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YPL Alumna Samiya Abi Jaoude Reflects on Leadership and Global Health Engagement
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Recipient of the EANS Leadership in Neurosurgery Scholarship for Diverse Leaders shares her experience at YPL 2024
The IAP is delighted to highlight the inspiring testimonial of Dr Samiya Abi Jaoude, who took part in our Young Physician Leaders (YPL) programme in October 2024 as the recipient of the EANS Leadership in Neurosurgery Scholarship for Diverse Leaders.
Dr Abi Jaoude, a certified neurosurgeon in France and Lebanon, currently practises at the Hôpital Fondation Adolphe de Rothschild in Paris. She is also active in medical education and gender parity initiatives and brings a cross-cultural perspective shaped by her Lebanese-French background and dual-country medical practice.
In her reflection, recently published by the European Association of Neurosurgical Societies (EANS), Dr Abi Jaoude describes her transformative experience in the IAP YPL programme, which was co-presented by ESMT Berlin and integrated with the World Health Summit (WHS).
The YPL programme deeply challenged what I thought I knew about leadership,” she writes. “It shaped my understanding of how leaders function and how they can do better. Our participation in the WHS was incredibly rewarding and allowed me to connect with policy makers, innovators and global health leaders."
During the multi-day programme, 21 young physicians from 20 countries explored themes ranging from leadership styles and health system decision-making to geopolitical and ethical challenges in healthcare. Dr Abi Jaoude moderated a panel discussion at the WHS on 'Geopolitical Realities and Leadership in Healthcare', which addressed complex issues such as brain drain, digital health, cross-border policy collaboration and youth representation in leadership.
She notes how her personal and professional experiences as a young, dual-national woman in medicine shaped her understanding of leadership dynamics in different contexts.
I truly wish more neurosurgeons could benefit from this programme,” she adds. “I will be advocating for leadership training to be included in neurosurgery residency programmes."
Since 2011, the IAP Young Physician Leaders (YPL) initiative has empowered more than 280 emerging clinicians, researchers and health policy professionals under the age of 40, providing intensive leadership training and a global peer network committed to improving health systems worldwide. The programme is held annually in partnership with the World Health Summit and co-presented by academic institutions such as ESMT Berlin.
You can read more about this year’s programme and the WHS participation here:
We warmly congratulate Dr Samiya Abi Jaoude on her achievements and are proud to count her among our YPL alumni network.
IAP COMMUNICATION ASSISTANT
