Graduate Student Profile: Melad Marbeen

Graduate Name: Melad Marbeen

Year of completion: 2019

Supervisor(s): Dr. Tom Freeman and Dr. Amanda Terry

Thesis Title: Focused Practice and Enhanced Skills PGY3 Training in Family Medicine: A Mixed Methods Study.
Thesis link to UWO repository: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/6686

Research Project / Major Essay Titles: N/A

  

1. Tell me a little about you.

My name is Melad Marbeen. I am a family physician and an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Family Medicine at Western University.

2. Where were you born and raised?

I was born and raised in Kirkuk, in northern Iraq.

I immigrated to Canada after finishing medical school and internship training in Iraq and lived in Toronto until starting residency training at Western University in 2013.

3. What degree(s) do you have, and from what universities?

I received my medical degree from Baghdad University in Iraq. I did my family medicine residency training followed by the Enhanced Skills PGY3 program in Academic Family Medicine at Western University. I completed the Master of Clinical Science in Family Medicine at Western University.

4. Where do you practice medicine and in what scope? What are your research interests?

I have an office-based comprehensive family medicine practice in London, Ontario. I provide care for patients of all ages, newborns to seniors, do minor surgical procedures, home visits, and palliative care for my patients. I also care for patients in a long-term facility. I’m also involved in teaching.

My research interests at this point include understanding the professional identity of Canadian family physicians, dealing with uncertainty in family medicine, and chronic diseases management in primary care.

5. What special interests or hobbies do you have?

I like to spend time with family and friends, meditate, and listen to music.

6. Why did you choose to pursue a MCISc/PhD in the Department of Family Medicine at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry?

During my residency training I was influenced by my preceptor and mentor, Dr. Hameed Jan, who encouraged me to enroll in the PGY3 Academic Family Medicine Program.

I was also interested in learning the Patient-Centered Clinical Method and yearned to discover the family medicine research world with the guidance of the researchers and teachers at the Center for Studies in Family Medicine.

7. Is there an experience of your time in the program that stands out for you, an “ah hah” moment?

There were many insightful experiences, but one of the “ah hah” moments was at the beginning of my MCISc journey when I attended Dr. Ian McWhinney inaugural lecture event. I realized how family medicine developed as a distinct academic discipline in medicine and the pivotal role of Dr. McWhinney in establishing the foundation of this discipline.

8. How do the writings and the person of Dr. Ian McWhinney influence your work in your career overall?

Dr. McWhinney’s insights of the role of family physician as a person, a physician, a generalist, and a healer provide meaning and joy to my daily work.

I learned from Dr. McWhinney to think in terms of the individual patient with his/her unique and personal experience of illness. I learned to be committed to the whole person in my patient and be attentive to his/her context, social circumstances, and culture. Dr. McWhinney’s deeply thoughtful writings taught me self-reflection, perseverance, determination, and the courage to cope with changes and find comfort in uncertainty.

9. What has been your greatest experience to date in your teaching / research career?

Conducting a mixed methods research study and completing my thesis with the guidance of enthusiastic role models for research in family medicine.

10. What are your thoughts about the Patient-Centred Clinical Method as it relates to teaching, research and clinical practice?

The Patient-Centered Clinical Method with its theoretical concepts has enhanced my understanding of the process of health, disease and illness in every way. It helped me develop a great appreciation for the patient's personal narrative. I learned to listen to my patients with total attention, to understand their experience of illness and suffering, to respect their preferences and try to reach common ground with them.