Women Faculty Forum – Women in Medicine & Sciences Feature: Rana Afifi, MD


By Roman Petrowski, Office of Communications

Dr. Rana Afifi - Women Faculty Forum Feature

Each month, the Women Faculty Forum presents its Women in Medicine and Sciences Feature, highlighting the women faculty at McGovern Medical School who are leaders in medicine, research, and education.

This month’s feature is Rana Afifi, MD, associate professor in the Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, and program director of the Advanced Aortic Surgery and Structural Heart Fellowship.

What is your background? When did you join UTHealth Houston?
I was born and raised in Nazareth, Israel. I graduated from medical school at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in 2004. After completing my general surgery residency at Carmel Hospital in Haifa, Israel, I received specialty training in vascular and endovascular surgery at Carmel Hospital.

Due to my interest in complex aortic diseases, in 2013 I came to the United States and did an additional fellowship in complex aortic surgeries at McGovern Medical School. Upon completing my fellowship, I accepted a position as assistant professor of vascular surgery at McGovern Medical School, in the Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery. In 2021, I was promoted to associate professor.

What inspired you to pursue a career in science?
I don’t recall the exact moment. I must have been at a very young age. For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be a doctor. My family tells the story of me going as a 7- or 8-year old girl with my uncle to an anatomy lab and deciding since then that I would be a doctor (A surgeon since childhood).

What are your current clinical and/or research interests?
I am interested in complex aortic pathology, and since 2018 I have focused much of my research and effort on women’s vascular and cardiac health and aortic disease in young women, specifically.

In 2018, I initiated the Women’s Vascular and Cardiac Health Interdisciplinary Initiative, leading a group of physicians from different specialties, including cardiothoracic and vascular surgeons, adult congenital cardiologists, maternal fetal medicine specialists, medical geneticists, vascular neurologists, and clinical epidemiologists. The goal of this initiative is, through collaborative research, to eliminate knowledge gaps and clinical disparities and to reduce the morbidity and mortality of cardiovascular disease in women.

Who are your role models?
My parents and family were my first role models, and as I went through life, I started adding to that list many mentors, teachers, and friends whom I wanted to learn from and be like in certain aspects of life. Some I look up to in their professional careers, others I want to learn from how they lead, and some I am just in awe of how they love and care for themselves and their families.

What do you enjoy most about working at UTHealth Houston?
At UTHealth Houston, I have the freedom to dream and build my career to achieve that dream. I enjoy the support and sponsorship that I get from my leadership and colleagues. My team at UTHealth Houston is part of my family away from home.

How do you think UTHealth Houston can further support female faculty?
Creating more opportunities for women to lead at the higher levels at the university, educating and teaching leaders in the university on how to become true allies, which would allow for more sponsorship and will open opportunities for career development for women at all levels, starting from the early career faculty to the senior faculty.