She’s very chatty and positive, with so much energy. Dr. Imane Tarib is one of the friendliest doctors in the world. Today she’s joining Ophthalmology Life International.
Tell us a little bit about yourself… Where were you born?
I am 30 years old; I was born in Lyon, France, I am the oldest of seven children, I have four brothers and two sisters.
How was your childhood?
I was always an A-type student, I enjoyed drawing a lot in primary school, but I lost this hobby throughout middle and high school and found it again in medical school, where I enjoyed drawing my own anatomy illustrations.
I loved running and going to picnics in the forest on Sundays with my family. I found a lot of inspiration in nature for my daydreaming.
Can you tell me about your background?
I spent my childhood in Meknes, Morocco. Then, I left home to pursue medical school in Fez. I graduated after seven years with honors and then moved to Rabat for five years of ophthalmology residency. I spent six months in Germany doing a research fellowship with Dr. Florian Kretz, where I learned a lot in the clinic, in the OR, and being mentored by him for research. There, I had my first paper published in an esteemed ophthalmology journal, and I made great friends with my colleagues at the clinic in Rheine..
I graduated from residency first of my class in December 2020, and I am currently studying for the USA medical board exams in order to apply for a second ophthalmology residency in the US.
Where did you meet your husband? How did you get married?
I met my husband on a dating app called Bumble; he was visiting the South of Spain, and I was spending the weekend in the North of Morocco. Four months later, I traveled to the USA to attend the American Academy of Ophthalmology meeting to present the research work we did in Rheine, Germany, with Dr. Florian Kretz. I arrived four days ahead of the meeting to
visit a friend in Baltimore, and he flew from Los Angeles to meet me for our first date. One year later, he proposed at Santa Monica Pier, and we got married in New York on New Year’s Eve 2020.
Why did you choose to become a medical doctor? Where did you study?
I grew up in a heavily medical entourage and always had the highest esteem for doctors. I always like to think that it was meant to be because I can’t recall an exact reason or fact that made me choose medical school over all the other big schools that I was accepted to.
How has your career progressed?
My career in ophthalmology is still at the very beginning. I graduated from residency a few months ago, and all of my colleagues are setting up their private practices, getting into academics, or are being hired by hospitals or clinics. As for me, life happened, and I moved to the US right after my graduation.
A lot of people look at my studying again to apply for a second residency as a setback, but I only see opportunity and excitement in it. I have many goals and ambitions both for
my own career and for ophthalmology in Morocco. And I believe that this “step back” is only an opportunity in disguise.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I have more than one favorite part of the job; I enjoy almost equally the relationship with my patients, the technologies in all clinical and surgical aspects of my daily practice, and the finesse in surgery.
I like that I am punctual, and I like my ability to multitask and get things done fast. I do not like my lack of discipline to work out regularly, and when I procrastinate things; for example, I always submit abstracts for conferences at the last minute of the last hour of the last day before the deadline.
What is on your daily to-do list?
My to-do list always has studying for the USMLE, talking to my parents and friends, and the occasional workout. Then, depending on the day of the week, I would be working on one or more of the projects that I am involved in, such as Young Ophthalmologists of Morocco that I founded in 2019, Eyefrica, a media platform for eyecare professionals in Africa, Women In Ophthalmology Arabia, GERSO, which is the Global Education and Research Society in Ophthalmology. I also enjoy networking on social media with ophthalmologists from all around the world, but that’s never on my to-do list; it is just part of my life at this point!
What do you like and not like about yourself?
I like that I am punctual, and I like my ability to multitask and get things done fast. I do not like my lack of discipline to work out regularly, and when I procrastinate things; for example, I always submit abstracts for conferences at the last minute of the last hour of the last day before the deadline.
What do you do in your free time and during holidays?
I love human interactions. Before I was married, I would travel alone for two weeks once a year to a new country and meet as many new people as possible. And now, I enjoy traveling with my husband, being adventurous together, doing things like cliff-jumping,
hiking, kayaking, and the occasional golf day. It is a great way to spend quality time and to be outside when the weather allows it. Moreover, I love spending time with family, especially my in-laws. As my husband is Chinese, there is a lot that I am looking forward to learning about his culture and traditions through the quality time we spend as a multicultural family with his parents and brother.
I certain that AI will play a tremendous part in our practice from now on. Things like telemedicine will become part of our routine ractice but on better platforms, and I fundamentally believe (and secretly hope) that within my lifetime, we will find a cure for vision-impairing glaucoma and retinal diseases, such as AMD and RP.
