Houriya Kazim's guest appearances

Houriya Kazim

The Conversation

Unlimited Platform

Mara Wilson

Esther Perel

Donna Benton

Lisa Fischer

Sarah Marquis

Tara Shears

Charlotte Mensah

Heather Jones

Doreen Lawrence

Danielle de Niese

Imtiaz Dharker

Oti Mabuse

Hanna Gabriels

Lauren Paul

Susie Orbach

OwlTail

We can’t discuss breast cancer in the UAE without reaching out to the FIRST FEMALE SURGEON in the country. So, for this new episode of our Unlimited Groundbreaking series, we’re honored to welcome Dr Houriya Kazim. Born in the Emirates to a family of doctors and daughter of the first surgeon in the UAE, becoming a doctor was probably expected of the young Houriya. She stood out in the male dominated sector and would go on to become the first female surgeon in the UAE. She was also the first to openly and publicly address what had been considered a taboo subject for decades: Breast cancer. She founded the Well Woman Clinic, an institution which offers women a safe and welcoming environment where they can receive professional advice regarding health concerns. She also launched Dubai’s first breast cancer support group and charity, Brest Friends, now supported by the Al Jalila Foundation to promote the early detection of breast cancer, facilitate medical treatment and, most importantly, establish and fund local research into the epidemiology of breast cancer in the UAE. With a double Fellowship from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and England, as well as a Master’s of Public Health (MPH) in Epidemiology from the University of Texas School of Public Health, Dr Houriya is recognized as the UAE’s most prominent breast surgeon. And she’s also a proud mother of two! How did she do it? Let’s hear from Dr Houriya herself and her Unlimited mission to fight Breast Cancer.

We can’t discuss breast cancer in the UAE without reaching out to the FIRST FEMALE SURGEON in the country. So, for this new episode of our Unlimited Groundbreaking series, we’re honored to welcome Dr Houriya Kazim. Born in the Emirates to a family of doctors and daughter of the first surgeon in the UAE, becoming a doctor was probably expected of the young Houriya. She stood out in the male dominated sector and would go on to become the first female surgeon in the UAE. She was also the first to openly and publicly address what had been considered a taboo subject for decades: Breast cancer. She founded the Well Woman Clinic, an institution which offers women a safe and welcoming environment where they can receive professional advice regarding health concerns. She also launched Dubai’s first breast cancer support group and charity, Brest Friends, now supported by the Al Jalila Foundation to promote the early detection of breast cancer, facilitate medical treatment and, most importantly, establish and fund local research into the epidemiology of breast cancer in the UAE. With a double Fellowship from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and England, as well as a Master’s of Public Health (MPH) in Epidemiology from the University of Texas School of Public Health, Dr Houriya is recognized as the UAE’s most prominent breast surgeon. And she’s also a proud mother of two! How did she do it? Let’s hear from Dr Houriya herself and her Unlimited mission to fight Breast Cancer.

Dr Houriya Kazim, UAE First Female Surgeon, on Breaking the Taboo about Breast Cancer

Maria Siemionow

When Houriya Kazim became the United Arab Emirates' first ever woman surgeon in the late 1990s she chose to specialise in breast surgery. Accusations of immodesty and even pornography followed as Houriya's educational pamphlets fell foul of the authorities' restrictions on language and images of women's bodies. Despite making progress in encouraging women to check their breasts for signs of cancer she has seen tumours so advanced that they have  burst out of the skin. She describes how when that happens, "they smell and it's right under your nose." Maria Siemionow has led the surgical teams on the only two face transplant operations to have been performed in the USA, in December 2008 and in September 2014. Born and raised in Poland, Maria says her parents - both economists - inspired her ambition to "be in charge" and a childhood doing handicrafts prepared her for the 'embroidery' of microsurgery (operating under a microscope).  She is professor of orthopaedic surgery in the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine.(Photo: Surgeons Houriya Kazim (left) and Dr Maria Siemionow. Credit: Roberta Dupuis-Devlin/UIC Photo Services)

When Houriya Kazim became the United Arab Emirates' first ever woman surgeon in the late 1990s she chose to specialise in breast surgery. Accusations of immodesty and even pornography followed as Houriya's educational pamphlets fell foul of the authorities' restrictions on language and images of women's bodies. Despite making progress in encouraging women to check their breasts for signs of cancer she has seen tumours so advanced that they have burst out of the skin. She describes how when that happens, "they smell and it's right under your nose." Maria Siemionow has led the surgical teams on the only two face transplant operations to have been performed in the USA, in December 2008 and in September 2014. Born and raised in Poland, Maria says her parents - both economists - inspired her ambition to "be in charge" and a childhood doing handicrafts prepared her for the 'embroidery' of microsurgery (operating under a microscope). She is professor of orthopaedic surgery in the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine. (Photo: Surgeons Houriya Kazim (left) and Dr Maria Siemionow. Credit: Roberta Dupuis-Devlin/UIC Photo Services)

Surgeons: Houriya Kazim and Maria Siemionow