Talks, Panel and Focused Group Discussions
Fundamentals of Excelling at Postdocs in the States
On the 21st of May, SIG hosted an insightful talk on the ‘Fundamentals of excelling at postdocs in the States’. Dr. Marvi Tariq, Dr. Owais Ghani, Dr. Huzaifa Zafar, and Dr. Muhammad Ali spoke about the steps one can take to excel in a post-doc. From exhibiting humility and competence to building a rapport, this talk equipped the attendees with valuable traits to leave a lasting impression crucial for attaining a surgical residency spot!
Exploring Surgical Residency with Dr Farooq Shahzad
SIG hosted an interactive talk with Dr. Farooq Shahzad, titled “Exploring Surgical Residency”. He is a renowned plastic surgeon from AKU Class of 2001, currently working as an Assistant Professor at Cornell University, NY.
Dr. Farooq shed light on the important factors one must keep in mind to maximize their chances of getting a surgical residency in the States. An emphasis was made on how a program director filters residency applications and what can be done to get as many interviews as possible. The talk provided the students with insights pertaining to the importance of research and electives. Towards the end, an interactive Q&A session was held. All in all, it was an insightful and thought-provoking session for every surgery enthusiast. It was indeed a pleasure to have Dr. Farooq with us!
The State of Women's Health
On 22nd March 2022, SIG organized a talk in collaboration with HI to discuss the state of women’s health in Pakistan. The guest speaker for the event was Dr Sher Shah Syed, the founder of Koohi Goth Women’s Hospital in Landhi, Karachi.
Dr Syed enlightened surgery enthusiasts about his journey from attending medical school at Dow Medical College to training in Obs Gynae from Nairobi and Ireland before coming back to his motherland where he established the renowned charity hospital, doing phenomenal work for female reproductive health, and training midwives. During the discussions, students got to learn about women’s rights, abortion laws in the country, fistula and hysterectomy management and sociocultural dilemmas in addition to a discussion on the true spirit of the medical profession and ethics.
The talk was truly enlightening, and the students left the session with a revived sense of duty, eager to accompany Dr. Syed on future camps to far flung areas to make healthcare accessible to all. SIG looks forward to working closely with Dr Syed to improve maternal and female health in the country.
Surgical Residency: A Spouse's Perspective with Ayesha Shafi
SIG hosted a conversation with Ayesha Shafi, wife of CEO, AKU, Dr Shahid Shafi.
The talk provided a unique perspective on how challenging it can be to maintain personal relationships during surgical training, and highlighted ways to achieve a better work-life balance. The journey encompassed in the session was nothing less than an inspiration!
Path to Residency with Dr Faiz Bhora
Blazing trails further for residencies, SIG hosted 'Path To Residency' today with Dr. Faiz Bhora, System Chief of Thoracic Surgery and Thoracic Oncology Program at Nuvance Health.
The talk was an enlightening experience on unwinding the mystical paths to competitive residency programmes. Dr. Bhora also discussed the expectations of programme directors from an academic level to the level of Emotional Quotient of undergraduates applying to residency or post-graduate programs. He further reminded students to not lose sight of the big picture and to always opt for excellence regardless of their choice of sub-specialty.
Figuring out the Basics and Beyond with Dr Umar Burney
An inspiring talk for aspiring orthopedic surgeons!
SIG hosted a talk with Dr Umar Burney, an orthopaedic surgeon and the founding and managing partner of Orthopaedic Specialists of Dallas, serving on multiple hospital committees in addition to being the Sports Medicine Director and Joints Program Director for Texas Health Presbyterian of Rockwell. It was a very insightful and thought provoking conversation about orthopedic surgery, sports medicine and much more! Students were able to get a thorough understanding of the path to orthopedic surgery, including elective experiences as well as research! It was a pleasure to have him with us!
Surgery Scape: General surgery
Conducted on 24th July, 2021, by a panel consisting of Dr Awais Amjad Malik, Dr Madeeha Ali and Dr Asif Siddiqui to shed light on general surgery as a potential career option. It was a one-on-one session with experts in the field of general surgery to help students learn some important tips and tricks on how to excel the journey from a medical student to a future general surgeon.
