Family Medicine Residents

Our Family Medicine Residents take an active role in the interview process and selection of the incoming residency class. They advocate for patients and access to quality care.  The residents experience a multicultural environment and diverse backgrounds while supporting each other's wellness.

PGY-3

Headshot for Uzma Bejna wearing a black top.

Uzma Bejna, MD

Medical School: American University of Antigua
Professional Career Interests: I am still deciding whether I would like to work outpatient, inpatient, or both.
Why did you choose CMU: I chose CMU for the wide range of learning experiences and the opportunity to serve the underserved. Also, the academic and cultural diversity of the faculty and residents drew me to the program.
Personal Hobbies/Interests: Hiking, Tennis, Embroidery, Cooking, Traveling, and going to Concerts
Favorite Things to do around Michigan: I enjoy exploring the state parks, going to Lake Michigan, and eating good food in the Detroit area.

 

Headshot of Ashley Elliott wearing a green shirt.

Ashley Elliott, MD

Medical School: University of South Florida 
Professional Career Interests: Women's Health and Mental Health
Why did you choose CMU: Wonderful faculty and collegial spirit among residents 
Personal Hobbies/Interests: Reading, knitting, crocheting, basically anything crafty plus comfy, and video games.
Favorite Things to do around Michigan: Looking forward to exploring the area and getting into hiking and camping.

 

Headshot of Rachel Swanson wearing a black top.

Rachel Garty, MD

Medical School: CMU College of Medicine 
Professional Career Interests: Full-spectrum family medicine with a focus on underserved populations, behavioral health, global health, and procedures.
Why did you choose CMU: CMU has a well-rounded family medicine curriculum, with dedicated faculty and supportive residents. The program is robust in both inpatient and outpatient experiences with a commitment to serving an underserved, diverse population.
Personal Hobbies/Interests: Reading, traveling, golfing
Favorite Things to do around Michigan: Visiting Detroit for concerts and sporting events, wine tasting and beach trips in the Leelanau peninsula, and finding new restaurants to try. 

 

A women with long dark hair wearing a dark suit with a pink blouse.

Julia George, MD

Medical School: Travancore Medical College, KUHS
Professional Career Interests: To work as a primary care provider for underserved people. 
Personal Hobbies/Interests: Love to explore different cuisines, and love to spend time with family and friends. 
Favorite Things to do around Michigan: Exploring different national parks; to visit Frankenmuth during Christmas! 

 
Headshot of Christopher Hesterly wearing a blue button up shirt.

Christopher Hesterly, MD

Medical School: CMU College of Medicine
Professional Career Interests: Primary Care
Why did you choose CMU: Wonderful community and diverse patient population
Personal Hobbies/Interests: Camping and disc golf
Favorite Things to do around Michigan: Camping in the northern lower peninsula 

 

Headshot of Rabshen Rahman wearing a white button up top with green shapes.

Rabshen Rahman, DO

Medical School: Western University of Health Sciences
Professional Career Interests: Addiction Medicine, Integrative and Lifestyle Medicine
Why did you choose CMU: The people are what makes the program at CMU so great! For me, the supportive faculty and co-residents here at CMU foster an environment of camaraderie and learning that is second to none.
Personal Hobbies/Interests: Spike ball, fixing cars, cooking, hiking, weightlifting
Favorite Things to do around Michigan: Hiking trails. Going to Bay City for a walk along the shore. Going to Detroit for the great food scene.

 

Headshot of Abdulsalam Salem wearing a print button-up shirt.

Abdulsalam Salem, DO

Medical School: University of Pikeville KYCOM
Professional Career Interests: Full spectrum Family Medicine, Addiction Medicine, and outpatient/community medicine with a strong focus on underserved communities.
Why did you choose CMU: CMU FM offers a diverse patient population that provides exposure to a wide range of pathology. The great relationship between faculty and residents helps build a solid learning environment.
Personal Hobbies/Interests: Spending time with my family and friends. Traveling and exploring new places.
Favorite Things to do around Michigan: Exploring the Great Lakes and hiking trails. 

 

Headshot of Yamna Waseem wearing a beige print top.

