Nada Fadul, MD, is originally from Sudan and joined UNMC as an associate professor in the division of infectious diseases in 2018. She and her husband, Saif Abayazid, are board members of the Sudanese American Public Affairs Association (SAPAA), which Mr. Abayazid is a founding member. Helping fellow Sudanese Americans identify their unique skill sets and providing guidance on the dynamic American climate is very important to Dr. Fadul and her family. Dr. Fadul’s role is to not only offer medical guidance but also provide mentorship to new immigrants.
Sudanese immigrants arrive with high degrees, mostly college education to PhDs. However, those who come as refugees might not be as fortunate due to displacement from war. Dr. Fadul was interviewed by NPR recently regarding the current situationin Sudan, to listen to her interview with NPR click here. SAPAA and its members help new immigrants re-tool their key skills into available jobs in their cities and help find educational resources. SAPAA offers health fairs, and small workshops called Road Shows, and annual conferences for their members. One of the challenging aspects and successes of SAPAA is how to continue and encourage youth involvement. One way was to allow the youth more responsibilities, such as planning the conferences and Road Shows. Dr. Fadul said that they have definitely brought some life back into the events. If you would like to find out more about SAPAA visit their website at SAPAA.org, they are always willing to listen to ideas on how to grow their program.
Nada Fadul, MD – Helping Sudanese Immigrants and Refugees
