Dr. Anwar is the daughter of an engineer and a homemaker, and has an older brother who is also a physician. She attended medical school in Karachi, Pakistan, and subsequently completed a year of internship in Pakistan, concentrating in surgery and internal medicine, before coming to the United States in 2004. During medical school, she participated in various Pakistani health programs, as well as a World Health Organization polio immunization effort, underscoring her desire to be of service to others. Qadnana enjoys cooking, volleyball and hiking. She and her husband, Atif, are the parents of a son and a daughter.