Under the patronage of Professor Sameer Otoom, President of RCSI Bahrain, the University hosted an alumni reunion event for the Class of 2012 graduates, to commemorate their ten-year anniversary and announce the winners of the 2022 Inspiring Excellence Award.

The reunion commenced with a presentation by Mr Stephen Harrison-Mirfield, Managing Director of RCSI Bahrain, on campus advancements and developments the University has witnessed across the years. Professor Alfred Nicholson, RCSI Bahrain Vice President for Academic Affairs and Head of School of Medicine, addressed the alumni and expressed his pride to witness the professional progress the Class of 2012 alumni have made and reiterated the continuous commitment and support offered to its alumni. 

The event proceeded with the announcement Dr Mona Albanna (School of Medicine, Class of 2012) and Ms Myrna Traboulssi (MSc Nursing, class of 2018) as the winners of the 2022 Inspiring Excellence Award and the unveiling of their portraits. The award aims to inspire students and visitors to the University by showcasing the outstanding achievements of the winners in the form of a gallery of portraits along the walls of the University’s atrium.

President of RCSI Bahrain, Professor Sameer Otoom, commented: “We are delighted to welcome Class of 2012 back to campus and witness the advancements made by our alumni and the impact they have made through their roles as healthcare leaders. We also extend our sincere congratulations to Dr Mona Albanna and Ms Myrna Traboulssi for being the recipients of the 2022 Inspiring Excellence Award. They have both made strides in their fields of neurology and nursing and have exhibited excellence through their outstanding achievements thus far. We at RCSI Bahrain look forward to seeing more of their future success in their careers.”
Dr Albanna and Ms Traboulssi were selected from a shortlist of outstanding candidates, by a panel comprising of Mr Stephen Harrison-Mirfield, Professor Alfred Nicholson, Professor Stephen Atkin, Head of School of Postgraduate Studies and Research; Professor Rebecca Jester, Head of School of Nursing and Midwifery; Communications Manager, Ms Celine Durand; and Alumni Relations Specialist, Ms Loreen Bahour.

Dr Albanna is currently a Vascular Neurologist/Neuro-hospitalist at Cleveland Clinic, USA and has obtained her MSc in “Global Cognition, Metacognition, and Executive Function in a Stroke Population” from RCSI in Dublin. She also held the positions of Vascular Neurology Fellow in the Department of Neurology at Yale University, USA and Neurology Resident in the Department of Neurology at University of Minnesota, USA. Dr Albanna is also Board Certified in Neurology, The American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and has contributed to 16 research publications in the field of neurology. 

Dr Albanna commented on receiving the award, “I am honoured to receive the 2022 Inspiring Excellence Award, I myself have been inspired to reach for success and become a leader in medicine by many of my mentors and colleagues that I met in RCSI Bahrain. RCSI Bahrain gave me the knowledge base that I needed and which I continue to build on to this day to master my specialty. In the future, I hope to play a role in improving and expanding stroke care in the Middle East and be even more involved in medical education.”

Ms Traboulssi is a Registered General Nurse (RGN) with over 28 years of experience in professional nursing, health care research and leadership and currently holds the position of Head of Nursing at Awali Hospital. She also worked as the manager of the critical care and High dependency units (HDU) and medical-surgical nursing in private and National Health Service (NHS) sectors in the United Kingdom and Bahrain. In addition, she worked as a clinical educator and mentor where she supported undergraduate students on clinical placements in hospitals as well as nursing staff, as part of continuing professional development. Ms Traboulssi is currently pursuing the Fellowship in Nursing and Midwifery (FNMRCSI) at RCSI in Dublin.

Ms Traboulssi commented on being a recipient of the award, “I am greatly honoured and deeply humbled to be receiving such a prestigious Award “Inspiring Excellence Award 2022” and join the distinguished scholars and pioneers of RCSI Bahrain community who have received the award in previous years. Winning this award would not have been possible without the inspiration I received from my seniors, role models and colleagues along my journey as a professional. My advice to all the new Bahraini nurses is to make advocacy, education and knowledge the core of your work for your patients, colleagues and future generations.”

The RCSI Bahrain alumni network now consists of over 2,700 practicing professionals in over 30 countries. Connecting with our alumni to provide support and help enhance their personal and professional development is a crucial element of ensuring the continued success of RCSI Bahrain.