Surgical Explorations: General Surgery with Dr Ammar Javed
Surgery Interest Group (SIG) presented the third episode of their much loved surgical exploration series, this time with a focus on general surgery. The talk was helmed by Dr Ammar Javed, an AKU alumnus; where the discussion revolved around “Surgical Site Infections in patients undergoing Pancreatico-duodenectomy: From observations to changing treatment paradigms”. He talked about his work relating to observing and assessing surgical site infections, using his 3 research papers on the subject as templates to showcase the evolution of possible solutions for surgical site complications. The research papers detailed how Negative pressure Wound Therapy has come about to be a viable solution for these complications. The end of the session was riddled with questions by students curious about every aspect of his research.
Surviving an Intern Year: Dr Mahin Janjua
Dr. Mahin Janjua, AKU Alumni Class of 2018, matched in to GS categorical program in Howard University. On 20th June 2021, she conducted this session for students to give them tips and tricks of how to survive an intern year- in-fact, how to excel intern year. Interns often worry about their first day in a hospital abroad and wonder what it entails to transition from final year to intern year. This session helped them find answers to their questions and boost their confident.
GMC: Cracking the Mystery with Dr Azher Hussain
Dr. Azher Hussain, MBBS, MRCS (Ed), PG Cert (Ldshp & Mgmt), PG Dip (Rsch Meth), MSc (Trans Rsch), MD, is a Cardiothoracic Trainee in Yorkshire & Humber Deanery. On Friday 28th May, he conducted a virtual session on how to crack the GMC mystery i.e. to simplify the UK residency process. He taught students about training in the UK, GMC process and tips and tricks from his experiences.
Exploring Surgical Residencies: Dr. Farooq Shahzad
A collaboration between SOIG and SIG, 'Exploring Surgical Residencies' with Dr. Farooq Shahzad. Dr Farooq is a prominent plastic surgeon and an AKU alumnus from the batch of 2001. He has significant clinical expertise in cancer reconstruction specifically in the head and neck region as well as targeted nerve reconstruction. With experience of pursuing surgical residencies at West Virginia University and Oregon Health & Science University, Dr. Farooq shed light on surgical pathways in the US to guide students to the right path.
Surgical Explorations: Breast Surgery with Dr Rabia
On 29th April 2021, Dr Rabia talked about the recent advances in breast cancer surgery. Localization of non palpable cancers, eg. after neoadjuvant chemotherapy or DCIS requires a trained radiologist who can place a wire inside the breast and trained surgical staff who can follow the wire and remove the cancer. To avoid logistical problems and improve localization, wireless localization seeds have been manufactured. Radiologist places the seed via ultrasound guidance at the site of cancer. In the operating room, the surgeon can detect the wireless seed using a handheld probe and then remove the cancer. Multiple localization systems, eg. LOCalizer™ radiofrequency identification (RFID) and SAVI Scout® (SAVI) have been developed and are being used in operating rooms. Their efficacy and patient outcomes compared to traditional wire localization is the same but patient satisfaction is much higher with the wireless localization techniques. Since these techniques are expensive and relatively new we need to work on developing cheaper alternatives in order to provide quality breast cancer care to our population in Pakistan.
Crossing Borders: An Insight to the UK training experience:
A successful collaboration between SIG and SRF resulted in a first of its kind series: "Crossing Borders: An Insight to The UK Training Experience".
Consisting of 3 episodes, this series was attended by 150+ students who learnt about the UK pathway, training experiences and opportunities available in the UK in various specialties, including Surgery and Medicine. These talks were conducted by 10+ exceptional panelists currently training/working in the UK, who guided the audience about the application process and requirements for different specialties in the UK.
SurgeryScape: Breast Surgery with Dr. Lubna Vohra
The Surgery Interest group organised a session on breast surgery, conducted by Dr. Lubna Vohra on 11th April 2021. Around 25 students got the opportunity to learn from Dr. Lubna, a Consultant Oncoplastic & Reconstructive Breast Surgeon and Assistant Professor at AKU. The objectives of the session included, but were not limited to, the anatomy and lymphatic drainage of the breast, triple assessment, staging and management of breast carcinoma. The students had a detailed discussion on patient cases, focusing on different clinical presentations and management plans, as well as an interactive quiz at the end.
Surgical Explorations: Epilepsy with Dr. Farhan Mirza
The first talk in the series of Surgical Explorations, kicked off successfully on 6th April 2021. The discussion was led by Dr Farhan Mirza - Assistant Professor of Epilepsy Surgery, Neuro-Oncology, and Skull base, as well as Director of Epilepsy Surgery at the Department of Neurological Surgery at Kentucky Neuroscience Institute, University of Kentucky. It was held in collaboration with NSIG.
