Q: As a successful Medical Doctor, university instructor, social activist and writer, how has
being a woman enriched you to have a fulfilling life and to become the person you are today?
How have you built up your personality traits in a smart and rewarding way?
A: Like Rome, my personality was not built in a day. As a woman, I always have had a burning
desire to prove that success in life knows no gender. The building block of my personality was
my family. Their insightful guidance was a key determinant of my success as a doctor, professor,
activist and writer.
Q: As a woman living in a patriarchal society, how supportive has your environment been all
along your career path? Have you faced gender-based critiques? What were the main obstacles
you faced during your career and how have you reacted to challenges in order to sustain
productive progress? How important is it to keep one’s eyes on a goal despite difficulties, and
how, in your opinion, a more helpful society could have been a source of support to your path?
A: Having an enlightened family environment where women are recognised for being vital
components of society helped me undermine gender issues. Moreover, being surrounded by
caring people has been the antidote for such gender-based critiques.
colleagues is an added value to my professional life because the satisfaction we feel after
achieving a professional goal largely outweighs the challenges we face. Certainly, this cannot be
achieved without a firm conviction that positive thoughts attract positive rewards. As for your
hypothetical question about the role of a more helpful society in further facilitating my path, I
think that living in a challenging one can be more rewarding. This is because successful people
experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but they will need it to become ‘ better
pencils’.
Q: As a Medical Doctor receiving different cases on a daily basis, what are the main
characteristics, skills and practices that help a doctor genuinely connect with their patients?
How imperative yet difficult is it to be humane, empathetic, strong and realistic at the same
time?
A: Firstly, empathy and humane treatment are imperative because they create a genuine rapport
between the caregiver and the patient. I developed an empathetic character through active
listening to the patients’ agonies and I cultivated a humane character through kindness with
them. Secondly, strength of character is equally important because it helps set the limits
recommended by the professional practice guidelines. Sometimes, excessive empathy may create
delusional beliefs in some patients. This may run the risk of unconsciously mistaking a
healthcare professional for a close person. At other times, inadequate empathy may lead to a
lack of medication adherence or to victimisation. That is why striking a balance to reach what
Aristotle calls ‘The Golden Mean’ between an empathetic and assertive character is highly beneficial for both doctors and patients.
Q: Keeping yourself updated and aware of all the innovations in your field is crucial in your area
of expertise. In your opinion, how important is it to have both vertical and horizontal
knowledge?
A: You touched upon a fundamental point. My big interest in kidney care innovations is fuelled
by my unshakable belief that knowledge is power. An updated medical doctor improves health
care, increases patient satisfaction and makes the hospital powerful. In other words, knowing
about the latest findings in my field can have a big positive impact on healthcare in general.
Likewise, having an adequate understanding of other associated fields is very crucial for any
future interdisciplinary project.
Q: As an instructor, you work closely with students and youth. How important is it to give the
youth the right opportunities to exploit their talents, abilities, skills and potential? What are
some tips that you judge to have been helpful to you as a student, which you can pass on to your
students?
A: Opportunities are ideal circumstances for doing something. I believe that as we grow older,
there are parts of ourselves that get repressed and forgotten; such parts are full of positive
qualities to be explored. Once given the right opportunity, we become aware of such qualities,
and we become free from the shackles of many unconscious forces.
instructors always encouraged me to unleash my hidden potential. The proof is that every time
I learned something, I had the feeling that I could do more. Now that I am an instructor, I keep
transferring this desire for unstoppable improvement to my medical students with the hope to
see all their potential unleashed.
Q: As a successful author, how did you discover your passion for writing, and how were you
able to develop your writing skills?
A: This is an interesting question because it brings together different periods of my life. In my
childhood, bedtime stories expanded my vocabulary, improved my listening skills and developed
my imagination. At the age of 17, I managed to get my first essays and short stories published
by Cambridge University Press (New York). One example was “My Father” which appeared in
the compendium of essays entitled In Our Own Words. This shows how working on receptive
skills such as listening is the ideal way to improve productive skills like writing. Since then, I
got in the habit of writing daily, which I believe is the key to every author’s success.
Q: Tell us about your first book: how was your first writing experience, what motivated you to
write it and what challenges did you face? How did you live the double-edged experience of
receiving both heart-warming comments and negative critiques?
