Sumaita Mahmood, M.D. ’26, Receives National Public Health Service Award

“It is incredibly meaningful to receive this award because, for me, public health has always been inseparable from medicine,” says Dr. Mahmood. “As a future surgeon, public health is especially important to me because significant disparities persist in who receives surgical care, who feels represented in medicine, and who has access to high-quality outcomes both in the United States and globally. It is up to trainees like myself not only to learn the art and science of medicine, but also to think critically about these inequities when we encounter them and intervene accordingly.”

“Sumaita Mahmood represents the next generation of physician-leaders dedicated to advancing population health and serving underserved communities,” said Mill Etienne, M.D. ’02, M.P.H., vice chancellor for campus engagement, associate dean for student affairs, and professor of neurology and medicine, who nominated Mahmood for the award. “She combines strong leadership, scientific rigor, and deep empathy with a commitment to addressing inequities in surgical care through a public health lens, making her exceptionally deserving of this honor.”

Mahmood’s leadership as a medical student reflected a deep commitment to public health, service, and community engagement. Through the Alpha Omega Alpha-funded Transformative Educational Leadership Program, she worked with faculty and peers to strengthen the Transition to Clerkship curriculum with initiatives focused on implicit bias training, standardized patient simulations, and structured feedback to enhance communication and self-awareness. She also served as a Student Senate leader, president of Building the Next Generation of Academic Physicians (BNGAP), and founder of the Medhistorian Society, which explored the historical and societal dimensions of medicine.

She founded and chaired the Senate Service Subcommittee, expanding community partnerships, increasing student volunteerism, and enhancing service-focused programming. As outreach coordinator, she transformed the community newsletter, Synapse, into a platform that highlighted student-led service initiatives and opportunities to work with underserved communities.

During her final year at NYMC, Mahmood continued her work at the intersection of medicine and public health through the CDC Epidemiology Elective Program with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s Zoonotic and Vector-Borne Disease Unit, where she analyzed surveillance data to help address emerging public health threats. She also contributed to research in surgical epidemiology and outbreak management with the Westchester Medical Center Burn Department.

“I have been incredibly fortunate to learn from physicians at NYMC who are deeply committed to public health and medical education, including SOM Dean Dr. Neil Schluger and Dr. Etienne,” says Dr. Mahmood. “Their mentorship has reinforced for me that physicians can care for individual patients while also advocating for broader systemic change. I am deeply grateful for this recognition and excited to see where the next decade of surgical training, advocacy, and service will lead.”