I was guided by the principles of health equity and community activism long before I decided on a career in medicine. I was born and raised in Southern California to parents who immigrated from Eritrea (Northeast Africa). I graduated from University of California Los Angeles with a B.S. in Psychobiology and a minor in African Area Studies. I was later selected as a Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholar, during which time I completed a Masters of Public Health at the University of Nottingham in England. I spent the next five years at the Harvard School of Public Health involved in research aimed at reducing health disparities. I completed medical school at Meharry Medical College before joining our residency program. Outside of the hospital/clinic you’ll find me somewhere between tending my garden, keeping music playing in our work room, exploring Tucson’s foodscape, and hiking beautiful desert trails.
