Her mother was a math teacher and her father held several jobs, including for an airline and casino.
Abumrad was interested in literature as a child, but chose to pursue biology in college, as a compromise to her parents, who wished that she studied medicine.
After pursuing degrees in natural science and nutrition from the Faculte Des Sciences and the American University of Beirut in Lebanon, she married Naji Abumrad, raised their son Jad Abumrad, then completed a doctorate in pharmacology at the State University of New York Medical Center.
[1][2] Abumrad was named to the Atkins professorship at the Washington University School of Medicine upon its establishment in 2004.
The position is the first named professorship in the United States to support the study of obesity.