Dubai: Way back in the late nineties, a chance meeting with three UAE nationals from the Dubai municipality helped a young, newly graduated Emirati to choose an unusual career path.
While those around him ventured into the fields of business and other professional areas, he opted to venture into the world of animals and become a veterinarian.
Today, Dr Syed Essam Sharaf, 30, is the only Emirati in the UAE to hold a Master's in Veterinary Science (MVS). Currently employed at the Dubai Municipality Veterinary section, Sharaf said that he has miles to go before he rests on his laurels in his attempts at making it onto more lists of "firsts" in the UAE.
Modest of his academic achievements, Sharaf, who belongs to an established business family in the UAE, had to do a lot of convincing as to his choice of career.
Today, his family is proud of his achievements.
He told Gulf News that field of veterinary science is yet to become a career choice for many young Emirati graduates - "but I am quite optimistic that it won't be long ... [before] ... we will have a team of UAE nationals who are experts in field of Veterinary science. All that is required is a little motivation and direction. I was directed to this field by Dr Hesham Al Awadi, who is currently the head of the Dubai Municipality veterinary section, motivated to pursue it further by Salem Mesmar, the assistant director general of Dubai Municipality and Sami Mohammad Gargash, the executive director of the Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Housing Establishment," said Sharaf.
He explained that after finishing school he enrolled himself in a three-year diploma programme at the Higher College of Technology (HCT) and it was during that time that he met Awadi.
"He encouraged me to take veterinary science. Dubai Municipality sponsored my studies. This was in the year 2000. I started off [at] a municipality veterinary inspection team for two years. I used to make visits to the pet shops, vet clinics and farms. In 2001 the municipality, in coordination with the HCT, sent me for further studies in veterinary science for six years in Saudi Arabia," said Sharaf.
A degree in veterinary science saw Sharaf working as a vet in a municipality clinic for about a year. Not content with just a degree, he went to Australia to purse his masters degree in veterinary surveillance.
"This field of study deals with infectious disease. I took up this particular topic to do my masters because in my opinion this is the most important field which will come in handy in this country. For example, the study of this field deals with the prevention and cure of diseases like foot and mouth, H1N1 and avian flu. These diseases have a direct effect [on] the country's economy. For example ... when the country stopped importing eggs from Saudi as a result of avian flu the economy was very much affected.
"So if we make a national plan or programme to deal with food security, it will be possible that we will have young Emiratis joining the field of Veterinary science," said Dr Sharaf.
"Of course there are veterinary specialists in the UAE today but how many of them are Emirati? There is so little awareness about this particular field of study among Emiratis. They just don't know that all the meat, the eggs, the milk that come to their house is thoroughly checked by the municipality inspectors even before it makes on to the supermarket shelves. The more young Emiratis are exposed to this particular field of study the better response we will derive from them."
