Zainab Samad

Dr. Zainab Samad is chairwoman of the Department of Medicine at Aga Khan University (AKU) in Pakistan and currently serves as an Adjunct Associate Professor of Medicine at Duke University.

She attended Medical School at the Aga Khan University Medical College in Karachi, Pakistan and thereafter completed her residency training in Internal Medicine and fellowship in Cardiology at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina. Additionally, she completed advanced training in cardiovascular imaging, specifically in clinical echocardiography, cardiac MRI and SPECT-myocardial perfusion imaging. She is also trained in quantitative methods with a Master of Health Sciences in Clinical Research degree from the National Institutes of Health- Duke Clinical Research Training Program. She served on faculty in the Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine for nine years before accepting the position at AKU in 2018. She resides full-time in Karachi.

Current Duke Appointments & Affiliations

Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine · 2018 - Present Medicine, Cardiology, Medicine

Recent News Items

Published May 30, 2018

A 'Superstar' Duke Researcher Returns to Pakistan to Serve as First Female Chair of Medicine at Aga Khan University

Published June 2, 2015

Women, stress and the risk of heart disease

Published October 14, 2014

Stress affects women, men with heart disease differently, study shows

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Recent Scholarly Works

m-Lifestyle Intervention for Employees (m-LIfE): protocol for a pilot cluster randomized controlled trial on cardiovascular disease prevention strategies.

Journal article Pilot Feasibility Stud · April 7, 2026 INTRODUCTION: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of mortality globally. Developing countries, including Pakistan, face a significant burden of CVD risk factors. Mobile health (mHealth) interventions have shown potential in promoting physi ... Full text Link to item Cite

Assessing the Efficacy and Impact of Using a Simulation-Based Approach for Rapid Critical Care Capacity Development at Scale.

Journal article Simul Healthc · April 1, 2026 In response to the increased COVID-19 cases and staff limitations, the need to enhance critical care capacity was identified by the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH). We designed and delivered a series of in-person simulation-based workshops to rapidly u ... Full text Link to item Cite

Mapping and evaluation of global and country-specific cardiovascular disease risk prediction models.

Journal article Future Cardiol · April 2026 Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) remain a leading cause of global morbidity and mortality, requiring precise risk prediction models for effective prevention and management. This review maps and evaluates globally utilized and country-specific CVD risk predic ... Full text Link to item Cite

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Education

Duke University, School of Medicine · 2009 M.H.S.

Aga Khan University (Pakistan) · 2000 M.B.B.S.