Internal Medicine Residents

Samer Abboud, MD

Medical School: University of Medicine and Health Sciences, St. Kitts
Professional Career Interests: Hospital Medicine
Why did you choose CMU: CMU has a unique program in which it is an academic and community center. It has a broad range of pathology and interesting cases which is optimal for our education as internal medicine residents. Also Michigan is home for me and I couldn’t be more excited to continue my education here
Personal Hobbies/Interests: I enjoy spending time with my wife and family, cooking, sports, and all the great outdoor activities Michigan has to offer
Favorite Things to do around Michigan: Travel around the state visiting the various parks and lakes that are available for water sports and fishing

Meshal Alsulami, MD

Medical School: Jordan University of Science and Technology
Professional Career Interests: Cardiology
Why did you choose CMU: Pursuing a broad field of knowledge and experience
Personal Hobbies/Interests: Reading, Poetry, Soccer, Running and Enjoying new cuisine with family and friends
Favorite Things to do around Michigan:  New to the area.  Still exploring

Tony Bourdkane, MD

Medical School: St. George's University SOM (Grenada)
Professional Career Interests: I am contemplating different paths at this point and am open to all the specialty experiences that I will undoubtedly have in residency! I would ultimately like having a balance between the inpatient and outpatient setting long term, and am leaning toward staying in general internal medicine since my interests are so diverse
Why did you choose CMU: I wanted an internal medicine program that was full of action and experiences, with so many opportunities to learn and hone medical skills and knowledge, all the while feeling at home within a closely knit community where we all share the same goal. CMU internal medicine fit this criteria to a T, and I am ecstatic to have become part of such a supportive community of residents and attendings
Personal Hobbies/Interests: In my free time I enjoy swimming, working out and fitness, and curling up with a good book
Favorite Things to do around Michigan: I love hiking, kayaking, and exploring new places to eat in the area! I still have much to see and explore here

Kinga Budnicka, MD

Medical School: Jagiellonian University, Poland
Professional Career Interests: Rheumatology, immunology and primary care!
Why did you choose CMU: The program had very friendly and warm residents and faculty, and is located in the beautiful, nature-filled state of Michigan
Personal Hobbies/Interests: At home, I love baking and cooking, and then crawling up in a blanket to watch a nice tv-show! I also have a large passion for traveling and photography, while keeping active with tennis and judo
Favorite Things to do around Michigan: Nature photography, picking fresh berries, and going on road trips here and there

Ryan Farley, MD

Medical School: Michigan State University College of Human Medicine
Professional Career Interests: Critical care or cardiology
Personal Hobbies/Interests: Fishing, hunting, staying active with working out or playing sports
Favorite Things to do around Michigan: Fishing, hunting, exploring, and going home to Traverse City

Natalia Fretes Oviedo, MD

Medical School: Catolica Nuestra Senora de la Asuncion, Paraguay
Professional Career Interests: I would like to pursue a fellowship, I’m confident that the program’s exposure would help me to decide which one of them
Why did you choose CMU: The commitment to innovation, the opportunity to be exposed to different healthcare systems and the multi-specialty inpatient and outpatient experiences are some of the things that impressed me the most
Personal Hobbies/Interests: Traveling, dancing, hiking, spending time with family and friends
Favorite Things to do around Michigan: I'm still exploring Michigan

Derrek Humphries, MD

Medical School: St. George's University
Professional Career Interests: I am currently considering a few different options including staying in the tri-city area as a hospitalist, practicing in the outpatient setting, while also looking at Gastroenterology and Critical Care fellowship opportunities.
Why did you choose CMU: The opportunity to work at two separate hospital systems to serve the Saginaw community that I have grown to enjoy over the years.
Personal Hobbies/Interests: I enjoy working out, reading, video games, anime and traveling.
Favorite Things to do around Michigan: Traveling throughout the state with friends exploring breweries, enjoying the beautiful landscape during the summer, and attending Lions games in the fall/winter. 

Hassaan Imtiaz, MD

Medical School: King Edward College, Pakistan
Professional Career Interests: Gastroenterology it is! But I am still open to other options
Why did you choose CMU: It's a wonderful program. You get to learn so much from the honorable seniors. It offers an opportunity to excel in internal medicine which is my passion
Personal Hobbies/Interests: I love sports. Nothing better than that rush of endorphins you get by playing sports. Cricket and football are my favorite ones. I enjoy hiking too. I am a foodie by heart, always looking for new eateries and trying out different cuisines
Favorite Things to do around Michigan: I am still exploring Michigan

