Faculty Spotlight: Dhuha Al-Sajee

Dr. Al-Sajee obtained her Medical Degree (MBChB) in 2000 and a master’s in Histopathology in 2005 from Al-Nahrain University in Baghdad, Iraq. Subsequently, she earned the Arab Board of Health Specialization in Anatomical Pathology certificate (ABHS-APath) in 2014. Enrolling in the Medical Science Graduate Program at McMaster University, she completed a Ph.D. in medical sciences in 2017 under the supervision of Dr. Thomas Hawke. During this period, she also acquired a University Teaching Program certificate. Following the Ph.D., Dr. Al-Sajee pursued a clinical research fellowship mentored by Dr. Paul O’Byrne and Dr. Gail Gauvreau at McMaster University. In 2018, she joined the Anatomical Pathology residency program at McMaster University.

Dr. Al-Sajee has always valued equity, diversity, and inclusion. She actively worked to acknowledge the diverse group of residents in their program. While serving as chief resident during the COVID-19 pandemic, she organized social events and activities to celebrate residents’ religious, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds. Additionally, she ensured equal access to departmental online resources and books for all Anatomical and General Pathology program residents. In recognition of these efforts, peers nominated Dr. Al-Sajee for the Ontario Medical Association Resident Achievement Award, which she received in 2022.

With a passion for teaching and innovative learning methods, Dr. Al-Sajee successfully obtained the McMaster Institute for Innovation and Excellence in Teaching and Learning Grant (MIIETL) during their Ph.D. to enhance nursing students’ understanding of medical terminology. She was also awarded Teaching Assistant Award for excellence in teaching at the Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, in 2015/2016 and 2014/2015.

Dr. Al-Sajee has co-authored and published over 20 papers in peer-reviewed journals across various pathology fields. Their research achievements include the best Ph.D. Research poster award in 2015 at the Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, and the best poster award for Anatomical Pathology at the Resident and Fellow Research Day in 2022 at McMaster University.

Q. What is your speciality and why did you choose it?

A. “My speciality is head and neck pathology. I developed a great passion for head and neck pathology after working with Dr. JEM Young, a remarkable head and neck and endocrine surgeon at St. Joseph’s Healthcare in Hamilton during my first year of residency. I was very fortunate to be accepted at the Head and Neck fellowship training program at the Toronto General Hospital under the mentorship of world-known expert pathologists in this field, Dr. Ilan Weinreb and Dr. B. Perez-Ordonez. I chose it because it is a very diverse and always evolving subspeciality.”

Q. What is your favourite aspect of your position?

A. “What I enjoy most in my job is being an important part of the multidisciplinary team whose main goal is to deliver the best care to our patients. I also enjoy teaching residents and hopefully making a positive influence that would help them advance in their journey.”

Q. What’s something about you (a fun fact) that other people may not know about you?

A. “I like to spend my free time with my family of humans and cats. I also enjoy hiking, running, and swimming.