{"id":991,"date":"2019-05-07T07:00:17","date_gmt":"2019-05-07T14:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/commencement-2019-spotlight-on-jamil-samaan-keck-school-of-medicine-of-usc\/"},"modified":"2023-11-26T08:18:03","modified_gmt":"2023-11-26T16:18:03","slug":"commencement-2019-spotlight-on-jamil-samaan-keck-school-of-medicine-of-usc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/commencement-2019-spotlight-on-jamil-samaan-keck-school-of-medicine-of-usc\/","title":{"rendered":"Commencement 2019: Spotlight on Jamil Samaan, Keck School of Medicine of USC"},"content":{"rendered":"\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-hero \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-hero\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"text-container\">\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--eyebrow\">\n\n    \n  <span>Press Release<\/span>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--page-title\">\n\n    \n  <h1>Commencement 2019: Spotlight on Jamil Samaan, Keck School of Medicine of USC<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n    \n          <div class=\"meta\">\n        \n                  <span class=\"date\">May 07, 2019<\/span>\n              <\/div>\n    \n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--embed\">\n\n    \n  <div class=\"heateor_sss_sharing_container heateor_sss_horizontal_sharing\" data-heateor-ss-offset=\"0\" data-heateor-sss-href='https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/commencement-2019-spotlight-on-jamil-samaan-keck-school-of-medicine-of-usc\/'><div class=\"heateor_sss_sharing_ul\"><a aria-label=\"Facebook\" class=\"heateor_sss_facebook\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fkeck.usc.edu%2Fnews%2Fcommencement-2019-spotlight-on-jamil-samaan-keck-school-of-medicine-of-usc%2F\" title=\"Facebook\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"font-size:32px!important;box-shadow:none;display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle\"><span class=\"heateor_sss_svg\" style=\"background-color:#0765FE;width:32px;height:32px;display:inline-block;opacity:1;float:left;font-size:32px;box-shadow:none;display:inline-block;font-size:16px;padding:0 4px;vertical-align:middle;background-repeat:repeat;overflow:hidden;padding:0;cursor:pointer;box-sizing:content-box\"><svg style=\"display:block;\" focusable=\"false\" aria-hidden=\"true\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\" viewBox=\"0 0 32 32\"><path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M28 16c0-6.627-5.373-12-12-12S4 9.373 4 16c0 5.628 3.875 10.35 9.101 11.647v-7.98h-2.474V16H13.1v-1.58c0-4.085 1.849-5.978 5.859-5.978.76 0 2.072.15 2.608.298v3.325c-.283-.03-.775-.045-1.386-.045-1.967 0-2.728.745-2.728 2.683V16h3.92l-.673 3.667h-3.247v8.245C23.395 27.195 28 22.135 28 16Z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/a><a aria-label=\"X\" class=\"heateor_sss_button_x\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Commencement%202019%3A%20Spotlight%20on%20Jamil%20Samaan%2C%20Keck%20School%20of%20Medicine%20of%20USC&#038;url=https%3A%2F%2Fkeck.usc.edu%2Fnews%2Fcommencement-2019-spotlight-on-jamil-samaan-keck-school-of-medicine-of-usc%2F\" title=\"X\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"font-size:32px!important;box-shadow:none;display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle\"><span class=\"heateor_sss_svg heateor_sss_s__default heateor_sss_s_x\" style=\"background-color:#2a2a2a;width:32px;height:32px;display:inline-block;opacity:1;float:left;font-size:32px;box-shadow:none;display:inline-block;font-size:16px;padding:0 4px;vertical-align:middle;background-repeat:repeat;overflow:hidden;padding:0;cursor:pointer;box-sizing:content-box\"><svg width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\" style=\"display:block;\" focusable=\"false\" aria-hidden=\"true\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 32 32\"><path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M21.751 7h3.067l-6.7 7.658L26 25.078h-6.172l-4.833-6.32-5.531 6.32h-3.07l7.167-8.19L6 7h6.328l4.37 5.777L21.75 7Zm-1.076 16.242h1.7L11.404 8.74H9.58l11.094 14.503Z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/a><a aria-label=\"Linkedin\" class=\"heateor_sss_button_linkedin\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/sharing\/share-offsite\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fkeck.usc.edu%2Fnews%2Fcommencement-2019-spotlight-on-jamil-samaan-keck-school-of-medicine-of-usc%2F\" title=\"Linkedin\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"font-size:32px!important;box-shadow:none;display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle\"><span class=\"heateor_sss_svg heateor_sss_s__default heateor_sss_s_linkedin\" style=\"background-color:#0077b5;width:32px;height:32px;display:inline-block;opacity:1;float:left;font-size:32px;box-shadow:none;display:inline-block;font-size:16px;padding:0 4px;vertical-align:middle;background-repeat:repeat;overflow:hidden;padding:0;cursor:pointer;box-sizing:content-box\"><svg