AUA 2019 Alumni Magazine

AUA ALUMNI

ISSUE 04 | 2019

MAGAZINE

Celebrating AUA: 15 YEAR LEGACY

MAKING STRIDES IN MEDICAL SCHOOL DIVERSITY

DR. SWAIMAN SINGH'S MEDICAL CAMPS SUCCESS STORY

SERVING OVERLOOKED COMMUNITIES WITH DR. JASMINE SAWHNE

DR. OSMAN ALI DEVELOPS AN AUA RESEARCH PROGRAM

DR. ANGELA ECHEVERRIA HELPS PATIENTS ACHIEVE A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE

YEARS of AUA

TABLE OF CONTENTS

15 Year Legacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Foreword from AUA President - Neal Simon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 University Timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Hope for the Next 15 Years - Letter from Dr. Robert Mallin, Provost . . . . . . . 10

Making Strides in Medical School Diversity. . . . . 12 AUA Alumni's Commitment to Health . . . . . . . . . 18 Dr. Swaiman Singh's Medical Camps Success Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Serving Overlooked Communities with Dr. Jasmine Sawhne . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Dr. Osman Ali Develops an AUA Research Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Dr. Angela Echeverria Helps Patients Achieve a Better Quality of Life . . . . . 28 Alumni Provide Aid in Puerto Rico . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Match Day: Getting Social with Alumni . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

AUA Around Antigua & the World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 AUA Around the World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 AUA Community Outreach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 AUA Appoints Dr. Samuel LeBaron as Executive Dean of Basic Sciences . . 36 Congratulations, AUA Class of 2019! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Alumni Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Alumni Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Letter to AUA Alumni . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

A letter from the

PRESIDENT It’s hard to believe how far we’ve come.

When American University of Antigua (AUA) College of Medicine was founded 15 years ago, we started with little more than a 5,000-square-foot academic building, nine students, a small but dedicated faculty, and a guiding philosophy that all qualified applicants— irrespective of race, creed, or background—should have a chance to obtain a medical education.

Our university has evolved in lockstep with that philosophy. I’m proud that, since opening its doors in 2004, AUA has transformed from a small school with heart to a world-class international university that provides quality medical training to hundreds of students every year. In less than two decades, we’ve opened a brand-new, state-of-the art campus; established agreements with numerous other medical schools; and designed a curriculum that empowers our graduates to attain prestigious residencies and go on to fulfilling careers in medicine.

Through all of this, we never lost sight of why we created AUA in the first place—because our students, just like you before them, deserve a chance to become doctors.

Whether we succeeded at this mission is perhaps best measured by the success of you, our graduates.

The stories you’ll read in this issue are a testament to the power of an AUA education—and a reminder that we can all be AUA PROUD.

Neal Simon University President

15 Year Legacy | 3

15 YEAR LEGACY 2004 AUA is founded with an inaugural class of nine students.

2005 The Center for Tropical Diseases, established within the university to research and fight infectious diseases in developing countries, receives a grant from the British High Commission.

My wish for AUA is that we continue to stay true to our mission, to maximize student diversity, to offer an excellent medical education to individuals who would not normally have access to medical school, to continue to do our part in addressing the serious physician shortage in primary care, and to continue to train caring, compassionate physicians who make a difference in their patients' lives.

Dr. James Rice

2006 AUA receives New York State Education Department approval for clinical clerkships and residency training in that state.

The first White Coat Ceremony welcomes 65 students into the Basic Sciences program.

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Associate Dean, Admissions and Student Affairs

AUA allowed me the opportunity to pursue my dreams of becoming a physician. It surrounded me with professors who were dedicated to molding me into the physician I am today.

Dr. Anthony Johnson

2009 Mount St. John’s Medical Centre and AUA form an affiliation, giving students early hands-on clinical training.

The U.S. Naval ship Comfort teams up with AUA to provide training and care as part of its humanitarian and civic assistance mission.

Class of 2017

2008 Manipal University and AUA unite, ensuring that AUA will provide opportunities in global medical education and research.

First Freedom Fest held at AUA, celebrating diversity in medical education. Thousands of dollars were raised for local charities.

Breast Cancer Awareness and Screening Project in Antigua held in partnership with the Rotary Clubs of Antigua and Alexandria, VA,.

AUA instills an attitude to be great and to continue to learn and grow despite your position. They exemplify this by continuing to grow their presence within the medical community and the expansion of their school.

