UCI School of Medicine Recognizes Middle Eastern and North African Heritage Month: Alliya Qazi, MD

In our present moment, new histories are being written through the passionate and innovative care that our colleagues bring to work everyday. It is our honor and privilege to work alongside these men and women and countless others throughout our school – true champions of diversity, equity and inclusion who are leaving an indelible mark on the future of our campus and their respective fields of medicine.

Alliya Qazi, MD, assistant clinical professor in the Department of Surgery, is a shining example of how diversity, equity and inclusion thrive when we can reach out and collaborate with others for the ultimate benefit of communities outside our own.

“Unfortunately, we know that not everyone has equitable access to healthcare, whether here in the U.S. or internationally,” states Dr. Qazi. “This motivates my work as a trauma surgeon serving people from all walks of life, including many vulnerable populations such as the unhoused, people with mental illness, survivors of violence and incarcerated people.” 

As a South Asian American of Kashmiri descent, Dr. Qazi has done extensive work to improve trauma education and training in multiple areas of the Middle East and Northern Africa. In Ethiopia, she worked with surgical residents to enrich their education and develop curriculum, helping to promulgate advanced training for life support (ATLS). To enhance her work, she was recently awarded a grant from the Department of Surgery to conduct a geospatial mapping project to address access to neurosurgery and other specialists in low-resourced areas.

Most recently, she has embarked on volunteer trips to Ukraine and Gaza, working to improve access to safe surgical and trauma care for those whose lives have been devastated by war. Speaking on her trip to Gaza, Dr. Qazi reflected, “During my brief time [in Gaza], I was struck by the commitment of the healthcare workers to their patients, despite horrific conditions and being personally impacted by the war. During MENA Heritage Month, I stand in solidarity with and in awe of the healthcare heroes of Gaza.”

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