When Adham El Sherbini, HealthSci ’24, sat down for his Rhodes Scholarship interview in Halifax at 8 a.m., he didn’t expect to get the news before the day was over.
He was flying straight to Toronto after the interview on Nov. 22 for an event the next morning, assuming he wouldn’t hear any news until he landed. Instead, just before stepping onto his flight, his phone rang.
“I was honestly in shock,” El Sherbini said in an interview with The Journal, after hearing he’d been awarded one of the world’s most prestigious awards for postgraduate study, the Rhodes Scholarship.
The Rhodes Scholarship’s a fully funded postgraduate award that allows for young people from around the world to study full-time at the University of Oxford.
El Sherbini will begin a PhD in Surgical Sciences at the University of Oxford after finishing his second year of medical school at the University of Toronto, becoming the 63rd Queen’s graduate to receive the honour. He will be returning to Toronto to complete medical school afterwards.
His path before this moment began long before the interview. When he first chose Queen’s, it was partly academic and partly social. “I thought it would be a really good fit for me, and at the same time I also really wanted to live alone and get a new experience,” he said.
One of the first courses in his degree, GLPH 170, strongly influenced him. The course examined how social conditions, economic status, environments, and communities directly affect physical health. He connects it to the global surgery work he is now dedicated to.
Later in his degree, El Sherbini joined a research course with Dr. Maha Othman, a clinical pathologist and hematologist at Queen’s. He described her as one of the best mentors he’s had. Their project used machine learning to predict venous thromboembolism, dangerous blood clots common in cancer patients.
He also learned from Dr. Wael Abuzeid, an interventional cardiologist, and Dr. Mohammad El-Diasty, a cardiac surgeon. El Sherbini credited El-Diasty as a major reason he plans to pursue a PhD.
By the time he entered medical school, his research interest had only grown. Last summer, he worked on a study analyzing replantation surgeries, where severed fingers are reattached, using machine learning to assess why failure rates are high. He later contributed to a SickKids project on pediatric “trigger thumb,” collecting ultrasound images to help predict the condition.
“I’m trying to build a portfolio of Artificial Intelligence and machine learning skills and applying it in healthcare, meaningfully,” he said.
El Sherbini didn’t always envision a future in medicine. A dedicated debate student for years, he changed course during the COVID-19 pandemic after several experiences with the healthcare system.
“I started to see not just the importance of physicians, but also the patient-doctor relationship,” he said. “It felt like it would give a lot of meaning and purpose.”
Despite his achievements, El Sherbini speaks with humility. “I’m by no means bright or smart,” he said. He explained he’s a serious soccer player, and his motivation comes from enjoying the process.
El Sherbini gives credit to the people who surround him when it comes to his accomplishments. He hopes to continue that cycle. “By putting out good and giving good, it will come back to you.”
Tags
Rhodes Scholar, Rhodes scholarship, University of Oxford
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