Our Mission
Islam’s fundamental values of excellence, service, and intellectual curiosity have motivated thousands of American Muslims to pursue careers as physicians. The American Muslim Medical Students Association (AMMSA) is a student-led organization welcoming Muslim students, physicians, and leaders to explore the inherent intersection between Islam and medicine. AMMSA’s goal is simple: to empower American Muslim medical students by providing opportunities for excellence in spiritual growth, professional development, and community building.
Our Story
In the summer of 2020, first-year medical students Zachariah Elkordy and Bassel Salka met for coffee in Ann Arbor, Michigan. As they reflected on their experiences at Georgetown University and the University of Michigan, they recognized a lack of spiritual fulfillment within their professional training. They observed that many of the most beautiful aspects of their faith, including selflessness, humility, and trust in a higher power, were largely absent from traditional medical school curricula and seldom explored in a meaningful way.
After discovering that many Muslim medical students across the nation felt the same way, they founded the American Muslim Medical Student Association (AMMSA), an organization dedicated to bridging the gap between Muslim medical students’ spiritual and professional lives. Recognizing that many of their peers struggled to maintain their spiritual well-being, lacked access to professional mentorship, and often felt isolated during medical school, they shaped AMMSA’s mission around addressing these challenges. By providing opportunities for spiritual growth, professional development, and meaningful community building, AMMSA sought to empower the next generation of Muslim physicians to serve as compassionate leaders and shining lights within their communities.