style=\"display:block;\" focusable=\"false\" aria-hidden=\"true\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\" viewBox=\"0 0 32 32\"><path d=\"M6.227 12.61h4.19v13.48h-4.19V12.61zm2.095-6.7a2.43 2.43 0 0 1 0 4.86c-1.344 0-2.428-1.09-2.428-2.43s1.084-2.43 2.428-2.43m4.72 6.7h4.02v1.84h.058c.56-1.058 1.927-2.176 3.965-2.176 4.238 0 5.02 2.792 5.02 6.42v7.395h-4.183v-6.56c0-1.564-.03-3.574-2.178-3.574-2.18 0-2.514 1.7-2.514 3.46v6.668h-4.187V12.61z\" fill=\"#fff\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/a><a aria-label=\"Whatsapp\" class=\"heateor_sss_whatsapp\" href=\"https:\/\/api.whatsapp.com\/send?text=Commencement%202019%3A%20Spotlight%20on%20Jamil%20Samaan%2C%20Keck%20School%20of%20Medicine%20of%20USC%20https%3A%2F%2Fkeck.usc.edu%2Fnews%2Fcommencement-2019-spotlight-on-jamil-samaan-keck-school-of-medicine-of-usc%2F\" title=\"Whatsapp\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"font-size:32px!important;box-shadow:none;display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle\"><span class=\"heateor_sss_svg\" style=\"background-color:#55eb4c;width:32px;height:32px;display:inline-block;opacity:1;float:left;font-size:32px;box-shadow:none;display:inline-block;font-size:16px;padding:0 4px;vertical-align:middle;background-repeat:repeat;overflow:hidden;padding:0;cursor:pointer;box-sizing:content-box\"><svg style=\"display:block;\" focusable=\"false\" aria-hidden=\"true\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\" viewBox=\"-6 -5 40 40\"><path class=\"heateor_sss_svg_stroke heateor_sss_no_fill\" stroke=\"#fff\" stroke-width=\"2\" fill=\"none\" d=\"M 11.579798566743314 24.396926207859085 A 10 10 0 1 0 6.808479557110079 20.73576436351046\"><\/path><path d=\"M 7 19 l -1 6 l 6 -1\" class=\"heateor_sss_no_fill heateor_sss_svg_stroke\" stroke=\"#fff\" stroke-width=\"2\" fill=\"none\"><\/path><path d=\"M 10 10 q -1 8 8 11 c 5 -1 0 -6 -1 -3 q -4 -3 -5 -5 c 4 -2 -1 -5 -1 -4\" fill=\"#fff\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/a><a aria-label=\"Telegram\" class=\"heateor_sss_button_telegram\" href=\"https:\/\/telegram.me\/share\/url?url=https%3A%2F%2Fkeck.usc.edu%2Fnews%2Fcommencement-2019-spotlight-on-jamil-samaan-keck-school-of-medicine-of-usc%2F&#038;text=Commencement%202019%3A%20Spotlight%20on%20Jamil%20Samaan%2C%20Keck%20School%20of%20Medicine%20of%20USC\" title=\"Telegram\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"font-size:32px!important;box-shadow:none;display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle\"><span class=\"heateor_sss_svg heateor_sss_s__default heateor_sss_s_telegram\" style=\"background-color:#3da5f1;width:32px;height:32px;display:inline-block;opacity:1;float:left;font-size:32px;box-shadow:none;display:inline-block;font-size:16px;padding:0 4px;vertical-align:middle;background-repeat:repeat;overflow:hidden;padding:0;cursor:pointer;box-sizing:content-box\"><svg style=\"display:block;\" focusable=\"false\" aria-hidden=\"true\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\" viewBox=\"0 0 32 32\"><path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M25.515 6.896L6.027 14.41c-1.33.534-1.322 1.276-.243 1.606l5 1.56 1.72 5.66c.226.625.115.873.77.873.506 0 .73-.235 1.012-.51l2.43-2.363 5.056 3.734c.93.514 1.602.25 1.834-.863l3.32-15.638c.338-1.363-.52-1.98-1.41-1.577z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/a><a aria-label=\"PrintFriendly\" class=\"heateor_sss_button_printfriendly\" href=\"https:\/\/www.printfriendly.com\/print?url=https%3A%2F%2Fkeck.usc.edu%2Fnews%2Fcommencement-2019-spotlight-on-jamil-samaan-keck-school-of-medicine-of-usc%2F&#038;partner=a2a\" title=\"PrintFriendly\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"font-size:32px!important;box-shadow:none;display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle\"><span class=\"heateor_sss_svg heateor_sss_s__default heateor_sss_s_printfriendly\" style=\"background-color:#61d1d5;width:32px;height:32px;display:inline-block;opacity:1;float:left;font-size:32px;box-shadow:none;display:inline-block;font-size:16px;padding:0 4px;vertical-align:middle;background-repeat:repeat;overflow:hidden;padding:0;cursor:pointer;box-sizing:content-box\"><svg style=\"display:block;\" focusable=\"false\" aria-hidden=\"true\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\" viewBox=\"0 0 32 32\"><g stroke=\"#fff\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-miterlimit=\"10\"><path fill=\"none\" d=\"M22.562 19.588v4.373H9.438v-4.37h13.124zm-13.124 1.53H6.375c-.483 0-.875-.313-.875-.7v-7.35c0-.387.392-.7.875-.7h19.25c.482 0 .875.313.875.7v7.35c0 .387-.393.7-.876.7h-3.062\"><\/path><path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M22.562 12.32V8.04H9.436v4.28\"><\/path><\/g><\/svg><\/span><\/a><a aria-label=\"Copy Link\" class=\"heateor_sss_button_copy_link\" title=\"Copy Link\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/commencement-2019-spotlight-on-jamil-samaan-keck-school-of-medicine-of-usc\/\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault()\" style=\"font-size:32px!important;box-shadow:none;display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle\"><span