The Doctor Leveling Up His Data Skills: Meet Anas

Growing up in Iraq, Anas A. received sage advice from his father, who encouraged him to invest in himself as a person rather than live his life striving solely for profit. “He raised me to always look for ways to improve myself,” Anas said. He translated that wisdom into a lifelong commitment to learning. Anas understood that true self-improvement meant viewing education as an ongoing journey, not a finite destination. His journey just so happened to lead him to different continents—and career pivots. 

After earning his medical degree from the University of Baghdad, Anas worked as a General Practitioner (GP) in rural areas of Iraq before relocating to Egypt to work with refugees. “I advocated and managed their medical cases while they waited to be restationed in their permanent home,” he explained. 

While in Egypt, Anas also began reevaluating his permanent home. He applied to immigrate to the US, a country where he saw greater professional potential for his growing interest in preventative health. “The US offered the first and most immediate opportunity for safe immigration and a chance to continue building my path,” he explained. 

After arriving in the US, Anas set about acquiring the credentials he needed to transition from patient care to clinical research settings. He earned his MSc in Public Health through an online degree program in the UK, and now teaches physicians who want to make a similar transition.

Strengthening his data skills for the medical field

As Anas deepened his experience in clinical settings, it quickly became evident that he needed to continue building practical skills. “In clinical research, all we deal with is data. In public health, all we deal with is data. So data analytics would be a topic I need to understand more,” he said. He also recognized the benefit of developing project management skills to stay better organized.

Anas expanded his knowledge with a Coursera Plus subscription, which provided him with access to over 10,000 courses. “Choosing whatever courses interest me and are included in the subscription package is a great deal for me,” he said. “It's cost-efficient compared to paying for each course by itself.” 

Anas enrolled in the Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate and the Google Project Management Professional Certificate, as well as a slew of health-related courses, such as SUNY’s Global Health Diplomacy and the University of Geneva’s Disease Screening in Public Health. Even when he’d studied a topic elsewhere, such as through his degree program, he saw the benefit of refreshing and expanding his knowledge. 

Not only was he able to apply what he learned to the clinical trials he was involved in, but he also found that it improved his teaching. He could pass on what he was learning in ways that benefited his students. “I was able to be more professionally interactive,” he said. 

Anas is proud of what his learning—through degree programs, professional experiences in the field, and Coursera—has gotten him. “I've honestly gained the respect I need and more,” he said. “I'm proving myself clinically, educationally, professionally, and academically.”  

What his father once taught him, he now enjoys sharing with others. “I encourage everybody, if you have an interest, if you are passionate about something, go for it,” he said. “Always improve yourself and improve your knowledge.” 

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