AVA is honored to award one of its Co-Founders, Past President, and Past Board Chair, Tasneem Ismailji MD, MPH, the 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award.
For more than three decades, Dr. Tasneem Ismailji has worked to ensure that the health effects of violence and abuse are recognized, understood, and addressed, often long before the field gave them the attention they deserved.
After graduating with distinction and a gold medal from Fatima Jinnah Medical College in Lahore, Pakistan, Dr. Ismailji completed her pediatric internship at Rochester General Hospital and her residency at Strong Memorial Hospital under Dr. Robert J. Haggerty, a pioneer of community pediatrics.
A pediatrician by training, she spent 20 years caring for children and families before earning her MPH at UC Berkeley in 1993. Volunteering at a domestic violence shelter in Santa Clara County soon after, she saw the gap between what survivors experienced and what clinicians were taught, and she has spent the years since closing it. She has trained more than 25,000 professionals and community members through programs, presentations, conferences, and community education efforts, including the ACEs Health Champions Network, which continues to host free, virtual Gatherings.
Through the AVA Scholars program, Dr. Ismailji mentored the late Dr. Nora Montalvo-Liendo, Tova Lewin, and Camille Cummings.
Join AVA at the Global Health Summit, where the Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Dr. Ismailji this Thursday, October 15th at 5:30pm Eastern. There will be a reception following Dr. Ismailji’s remarks.
To learn more about Dr. Ismailji’s career journey, visit the "We Are AVA" page.
