Dr Nagd Farag, Australia

Personal statement
For 2 years I have been watching your certificate educational courses, I wish to do it one day. I note it to be comprehensive, practical and well-staffed. Also it offers great medium for learning and application, the small number for groups ensures that doctors will have the opportunity to learn and develop their skill and confidence. My barrier, being self-employed, is affordability so having the scholarship would be very helpful as it saves some of the financial commitment. I believe being a woman and having background in aesthetic and general practice with admiration of natural beauty and sense of balance can be useful to the group learning. I would like to think I may have some practical experiences that are worth sharing as well. Best of all I like to get through AAAM level 1 so I can go to next level.

Post-course report
I'd like to thank you for the amazing experience I had when attending level 1 certificate of AAAM course. It has been very enriching in knowledge and experience in the aesthetic medicine field. Every day in my practice of general medicine or working in aesthetic medicine special interest I draw back information, advice or practical hints explored during the course. The lecturer and educator in the course were very experienced and generous with their time and knowledge sharing with us. Since completing level 1 certificate I am able to offer my patients more services in addition to Antiwrinkle Injectables and fillers, eg skin care advice and chemical peels . I felt more confident to advise in regards to laser therapy. I also learnt to be careful and minimize risk of encountering adverse events as well as dealing with these incidents appropriately. During the course I got to know a number of colleagues who share same interest , these doctors are great support network to discuss and advise each other if needed. I am planning to enrol in level 2 Certificate as soon as I can.

Dr Sarah-Jane Khong, Malaysia
Dr Khong with AAAM Faculty, Dr Pegah Ceric-Dehdari

Personal statement
AAAM is very reputable and regarded as the qualifying body for this new branch of medicine in Malaysia. The doctors who conducted my Level 1 course in 2012 are vastly experienced with a sea of expertise, and even more incredible is their willingness and eagerness to impart their knowledge to us young doctors. There's so much to learn from them. Also, the courses are very well organised, and I feel confident I will be guided in the right way to abide by the regulations and guidelines, with prudence in my approach to patients. The experts encourage caution, and good clinical practice. i admire their ethics and am very keen to learn this, in addition to the theory and practical knowledge they have to impart. There are so few associations that enable us to learn from such masters.
I have recently procured a position in the Suisse Anti Aging Wellness Center that is linked to Lab Dom Switzerland. Previously i was practising in the emergency department, and I lacked experience in this field of medicine. Our Malaysian population has a lot to catch up on in terms ofAesthetic medicine, while they wait for advancements in this field to reach us. While my position allows growth potential in anti aging, I feel Aesthetic medicine comes hand in hand with anti aging. One cannot exist without the other.
Marrying these two concepts, I know I will be able to provide the best for my patients. There\'s a lot of information out there that merely needs to be harvested by us, but i would like to be the best physician for my patients, one that has enough knowledge to know when she needs to advance to aesthetic medicine, or when anti aging modalities would benefit her. I would like to educate and provide my patients with an avenue for healthy living, to optimise health and the opportunities it will open up for her in life. I hope one day this branch of medicine will become as mainstream as cardiology or health screening, to help prevent and control disease before we need to resort to treatment that modern medicine employ to treat diseases. I know I, and the society stand to benefit from having access to such knowledge.

Post-course report
"I had always known AAAM is renowned and would naturally be the best place to learn the art of aesthetic medicine. I was wrong, the level 2 course was that and so much more! I know there would be no other opportunity for me to benefit from the experiences of experts who admirably take time out from their successful lives to impart knowledge, guidance and the occasional personal tips to young doctors. There is of course so much more we could learn from them, 5 days just didn't seem enough. The president of AAAM took the time to patiently tell us what to watch out for, what he thought works, a researcher patiently explained, until he was sure we got what he meant, a Spanish biochemistry professor flew all the way across the world to passionately share his knowledge, especially breaking the code and allowing us access to and interpretation of Spanish journals that normally would be out of bounds to those non-fluent in Spanish! A German doctor with so much experience guided us, even going back to basics of history taking with us! The most pleasant surprise was when the famous Manon Pilon left such an impression, opening our eyes to practical tips to help us non-business savvy people! I especially appreciated how two extra local aestheticians were brought in to guide us during the hands-on sessions. It was difficult to not be in awe during the sessions! The organizers made us feel like our opinions mattered, and it was really pleasant to be treated like a VIP throughout the Course. It's tempting to jump first into the sea of aesthetic medicine but having this course, is like having a loving mother strap on the life jacket and help me learn to float and paddle first. What was invaluable was the friendships fostered, of like-minded people from all over the world, the backing and support of renowned expert aestheticians who are willing to continue supporting us as we grow. I know that more than just the high quality notes and instruction from the course, I'm walking away with comrades that make me know I'm not alone in this fun-filled journey to help us give ourselves and the people we love a chance at more years with a good quality of life, and look amazing doing it! Life, look out, we're coming and we're going to make sure we look, and FEEL beautiful! Thank you very much AAAM!"

Dr Alexandra Salhay Guanzon, Philippines

Personal statement
AAAM Scholarship for me is a great stepping stone to further attain my dream of becoming a fully pledged Aesthetic Doctor. Being in a 3rd world country, it is difficult for us doctors to have access to world class standards in terms of Continuing Medical Education in Aesthetic Medicine. Some rely on pharmaceuticals for sponsorships but most are left in the dark. However, since this field is known to be lucrative, everybody seems to be interested even if it means practicing with little or no knowledge at all. Doctors even without proper training are doing procedures beyond their scope because they consider Aesthetic Medicine to be simple and money comes easy without doing mu ch effort. Patients are also uneducated in my country in terms of Aesthetics and would opt to find cheap alternatives but very unreliable services. I believe this is the reason why problems are created and in turn tarnish the reputation of Aesthetic Medicine in my country. Doctors against patients, doctors against doctors all for the sake of fortune and fame Aesthetic Medicine gives. With this example I could say that I belong to the few that value education and share the same passion with AAAM. I have completed 2 levels and I could say I am prepared to carry the AAAM’s name. I am a doctor and through this scholarship, I may be able not only help patients heal holistically but will also do my share to educate my fellow physicians the importance of high quality Medical Education in the field of Aesthetics.

Post-course report
I would like to thank the AAAM for granting me the Level 3 scholarship. It is my privilege to carry the AAAM name in my province and country. The addition of being a Board Certified Aesthetic Medicine practitioner gave me more than enough certification for patients to entrust their aesthetic needs in our locale.
Since my Level 1 and Level 2 training, which I took 2 years ago, I have gained a lot of insights and knowledge to be confident enough to practice aesthetic medicine in my province here in the Philippines. Although the trainings are adequate, a board certification is still the standard for achieving full credentials and by this scholarship I was able to do so. I was very pleased with how the examination went. The questions were spot on aesthetics with a few dermatologic cases and were all relevant and important in my practice.
With the board certification, I am more than competent in performing aesthetic procedures within my scope. I am also confident that what I have learned and will be further learning with AAAM are standardized and backed by specialists that are expert in their craft. As I am embarking my aesthetic practice, the virtues and knowledge given by the AAAM will always be in my heart and mind. I am hoping to keep on learning new trends with AAAM in the near future.
Thank you very much and more power to the academy!