Aiming high

Mohamed Al Shaaban, newsreader on 96.5 FM and Bahrain TV's Channel 55 is more than just a well-groomed face with a voice to match.

When he is not involved with part-time media work or studying to be a medical doctor, the 22-year-old Bahraini has his eyes focused down a microscope and he waxes lyrical about the research in molecular biology into stopping cardiac hypertrophy (unwanted increase in heart size) that he is continuing at the laboratories of the University of Manitoba in Canada.

In fact Mohamed recently won the first prize at the 6th International Scientific Conference for GCC Medical students held in Al Ain, UAE, attended by 1,600 students from Pakistan, Egypt, Ukraine, UK, Iran, India, Sudan and the Middle East attended the conference.

Of 97 attendees honoured, both medical and PhD students, Mohamed bagged the first prize for his research work.

This is the second time he has won an award, the first being at the 4th International Scientific Conference in Oman in 2006 when he presented the first findings of his research.

"We have tested our research on mice using the new technology of RNA interference which employs molecular medicine and genetic engineering. The next step is to test on human models which will make up my thesis when I start my PhD," said Mohamed, a sixth year medical student at the Arabian Gulf University (AGU) in Bahrain. The research has been published in the Canadian Journal of Physiology and Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology.

Mohamed became part of a student programme run by AGU and the University of Manitoba in Canada in 2005. He travelled to Canada and, under the supervision of Dr Michael Czburyt, started work in the laboratories.

"That was an amazing learning curve becoming very challenging at times," said Mohamed. "But I enjoyed the experience and got really involved with the research after which I started proposing my own methodologies to the professor. The programme really opened my eyes to a whole new world of medical research which has become my passion now."

His enthusiasm won him continued support from the good professor and Mohamed returns every year to continue his work at the University.

Mohamed completed his bachelors in Medical Research which he presented before a panel of seven judges in Canada and encouraged by Dr Czburyt, he plans to pursue a joint Masters and PhD degree but with graduation looming ahead he has his energies focused on his medical degree in Bahrain.

"The one year internship at Salmaniya Medical Complex is the most dreaded year after medical school but I have a lot planned as I want to achieve so much," he added.

Apart from continuing with his research work Mohamed plans to start a series of medical orientated reports for Bahrain TV's Channel 55 and has sent a proposal to the authorities.

"I want to make medicine interesting to the common man through the media," said the Sehla resident who started his career as a newsreader on 96.5 FM in March 2007 which was soon followed by a stint on the small screen. Mohamed was the only English presenter who covered the GCC Summit in Oman in 2008, the rest of the media being Arabic.