Zayneb Ghazle has just recently completed her undergraduate and graduate studies at RIT, where she has given back to her community in many volunteer roles, and professionally her future is very bright. 

She is currently pursuing her passion for medicine as a Physician Associate within the Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Division at the University of Rochester Medical Center, where she notes “I have the privilege of caring for a unique and complex patient population.” Her work includes caring for patients experiencing heart failure exacerbations, those who are being evaluated for or have received a heart transplant, and patients who require or have a left ventricular assist device (LVAD), also known as a heart pump. “In addition to caring for patients, I am actively involved in research focused on improving provider-patient workflows and reducing hospital readmissions,” she says.

An active volunteer during her time as a student at RIT, she was a founder of the RIT Student Alumni Alliance, served on the RIT Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, was the RIT Ultrasound Student Association President and VP, and she held various other roles with many organizations at RIT. 

As an alum, she continues to serve with as much energy. She is actively involved in several professional and alumni organizations, including the RIT Alumni Association Board of Directors, the RIT Ultrasound Alumni Advisory Board, RIT Sentinel Society, American Academy of Physician Associates, American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine, and the Rochester Regional Physician Assistant Association. Through these roles, she enjoys staying connected to her professional and academic communities, supporting others, and finding meaningful ways to give back through mentoring, presenting, and creating opportunities for others to learn, connect, and grow.

In addition to her clinical work, Zayneb has a strong passion for education and serves as an adjunct faculty member at RIT within both the Physician Associate and Diagnostic Medical Sonography programs.

You could say that RIT is in Zayneb’s blood. Her father, Hamad Ghazle, is a 1988 RIT alum and currently Department Head of Clinical Health Professions and Director of the Ultrasound program. Her sister, Zahra'a Ghazle, graduated in 2025 from the Diagnostic Medical Sonography program, and her sister Batool Ghazle is a third-year student in the Criminal Justice program at RIT.

Zayneb recalls, “I visited RIT often as a young child and was always fascinated by everything the campus had to offer. Although I was too young at the time to fully understand what college would mean for my future, I had an instinctive feeling that RIT was somewhere I belonged and that, someday, I would be a student there. And in fact RIT has been a very important part of my personal and professional journey and has helped shape the person I am today,” she says. “Being a part of the RIT Alumni Association Board has provided me the opportunity to stay connected to a community that has had such a lasting impact on me while giving back and supporting current students, alumni, and the university as a whole.”

Zayneb has served on the RIT Alumni Association for 2 years and is active on the Membership Committee of the Board. “As a Board member, I am able to contribute my perspectives, engage with other alumni, and help strengthen the sense of community that makes RIT special to me. In turn, through the collective efforts of alumni, students, and administrators, we can continue to strengthen and foster the sense of community that makes RIT so special for future students and their families,” she remarks.

In conversations with fellow alumni, Zayneb has emphasized that graduates do not need to wait until they have more experience, or a specific reason to get involved. There are many different ways to contribute, whether through mentoring students, attending events, volunteering, sharing your professional experiences, or simply staying connected with fellow alumni. Getting involved is a meaningful way to give back to the RIT community while also building relationships, learning from others, and continuing to grow personally and professionally. She shared that “You never know how your experience, perspective, or even a simple connection might positively impact another alum or current student.”

And her future in higher education is also bright. She is currently pursuing her Ed.D. in Higher Education through the accelerated three-year program at the University of Rochester. This degree will provide her with an opportunity to deepen her understanding of higher education while strengthening her skills in leadership, teaching, mentorship, and educational advocacy. Zayneb states that “I am particularly interested in learning how I can become a more effective educator and leader who creates meaningful and inclusive learning experiences for students.”

Looking ahead, she says “I hope to pursue a tenured faculty position where I can combine my clinical experience with my passion for education. My goal is to teach, mentor, and inspire the next generation of healthcare professionals while helping students recognize their own potential. Ultimately, I hope my career allows me to make a lasting impact not only through patient care, but also through the students and future professionals I have the opportunity to teach and mentor.”

Clearly, Zayneb has a truly bright future ahead of her and will continue to make her mark at RIT and beyond.