Pathways in Medicine
This initiative aims to highlight the success stories of physicians in our Kurdish-American medical community. We hope these stories and experiences will provide inspiration to our current community members and future generations.
If you would like to be included in a Pathways in Medicine section, please feel free to complete the application. |
Reyzan Shali, MD
Field of Specialty Internal Medicine Medical School University of Baghdad Residency Providence Hospital |
Why did you pursue a career in medicine?
Looking back on my life, I believe I was born to help families stay healthy. Since I was a child, I always had the intuition to feel someone else’s pain and reacted by trying to help them. Being a doctor allowed me to tap into that strength. Why did you choose your current specialty? I initially specialize in oncology, which I had always known I was interested in. However, I soon realized that I was becoming more and more emotional taking care of oncology patients. It was as though I couldn’t help but take on their pain. I began to realize that intense emotions might interfere with my ability to serve them, therefore, focused on internal medicine. I decided to channel my passion for healing patients by focusing on being the best primary care physician I can be. What is the importance of mentorship in medical education? I believe mentor-ship is crucial for all. I was always influenced by the mentors in my life who were kind enough to share their belief system, knowledge and expertise with me. We are as good as the team around us, we all can learn from the experiences of people around us. What is your advice to students interested in medicine? I would tell them that the career path they are choosing will be an intense, emotional rollercoaster with extreme highs and lows. Appreciate every up and every down, learn from those experiences, and keep moving forward. |
Jamil Bawerjan Alkhaddo, MD
Field of Specialty Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolism Medical School University of Aleppo Residency State University of New York (SUNY) Buffalo Fellowship University of Minnesota |
Why did you pursue a career in medicine?
Medicine is one of the oldest professions in the world, which I find to be a both interesting and challenging. I am always curious to learn more and understand how things work. I think that the study of the human body and its illnesses will fulfill anyone who is seeking a field to satisfy their curious and thirsty for knowledge. Additionally, the most fulfilling aspect of medicine is the ability to help you patients, family and friends by giving them helpful advice. Why did you choose your current specialty? Diabetes was part of my childhood and one of the first diseases that I heard about, as many family members were diagnosed with it. Later, I found it interesting to learn how prevalent diabetes is in the world, as well as its relation to daily activities and diet. What is the importance of mentorship in medical education? Mentoring is an integral part of any successful journey or career on both personal and professional levels. In medicine especially, mentoring is important in shaping of an academic persona and career trajectory. Some of us who have had the privileges to learn from a mentor or become a mentor have realized its essential role to a successful professional career development. What is your advice to students interested in medicine? Explore everything that medicine has to offer. There are many specialties and sup-specialties with different levels of commitments and responsibilities. Set your mind on your future field and focus on that. With that being said, you also have the flexibility to change your mind if you come across a new interest. |
Azad Karim, MD
Field of Specialty Cardiothoracic surgery Medical School University of Tennessee Health Science Center Residency Northwestern Memorial |
Why did you pursue a career in medicine?
There were many factors including my desire to work with and help people, be an educator, and have a career that allows me to support my family. I made the decision while volunteering in high school. After I saw small glimpses of what doctors did in the hospital, I realized it was a career that was encompassing and more. Why did you choose your current specialty? Choosing a specialty is very difficult, and often changes for some. I initially wanted to be a cardiologist because I was always fascinated by the heart and wanted to learn more. Then, after experiencing aspects of surgery and having the immense satisfaction of literally fixing something with my hands, I knew surgery was my career of choice. It all culminated in my first heart surgery, which combined my interest for interesting for life long learning with a desire to be a great surgeon. What is the importance of mentorship in medical education? Mentorship is very important to all aspects of life, comes in different forms, and often changes through time. In medicine, mentorship is an evolving part of your journey. Early on, a mentor can be someone who helps spark your interest, helps explain the field, or simply answers your questions. But as you go deeper into the journey, mentors become people that you would like to emulate both in your career and in life. The key to mentorship is taking initiative to find a mentor and then becoming one yourself. What is your advice to students interested in medicine? A career in medicine does not come without great sacrifices. The journey is long but very fulfilling if you are doing it for the right reasons. Do not be discouraged by the difficulty of the process, do not let small obstacles (i.e. tests and grades) stop you, do not feel like you need to do it all yourself. Find help, support, and encouragement in family, friends, and mentors through the process. Every doctor you see today had help and most are willing to help you. |
Jagar Jasem MD
Field of Specialty Hematology/Oncology Medical School Duhok School of Medicine Residency University of Colorado Fellowship Johns Hopkins University |
Why did you pursue a career in medicine?
