Sidra Medicine in Qatar is one of the world's leading hospitals for women and children. CEO Doctor Iyabo Tinubu-Karch is paving the way for a new way to care for the sickest patients. Her vision for personalised healthcare is inspiring clinicians and civil society alike.
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00:00As CEO of one of the world's leading hospitals for women and children, Dr. Ayabo Tinubu-Kach
00:09is pioneering state-of-the-art research to improve the health of the next generation.
00:15After a career at the cutting edge of geriatric medicine, the distinguished Nigerian doctor
00:20now leads a hospital supporting the very youngest members of society.
00:26Hello, I'm Dr. Ayabo Tinubu-Kach. I am the CEO of Sidra Medicine.
00:33In Qatar and throughout the world, Dr. Ayabo's vision for personalized health care is inspiring
00:39clinicians and patients alike.
00:42Dr. Ayabo, thank you so much for inviting us to take a look behind the scenes here at
00:56Sidra Hospital. And we're sat in one of your healing gardens. I have to say it doesn't
01:01feel much like a hospital, but I guess that's part of what makes Sidra so special.
01:06The healing garden is a place of serenity. It's part of the overriding vision of the
01:14organization to provide care, comfort and healing in an environment that engenders serenity.
01:25Sidra is a very unique institution. It's different. It's not like your traditional hospital.
01:30We're the sole provider of tertiary care, meaning we take care of the sickest of patients.
01:36We are passionate about the people we bring onto the organization, our nurses, our physicians,
01:43our techs. We have a research institute that excels in genomics. Another example is Sidra's
01:52genomic program. In collaboration with Hamad Medical Center, we have looked at the genes
02:00of more than 40,000 individuals, one of the top in the Gulf region. And by studying this,
02:07we can begin to understand specific diseases through genetic makeup of people in the Middle
02:15East. Sidra is moving in the direction of standing out as an expert in pediatric rare
02:21diseases. And I know you have been able here at Sidra to support children that have been
02:29affected in war zones around the world with operations, with mental health support. Can
02:35you tell me a bit more about how you and your teams have been helping? First and foremost,
02:40as a healthcare organization, we are humanitarian in what we do. For example, over the last several
02:47months, we've been taking care of a number of Gaza patients. Sidra Medicine has been the primary
02:54pediatric institution to take these children, some with horrific injuries, polytrauma, who have
03:03required multiple surgeries. We also have our mental health team who are also providing crisis
03:09intervention and support to these children. Nothing makes us happier than being able to see
03:18our patients feel comforted, you know, feel safe and to heal. And that is why part of my vision is
03:26to redefine what the delivery of care means, because we have to understand that people come
03:32to these environments when they're at their most vulnerable. So one of the primary things that we
03:38have to do as a priority always is to make them comfortable, to provide solace, irrespective of
03:45the outcome of the medical conditions. You must have been on a bit of a journey yourself in terms
03:51of becoming a leader. Can you tell us a bit about that? During training and practice, I always
03:57gravitated to where there were problems. I was always trying to fix problems. I love relationships
04:03with people. I think I was perfectly positioned to be a physician, a practicing physician, because of
04:09my love for wanting to fix things and community. And I think it's helped me be a better leader and
04:15a better doctor. But you have to believe in where you're going in order to inspire people. And I
04:22believe that really the success of the care of any individual rests on your ability first and
04:31foremost to make them feel safe and cared for. And I think we do that well here at Sidra.
04:40Well, just a short drive from Sidra, we've come here to Education City Golf Club. Tell me about
04:48your love for golf. Where does that come from? It comes from my mother. But more importantly,
04:57it's a great time for me to unwind. During challenging days, you're likely to find me
05:04here at the end of the day. It's taught me patience and perseverance and enhanced my focus.
05:10The thing about golf is you have to be aligned from a mental and a physical perspective. Otherwise,
05:17it doesn't work, right? And I think it's the challenge of the game that really attracts me
05:22to it. I think for golf, it's learning and improving constantly. And that really resonates
05:28with me. So I love it. You mentioned your mother and she's a prominent figure in Lagos,
05:35a role model to many, many people. What sort of impact has she had on your approach to work,
05:43to life in general? You know, the values and principles that my mother lives by,
05:49I've absorbed into my leadership. She will emphasize over and over again that you will
05:58never be happy or successful if those around you aren't happy or successful. And that's how
06:03I look at myself personally and professionally, especially in an organization of close to 4,000
06:07people. She's given the tools and resources always to empower people that she's been around. She is
06:14very active in the community, takes care of widows, orphans, women. She supplies them with
06:23food. And her resilience and determination really, really made a mark on all of us.
06:28And you've been doing some incredible work in Nigeria. You've been helping to improve
06:34girls' education. Can you tell us a bit about that? I also work with my brothers. In northern
06:40Nigeria, I'm looking at, we're working with the Minister of Health to see how we can facilitate
06:46education of the 20 to 30 million people, young people who are uneducated. So we're
06:52looking for avenues. I mean, Nigeria is a, it's a, it's a huge country, hundreds of millions. So
06:57there's a lot of work to be done. What does the future look like then? What are you focused on
07:04over the next couple of years? I'm focused on Sidra. Over the next couple of years,
07:09there's also incredible opportunity in women's health, women's health innovation. No matter
07:15where you go in the world, women's health is forgotten. We have high rates of heart disease,
07:20high rates of metabolic diseases. The Middle East is no exception. So one of my goals is to
07:27build an innovative, integrative Women's Health and Wellbeing Institute and invite the experts
07:35from around the world, merging Western and Asian medicine. I'm a scientist, so it has to be
07:43evidence-based. Well, I'll let you take your shot. But before I do, I just want to say thank you so
07:48much. Thank you. Thank you. You should come and play. I will. You should take lessons.