Samiya Abi Jaoude: Eclectic. Hyperactive. Too Curious for This World

When Samiya Abi Jaoude describes herself, she doesn’t hesitate. “Eclectic. Hyperactive. Too curious for this world.” The words come with a laugh, but they capture the essence of the Lebanese-French neurosurgeon who has built a remarkable career in Paris while refusing to be defined by a single path.

At 39, Samiya is an adult neurosurgeon at the Hôpital Fondation Adolphe de Rothschild. She works in some of the most delicate areas of medicine: cranial base tumors, vascular neurosurgery and cerebrospinal fluid disorders. On any given day she may operate on a brain aneurysm, coordinate a multidisciplinary team, or advocate for better diagnosis of overlooked neurological diseases. But surgery is only part of her story.

Choosing the difficult path

Growing up in Lebanon, she imagined two very different futures. “Theatre or medicine,” she recalls with a smile. Practical realities made the decision for her. She entered medical school and quickly discovered what would become a lifelong fascination: the brain. During her first experience in the neurosurgical operating room, she knew she had found her calling.

It was not an obvious choice. At the time, there were no female neurosurgeons in Lebanon. “People kept telling me how hard it would be,” she says. “But I never changed my mind.” Part of the attraction was the directness of surgery. For Samiya, medicine was not only about diagnosis. It was about action. “In surgery, you change reality with your hands,” she explains.

From Lebanon to Paris

In 2015, Samiya moved to France to complete her neurosurgical training. The transition required resilience. To practice permanently, she had to pass a national equivalence exam with only three available positions for foreign neurosurgeons.

She took the challenge anyway.

Months later, she learned she had succeeded. That single moment opened doors to fellowships, a permanent position and the ability to mentor Lebanese residents from abroad. Her original plan had been to return home, but repeated crises in Lebanon made that impossible. Today, she continues to support colleagues remotely, creating networks that connect women neurosurgeons of Lebanese origin worldwide.

Inspiring the next generation

Samiya’s energy extends well beyond the operating room. She organizes educational programs for nurses, collaborates on awareness campaigns for neurological diseases and works with Inspiring Girls to introduce children to careers they may never have imagined.

“You’re a surgeon and a woman?” young girls ask her, disbelief in their voices.

Even today, some parents still tell their daughters surgery is not a profession for women. Moments like this only strengthen her determination.

Learning to lead

Samiya is also a member of the IAP's Young Physician Leaders programme. The programme brings together physicians from around the world to explore leadership, collaboration and global health.

In medicine we learn how to treat patients, but we are rarely taught how to lead teams,

she says.

Through the programme, she began to see how groups function, how decisions are shaped and how perspective changes everything. One lesson in particular stayed with her: the importance of stepping back.

“Get on the balcony,” she says. “Look at the situation from above before reacting.”

She now applies this principle in hospital meetings and in her daily work with multidisciplinary teams.

A life larger than one profession

Despite the intensity of neurosurgery, Samiya refuses to define herself solely by her work. Her curiosity drives her to explore history, art and culture. She recently completed a diploma in the history of medicine and now studies art history at the Louvre. Her long-term goal is to create projects that connect medicine, history and art and share those stories with the public.

“I used to think of myself first as a surgeon,” she says. “Now I want a more diverse life.”

That philosophy shapes her future plans. She hopes to build specialized clinics for cerebrospinal fluid disorders, advocate for patients and continue mentoring younger doctors across borders.

“Some people want to slow down,” Samiya says with a smile. “I always want to do more.”

For Samiya Abi Jaoude, curiosity is not a distraction from her work. It is the force that drives it. And it is what continues to open doors for those who follow.