Dr. Vincent Gallo Class of 2009

2007 AUA breaks ground on a new university campus.

The Mayo Clinic teams with AUA to establish the first Emergency Medical Training Center in the Caribbean.

The Prime Minister of India voices his support of AUA and global medical education.

15 Year Legacy | 5

2010 New campus opens, making AUA the most modern campus in the Caribbean.

Harvey®, the most advanced cardiopulmonary patient simulator, is installed in the high-tech clinical skills lab, augmenting the clinical experience of AUA students.

AUA graduates its first class, comprised of more than 100 new physicians.

2011 AUA is recognized by the Medical Board of California, allowing students to attend clinical clerkships at California teaching hospitals and graduates to apply for residency training and medical licensure in the state.

Educational Enhancement Department (EED) is founded, dedicating itself to improving academic outcomes for AUA students.

For over 15 years, AUA has transformed from a Caribbean medical school to a global medical and research university. It's a privilege to see our physician leaders representing our institute and creating the greatest impact on global health care, innovative research, and development.

Dr. Sudha Kannavar Faculty Member Since 2009

AUA alumna Dr. Jasmine R. Marcelin secures an internal medicine residency at the Mayo Clinic.

AUA adopts the two-semester academic year calendar, officially mirroring the U.S. medical school schedule.

2012 AUA is provisionally accredited by the Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and other Health Professions (CAAM-HP).

Congressman Elijah Cummings praises AUA in his keynote speech at the university’s commencement ceremony.

AUA hosts its first annual Women’s Health Day on campus.

Campus expansion begins.

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AUA gave me an incredible education and prepared me for superior academic and clinical training. I am very grateful for attending AUA. Dr. Maram Marouki Class of 2014

2014 The AUA Health Clinic opens on campus.

AUA is approved by the Canadian Ministry of Education, allowing eligible students to receive Canadian federal loans, provincial loans, and federal grants.

AUA is approved to offer clinical clerkships in Florida by the Commission for Independent Education of the Florida Department of Education.

AUA is accredited by CAAM-HP. Nobel Laureate Dr. Harald zur Hausen visits AUA on Research Day and delivers the keynote address.

2015 AUA College of Medicine is approved to participate in the U.S. Federal Direct Loan Program.

AUA is recognized by the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) as the leader in international medical education – the only medical school to receive this “preferred” status and recognition.

AUA President Neal Simon is appointed Ambassador-at-Large for Antigua and Barbuda.

AUA signs articulation agreements with Royal Crown College (Toronto, ON) and the University of Wisconsin-Stout.

2013 AUA breaks ground on a campus expansion, bringing the campus to more than 27 acres.

AUA signs a landmark agreement with Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, permitting qualified AUA students to complete all their core clinical rotations in one location.

AUA partners with Urbana University, creating the first online Healthcare MBA program designed specifically for aspiring MDs.

AUA sponsors the Tinman Rohr Triathlon in Antigua in honor of the late Jonathan Rohr, an AUA student and triathlete.

AUA launches Healthy Perspectives, a health TV series hosted by AUA faculty member Vernon Solomon.

AUA graduates its largest class, of more than 300 students. Many begin prestigious residencies throughout the United States and Canada.

15 Year Legacy | 7

2016 AUA earns seven-year approval from the New York State Education Department, the longest term granted to international medical schools. This recognition allows AUA students to complete clinical rotations and obtain residencies in that state.

AUA partners with Florida International University to offer the Global Health MD program.

AUA becomes one of the few Caribbean medical schools to earn recognition from the Medical Council of India.

AUA joins the United Nations Academic Impact.

The first AUA clinical student completes the FIU's Graduate Clinical Core Rotation Certificate Program.

AUA partners with GEMx, a global partnership for educational exchange in medicine and health professions.

AUA’s Advisory Board holds its first meeting to guide administrators and faculty in fulfilling the university’s mission.

2017 The UK’s General Medical Council approves AUA’s MD program.

AUA’s Emergency Medicine Training Center (EMTC) trains more than 150 police officers in Calcutta, India in CPR, bandaging, and moving accident victims at the 11th annual Global Healthcare Summit, later becoming an official National Association of Emergency Management Technicians (NAEMT) Training Center.

2018 The CAAM-HP—the legally constituted authority that evaluates MD programs in Caribbean countries—grants four-year accreditation to AUA, the maximum allowable.

