For St. George’s University School of Medicine graduate Ahmad Firas Khalid, MD ’09, the road to medicine was as global as the career he would eventually build. Born in Amman, Jordan, he spent his early years in the United Arab Emirates before immigrating to Canada with his family. While Canada became home, his ties to the Middle East remained deeply rooted, a connection that shaped his passion for service and global health.
One of his most formative experiences came in Lebanon, working with the American University of Beirut’s Knowledge to Policy (K2P) Center. There, he supported evidence-informed policymaking for the Syrian refugee response, collaborating with United Nations agencies, frontline decision-makers, and local partners to bridge research and humanitarian action.
“I grew up between the Middle East and Canada, where I was shaped by a deep appreciation for service and a strong sense of responsibility to support vulnerable communities,” Dr. Khalid reflected. “Medicine felt like the clearest path to serve others, while also allowing me to explore the intersection of science, equity, and social justice.”
For Dr. Khalid, SGU offered more than a medical degree, it offered a truly global education. “SGU stood out to me because of its international orientation,” he says. “The ability to train in both the UK and North America provided invaluable insight into different health systems while building a flexible, adaptable foundation for a career in medicine and policy.”
After graduating with research distinction, Dr. Khalid’s path took a decisive turn toward global health and policy. “While I valued direct patient care, I was increasingly drawn to the upstream systems and decisions shaping health outcomes,” he explains. That curiosity led him to roles with the World Health Organization (WHO), Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), and Evidence Aid.
At Evidence Aid, Dr. Khalid led the development of WHO’s Knowledge Hub on Disaster Response, an online platform now used by over 50,000 global users to access real-time, evidence-based guidance during emergencies.
“It was one of the most meaningful projects of my career,” he recalls. “It bridged research and operational realities, ensuring frontline workers had access to the best available knowledge when they needed it most.”
Today, Dr. Khalid serves as Senior Policy Analyst for the Government of Canada and Adjunct Faculty at McGill University and McMaster University, a career built at the intersection of medicine, research, and policy.
SGU News sat down with Dr. Khalid to learn more about the journey that took him from medical school to the front lines of global health leadership.
SGU: What led you to choose SGU for your medical education?
Dr. Khalid: SGU stood out to me because of its truly global orientation. It offered rigorous clinical education paired with unmatched international exposure. The ability to train in both the UK and North America allowed me to gain insight into different health systems while building a flexible, adaptable foundation for a global career in medicine and policy.
SGU: How did your clinical experiences at the UK hospitals shape your medical foundation?
Dr. Khalid: My clinical rotations in the UK at Dudley Hospital in Birmingham, and Watford General and North Middlesex University Hospitals in London were formative. I learned to practice in high-pressure environments, collaborate with diverse teams, and care for patients from a wide range of cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. These experiences sharpened my clinical reasoning and strengthened my ability to lead in complex, multicultural settings.
SGU: How did your experience at SGU prepare you for your transition into global health and policy work?
Dr. Khalid: SGU cultivated a global mindset and exposed me to the diversity and complexity of real-world healthcare. The international student body, faculty, and clinical environments gave me early insight into the kinds of cross-border, cross-sector thinking that now defines my work in policy and humanitarian response. SGU prepared me not just for patient care, but for system-level impact.
SGU: What motivated your move from clinical medicine to working with organizations like WHO and Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders)?
Dr. Khalid: While I valued direct patient care, I found myself increasingly drawn to the upstream systems and decisions that shaped health outcomes. Working with WHO and MSF allowed me to contribute at the macro level, responding to crises, advising on global health governance, and supporting equity through evidence and policy. It was a natural evolution of my interest in medicine as a tool for broader societal change.
SGU: What have been some of the most rewarding or challenging moments in your global health career so far?
Dr. Khalid: One of the most rewarding experiences was during my CIHR Health Systems Impact Fellowship with the Canadian Red Cross and the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. I developed rapid evidence summaries in response to real-time questions from field teams during COVID-19. The challenge was balancing urgency with academic rigor, but the impact was tangible. Supporting decision-makers during a global crisis reaffirmed my belief in the power of applied research and evidence-based response.
SGU: Looking back, how did SGU serve as a launchpad for the career path you’ve carved across medicine, research, and policy?
Dr. Khalid: SGU opened doors I never imagined from clinical training in the UK to working with the WHO in Geneva. It gave me a globally recognized medical education, a deep appreciation for diversity, and the confidence to build a career at the intersection of health, research, and policy. SGU was more than a medical school; it was the launchpad for a life of meaningful global impact.
SGU: As a mentor and educator at McGill University and McMaster University, how do you guide future health professionals by drawing from your SGU journey?
Dr. Khalid: I encourage students to think beyond traditional career paths and embrace their versatility. SGU gave me the confidence to explore policy, global health, and academic leadership. I try to pass that same sense of possibility onto my students emphasizing compassion, systems thinking, and a commitment to service, wherever their careers take them.
SGU: What advice would you give SGU students or graduates looking to explore careers beyond traditional clinical practice?
Dr. Khalid: You are more prepared than you think and don’t be afraid to pivot. Medical training equips you with critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving skills that are valuable far beyond the clinic. Follow your curiosity, seek mentors, and don’t be afraid to chart your own course. The world needs health professionals in leadership, policy, education, and innovation and SGU graduates are well positioned to lead in all of those spaces.
