Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Diligent Bahraini doctor Ali Abdulnabi Mohamed has taken his mission to tackle sickle cell and diabetes from a local to global level after being selected to represent the kingdom at a recent international medical convention.
The 24-year-old from Duraz was the only Bahraini among 15 beneficiaries from the Arab world to be selected as an International Diabetes Federation (IDF) Grantee for the World Diabetes Congress (WDC) 2013 in Melbourne, Australia.
He received the grant based on a study that he conducted during his years in the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland – Medical University of Bahrain (RCSI Bahrain), under the supervision of David Whitford, a Professor of Family and Community Medicine and now Head of School of Postgraduate Studies and Research.
Ali’s study examined the co-existence of two common diseases in Bahrain, diabetes and sickle cell. It also discussed the clinical and health implications of such co-existence.
Ali said: “I was delighted to be chosen as a delegate by the IDF to present the study at one of the most outstanding health-care events around the globe.
“My study was even accepted for a poster presentation. At the time of the abstract submission, I applied for a grant so that I could attend the Congress as a delegate sponsored by the IDF. Instead, I was selected as an IDF Grantee for the Congress!
“I feel very proud of my achievement and happy to represent my country at an international event.”
The IDF is an umbrella organisation of more than 200 national diabetes associations in over 160 countries. It represents the interests of the growing number of people with diabetes and those at risk.
The WDC, organised by IDF, is one of the world’s largest health-related events held every couple of years. It brings together health care professionals, researchers and policy makers to present and share their most recent evidences and best practices to support improvements in diabetes care, treatment and prevention.
The grant programme selection is not an easy process. It is based on criteria including the professional profile, age of applicant, abstract acceptance, letter of motivation and curriculum vitae. There were a total of 460 applicants and 100 grantees were accepted of which Ali was privileged to be one.
He was asked to share his study at the WDC entitled: Does Sickle Cell Disease protect against Diabetes Mellitus: a cross-sectional study, which was carried out in Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) and included data from 520 patients.
The study found that the prevalence of diabetes among patients with sickle cell disease in Bahrain is high (8.25 per cent), compared to other similar studies, but interestingly lower than expected in the general population (15.6 per cent).
Ali said: “This means that sickle cell disease has an apparent protective effect against developing diabetes.”
In the study, they excluded the lower life expectancy of sickle cell patients as a cause of the protective effect by performing statistical age-standardisation. Other possible hypothetical reasons may include the low body mass index of sickle cell disease patients or some genetic factors, and this needs to be investigated.
Ali presented this study at two conferences, at the 7th Young European Scientists (YES) Meeting in Porto, Portugal, in September 2012 and at the International Conference on Sickle Cell Disease 2013 in Manama.
At YES, he was awarded the Professor Ernesto Morais first prize for the best poster presentation in the Internal Medicine section.
Ali said that while both conferences were an honour, nothing compared to being chosen by the IDF.
He said: “When I called my mother Alawiya, 45, an electrical engineer, to inform her that I was chosen to present the study for the third time in a well-known international meeting, she was crying with joy.
“My father, Abdulnabi, 50, a shipping supervisor at APM Terminals, and my siblings Mohamed, 22, a nursing student, Fatima, 20, a computer engineering student, Husain, 18, an electrical engineering student, Hasan, 14, and Noor, 12, were all proud of this achievement too.
“They don’t consider this accomplishment as a personal or family success, but they look at it as a national triumph that all Bahrainis should cherish and feel proud of.”
Ali is currently in the Malta Foundation Programme in Mater Dei Hospital, Malta, to gain his first post-graduate training experience. This is equivalent to the internship year in Bahrain and it is a UK-accredited programme. After finishing, he will choose a speciality and continue his training in it.
Ali said: “I wanted to become a doctor because I am fond of science and keeping up with new discoveries and scientific advancement. At the same time, I like interacting with people and having inter-personal relationships with others trying to help them and relieve their sufferings. Medicine was the perfect specialty that could satisfy my two passions: science and human beings.
“After completing the Malta Foundation Programme, I would like to get into a proper residency training programme in Bahrain or abroad and then to follow that with a fellowship training that will allow me to become a consultant and serve my people in Bahrain in the best possible way.”
Ali’s patriotism is a key factor when it comes to his plans for the future.
He said: “I believe that institutional efforts are more productive than individual inputs, I hope to be involved in establishing a proper medical research organisation in the kingdom that aims to encourage and fund clinical and basic medical research in Bahrain and the Gulf, so that we can reach and compete at the international level.
“I would also like to involve actively in improving the quality of healthcare we provide in Bahrain, by enhancing clinical audits and implementing the necessary changes in the health care system.”
Ali said: “I see my selection as an IDF Grantee as an achievement for the young professionals in Bahrain and a significant reflection of the high-quality medical education and research that we have in the kingdom, particularly at RCSI Bahrain.
“To all the medical students at RCSI Bahrain and other medical colleges in Bahrain, you have the potential and the privilege to actively and positively get involved in basic science and clinical research. If you work hard, then your deeds will be honoured and recognised locally and globally. Just find your passion and go with it!”
