The Australian Islamic Medical Association (AIMA) NSW JMO & Student Wing hosted an informative careers night in Sydney named “Thriving Not Just Surviving as a Muslim Medical Student and JMO” on Saturday 20 September 2025, hosting over 60 Muslim junior doctors and health and premedical students from across New South Wales.
The event involved engaging discussions with medical specialists who delivered keynote speeches and also provided insights on a panel, with subsequent networking opportunities for future growth and clarity on career trajectories.
The evening commenced with a tafsir on Surah Al-Inshirah, delivered by the committee’s treasurer Omar Al Dabel, setting a hopeful and uplifting tone for the night, focusing on the importance of never losing hope in Allah and ease after every hardship that a Muslim faces.
This was followed by a warm welcome and brief introduction to AIMA and the agenda for the night ahead by the MCs, Kiran Qayyum and Hasnain Bhurawala.
The event featured four keynote speakers which were Dr Sara Yusuf (General Practitioner), Dr Shazia Quadri (ED critical care physician), Dr Bushra Othman (General Surgeon at Nepean Hospital) and Dr Faraz Pathan (Cardiologist at Nepean Hospital).
The speakers provided unique insights into their career specialties, including insights about a typical day in a life of work and their personal stories of how their interests led them to pursue this path.
The speakers also went through the career pathways required to get into their respective specialties and provided valuable advice for students and junior doctors.
The evening also featured an interactive panel Q&A session with all of the keynote speakers and two other specialists Dr Yasmin Zarebski (Anaesthetist) and Dr Shah Shaikh (Radiologist at Campbelltown Hospital)– attendees participated in person and via a Slido Q&A to ask meaningful questions about a wide range of topics.
There was an insightful and inspiring discussion on navigating career paths as a Muslim health professional and learning how to excel in your chosen path, and above all using our deen to remain resilient throughout the turbulent times faced in a career in health.
The questions ranged from any regrets in choosing their careers, the future prospects of respective specialties for students and junior doctors, and how to maximise chances of attaining your dream specialty.
The night concluded with networking over dinner and dessert, as students and junior doctors connected with specialists and peers. This enabled for a lively and enlightening discussion to end the night on a hopeful and inspiring note.
This event reflected AIMA’s aims in uniting, inspiring, and serving the Muslim healthcare sector and the wider community in Australia.
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