Safa Salem
@safassalem
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🇵🇸 | @Harvard ‘20 | @OhioStateMed M4 | First-generation | Aspiring surgical oncologist | الحمدالله | Views are my own
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First in my family to survive cancer. First in my family to graduate college. First in my family to attend medical school. And now, officially president of my medical school class. 🥺🥺🥺 God is so good!!!!
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The AAMC predicts a shortage of 140,000 physicians by 2033. The number of applicants to medical school hit a record high in 2021, yet the number of seats remain the same. Just this week, 11,000 qualified medical students didn’t match for residency. The system is beyond broken.
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My medical school personal statement was about cancer and Palestine. At 5, I was diagnosed with neuroblastoma. I underwent a thoracotomy and chemotherapy in the US. Chemo and radiation are barred in Palestine. Cancer, in Palestine, is a death sentence. I want to change that.
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I’ve wanted to be a doctor since I was 5 years old fighting cancer in the hospital and today, I GOT INTO ONE OF MY TOP CHOICE MEDICAL SCHOOLS IN THE VERY STATE THAT FIRST TREATED ME AND INVIGORATED MY PASSION FOR MEDICINE ALHAMDULILAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Let's also discuss how Israel attacked Palestinians on Orthodox Easter, the holiest day for Christians. They attacked Palestinians during Taraweeh in Ramadan, the holiest time of the year for Muslims. This is not a religious conflict and we cannot erase Christian Palestinians.
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The Middle East birthed the first university and hospital. It brought about the bicycle, coffee, airplanes, algebra, soap and so much more. To negate its brilliant history and trade it for a world desensitized to its tragedies is an insane injustice. We are more than numbers.
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These past few months have been incredibly difficult. It is impossible to summarize the depth of grief I’ve felt amidst medical rotations while my family lives in Palestine. If I was diagnosed with neuroblastoma in Palestine, I would not be alive today. I think about this daily.
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In a country that has been decimated by COVID-19, where providers have faced a new form of burnout and put their lives on the line, we learn each day how little we are valued. A change is needed.
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We have a duty in medicine to do no harm. An oath that I once thought was universal has become very conditional to many in medicine. Since October, I’ve only had one of my mentors reach out to me consistently to ask how to support me. I deserve the same support as other students.
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I take Step 2 tomorrow. I am constantly motivated to be resilient in the face of a system that has proven its complicity by my fervent desire to heal Palestine. I will use my privilege to advocate for the vulnerable. I will not be blinded by bias. Healthcare is a universal right.
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I am unapologetically Palestinian. I refuse to censor my identity to fit in narrow boxes constructed by society. My identity is not controversial. My life is not a “complex” issue to be debated. Palestinians deserve respect as the bare minimum. Interrogate your belief systems.
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Universities are complicit in the erosion of students’ well-being. I’m deeply saddened by the loss of the first-year at Yale, whose death should have been prevented. These schools push students to their ends and make mental health resources difficult to access, enough is enough.
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I wish medical school focused on making time to not only enrich your soul and being, but to make a meaningful impact on the communities around you. It feels like my peers and I are scrambling just to get by academically, and medicine is so much more human than the science of it
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After catching a case of pneumonia, having my car break down, and having my exam cancelled and rescheduled for the second time, I finally got news that I passed Step 1 today. Alhamdulilah, God is so good!!
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Surely my life has been a series of defying odds - from surviving cancer, to being the first in my family to attend college, and everything in between. Today, I graduated from Harvard with honors in History and Science. Alhamdulilah for everything.
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Representation matters. I wear a Palestinian flag on my white coat to enforce my presence, especially in spaces where people like me seldom exist. I had a Palestinian patient this week who was over the moon seeing that flag — and that touching moment will live with me forever.
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This is so chilling to read. Can we please finally talk about comp culture at schools — applying for clubs where your peers get to decide if you’re good enough to be a member? You work so hard to get to these places only to find out you can’t even do the things you’d like to?
Just got rejected from every extracurricular I applied to.
So much for being able to do something fun and interesting to take my mind off the stress and existential dread of school, I guess.
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People are far too desensitized to the suffering that those in the Middle East experience. A literal explosion can cause massive casualties and only garner attention and sympathy if it takes place in the Western world. Absolutely devastated and tired.
