MD Admissions Fellows 2026-27
The MD Admissions Fellowship is our inaugural fellowship. It is designed to support a small cohort of exceptionally talented American Muslims who are applying to medical school this year. The fellowship offers free comprehensive guidance throughout the entire MD application process including support on the primary application, secondaries, interviews, and school selection guided by high-quality Muslim mentors in medicine. Additionally, the fellowship includes an innovative curriculum on Islam and medicine designed to educate future physicians who understand their practice and healthcare’s biggest challenges through the lens of Islam. Fellows are selected for their academic and personal excellence, as well as their demonstrated passion for working with Muslim communities and Islamic ideals.
Arwa Faruk
Sina FellowArwa is a recent Stanford graduate and Course Associate in the Human Biology department, where she teaches undergraduates health policy, public health, and more. Originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico, she was deeply involved in Muslim community life at Stanford and is passionate about art, storytelling, regenerative agriculture, and previously researched the enteric nervous system.
Stanford University
Ashar Khan
Sina FellowAshar is a senior at Columbia University majoring in Middle Eastern, African, and South Asian Studies with a concentration in Biology. He is involved in research studying the neuroscience of pain and touch. Originally from Southwest Virginia, he enjoys spending time with friends and family, hiking, and fishing in his free time.
Columbia University
Baraa Abdelghne
Sina FellowBaraa is a junior at Stanford University studying Cellular, Molecular, and Organismal Biology with a minor in Human Rights. A first-generation Syrian refugee, he conducts neuroscience and cardiovascular research and works with refugee communities in Turkey. Baraa is passionate about public service and hopes to pursue medicine focused on global health equity.
Stanford University
Eman Seyal
Sina FellowEman is a senior at Harvard College studying Biology and Religion. Passionate about rheumatology/immunology, her research investigates Sjögren's disease mechanisms and successful immunotherapy response predictors in rheumatoid arthritis. On campus, she runs the Muslim Women's Medical Alliance, in which Muslim pre-meds learn from physician leaders, and Allies for Angels, which volunteers with pediatric patients and promotes "invisible" disease awareness.
Harvard University
Sina FellowLina Chihoub
Sina FellowLina is currently Clinical Research Coordinator at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Emergency Medicine and Neurology. She recently graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, where she studied neuroscience and computer science. Her clinical and research interests include the neurobiology of psychiatric disorders, culturally competent psychiatric care, and digital health innovation in neurology and psychiatry, with a focus on improving access and outcomes for underserved populations. In her free time, she enjoys hiking and photography.
University of Pennsylvania 
Musa West
Sina FellowMusa is a first-year IRTA Fellow at the National Institutes of Health. He graduated from Yale College, where he conducted research on the mechanisms underlying personality disorders and volunteered in clinical settings supporting patients with psychosis and other mental illnesses in accessing appropriate medical resources. In his free time, he enjoys reading, traveling, and cooking.
Yale University
Reyan Ghanim
Sina FellowReyan is a third-year biomedical engineering student at The University of Texas at Austin. He is heavily involved in his community, where he leads healthcare screenings for underserved communities and coordinates programs at Nueces Mosque, a student-led mosque. He is passionate about cancer biology and conducts research on modeling brain cancer to innovate treatment outcomes for glioblastoma. Reyan enjoys hiking, watching football, and brewing coffee.
University of Texas at Austin
Sarah Qaddo
Sina FellowSarah is a senior at Vanderbilt University studying Molecular & Cellular Biology, Medicine, Health & Society, Human & Organizational Development, and Physics. She is passionate about healthcare accessibility, diabetes research, and supporting community and mentorship. In her free time, she enjoys staying active, exploring new coffee spots, and spending time with friends and family.
Vanderbilt University
Zeba Kokan
Sina FellowZeba is currently working on community health, mental health, and survivorship. Most recently, she has contributed to the Neuroscience, Ethics and Society group in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Oxford, the Research in Adolescent Depression Lab at the University of Minnesota, and served as a Health and Resilience Guide in Southeast Alaska. She holds an MSc in Evidence-Based Social Intervention and Policy Evaluation from the University of Oxford and dual degrees in Brain and Behavioral Sciences and Global Studies from Purdue University, where she was named a Harry S. Truman Scholar and Outstanding Senior of the School of Interdisciplinary Studies.
Purdue University, University of Oxford