Donya Ahmadian

Project focus: Doris Duke Racial Equity in Clinical Equations Civic Science Fellows will work to increase visibility and prioritization to develop a more rigorous approach to how race is applied and understood in the design of clinical algorithms and the assessments they inform.

Donya Ahmadian is a second-year medical student in pursuit of psychiatry and public health advocacy. With support from the Doris Duke Foundation, she is now serving as a Civic Science Fellow for Racial Equity in Clinical Equations at the American Medical Student Association (AMSA). She is thrilled to be joining AMSA’s national staff in such a fulfilling role.

Donya holds a master of public health degree and is currently in training for her licensed professional counseling degree in hopes of providing a more comprehensive approach to medical care. She aims to leverage this diverse educational background to better serve underrepresented and vulnerable populations. She firmly believes in the transformative power of empathetic witnessing and connection, and her vision includes leading with these tenets in mind. Donya views these elements as fundamental toward the embodied practice of medicine and strives to support the continued creation of programming which promotes and encourages these approaches.

As the AMSA-Doris Duke Civic Science Fellow, she is dedicated to addressing healthcare disparities and promoting equitable practices in medical research and clinical algorithms. During her fellowship, she will focus on developing strategies to increase awareness and mobilize action, working closely with AMSA staff and national leaders to contribute to educational programming and advocacy initiatives aimed at systemic change. Through creating meaningful engagement, she will strive to create a more equitable, inclusive, collaborative, and empathy-led future in the practice of what medical education and care can, and should, truly encompass.