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Here's some art I made to highlight the names of just some of those we've lost to the oppressive and unjust systemic racism within this country. Black Lives Matter! Say their names!
#BlackLivesMatter
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...how did the Harvard republicans really go from refusing to back Trump in his 2016 election to viewing the last four years and deciding, “wait actually, let’s do it....”
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Great, now let’s keep this same energy for our undocumented students.
Breaking: The government has agreed to rescind DHS and ICE rules barring international students attending online universities from staying in the U.S., per a hearing this afternoon in Harvard and MIT's lawsuit against the agencies.
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Please be kind to your Muslim medical professionals and students during this Ramadan. Many of us will be fasting from 5:30AM to 8:30PM from food and water for the entire month, on top of all our responsibilities in the field. Having supportive environments makes a huge difference
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MY SENIOR THESIS GOT HONORS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LETS GOOOOO !!!!!!!!!!!!
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On
#WorldCancerDay
I want to highlight the power of disclosure in eroding the stigma of cancer. I’m a cancer survivor and am currently working toward my medical degree to become an oncologist! Cancer is not a death sentence — early detection and diagnosis saves lives!
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As the death toll climbs over 11,000 in Turkey and Syria, reflect on just how devastating that loss of life is. I am utterly heartbroken.
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Friendly reminder: please do not play into the adage of not believing survivors of sexual assault/harassment just because the abuser in question is your friend 😌
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Idk why so many Harvard kids have to tokenize hardship in order to validate success...accept that your privilege played a role in your success and stop taking away from the narratives of students, especially fgli, who have actually had to overcome every obstacle just to be here
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Eid is in 1 more day, the end of my first year of medical school is in 5 more days, and I get to visit my parents in Jerusalem for the first time since pre-Covid in 8 more days. So much to look forward to, but gotta finish this year strong first!
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Update, I crushed it 🥺
Inshallah ya rab I crush this MCAT and get into medical school this year 🤲
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Did Harvard consider that remote classes would render international students with F-1 visas ineligible to enter the United States under new ICE rules? What does this mean for all of the international students who are still unable to return home because of travel restrictions??
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I’m sorry but this kind of language is so reductive to the Middle East. Equating our countries to Western cities achieves nothing except creating the narrative that we have to follow Western trends to be humanized. Countries that are deserts and slums deserve to be humanized too.
I want all my American friends to know what Lebanon is. Lebanon is not a desert, it is not a slum. Lebanon is the Paris of the Middle East. It is the most gorgeous place filled with the most gorgeous people. Long live Libnan
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Absolutely blown away by the outpouring of support I’ve received since posting this. I do, however, want to make one thing exceptionally clear: I would not be here today without the incredible support of my family, whose sacrifices have propelled me forward as I chase my dreams!
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This past weekend, I traveled back to Harvard to finally celebrate my postponed graduation. I wore a traditional Palestinian thobe and surprised my parents with a speech dedicated to them. As the first in my family to graduate, this weekend was everything I wanted and more!
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It’s been a minute since I’ve been on Twitter, but my independent research got approved for an oral presentation at the nation’s largest public health conference! Alhamdulilah :)
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Amidst balancing my medical studies with the distress of what’s going on back home, I’m very honored to share that I was invited to speak about my work on Arab health and its connections to Palestine at the 68th Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations.
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We really live in a society where universities like Harvard have to literally sue the US government just to protect students...I swear every day feels like another level in the simulation that is 2020
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Got the chance to host the Ohio State College of Medicine’s first Ramadan iftar last night. We had over 40 people come! For many of us, this is our first Ramadan alone, so the power of community was so inspiring to witness. ❤️
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I really got to dress in full on palestinian attire today and give a speech at the literal United Nations about health 🥺🥺🥺 if you know me then you know how much of an absolute dream this is for me
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Idk which sad high schooler needs to hear this today but AP scores DO NOT define you or impact your ability to get into college!! I literally failed an AP exam my junior year and just graduated from Harvard lol, standardized tests do not define ability!!
#APScores
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September is suicide awareness month and a gentle reminder of the disproportionate impact that social isolation and a pandemic hold on the mental health of so many. Now more than ever we need to hold our loved ones close and ourselves closer. Your mental health matters.