A: My first book was a novel entitled Si Dieu Nous Prête Vie. Published in 2016, it is an endeavour to make the voice of dialysis patients heard. This is an emotionally charged
experience because I wrote the novel in a hectic period of my professional life. Still, convinced
that voicing the daily suffering of those patients is a noble cause, I had an unwaning motivation
to write about them. Since constructive criticism is a type of feedback that helps us progress on
solid ground, I welcome it with gratitude.
Q: How do you describe women’s challenges in your books, and how do you think they can
overcome social pressures in complex environments?
A: Their challenges are mainly social. My novels describe their attempts to blossom out of
affliction. The first means to overcome social pressures is education because women who receive
better schooling lead healthy, productive lives, and their families will reap the fruits of their
education.
Q: As a woman social activist, what are the best ways to translate one’s values and beliefs into
practical actions?
A: Undoubtedly, one’s values and beliefs find expression in constructive social activism.
Convinced that actions speak louder than words, I am highly committed to community life by
taking important roles in several nephrology associations, including a kidney patient support
association in the East of Morocco.
Q: What legislations could support and protect women in society and workforce?
A: Compared to many Arab countries, my country has reached a considerable level in the
promotion of women’s rights. Nonetheless, there is still work to be done so that all women
enjoy full social and economic equality.
Q: What advice can you give to young women to strategically plan for their goals and invest in
their talents and passions?
A: Relative to an earlier question on opportunity, I believe that the more they are exposed to
new contexts at school, at university or at work, the more talents they explore and develop.
Hence, women’s flourishing is everybody’s responsibility.
Q: As a multi-tasker, what are your pieces of advice for ideal planning and time management, so
that you always achieve full potential? How do you manage stress and avoid burnout?
A: Your question is twofold; it is about time management and stress management. Although
they have become very popular concepts in the world of business, I believe that our ancestors
used to be good planners and stress managers. With careful planning, they usually created the
ideal conditions for high crop yields, and with their indoor or outdoor absorbing activities, they
generally managed their stress. In the same way, I manage my time by setting my priorities
beforehand, and I manage my stress by spending enough time with my family and with myself
reading a book.
Q: One last question: what is the best way for a person to strike a balance between their values even in the most unstable contexts?
A: Well, our values give sense to our priorities. My core values are gratitude and modesty. I
believe that we should be grateful when receiving and modest when giving. Such values are life-
regulating in the most unstable contexts thanks to the aura they leave around us.
Q: Thank you Professor for accepting to give us this interview.
A: My pleasure! I wish all readers a pleasant reading of my works.
Ivon Beltrán is a Colombian who is multi-talented personality. This includes Luxury Real Estate Agent, TV Anchor, Reporter and Journalist who began her career at the RCN International TV Show ¨Soles y Vientos¨ by Marlon Becerra in Bogotá, Colombia.
She moved to New York City in 2016 and began to work on ¨New York People and Events¨ TV Show of Azteca TV. She worked on ¨Lockerom of Rafael Bello¨ Radio Show of ESPN 1050 AM. She later started with ¨Maslatinos¨TV Show of Azteca TV and then with ¨Fútbol City¨TV Show of Ecuadorian Television. A year later, she began working with The New York Red Bulls team and Notiamerica Newspaper.
Ivon has interviewed latin soccer players and diplomats such as the Ambassador of Costa Rica, Rodrigo Carazo, the consul general of Mexico, Jorge Islas, attached consul general of Peru, Jorge Izaguirre, the former Colombian consul of New York María Isabel nieto and the first Latin judge, Supreme Justice of the State of New York, Honorable Carmen Velásquez. She has also interviewed artists like Calle 13 and Farruko. This Colombian has not only interviewed great personalities but she has covered the Latin Grammy Awards, the Peruvian International Film Festival in New Jersey and The New York Fashion Week in both English and Spanish.
At the moment Ivon owns a marketing company Ibel Advertising, she is Real Estate at Corcoran Group. In her part time, she works as a Tv Host at Maslatinos and writes articles for the web newscast Notiamerica.
On the other hand, She has such a passion for Soccer, Formula 1 and Horses. Usually she likes to cover the horse races that take place every summer at Belmont Park, Long Island.
While living in New York, she was always interested in architectural designs, New York City magnificent buildings and a passion for the Real Estate Industry. With that, she decided he fait to become a Real Estate Agent allowing her the opportunity to help build bridges between families and the perfect home. Finally, for this Colombian there are no excuses or limits, in addition to being a persistent young woman.
She’s always ready for the next CHALLENGE.
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