I hope my application to the Cornea Fellowship Program will be considered favorably due to my dedication and diverse experiences in our field. I see the cornea as the window to the soul of my patient, and it is in this area that I aspire to make significant contributions to the advancement of Ophthalmology, especially in my home country of Saudi Arabia. Inquisitive by nature and always a good student, I have been serving as an Ophthalmology resident at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, Zayed Military, and Sheikh Shak bout (2017-Present) hospitals. I have come to appreciate how the happiest patients are the ones who go home with perfect 20/20 vision, and I am now increasingly proficient at sending them home happy. Though treating some diseases is more difficult than others, I have learned that one can always accomplish satisfactory results if one keeps working constantly. I am now skilled not only as an excellent surgeon but also at managing several patients at once. I have had sufficient time to practice my bedside manners for several years, and I am becoming increasingly adept at attending to patients with compassion and efficiency. I am learning much about keratoconus, early detection of eye problems, vision improvement, avoiding complications, and patient-management skills.
I want to share my knowledge and expertise with new generations of Ophthalmologists in training - particularly concerning microsurgical procedures and especially challenging cases. In the UAE, I have witnessed several patients in dire need of quality treatment who could not afford it, and I have thought about them ever since. My moral and professional obligation is to work towards a professional future that includes attention to the underserved. We also have many people living in Saudi Arabia who do not have health insurance, and I want to help as many as I can preserve, even recover, their sight. I have already started learning a procedure (small-incision cataract surgery) that is widely used and popular in areas with limited medical access. I look forward to training teams, mentoring, and leading people as a professional and a volunteer.
I have several publications, most recently examining a case involving retinal vein occlusion in a 40-year-old man with severe coronavirus disease (2019). I passed the Medical Council of Evaluation Examination in 2017 and the International Council of Ophthalmology Exam in 2020. I have valuable things to contribute to discussions taking place in a Cornea Fellowship Program as a diligent, focused, and persevering Ophthalmologist with advanced communication and research skills - and a ceaseless curiosity to learn. Your distinguished program would serve as the wind beneath my wings, bearing me aloft to the final, innovative level from which I will be able to continue to grow professionally, maximizing the contribution that I can make to the advancement of Ophthalmology in Saudi Arabia, particularly on behalf of the underserved or underprivileged communities. I look forward to the state-of-the-art infrastructure, advanced research labs, distinguished faculty, and diverse and multicultural student body. I am particularly excited by the prospect of working in tandem with experienced professionals worldwide. Since Arabic is my first language, I look forward to studying and hopefully being able to contribute something of value to the Arabic-speaking community where I am located. I assure you that I could not be more dedicated to giving my all to make the most of your program.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Cornea Fellowship Personal Statement