Abdul El-Sayed has worn many titles – doctor, professor, commissioner, candidate – but one thread runs through them all: a strong commitment to people, one that has meant tackling public health crises, fighting for access to care, and insisting that justice is measured not by policy, but by the health and strength of families and communities all across Detroit.

The son of Egyptian immigrants, El-Sayed grew up in Metro Detroit with a strong eye for opportunity and inequality.

He was educated at the University of Michigan, a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, and graduated as a doctor from Columbia University.

However, rather than remaining in academia or finding a lucrative medical career elsewhere, El-Sayed returned home to Detroit, wanting to be central to the city that shaped him and where he felt his work mattered most.

At the age of 30 in 2015, El-Sayed was appointed by Mayor Mike Duggan as Executive Director of the Detroit Health Department.

It was a time that saw the department being rebuilt after years of dysfunction and disbandment during the city’s bankruptcy, with El-Sayed stepping in with a sense of urgency that would go on to reduce infant mortality, improve lead testing, and expand basic health services in long-deprived neighborhoods.

He rebuilt public trust in a department that many other Detroiters had already written off as lacking in both transparency and community engagement, working overtime to become one of the most dynamic public health leaders in the country.

In 2017, El-Sayed left the Health Department to run for Governor of Michigan with a campaign that was bold, progressive, and people-powered.

He pushed for single-payer healthcare, debt-free college, and clean water for all Michiganders.

His run drew in younger voters and elevated the issue of healthcare and equity in the state, and though he did not win the Democratic nomination, many still looked at him as part of a wave of new leaders willing to break through the political middle to positively effect systemic change.

El-Sayed has balanced local work with national work throughout his entire career, writing books about public health and inequality and even teaching at Wayne State University.

He is often quoted on healthcare policy and democracy, and his voice was especially present during the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw him helping Detroiters and Americans understand the crisis and the policies that accompanied it.

No matter the stage, Detroit has always been Dr Abdul El-Sayed’s anchor, and he regularly talks about how the city has shaped his work.

His main concern has always been equity – putting those most affected by policy conversations at the center of his attention.

He’s a man who has effortlessly moved from medicine to academia to government to politics – and his mission has never changed.

Rather than blindly accepting that good health and opportunity are determined by zip code, he wants a Detroit where those things are a given.

In short: Dr Abdul El-Sayed isn’t just a doctor or a politician.

He’s the man reminding the entire city and nation that good healthcare is a form of justice.

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: August 27, 2025