Yamna Waseem, MBBS

Medical School: Dow Medical College
Professional Career Interests: Primary Care
Why did you choose CMU: I chose CMU because of the exposure to both inpatient and outpatient medicine during training, as well as the diverse patient population one gets to treat. 
Personal Hobbies/Interests: Watching sitcoms, reality TV, traveling, shopping, and cats
Favorite Things to do around Michigan: Still exploring

 

PGY-2

A women with a blue dress and long dark hair wearing glasses and smiling.

Patricia Boothe, MD

Medical School: University of the West Indies Faculty of Medical Sciences, Jamaica
Professional Career Interests: Still exploring my options.
Personal Hobbies/Interests: Poetry (writing and reading), writing short stories, video editing, designing magazine covers.
Favorite Things to do around Michigan: I am new to Michigan, so I am still exploring.

 

 
A man with short brown hair wearing a plaid collared shirt.

Ethan Gordon, MD

Medical School: St. George's University
Professional Career Interests: Behavioral Health, Preventative Medicine, General Family Medicine
Personal Hobbies/Interests: Biking, tennis, skiing, video games.
Favorite Things to do around Michigan: Hiking and biking on new trails and exploring new areas when I have time.

 

 
A woman with long hair wearing a striped shirt.

Iljena Kela, MD

Medical School: Jagiellonian University Medical College
Professional Career Interests: Wound Care, Sports Medicine
Personal Hobbies/Interests: Watching horror movies, cross-stitching, baking.
Favorite Things to do around Michigan: Exploring trails, trying new foods.

 

 
A man in a white shirt smiles for a professional headshot in front of a grey background.

Ameed Khalil, MD

Medical School: Alexandria University Faculty of Medicine
Professional Career Interests: Primary Care and Hospital Medicine
Personal Hobbies/Interests: Hiking, cooking, gardening
Favorite Things to do around Michigan: Visiting new places, trying new foods, camping
 
A man with a beard and white button down shirt.

Bradley Krajkowski, DO

Medical School: Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine
Professional Career Interests: Being a great family doctor. 
Personal Hobbies/Interests: Hanging out with my wife, dog Finnegan, family, and friends
Favorite Things to do around Michigan: Lake life, Michigan seasons

 
A man in a blue button up shirt smiles for a professional headshot in front of a grey background.

Anuraag Manjunatha, MD

Medical School: St. George's University
Professional Career Interests: Sports Medicine
Personal Hobbies/Interests: Soccer, jogging, exploring new destinations
Favorite Things to do around Michigan: I am new to the area so I am still exploring.

 
A man wearing glasses and a light blue shirt.

Ali Salman, DO

Medical School: Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine
Professional Career Interests: Outpatient Family Medicine. I would love to incorporate osteopathic treatments. 
Personal Hobbies/Interests: Bodybuilding, arm wrestling, nutrition, spending quality time with my wife
Favorite Things to do around Michigan: Trail running, hiking, blueberry picking

 
A man wearing glasses and a pink shirt.

Sai Suseel Sarvepalli, MD

Medical School: Narayana Medical College, Nellore
Professional Career Interests: Full spectrum FM, Sports Medicine
Personal Hobbies/Interests: Soccer, cycling, video games. I am interested in learning how to ski. 
Favorite Things to do around Michigan: Exploring the Great Lakes, socializing with friends.

 
A woman with long black hair, white shirt and tan vest, smiling.

Reshma Vasu, MD

Medical School: Sichuan University, West China College of Medicine
Professional Career Interests: Primary Care Provider
Personal Hobbies/Interests: boxing, lifting, biking, eating cookies
Favorite Things to do around Michigan: I am new to the area so I am still exploring.

 

PGY-1

Syed Ali is wearing glasses and a black shirt

Syed Saad Ali, MD

Medical School: Dow Medical College
Professional Career Interests: Sports medicine, geriatrics, full-spectrum family medicine, and outpatient procedures
Why did you choose CMU: A well-rounded family medicine curriculum, along with a supportive faculty and co-residents made CMU the obvious choice for me.
Personal Hobbies/Interests: Pokemon, Marvel/DC, Star Wars, anime, traveling/exploring, and reading.
Favorite Things to do around Michigan: Too early to say, but I heard great things about the Upper Peninsula, so looking forward to exploring that soon!

 

Nader Hanna has a dark beard and is wearing a white shirt and glasses.

