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He turned down two Harvard positions to return to the Middle East. When QF called about the Qatar Genome Program, it was just documents and hope — no lab, no team, no logo. As employee number one, Dr. Said built one of the world's most comprehensive genome programs. After 50,000 genomes sequenced, the goal isn't numbers — it's impact that transforms healthcare.
After completing his PhD in Gene Therapy at the University of Oxford, Dr. Said Ismail was offered not one, but two different positions within Harvard University. It wasn’t an easy decision. But he turned both down, and instead returned to his home country, Jordan.
“I always had the desire to serve my region,” he says. “In the West, I would be one of many. But here, I’d be one of few. This region needed me more. I could create greater impact here.”
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