Yuri Kim, MD

Medical School: Western Michigan University
Professional Career Interests: Exploring everything that Internal Medicine has to offer, from sub-specialties to primary care
Why did you choose CMU: The most important qualities I sought in a residency program included varied clinical rotations and supportive faculty and colleagues. It was obvious that CMU had both features and I felt confident that I could get a strong start to my true medical career in this program
Personal Hobbies/Interests: Olympic Weightlifting, Karaoke, Scuba Diving, Cooking
Favorite Things to do around Michigan: Spending time at the many beautiful lakes and parks all around the Mitten

Joanne Mathew, MD

Medical School: Jawaharlal Nehru Med School
Professional Career Interests: Currently I am leaning towards a career in Cardiology but I realize that going through residency might change my mind
Why did you choose CMU: On meeting the residents during the pre-interview process, it was evident that the program fostered a supportive and friendly environment. The ICU experience and extensive procedural training provided through the use of the SIM lab was also extremely exciting to hear about
Personal Hobbies/Interests: Spending time with my family, Running, Biking Traveling, Watching documentaries
Favorite Things to do around Michigan: I love exploring the area. It's nice to be at a location where there's a lot to see nearby. Mackinaw Island and Pictured Rock National Lakeshore are close enough for a nice getaway

Britni Smith, DO

Medical School: Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine
Professional Career Interests: Still deciding but I do really enjoy Cardiology
Why did you choose CMU: Internal medicine is a deep dive into the human body as a whole and this knowledge allows me to manage diseases more myself before needing to refer to specialists. As far as CMU in Saginaw, I'm close to family again
Personal Hobbies/Interests: Traveling with my husband, hanging out on the farm with our animals, trying out new restaurants
Favorite Things to do around Michigan: Camping and kayaking around Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and in the U.P., visiting Mackinac Island

Sheikh Jibran Ajaz, MD

Medical School: Government Medical College Srinagar
Professional Career Interests: Still deciding but I do really enjoy Cardiology
Why did you choose CMU: I really liked the program faculty and residents as I interviewed with them. Also, St Mary’s and Covenant, being the major health care providers to the community in the area, promised a diverse exposure to pathology, while the affiliation with CMU provided a robust structure for academics and research.  The beautiful landscape and lakes of Michigan were the icing on the cake.
Personal Hobbies/Interests: Cycling, swimming, working out and essentially all sports
Favorite Things to do around Michigan: Still exploring Michigan

Wasef Al-Khateeb, MD

Medical School: Marmara University School of Medicine
Professional Career Interests: Pulm/Crit, Cardiology
Why did you choose CMU: Being here, it feels like I am a part of one big family, all working towards the same goal. everybody here wants to see you grow and would support you in any shape of form.
Personal Hobbies/Interests: SPORTS, all of them, especially soccer, and volleyball. Also a big fan of escape rooms. 
Favorite Things to do around Michigan: I want to visit all the lakes, starting from lake Huron.  there are a lot of places I want to go to. and many restaurants I want to eat at.

Alia Bapary, MD

Medical School: Saba University School of Medicine
Professional Career Interests: Internal medicine general practice, geriatrics, nephrology
Why did you choose CMU: The diversity of the patient population, the faculty, and the residents
Personal Hobbies/Interests: Traveling, reading, true crime podcasts, cross stitch, crochet, cats
Favorite Things to do around Michigan: Travel to upper Michigan and the UP to go hiking, fishing, and see lighthouses. I also love to go to the zoo, museums, historical sites, and restaurants around Detroit.

Lahib Douda, MD

Medical School: AUC School of Medicine
Professional Career Interests: Hospitalist
Why did you choose CMU: I chose CMU because it stood out as an academic residency based in a community setting that cares for both the local population and that of several other hospitals. This combination is unique in that it offers the best of both worlds in a seamless way!
Personal Hobbies/Interests: Spending time with my family and friends, doing projects around the house and playing video games.
Favorite Things to do around Michigan: Enjoying the different seasons, trying new restaurants and going up north.

John Jarad, MD

Medical School: Wayne State School of Medicine
Professional Career Interests: Clinical medicine, Hematology, Infectious disease
Why did you choose CMU: Training opportunities in a rural community, Highly motivated and energetic new program, Excellent attending physicians, Convenient rural living
Personal Hobbies/Interests: Day trips, gardening and homesteading, ceramic art, painting, A/V production
Favorite Things to do around Michigan: State forest hiking, trips to the upper peninsula, fine dining

Robert Kasemodel, MD

Medical School: Medical College of Wisconsin
Professional Career Interests: Rural medicine, cardiology, critical care medicine, pre-operative medicine
Why did you choose CMU: I'm originally from Ann Arbor, MI so I was looking for a program close to home. Additionally, I was impressed by the emphasis on critical care medicine and procedural proficiency at CMU. We don't have fellows to compete with for procedures so you have the opportunity to gain some really impressive procedural skills in the inpatient setting.
Personal Hobbies/Interests: Tennis, FIFA, board games, camping, working out
Favorite Things to do around Michigan: Camping at Nordhouse Dunes on Lake Michigan, going up north to explore the lakes and nature, spending time with friends in Ann Arbor, and trying new restaurants in the Detroit Metro area.