The first students to complete the Global Health MD program begin clinical rotations at FIU. Sir Vivian Richards, former cricketer for the West Indies, becomes an official Ambassador for AUA.

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2019 AUA partners with Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science to create a new pathway for under-represented minorities to attend medical school.

AUA expands global partnerships with leading medical schools and hospitals in the United Kingdom, inking new agreements with Warwick Medical School, Yeovil District Hospital, and University Hospital Coventry.

University unveils brand-new, state-of-the-art campus housing.

AUA offered me a chance to pursue a career that otherwise would not have been possible, and for that I am grateful.

Dr. Michael Park Class of 2012

Hope for the

NEXT 15 YEARS American University of Antigua College of Medicine is 15 years old this year. Clearly, we have come a long way since our beginning in 2004 with nine students.

Currently, we have over 1,800 students between our Basic Sciences campus in Antigua and our clinical students worldwide. In 2010, we moved into our beautiful new campus building, later expanding it and other facilities to accommodate our growing population of students and faculty.

We provide our students with the highest form of technologically advanced medical education with a state-of-the-art information technology, a simulation center, and a standardized patient program that is supported with a real patient program where students are introduced to real patients with real diseases and physical findings consistent with those diseases. Our curriculum is at the forefront of research in medical education and focuses on small group learning in an organ system-based, integrated approach. We compete favorably with US medical schools in the area of under-represented minority students, as well as overall diversity in racial, cultural, and socioeconomic status.

In fact, US schools cannot match our contribution to the primary care physician workforce­­ —85% of AUA graduates who attain residencies enter primary care residencies.

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You might ask yourself then, where can we go from here? We are succeeding in nearly every area measurable in medical education. We have all of the accreditations and approvals available to us. I think no other international medical school has come so far, so fast.

And we are far from finished. We want to demonstrate that our mission of giving students an opportunity to have a medical education and to contribute to the physician workforce is not impaired by our commitment to diversity. We want to see continued improvement in the academic performance of our students. We want to see increased satisfaction from our students in the quality of their education, and we want to see more of our graduates getting the residency training that they want.

Big goals for a big school. I am confident that our faculty, and students, and graduates will take us there.

This is an institution that we can all be proud of.

Robert Mallin, MD University Provost

15 Year Legacy | 11

Dr. Allyson Bagenholm Class of 2007

Dr. Radbeh Torabi Class of 2010

Dr. Alberto Marcelin Class of 2011

Dr. MJ Vasquez Class of 2013

Dr. Adrian Wyllie Class of 2014

Dr. Gloria Hwang Class of 2014

Dr. Michelle Ramsay Class of 2014

Dr. Brendan Gracias Class of 2015

Dr. Nickul Shah Class of 2016

Sang 12 | AUA Alumni Magazine • IssueDr. 04Lee • 2019

Dr. Rashmi Jadhav Class of 2018

Dr. Dena Tran Class of 2018

Class of 2018

Making Strides in Medical School

DIVERSITY

I

n recent years, medical schools in the United States have reported increased diversity among applicants and new enrollees. Data from the AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges) shows a rise in the number of women and some racial and ethnic groups in medical school programs.

Progress, though underway, has been slow. Racial and gender disparities still exist within medicine—in 2016, for example, under-represented minorities made up only 13% of all medical school students in the United States.

That’s why we’re proud that creating a diverse physician workforce has been a central tenet of American University of Antigua (AUA) College of Medicine’s academic philosophy since the school’s founding. That same year, in 2016, under-represented minorities comprised 40 percent of our enrollment—a figure we only expect to climb as we continue creating pathways in support of a more inclusive student body.

New Diversity Standards Take Effect In 2009, the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME)—the body that accredits medical school programs in the U.S.—introduced two standards designed to recruit

and retain more diverse students. The new standards compelled medical schools to create a “missionappropriate” diversity policy with the aim of admitting more qualified candidates from historically underrepresented groups.

Researchers from Yale University gathered and analyzed data on the sex, race, and ethnicity of matriculants at all accredited medical schools between 2002 and 2017. They found that after the LCME standards were implemented, the percentage of female, black, and Hispanic matriculants grew. In 2002, 49% of new enrollees were women, 6.8% were black, 5.4% were Hispanic, and 20.8% were Asian.

In 2017, 50.4% percent of new enrollees were women, 7.3% were black, 8.9% were Hispanic, and 24.6% percent were Asian.

