Serving Across Generations: Rawan Hammoud’s Path to OB/GYN

May 8, 2025

Rawan Hammoud knew she wanted to be a doctor at just six years old.

“I didn’t know why yet, but I knew,” she said. That clarity deepened over time, shaped by the community and support around her.

“Growing up in Dearborn was a huge catalyst in my decision to pursue medicine,” she said. "Being immersed from a young age in a marginalized community—lack of access to health care and resources along with patient misinformation and stigmas—inspired me to give back to communities like mine that suffered at the hands of inequality.”

After a gap year following undergrad, during which she worked as a medical scribe at Henry Ford Health amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Hammoud entered the College of Human Medicine and joined the Southeast Michigan campus in her third year.

“I got to continue serving in a diverse and underserved community, including with organizations I grew up volunteering with, such as C-Assist of Dearborn and HUDA Clinic of Detroit,” she said.

Though she originally planned to pursue primary care, her third-year OB/GYN rotation changed everything. “I fell head over heels in love,” she said. She had always valued continuity of care and building relationships with patients, something she was excited to find deeply rooted in the field.

“Being able to treat a mother, a grandmother, and a daughter all within one family was quite incredible to me,” she said. “Being there for patients during their most difficult and most cherished moments felt like a place where I could truly contribute, and something that fit with my personality.”

Hammoud was also inspired by the few Muslim women from her community who pursued medicine. As a Muslim woman who wears hijab, she recognized the additional barriers for women like her—especially in specialized fields like OB/GYN.

“It made me think maybe one day a young girl who looked like me could believe they could do it too.”

Hammoud draws much of her motivation from her parents, first-generation Arab immigrants who built a life for their children through hard work and sacrifice. She also credits early experiences working in her family’s restaurant with helping her learn how to connect with people, skills she now brings into clinical care.

During medical school, one of her most meaningful experiences was volunteering with the Foundation of International Medical Relief for Children in Santa Ana, Costa Rica. “I got to perform gynecological exams on women who have never received a pap smear in their lifetime,” she said. “I got to help in free health clinics and see children who had never seen a doctor before and witnessed firsthand the shared inequalities in health care that exist both locally and globally.”

As she prepares to begin her obstetrics & gynecology residency at Trinity Health in Ann Arbor, Hammoud is looking forward to “doing many, many c-sections and being a part of countless birthdays,” as well as continuing her lifelong commitment to learning—something, she noted, her faith constantly encourages.

Looking ahead, she said, “I hope to be the type of physician that treats patients like I would my own family members and one that patients feel truly seen around… with no shame, guilt, or judgment.”