Additional Info
- Name Sonia Dhawan
- Current Position Family Residency at Aultman Hospital
Suy sen Hung Fong is a Biochemistry and Biophysics graduate of Hunter College in NYC, and a May 2018 graduate of Saba University School of Medicine. He is currently in a five year General Surgery Residency at HCA West Florida/Brandon Regional Hospital, affiliated with University of South Florida in Tampa.
Says Suy sen, “I originally thought I would be a Family Medicine doctor. Because of my not-so-good MCAT score, I was not able to get into a US medical school and so I decided to look into the Caribbean route. When I did my research into the four top Caribbean medical schools, I learned that Saba was the most affordable and had the least distractions on the island. When I came to the school I had all the resources that I needed; it was comfortable and I had a beautiful view. The island is peaceful and the people were always really nice. I actually liked everything about Saba.”
It was during his anatomy class in first semester that Suy sen began to develop an interest in surgery. “I really enjoyed working with my hands, and it was then that I start to have spark into pursuing a surgical residency”. Suy sen said that the anatomy professors were always available, often meeting over the weekend with students in the labs to review structures of the body and answer questions.” Very supportive of his burgeoning interest in surgery, he became an anatomy course teaching assistance (TA). “I love teaching and helping the other students, so my experience as a TA was very rewarding and consolidated my foundation of human anatomy”.
Suy sen says he knew how competitive it is to get a surgery residency and that he would have to do well on the USMLE Step one exam. Saba prepared us well for the USMLE Step One exam, he says. They were very on point with the prep materials and taught us great study habits and great discipline”. Suy sen scored 250+ on his Step exams, and after completing his general surgery rotation during his clinical years decided that he definitely wanted to pursue surgery. He did his surgical core and elective rotations at Saint Mary’s Hospital and Bridgeport Hospital, both in Connecticut, and Sinai Hospital in Baltimore. “I came to realize how proactive surgeons are and the amount of leadership skills that is required in the field attracted me the most". “Because of my surgical clerkships, I had a chance to truly experience what surgery residency was about and helped become a good candidate for my residency application”. He matched on his first attempt into a General Surgery Residency at Brandon Regional Hospital and began his training in July 2018.
In first year of his residency, Suy sen has held multiple leadership roles at Brandon Regional Hospital including Morbidity and Mortality Conference, Surgical Simulation Curriculum, Faculty Lectures, and Programmatic Activities. He has also won several awards, including winning first place at the Florida Chapter ACS (American College of Surgeons) Challenging Case Oral Podium Presentation and the Surgical Olympics Competition in March 2019. Because of the good study habits he developed at Saba, it helped him to score well on his ABSITE exam. Suy sen currently has an increasing interest in pursuing a vascular surgery fellowship after his residency. “Patients with vascular diseases are very sick people and I am attracted to the opportunity of a long continuity of care with my patients and forming great patient-doctor relationships”. Within his first year, Suy sen had accomplished multiple scholarly activities, presenting at the local and national level conferences and he is currently working on clinical outcome research studies in endovascular procedures and minimally invasive surgeries. He has also become a committee member of the Florida Chapter Resident and Associated Society (RAS) - ACS for his increasing interest in leadership roles and his desire to be an active member in ACS.
Additional Info
- Name Suy sen Hung Fong, MD
- Current Position General Surgery Resident
Saide Nakazi completed his Bachelor of Science degree at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada specializing in Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences. After graduating with Honors from McMaster University he came to Saba to pursue his medical degree. “I knew many of my classmates who spoke highly of Saba as one of the top Caribbean medical schools.”
Adjusting to life on Saba was seamless. “Once I got into the rhythm of the school it was easy and smooth sailing from there. One thing I really liked is that there weren’t a lot of distractions on the island, so I was really able to focus on my studies.” Saide’s time on the island was also spent actively volunteering and helping others, whether it was patient education at the Saba Annual Health Fair or serving as a teaching assistant for Neuroanatomy and Biochemistry. He enjoyed clinical medicine the most saying “I really enjoyed clinical medicine because it places the patient at the center of medical care while providing direct hands on experience, which for me was great.”
