Kimia was born in Tehran, Iran, and immigrated to Leuven, Belgium, where she lived for 7 years until she and her parents moved to Houston, Texas. Her experiences as the first person in her family to pursue education abroad drive her passion for mentoring immigrants in pursuit of higher education. Throughout her time as a student at the University of Texas at Austin, she has meaningfully served as director for the Health Careers Mentorship Program and Dell Medical School’s C.D. Doyle Free Clinic. Kimia has devoted her college education and award-winning thesis to refugee and immigrant health as part of the Humanities Honors Program in the College of Liberal Arts. Passionate about cancer awareness, she recently biked 4,000 miles from Texas to Alaska to fundraise for cancer research, learn about the journey faced by cancer patients, and engage with communities across North America to raise awareness of cancer screening and prevention. These experiences have inspired her to become a physician dedicated to improving health education for refugee and low-income communities. During her free time, Kimia enjoys cycling around Austin, playing intramural volleyball, and spending time with her friends and family.
