• Dr. Aderajew Waka

    ©Dr. Aderajew Waka

    05.02.2020

    Dr. Aderajew Waka | Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin / Deutsches Rheuma Forschungszentrum Berlin (DRFZ)

Brain City Berlin ambassador Dr. Aderajew Waka came to Berlin from Ethiopia to fulfil his dream of education and a researcher's life. In addition to his work for Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the Deutsches Rheuma-Forschungszentrum Berlin, he is actively involved in the transfer of knowledge between his new and his old home.

„It has always been my dream to be a researcher,“ says Dr. Aderajew Waka. The Ethiopian has lived in Berlin since 1990. He came to Germany to fulfill his dream. „I was an excellent student and after my Ethiopian school living examination, which is similar to German Abitur, I decided to study abroad.” Aderajew Waka applied for a scholarship in Germany – and received it after a one-year waiting period. In Berlin, the young scholarship holder first studied veterinary medicine at the Freie Universität Berlin. This was followed by studies in medicine at the Freie Universität Berlin and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin.

The young scientist liked the Brain City from the very beginning: “Berlin is a very dynamic place as well as a university city. I am very thankful for being able to study and do research in Berlin because the city offers a lot of possibilities for students and researchers,” says Aderajew Waka. Berlin is also a historical place where famous Nobel Prize winners such as Albert Einstein, Robert Koch, Max Planck have worked. "Therefore, I am very proud to be part of Berlin's excellent research community."

Berlin is a very dynamic city as well as a university city. I am very thankful for being able to do research in Berlin because the scientific landscape offers students and researchers alike many opportunities.

Since 2000, Aderajew Waka has been working in the field of Clinical Immunology, Autoimmunology and Rheumatology at the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Deutsches Rheuma-Forschungszentrum Berlin (DRFZ) where he also received his doctorate (PhD). “My field of research is Immunology, Autoimmune Disease, Rheumatology and Infection Medicine. We belong to Charite – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the Deutsches Rheuma-Forschungszentrum Berlin where our research group is developing therapies for patients with Lupus erythematosus (SLE)” and other autoimmune diseases. In addition, Aderajew Waka is constantly on training, for example in the fields of Tropical Medicine, Biomedicine, Global Health, Travel/Environmental Health, Public Health or Epidemiology, because stagnation is not his style. “Recently I completed a further training as 'Drug Safety Officer and Clinical Trials Specialist' in the field of Drug Monitoring, Drug Safety and Clinical Research in Berlin.”

Aderajew Waka is particularly keen to pass on the knowledge he has acquired over the years. Since his graduation, he has been involved at different Ethiopian universities as lecturer, seminar and course director as well as a consultant for the transfer of knowledge in science and technology between developing and industrialised countries. “In Ethiopia there is a lack of qualified experts, because brain drain is very high in Ethiopia. My aim is to replace 'brain drain' with 'brain gain' through knowledge transfer and to establish research centres in Ethiopia that are as good as in Germany.”

According to Aderajew Waka, many of his students dream of receiving a scholarship to study in Berlin. "Personally, I am very grateful that I could study in Berlin and that today, as Brain City Ambassador, I can pave the way for young people from abroad to pursue an academic career in Berlin. The capital simply offers many opportunities in the fields of science and technology."

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