Linda Idris Suleiman is an American physician, Assistant Dean of Medical Education and Director of Diversity and Inclusion at the
Feinberg School of Medicine
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine is the medical school of Northwestern University and is located in the Streeterville neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1859, Feinberg offers a full-time Doctor of Medicine degree p ...
.
Early life and education
Suleiman's parents are from
Mogadishu
Mogadishu (, also ; so, Muqdisho or ; ar, مقديشو ; it, Mogadiscio ), locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and List of cities in Somalia by population, most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port ...
, in
Somalia
Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...
. Her mother was an
anaesthesiologist
Anesthesiology, anaesthesiology, or anaesthesia is the medical specialty concerned with the total perioperative care of patients before, during and after surgery. It encompasses anesthesia, intensive care medicine, critical emergency medicine, ...
and her father worked for the
port authority
In Canada and the United States, a port authority (less commonly a port district) is a governmental or quasi-governmental public authority for a special-purpose district usually formed by a legislative body (or bodies) to operate ports and other t ...
.
Suleiman's mother worked as a physician throughout the civil unrest in
Mogadishu
Mogadishu (, also ; so, Muqdisho or ; ar, مقديشو ; it, Mogadiscio ), locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and List of cities in Somalia by population, most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port ...
. They immigrated to
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
during the
Somali Civil War
The Somali Civil War ( so, Dagaalkii Sokeeye ee Soomaaliya; ar, الحرب الأهلية الصومالية ) is an ongoing civil war that is taking place in Somalia. It grew out of resistance to the Military dictatorship, military junta wh ...
, taking their three children (including Suleiman) and her teenage cousin with them.
Suleiman has said that she was inspired to become a physician because of her mother.
Her family relocated to
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Hamilton has a population of 569,353, and its census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington and Grimsby, has a population of 785,184. The city is approximately southwest of T ...
, where her mother's medical degree was not recognised and her parents were forced to do janitorial work.
Together they helped to settle refugees who had arrived in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
.
For her undergraduate studies, Suleiman studied neurobiology and physiology at the
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of Mary ...
. She completed her medical training at
Howard University College of Medicine
The Howard University College of Medicine (HUCM) is an academic division of Howard University that grants the Doctor of Medicine (M.D.), Ph.D., M.S., and the M.PH. HUCM is located at the Howard University Health Sciences Center in Washington, D.C ...
, where she saw pictures of
LaSalle D. Leffall Jr. on the walls. These experiences focussed her aspirations on becoming an orthopaedic surgeon. In 2009 Suleiman was made an Orthopaedic medical intern as part of the Nth Dimensions programme. Nth Dimensions supports women and minorities who want to become
orthopaedic surgeons. She completed a rotation at the
Lurie Children's Hospital
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, formerly Children's Memorial Hospital and commonly known as Lurie Children's, is a nationally ranked pediatric acute care children's hospital located in Chicago, Illinois. The hospital has 3 ...
in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, where she was mentored by
Erik King
Erik King (born April 21, 1963) is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of Sergeant James Doakes on Showtime's television series '' Dexter''. He is also known for his roles as Moses Deyell on '' Oz''., and as Bobby Davidson in ''Mis ...
, Lurie Children's' first African-American orthopaedic surgeon.
When she graduated from the orthopaedic programme at
Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Northwestern Memorial Hospital (NMH) is a nationally ranked academic medical center located on Northwestern University’s Chicago campus in Streeterville, Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship campus for Northwestern Medicine and the primary ...
she was the first African-American woman to do so.
Research and career
In 2018 Suleiman joined the faculty at the
Feinberg School of Medicine
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine is the medical school of Northwestern University and is located in the Streeterville neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1859, Feinberg offers a full-time Doctor of Medicine degree p ...
, where she was the first Somali-American woman orthopaedic surgeon. Alongside her clinical practise, Suleiman has worked to improve the representation of women in orthopaedic surgery.
She was named the Assistant Dean of Medical Education and Director of Diversity and Inclusion in 2018.
Select publications
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Suleiman, Linda Idris
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
People from Mogadishu
University of Maryland, College Park alumni
Howard University alumni
Somalian women physicians
American people of Somali descent
Canadian people of Somali descent