The AMA “Members Move Medicine” series profiles a wide variety of doctors, offering a glimpse into the passions of women and men navigating new courses in American medicine.
On the move with: Faizah Shareef, who is a second-year medical student at Boston University School of Medicine.
AMA member since: 2017.
What inspired me to pursue a career in medicine: As a child in a family of physicians, medicine has always surrounded me. I truly tried to separate myself from that aspect of my home life, but with time, I continued to return back to the science.
How I move medicine: Through meaningful changes, whether that be organizing educational events about gun violence and decreasing costs in health care, or even engaging in the AMA Medical Student Section. I am currently working on an initiative to include cost analyses within medical school education. This initiative is geared towards increasing evidence-based practices when prescribing treatments and patient health literacy in their own care.
Career highlights: Before I came to medical school, I worked in D.C. during the Trump election, where one of the policies on the table was the repeal of the Affordable Care Act without a proper replacement. I, alongside many others, went to protest the repeal to advocate for those who would lose their care without it.
Advice I’d give to those interested in pursuing a career in medicine: I would say, pursue what you are passionate about, as cliché as it sounds. If you truly do not enjoy your job, people will notice that, and it will permeate into everything else that you do. It is a long road, so you might as well do something that matters to you.
Aspect of my work that means the most: The people I have met on this journey, whether patients, colleagues or teachers, are what drive me to continue on this path. The personal connections I make every day in this field invigorate me to keep moving medicine forward.
Visit MembershipMovesMedicine.com to learn more about other AMA members who are relentlessly moving medicine through advocacy, education, patient care and practice innovation, and join or renew today.
