Yonsei Institute
for Global Health

1) Please introduce yourself.

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  • My name is Amany Abdelwadoud Makroum, 34 years old, from Egypt. My family includes my parents and 2 younger sisters. One of my sisters is currently studying Medicine, too.

2) Where is your working place back in your country and what is your specialty?    

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  • I am working as an Assistant Lecturer at Mansoura University and as a specialist in Mansoura University Hospital in Obstetrics and Gynecology department.

3) How did you get to know Severance? Why did you choose Severance as your training hospital?    

• Severance is renowned all over the world for advances in minimally invasive and robotic surgeries. Yonsei cancer center is considered one of the main referral centers for diverse oncology cases for providing the best medical care by a highly specialized team. This helps in the improvement of clinical and surgical skills of all the medical personnel and the fellows under training.

4) How long is your training period in Korea?  

I am here for a 1-year training.

5) Which area did you focus on during your fellowship at Severance? 

• My focus was on the proper surgical management of cases with different gynecological malignancies.

6) What is the most impressive feature of Severance Hospital?  

• Severance Hospital has an excellent infrastructure that provides patients with quick access to the best medical care. 

  The doctors here are highly specialized and they have access to the latest instruments and technology allowing them to provide the best medical care to patients and all these provide a better learning opportunity to the young doctors. 

  Also, the administration, management and patient data recording systems are impressive too. The latter allows researchers easy access to the required information needed at any point of time enabling easy and successful research projects.   

7) What are the specific contents of your fellowship program at Severance?  

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  • A. Exposure and training in the surgical management of Gyn-oncology cases.
  • B. Training in the minimally invasive surgical management of different benign and malignant gynecology cases.  
  • C. Research activity associated with minimally invasive surgery.

8) What was your first impression of Korea?  

• Korea is one of the highly developed countries and you can find a high degree of modernization and technology applied in different aspects of daily life. Here people are attentive and strict about following rules and procedures.

9) What is the best memory so far during your stay here?  

• All the moments I spent in the operating room are memorable. Experiencing Korean culture and visiting different beautiful places is another unforgettable memory. 

  I have new friends from different countries, international fellows, that I met during my stay in Korea and whom I should visit in their countries. 

10) Who are you most thankful for at Severance (who helped you the most) & why?  

• I am thankful to my supervisor Prof. Jung-Yun Lee and all Gyn-oncology professors. I have learned a lot about better surgical management of various gynecology cases. They have given me the opportunity to be involved in different surgeries.

  I shouldn’t forget all the Gyn-oncology fellows, residents and nursing staff in the operating theatre. They were helpful throughout my fellowship period. 

1. 11) If you were to get the chance to come back, which field of clinical study would you like to focus on?
   I would like to spend more time learning and practicing proper cytoreductive techniques in ovarian malignancy and different lymphadenectomy techniques in various malignancies.

12) Do you have any special experience related to COVID-19? What are your thoughts and feelings about the way Korea is dealing with COVID-19, and what is the situation like in your home country?

I have seen an excellent system of dealing with all admitted patients, regarding mandatory PCR tests on admission and preoperatively, and any suspicious patient was well managed. In cases of suspected exposure or contact of working personnel with a COVID-19 positive patient, there was an appropriate control and care, protecting their health and limiting the expected transmission if any. 

COVID-19 was the reason for some limitations in social activities and people gathering. I could have seen more of Korean culture, attended events and explored more places if it was not for COVID-19.