Saide matched into a three-year Internal Medicine Residency at Rochester General Hospital in New York, where he received the “Excellence Award” for two consecutive years. Saide’s main interests are Diabetes, Thyroid disease and Obesity. While at Rochester General Hospital he completed a presentation focusing on “Evolving Multidisciplinary Modalities for Treatment of Obesity”, as well as clinical research in Euglycemic Diabetic Ketoacidosis. He was also awarded a “Certificate of Merit” from the American College of Physicians for participation at local poster competitions. With clinical work and research in his area of interests, he is now getting ready to start a two-year Fellowship in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at the Lehigh Valley Health Network in Pennsylvania.
Additional Info
- Current Position Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism Fellowship
Jennifer came to Saba from Wolfville, Nova Scotia, where her family physician, Dr. Gunn, encouraged her to apply. His son, son-in-law, and partners in his practice, had all graduated from Saba and spoke very highly of the school. As an undergrad at Dalhousie she studied marine biology, graduated with honors, and worked briefly for the government before deciding to pursue a career in medicine.
“Saba was really great for me. I loved Saba, and for me I was happy from the beginning. I had no adjustment period, maybe because I had traveled a fair amount as a marine biologist." Jennifer was actively involved in the school while doing her Basic Sciences work, serving as a TA for Physiology, Neurology, and Psychology while also serving as Treasurer of the Women’s Medical Student Association. "I worked hard at Saba, and I never felt more prepared for an exam than for I did for the Step 1 exam.”
As Jennifer went through her clinical rotations she become enamored of surgery, until she said she spent some time talking with practicing surgeons. “ The surgeons I spoke with didn’t have very positive things to say about the specialty. The Anesthesiologists seemed happier”.
Choosing to do an Anesthesiology Residency at MetroHealth Medical Center in Ohio, Jennifer transferred after a year to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia to be near her fiancée and complete her anesthesiology residency there. She will shortly be embarking upon her one year Fellowship in Chronic Interventional Pain at the University of Florida in Gainesville.” I have always had an interest in pain, and did a lot of electives in pain management. Pain is the one field of anesthesia that is different. I find pain management procedure heavy, and you have the opportunity to stay connected to the patient. I really like this interaction with patients.”
“I tell students who are looking at medicine to be passionate about what they are doing, and keep all options open. Be realistic, but optimistic!"
Additional Info
- Name Jennifer Lee Harris, MD
- Current Position Chronic Interventional Pain Fellowship University of Florida, Gainesville
Dr. Harman Chawla has been teaching and mentoring others since he first came to Saba with a Neuroscience degree from the University of Lethbridge in Canada.
At Saba he was a TA in Physiology and Neuroscience, and served as Student Body President. In his Pediatric Residency Program at K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital he was nominated Chief Resident in his third year.
Harman just completed a three year Fellowship in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. As he progressed in the Fellowship he spent time teaching Residents in the hospital. For this work he was recognized with the "Hospital Teaching Award” , selected from a field of hundreds of Fellows for this very special honor. Says Harman, “ When I was a med student I had a Fellow who was a mentor to me, and he told me to remember what it felt like to be at this stage in my medical career. I was scared and nervous. I never forgot what that felt like, nor his words to me, and for that reason i work to guide and help others through that same experience as he did for me.”
Now that his Pediatric Critical Care Fellowship has ended he has taken a job as a Pediatric Intensivist at Presbyterian Hospital Albuquerque, New Mexico. There is little question whether Dr. Harman Chawla will continue to teach and mentor those around him in his new position. Much continued success Dr. Chawla!
Additional Info
- Name Harman Chawla, MD
- Current Position Pediatric Intensivist, Presbyterian Hospital, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Congratulations to Saba University School of Medicine graduate Dr. Ravi Doobay as he completes his tenure as Chief Medical Resident in Internal Medicine at SUNY Upstate Medical University and gets ready to begin his Fellowship in Critical Care Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh in July of 2019.
Says Ravi, “I thoroughly enjoyed the variety of pathology seen during my residency in Internal Medicine. Critical Care is intensive Internal Medicine while having the opportunity to perform many kinds of procedures. It is an honor to train at the University of Pittsburgh which actually had the first Critical Care program in the country, and is considered to be the leading institution in Critical Care Medicine”.
