Born to Iraqi parents in Sheffield, England, and raised in Royal Oak, Michigan, Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha developed an early love of justice and science that would heavily influence her future career path.

Best known as the truth-telling pediatrician who blew the whistle on the Flint water crisis, Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha didn’t just fight for the city’s children; she took data and used it to ignite an entire revolution.

Dr. Hanna-Attisha graduated from the University of Michigan with a BA and a master’s degree in public health, as well as a medical degree from Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine.

She then completed her residency at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan in Detroit, where she also served as chief resident.

In 2015, Dr. Hanna-Attisha was working at Hurley Medical Center in Flint when she uncovered a disturbing truth: a peculiar rise in blood lead levels among the local children she was treating.

Always a firm believer that disenfranchised cities like Detroit and Flint were worth fighting for, she of course refused to stay silent about this finding, going public with data, urgency, and righteous rage.

In response, the officials denied there was a problem, and the backlash for Dr. Hanna-Attisha was immediate and intense.

She was dismissed, discredited, and met with vitriol…yet she refused to back down, knowing deep down that she was onto something huge.

Whether the establishment liked it or not, Dr. Hanna-Attisha’s research helped expose one of the most devastating environmental and socioeconomic failures in Michigan history.

It also led to her co-founding the Pediatric Public Health Initiative, where she advocated for long-term reform, coordinated statewide medical response efforts, and even testified before Congress.

In 2018, her memoir, “What the Eyes Don’t See,” further recounted the water crisis in her own words, delving deeper into the complexities of how systemic neglect has longer-lasting effects than just a poisoned water supply.

It’s an enlightening read about social justice and accountability, one showcasing the blowback that comes when someone dares to speak truth to power.

As of 2023, Dr. Hanna-Attisha has been working as the Associate Dean for Public Health at Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine. She’s also a recipient of the C. S. Mott Endowed Professorship.

A firm believer in lifelong advocacy work, she continues to promote initiatives that protect children’s health and well-being across Michigan as well as educating the state’s future physicians on the importance of always shining a light on power and the systems that support it.

In short:

Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha didn’t just blow the whistle on a major human rights violation; she completely transformed the way people think about health, responsibility, and justice.

She is Michigan’s beacon of defiance—fearless and forever protecting those who need protecting the most.

Victoria Jackson (Editor In Chief)

Victoria Jackson is a lifelong student and sharp-eyed documentarian of all things Detroit, from its rich musical roots and cultural icons to its shifting neighborhoods, storied architecture, and underground legends. With her finger firmly on the pulse of both the city’s vibrant past and its rapidly unfolding future, she brings a deeply personal, historically grounded lens to every piece she writes.

Published on: September 30, 2025