Her name is Elham Muhammad Saleh Abuljadayel and she is one of the many women who have a great status in the medical field. She is a researcher at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom and the President of TriStem Corporation based in the United States. She is also married with three children, is a clinical and diagnostic immunologist and worked at the Royal Hospital in London from 1985-1989. Fourteen of her articles were published in global journals between 1982-1984. She has a bachelor's degree in cell biology and immunology from King's College in London, University of London. In the beginning of her career, she established an immunology unit at King Fahd and Armed Forces Hospital in Jeddah and supervised programs related to membership at royal medical colleges and PhD programs, according to a report in Al-Yaum newspaper. Dr Abuljadayel also says she invented a way to reproduce aroma cells that help treat AIDS, leukemia, lymphoma, bone marrow cancer and other solid masses. So why did she decide to choose cell biology as a career? “I have been interested in this science since I was a little child. Everything about the world of cells fascinated me,” she said. How the West views Saudi women Dr Abuljadayel has made several medical achievements and patented producing aroma cells for renewing human tissues and using them for treating cancer, AIDS and other blood disorders. However, when she began publishing her breakthrough research in the United Kingdom, she found that the British media didn't give it much attention. “I don't know why I wasn't given any media attention when I came up with the idea of transforming fully-grown cells into stem cells. Was it because I'm an Arab Muslim woman,” she wondered. Saudi Arabia's potential Dr. Abuljadayel thinks that Saudi Arabia has enormous potential that needs to be tapped into. “Unfortunately, our society is not aware of the importance of scientific research. Although Saudi universities have research centers, they lack basic components of scientific research. Researchers should develop their ideas inside these centers and turn them into inventions that catapult the Kingdom to the forefront of global achievements. “These centers should be run by leading researchers who understand the importance of scientific research and who can make them compete with advanced countries. I believe that King Abdullah University will be a turning point in the field of scientific research in the Kingdom,” she said.