Additional Info
- Name Dr. Ravi Doobay
- Current Position Critical Care Fellowship
Congratulations, Dr. Shane Drahos for Completing Fellowship at Stanford University in Sleep Medicine
Congratulations to Dr. Shane Drahos as he nears completion this June of his one year Fellowship at Stanford University in Sleep Medicine. Says Shane, “I'm very grateful to have had the opportunity to complete my Sleep Medicine fellowship at Stanford University, which was opened many years ago as the first sleep center in the country. I've been able to train with some of the brightest minds in the field, which will certainly help as I begin my career treating veterans at the Orlando, Florida VA Hospital. After being raised in South Florida and completing my undergraduate degree at UCF in Orlando, it has long been a dream of mine to return home following my training. I'm sincerely looking forward to giving back to the patients at the VA who have already sacrificed so much for all of us.”
Additional Info
- Name Shane Drahos, MD
- Current Position Fellowship at Stanford University in Sleep Medicine
Prashanthi (Prash) was honored with the “Youth in Motion Canada’s Top 20 under 20” for her contributions to medical sciences while a student at the University of Ottawa. This award facilitated her selection into the Governor General’s Mentorship Program in Canada where she was partnered with an Order of Canada Recipient mentor, Dr. Margaret-Ann Armour. Having such an approachable mentor through this program showed her the value of mentorship, and encouraged her to join mentorship initiatives for both junior residents and medical students. “I take mentorship very seriously and it has become a theme throughout my life.”
Prash first learned of Saba through a family friend who had gone to Saba and matched back into Ottawa. “I had heard Saba was very Canadian friendly and had good success with graduates getting into Canadian residencies.” While coming to the island was a completely new experience and a challenge initially she formed strong friendships that have endured to this day, and the group holds reunions with regularity in Toronto.
“The curriculum in the Basic Sciences is geared towards helping students to do well on the board exams and steps.” She did her core rotations in Baltimore. I was able to do electives back in Canada including Nephrology at McMaster and Infectious Diseases at University of Toronto. The rotations that I did in Canada were my letters of references when I applied for the Canadian match. “I got exactly what I had worked for - an Internal Medicine Residency at University of Toronto. I would strongly recommend Saba. It gives you a great platform to get you where you need to be. It helps you achieve your goal of being an M.D.”
Additional Info
- Name Dr. Prashanthi Baskaran
- Current Position University of Toronto, Internal Medicine Residency
We recently caught up with Saba University graduate Dr. Mohammed Kaleel, who we profiled in 2016 prior to entering his fellowship at Stanford in Musculoskeletal Radiology. He is happy to report that the fellowship year was incredible and far exceeded his expectations, calling it “the greatest educational year” of his life. Dr. Kaleel worked alongside brilliant minds in Radiology, and had the opportunity to participate in the care of professional athletes from the NBA, NFL, MLS, and the Olympics.
In additional to the excellent clinical training he received, Dr. Kaleel was also able to work on exciting academic projects at the intersection of technology and healthcare, a passion and skill we covered previously that led to the development of a former #1 iOs app in Medicine and accrued over 3 million users. One of the projects he worked on during fellowship is the sum of decades of research at Stanford University. Dr. Kaleel and his mentors at Stanford University created a web app that aids in diagnosing bone tumors on x-rays using computer intelligence analyzing attributes from over 10,000 cataloged bone tumor cases.
After fellowship, Dr. Kaleel landed a bona fide dream job through his fellowship network at Stanford University. He was invited to join a very exclusive, invitation-only teleradiology group composed predominantly of Radiology graduates from Stanford University and Johns Hopkins, where he covers Emergency Room radiology remotely from the comfort of his home. Vision Radiology covers the satellite hospitals of several top academic centers in the country. On top of covering emergency rooms around the country, Dr. Kaleel also serves as a Musculoskeletal Radiology consultant, where he offers second opinions to other radiologists on complex musculoskeletal imaging.