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Officially wrapped up my first semester of medical school today. Absolutely crushed my musculoskeletal block and could not be prouder of myself. So many years of battling imposter syndrome to finally get to the point where I feel like I am exactly where I’m meant to be.
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Did you know that carrying a pregnancy to term is 3350% more risky than a legal, safe abortion? That means a person is 33.5 times more likely to die carrying a pregnancy to term, than opting for an abortion. Banning abortion nationwide would increase maternal mortality by 21%.
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imagine studying to become a doctor so you can take care of people, except you aren't able to take care of yourself because studying to become a doctor is so demanding and any hour you don't spend studying is an hour you fall behind...anyway happy tuesday!
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I lost my hair when I battled through cancer and people relentlessly commented on it...To battle cancer is one thing, to endure it while fighting the pain of people around you reminding you constantly of its impact is another thing entirely. We could all use a little more love.
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A discourse I don’t see enough of in academia is how the aggregation of Middle Eastern and North African people under the category of “White,” has prevented any disparities our communities experience from being identified and addressed.
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My parents who live in Jerusalem, pay taxes to the state of Israel, and adhere to all laws of Israel are not allowed to vote in any Israeli election because they are Palestinian. Is this your version of a “robust democracy”?
Let’s be clear: Israel is not an apartheid state.
Any mischaracterizations otherwise attempt to delegitimize Israel, a robust democracy, and will only serve to fuel rising antisemitism.
I will always advocate for a strong U.S.-Israel relationship founded on our shared values.
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A few months ago,
@jordanhaber_
and I had a vision to enhance cultural competency through interactive workshops on topics ranging from racism to mental health. Today, we hosted the first dermatological suture workshop with dark-skin suture pads at
@OhioStateMed
!!
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I’m incredibly honored to share that I’ve been invited by the White House Office of Public Engagement to participate in a discussion on health equity and access in the state of Ohio. I want to thank the amazing
@DrRayMD
for believing in me and nominating me for this opportunity!!
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If your activism does not include Palestine, which embodies the core of so many social justice issues ranging from police brutality to immigration and refugee rights, you are being performative in your activism. I’m tired of watching Palestine continue to be the exception.
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Healthcare IS political. Healthcare was political when the CDC classified racism as a public health threat. Healthcare was political when the AMA declared targeting civilians and healthcare in Ukraine unconscionable. Why is Gaza, where every hospital was destroyed, the exception?
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Ya Allah, in these last few days of Ramadan, I pray that the people of Palestine are protected from the brutal oppression and apartheid that is exerted over them. I pray that the people from the land meant for peace will live to see a peaceful day.
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It's official!! I just accepted an offer to join the Bona Lab at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute for pediatric oncology health equity research this summer!! The childhood cancer survivor in me is SO EXCITED!! Boston, I'll see you soon!! 🤩
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I’m so incredibly overwhelmed with the amount of love and support that has poured in from friends and strangers today. The medical school process is painstakingly arduous, especially for first-gen students. I could not have made it this far without my support system. Alhamdulilah
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What better way to celebrate
#FirstGenDay
than by sharing that I just gave my first national oral presentation at
#APHA2022
! Super grateful to have had the opportunity to present my little passion project on poverty as it pertains to healthcare access in the United States.
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I’m incredibly honored to have been selected as a recipient for the Ohio State University College of Medicine Leadership Award. This was the best news to read on my way to the library to study for my block final exam. Absolutely blessed to be here!
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Just now realizing that Zayn and Gigi’s kid will never have to correct people when they mix up Palestinian and Pakistani
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Honored to be co-moderating this panel with
@SaraAlZubi1
next weekend! Middle Eastern and North African Americans are categorized as white, which prevents us from collecting necessary data and support for our communities. We’re thrilled to be hosting
@RashidaTlaib
and
@lsarsour
!
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Super honored to have been able to share our work with leaders at the Arab Conference at Harvard!
@SaraAlZubi1
and I are leading the first national comprehensive study on Arab American health. The Census aggregating us under white makes it hard to collect data on our communities.
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As a first-generation student, I've been looking forward to my parents coming to campus for the first time since my freshmen year to watch me walk across the stage. Now my parents are halfway across the world and I'll be graduating Harvard alone via Zoom and that's just irony
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The university is really showing how much it cares about international and low-income students. They’re not even giving us a week to move out and some of us legitimately don’t have any place to go?????