I always believed that medicine was the best way to practice science and conduct research while still keeping your social ties with people and seeing the impact of your work directly on people's lives and well-being. This was the biggest motivation for me to pursue a career in medicine Why did you choose your current specialty? Hematology/Oncology is one of the last frontiers in medicine in terms of breakthroughs in clinical practice and research. It is also probably the most rapidly progressing field with the new era of immunotherapy and targeted therapies following genomic profiling and "next generation sequencing" of various tumors. It is both intellectually and clinically challenging and I believe I will keep learning my entire life. What is the importance of mentorship in medical education? Medicine contains many different branches and various career pathways, and choosing the best one can be challenging and, at times, overwhelming and even intimidating. Here comes the role of good mentorship in assessing the mentee's areas of strengths and weaknesses, skills, aspirations, and available opportunities to make the best decision regarding his/her future career in medicine. What is your advice to students interested in medicine? It is very important to know that medicine is a life-long commitment in many aspects. You should absolutely love it in order for you to do it and succeed in it. |
Joan Kheder MD, MPH
Field of Specialty Gastroenterology Medical School University of Aleppo Residency University of Massachusetts Medical School Fellowship University of Massachusetts Medical School |
Why did you pursue a career in medicine?
From a young age, I have been fascinated by science and intrigued by the wonders of the human body. Since childhood, I observed my father, a physician in Syria, providing medical care to his patients and being rewarded by their relief and gratitude. This inspiring relationship, as well as my eagerness to help those in need; have motivated me to seek a career in medicine Why did you choose your current specialty? My desire to pursue post-graduate training in Gastroenterology arises from various personal, clinical and academic interests and experiences. Gastroenterology to me is the ideal profession that will foster a lifetime of learning, intellectual curiosity and rewarding experiences. It is also a rapidly growing specialty that relies greatly on basic science and clinical research, both of which will inspire me to expand my scientific horizon and medical knowledge, thereby creating an ongoing mental challenge that any scientific mind would relish What is the importance of mentorship in medical education? Mentorship is important element in medical education, its effect extend beyond guidance and support in the academic journey to personal and social aspects, it plays a key role in the success of early career. What is your advice to students interested in medicine? I believe a career in medicine is challenging, but the rewards on the academic and personal levels are great. The most important is enjoying the journey! |
Maryem Hussein, MD, PhD
Field of Specialty Psychiatry Medical School New York University Residency University of Pennsylvania |
Why did you pursue a career in medicine? Together, my research experiences and volunteer work throughout high school and college imparted a sustained interest in the human impact of disease and the connections between basic science research and its clinical applications. This interest led me to pursue a combined MD-PhD degree. I believe that the confluence of basic science and clinical care are of utmost importance in maintaining human health as well as for developing practical, realistic therapies for disease. Why did you choose your current specialty? My background in research draws me to interesting clinical questions and understanding how life experiences and our genetic makeup influence brain biochemistry and behavior as these are remaining frontiers in medicine. I find the intricacies of the mind to be a continuous source of intrigue and the diseases of the mind to be the most devastating. Psychiatric patients are a diverse population with some patients among the most underserved and marginalized within medicine. What is the importance of mentorship in medical education? Mentorship, I think, is one of the most important parts of navigating medical school and choosing a field of practice. Getting advice from as many sources as possible is crucial to get a sense of what is really important in terms of your application, both for medical school and for residency, as well as for starting to think about what type of career you would like to build for yourself. What is your advice to students interested in medicine? Pursue something that truly captures your interest and spend time cultivating that interest through meaningful experiences that both show your commitment and allow you to gain a better understanding of what it means to truly work in that field. |
Haval Amedi, MD
Field of Specialty Internal Medicine Medical School University of Mosul Residency Indiana University Health Ball Memorial Hospital |
