[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”8493″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][vc_custom_heading text=”This story was published as part of our 2018 Annual Report. Read more stories from the report highlighting AKF’s contributions to making leadership more inclusive here.” font_container=”tag:p|text_align:center” use_theme_fonts=”yes” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fakfusa.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F082319_-AKF-USA-Annual-Report-2019_Digital.pdf|||”][vc_empty_space height=”40px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row full_width=”stretch_row_content_no_spaces” full_height=”yes” el_class=”padding bkgd” css=”.vc_custom_1566237663957{background-image: url(https://akfusa.org/wp-content/uploads/AKU_0850.jpg?id=8513) !important;}”][vc_column css=”.vc_custom_1533610568627{padding-top: 40vh !important;}”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
When Zainab Samad was 13 or 14, she accompanied her mother to see a physician at Aga Khan University Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. The doctor her mother consulted for treatment was a woman, a heart surgeon. “I was struck by her ability,” Zainab says now of that doctor. When Zainab applied to medical schools, she applied to AKU.
“I’m the oldest of five siblings. Two others also went to AKU and did better than I did. Both became top cardiologists,” she says modestly. “My own mentors start with my mother, who pursued a career and raised five children, and returned to her career later.”
Zainab’s mother was herself a gynecologist. So from an early age, Zainab could picture herself becoming a doctor. But a leading role at a university was a leap beyond her imagination.
Still, in 2018, Dr. Zainab Samad, after 16 years at Duke University, returned to Karachi to lead the Medicine Department at AKU. She’s the youngest person ever to hold that position, and the first woman.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row equal_height=”yes” content_placement=”middle”][vc_column][vc_row_inner equal_height=”yes” content_placement=”middle” css=”.vc_custom_1568060760253{padding-bottom: 24px !important;}”][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”8514″ img_size=”full” alignment=”right” style=”vc_box_circle_2″ css=”.vc_custom_1568060603640{padding-top: 24px !important;}”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”3/4″][vc_custom_heading text=”“Having women in prominent roles is important. The change is starting to trickle up. In medicine, we in our department are finding multiple ways we can mentor women.”” use_theme_fonts=”yes” el_class=”intro”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Growing up, she didn’t see people like her in that role. “I saw leaders as people who were in administration. Now that I’m in this role, I see it as a chance to make changes that are aligned with a certain vision. It’s about building consensus around a mission and a vision,” she says. “Leadership means bringing stakeholders together and empowering and uplifting others.
Zainab’s journey to new heights was long, but she hopes that it will inspire other women to follow in her trail.
“I hope it changes the perception of a leader as someone you could be one day, someone who has your back,” she says of her new role. AKU has had female chairs in other departments, including Obstetrics-Gynecology and Anesthesia. “I hope it means we’ll have more.”
[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”8515″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” el_class=”padding”][vc_column_text]
Aga Khan University became the leading healthcare institution in Pakistan through excellence in teaching and research. Now it influences healthcare practice and policy across the country. With its expansion, AKU Hospital will continue to develop skills of healthcare professionals like Zainab to deliver world-class care.
AKU alumni are in leadership roles in schools, hospitals, clinics, and more. “Having women in prominent roles is important. The change is starting to trickle up. In medicine, we in our department are finding multiple ways we can mentor women.”
Those new ways include an initiative for mentoring women through the phases of their careers, providing leadership and communication skills. “We start small and want to scale up,” says Dr. Samad.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Read more from the 2018 Annual Report” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:center” use_theme_fonts=”yes” el_class=”intro” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fakfusa.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F082319_-AKF-USA-Annual-Report-2019_Digital.pdf|||”][vc_basic_grid post_type=”post” max_items=”4″ element_width=”3″ item=”5947″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1568661228856-bf33ff8f-dc16-3″ taxonomies=”7035″][vc_custom_heading text=”Download the full 2018 Annual Report” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:center” use_theme_fonts=”yes” el_class=”intro” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fakfusa.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F082319_-AKF-USA-Annual-Report-2019_Digital.pdf||target:%20_blank|”][vc_column_text]
Read a letter from our CEO Aleem Walji and see our yearly financial reporting.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]