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“All Muslims who come in peace,” thank you for continuing to advance the inflammatory rhetoric that Muslims are not peaceful, that we are less entitled to practice our faith at religious sites, and that the conflict between Israel and Palestine is a religious one.
Joint Statement of the United States, the State of Israel, and the United Arab Emirates
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Medical school when you’re the only person who looks like you really sucks
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Caught a double rainbow and lightning on camera during today’s Ohio storm 🤯
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I see far too many non-Palestinian activists scared to speak up about Palestine in fear of being doxxed (which is a totally valid fear). Now imagine how it feels to be Palestinian...where speaking up about the injustices your people face can cost you everything...
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Belgium bans the hijab, China has Uighur Muslims in concentration camps, mosques are being destroyed and Muslims killed in India, Muslims across the Middle East have brutally died at the hands of imperialism, and you believe Muslims are the real perpetrators of terror?
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There is a reason why solitary confinement is among the highest forms of imprisonment — the effects of isolation, especially on a college campus where first-years enter knowing virtually no one, cannot be dismissed.
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My 14-year-old sister lives in Palestine and feels like the world stopped caring about Gaza. Over the last few months, she’s been writing poetry. Here’s her poem, titled, “Where?”, translated from Arabic. Can we prove her wrong and show her heartbreaking poetry some love?
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In May of 2020, I sat alone in front of my laptop and graduated via Zoom, with my family on the other side of the world.
This coming May, I’ll finally be able to walk across the stage at Harvard and hold my family close to me. 🥺🥺🥺
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Inshallah ya rab I crush this MCAT and get into medical school this year 🤲
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I’ll never forget the devastation and imposter syndrome I felt when I was rejected by the very extracurricular activity that literally got me into Harvard in the first place. I felt like Harvard had made a mistake accepting me and that I would never belong in my FIRST SEMESTER
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I am just an M1 learning a lot about the Match over the last few days! The prospects of taking out loans and submitting myself to an incredibly difficult curriculum for the next four years, knowing there’s a risk that I may not have a job when I graduate is terrifying.
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Being Palestinian means debating if I should talk about my ethnicity in literally everything I apply for because it’s such a huge component of who I am, or refrain from mentioning it at all in fear of being discriminated against by someone who thinks my country shouldn’t exist 😅
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One of the most disillusioning aspects of pursuing medicine is that it narrows the time you have to spend on doing all of things that make you feel like you
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Turned 26 today and started my first day of my mini-internship in the surgical ICU. One of the residents brought cupcakes for my birthday! Feeling excited about a future in general surgery 🥹
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I didn’t even know what being a first-generation student meant when I first got to college!!! Now I get to be the first to officially walk across the stage!!! And at a place like Harvard??? Excuse me while I sit in the magic of this moment 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺
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Why must we share pics and videos of brutal killing and bombing and violence in order for us Palestinians to be humanized? Why do only these images open eyes to the horrors experienced by Palestinians on a daily basis? Why must we share emotionally devastating media for justice?
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The attempts to symmetrize the situation in Palestine are disgusting. Stun grenades in the same sentence as rocks being thrown? How do you read this and not see the disparate violence that has ensued? It’s not a clash, it’s violent attacks against Palestinians while they worship
This morning:
Hundreds of Palestinians injured in violent clashes w/ Israeli police inside the Al Aqsa mosque & on compound outside, according to Palestinian Red Crescent. Videos show stun grenades fired by police inside the mosque, as well as Palestinians throwing rocks outside.
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I'm incredibly honored and excited to share that my good friend
@jordanhaber_
and I were recently awarded the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship for our medical service! A huge thank you to our mentor
@DrRayMD
who supported the vision of our project and helped make this possible!!
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Abortion is healthcare. Not only in cases of assault or fetal distress or maternal complications, always. Abortion is always healthcare.
The Supreme Court has voted to strike down Roe v. Wade, according to an initial draft majority opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito and obtained by POLITICO.
“We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled,” Alito writes.
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This is my first Eid away from family, and it obviously doesn't feel like it should. But I am proud to have made it through one of my most challenging Ramadans, and will celebrate today, regardless. Eid Mubarak, friends!!
