Dr. Rula Awwad trained in the Pediatric Cardiology Unit, 2004-2007
My name is Rula N. Awwad, born in Ramallah on the 22nd of April, 1974. I live with my family in Beit-Sahour, a city near Bethlehem in the West Bank.
After High-School I travelled to Jordan for 6 years to study medicine. I graduated in 1998 and after that I did a 4-year residency in Pediatrics at Makassed hospital in Jerusalem.
I was interested in treating kids with heart diseases and always had the dream to enter this field. After contacting Simon Fisher, Save a Child’s Heart (SACH) executive director and Dr. Akiva Tamir, the chief pediatric cardiologist at the Wolfson Medical Center, I was given this opportunity.
My fellowship in pediatric cardiology through SACH lasted from January 2004 until April 2007. Through these three and half years, I learned a lot; it was not only medicine and cardiology. I was affected by "Save a Child`s Heart". And by how kids with congenital heart defects are being treated; not only Asians, not only Africans, not only Palestinians. It doesn`t matter what color or what ethnic group, the only important thing is that there is a sick child with heart disease who needs help.
I spent three and a half years, every week passing the check point of Bethlehem to reach the hospital and it took me about 4 hours every time. I always felt upset, angry, and bothered to pass this procedure, but the feeling always passed when I started to work with the great team of SACH; to learn from Dr. Tamir and Dr. Alona - they were and are my friends.
I will always owe Dr. Tamir who gave me the chance to achieve my dream and always supported me through this way. After I finished my training, I continued to come to the Palestinian clinic on Tuesdays, to keep up-to-date in cardiology field and to follow my patients.
Thanks,
Sincerely,
Rula
Bethlehem