class=\"heateor_sss_svg heateor_sss_s__default heateor_sss_s_copy_link\" style=\"background-color:#ffc112;width:32px;height:32px;display:inline-block;opacity:1;float:left;font-size:32px;box-shadow:none;display:inline-block;font-size:16px;padding:0 4px;vertical-align:middle;background-repeat:repeat;overflow:hidden;padding:0;cursor:pointer;box-sizing:content-box\"><svg style=\"display:block;\" focusable=\"false\" aria-hidden=\"true\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\" viewBox=\"-4 -4 40 40\"><path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M24.412 21.177c0-.36-.126-.665-.377-.917l-2.804-2.804a1.235 1.235 0 0 0-.913-.378c-.377 0-.7.144-.97.43.026.028.11.11.255.25.144.14.24.236.29.29s.117.14.2.256c.087.117.146.232.177.344.03.112.046.236.046.37 0 .36-.126.666-.377.918a1.25 1.25 0 0 1-.918.377 1.4 1.4 0 0 1-.373-.047 1.062 1.062 0 0 1-.345-.175 2.268 2.268 0 0 1-.256-.2 6.815 6.815 0 0 1-.29-.29c-.14-.142-.223-.23-.25-.254-.297.28-.445.607-.445.984 0 .36.126.664.377.916l2.778 2.79c.243.243.548.364.917.364.36 0 .665-.118.917-.35l1.982-1.97c.252-.25.378-.55.378-.9zm-9.477-9.504c0-.36-.126-.665-.377-.917l-2.777-2.79a1.235 1.235 0 0 0-.913-.378c-.35 0-.656.12-.917.364L7.967 9.92c-.254.252-.38.553-.38.903 0 .36.126.665.38.917l2.802 2.804c.242.243.547.364.916.364.377 0 .7-.14.97-.418-.026-.027-.11-.11-.255-.25s-.24-.235-.29-.29a2.675 2.675 0 0 1-.2-.255 1.052 1.052 0 0 1-.176-.344 1.396 1.396 0 0 1-.047-.37c0-.36.126-.662.377-.914.252-.252.557-.377.917-.377.136 0 .26.015.37.046.114.03.23.09.346.175.117.085.202.153.256.2.054.05.15.148.29.29.14.146.222.23.25.258.294-.278.442-.606.442-.983zM27 21.177c0 1.078-.382 1.99-1.146 2.736l-1.982 1.968c-.745.75-1.658 1.12-2.736 1.12-1.087 0-2.004-.38-2.75-1.143l-2.777-2.79c-.75-.747-1.12-1.66-1.12-2.737 0-1.106.392-2.046 1.183-2.818l-1.186-1.185c-.774.79-1.708 1.186-2.805 1.186-1.078 0-1.995-.376-2.75-1.13l-2.803-2.81C5.377 12.82 5 11.903 5 10.826c0-1.08.382-1.993 1.146-2.738L8.128 6.12C8.873 5.372 9.785 5 10.864 5c1.087 0 2.004.382 2.75 1.146l2.777 2.79c.75.747 1.12 1.66 1.12 2.737 0 1.105-.392 2.045-1.183 2.817l1.186 1.186c.774-.79 1.708-1.186 2.805-1.186 1.078 0 1.995.377 2.75 1.132l2.804 2.804c.754.755 1.13 1.672 1.13 2.75z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/a><\/div><div class=\"heateorSssClear\"><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        \n  <\/div>\n\n  \n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\r\n\r\n\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text white\"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n        \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p>When he was 10 years old, Jamil Samaan and his family came to the United States from Syria. School was a struggle \u2014 he didn\u2019t speak any English. Despite the challenges he faced as a young immigrant in the U.S., he worked diligently towards his goal of becoming a doctor and soon that dream will be realized when he accepts his diploma from the Keck School of Medicine of USC.<br \/>\nHe hopes others in his Syrian American community can be supported in this same achievement. Samaan\u2019s years of navigating the U.S. education system through language barriers, economic disadvantage and lack of access to mentorship motivated him to create the Syrian American Association of Science and Health in 2017.<br \/>\n\u201cMy story inspired me to start this association because I did not have access to anyone to help me,\u201d he said. \u201cWhile there are Syrian doctors in our community, very few have studied medicine in the United States. Since medical school admissions and the educational system is very different in Syria, they often cannot comment on the strategies and details of applying to medical school.\u201d<br \/>\nThe association comprises Syrian American undergraduate students from various universities across California working with Samaan to help the Syrian American community.<br \/>\n\u201cWe believe that the best care for Syrian American patients is provided by competent Syrian American doctors who not only understand their pathology but are culturally competent to holistically approach care with understanding of their cultural background, daily habits and beliefs,\u201d Samaan said.<br \/>\nIncreasing the number of Syrian Americans in health care, he hopes, will help address the unique challenges faced by Syrians in the U.S.<br \/>\n\u201cJust like all other immigrant populations, Syrian Americans face unique health challenges that are rooted in culture, language barriers and attitudes towards health care,\u201d he said. \u201cI established this association to first identify these obstacles through research and subsequently help my community overcome them.\u201d<br \/>\nTo foster interest in science, the association hosts annual science days at organizations across Southern California, in addition to an annual workshop for pre-med students to discuss the medical school application process and strategies.