FSIE Bids a Bittersweet Farewell to Dr Sharata

The FSIE crew gathered at Breakside Brewery in NW Portland on May 23 to celebrate Dr Ahmed Sharata who is leaving Oregon to start his US surgical internship at Maricopa Medical Center in Phoenix Arizona. Dr Sharata grew up on an olive farm in Libya with a large but close knit family. After completing medical school and surgical training in Tripoli he came to the US in 2010 with the intention of gaining additional surgical education and experience to bring back to his homeland through a grant sponsored by the Libyan embassy. However, this plan was quickly derailed as the Libyan war commenced at home. With his funding cut off and his medical school closed so he could not access his credentials, Dr Sharata joined FSIE as a post-graduate research intern in 2011. He quickly became an integral member of the Innovations Team working tirelessly on numerous projects and running the lab. Dr Sharata has become one of the world's leading experts in per-oral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) surgery for achalasia and non-achalasia. He has published more than 2 dozen peer reviewed publications and produced countless surgical videos during his time here. Perhaps the most impressive accomplishment has been his multiple local and national podium presentations in English! Dr Sharata is a kind and loyal friend and co-worker always willing to go the extra mile to help out. His generosity and dedication will be missed tremendously at FSIE! We wish him the best as he starts this new chapter in his journey! Thank you for everything Dr Ahmed! You deserve it!