Meet Our People
Meet Nusaibah Husain — one of the many dedicated staff members helping shape the future of medical education at the SFU School of Medicine.
Since joining the School in 2023, Nusaibah has worked closely with the Admissions, Accreditation, and Curriculum teams to support the development of the UGME MD Program. Get to know what inspires her, what excites her about our work, and what makes our team culture so special.
Why did you join SFU School of Medicine?
I joined the Med School because I was given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help shape the future of healthcare in B.C. I get to contribute to an initiative with real, long-lasting impact on people’s lives, including underserved, marginalized and vulnerable populations.
And while I didn’t go to medical school like my brothers, I now get to help educate the next generation of doctors, something my dad is especially proud of.
What excites you most about what we’re building?
What excites me most is that the SFU School of Medicine is intentionally centring generalism and primary care in response to real needs across British Columbia, where many people still struggle to access consistent care.
At the heart of this is a strong commitment to person-centred care — starting with listening and recognizing that people’s lived experiences, identities, cultures, and communities shape their health.
I’m especially excited by how this is paired with team-based practice. Care doesn’t rest on a single provider; it’s shaped by collaborative teams that value different kinds of expertise.
Because we’re building this school from the ground up, we can be intentional about embedding these values throughout the curriculum — improving traditional models by learning from communities and Indigenous Knowledge Systems. The inclusive admissions streams are a powerful reflection of those values.
Being part of a school that places people, relationships, and equity at the centre of medical education feels deeply meaningful to me. It feels like work that truly matters.
Why does community-based medical education matter to you?
Community-based medical education matters to me because it brings learning closer to the real lives of the people it’s meant to serve — it’s truly for the people, by the people. When students learn in community settings, they begin to see health as more than a clinical presentation or set of symptoms; it’s shaped by where people live, their families, occupations, and access to resources. That perspective is essential for person-centred care.
Learning alongside communities also helps future physicians understand continuity of care, prevention, and relationship-based practice — not just episodic, clinic, or hospital-based encounters. Ultimately, it helps ensure medical schools are not only training competent clinicians, but are also responsive to the communities they serve, particularly rural, underserved, and marginalized populations. That alignment between education, equity, and real-world impact is what makes this work feel purposeful and lasting.
What’s one thing you enjoy about our team culture?
One thing people should know about our team culture is that we’re deeply collaborative and genuinely care about each other — and we’re also a team of superheroes (think Avengers or Justice League), fighting hard to help bring better healthcare to British Columbia. Everyone brings their own unique strengths and “superpowers,” and the real magic happens when we work together.
We take our work seriously but not ourselves, and our humour is legendary — our MS Teams group chat is living proof of our elite GIF game. That mix of trust, openness, and laughter creates a space where people support one another and great, people-centred work can truly thrive.
What’s a fun fact about you?
I grew up in three different countries across the globe, which probably explains why I picked up a few languages and why my spice collection is slightly out of control. In a past life, I designed my own clothes, and while I no longer dabble in fashion design, my obsession with shoes remains. A trip to the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto with my dad is a core childhood memory.
And I must say that I have a soft spot for Dr. Bonnie Henry’s iconic Fluevog shoes, especially knowing that proceeds went to B.C. Food Banks during the coronavirus pandemic. Now that’s fashion with an impact!