Dr. Abdul El-Sayed is a physician, epidemiologist, and progressive activist. He is the former Health Director for the City of Detroit, where he rebuilt Detroit’s Health Department after it had been privatized during the City’s municipal bankruptcy.
He served on the State of Michigan Child Lead Poisoning Elimination Board and Public Health Advisory Commission, as well as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Advisory Committee.
Abdul holds a Doctorate in Public Health from Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar; a Medical degree from Columbia University where he was a Soros Fellow; and a Bachelors of Science from the University of Michigan.
In 2017, he was selected as one of 20 recipients of the University of Michigan’s Bicentennial Alumni Awards. He is also the recipient of numerous civic and service awards, including Crain’s Detroit Business 40 under 40, and Public Official of the Year per the Michigan League of Conservation Voters.
