Zia was born in Durban and later moved to Johannesburg, where she matriculated in 2010. She obtained her MBChB degree from the University of Pretoria in 2016.
She completed her internship at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, followed by community service in General Surgery at Tembisa Hospital. Zia subsequently pursued a career in Anaesthesiology, spending two years as a Medical Officer within the University of the Witwatersrand training circuit before relocating to Cape Town in 2022.
During this time, she furthered her academic interests by completing statistical courses and a Research Training Programme through Harvard Medical School, contributing to several scientific publications. In 2025, she obtained her Fellowship of the College of Anaesthesiologists (FCA) through Stellenbosch University.
Zia has a particular passion for difficult airway management and point-of-care ultrasound and is actively involved with the SMILE lists.