Matthew Kunz, MD

Medical School: Wayne State University School of Medicine
Professional Career Interests: Anything that offers more opportunities for procedures, included but not limited to cardiology, pulmonology/critical care, GI, etc. I have not ruled out pursuing primary care nor working as a hospitalist either, as these offer a greater diversity in problems I could see and help patients with.
Why did you choose CMU: I chose CMU because they offer many opportunities for procedural work. I am glad that without extra effort I am able to get access to these moments. Additionally, you can add on procedures by pursuing them. The atmosphere and interpersonal relationships between residents and faculty was pleasant, both prior to and during residency. Additionally the X+Y schedule system is more humane, in my view. This system allows one to be constantly learning without feeling bogged down by month long rotations. I appreciated having the separation of ambulatory clinic and in-patient services, not every program offers this. Additionally, the faculty are warm and receptive to your concerns and support your growth not only as a physician, but as a person, too. The program has great faculty that want to build something special here. CMU was an obvious choice for me.
Personal Hobbies/Interests: I enjoy fishing, kayaking, biking, soccer, and weight lifting among other typical activities. I also enjoy making metal model sets of random things (such as tanks, and architecture, the most recent one took a month and it was of the Notre Dame Cathedral). 
Favorite Things to do around Michigan: I enjoy being on the water, camping up North at Pictured Rocks. I am originally from the metro-Detroit area so I love going to the Red Wings games at the LCA. There are plenty of things and sites to see in the mitten state!

Nicholas Lettner-Knowlton, MD

Medical School: Saba University School of Medicine
Professional Career Interests: Continuing my education and eventually teaching others.
Why did you choose CMU: The size of the program allows you to be more involved in patient care.
Personal Hobbies/Interests: Exercising, hiking and enjoying the outdoors
Favorite Things to do around Michigan: Enjoying the winter time activities

Hamza Malik, MD

Medical School: King Edward Medical University
Professional Career Interests: Interested in Cardiology
Why did you choose CMU: The strong focus on resident education and clinical exposure makes CMU an ideal place.
Personal Hobbies/Interests: Spending quality time with friends and exploring new restaurants
Favorite Things to do around Michigan: Visiting all the tourist spots

George Mathew, MD

Medical School: K.S. Hegde Medical Academy,  Mangalore
Professional Career Interests: I am currently interested in pursuing a career in academic Oncology,  likely hematological and GI malignancies. I am still open to other options and look forward to exploring different subspecialties during residency. 
Why did you choose CMU: CMU offers a unique program that provides a good balance between academic medicine and clinical research. The faculty are very supportive and provide a nurturing environment. This program offers broad clinical experience from two different training hospitals, with world-class SIM lab facilities that deliver an excellent opportunity for procedural skills training.
Personal Hobbies/Interests: I enjoy traveling to different places, exploring various cultures, and spending time with friends and family. I am always excited to try new restaurants (notably Middle Eastern cuisine!). Also, fond of being involved in church activities
Favorite Things to do around Michigan: I'm still exploring the beautiful state of Michigan

Amaka Merah, MD

Medical School: Ross University School of Medicine
Professional Career Interests: I am particularly interested in Pulmonary/Critical Care, but I'm still exploring different paths as I have so many interests within the field of Internal Medicine
Why did you choose CMU: It was very important to me that my program was supportive of the growth and well-being of its residents, and CMU does exactly that. The IM faculty, residents, and the rest of the staff at Ascension St. Mary's and Covenant are approachable and knowledgeable, and they foster an environment that inspires me to be a better physician everyday.
Personal Hobbies/Interests: Cooking/Baking, Travelling, Photography, and spending time with my husband
Favorite Things to do around Michigan: I'm still exploring Michigan, but I've enjoyed visiting Lake Huron and Frankenmouth.

Usheem Syed, MD

Medical School: Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences
Professional Career Interests: Cardiology, Hospital Medicine
Why did you choose CMU: To experience the best of both worlds. CMU allows me to pursue my academic interests while maintaining one-to-one mentoring in a supportive culture and respecting work-life harmony.
Personal Hobbies/Interests: Doodling and Drawing, Reading (Mostly fiction)
Favorite Things to do around Michigan: Still exploring

Ramy Ballout, MD

Keith Bouffard, DO

Justine Czajka, MD

Afrasayab Khan, MD

Gaurav Luthra, MD

Adil Mohammed, MD

Denise Mourad, MD

Jaspreet Nannar, MD

Natasa Petreska, MD

Medical School: Indiana University School of Medicine

Breeha Saeed, MD

Sachin Singh, MD