She is an alumna of the NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme and recently completed an MSc in Health Policy at Imperial College London in which her thesis studied health equity in the context of artificial intelligence. This links to Zainab’s passion for advocating for equity and justice. During her undergraduate studies, she became the first Student Ambassador for the international charity DKMS (We Delete Blood Cancer) and founded the charity’s first ever student society. In July 2018, Zainab was honoured with a Prime Minister’s Points of Light Award for her work in increasing the number of people of colour registered as potential blood stem cell donors. 

Alongside her day job, Zainab is also Co-Chair of the NHS Muslim Network, Partnerships Lead for TEDxNHS and a volunteer with the Muslim Scouts Fellowship. As a patient advocate, Zainab also works with charities, communities, healthcare professionals, industry, and policymakers to improve patient care for sickle cell disease by raising awareness and spreading good practice. Zainab will shortly be starting a Harkness Fellowship in Health Care Policy and Practice in the United States, during which she hopes to build upon her MSc research, develop as a health leader, gain further experience in innovation and entrepreneurship and a wider understanding of international good practice with regards to tackling health inequities (including with relation to sickle cell).