Dr Mirza chose ‘Epilepsy’ as the topic of discussion for the evening.
He instructed his audience to think of epilepsy as an electrical tumor, the goal of management of which should be improvement of life of all patients.According to him, epilepsy's management is not a task of one individual, but a group effort. Epilepsy is a Team Sport!
Surgeryscape: "Neurosurgery with Dr Shahzad Shamim"
Surgery Interest group, in collaboration with NSIG AKU organized a session on neurosurgery, which was conducted by Dr Shahzad Shamim on 7th April, 2021. It was the first episode in their recent project series called “surgeryscape”. Around 25 students of Aga Khan University, with specialized interest in neurosurgery, got the chance to attend this teaching session directly from a doctor with as decorated a record as Dr Shahzad Shamim. The session entailed talking about meningiomas, gliomas, and lumbar disc prolapse with the lens of a clinical setting focusing on diagnosis, symptoms and treatments. The discussion was centered on real life cases Dr Shahzad had encountered and dealt with in his career. The entirety of the talk was interwoven with Dr Shahzad’s personal anecdotes from his practice and he kept it interactive by throwing questions back to the students, allowing them to bridge their own theoretical knowledge to these clinical scenarios.
Step into surgeon's shoe:
Episode 1- Aug 27, 2020:
The first episode by Dr. Inam Pal was a motivation-filled session where he provided his invaluable insight on the road to becoming a surgeon and the challenges one might face along the way. Dr. Inam Pal wanted students to understand that there are no shortcuts to being a surgeon. However, he added that the high you get after successfully operating on a patient's life-threatening condition is unmatchable and extraordinary. He addressed an important topic: surgical residencies abroad.
Episode 2- Sep 5, 2020:
‘Specialized surgery series’ was the second episode. The panel included Dr. Saulat Fatimi from cardiothoracic surgery, Dr. Nuzhat Farooqui from urosurgery, Dr. Aliya Begum from obstetrics and gynecology, and Dr. Sohail Asghar Dogar from plastic surgery. They talked about their passion for surgery, the many long hours they had spent in their training, and it’s sweet reward. They talked about their respective fields and their experience in training years too.
Episode 3- Sep 12, 2020:
The third episode featured Dr Ather Enam, who shed light on neurosurgery, Dr Akbar Abbas, who talked about otolaryngology, Dr Haroon Tayyab, who talked about ophthalmology and Dr Fazl ur Rahman, on plastic surgery. They talked about their love for this field and whether surgery was everything they had hoped for. They discussed ways to strengthen residency applications, and about their residency training. They also answered student’s burning questions, including questions about the challenges of surgical residencies and the skills required. ‘This series was truly a chance to see the life of surgeons through their own eyes. These talks were a great encouragement to medical students, aspiring surgeons, in not only understanding the different specialties of surgery, but also the different lifestyles and careers in surgery. Indeed, excellent Surgery Saturdays have been delivered.
Can I Get A Competitive Residency
“Can I get a competitive residency?” is a question most medical students ask themselves at least once during their medical school tenure. This Saturday three strong female figures, Dr. Mir, Dr. Janjua, and Dr. Quddusi came together to answer this very question. The advice they gave is invaluable and timeless. It allowed a glimpse into their own lives and helped solidify the belief that persistence, hard work, and a strong sense of self are imperative in achieving goals. Though academics are important, these role models also touched upon personal life, work-life balance, and dealing with stress in a healthy way such that it is conducive for mental wellbeing. A well-rounded session, it helped to bring together and compile all the essential information required to excel in respective medical subspecialties. Geared towards giving guidance about competitive residency programs, this talk served as an important reminder that though the path may be daunting, the goals are still very much achievable.
Research- A Bridge To Residency
On July 18, 2020, our panelists comprising of AKU Alumni who successfully matched into surgical residences both abroad and at home shed light on the overall process from medical school to residency programs and beyond. Our panelists also addressed individual queries brought to the table by participants in the Q/A session.
Life As A Surgical Resident
On July 11, 2020, SIG held “Life as a Surgical Resident” to shed some light on the surgical residency and to answer some of the toughest questions students had. Over two hours, panelists from Pakistan, Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States talked about a day in the life of a surgical resident, the various challenges it holds, and the work-life balance. Students got a clear picture of and were encouraged to pursue their passion.