Through Vision Radiology, Dr. Kaleel is able to do all of this high-level work on a flexible schedule and from anywhere in the world. Although he is primarily based in the San Francisco Bay Area, he has taken advantage of his location freedom to travel the world. In the last 6 months, he has worked out of Europe, Asia, Australia, and Hawaii. Dr. Kaleel intends to use this opportunity for more than just visiting exotic locations around the world as a tourist. One of his primary motives is to use this opportunity to do humanitarian medical work with underserved populations.
Dr. Kaleel has used his flexible schedule for more than just dream travel and humanitarian work. He has been busy working on a healthcare startup with fellow colleagues from Stanford University on an innovative new tool for Radiology that they will be announcing in the near future. On top of all this work in such a short time since fellowship, Dr. Kaleel has found time for one more endeavor for now, he was recently appointed as an Adjunct Clinical Faculty in Musculoskeletal Radiology at Stanford University School of Medicine.
Additional Info
- Name Dr. Mohammed Kaleel
- Current Position Emergency Room Radiology
From Canada originally, Amanda had plans throughout her childhood to become a ballerina and came around to the idea of medicine later in her teens. An Honors graduate in Health Sciences at Brock University, Amanda wasn’t sure what to expect going to medical school, having no doctors in her family, other than that she would have to work hard. “I knew that I would succeed if I put in the work, but Saba gave me the opportunity to excel. I think the competitive environment in combination with the supportive friendships I made was why I did well. I was really pushed to operate at a level that I hadn’t yet reached before.”
The Saba environment was much to her liking. “My class was particularly close knit, and to this day some of my very best friends are from Saba. There are 6 of us in particular who talk almost every day. We are in different residencies, in different states, but we visit each other and have been lucky enough to share each other’s successes and celebrations through the year. They really are family.”
Amanda decided she wanted to become surgeon early on in her clinical training, having started her rotations with her surgery clerkship at Saint Mary’s Hospital. “I spent 12 weeks just totally immersed in the day-to-day grind of the surgical world: rounds, OR, procedures, rounds… I didn’t really think about whether I liked it or not, I just did… And then when it was all over, I realized it was what I needed to do. I was fortunate to do my Sub-Internship in Surgery at Saint Mary’s Hospital and ultimately match there. My first clerkship director who encouraged me to consider surgery in the first place, in my is now my program director and my boss.”
Now in her surgical residency, Amanda’s interests in Public Health lead her to her current position as a Research Scholar at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. She is working alongside faculty members to investigate disparities in access to surgery and outcomes from emergency surgeries, based on insurance type. “The ultimate goal is to identify any disparities that exist, and advocate for either local practice changes or legislative changes that would close these gaps and improve equal access to and delivery of surgical care.” She is also participating in continuing hibernation projects at UMass which are in collaboration with several other institutions, investigating anticoagulation in hibernating black bears. “The thought is that if we can understand and explain why the hibernating black bear doesn’t get blood clots during hibernation, we can improve treatment of patients who experience blood clots after surgery.’
Amanda has recently decided that after her general surgery residency, she will pursue training in plastic surgery. “Plastic surgery is most appealing to me as it combines artistry and innovation. There is enormous variety, as plastic surgeons treat conditions resulting from various etiologies, whether they be traumatic, congenital, or due to disfiguring cancers. Ultimately, plastic surgery allows patients to experience transformations that are not only cosmetic, but overall improve function and quality of life. Each patient’s problem must be understood and taken on with an individualized approach and a meticulous attention to detail. Also, a significant proportion of plastic surgeons are interested in Global Surgery, since the access to reconstructive surgeons and the need for reconstructive surgery may also be greater in low and middle-income countries. Global Surgery has always been a passion of mine, and learning that so many people in plastics had a similar interest was what actually initially drew me to the field.”
