The AAMC recently sat down with Dr. Kamara to learn more about her work. Learn more about Dr. Kamara and her work below.
Can you give a description of your work?
I am a colorectal surgeon by way of General Surgery. We first specialize and become board-certified in General Surgery and then subspecialize. I chose to subspecialize in Colon and Rectal Surgery due to the variety offered within a specific niche. In colorectal surgery, we manage diseases of the colon, rectum and anus through various methods: we perform endoscopies, large abdominal surgeries including colon resections, and anorectal cases including hemorrhoids and fissures. My two passions are robotic surgery and public health. I love doing large abdominal surgeries utilizing robotic technology. Additionally, I use medical journalism and social media to increase the health literacy of my patients and their families when it comes to diseases of the colon, rectum, and anus.
What attracted you to General Surgery, specifically Colorectal Surgery?
My path to surgery was not straightforward. I did not always “know” I wanted to be a surgeon. In the fifth grade, I did a science project entitled “Racing Heart Rates” and decided I wanted to be a cardiologist. But when I got to medical school, I went to a specialty panel and was mesmerized by the surgeons. The idea that I could fix something, with my own hands, and have direct results from my operations captivated me. After that experience, I thought I’d merge my interests in surgery and cardiology and become a cardiothoracic surgeon. However, during my shadowing experiences, I realized that it wasn’t for me. I chose General Surgery because I knew for sure that I wanted to be a surgeon. Then, during residency (on the Urology rotation of all places!), I was introduced to colorectal. My Urology attending encouraged me to look into colorectal surgery. I found it was exactly what I wanted to do. Colorectal surgery is specialized, so I have my own niche. It allows me to manage non-cancerous and cancerous diseases using various methods including endoscopy and surgery. Additionally, there is an intersection with public health with colorectal cancer awareness. It is the perfect specialty for me.
How would you describe a typical workday?
There are different types of days in colorectal - you can think of it as clinic, endoscopy, and surgery days. The first thing I do on any one of these days is see my patients that are admitted to the hospital. I review their labs, imaging, and overnight events. I see the patients, talk to the nurses about their plans and then continue with my day. If it’s a clinic day, I head over to the clinic and typically see about 12-15 patients. If it’s a scope day, I do endoscopic interventions for our colorectal patients and screening colonoscopies. And then, we have two types of surgery days: same-day surgery, which could be something like a hemorrhoidectomy, and main operating room cases, which are big abdominal cases such as colectomies. The flow of this all changes if I am also on call. When I am on call, I also manage whatever comes in the door in regard to emergency cases.
What parts of your job do you find most challenging? What parts do you find most rewarding?
The most challenging part about colorectal is when you diagnose a late-stage cancer in a patient that was either misinformed or had alarm symptoms that they didn’t get evaluated. The hardest cases are when you realize that a patient’s situation could have been preventable if they’d gotten their screening colonoscopy.
The job is very rewarding because on one hand, we’re dealing with heavy things like colon and rectal cancer, but we also see a lot of patients who are dealing with lifestyle things like constipation. So, the most rewarding moments are when you see your patient in the clinic after surgery, and you’ve fixed their problem, and you know that you’ve made an impact.
Can you share a case you found especially rewarding?
I had a patient recently who had a severe rectal prolapse, and she wasn’t able to go on evening walks with her husband anymore. After her rectal prolapse surgery and weeks of recovery, I saw her in the clinic for postoperative evaluation. She shared that she was able to resume those walks with her husband and finally has her joy back. Getting that joy back for patients is why we do what we do.
What previous experiences have helped you most in your career?
All of the previous experience gets you to this point. Whether it being my cousins being ill when I was younger, watching my family struggle to understand medical jargon during hospital admissions, traveling to Ghana, shadowing at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital and seeing one of my first surgeries, or watching my mentors juggle their family life with their exceptional careers as surgeons; all those things led up to this moment. All these experiences impact who I am as a surgeon and how I enter a room.
How would you describe someone who would excel as a surgeon?
To excel as a surgeon, you have to be able to take criticism without internalizing it. You also need to be extremely dedicated to developing your craft, have grit, and truly love the operating room.
Are there any resources that focus on colorectal surgery that our audience should be aware of?
The American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons is a great place for anyone interested in colorectal surgery to start their research. On social media, there are two other colorectal surgeons that I think are phenomenal: Dr. Zuri Murrell and Dr. Karen Zaghiyan.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with premeds?
I’ve met and trained with people that didn’t realize until late into the process that they didn’t like the operating room and had to change specialties. Shadow as much as you can so that you can determine if this is a specialty that you really love.
Further, always look for mentors! Do the work to find the mentors that you need, even if they aren’t at your institution. LinkedIn is a perfect resource for this. Mentorship is one of the keys to developing a successful career.
To learn more about Dr. Kamara’s work, follow her on Instagram and LinkedIn.