UMC researcher nominated for UAF Award

Horani has been living in the Netherlands since 2015. She studied Pharmacy in Syria, but had always dreamed of becoming a doctor. Though fleeing to the Netherlands meant that she had to do a Bachelor’s all over again, she took it as an opportunity to realise her old dream. She learned Dutch in just eight months and then applied to the Medicine programme in Utrecht. “Of the 1,200 studies who applied, only 300 were accepted. I was very proud to be one of them,” she says in a press release from UAF. 

Following the programme wasn’t always easy. Translating medical terms to Dutch was sometimes challenging, and Horani had to juggle between her life as a student and her responsibilities as a mother. Her son was one and a half years old when she started at Utrecht University. “My husband and had to do a lot of puzzling to keep all the balls up in the air,” she says. 

She graduated in six years and now conducts research at the ophthalmology department of UMC Utrecht. She wants to specialise in that area. She also works in the Geriatrics department of the Diakonessenhuis Hospital in Utrecht. Last year, Horani was one of the winners of UU's Rosanna Fund for Women Grant.

This is the tenth edition of the UAF award, which aims to recognise the study and professional efforts of talented refugees in the Netherlands. UAF is an organisation dedicated to the development of refugee students and professionals, and their insertion in the Dutch labour market. 

The winner will be chosen according to the number of votes on the UAF website. Voters get a chance at winning a gift card worth 100 euros to spend in the online bookshop Amy & Eva. The winner will be announced on December 18 and will get 4,000 euros to spend on a course or training.