El-Sayed graduated in 2003 from Bloomfield Hills Andover High School,[citation needed] where he was a three-sport athlete—wrestling, football, and lacrosse—and a captain in the latter two.

[9] El-Sayed attended the University of Michigan, where he majored in biology and political science, and played on the men's club lacrosse team.

[16] In 2014, he completed his MD at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and was funded by the Soros Fellowship for New Americans[17] and Medical Scientist Training Program.

[26] In 2014 El-Sayed joined the faculty at Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health as assistant professor in the department of epidemiology.

He served as director of Columbia's Systems Science Program and Global Research Analytics for Population Health.

[26] As a researcher, he has authored over 100 scientific publications, including articles, commentaries, book chapters, and abstracts, about health disparities, birth outcomes, and obesity.

He co-edited a textbook on the topic with Sandro Galea published in 2017 by Oxford University Press, Systems Science and Population Health.

[26] On his first day on the job El-Sayed arrived at a small office space in the back of Detroit's parking department overseeing five employees.

[35] In 2016 El-Sayed was named one of Crain's Detroit's "40 under 40",[36] and "Public Official of the Year" by the Michigan League of Conservation Voters.

[40] On February 9, 2017, the Detroit News reported that El-Sayed would resign as health director to run for governor of Michigan in the 2018 Democratic Party primary.

[47] In September 2018, El-Sayed launched a political action committee, Southpaw MI PAC, to support liberal down-ballot candidates and take positions on ballot initiatives.