Highlands Residents
Where are you from?
I was born in Chicago but grew up in the Philippines. I came back to the United States after completing my education.
Why did you come to Cahaba FMR?
Family Medicine is a field where I truly feel I can make a great impact in a patient’s life. I was drawn to the Cahaba-FMR because it offers the opportunity to develop both professionally and personally. This program focuses on a full scope of medicine with holistic patient care, strong clinical training, involvement in the community and faith-driven global medical missions. The Longitudinal Integrated Curriculum also caught my attention. Finally, I am excited about relocating to Birmingham. I have had the opportunity to meet some great people and I am enthusiastic to explore the area and become part of the community!
Undergrad: Makati Medical Center College of Nursing
Med school: University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center College of Medicine
What does your life outside of medicine look like?
During my days off, I spend most of the time with my family and friends. I love to cook and take my dog, Teddy on walks. I also love going to the beach and hiking.
What is your favorite food to cook?
I love to cook different cuisines especially Asian food like Japanese and Korean.
What is a destination you'd like to visit or live?
I want to travel to different countries with rich cultures and histories.
What drives you? Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
What is your post residency plan?
I want to be a Primary Care Physician with all the skills that I would need to be successful in any environment. Also, I am considering a fellowship in Emergency Medicine in the future.
Where are you from?
I was born in China and relocated to the United States in 2010.
Why did you come to Cahaba FMR?
I chose Cahaba FMR because the people I met in the clinic were kind, down to earth, and love to teach. It is a local community-based health organization that aims to be an incarnation of love, peace, and justice. This program provides rigorous training which gives me confidence that I will be well-prepared to handle anything wherever I end up practicing. At the same time, I really think this program is full of some of the best people in medicine, and that includes both faculty and co-residents.
Med school: Tianjin Medical University (Tianjin, China)
What does your life outside of medicine look like?
I love to spend time with my family and friends. My other interests are traveling, watching movies, and gardening.
What is your favorite food to cook?
BBQ and cake
What is a destination you'd like to visit or live in?
I prefer to travel to places that have large lakes, sandy sea beaches, mountains, and vast open fields. Significant historic places and museums are also on my favorite list.
What drives you?
Try something new and gain new skills.
What is your post-residency plan?
I am currently interested in pursuing a fellowship.
Where are you from?
I am originally from western Nigeria, but moved to Cleveland, Ohio about 7 years ago.
Why did you come to Cahaba FMR?
I have passion for underserved communities and have involved myself throughout my career, caring for patients similar to the demographic served by Cahaba FMR. The program’s faith-based mission and its commitment to ‘transformational’ primary care aligns with my own goals. Its unique curriculum, dedicated faculty and residents create a work and teaching environment that I look forward to being a part of. I am eager to get on board to join this wonderful vision of ministry and service.
Undergrad: University of Benin
Med school: University of Benin
What does your life outside of medicine look like?
Outside of medicine I’m running around caring for my family. I love to sing karaoke, attend worship services, engage in outdoor activities when I can (which is almost never) and thinking up the next new innovative idea.
What is your favorite food to cook?
I cook a lot but I’m not exactly passionate about it, so I don’t have a favorite thing I like to cook.
What is a destination you'd like to visit or live?
Visit Thailand and live in rural France!
What drives you?
I want to please God in all I do and lay treasure where it does not rot. The personality I was given is motivated by the desire to do things well and be successful at it.
What is your post residency plan?
Pursing a fellowship in a women’s health related specialty and involvement in global health medicine.
Where are you from?
Bangladesh / Auburn, AL
Why did you come to Cahaba FMR?
An important aspect of Cahaba-UAB for me was the opportunity for training in global health and full-scope family medicine, with its international rotations and experienced faculty. My childhood in Bangladesh and my faith heavily influenced how I want to serve society. My goal is to improve health care access through policy and capacity building wherever needed. I wanted a program where I could integrate my public health and medicine backgrounds in a global health setting. It was important for me to be part of a program that believes that learning about our community and about social determinants of health are just as important as understanding the medicine for proper patient care. I also wanted a program that values their residents and patients as people, not just their role in the health care setting.
I have been in Birmingham for over a decade and have come appreciate what it offers and look forward to its growth; it's also nice to remain in the same state as my parents.
Undergrad: University of Alabama at Birmingham
Med school: UAB Heersink School of Medicine
What does your life outside of medicine look like?
Outside of medicine, I like to try new things from art to food to outdoor activities, I also enjoy unwinding with a book or TV. Being able to have time with family and friends is also important to me.
What is your favorite food to cook?
Pasta! not a great cook but i do like to try making new foods
What is a destination you'd like to visit or live?
Japan or Greece or Iceland (really, I want to travel to as many places as I can on this amazing, diverse planet)
What drives you?
My family, faith, and life experiences have guided and shaped how I see the world and how I want to serve it. I believe that we all have a responsibility to each other, for our individual and collective wellbeing... in what ever capacity we are able contribute to it.
What is your post residency plan?
Global health and/or OB fellowship. An opportunity to work with Doctors Without Borders is one of my goals; wherever I end up, I want to regularly and intentionally engage in international medicine and capacity building.
Where are you from? I grew up in Ukraine and have lived in California since relocating to the United States in 2015.
Why did you come to Cahaba FMR? It is well known that health is a broad term that includes physical, mental, spiritual, and social well-being, and being a great family physician means serving people by taking all of these aspects into account. One of the most important factors for me is working in a team that has similar perspectives and ideals. Cahaba's FMR goal of excelling in patient care, being united as a family, and serving people as unto the Lord also aligns with my internal values and goals. Given all of this, Cahaba FMR, with its core values and culture, was an ideal fit for me.
