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Member Spotlight: Hesham Hassaballa MD, FCCP, FAASM

By Amy Kuyken posted 19 days ago

  

Hesham Hassaballa MD, FCCP, FAASM, is associate regional medical director-midwest/central at Rush Copley Medical Center in Aurora, Illinois, USA. He became a member of the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) in 2012 and is actively involved in the Telecritical Care Medicine Section. His clinical interests include administration, sepsis, and well-being. In his free time, you will find him playing golf with his son and working out. Dr. Hassaballa discusses his love of critical care and how he sees AI impacting the future of critical care.

How did you get into critical care?

I trained as a pulmonary/critical care physician and practiced in the private realm for more than seven years. I have been full time in the intensive care unit (ICU) in a community setting for 12 years now. I love every moment of it.

What is your biggest professional achievement?

Being able to run multiple on-site and telecritical care programs at once. I so very much enjoy it.

Why do you love being in critical care?

Helping a patient face critical illness and win gives me the thrill of a lifetime. It is why I pursued a career in medicine in the first place. At the same time, if I can help mitigate the suffering of my patient who will unfortunately lose the battle against critical illness, that is just as fulfilling. Only being an intensivist allows me to do both.

What advice do you have for those starting their critical care careers?

Every day, take a step back and take it all in. We are so blessed to be where we are, and the jobs we do are truly amazing and inspiring. You are helping people get better or die with dignity on their own terms. There is no better career than this.

What are the top advances in critical care since you started your career?

The technologies in monitoring have been the greatest advances.

What industry trends excite you about the future?

How AI can help reduce the burden of bedside work, while allowing clinicians to more fully enjoy patient care.

What do you see as the most challenging issue facing critical care?

The change in technology, especially the advent of AI, will present new frontiers for those of us practicing in the ICU. We need to get ahead of this change. In addition, workforce shortages are a major threat. Every day, we lose great clinicians—physicians and nurses alike—and this does not bode well for our patients who desperately need great people at the bedside. We have to do everything we can to help ease the burden of bedside work.

What do you love about SCCM membership?

Being a member of SCCM allows me to tap into the premier organization of our field. It is a leader in advocacy and education for critical care specialists across the world. I am proud to be associated with this wonderful organization.

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12 days ago

Dr Hassaballa is awesome, I enjoy having him as my backup Tele-ICU Physician!