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Change the notion that survivors need to share their stories in order to be humanized - there is no excuse for sexual violence of any sort and it should not take a public outing to hold those around you accountable before it happens. Disappointment is an understatement
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Tamir Rice was TWELVE when he was murdered for holding a TOY gun. Rittenhouse, nearly an adult, KILLED two people with an AR-15 and walks free. If this sharp contrast does not demonstrate the violent racism that permeates this nation, what will?
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Insanely humbled and absolutely honored to be able to present my research at the CDC headquarters and FINALLY talk about minority health! here’s to elevating our communities through using our voices because we ARE the future!
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I do not see nearly enough discourse condemning how much islamophobia manifests in academic circles from discussions on “terrorism” being conflated with middle eastern politics, to the lack of campus spaces and food options that respect Muslim traditions and values
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I’m tired of the orientalist lens that places Middle Eastern cities that embody western traits at a higher value to society than the rest of the Middle East. Let the Middle East be the Middle East - it is rich with a beautiful culture that is disgraced by these comparisons.
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Omg in my interview today the interviewer asked me to share a time when my work involved “patients” AND I THOUGHT HE MEANT PATIENCE AND I FULLY ANSWERED LIKE “I like to describe myself as a very patient person” PLEASEEEE SOMEONE HELP ME THIS IS EMBARAZZING
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I dream of a Palestine where children know the sounds of ice cream trucks and birds singing instead of sound bombs, gunshots, and the bulldozers that demolish their homes — a Palestine where only the sun, stars, moon and fireworks light up the sky instead of missiles and fire
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If anyone was curious, this is my slide for graduation! Wanted to give my parents something special when they tune into Zoom on Thursday
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Working on developing my ~art~ skills during this quarantine, here’s a lil doodle of home: Jerusalem, Palestine 🇵🇸
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In case it was unclear - In Lebanon, every one in six people is a refugee. Lebanon has the highest number of refugees relative to population in the world, and this excludes Palestinian refugees Lebanon has housed since the 1950s. This country deserves so much better.
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The most irritating double standard I've witnessed is non-muslims questioning the safety of Ramadan, while supporting intermittent fasting as a recommended diet. Not only does this view dilute Ramadan's significance, but it highlights the lack of education on Islam in general.
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Let's make one thing exceptionally clear: speaking out in support of Palestine or against the injustices committed by the Israeli government =/= anti-Semitism. Being vocal on Palestine should not and cannot be conflated in this capacity. It is so incredibly reductive to discourse
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NEVER DID I JUST JOIN A PROFESSIONAL ZOOM CALL WITH THIS SET AS MY VIRTUAL BACKGROUND!!!! I FORGOT I SET IT AFTER JOKING AROUND WITH MY FRIENDS ON ZOOM HELP ME RECOVER IM CRYING
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I have the privilege of getting to work with a medical oncologist as part of my longitudinal practice. Oncology is usually a pretty heavy field but today I got to witness the oncologist share with a patient that they have no evidence of cancer!!!! I'll never forget that moment!!
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Never reduce the privilege of what it means to scroll past a tweet or story on Palestine because it is too heavy, while Palestinians in Gaza cannot scroll past the massacre, airstrikes, and violence that is unfolding. Ya Allah, protect the people of Gaza 💔
#GazzaUnderAttack
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I told my dad I saw a tweet equating Beirut to the "Paris of the Middle East" and he said, "Paris is the Beirut of Europe." Reverse colonialism everyone, you heard it here first
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Last year,
@jordanhaber_
and I set out to bolster cultural competency in medical school education. We teamed up with Ona Kola-Kehinde,
@brad_loomis
, and
@SusanMassickMD
to make this possible. Excited to share that our work has been accepted for an oral presentation at
#IAMSE23
!
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Just finished my last OSCE of my preclinical years and I'm reflecting on how much I've grown. I went from hesitating to collect a simple history of present illness to comfortably performing a full history and physical exam. Finally feeling like I can do this medicine thing!!
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Excited to share that my first ever first-author publication was released today! It focuses on gaps in mental health care among publicly insured Californian women. This has been a project two years in the making and I couldn't be more excited!!
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