LIKE most young children, when Othman Al-Johani was growing up a trip to the doctors wasn't something he would look forward to. But that all changed when he was a teenager, and Othman became interested in studying medicine. He also wanted to find a career which would help others. That's what led him to attend an international conference about pediatric cardiology in Jeddah.The year was 2008, and in an interview with the Saudi Gazette, Dr. Al-Johani said: “It was the best decision I ever made.” It must have been, as thanks to the King Abdullah Scholarship Program, and having the chance to study medicine in the United States — he is now teaching medical students at one of the best known hospitals in the world: Johns Hopkins in Washington D.C. After two years as a resident for pediatrics at the National Guard Hospital in Jeddah, Dr. Al-Johani went to Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. By 2012 he was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in pediatric critical care at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland. Speaking to the Saudi Gazette he said: “At the beginning when I first met my fellow medical students on the postdoctoral program, people had no idea that our education system in Saudi Arabia was so good. They were also really impressed when I told them about the residency program I had done in Jeddah. They said they didn't know about our healthcare system or that our hospitals were so advanced.” Dr Al-Johani's training and qualifications have led him to interacting with hundreds of Americans whose children require very detailed and specific care. The interaction is something he really enjoys: “I have learned so much about patient care, and usually the parents I meet are naturally focused on what's best for their child. After the first or second visit with them, I usually tell them I am from Saudi Arabia. I have never had a problem with that, and in fact I am proud to say it. It's the same with the medical students I teach.” Currently teaching residents and medical interns at the Children's National Medical Center at George Washington University, Dr Al-Johani told the Saudi Gazette: “What's important to me is to find out what their expectations are. Understanding what their focus is on patient care, and how to balance it as it really becomes a two-way street. When we start on the clinical exam skills, I always tell them that I learned my skills from what I was taught in Saudi Arabia. It was excellent training and now I am helping transfer that knowledge to people making a difference in the United States.” One of those residents told the Saudi Gazette: “Othman very effectively talked us through confusing differential diagnoses and he was always able to come up with a quick teaching point for interns and students.” Both patients, parents and students are clearly in excellent hands. Dr Al-Johani presented his research at the 7th World Congress on Pediatric Intensive and Critical Care in Istanbul, and he was also awarded the Bloomberg School of Public Health Dean's Scholarship Award to pursue a Masters in Public Health. He's also affiliated with King Abdulaziz University Faculty of Medicine, in Rabigh, north of Jeddah. Of his time in the United States he tells the Saudi Gazette: “I couldn't have got where I did without the King Abdullah Scholarship Program. Since I have been at Johns Hopkins, I advanced my medical skills more than I could have hoped.” As he looks ahead, and once all his pediatric care experiences conclude in the US, Dr Al-Johani said he wants to help improve patient care in the Kingdom. “One of the things I really enjoy about taking care of patients in the United States is the way patient care is set up. Doctors here give patients different options in deciding the best medical care for them. I like that style, and I like that approach. Right now patients aren't presented with options, and there are opportunities to do things differently,” he told the Saudi Gazette. As his pediatric medical career continues to have an impact, Dr Al-Johani said that he's also really grateful to his mother Balkhes Al-Johani for her all-out support. There are clearly lots of mothers in the United States who are very grateful to a young doctor from Saudi Arabia too.
