COMMUNITY MATTERS
Umair Shah Heads Washington State Health Department Umair A. Shah, MD, MPH, took charge as Washington State’s new secretary of health, Dec. 21, 2020, in Gov. Jay Inslee’s second-term cabinet. He had served as executive director and local health authority for Harris County Public Health (HCPH) in Texas since 2013 “Dr. Shah brings an unrivaled expertise, knowledge and passion for public health,” Gov. Inslee remarked. “His leadership will help us lead Washington state through the next crucial phase of this pandemic. He is uniquely suited to continue our nation-leading response. An immigrant, originally from Pakistan and raised in Ohio, equity is incorporated and considered in every decision as he leads organizations to ensure the health and safety of everyone.” The Seattle Times (Nov. 22, 2020), which editorially lauded Shah’s coming, quoted University of Houston medical historian Helen Valier, an expert on pandemic responses, that Shah “… can get a crowd going and understands that public health is local health. He’s done a lot for Houston. … We’re not spiraling out of control the way we were. That’s down to good leadership and the front line clinicians.” While thanking the governor, Shah stressed, “Without question, the number one priority for me is to work with the team to continue the fight against COVID-19 and help Washingtonians through these challenging times. “This pandemic has highlighted the importance of public health and health care working together, and I am confident [that] my experience in both will serve the state of Washington well now during these difficult times, and into the future.” During his seven-year tenure as leader of the nationally accredited HCPH, which manages the 700 public health staff serving the 4.7 million residents of the nation’s third largest county, in 2016 the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) recognized HCPH as Local Health Department of the Year. Before this, Shah had been chief medical officer of Galveston County Health District and served as an emergency department
physician at Houston’s DeBakey VA Hospital for 20+ years. Shah acquired extensive leadership experience while responding to such public health crises as novel H1N1, Ebola, Zika, Covid-19 and various hurricanes and other emergencies. During his training, he spent time at the World Health Organization and was deployed to Kashmir and Haiti after both countries experienced devastating earthquakes As NACCHO’s president (2017), he represented nearly 3,000 local public health departments nationwide and its Texas affiliate. In 2019 the American Public Health Association awarded him its Roemer Prize for Creative Local Public Health Work. Dr. John Wiesman, the outgoing secretary of health, noted, “I am leaving the Washington State Department of Health in good hands. I have known and worked with Umair for over a decade. He is a thoughtful, knowledgeable and energetic leader. He brings with him deep public health expertise, passion for addressing health inequities, and emergency response experience, all of which will serve the state very well right now during this pandemic and for the years to come.” Shah has a bachelor’s degree (Vanderbilt University), a medical degree (The University of Toledo Health Science Center) and a master’s (public health, with an emphasis in management and policy sciences, The University of Texas Health Science Center). Last year, Elemental included him in its list of the nation’s 50 health and science experts to help people separate truth from misinformation and stay up to date. Other Muslim health professionals listed included Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, MD, DRPH (author; CNN political commentator; former director, Detroit Health Department); Nahid Bhadelia, MD, MA (medical director, Special Pathogens Unit, Boston Medical Center; associate professor, Boston University School of Medicine); Abraar Karan (department of medicine, Brigham & Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School) and Syra Madad (senior director, System-wide Special Pathogens Program, NYC Health + Hospitals). ih
10 ISLAMIC HORIZONS JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021
Azhar Azeez, a former ISNA president, addressed the Islamic Council of Ohio’s (ICO) 33rd Islamic Day in Ohio (IDO), held virtually on Oct. 10, 2020. This year’s theme was “Racial Justice: A Moral Obligation.”
He reminded the audience that we have to remain aware of those who try to divide us and to applaud the nation’s Founding Fathers and Mothers, who showed great wisdom by allowing freedom of religious practices in this great nation of ours to grow. He pointed out that Muslim Americans come from 57 Muslim-majority countries, 54 of which had either been colonies and/or dictatorships, and the U.S. allowed them to grow and thrive in a democratic and pluralistic environment. As with every minority community, their stories and challenges are unique. Thus, he stated that we should never minimize our contributions and have the moral obligation to continue to contribute, as well as stand with and for those marginalized people who face brutality and oppression. Each year ICO partners with a state Islamic center to host the event. This year, the Islamic Society of Akron and Kent (ISAK) and the Akron Masjid collaborated with ICO to host it virtually. Speakers included Councilman Basheer Jones (Cleveland’s first Muslim council representative), Toqa Hassan (founder of Youth Inspiration Network, Akron Masjid’s youth group), Khalid Madhi (chair, Faith Islamic Academy’s board of education), Sohail Khan (chairperson, ICO), Faheem Shaikh (president, ISAK) and Abdelkareem Melaiye (amir, Akron Masjid). Lydia Rose (public relations director, ISAK) moderated the event. Governor Richard Celeste declared an official Islamic Day in Ohio in 1987, prompted by the council’s efforts to familiarize public officials with the religion. ih
