- Abdul El-Sayed was born and raised in Southeast Michigan
- His father is an Egyptian immigrant while his stepmother comes from a Michigan family
- He studied in public schools and later graduated from the University of Michigan with the highest distinction
Abdul El-Sayed has made history by becoming the first Muslim to be elected to the US Senate. The Democrat won Michigan's Senate race after defeating Republican Mike Rogers.
"Michigan, we did it! I am so proud and honoured to stand here as your senator-elect from the great state of Michigan," El-Sayed, son of Egyptian immigrants, said in his victory speech in Detroit.
Who is Abdul El-Sayed
Abdul El-Sayed was born and raised in Southeast Michigan. His father, Mohamed, is an Egyptian immigrant, while his stepmother, Jackie, belongs to a family that has lived in Michigan for generations. He studied in public schools and later graduated from the University of Michigan with the highest distinction.
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During his school years, he was also interested in sports and captained his football, wrestling and lacrosse teams. El-Sayed went on to study medicine at Columbia University with the support of a National Institutes of Health (NIH) fellowship. He also earned a doctorate from the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar.
Although El-Sayed trained to become a doctor, he later decided to work in public service. He first worked on rebuilding Detroit's Health Department after the city went through bankruptcy. He later took charge of restructuring Wayne County's Department of Health, Human and Veterans Services.
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He worked on several public health projects, including providing free glasses to children, removing lead from elementary schools and making Narcan, a medicine used to reverse opioid overdoses, easily available.
El-Sayed led a programme that aims to cancel up to $700 million in medical debt for around 300,000 people in Michigan over two years. His work earned him the 'Public Official of the Year' award from the Michigan League of Conservation Voters. He was featured on Crain's Detroit Business' 40 Under 40 list.
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He wrote a book titled 'Medicare for All: A Citizen's Guide'. The book explains how the US can provide affordable healthcare to all its citizens. In 2020, El-Sayed was selected for former US President Joe Biden's Unity Task Force on Healthcare.
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