Dr. el-Azhary was born in Cairo, Egypt, where she graduated as valedictorian from pharmacy school. She then went on to earn a PhD in Pharmacology and Biochemistry from the University of Minnesota and an MD from Baylor College of Medicine Houston, Texas. She began her residency at the world-famous Mayo Clinic in 1987 and joined the Clinic's staff in 1991. The author of more than 160 peer-reviewed journal articles, Dr. el-Azhary served as editor-in-chief for the International Journal of Dermatology from 2014 through 2023. She retired from Mayo Clinic as Professor Emeritus in 2020.
Dr. el-Azhary enjoys the outdoors, especially travelling as a family with her husband and children, sailing, swimming, hiking and gardening. On rainy days, she loves to read in several languages and enjoys writing.
