Helen Sairany to speak at Class of 2022 Awards and Hooding Convocation

She’s climbed Machu Picchu and Mount Kilimanjaro. She’s traveled the world, visiting more than 75 destinations. She’s provided urgent care to displaced children in conflict zones overseas. She came to America as a Kurdish refugee and is currently CEO of the South Carolina Pharmacy Association (SCPhA).

It is a safe bet that Helen Sairany will offer a fresh perspective to the MUSC College of Pharmacy Class of 2022 when she acts as keynote speaker for the 2022 Awards Ceremony and Hooding Convocation, held at 3 p.m. in the Charleston Gaillard Center on May 20.

Helen Sairany is a Kurdish-American born in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. She lives in Columbia, SC, with her two French bulldogs, SeVay and Jango—the Kurdish names for apple and hero—where she serves as the CEO for SCPhA.

• Sairany holds a bachelor of art from Agnes Scott College, an MBA from the University of Maryland, and a Pharm.D. from Northeastern University.
• She was recognized by the Washington Business Journal “40 Under 40” for her work on combating opioid abuse nationwide through pharmacist patient care services and trauma informed care.
• Her greatest passion is traveling the world. Throughout her years of travel, she has embarked on many adventures including trekking in Southeast Asia, summiting Everest Base Camp in Nepal, W circuit in Patagonia-Chile, Machu Picchu and Rainbow Mountain in Peru, and Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. After visiting 75+ destinations in the world, she has developed an appreciation for a diverse mix of cultures, people, and traditions.

Sairany’s work frequently takes her outside of the U.S, beyond the bounds of the pharmacy profession into the fields of education, discrimination, immigration, and workers’ rights. She has worked overseas at the frontline to provide urgent care to displaced children in conflict zones. 

She has keynoted nationally on wide range of topics including but not limited to mental health fitness and wellbeing, racial and developmental trauma, addiction, diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. She is a proud author of two books; “Trading Grenades for Candy: A Kurdish Refugee's American Journey” and “Post Traumatic Wisdom: Finding Belonging in Wake of Racial Trauma.” Her love for writing started when she blogged about her experiences living as a single woman in a male-dominated field in the Middle East. In her free time, she served as a faculty adviser for the All-Women Blogger’s Club, where she teaches young women from the minority communities how to voice their opinions through writing. She also serves as a mentor for countless number of students, residents, and fellows across the country.