My name is May Nassar, a pediatrician born and raised in Egypt.

I was a straight A* student proudly graduating from the Armenian Catholic Sisters’ School in Cairo.

My mother was a pediatrician, and I inherited her passion for this profession.

I decided to join the faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University because of its prestigious reputation among Egyptian medical schools.

The medical school years passed with lots of hardships, but I managed to excel in almost all subjects, and I graduated with merit.

My passion for pediatrics surfaced in my fifth year as a student as I favored it over all subjects, and I spent lots of time with older students during their medical rounds in the pediatric department.

As a house officer, I had the chance to apply for the ophthalmology program and I admit the temptation was great, but my early passion won and I ended up performing a pediatric residency at the Children’s Hospital, Ain Shams University. I am currently holding the post of professor of pediatrics at the faculty where I graduated. I have master’s and doctorate degrees in Pediatrics as well as a master’s degree in clinical nutrition from the same university.

My first research was my master’s degree thesis followed by my doctorate degree one. Both researches opened my appetite for this field, especially, that I had many role models. My current research area is “Pediatric Clinical Nutrition”. I am concerned with the ketogenic diet applications as a therapeutic modality in pediatric diseases, especially, intractable seizures. I also have many research projects dealing with dietary interventions in pediatric malnutrition situations.

All my professors and colleagues were of real help throughout my career but thinking backward I can, without any doubt, point to my own father as my mentor. My father was not a doctor but being a university professor, he was the best person to teach me the duties and responsibilities that come with this position. Now and after years of hard work, I am beginning to remember one of his golden phrases, “One day you will feel it is time to pass on the torch, not necessarily because you grew older, but essentially because you have a valuable thing to share”. I am glad I started to help younger colleagues in their research careers. I always advise them to be meticulous and never give up no matter how hard the road gets. Being thorough and persistent are the keys to success.

The last advice that I want to give to the rising stars in the pediatric research field is to be proud of what they do, prioritize their families, and be kind to their patients. The self-confidence, family support, and blessings coming from their grateful patients are all that they need to make their dreams come true.