Life In A Rut- Graduated And Pandemic Hit
Full of examples from his own life, Dr. Arish talked about his medical school journey, his internship experience, and his work as a junior doctor. This talk helped students think about the side of medicine that is often not given due importance: being a good person. Students left that session thinking back to the reasons they gave for wanting to become doctors in their medical school interview, such as, ‘it’s a noble profession’. Dr. Arish’s words say it best, ‘you need to bring nobility into the profession’.
He also talked about his plans for future training, and how the skills he acquired over the last year helped shape his residency interviews and how his work made his CV unique. Don’t get trapped in the bubble of competition, he warned students. Similarly, he talked about mental health, how one can care for their own health, and how one can care for others’ wellbeing. After his insightful talk, he answered a number of questions about internships, finding volunteer-friendly NGOs, and helping those around us.
Beyond the States
With 2020 being on a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many medical students realized the importance of keeping their options open in terms of their medical training. With that in mind, IMIG and SIG collaborated to introduce the ‘Beyond the States’ series so as to cover the specifics of pathways alternative to the United States. The first talk of this series featured AKU alumni, Dr. Aly Pathan and Dr. Talha Niaz, who are currently completing their Foundation Year 2 in the UK. The highlights of the session included the process of applying to become a trainee in the UK, the training system there as well as reasons for considering the UK as an option. This session was a much needed reminder that you should not limit yourself to conventional paths, rather explore all possible avenues so that in the end the path you choose is in line with your interests and personal circumstances.
Women in Surgery
On June 27, 2020, the Surgery Interest Group (SIG) hosted our largest ever panel discussion titled ‘Women In Surgery’, giving us all a glimpse into the lives of inspiring female surgeons from 10 different surgical sub-specialties who joined our 400+ participants from across the globe. This discussion served as a much-needed reminder that as a female surgeon, regardless of your subspecialty, some people will always have slight reservations about you. There will be a lot of eyebrows raised and you will be subtly told to go for a more women-friendly field, but these wonderful women persisted. They knew that their passion was enough of an assurity. And when they did, they ended up paving a way for aspiring female surgeons.
A Career in Cardiothoracic Surgery- Dr. Ghulam Abbas
The Surgery Interest Group (SIG) conducted an interactive session with Dr. Ghulam Abbas (AKU '94). Dr. Abbas is an American Board-Certified cardiothoracic surgeon working at West Virginia University Hospitals, internationally recognised for robotic lung-sparing surgery for lung cancer and minimally invasive esophagectomy for esophageal cancer. In the spirit of giving back, he came by to mentor medical students interested in a career in Cardiothoracic Surgery.
Residency in the UK- Dr. Syed Arish Haider
SIG conducted an interactive session with Dr. S. Arish Haider (SIG Convener 2017-18), a graduate of the Class of 2018 who talked about career options in the UK for future aspiring surgeons. He went through the application process and residency program structure in the UK and also shared the reasons why he chose the UK path. The talk was followed by a Q&A session.
Robotics in Surgical Oncology- Dr. Faiz Bhora
Dr. Faiz Bhora (AKU Class of 1992) is no stranger to the AKU community; he is always coming back and engaging with students in different talks. Recently he collaborated with the Surgery Interest Group to talk about the present and future of robotic surgery, especially its application in surgical oncology, a field that interests many of our aspiring surgeons.
The audience, ranging from first-years to alumni, got to learn from him about the latest developments in Robotic Surgery and Minimally Invasive Thoracic Surgery. This was followed by a Q&A session and an engaging discussion with the young surgery enthusiasts.
Elective Made Simple
The Surgery Interest Group, in the interest of catering to the most important needs of our AKU Community, collaborated with Pediatrics For Life and Internal Medicine Interest Group the second Electives Made Simple event. This was a panel discussion with our final year medical students Mustafa Ali Khan, Taha Ahmad Zaka, Usman Zaffar Sandhu, and Danish Ali aimed at guiding students in the process of electives.
Pursuing a Career in Neurosurgery- Dr. Asif Bashir
SIG collaborated with the Neuroscience Interest Group to organize two events for everyone with an interest in Neurosurgery. Dr. Asif Bashir joined us for interactive sessions to talk what about a career in neurosurgery entails and to demystify a very challenging but rewarding career path.
Pursuing a Career in Neurosurgery- Dr. Farhan Mirza
In the second talk, Dr. Farhan Mirza (AKU Class of 2011) enlightened the pathway of this specialization and answered their queries.
