A Math-Loving Introvert’s Journey to Becoming a Trailblazing Female Field Engineer in the UAE

In 2015, Sara Azzeh seemed to be in the perfect job. She was a recent biomedical engineering graduate conducting research in a university lab in her hometown Abu Dhabi. She had a stable routine, collaborating with colleagues in a quiet lab.

“Math was always my passion and biology too. The combination of the two led me to biomedical engineering, since I always loved the medical field, but didn’t want to be doctor.”

But Azzeh, who is today an Advanced Field Service Engineer with GE HealthCare in the UAE, also likes to challenge herself and had a feeling there were other ways she could help people.

“When I saw the announcement about an opportunity with GE HealthCare, I went for it, thinking that I would always be able to go back to research.”

The early months were tough.

Not only was she challenging herself as an introvert working in a role where she met and had to work with new people several times daily, she also encountered challenges as a woman.

One customer told her that they didn’t trust her to work on their machines. But her colleagues and supervisors always supported her in the face of customer comments and, ultimately, she proved to all her customers that she was as qualified as any of the previous male field engineers.

The tough start, however, did not impact the enormous satisfaction she felt, and continues to feel, going into hospitals and clinics to service, repair and upgrade ultrasound equipment.

After eight years, Azzeh says one of the most important skills for success as a field engineer is empathy.

“Empathy when a customer is frustrated; empathy when a patient is waiting outside while you work on the equipment. I’ve developed communication and built trust with the customers. They know I understand their frustration and that I’m doing my best. Ultimately, we are working in partnership, as I feel I belong to their organization and that when I work on GE医疗 machines in their facility, I feel like it’s my hospital too.”

She says succeeding at GE HealthCare requires confidence and being able to define your goals, but most important is having “a really, really strong passion that drives and motivates you that is not linked to money or position. Rather, it’s from the purpose of what we do every day, knowing that you are making a difference in someone’s life.”

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