Hello everyone! My name is Ammar Asban. I am currently a fourth-year general surgery resident at The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). I grew up in a small Village in Yemen, Hadhramout Province, Tareem city, Thepy. During my high school years, I worked with my family on our farm. After graduating high school in 2001, I was very fortunate to get into Aden University School of Medicine, Aden, Yemen.
In Aden, I met Mr. Abdullah Bugshan, the founder of Hadhramout Foundation. Mr. Bugshan’s frequent visits to Yemen, as well as the prominent figures and leaders in all aspects of medical field that he used to bring to Yemen, inspired me to go abroad and pursue my career and education in the West. I was selected to go to Saudi for an externship program with twenty colleagues. Working at King Fahad Specialist Hospital and interacting with physicians who completed their training in the United States further motivated me to pursue my dream to finish my training in the US.
With Mr. Bugshan’s support and encouragement, and over two years of hard work and dedication, I prepared and passed all my USMLE exams to be able to come to America. After that, I started emailing and contacting multiple medical institutions for research positions. I was very fortunate to get a position at Tufts Medical Center, where I started my research fellowship and then internship in general surgery in 2013 and 2014 respectively. I like research and enjoy the academic aspect of surgery, therefore, I went to The University of California San Francisco where I completed a Master's Degree in Clinic and Translational research. Currently, I am at UAB for a 5-year general surgery residency.
My goal is to finish general surgery and then apply for acardiothoracic surgery fellowship. There is a huge need for this specialty in Yemen. My ultimate goals are to establish a Cardiothoracic Surgery Medical Center in Yemen, as well as establish global collaboration for research, education, and outreach programs between institutions in Yemen and the United States.