Why did you pursue a career in medicine? Many factors contributed to my decision, family, social and cultural, and the fact that you can help people in their most desperate moments. Why did you choose your current specialty? During medical college usually a student will start to formulate an idea about the field he/she likes and dislikes and I personally found myself in Internal Medicine rather than the Surgical field and hence, decided to go for internal medicine. What is the importance of mentorship in medical education? I believe that sources of education in sciences comes from books and mentors, the later being more important as it gives the more concentrated knowledge and based on personal experiences. Also mentorship can spare the person from the trial and error as it is based on personal experience and filters and make sure you are on the right path. I also believe a mentor is essential even before taking the decision to peruse a carrier in medicine in general, as it is a long pathway and a person needs to be very clear before entering this field. What is your advice to students interested in medicine? I personally enjoy this field, anybody wants to go into this field have to think, ask, explore, and talk to as many people as you can before you decide. It is very long path and can be endless if you do not like it, but if you have passion and love for it, then it is the most rewarding career. |
Raidour Ahmed, MD
Field of Specialty Pediatrics Medical School University of Aleppo Residency Cleveland Clinic |
Why did you pursue a career in medicine? Many factors played into my decision to pursue a career in medicine. For me, the desire to help others and all the spiritual rewards that come with that played a key role. Why did you choose your current specialty? Coming from a big family, I always enjoyed being around and taking care of little ones. Being a pediatrician has given me the chance to make a living doing the thing I like most. What is the importance of mentorship in medical education? I believe mentoring is one of the oldest education techniques. I did not have direct mentorship before starting residency, but I had many role models and indirect mentors throughout my life. The journey of medicine is a long and relatively hard one that requires a lot of guidance and one can easily get distracted and get off tract. Thus, having a mentor can help you keep focused What is your advice to students interested in medicine? Medicine is a very rewarding field on multiple levels, but the journey is long and takes perseverance to finish. Identify multiple short-term goals in addition to your ultimate goals to keep yourself challenged and make the journey more fun. |
Taha Jan MD, PHD
Field of Specialty Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery Medical School Stanford University Residency MEEI/Harvard Medical School Fellowship Stanford University |
Why did you pursue a career in medicine?
Like many others, I pursued a career in medicine to help others. But medicine is much more than helping others, it's having the privilege to make a direct difference in individuals’ lives at a time they’re most vulnerable. I am equally passionate about science and the pursuit of knowledge. As a physician-scientist, I aspire to push the boundaries of knowledge with the goal of directly impacting patient lives. This is done by engaging in basic sciences and translational research, transforming discoveries from the laboratory into novel therapies in the clinic and operating room. Why did you choose your current specialty? The first day of medical school, we stepped into the anatomy lab where I was fascinated by the complexities of the human body. It was then that I knew I wanted to be directly working with my hands to help repair the body. At Stanford, my interests in the sensory systems expanded to hearing during my first year following an inspirational lecture on hearing loss and its profound impact on communication. I was drawn to the complex anatomy of the head & neck, the cranial nerves, and our sensation of hearing - the avenue with which we communicate with each other through language. What is the importance of mentorship in medical education? Mentorship is absolutely critical to success in medicine. I had mentors at every step of the way starting in my undergraduate years in the lab. At each step, mentors helped open doors to the next. They have the longitudinal and panoramic view of your career trajectory that I did not have at each time point along the way. You have to seek out mentors, and you can have multiple mentors that can guide you through different stages of your career and for different aspects. And with each step, it’s important to become a mentor yourself to your younger colleagues - this in turn fosters leadership. What is your advice to students interested in medicine? Be engaged. Don’t sit back to allow things to happen, you have to take action at every step for your education - this involves giving it your absolute very best, every day. Of course, this requires sacrifices. As one of my mentors said: to be successful, you have to be focused, organized, and disciplined; emphasis on disciple here. This starts in your first day of undergrad. Once these traits of focus, organization, and discipline become habits, the roads to success if surmountable. |