USF student intersects medicine and law

By Andres Faza, University Communications and Marketing

It has become standard for members of Ahmed-Zayn Mohamed's family to graduate college when most students their age graduate high school. A resident in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, Mohamed earned dual undergraduate degrees in biomedical sciences and political science to become, at the time, USF's youngest graduate at age 18. Two of Mohamed's brothers also graduated from USF at 18 and the third earned his diploma at 17.

"My mother graduated from USF as well and is herself a physician," Mohamed said. "We all went to USF, we're a USF family, and I am green and gold, 'Go Bulls,' all the way."

Following his undergraduate accomplishments, Mohamed, who was born in Cairo, Egypt and raised in the United States, continued to pursue his interests at the intersection of medicine and law.

"I was able to find the pre-med track and the pre-law track, and USF, together with Stetson University, helped me do the MD/JD program for the first time here, where I discovered my passion for innovation," Mohamed said.

Mohamed is in his second year in the Interventional Integrated Radiology Residency Program and continues to practice law at Carlton Fields law firm. When asked whether he prefers medicine to law, Mohamed's answer reinforces what his educational path has illustrated from the start: There isn't any need to choose. The two fields can be combined for the benefit of both.

"Long term, I see myself practicing medicine. I really want to continue that direct patient impact," Mohamed said. "I also hope to continue practicing intellectual property law. I think there's a lot of room to work with the legal system and help bring these advances to the bedside, to medicine and to health care."

He says USF was "always the goal," thanks to its culture of innovation.

"The atmosphere at USF is highly encouraging. If you have a new idea or want to try something out, it's always, 'Let's explore that. How can we help?' From peers to professors, it's a very stimulating environment."