Though it’s uncertain when international travel and teaching opportunities will be available again, its potential impact feels more powerful than ever.


presentation and, when I finished, he told me that he was currently dealing with a patient with an active rectus sheath hematoma. In my experiences working and speaking overseas, it never fails to fascinate me that no matter where we are, all IRs are undergoing similar experiences. We’re asking the same clinical questions— what coils should we use? Should we embolize or not embolize? And we’re all doing our best to showcase the efficacy and value that IR brings to patient care.


I’ve been fortunate enough to have had several opportunities to travel overseas and meet IRs in different countries. I’ve been to China three times (see bit.ly/2Z6bSUY) to speak, educate and visit hospitals. Anytime I go overseas, I expect to educate


the community, but I always find that there’s a lot to learn myself. This goes beyond even just the exchange of ideas—the power and value in developing working relationships with an international community are immeasurably important. Due to my time in China, I have at least a dozen Chinese colleagues I speak to on a weekly basis, and these connections have proven helpful for dealing with COVID-19 and gaining perspective on how it is being treated and managed in other countries.


Though it’s uncertain when international travel and teaching opportunities will be available again, its potential impact feels more powerful than ever. Online offerings and conferences will undoubtedly gain traction following COVID-19 response, due to their cost-efficiency and accessibility. But there is no replacement for being able to see other IRs practice in their home hospitals, or having the ability to establish bonds and connections with our colleagues overseas. In the future, I hope to have many more experiences like this conference. I would like to visit Central and South America, and perhaps get the opportunity to return to Kuwait and work more closely with the IRs I had the privilege to meet.


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