“There was so much war and trauma. And there weren’t enough doctors. I saw a mother holding her very young child who probably wasn’t going to make it,” said Dr. Hammoud (’92 B.S.). “You don’t forget experiences like this. It instilled something in me: I knew that I wanted to go into health care.”
When her family moved to Michigan from Lebanon in the late 1980s, Hammoud enrolled at UM-Dearborn with a medical degree in mind. She credits her undergraduate experience with setting her up for success not only in medical school — she graduated from University of Michigan Medical School in 1996 — but also in her career as a practitioner and educator.
“The best decision I made in my life was to go to UM-Dearborn,” she said. “My education prepared me well. And my professors showed me the type of educator I wanted to be; they taught the importance of critical thinking and were there for me when I needed guidance.”
Today, she’s the one offering guidance. Hammoud is a U-M Medical School professor of obstetrics and gynecology and of learning health sciences, providing field insight to students through her two decades of experience at Michigan Medicine’s Von Voigtlander Women’s Hospital.
"You don’t forget experiences like this. It instilled something in me."
Known for her research in medical education, cultural competence and women's health, she also regularly travels both nationally and abroad to share research and lead faculty development workshops. In fact, she’s currently working with the American Medical Association Medical Education Group on faculty development to advance education in health systems science nationally in order to prepare today’s students for the health care delivery system of tomorrow.
With reach and impact at the forefront of her mind, Hammoud sees her teaching as a way to multiply her efforts to treat others.
“As a doctor, I can treat my patients,” said Hammoud, who also is president of the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics. “But as an educator, through teaching students the proper way to do things, the influence goes beyond one office or hospital. It’s developing this next generation of physicians who will go and make a difference in the world.”
All in the Family
One of Dr. Hammoud’s favorite UM-Dearborn faculty members, Biochemistry and Biology Professor Marliee Benore, now has taught two of Hammoud’s three daughters. Hammoud’s younger two, Hannah and Sarah, are current UM-Dearborn students. Her oldest Nadine (’17 B.A.) is currently a student at University of Michigan Medical School who is completing her clinical rotations at Michigan Medicine — where she recently helped deliver a baby girl with her mom.
