Hamed Akrami, Master of Health Sciences Physician Assistant
Hometown, State
Lorton, Virginia
What inspired you to pursue this degree?
With a mixture of my parents' guidance, Islam’s teachings, and watching my favorite heroes on screen, I learned at a young age the importance of protecting and bettering one’s community, especially in the face of inequality. As I grew older, I fell in love with biology and the processes it takes to keep us alive, making studying medicine and pathophysiology much more exciting. The physician assistant/associate role allows me to practice medicine and support patients, medical teams, and the community, while also bridging the gap in physician shortages nationwide. Furthermore, being trained as a generalist while having the option to work in any specialty piqued my inner eternal student’s interest greatly.
Why did you choose Duke?
This is the institution that started this profession and has helped it expand to the degree it is today. With its dedication to creating highly skilled, compassionate, and consistently hardworking medical professionals, Duke quickly became my dream choice. Furthermore, Duke provided me with a state-of-the-art education, including guest lecturers who are highly regarded in their fields, hands-on practice with laparoscopic and robotic surgical techniques, and a community and faculty dedicated to helping you achieve every one of your goals. There truly was no other choice for me.
Do you have a favorite memory from your program?
I feel as though I could write a book with all the lovely memories I have acquired in the last year and a half. One of the funnier moments happened during our first semester. Our second clinical exam was also on one of the more multi-layered and complex specialties: hematology/oncology. My friend group and I spent those weeks slowly dissecting every aspect of blood components and dyscrasias, which began to drive us mad, as one could guess. Finally, it was the day before our exam, and we had one massive review. With a combination of sleepless nights, lattes, and energy drinks, each correct answer hyped us up more and more, and somehow we were all dancing and singing to Hannah Montana and the Jump In soundtracks. Although it was a very difficult exam, I look back on it with so much joy.
How do you hope to make an impact with your career?
My main goal is to bring health care to my communities, both by treating them and helping them obtain a better relationship with their health. Especially within the LGBTQ+, Afghan, and Muslim communities, there are many ways in which they are overlooked in our societies, one of them being through medicine. I aim to bridge this gap in any way I can, through practice, advocacy, and constantly improving myself and my education.
What was the most important thing you learned at Duke?
I came into this program solely focused on my goals and future and what I needed to do to achieve them all. However, with all the great friends I’ve made here, I’ve learned just how fulfilling it is when we are able to come together to share our goals and support each other. There are always people who are just as concerned and passionate as you, with similar and differing skills from you, on ways to make this world a better place than how we entered it. The best way to achieve our goals is by leaning on each other.