Undergrad: N/A
Med school: Bogomolets National Medical University (Kyiv, Ukraine)
What does your life outside of medicine look like? Outside of medicine, I keep an active lifestyle. Usually I go to the gym and do boxing/martial arts in addition to regular workouts. I also enjoy spending time outside in nature, with my wife and close friends. My other interests include billiards, guitars, reading, and working on hands-on projects.
What is your favorite food to cook? I do not really cook, but if I had to pick something, it would be steaks on the grill.
What is a destination you'd like to visit or live? I am satisfied with my place of residence, but I enjoy traveling and would like to visit historical places in Europe.
What drives you? My motivation is to fulfill my life's purpose and my ultimate goal is to live a life that is pleasing to God.
What is your post residency plan? I would like to continue working as a family physician while also volunteering for underserved populations.
Where are you from? Houston, Texas
Why did you come to Cahaba FMR: Cahaba divinely chose me. The goals and mission of this program aligns with mine. I chose Cahaba because of its rich, rare, and unique longitudinal curriculum, which prepares you to be a well-grounded practitioner. As someone who is passionate about the underserved community, I am excited to join this program to serve the underserved population.
Undergrad: University of Benin
Med School: University of Benin
What does your life outside of Medicine look like? I love to spend time with my family. Exploring different places, Skipping, watching wrestling, Cooking and Praying.
What is your favorite food to cook? Yam and Owo Sauce (A Nigeria delicacy)
What is a destination you’d like to visit or live? I would love to visit Dubai again. It’s a beautiful country. I got engaged to my husband in Dubai.
What drives you? The thought that we are accountable to God for all our deeds is a driving force for me to do good and impact people positively.
What is your post residency plan? Fellowship.
Where are you from? I was born in Baghdad, Iraq, then moved with my family to United Arab Emirates where I was raised and spent most of my life. In January 2020, I moved to Birmingham, Alabama, to start a new chapter of my journey.
Why did you come to Cahaba FMR? Coming to Cahaba FMR felt miraculous to me. The faculty at Cahaba UAB Highlands made me feel as though this was the place of my dreams after I had the chance to interview them. I've always had a passion for working in rural or underserved areas, and I yearned to work in a place where I could be constantly reminded that being a doctor is more than just a job; it's a way to serve others. I have also wanted to be part of a team that provided genuine support and care to its members, and I found those things in the Cahaba FMR. Furthermore, I was deeply moved by their faith-driven mission and purpose of loving God and spreading love, peace, and justice to all. Moreover, the longitudinal integrated curriculum they have embraced was something that caught my attention. The ongoing exposure to family medicine practice from the beginning seemed to be exactly what I was aiming for, and I believe that this will help me become a better family doctor. In conclusion, I consider it to be one of my greatest blessings to be a member of the Cahaba FMR family.
Med school: Dubai Medical College
What does your life outside of medicine look like? In my spare time, I enjoy being closer to nature, spending time with my family, helping those in need, and sharing food with my friends and neighbors. I also like taking care of my plants.
What is your favorite food to cook? Baking cakes and making desserts.
What is a destination you'd like to visit or live? I would love to visit Turkey.
What drives you? My belief in God, and my desire to lend a hand to others, and spread kindness and love is what motivates me.
What is your post residency plan? I intend to divide my time between rural and underserved areas, and an academic clinic where I could mentor aspiring physicians. Also, I would like to integrate research into my clinical practice to help identify gaps in healthcare and improve patients’ outcomes.
Where are you from? I was born in Saudi Arabia, did my basic schooling there, and then moved to India for medical education. After graduating and having a couple of years of experience in general practice, I relocated to the United States of America.
Why did you come to Cahaba FMR? Cahaba Family Medicine Residency is one of the top-notch programs providing a comprehensive and patient-centric education. This institute is blessed with many experienced and well-accomplished teachers who can nurture residents’ academic and practical abilities. Emphasis on research activities and evidence-based practice, as this program promotes, is the hour’s need. How they value feedback and address individual concerns perfectly describes the team spirit here. Therefore, I was imbued with a sense of belonging once I got to know the faculty and colleagues personally. I was also captivated by the immense training opportunities in women’s health. As to the question of exactly why I came here, I have no ideal answer other than that I believe God has guided me to become a part of this great community.
Undergrad: International Indian School, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Med school: M.E.S. Medical College, Perinthalmanna, India
What does your life outside of medicine look like? I am in a long-distance relationship with my husband, who is in India, and we have a beautiful little daughter. I like listening to music which helps rejuvenate my mind, especially when feeling down. I used to participate in many sports and athletic events and still enjoy watching them on television. Being a food enthusiast, I am especially fond of trying out new and exotic culinary delicacies.
What is your favorite food to cook? Unfortunately, I do not know how to cook much. The one thing I feel unavoidable is having freshly made hot tea or coffee in the morning.
What is a destination you’d like to visit or live? Our mother nature is magnificent and mesmerizing to all. It holds all the answers and has continued to inspire science. I surely would like to go to the Niagara waterfalls and take that journey behind the water to relive the experience I had almost a decade back.
What drives you? “Truth will set you free.” (John 8:32). Striving to be truthful to self and honest to others drives me to work with passion, becoming the best version of me that I can be.
What is your post residency plan? Due to my personal experiences, I always wanted to pursue a career in a rural community as a primary care physician focusing on women’s health. Therefore, I feel like further continuing the training by getting into a fellowship in reproductive health after completing my residency.