Board Certified
Board Certified in Pediatrics and Pediatric Cardiology
Medical Education
Tripoli University Faculty of Medicine, Tripoli, Libya 1992
Residency
Hacetepe University Ihsan Dogramaci Children's Hospital, Ankara, Turkey 1993-1997
University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics 2004-2006
Fellowship
Hacetepe University Ihsan Dogramaci Children's Hospital, Ankara, Turkey 1998-2001
University of Chicago Medical Center 2006-2008
Boston Children's Hospital 2013 - Advanced Cardiac MRI
Rush University Medical Center 2013-2014 - Advanced Non-Invasive imaging
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia 2013-2014 - Advanced Cardiac MRI
Philosophy
My style of practice is very interactive. I love this type of style because I enjoy working with my patients and interacting with their families. I am a mother and I understand the feeling of the families. It can be devastating to hear their child has a heart problem. I spend time explaining the lesion and I try to do it in a way that they can understand the complexity of the lesion and work with them on the plan of management. Children with congenital heart disease and acquired heart disease can go through a rough time with their families. I try to make it easy by helping them, talking to them, answering all their questions, being available at any time.
At the end of the day, making a child smile and happy is fantastic and very rewarding. Seeing the relief in family's faces when they see their child is in good condition and in safe hands, able to perform activities like their healthy peers-- These are the incredible moments of my job. Making a positive impact in a child's life is the most rewarding part of my career.
Interests
My area of interest is echocardiography. I believe that echocardiography is the foundation of cardiology. It is a non-invasive study performed in the office and in the hospital, and it is one of the initial tests that we perform to figure out the abnormal heart structure. It helps us make diagnoses and start working on the management plan.
Furthermore, fetal echocardiography is performed early on in pregnancy to make fetal diagnoses of congenital heart disease as early as possible. This allows me to meet with the families of children with congenital heart disease and explain to them the lesion and management plan before their child is born. I get to follow them through their child's entire life.
Additional Languages
Fluent in English, Arabic, and Turkish