<br \/>\nSamaan is working in the USC Institute on Inequalities in Global Health with Mellissa Withers, PhD, MHS, associate professor of clinical preventive medicine at the Keck School to better understand his community\u2019s health challenges. \u201cJamil is surveying health access and behavior among Syrians in the U.S. This is one of the first surveys on this population,\u201d she said.<br \/>\nHe presented the research in March at the Consortium of Universities for Global Health in Chicago, Illinois, with the undergraduate students involved in the study.<br \/>\n\u201cAlong with potentially helping the community, this provides an opportunity for Syrian American students who are working on the project to learn how to conduct research and sharpen their skills to better thrive in the medical field,\u201d he said.<br \/>\nThe study collects information in-person and online through an electronic form. So far, more than 1,000 surveys across the nation have been completed by participants, and the researchers hope to collect data from all 50 states.<br \/>\nTheir first step is determining population health status: What are the rates of chronic diseases, smoking, alcohol consumption and regular health check-ups? How many patients have insurance? What language do they prefer their health care providers to speak?<br \/>\nSamaan and his colleagues aim to publish their findings this summer and begin addressing the issues discovered in their data collection.<br \/>\nAfter commencement Samaan will pursue his internal medicine residency at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and hopes to do his fellowship in gastroenterology and further specialize in advanced endoscopy.<br \/>\nIn the future, he foresees the association growing its programs for young people and adults in the Syrian American and Arab American communities.<br \/>\n\u201cThe need is there,\u201d he said. \u201cWe are taking things one step at a time and building a stronger, more supported community every day.\u201d<br \/>\n\u2014 Larissa Puro<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When he was 10 years old, Jamil Samaan and his family came to the United States from Syria. School was a struggle \u2014 he didn\u2019t speak any English. Despite the challenges he&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":168,"featured_media":992,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[114],"class_list":["post-991","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press-release","tag-commencement"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.9 (Yoast SEO v26.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Commencement 2019: Spotlight on Jamil Samaan, Keck School of Medicine of USC<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/commencement-2019-spotlight-on-jamil-samaan-keck-school-of-medicine-of-usc\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Commencement 2019: Spotlight on Jamil Samaan, Keck School of Medicine of USC\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When he was 10 years old, Jamil Samaan and his family came to the United States from Syria. School was a struggle \u2014 he didn\u2019t speak any English. Despite the challenges he...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/commencement-2019-spotlight-on-jamil-samaan-keck-school-of-medicine-of-usc\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Newsroom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/KECKschoolUSC\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-05-07T14:00:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-11-26T16:18:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2023\/11\/Jamil-Samaan-web.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"610\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"408\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Keck School Media Relations\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@KeckSchool_USC\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@KeckSchool_USC\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/commencement-2019-spotlight-on-jamil-samaan-keck-school-of-medicine-of-usc\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/commencement-2019-spotlight-on-jamil-samaan-keck-school-of-medicine-of-usc\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Keck School Media Relations\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/7a561f66e227685c2825e2c2f40e8fa2\"},\"headline\":\"Commencement 2019: Spotlight on Jamil Samaan, Keck School of Medicine of USC\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-05-07T14:00:17+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-11-26T16:18:03+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/commencement-2019-spotlight-on-jamil-samaan-keck-school-of-medicine-of-usc\/\"},\"wordCount\":11,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/commencement-2019-spotlight-on-jamil-samaan-keck-school-of-medicine-of-usc\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2023\/11\/Jamil-Samaan-web.