Mariam Al Aridhee

My name is Mariam Al Aridhee and I am a fourth-year medical student at the University of Geneva. After several years spent primarily in lecture halls during my bachelor’s degree, this new stage of my training is allowing me to discover the clinical environment more fully and to complete my first placements as a medical student intern.

Alongside my studies, I am involved in student representation. I serve as a year-group delegate and as an elected member of the University Assembly. This commitment is particularly meaningful to me, as it allows me to relay students’ concerns and help ensure their voices are heard within the university. Committed to issues of respect and working conditions, I am particularly interested in the challenges related to harassment in academic and professional environments.

Why is the International Day Against Harassment and for Inclusion in the Workplace so important?

Medical students build their future professional practices during their training. As future doctors, this day is important because it invites us to become aware — from the very beginning of our training and through contact with healthcare teams — of the biases that can influence our practices, both in relationships among healthcare professionals and in the doctor–patient relationship. Identifying these biases is essential to avoid reproducing them and to contribute to a respectful, inclusive, and caring work environment, for the benefit of both healthcare professionals and patients.