President (2022-2023)
About
Bilal Irfan served as the youngest President of LSA Student Government (2022-2023), elected at seventeen years of age at the end of his freshman year. Prior to this, he was an elected representative and Vice Chair of the Diversity Affairs Committee. Concurrently, he served on the Student Organization Funding Committee (SOFC) of the Central Student Government. During his presidency, Irfan organized a Martin Luther King Jr. Symposium event titled Human Dignity in the 21st Century, attracting 650 attendees across 19 university units and 40 co-sponsoring student organizations. As Vice Chair of the Diversity Affairs Committee, he gained national attention for his public statement on Islamophobia on campuses and actively addressed issues such as gun violence and conflict through organizing vigils and community resources.
A champion for inclusivity and safety, Irfan initiated legislation that led to the installation of the first bidet in a public facility at a public university in the nation. He also worked in tandem with other representatives on the creation of the Sexual Misconduct Prevention Task Force, focusing on distributing protection kits, hosting educational series, and enhancing Title IX awareness. Irfan’s tenure included reorganizing the Executive Board's bloc structure and expanding student government participation in numerous campus events. His hands-on supervision spanned diverse initiatives, from international student support to environmental sustainability. He collaborated closely with the Provost’s Office and Student Life departments to advance diversity programming, benefiting from his positions as President Emeritus and Associate Representative in student government.
His other on-campus leadership roles notably involved founding and chairing the Muslim Coalition, a union of Muslim and Muslim-adjacent organizations on campus, and serving as Chair of the Islamophobia Working Group. In this sphere, he contributed to enriching reflection rooms, advocating and reporting on Halal food programs in the dining halls, Ramadan Iftar programming, and producing initiatives dedicated to combating anti-Muslim racism, amongst other forms of discrimination. His collaborations spanned diverse student organizations, campus groups, and initiatives, including the Interfaith Council, Student Advisory Boards, Multi-Ethnic Student Affairs, and the Trotter Multicultural Center. He founded the Annual Allama Iqbal Symposium on Islamic Thought & Civilization at the Ann Arbor campus, and an annual Chai Night. As an MLK scholarship recipient, Irfan has worked on addressing diverse social issues and fostering interconnected bridges of understanding between groups, including Muslim-Jewish interfaith relationships.
As a student Hafiz, Irfan frequently led prayers in an Imam-capacity on campus and utilized his Islamic seminary training in spiritual and wellness work. Under his leadership, religious accommodation requests for Ramadan fasting were streamlined and the weekly Friday prayer of Jumu'ah was recognized as a holiday on the Provost's calendar. MDining & MCatering options expanded to include requests for Zabiha-halal compliant menu items, and furthering educational efforts nation-wide to effectuate a pivot towards more inclusive menu items for religiously observant students.
Irfan graduated in his third-year with a major in International Studies, a concentration in Global Health and Environment, and a minor in Islamic Studies. Spanning an extensive research commitment driven by personal interest, he has explored the utilization of data analysis and artificial intelligence in addressing health disparities and improving care, particularly within medically underserved populations. His work spans Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, culturally sensitive care, sleep health, epidemiology, and the impact of social media on public health, culminating in over twenty-five peer reviewed articles and contributions to the understanding of health in diverse demographic settings. He has authored two books and various articles relating to the study of Islam & Muslim societies, with a particular focus on South Asia & Urdu.
He currently serves as a member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities. He is furthering his education as a bioethics degree candidate at the Harvard Medical School.