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Commencement\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Press Release\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/commencement-2019-spotlight-on-jamil-samaan-keck-school-of-medicine-of-usc\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/commencement-2019-spotlight-on-jamil-samaan-keck-school-of-medicine-of-usc\/\",\"name\":\"Commencement 2019: Spotlight on Jamil Samaan, Keck School of Medicine of USC\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/commencement-2019-spotlight-on-jamil-samaan-keck-school-of-medicine-of-usc\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/commencement-2019-spotlight-on-jamil-samaan-keck-school-of-medicine-of-usc\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2023\/11\/Jamil-Samaan-web.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-05-07T14:00:17+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-11-26T16:18:03+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/commencement-2019-spotlight-on-jamil-samaan-keck-school-of-medicine-of-usc\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/commencement-2019-spotlight-on-jamil-samaan-keck-school-of-medicine-of-usc\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/commencement-2019-spotlight-on-jamil-samaan-keck-school-of-medicine-of-usc\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2023\/11\/Jamil-Samaan-web.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2023\/11\/Jamil-Samaan-web.jpg\",\"width\":610,\"height\":408,\"caption\":\"Jamil Samaan\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/commencement-2019-spotlight-on-jamil-samaan-keck-school-of-medicine-of-usc\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Commencement 2019: Spotlight on Jamil Samaan, Keck School of Medicine of USC\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/\",\"name\":\"Newsroom\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Keck School of Medicine of USC\",\"alternateName\":\"Keck School of Medicine\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2023\/11\/keck-school-of-medicine-logo-696-square.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2023\/11\/keck-school-of-medicine-logo-696-square.jpg\",\"width\":696,\"height\":696,\"caption\":\"Keck School of Medicine of USC\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/KECKschoolUSC\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/KeckSchool_USC\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/school\/keckschoolusc\/\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/KeckSchoolUSC\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCpL1E1W5ZTfkc5iihwLSFEA\",\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@keckschoolusc\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/7a561f66e227685c2825e2c2f40e8fa2\",\"name\":\"Keck School Media Relations\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6b319538a9488520b1cb0d3154ed0c97262d4d94d2b325f8260b196b9083b893?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6b319538a9488520b1cb0d3154ed0c97262d4d94d2b325f8260b196b9083b893?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Keck School Media Relations\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/author\/ksommarketing\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Commencement 2019: Spotlight on Jamil Samaan, Keck School of Medicine of USC","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/commencement-2019-spotlight-on-jamil-samaan-keck-school-of-medicine-of-usc\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Commencement 2019: Spotlight on Jamil Samaan, Keck School of Medicine of USC","og_description":"When he was 10 years old, Jamil Samaan and his family came to the United States from Syria. School was a struggle \u2014 he didn\u2019t speak any English. Despite the challenges he...","og_url":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/commencement-2019-spotlight-on-jamil-samaan-keck-school-of-medicine-of-usc\/","og_site_name":"Newsroom","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/KECKschoolUSC\/","article_published_time":"2019-05-07T14:00:17+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-11-26T16:18:03+00:00","og_image":[{"width":610,"height":408,"url":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2023\/11\/Jamil-Samaan-web.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Keck School Media Relations","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@KeckSchool_USC","twitter_site":"@KeckSchool_USC","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/commencement-2019-spotlight-on-jamil-samaan-keck-school-of-medicine-of-usc\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/commencement-2019-spotlight-on-jamil-samaan-keck-school-of-medicine-of-usc\/"},"author":{"name":"Keck School Media Relations","@id":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/7a561f66e227685c2825e2c2f40e8fa2"},"headline":"Commencement 2019: Spotlight on Jamil Samaan, Keck School of Medicine of USC","datePublished":"2019-05-07T14:00:17+00:00","dateModified":"2023-11-26T16:18:03+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/commencement-2019-spotlight-on-jamil-samaan-keck-school-of-medicine-of-usc\/"},"wordCount":11,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/commencement-2019-spotlight-on-jamil-samaan-keck-school-of-medicine-of-usc\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2023\/11\/Jamil-Samaan-web.jpg","keywords":["Commencement"],"articleSection":["Press