In March 2018, she joined a team of approximately 25 volunteers, on their SaveSmile trip to Sudan. A team of plastic surgeons, anesthesiologists, pediatric internists, emergency physicians, residents and other volunteers traveled to Khartoum, Sudan for a week long surgical mission to repair cleft lips. Cleft lip and palate represent an important functional problem, that impairs speech and ability to eat and drink. Children may be malnourished as a result and also suffer recurrent respiratory infections due to aspirations. Both children and adults suffer from the stigma associated with cleft lip, and sometimes this may prevent them from going to school, gaining employment and overall social acceptance. Amanda was part of a team that performed approximately 25-40 cleft lip repairs per day, and nearly 200 cases in 5 days. “This was the groups 9th consecutive year travelling to Sudan, where there is a significant shortage of plastic surgeons, and where there are significant barriers to access to plastic surgery. Many people live in remote areas and without resources for transport or travel. They travel far and wide for surgery and seeing them smile, happily and proudly after surgery, was such a wonderful experience.” She is looking forward to participating again this year with the group as they return to Sudan for their 10th SaveSmile.
Additional Info
- Name Amanda Fazzalari, M.D
- Current Position General Surgery Saba 2016 Graduate
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There aren’t many accolades that Saba grad Michael Harrison hasn’t earned. He was the Valedictorian of his class at Saba, an Ironman triathlete, named Chief Resident in the Internal Medicine/Emergency Medicine/Critical Care Medicine Residency Program at Henry Ford Hospital , chosen as “Fellow of the Year” by the Henry Ford Medical Group Alumni Association, and now newly enrolled in an Aerospace Medicine Fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota. “ I am doing some work with the Air Force now and hope to do something in space work after I graduate. I have always been interested in how the human body responds to different environments and stressors.”
Originally from New Brunswick, Canada Michael learned about Saba from his best friend (currently a practicing Anesthesiologist back in Canada).
“I worked hard in Basic Sciences, but I did manage to find time to get a lot of diving certificates. It was hard work, but it was definitely worth it.”
Michael did most of his clinical rotations at Sinai-Grace Hospital in Detroit, a Level 2 (“should be a Level 1 based on what I experienced”) trauma center. “There was a lot of opportunity there for me to get involved. When it came time for the match, I had a good idea as to where I was going. I had interviewed with the IM/EM/Critical Care residency at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit; it was what I really wanted even though it is a 6 year residency process.”
In addition to earning recognition as Chief Resident and Fellow of the Year , Michael was actively involved during his time at Henry Ford Hospital. He served as a committee member on the Bio-Ethics committee, the “Code-Blue” Debrief committee, the Quality Assurance committee as well as the Graduate Medical Education Committee in addition to doing medical volunteer work in the city of Detroit.
His current fellowship at the Mayo Clinic is a two year program, after which he is looking forward to pursuing his interest in aviation and space. “I would like to work with either NASA or one of the commercial space companies in support of their operations."
His words of advice for those looking at Saba? “ Be prepared to work hard. It will be worthwhile in the end - and, you get to spend 20 months in the Caribbean which is great. I also made great friends that I am still in touch with to this day."
Additional Info
- Name Michael Harrison, MD
- Current Position Working with the Air Force and pursuing a Aerospace Medicine Fellowship at the Mayo Clinic
Awarded a soccer scholarship to study at SUNY Albany, Tunc “blew out his knee in junior year” and decided to change career paths. Late to the game, he began his pre-med coursework senior year and took summer school after graduation to finish his requirements.
“My grades were only ok, but I did well on the MCAT. Once I realized I wouldn’t get into a U.S med school I did my research and Saba looked good to me. I wanted a smaller school, and I liked the fact that the island had minimal distractions that wouldn’t pull me away from studying. This quiet environment enabled me to really study and get good grades.”
His clinical rotations were mostly in New York (“my hometown”) at Lincoln Medical Center, a full service acute care hospital in NYC and one of the premier trauma centers in the country. He pursued his passion for surgery, working late, writing papers with the doctors and doing whatever it took to impress those he worked for at the hospital.
“The doctors at Lincoln were incredible when it came time for my residency and thanks to how they pushed for me I matched into a categorical surgery residency position at Our Lady of Mercy/ Einstein Montefiore Medical Center, another hospital in the Einstein network in NYC. That year they only took 3 for residency spots (out of 180 or so applications) so I was really excited.”
During his residency years Tunc was named Chief Resident, the single largest investment in leadership made by a Department of Surgery at a hospital. Chief residents are selected for their exceptional clinical and leadership skills. His last year as a resident he won the teaching award.
