Dawoodi Bohra women around the world have excelled in various fields, including as researchers, educators, professionals, and businesswomen. This is in large part testament to the strong encouragement for women to achieve excellence in their respective fields provided by the Dawoodi Bohra Spiritual Leader, His Holiness Dr. Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin. This International Women’s Day, the Dawoodi Bohras of Columbus take the opportunity to showcase some of the talented female scientists, entrepreneurs, and physicians in their community.
Rashida Raja: An Entrepreneur 
Rashida Raja is a devoted mother of two teenage boys, a housewife and an active member of her local religious community. She participates in various local community initiatives such as volunteering to teach at Saturday School and cooking at the community kitchen. Rashida is also an entrepreneur, a highly creative henna artist holding events at trade fairs, birthday parties, weddings, and cultural events for. Apart from that, Mrs. Raja is an excellent seamstress!
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Dr. Tasneem Motiwala : Scientist and Data Analyst
Dr. Tasneem Motiwala, a molecular biologist, dedicated 14 years of her career to cancer research. Her studies have helped understand the cellular abnormalities that cause cancer and identified important targets for drug development. She has published her work on leukemia, liver cancer, lung cancer and breast cancer.
She pursued a Master’s in Public Health with specialization in Biomedical Informatics with a desire to make a broader impact on the health of the community. She is currently Assistant Professor at The Ohio State University College of Medicine teaching courses in Public Health Informatics and Research Informatics. She also serves as an Informatics/Analytics consultant to the Ohio State University Health Plan (OSUHP). In her role at Ohio State, she identifies populations at risk for chronic conditions like obesity, hypertension, and diabetes; prioritizing the socio-economically underprivileged; for healthy lifestyle interventions. She then helps collect data and analyzes effectiveness of the interventions that help to make continuous improvements to the interventions. To help her better serve the analytic needs of the OSUHP, she completed a Master’s in Business Analytics. Dr. Motiwala believes that age is not a barrier to education, especially in this country where opportunities abound, and attributes her progress and success to the sacrifices and support of her family.
Dr. Zainab Saherwala : Resident Psychiatrist
Dr. Zainab Saherwala is a Resident Psychiatrist practicing in Dayton, Ohio. She is a member of the American Psychiatric Association and treats patients with mental health disorders in the hospitals and clinics of Dayton. Dr. Saherwala has published article on providing competent mental health care for Muslim Women and encourages de-stigmatization of mental health issues within the broader Islamic Community.
