At just 29 years old, Zanab Jafry Shah (BSc ’19) has already become an inspiring leader and voice in her field.

She was recognized for her accomplishments and community impact with the 2024 Brock University Alumni Association (BUAA) Outstanding Young Alumni Award during Brock’s Alumni Recognition Reception on Sunday, Sept. 22.

Since finding her calling as a student just a few years ago, Jafry Shah has grown into a champion for equity in health care, helping to bridge the gap between people in need and the services that will better their lives.

Her passion for health equity was sparked during a first-year class exploring the social determinates of health taught by Professor of Health Sciences Terrance Wade.

“It was the first time I saw my story and my family’s story reflected in curriculum about medicine,” she says.

After the untimely death of classmate Yosif Al-Hasnawi, Jafry Shah felt called to action. She founded the Annual Yosif Al-Hasnawi Memorial Lecture in partnership with Amal Alzurufi, Yosif’s mother.

She believes the people she encountered at Brock played an important role in her growth, including former President and Vice-Chancellor Gervan Fearon, who she says believed in her and her “ambitious mission” at a time when she didn’t always believe in herself.

In 2023, she delivered a moving address to Brock University students, highlighting the ways vulnerable, marginalized members of society drift away from receiving health care.

This phenomenon has been a focus of Jafry Shah’s career since leaving Brock as she works to help design a health-care landscape that places vulnerable people in the centre of funding, infrastructure and practise.

Until recently, she served as the Manager of Toronto’s University Health Network Office of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Antiracism (IDEAA). During her tenure, she led the inaugural data collection campaign to measure the sentiment and experiences of equity-denied groups at the University Health Network and developed the first IDEAA education digital platform for training medical staff. She also led the development of curriculum for medical researchers and for embedding principles of IDEAA into research methodologies at UHN.

In July 2024, Jafry Shah began work on a digital platform that aims to connect patients with the social infrastructure they need to advance their health status.

Nominations for the 2025 alumni awards program are open until Friday, Feb. 21.