Dr. Karima Oualla, MD, MS, is an Associate Professor of Medical Oncology at the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Fes and a senior medical oncologist at Hassan II University Hospital, Morocco. She is widely recognized for her contributions to uro-oncology, palliative oncology, epidemiology, and global cancer control, and is regarded as one of the leading medical oncologists in the North African region.
Dr. Oualla completed her Doctor of Medicine degree at the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Fes, followed by specialized training in medical oncology at Hassan II University Hospital. Early in her career, she pursued an academic degree in Epidemiology and Clinical Research, laying the foundation for her ongoing scientific engagement in population-based oncology and clinical research methodologies.
She subsequently broadened her international expertise through multiple prestigious fellowships. In 2012–2013, she served as an assistant doctor at Institut Jules Bordet in Brussels, Belgium—one of Europe’s most respected cancer centers—where she completed a Master’s degree in Medical Oncology at Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB). She also completed the National Belgian Postgraduate Course in Medical Oncology, an EORTC-affiliated inter-university training program, and successfully passed the ESMO Examination in 2014.
Designated by the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), Dr. Oualla completed a competitive fellowship in Onco-Urology at the IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori in Milan, Italy, in 2014. She was further selected by ESMO in 2016 for a translational research training visit at the Vienna Comprehensive Cancer Center, Austria. Her dedication to oncologic supportive and palliative care led to another ESMO fellowship in Palliative Care at Centre Léon Bérard, Lyon, France, in 2019.
Expanding her academic trajectory in preventive oncology, Dr. Oualla was admitted to the NIH Fogarty–Moffitt Cancer Center Cancer Prevention and Control Research Training Program, during which she pursued studies in public health at the University of South Florida (USF) between 2015–2016, earning certification in “Concepts and Tools of Epidemiology.”
Since 2018, she has been enrolled in the Master of Science in Advanced Medical Oncology at Ulm University(Germany), continuing to strengthen her international academic and clinical profile.
Dr. Oualla has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications and has participated in major international oncology conferences. Her research interests span uro-oncology, palliative care, epidemiology, cancer prevention, global oncology training, and the development of oncology services in low- and middle-income countries.
She is an active member of several leading international professional societies, including the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the European School of Oncology (ESO), and the Moroccan Society of Cancerology (SMC).
Through her clinical practice, research, and international collaborations, Dr. Karima Oualla has played an important role in advancing cancer care and oncology education in Morocco and across the MENA region.
She is a Member of the Editorial Board of OncoDaily.