Sisters in Stride
On Nov. 2, 2025, sisters and alumnae Samara Hamou, MD ’25, and Kiley Hamou (class of 2029), ran the New York City Marathon together as a deeply personal mission of advocacy, healing, and hope.
Samara, now in residency at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital/Wills Eye Hospital, shared that she was diagnosed during medical school with ulcerative colitis, a chronic inflammatory bowel condition. She initially attributed her symptoms to “medical student syndrome,” but after multiple tests — including colonoscopy and MRI — she received her diagnosis and began care within Jefferson. She was treated at the Jefferson Infusion Center in the Honickman Center, with a TNF-α blocker, a therapy that transformed her health trajectory.
Kiley’s path to the marathon was equally rooted in perseverance.
Before starting medical school, she had been a Division I soccer player at Princeton University but endured multiple serious injuries, including tears to both ACLs, recurring shoulder dislocations, and rotator cuff surgery. During her recovery, she took a gap year before medical school, gaining clinical experience that shaped her future in medicine.
Throughout months of demanding shifts, coursework, and rotations, the sisters trained along the Schuylkill River, incorporated strength work, and raised funds for the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation.
Their shared goal was to finish the marathon in under four hours while raising awareness for inflammatory bowel disease.
For Samara, the run was a way to give back to the community that supported her during her illness.
For Kiley, it was a way to honor her sister’s strength and contribute to a cause that had become deeply personal. “We weren’t just logging miles — we were raising awareness, building community, and proving that resilience is something we run toward, not away from,” they shared.
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