Growing up in Dublin with Afghan refugee parents, Amir Dada has seen the struggles immigrants face when navigating the American health care system.
Now a third-year resident physician at Dublin Methodist Family Medicine, Dada uses his personal experiences to show compassion and understanding as he treats a diverse group of patients in the community in which he grew up.
To Dublin and back
Dada and his family moved to the Dublin City Schools district from Columbus City Schools when he was in second grade. He went on to attend Sells Middle School and graduate from Scioto High School.
Even as a young child, Dada recognized the quality of the schools and the education he was receiving in Dublin. He has fond memories of holiday parties and, in his later years in high school, his creative writing class taught by Hillary Simpson at Scioto. When taking her class he fell in love with writing and began to enter competitions and submit to literary magazines.
“(Simpson’s) guidance in helping me with my poetry skills was invaluable,” Dada says. “I found that entering those contests on my own and succeeding in them gave me a confidence boost. Without a doubt I believe that without the skills and self-belief I developed in my creative writing class, I might not have had the courage to do the pre-med path and everything that came thereafter.”
Photo courtesy of OhioHealth
Amir Dada
While Dada still loves to write, as he grew through Dublin Schools, he decided to pursue a future in medicine. He attended The Ohio State University and received his undergraduate degree in pre-medicine, then attended medical school at the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine at Midwestern University.
“I wanted to personally have more of a tangible influence on people and I found that medicine would allow for that,” he says.
After medical school, Dada moved back to Dublin for his residency. As he works toward becoming a family medicine attending physician, Dada gains experience in several different medical fields, which is advantageous because of his multitude of interests such as chronic diseases, mental health and dermatology.
“You get a diverse set of training from different faculty members. We have great educators here and I wouldn’t want to do residency anywhere else, to be honest,” Dada says.
Embracing differences and diversity
During the ‘80s, Dada’s parents relocated from Afghanistan to the United States as refugees and eventually settled in central Ohio where Dada now has 200 family members living nearby. Though they have a large support system close to them now, at the start his parents didn’t have much assistance and had to work hard to establish themselves in a new country.
“At that time, there weren’t too many Afghan refugees who may have experienced similar things to kind of help guide (my parents) so they were a little bit left to their own devices,” Dada says. “But my parents are amazing human beings, and they were able to figure out how to succeed in America and how to successfully parent kids in America and it’s a huge part of why I do what I do.”
Having a large immigrant family in the Columbus area has made Dada appreciative of diversity and culture. This is a major asset when working with the clinic’s patients who come from all over central Ohio to get primary care, including areas with large refugee and immigrant populations.
“It’s interesting to take a step back and see the bigger picture and the different needs of the communities we serve at our clinic,” Dada says. “There’s a large number of Middle Eastern and South Asian patients and a lot of them are coming from northwest Columbus. For a lot of them, especially those who are new to the country, their experiences hit close to home for me, given that I have many, many family members who have similar challenges.”
Photo courtesy of OhioHealth
Amir Dada
As a resident at Dublin Methodist, Dada has the opportunity to serve lower income students in the area with free primary health care including vaccines and wellness checks. The program also frequently gives lectures to students about topics such as mental and sexual health.
“This approach helps overcome common barriers that may be present such as transportation barriers and helps overcome financial constraints as needed,” Dada says.
This is a particularly special initiative for Dada who gets to visit the schools he once attended and show the diverse populations in these schools that they can succeed in the health care industry – or any other field they choose.
“I hope that by seeing a diverse group of health care professionals inspires the students, showing them that no matter your background, you can always reach for the stars,” Dada says. “It’s about breaking down stereotypes and opening eyes to the possibilities out there, especially in medicine.”
Going beyond check-ups
Not only does Dada want to lift up and inspire Dublin City School students, he also dreams of helping undergraduate students studying pre-med, especially those who are first-generation college students like he was. He hopes that someday there will be more opportunities for first-generation students to get valuable clinical and research experiences that can set them up for success.
“It was hard navigating how to apply for medical school and get everything in line so that I (could) put my best foot forward,” Dada says. “I recall so many things that it would have been nice having a mentor for, so I would love to help the future of our medical world. I would love to help be there for undergraduate students and maybe give them some guidance so that they can better put their foot forward towards becoming a doctor.”
Dada has a lot of passions, but what he feels most passionate about is patient advocacy. He looks at his patients’ health as a whole and considers their unique backgrounds and the health of the entire community.
“It’s not just about diagnosing and treating ailments, it’s about nurturing a holistic sense of wellness and comfort in those you know and care for,” Dada says. “It’s about listening intently and empathizing deeply and creating a treatment plan that aligns with a patient’s medical needs, really individualized care for each and every patient.”
While Dada isn’t sure yet where he’ll be once his residency at Dublin Methodist ends, he is grateful for everything he has learned and the relationships he’s built. He hopes to one day return to Dublin again, if he finds himself moving for a job.
“It’s about lasting relationships for me and I’ve been able to fulfill a lot of those wants in family medicine at Dublin Methodist Clinic,” Dada says. “Long lasting relationships I get to build with patients, seeing them for a follow-up, meeting them at their lows, picking them up so that they can get to their high and just being there for patients, is something that’s very rewarding to me.”
Maisie Fitzmaurice is an editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at mfitzmaurice@cityscenemediagroup.com.
