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Azam Ali Sher

Azam is a person who follows a mission of care, love, passion, and perseverance. Let's know about him by this short interview conducted by the Office of International Students and Scholars at Michigan State University.
1. Where is he from? Azam is an international Ph.D. student at Michigan State University. He is from Faisalabad, an industrial hub and one of the largest cities in Pakistan. Originally, he grew up in a small agricultural town, Tandlianwala, located in the suburb of Faisalabad. Tandlianwala is traditionally known for producing pure butter "Desi Ghee" and a market of farming supplies. Azam completed his high school education in his local town and then moved to Faisalabad city to study veterinary medicine at the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad.
2. What made him interested in his field? When Azam was studying veterinary medicine, he realized that over 60% (6 out of 10 infections) of human infections are zoonotic, infections that can be transmitted from animal to the human population. Considering Pakistan is an agricultural country, and the country's huge population is directly involved in farming, people are more likely to get infected. That made him interested in studying infectious diseases, particularly zoonotic.
3. What made him choose MSU? He was very eager to study abroad, especially in the United States of America, and pursue my passion for investigating infectious diseases. During the last year of his vet school, he applied for a prestigious and highly competitive Fulbright Scholarship and was selected for studying for a master's degree in epidemiology at Michigan State University (MSU). He said that one of the biggest reasons to choose MSU was the opportunity of doing integrated and collaborative research because of three on-campus medical schools (college of human, osteopathic, and veterinary medicine). Azam obtained his master's from the college of human medicine and is currently doing a Ph.D. in the college of veterinary medicine. This cross-disciplinary and inter-college academic experience has empowered him to work with diverse research scientists to address complex emerging questions of infectious diseases that simultaneously affect humans and animals.
4. If someone has to describe Azam in one word, what would that be and why? Azam said it's hard to define himself in a single word because every mission needs a specific personality trait to be accomplished. He coined the phrase "passioneverance," which is a combination of passion and perseverance. He mentioned that most of his professional tasks, either research or social entrepreneurship, were quickly accomplished if he had passion and perseverance together.
5. What does he like to do in his free time? I love traveling and always rush to explore more and more tourist places. So far, I have traveled to around thirty states of the USA. Checking into all seven continents is my goal that the coronavirus pandemic has significantly impacted.
6. Where does he see himself in the next 5-10 years? Azam is highly motivated by his father, a school teacher, and always wants to be a teacher. He aims to join academia as a teaching and research-based faculty to excel in his passion for studying infectious diseases. He is also very eager to work with industry and non-profit organizations to build strong scientific collaborations. Along with this, he plans to keep building a social entrepreneurship platform, Kher-Kun (Well-Wisher), where brilliant and compassionate people come and work together to serve humanity selflessly.
7. Where more information can be found? Azam has his own website (https://azamalisher.com/) that can be visited to know more about him academically and professionally.

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