BSMS > About BSMS > Alumni > Alumni in focus Ms Heba Hamami

Alumni in Focus - Ms Heba Hamami

MS Heba Hamami (BM BS 2016)

Heba graduated in 2016 and did her foundation training in London, taking two years out to travel and work in different specialties before moving to the Mersey to do her core surgical training. During her undergraduate study at BSMS, she did an intercalated BSc in microbiology at the University of Leeds. Heba is currently applying for specialty training in urology, having completed her MRCS membership exams. We caught up with her to hear about the best piece of advice she's been given, and what it's like to work in a male-dominated specialty.

Where are you now?

I’m in my final year of core surgical training in Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral. I’m applying to specialty training in urology this year.

You work as a urologist, which has historically been a male dominated medical specialty. Is this something you have noticed in your field?

Definitely. I noticed it when I first did urology in F1 in 2017 and it’s still evident now. It’s quite hard because part of the reason you might be attracted to a specialty is if you can see someone working in that specialty that you aspire to be like. I was lucky that the female urologists I’ve worked with were incredible. In particular, one of my consultants was exactly how I would love to be one day. You still get the occasional person commenting that it’s not a good specialty “for a woman” but if anything, that just spurred me on.

Where would you like your career to take you next?

I’d like to start specialty training in urology either this year or next. It’s been hard in the pandemic to even think about this but I’d love to work abroad for a while. Like a second elective where I can be more useful than I was as a medical student. And in the future, I’d love to do robotic surgery.

What is the best piece of advice you have ever been given?

Take your time. Sometimes people seem like they’re rushing to get into training and become a consultant that they don’t enjoy what they’re doing in the moment. I took an F3 and F4 and I’ve never regretted it. I travelled and enjoyed myself before I started training. If I hadn’t have done that, I would have been more likely to burn out.

What was the best thing about studying at BSMS?

Being part of a smaller medical school meant that I felt recognised as an individual. You get to know people in your year well, and it just feels very close knit. I also hear it makes great doctors!

Who or what has inspired you most in life?

My friend Beth, who is also a BSMS graduate. She is one of the most intelligent and hard-working people I know. She’s also incredibly witty. She has been through some exceptionally difficult circumstances and somehow still managed to be so supportive when I was going through a tough time.

What's your favourite memory from your time at BSMS?

There are literally so many, I wouldn’t even know where to start. Obviously, all the socials and my elective. But a surprising one is staying in hospital accommodation while on placement in final year in Eastbourne. Everyone was in the same boat with revision, and it wasn’t like being at home, but we still made time to cook dinners together and hang out to make it better. It’s such a binding experience, so it’s no surprise you make friends for life.

What advice would you give a first-year medical student?

Try to remember why you’re doing medicine in the first place. It’s easy to forget when you’re going through the parts you might not enjoy but there will be something you love, and you’ll get there. You have an amazing student support team at BSMS if you need it. Also, it’s easy to get BSMS tunnel vision but you’re lucky enough to be part of two amazing universities with a whole host of interesting students and societies, so definitely join in!

Describe BSMS in three words

Progressive, supportive, inclusive.