A Somali refugee becomes the director of the Seattle clinic where she was cared for as a child
State of Residence: Washington
University: University of Washington
Anisa Ibramin is a Somali refugee and graduate of the University of Washington’s Medical School. Her family fled Somalia in 1992 and lived in refugee camps in Kenya for a year throughout her childhood. The following year, Ibrahim’s family was relocated to the United States, where she and her siblings were treated at Harborview Medical Center’s Pediatric Clinic in Seattle.
Today, Ibrahim directs the clinic and cares for patients who are often newly arrived or previously resettled refugees and immigrants. The time she spent at Harborview soon paved the way for the accomplishment she would have later on in her life. Ibrami knew she wanted to become a doctor. The treatment she received as a refugee, she said, “solidified” her decision.
Dr. Elinor Graham, her medical practitioner, believed in her dream and mentored Ibrani through her journey. After graduating from the University of Washington, Ibrahim joined Harborview as a general pediatrician in 2016. In September 2019, she was promoted to medical director which placed her in the same position as her mentor Dr. Graham.
