Visiting faculty

Abdul El-Sayed

Harry A. and Margaret D. Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence

Dr. Abdul El-Sayed is a Harry A. and Margaret D. Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence at the University of Michigan's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. A public servant, Michigan politician, former epidemiology professor at Columbia University, and a medical doctor, Dr. El-Sayed was executive director of the Detroit Health Department and Health Officer for the city from 2015 to 2017. In 2017 he resigned as health director to run for governor of the State of Michigan. 

Dr. El-Sayed is a political contributor at CNN, the author of Healing Politics: A Doctor's Journey into the Heart of Our Political Epidemic and Medicare for All: A Citizen's Guide (co-authored with Micah Johnson) as well as his newsletter The Incision, and the host of America Dissected with Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, a podcast about politics and public health. In 2020, he served on the Biden-Sanders Unity Task Force on health care. Dr. El-Sayed received his undergraduate degrees in biology and political science from the University of Michigan, and his MD degree from Columbia University. He was a Rhodes Scholar at Oriel College, Oxford where he completed a doctorate in public health. 

Educational background

  • MD, Columbia University
  • Rhodes Scholar, Oriel College, Oxford
  • DPhil in public health, Oxford
  • Bachelor's in biology and political science, University of Michigan

Recent publications

  • Healing Politics: A Doctor's Journey into the Heart of Our Political Epidemic
  • Medicare for All: A Citizen's Guide (co-authored with Micah Johnson)
America Dissected podcast art

Podcast

America Dissected

The Coronavirus is now a global pandemic. How did we get here? What went wrong? What do we do about it now? Dr. Abdul El-Sayed will keep you posted on what you need to know about COVID-19, what led us to this crisis in the first place, and what policies can lead us out.
Listen now
The Incision cover art

Newsletter

The Incision

The Incision, a Substack newsletter by Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, cuts deeper into the trends—social and scientific—driving this moment and we can do to create the world we deserve.
Read and subscribe