and shaping my curriculum vitae around it. I am still a sixth-year medical student and I still have time ahead of me to decide. Having various interests and your readiness to give other specialties a chance before you commit to “the one” is completely normal and understandable.
Many people dream of what you have already achieved at a young age - building a global network. What advice do you give the younger generation on their way?
My advice for my generation and the younger ones is to create their own luck. Some people may call it “insisting” or “forcing things” but I call it serendipity. Work hard, but let your work be seen, share your milestones and seize every networking opportunity presented to you. By sharing your work, you increase its visibility, and you get noticed. Create accounts on Twitter, LinkedIn, ResearchGate or even Instagram! You never know where you will find your mentors. Keep an open mind, your collaborators or mentors don’t have to be from your institution or even from your country. Share your milestones and remember that it is not about bragging, it’s merely about advocating for yourself, and you are your best advocate.
Do you see yourself as a role model?
This is up to people to decide, after all they are the ones choosing who they want to look up to. However, I hope I am encouraging other people to bring out the best in them and dare to pursue their dreams.
If someone wants to follow your work and further career - on which channels can people find you?
You can find me under @oumaima.outani on all social media platforms. The dearest to my heart is Twitter: short, to the point and #MedTwitter is a great networking space.
What kind of experience have you had on the internet? Were you always met with approval?
My experience was not entirely positive, I had my fair share of cyber bullying from people I know and even strangers, but so far, the good far outweighs the bad. 90 percent of the research and non-research opportunities I got were through social media.
While we are talking about positive and negative effects, how would you sum up the pandemic - were there any moments from which you could draw something positive?
It is hard to find anything positive about something that took the lives of over four million people and destabilized the world in this way. However, it did remind us of the power of coming together and leaving our differences aside to survive. This pandemic also brought out the best in so many people, we saw that in the initiatives people took all over the world to support front-liners, the way people on the frontlines put their lives at risk to serve others and how communities came together to support their elderly and most vulnerable. This was extremely powerful to witness and take part of.