Alaa attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a Bachelor’s in Kinesiology and premed studies. She is currently based in Detroit, where she is finishing up her final year of medical school. She is a member of the Syrian American Medical Society and hopes to use her voice as a physician to help marginalized groups such as refugees. Alaa believes in the importance of treating the individual, not simply the disease, and uses her training in osteopathic medicine to treat patients holistically. She volunteers as a bilingual Crisis Counselor and advocates for cultural sensitivity within mental health care.

Alaa served as Amaly’s peer support lead during its Ramadan eating disorder group, in which she provided unique medical and personal perspectives on the intersectionality between eating disorders, religion, and culture. Alaa believes in a lifelong approach to mental health through spirituality, community, and habit formation.

Degrees:

• B.S. in Kinesiology and Premed Studies - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign