Abdul El-Sayed is a politician, former public health professor, medical doctor, and civil servant. El-Sayed was raised just outside of Detroit. He attended the University of Michigan, the University of Michigan Medical School, and then Oriel College, Oxford, where he completed a PhD in public health in 2011. He returned home to complete his MD at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.El-Sayed has written extensively on public health policy, social epidemiology, and health disparities. His work has appeared in The New York Times, CNN, The Hill, The Huffington Post, The Detroit News, and the Detroit Free Press.El-Sayed was assistant professor in epidemiology at Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health. At the same time, he was Health Officer and Executive Director of the Detroit Health Department.In 2018, El-Sayed resigned as health director to run to be the Democratic nominee for the governor of Michigan, which he did not win.