Interview with Aymen Mohammed Elsous, Ph.D. in Health Policy

Interviewer (Emmanuel Adutwum): Salam (Hello), Aymen.

Mr. Elsous: Hello, Emmanuel.

- Tell us a little bit about yourself.

- Well, my name is Aymen Mohammed Elsous. I am a Palestinian, born in Algeria in 1979. I lived in Algeria for 15 years from my birthday till I completed my school, prior to moving to Gaza. I finished my undergraduate degree in Nursing at the Islamic University of Gaza. I pursued my postgraduate education in Germany, where I obtained my Master’s degree in International Health from Heidelberg University. I am currently at the Ph.D. level, majoring in Health Policy Management at Tehran University of Medical Sciences, School of Public Health.  I work in the Palestinian Ministry of Health at Shiffa Hospital. I’m a member of a team responsible for Quality Improvement and Infection Control. I am married and have a daughter.

- Tell me about your family.

- My family is simple, conservative and literate. My parents led their professional careers in Algeria for 19 years as teachers and returned to Gaza in 1996. My mother continued to work as a teacher whilst my father was employed by the Ministry of Health. I have three brothers and two sisters.

- What is your favorite aspect of Health Policy? Do you have any interesting or fond memories of studying in this program?

- The most important and transient period in my educational career was the time I was admitted to the Master’s Program of International Health, though I had worked as a nurse for 6 years in a hospital. Health Policy is considered as the core of Public Health, which simply means using existing evidences and experiences to shape health systems with rational decisions. I was particularly interested in this subject due to a lack of experts in this field in my country. We usually recruit foreign experts when seeking consultations regarding issues related to health systems. I intend to become an expert in this field to better serve the people in my country.

- For what reason did you decide to further your education in Health policy? Was it a passion or just a job?

- After my postgraduate education, I worked in the field of Health Policy as a consultant for some time. I gathered a lot of experiences, and I feel I have both the passion to further my knowledge in this field, and I will be able to serve my people as an expert.  The Master’s Program in International Health has served me by deepening my understanding of the importance of health policy in making changes to the health of different populations. Furthermore, the experience and knowledge I have gained had a great influence on the decision to further my knowledge in this field.

- What do you think a university can offer a student?

- Education, particularly at the university level, is not like that of the secondary level. A university student should learn to be self-dependent after graduation. University professors have the role of career building and guidance experts for students so that they are able to do independent work and apply the knowledge they’ve acquired in order to improve humanity upon graduation. In simple terms, I think a university should train students to be independent with enough knowledge to improve the human life.

- In what ways do you think you can make a contribution to your university, TUMS?

- TUMS is the most reputable university in Iran and is also highly recognized in the world. School of Public Health is arguably the major with the highest number of published research articles in TUMS. I hope to make contribution by adding my research to the list of published articles of this school. I also always encourage my fellow Palestinians to apply to TUMS to benefit from the knowledge of the highly experienced and learned professors in the School of Public Health. Currently, two of my friends have received the offer to come and study at TUMS whilst other applications are under review.

- Do you think students’ grades are a good indication of their academic achievements?

- Usually, there should be an indicator to measure a student’s academic performance. One of these indicators is his or her grades. It can be said that grade-based exams or paper tests might reflect the student’s actual academic performance.

- Who do you think is a successful student?

- A successful student is the one with the following characteristics: patient, ambitious, adaptable, and knowledge-oriented, with insight into the future.

- Do you consider yourself successful at TUMS?

- I can claim that I have been successful in my studies at TUMS. I am obtaining a great deal of knowledge thanks to my department, my grades are perfect, and I have an excellent relationship with the staff of the school, as well as the students. I am very much satisfied at both academic and personal levels.

- What do you do in your spare time?

- In my leisure time, being in contact with my family is my first priority. I do feel homesick at times, though, now, there are Palestinian students around whom I go to when I feel homesick. In this way, I become a bit relieved. Sometimes, I go outside with other students to discover Tehran. I am also proud of having a strong social network with Iranian families and my friends from the university.

- If you could eat dinner with someone, who would it be?

- [laughs] If you mean here in Tehran, then I would like to invite my wife to come over here and have dinner with me.

- What's next for you after life at TUMS?

- After my graduation from TUMS, I intend to return to Gaza to help the people there. I have plans of working with an NGO or an international health organization that has close correspondence with our health system. My aim is to positively and significantly contribute to the state of health in Gaza, especially regarding the health of the population. Furthermore, being an academician is one of my plans after my graduation; in this way, I may be able to contribute to building and reinforcing the health system in Gaza.

- Thank you so much for your time, Aymen. It was nice meeting and talking to you.

- Thank you very much.

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