A one year fellowship in minimally invasive and robotic surgery at New York Medical College followed, and gave him exposure to bariatric surgery. “Once I started doing bariatric surgery and saw how it could completely transform someone’s life I realized I had to do this work.
Dr. Tunc Aksehirli has built the Metabolic and Bariatric Institute practice at Jefferson Hospital in Pittsburgh, and still takes great pride in the transformative nature of the bariatric surgery that he performs. “It can change a life physically, emotionally and socially. I really like seeing this happen every day. ”
For those looking at Saba he offers this ..“Saba is an elite school that gives you a second chance, and enables you to get to where you want to go. Take advantage of it. I certainly did.”
Additional Info
- Name Tunc Aksehirli, MD
- Current Position Bariatric Surgeon at Jefferson Hospital in Pittsburgh
Dreams really do come true” says Erika Leung, Saba 2014 graduate. “It was unimaginable to me in 2010 that I could have achieved what I have now, including doing a year long fellowship at Harvard after Saba”.
Graduating McGill University with distinction, Erika found Saba University School of Medicine ideal for both studying, as well as making life long friends. “ I had an amazing time. The island is beautiful, and small and perfect for studying. It gave me the ability to focus on medical school without any distractions. I also liked the fact that I could make appointments with my professors for that same day , and oftentimes I could just walk into their office and get the help i needed.”
In addition to loving her classes, in particular anatomy (“loved working on real cadavers”), pharmacology, immunology and intro to clinical medicine, Erika found time to help out as a Neuroscience TA during her Basic Sciences program.
The majority of her clinicals were in Kansas City, and ultimately this led to her match into an internal medicine residency at St. Luke’s Hospital in neighboring St. Louis, Missouri. Erika’s work and collegiality was noticed, and rewarded when she was named Chief Resident in her program, an accolade reserved for the very best residents and the highest honor.
From here she went on to her one year fellowship in Geriatric Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston ( a Harvard Medical School Teaching Hospital). With Missouri still in her heart, she left Boston and came back after her fellowship to build her practice with older adults at Ste Genevieve County Memorial Hospital seeing older adults , alternating with nursing home visits and clinical work at the hospital.
“Don’t ever give up on your goals and dreams” she shares.
Additional Info
- Name Erika Leung, MD
- Current Position Fellowship at Harvard
Chosen as one of only four Chief Residents at Medstar Health Internal Medicine program in Baltimore, Justin White oversees 156 residents in the largest community hospital program in the country. A three-hospital integrated residency program, Justin teaches other residents in addition to managing the scheduling of the 156 residents in the program.
Being named a Chief Resident is the highest honor, and involves a rigorous selection process that includes extensive faculty discussion and input. According to Justin, Saba graduates are very highly regarded at Medstar and the hospital leadership knows how good they are. In fact when Justin was named Chief Resident, his Program Director at Medstar commented “ It just wouldn’t be right if one of our Chief Residents wasn’t a Saba grad”.
Prior to coming to Saba, Justin earned a bachelors degree, and a masters degree in Kinesiology from Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia. When he matriculated at Saba he found his class was more than 50% Canadian. “We all got together every Friday at the school gym and had floor hockey tournaments. Each semester put forth a team and we all competed with each other”.
Justin found the time to bond with fellow students while also working hard. “ We were so well prepared for the USMLE Step One that I actually found it easy”. In his clinical rotations he was particularly pleased to have a very hands on experience, with alot of responsibility as a student. “I found that I was relied upon alot and learned so much from the Program Director. It wasn’t an intimidating experience, and the patient population loved to see you.”
Justin matched on his first try into Medstar for Internal Medicine. “It has a large underserved patient population. Very diverse, with a large range of disease. Our clinic provides help with drug addiction and chronic pain management. We were actually part of a CDC study, and I have been leading the charge to implement the CDC pain guidelines in our clinic”.
“To be honest before I went to Saba I had done everything in Eastern Canada. Going to Saba gave me the opportunity to learn from different hospital settings, meet different people, have different experiences, make great friends and importantly get alot of recognition for my work. I would definitely recommend it to other Canadians”.
Additional Info
- Name Justin White, MD
- Current Position Chief Resident