Nader Hanna, MD

Medical School: American University of Antigua
Professional Career Interests: Primary care, behavioral health
Why did you choose CMU: The family atmosphere among residents and faculty, and a patient population that is challenging but also rewarding. 
Personal Hobbies/Interests: Playing and watching sports (basketball, soccer, hockey), technology, and video games
Favorite Things to do around Michigan: Still exploring the area

Elene Japharidze is wearing a blue satin shirt and has curly hair.

Elene Japharidze, MD

Medical School: Tbilisi State Medical University
Professional Career Interests: Still exploring my options
Why did you choose CMU: I chose CMU for the opportunity to work with a diverse patient population in both inpatient and outpatient settings, as well as for its wonderful faculty and co-residents.
Personal Hobbies/Interests: Spending time outdoors, exploring new places, and enjoying time with family and friends.
Favorite Things to do around Michigan: Exploring hiking trails, national parks and the Great Lakes.

Atinderpal Kainth is wearing a black shirt and black turban

Atinderpal Kainth, MD

Medical School: Ross University School of Medicine
Professional Career Interests: Private Practice
Why did you choose CMU: Prioritized resident well-being and received excellent resident feedback
Personal Hobbies/Interests: Weight training, Table tennis, Billiards, Hiking, Photography, NBA, UFC, Culinary arts/culture
Favorite Things to do around Michigan: Still exploring the area. 

Nabta Laz is wearing a white cardigan and has long, dark hair.

Nabta Laz, MD

Medical School: Wayne State University School of Medicine
Professional Career Interests: I am interested in hospital medicine. 
Why did you choose CMU: I love having the opportunity to provide care to the underserved population in Saginaw and find it very rewarding. The residents and faculty are also so sweet and lovely to work with!
 

Hana Malik is wearing a striped, button down shirt.

Hana Malik, MD

Medical School: Ross University School of Medicine
Professional Career Interests: Women's Health, Preventative Care, Adolescent Medicine
Why did you choose CMU: I chose CMU for its strong commitment to serving underserved communities and the versatility of its Family Medicine program and faculty, who truly embody the spirit of comprehensive, compassionate care.
Personal Hobbies/Interests: I love to read and write (have published two books), watch crime dramas/psychological thrillers, and spend time with my family and friends.
Favorite Things to do around Michigan: Explore historical sites and museums, visit the beaches/lakeshores & try different matcha/coffee cafes. 

Olusayo Oketokun is wearing a white button down shirt and a red tie.

Olusayo Oketokun, MD

Medical School: Vinnitsa National Pirogov Memorial Medical University
Professional Career Interests: Primary Care, Hospital Medicine
Why did you choose CMU: I love the community, faculty and diversity of the program
Personal Hobbies/Interests: Soccer, Gaming, Cooking, Exploring new places
Favorite Things to do around Michigan: I am new to Michigan and still exploring the area

Jamie Scott is wearing a blue button down shirt with a print bowtie.

Jamie Scott, MD

Medical School: St. George's University
Professional Career Interests: Hospital Medicine, Sports Medicine, and Outpatient Medicine
Why did you choose CMU: CMU offered many different opportunities to help me excel in my career and become a better physician holistically. A supportive environment was essential, and at CMU, faculty and residents build very strong relationships to help with long-term success.
Personal Hobbies/Interests: Soccer, Cooking, Muay Thai, Working out, Spending time with my loved ones
Favorite Things to do around Michigan: I am new to the area, so I am still exploring.

Abigail Struble is wearing glasses and a floral print blouse.

Abigail Struble, DO

Medical School: Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Professional Career Interests: I’m passionate about serving underserved populations, as well as teaching. I look forward to teaching medical students and residents as an attending physician in the future.
Why did you choose CMU:  I chose CMU for a number of reasons. My family lives close by and I wanted to be close to them for residency. Our program has robust inpatient training, something I was looking for during my residency search. I’m a part of the MiDOCs program, where I will receive loan repayment in exchange for a two-year service commitment to an underserved area in Michigan after residency. I’m very passionate about serving underserved communities, so I knew this would be a great fit.
Personal Hobbies/Interests: I enjoy trying new restaurants and watching a good Netflix series. I also love walking outside and spending time with my dogs.
Favorite Things to do around Michigan: My favorite thing to do around Michigan is to go up north with family. We enjoy being on the water, walking around town, and eating the amazing food! I also enjoy attending baseball games and any Michigan State University sports games (Go Green!).