Alumni Profile: Nazik Hammad on having the opportunity to change the world

Nazik Hammad (MSc ’95 Immunology) is from Sudan in East Africa. After graduating from medical school at the University of Khartoum, she joined U of T's MSc program in fundamental immunology under the supervision of Richard Miller. Today, she is a medical oncologist and a clinician-educator at St. Michael’s Hospital as well as a professor of medical oncology in U of T's Department of Medicine. Her inspirational journey is one of determination and resilience, and her passion and advocacy in addressing global inequities have created positive and lasting impacts in communities around the world.

The Impact of Mentorship

Hammad first came to Canada in 1991 with the determination to continue in science. “I had a lot of interest in parasitology, especially malaria and schistosomiasis — that’s what I saw a lot of in medical school in Sudan, so I wanted to study them further.” When she first contacted the Department of Immunology, the faculty responsible for admissions was Gill Wu. “I had already tried to get into academic institutions in North America and I have to say, there was a lot of disappointment and racism. There was an idea that, if you’re coming from a low- or middle-income country (LMIC) in Africa, you may not be able to do science and there was no way to get into the system here. I received questions like ‘Did you study science?’ or ‘Did you study in English?’ in a very condescending way — but Wu was different.”

Hammad reflects on the difficulties and isolation she felt as an international student who didn’t see herself reflected in the North American research sphere. She stresses the importance of finding good mentors such as Miller, Wu and others in the department that helped positively shape her graduate experience. “My time in the master’s program was a very formative experience because it allowed me to learn a lot of new things and acculturate into North American academic institutions.... I found a lot of support within the department. Wu provided mentorship not only in terms of making sure we did well, but she also encouraged me as a woman — as a Black woman — and that was very important to me.”

Global Efforts

After completing her master’s degree, Nazik went to the US for her residency before joining the National Institutes of Health in infectious diseases. “My goal was to continue in immunology and parasitology, but when it was time to do my fellowship, I decided to go into infectious diseases. However, I later changed to an oncology fellowship. As much as my heart was in infectious diseases, I realized that there was an epidemiological shift in terms of global patterns of disease, with cancer emerging even in LMICs as a very major health threat.”

Since 2010, Nazik has focused on global oncology, a discipline trying to decrease disparities in medical outcomes both globally as well as within Canada. She has worked with various African organizations on projects focused on improving the capacity of the local workforce, policy education, research, mentorship and access to medication, as well as with the World Health Organization on cancer in conflict zones. “It seems like a big journey from immunology to all of this, but it’s very well connected. We need to come together to collaborate to make use of the science that’s produced in high-income countries in addition to respecting and strengthening local knowledge production. We should then make this combined knowledge output available worldwide and continue to build the scientific infrastructure in LMICs. I think that working with communities knowing their knowledge base and how they make sense of the world is very important for us to address their needs and to make sure that advances in medical knowledge are available to everyone. So, it all comes together from the time I wanted to be looking into the immunology of diseases to improving the health outcomes for all.”

Education and Empowerment

Hammad is also a strong advocate for medical education. “My interest comes from what I’ve seen in the ’80s and ’90s — there was a paucity of Black academics, faculty, and students. To me, this was something that needed to be remedied. And to this day, cancer outcomes and other health outcomes remain worse for Black and Indigenous people. One way of changing this is to improve admissions and retention, and to optimize the career pathways for Black learners such as medical students and residents.” Nazik has worked extensively with the Black Physicians Association of Ontario and is currently the Co-Chair of the Network for Advancing Black Learners (N-ABL), with the goal of empowering Black medical students and residents and building support systems to help them flourish in their medical training and beyond. “In my experience, we need to change the status quo, and we need to have equity not only in research but also in clinical practice.”

Words of Wisdom to Immunology Students

Hammad’s story resonates with those who have faced similar difficulties, but her dedication inspires us to follow in her footsteps. “I think that if you’re in immunology, you’re probably studying the most fascinating science of medicine because it’s how we — our bodies — deal with the world. Congratulations to all of you. You can learn a lot and, by creating meaningful science, it will impact the future of medicine. Especially now, we need to protect science for the service of our communities and for our future generations. Whether you go into basic science or translational research or medicine, you will have the opportunity to change the world.”

This article was originally published in vol. 13 issue 1 of IMMPress Magazine (@immpressmag) and has been edited for style.