Reem from Saudi Arabia is a specialist in colorectal surgery

Reem Awad Alharbi from Saudi Arabia is at specialist in colorectal surgery. In the autumn 2020, she had the possibility to apply for a one-year fellowship at a leading colorectal surgery department in Europe – in London, Paris, Berlin… She chose Aarhus, and she has now been a fellow at Aarhus University Hospital for one year.

- Internationally, professionals know that Aarhus University Hospital is a highly-specialised hospital with a high international level. Only people from Aarhus are surprised about my choice, Reem says with a smile.

Reem Awad Alharbi is one of the few female colorectal surgeons in Saudi Arabia. She is finishing a one year expert training. and international certification in colorectal surgery. She is particularly interested in patients with complicated conditions in the pelvic floor.

Aarhus University Hospital has a Pelvic Floor Unit where colorectal surgeons collaborate with gyneacologists, urology surgeons and peadiatricians as well as specialised nurses performing tasks that are assigned to doctors in most other parts of the world.

- These patients have many symptoms and complaints, and we have only one center to refer them. Many of them are treated abroad. I have learned a lot from the way the Pelvic Floor Unit is organised and the high professional level. This is an example for me to bring home and my colleagues are very interested to hear more about it, says Reem Awad Alharbi.

During her fellowship at Aarhus University Hospital, Reem Awad Alharbi has participated in many advanced procedures among these learned two new treatments developed in Aarhus and she will bring her new skills back to Saudi Arabia. One of them is treatment of complicated fistulas in patients with Crohn’s Disease using the patients’ own fat tissue. The other is the so-called transanal irrigation technique, which is a method where patients with constipation or fecal incontinence can learn how to empty their bowels.