After graduating from Cornell and NES in 2011, I moved to New York City, where I attended Columbia University School of Social Work. After graduation, I worked as an inpatient social worker at New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell Hospital for over 6 years. At the hospital, I worked in the Burn Unit, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, and in a COVID-19 Recovery Unit. I was also a guest faculty member for the Department of Ethics at Weill Cornell Medical College.
During my time at Weill Cornell, I had many opportunities to practice my long-forgotten Arabic with patients. Although I was not able to conduct full assessments or provide treatment in Arabic, saying hello, how are you, where are you from? in the patient's native language helped build a rapport and establish a safe space during what is otherwise a very stressful and overwhelming experience. I left the hospital in August of 2020 to move back to Ithaca to be closer to my family.
Around the time the pandemic hit, I joined two fellow Cornell graduates who started a women's health startup, Ask Tia, and assisted them with building their mental health program, where I worked for over 2 years. I have since started my own private practice, while also working full-time as a remote behavioral health consultant for a primary care office. I moved back to Brooklyn in November of 2022 with my beloved 2-year-old wire-haired Dachshund, Charlie Edith Lebron Powers.