Release"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/commencement-2019-spotlight-on-jamil-samaan-keck-school-of-medicine-of-usc\/","url":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/commencement-2019-spotlight-on-jamil-samaan-keck-school-of-medicine-of-usc\/","name":"Commencement 2019: Spotlight on Jamil Samaan, Keck School of Medicine of USC","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/commencement-2019-spotlight-on-jamil-samaan-keck-school-of-medicine-of-usc\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/commencement-2019-spotlight-on-jamil-samaan-keck-school-of-medicine-of-usc\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2023\/11\/Jamil-Samaan-web.jpg","datePublished":"2019-05-07T14:00:17+00:00","dateModified":"2023-11-26T16:18:03+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/commencement-2019-spotlight-on-jamil-samaan-keck-school-of-medicine-of-usc\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/commencement-2019-spotlight-on-jamil-samaan-keck-school-of-medicine-of-usc\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/commencement-2019-spotlight-on-jamil-samaan-keck-school-of-medicine-of-usc\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2023\/11\/Jamil-Samaan-web.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2023\/11\/Jamil-Samaan-web.jpg","width":610,"height":408,"caption":"Jamil Samaan"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/commencement-2019-spotlight-on-jamil-samaan-keck-school-of-medicine-of-usc\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Commencement 2019: Spotlight on Jamil Samaan, Keck School of Medicine of USC"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/","name":"Newsroom","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/#organization","name":"Keck School of Medicine of USC","alternateName":"Keck School of Medicine","url":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2023\/11\/keck-school-of-medicine-logo-696-square.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2023\/11\/keck-school-of-medicine-logo-696-square.jpg","width":696,"height":696,"caption":"Keck School of Medicine of USC"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/KECKschoolUSC\/","https:\/\/x.com\/KeckSchool_USC","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/school\/keckschoolusc\/","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/KeckSchoolUSC\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCpL1E1W5ZTfkc5iihwLSFEA","https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@keckschoolusc"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/7a561f66e227685c2825e2c2f40e8fa2","name":"Keck School Media Relations","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6b319538a9488520b1cb0d3154ed0c97262d4d94d2b325f8260b196b9083b893?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6b319538a9488520b1cb0d3154ed0c97262d4d94d2b325f8260b196b9083b893?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Keck School Media Relations"},"url":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/author\/ksommarketing\/"}]}},"author_meta":{"display_name":"Keck School Media Relations","author_link":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/author\/ksommarketing\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2023\/11\/Jamil-Samaan-web-300x201.jpg","coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["<a href=\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/category\/press-release\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Press Release<\/a>"],"unlinked":["<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Press Release<\/span>"]},"tags":{"linked":["<a href=\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/category\/press-release\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Commencement<\/a>"],"unlinked":["<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Commencement<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":"0","relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 7 years ago","modified":"Updated 2 years ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on May 7, 2019","modified":"Updated on November 26, 2023"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on May 7, 2019 7:00 am","modified":"Updated on November 26, 2023 8:18 am"},"featured_img_caption":"Jamil Samaan","series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/991","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/168"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=991"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/991\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/992"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=991"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=991"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=991"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}