Dr Solomon Gurmu Beka graduated today as Otago’s first Ethiopian Doctor of Aviation Medicine - his path to walking across the stage was littered with challenges.
After facing the realities of war and then being separated from his wife and young children, Dr Solomon Gurmu Beka graduates today as Otago’s first Ethiopian Doctor of Aviation Medicine.
Solomon’s beginnings were humble, having been born to a farming family in a rural village roughly 40km from Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa.
His early education took place near home, but his academic journey began to take flight after studying at the University of Gondar and Wollo University where he completed his undergraduate and postgraduate studies.
He then went on to serve in the Ethiopian Air Force for about 12 years while lecturing at Rift Valley University in Bishoftu, before setting his sights on New Zealand.
Solomon was due to begin his PhD at the University of Otago’s Wellington campus in 2021, but the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in him needing to start his studies via distance in his home country for what would end up being a full year.
Worse was to come; when war broke out in Ethiopia, Solomon was forced to navigate both working on his PhD remotely and his military service.
“A devastating war broke out in the northern part of my country which compounded the issues I was facing because, as an Air Force Emergency Surgeon, I was responsible for treating mass casualties day and night,” Solomon says.
“This affected my studies greatly and so I was very grateful for the University of Otago’s efforts to secure me a border exemption Visa which enabled me to travel to New Zealand in July 2022.”
Arriving in Aotearoa also wasn’t smooth flying either as Solomon found it challenging being separated from his family, adjusting to the Kiwi accent, financial hardship due to the rise in the cost of living and coming from a low-income country – even adjusting to Wellington's windy winter weather proved another obstacle.
“When I came to Wellington to study, I found it emotionally taxing to be separated from my wife and our children who were aged under 5, but also, by the time I did leave Ethiopia, I found out my wife was pregnant with what would be our youngest daughter.
“She had not even been born yet and so being parted from them during this time was a true challenge which has made achieving this PhD very significant for me.”
Solomon took these challenges in his stride, transforming them from the obstacles he was facing into his very own PhD topic - Flight safety risk mitigation strategies for long-term neurocognitive effects of Covid-19 in airline pilots.
Aviation Medicine is a specialised healthcare field which focuses on the clinical care and performance of crew members, passengers and support personnel, and addresses the medical problems that may arise during flight.
After his own experience with the pandemic delaying his studies, Solomon realised the aviation industry has been significantly impacted by Covid-19 in several ways including raising health concerns for staff and passengers.
He says one lasting effect of the virus, often referred to as "brain fog", involves cognitive impairments that some individuals face after recovering from acute Covid-19.
His research identified suitable tests for assessing a pilot’s neurocognitive function post-Covid-19, which can be included in the regular medical checks done for pilots, and improves current aviation regulatory policies, which rely mainly on visible impairments or proxies like a history of hospitalisation during the acute phase of Covid-19.
“The challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic motivated me to explore innovative solutions to enhance crew health knowing that pilots are constantly engaged in activities where performance failure can lead to catastrophic consequences.
“The screening test I proposed in my PhD is an effective tool to objectively detect potential neurocognitive impairments in the pilot population early, including cases where they are unaware or reluctant to report neurocognitive changes.”
Solomon says he is elated to have reached this milestone and plans to continue his involvement with global aerospace medicine and emergency surgery communities.
He is committed to advancing the field of aviation medicine in the underprivileged regions of Africa, and hopes for a future where the Aerospace Medical centres in Ethiopia, the Ethiopian Air Force and Ethiopian Airlines are renovated to an immaculate standard.
Kōrero by the Division of Health Sciences Communications Adviser, Kelsey Swart