At 32, Dr. Aissatou Diallo, becomes the first Guinean woman specialist in pathological anatomy (portrait)

In Guinea, the fields of science do not exclude women, they are rather dominated by men. However, there are many women who embrace science and have remarkable careers in it.

The very recent one is Dr. Aissatou Diallo who a few days ago became the first woman to graduate in pathological anatomy in Guinea. Until then, the country had only two specialists in this field of medicine, including a retired associate professor and a biologist.

What is pathological anatomy?

Pathological anatomy is a medical discipline which involves the study of all observable lesions of the human body. This medicine, which specializes in the study of the impacts of diseases on different parts of the human body, does not attract enough young people. This is not due to the complexity of the field but to the simple fact that knowledge and the importance of the discipline dominate in the Guinean medical profession.

And it is this field that this young lady chose, who did all her primary, secondary and university studies in the capital Conakry, before joining the Félix Houphouët Boigny University where she completed her post-graduate studies. But what led Dr. Aissatou to choose pathological anatomy among so many specialties?

“The proposal was made to me by our Master Professor KOULIBALY Moussa (anatomo-pathologist). He was my thesis defense jury president and told me that he would like me to do Anapath if it was not a problem for me. I discussed it with my mentor Professor TRAORE Bangaly and I accepted”revealed Dr. Aissatou Diallo.

The choice is made, but succeeding in this field when there are so many Guinean specialists was a challenge for Dr. Aissatou Diallo. To begin, you first had to identify the university where to take the specialist training and then find the necessary funds to finance your studies. The main difficulty was located at the second point, given that the cost of training is very high“unfortunately we do not have any support measures from the Guinean state, it is only support from the family”Dr. Aissatou Diallo told us.

Phew of relief

These numerous challenges and difficulties did not prevent the young lady from accomplishing her dream. Now, the first Guinean woman to graduate in pathological anatomy, Dr. Aissatou feels quite proud.“It’s a big sigh of relief for me, especially after the interest shown in me by some of our masters, the return of my loved ones (congratulations, messages of encouragement and others), the joy is immense.”

To achieve this, Dr. Aissatou was also able to rely mainly on two people who continue to inspire her. “I want to cite Professor TRAORE Bangaly because of his love for work, his rigor which also contributed to making me the doctor that I am, his perseverance and above all his love for his patients. He is a model for me. Our Master Professor CISSE Mohamed who is a hard worker is a true source of inspiration for me”testifies the young lady.

Now, having become one of the rare specialists in pathological anatomy in Guinea, several perspectives open up to Dr. Aissatou Diallo: the practice of medicine, scientific research, a university career, the new specialist in pathological anatomy has not yet chosen, but will soon decide.

The hypersensitivity, determination and patience which have always been his values will allow him to make the best career choice. Already, its main objective is to serve Guinea by participating in the promotion of pathological anatomy, and if possible to encourage vocations.

Bagou BARRY