MEET THE PROFESSIONAL
December 2018
Dalia Abou Zeki, MD
Dr. Dalia Abou Zeki is Neurology resident at University of Massachusetts Medical Center.
We are very excited to feature her this month in our “Meet the Professional” series.
Below are a few questions to help facilitate this interactive connection. At the end of the page you will have an opportunity to post your own questions for Dr. Abou Zeki.
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Describe your current Occupation & Degree/s and Universities.
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- Neurology Residency at University of Massachusetts Medical Center (ongoing)
- Internship in Internal Medicine from University of Massachusetts Medical Center
- Doctor of Medicine from Balamand University in Beirut
- Bachelor of Science, Biology from the American University of Beirut
Discuss a moment or turning point in your life that led you to your career path:
I always had a passion for the medical field. I had multiple family members with Alzheimer’s dementia and that drew me to Neurology. At first, I thought I would be learning about the mind, but instead I ended up learning a lot about the brain, which is also fascinating in its own way and with just as many mysteries as the mind. Aside from the science, the connection I make with my patients and their families, the life-altering decisions I make on daily basis, and the impact one encounter has on the community, be it socioeconomic, environmental, or health-related, all drive me to give more and excel further.
Discuss a role model or mentor who influenced your career choice:
My career was everything but linear. Though I was pushing through multiple financial and social barriers, apparently gracefully, I was occasionally angry for the time it took to reach where I am now. The path for many others is rather smooth. Looking back now at the experience I gained, I would not have done it any other way.
While working a non-paid research fellowship at Johns Hopkins University, I waitressed at restaurants nearby. I met many scientists and neuroscientists, as I was serving their sizzling tikka masala and enjoying small chats about the latest in neurology and neuroscience. After a very exciting discussion, one enthusiast left me an article with the host the next day. It was a follow up to a discussion we had about brain default and analytical networks. I found the work fascinating, and by following up with the people I had met, it led me to start working with the Brain, Mind, and Consciousness Lab. I got in touch with their principal investigator and secured my next job as a research fellow at Case Western University. Means were limited, and waitressing became time-taxing. Eventually, I met Dr. Colin Drummond from the Biomedical Engineering Department at the university, who offered me a position in the department as a medical associate and co-leader of the Case Coulter Translational Partnership, which funds innovative biomedical projects from various universities and helps get them to industry and the market. I managed up to 40 projects. I was consulting for teams of amazingly bright and passionate engineers and designers. I led the Commercialization Associate Program that helps graduate students find their niche in the innovation path.
My life and views of my career, education, coaching, medicine as a service, and policy have changed since. I spent two years under Dr. Drummond’s compassionate mentorship learning and teaching bio-design—the process of innovation in medicine—to engineering, medical, and management students. It was remarkable what this experience added to my growth as an individual, educator, and, now a clinician.
I did well at Case Western University and Dr. Drummond, being the great mentor he is, knew I had to continue growing. The Coulter Foundation also had a partnership with Johns Hopkins University. I landed a faculty position at the Biomedical Engineering Department at Hopkins, back where I started in Baltimore. I was elated. It allowed me to do even more. I led the “Essential Surgery Project” with the goal of creating innovative solutions to the limited access to safe surgical care in Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMIC) in collaboration with the program for Global Surgery and Social Change at Harvard University and GE Foundation. My team included Bioengineering, Innovation, and Design JHU Graduate students, general and specialized USA and global surgeons, anesthesiologists, policy makers, and healthcare workers at local clinics and district hospitals in Ethiopia and Zambia.
Despite such interesting work, I continued to have this nagging urge for neurology. I wanted to be more of the specialized expert and not the general practitioner advising on innovation projects. I gathered the pennies, sat for my exams, and applied to residency after 5 years of being away from the field. I am now wrapping up this path at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center and getting ready for the next adventures.
Do you recall any specific challenges you encountered and overcame?
Quite a few! I was born into a low-middle income family who contributed a lot to getting me where I am now. They take quite the credit as it was exceptionally hard for them to let go of me so that I could pursue my dreams, especially during a time when they needed me by their side the most. The weight of the years started to make dents in their very strong backs. I had to make my way through higher education and support my family. Medical school may not have been an option, let alone the American University of Beirut, with its unbelievable tuitions. I was so angry with the education system, but I would not allow financial reasons to crush my dreams. While other students were studying for midterms or finals, I was seeking financial support so I could get through the semester. I got kicked out of classes on multiple occasions for financial reasons and graduated without my degree until I got my tuition covered. I worked in the university and taught science to kids on the side in order to gather the funds to pay my tuition. I also received assistance from multiple family friends—to whom I’m so grateful.
After graduation, I realized medical residency in Lebanon was not an option as it paid so little I could barely pay my rent, let alone help my brother pay for his college tuition. I knew the US system was much more promising and guaranteed that I would find a job back in Lebanon. It sounds ironic, but unfortunately, this is the current reality of the medical job market. I had to work as a postdoctoral research fellow while teaching and waitressing to keep up. I was able to make it by counting pennies and being blessed on multiple occasions to have such amazing family friends to support me when things got really rough.
Where do you see yourself in the next 10 years?
Who said physicians can only be in hospitals and clinics? I’m particularly passionate about neurocritical care and being the first responder to drastic events and neurological deteriorations patients and their families may go through. I am a big proponent of reverse innovation. I also want to continue working in low income countries, help innovation in the field of critical care, and bring the technology back to drive costs of medical care down. Health care should never be a privilege and should be available to anyone, regardless of their finances. I will need more expertise in health policy to make this a reality and I am working harder towards that goal by getting more involved.
What advice would you give to someone starting out in your field?
Be open to change. Be malleable with your career path. Each unique experience makes each of us unique and essential for the workforce we are a part of. No field is going to be easy and smooth. If you are considering medicine as a profession, the 80-hour work weeks are the most challenging aspect for most. If you’re passionate about what you do and feel your impact with every patient you encounter, the rest is easy and you stop counting hours. Your life just gets richer. Also, remember that you cannot do it alone and support from friends and loved ones is essential. You surely will lose your compass at times, but they are there to remind you of your path and purpose.
Tell us a little bit about your hobbies outside of your field:
I enjoy classical music and learning the piano. I dance tango, rumba, and waltz. I also love horseback riding and appreciate a good book.
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