Dr Fatima Syed

Dr. Fatima Syed is a general practitioner (GP) with expertise in mental health. As a graduate of Dow Medical College Karachi, she spent time in Pakistan, Canada and the Middle East. The wide range of experience broadened her horizons and sparked her interest in different cultures and medical fields particularly mental health.

Dr. Syed moved to Australia in 2012 with her family and settled in Adelaide. Dr Syed graduated with distinction from Dow Medical College (DMC) Pakistan in 2000; she completed internships in internal medicine and Gynaecology at Civil Hospital Karachi, Pakistan (a 1,900-bed public hospital). Being inspired by her parents who were University professors in the UK and Pakistan, she started her teaching career in Canada as an Associate Professor at All Saints School of Medicine (ASUM) in 2006; she helped medical students to define their medical career in the USA and Canada. To pursue her clinical career, she passed the Medical Council of Canada (MCC) and the United States medical licensing exams (USMLE). During her stay in Canada, she also volunteered for psychological counselling of new immigrants and refugees in Canada.

During her time as a psychological Subject Matter Expert (SME) with the American Department of Defence, Dr. Syed was in charge of the two detainee camps. She provided psychological counselling to Iraqi detainees and prisoners of war (POW) including children and helped reintegrate them into society. This work helped her appreciate the importance of compassion and empathy. She also completed externships at the US Army Combat hospitals and volunteered for The American Red cross. She later joined a Family Physician office in Canada and continued teaching at ASUM.

In 2012, Dr Syed was employed by Adelaide Metro Mental Health and since then she has been working in Australia, initially as a mental health doctor and lately as a GP. As a mental health doctor, she provided services to Modbury Hospital (Woodleigh House), NE Community Mental Health, Lyell McEwin Hospital and Northern Community Mental Health, Eastern Community Mental Health and covering afterhours psychiatry ED at Glenside Hospital and the Royal Adelaide Hospital. As a GP, she has worked at multiple medical centres in Adelaide. Dr Syed’s special interests include Mental health, Women’s health and Chronic Disease management.

Languages

• English
• Urdu
• Hindi