In 2018, women formed the majority of both applications and enrollments at U.S. medical schools. The number of black applicants rose by 4%, while the number of new enrollees increased by 4.6%. And after years of nominal growth or declines, the number of black male applicants increased by 4.4%, and the number of matriculants grew by 7.3%.

Making Strides in Medical School Diversity | 13

U.S. MEDICAL SCHOOL APPLICANTS

RACE/ETHNICITY SELF-IDENTIFICATION 0

5K

10K

15K

20K

25K

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

American Indian or Alaska Native

Hispanic, Latino, or of Spanish Origin

Other Race/Ethnicity

Asian

Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander

Unknown Race/Ethnicity

Black or African American

White

Non-U.S. Citizen or Non-Permanent Resident

Source: Association of American Medical Colleges 14 | AUA Alumni Magazine • Issue 04 • 2019

30K

AUA students at St. John's Health Breast Cancer Screenings

40%

of female physicians of color in the U.S. recall a high school or college counselor trying to dissuade them from pursing a medical career.

The Importance of Addressing Racial Disparities in Medicine The growth among black medical students and graduates is particularly noteworthy because while 13% of the U.S. population is black, only 4% of doctors are black. The percentage of black female medical school graduates has grown since 1986, but the opposite was true of black male

graduates until recently. In 1986, 57% of black medical school graduates were men. By 2015, that number had plummeted to 35%, even as the total number of black graduates in all fields had risen. In fact, fewer black men enrolled in medical school in 2014 than in 1978.

Many factors contribute to racial disparities in the physician workforce. Research points to complex reasons that fewer black men are choosing careers in medicine, including economic barriers, lack of role models, limited access to educational opportunities, and implicit and explicit biases.

Black women also face obstacles on their path to becoming physicians. A report from the Greenlining Institute and the Artemis Medical Society interviewed 20 female physicians of color in the U.S., most of them black.

More than half said they had questioned their prospects of succeeding in medicine because they had never met a doctor with the same racial identity. And 40% said they recalled a high school or college counselor trying to dissuade them from pursuing a medical career.

Pronounced race gaps on standardized tests have endured for years, and closing the disparity could sharply increase black college graduation rates. Black-white score gaps on the SAT—which, along with the ACT, is a crucial assessment for college admissions—remained almost unchanged from 1996 to 2015. The mean score on the SAT math section is 511 out of 800; the average scores for blacks (428) and Latinos (457) are much lower than those of whites (534) and Asians (598).

Making Strides in Medical School Diversity | 15

Asian

AVERAGE SCORES - SAT MATH SECTION

750-800

Asian

300-350

White

Latino

Black

White

Latino

Black

MINORITY PERCENTAGE OF STUDENT BODY

13%

40%

U.S. Medical Schools

AUA

Source: Association of American Medical Colleges

Pronounced race gaps on standardized tests have 13% for years, 40% endured and closing the disparity could sharply increase black college graduation rates.

U.S. Medical Schools

AUA

These race gaps are even more striking at the tails of the distribution; among the top scorers—those scoring between 750 and 800—60% are Asian and 33% are white, compared to 5% Latino and 2% black. And among those scoring between 300 and 350, 37% are Latino, 35% are black, 21% are white, and 6% are Asian.

But while racial disparity in education continues, doctors in the U.S. are caring for an increasingly diverse group of patients, and it is more important than ever to reflect that same diversity in medicine. Research has shown that having more physicians of color can help improve health outcomes for patients.

In one study, researchers recruited more than 1,300 black men and randomly assigned them to a black male doctor or a non-black male doctor at the same clinic.

In advance of meeting their doctors, the patients opted into preventative screening tests, both invasive (such as diabetes screening) and noninvasive (such as blood pressure measurements).

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Patients in both groups selected approximately the same number of screening tests. But after speaking with their doctor, black patients paired with a black doctor were significantly more likely to choose every test than patients with a non-black doctor, especially for invasive screenings. Results also demonstrated increased levels of trust and communication among black patients and black doctors. Patients with black doctors were much more likely to discuss additional health problems—and black doctors wrote more notes about their patients than non-black doctors.

Since racial and ethnic minorities in the U.S. have higher rates of chronic disease, obesity, and premature death than white patients—and black men in particular have the lowest life expectancy of any demographic group – increasing diversity among physicians could improve health outcomes and even save lives.

AUA class of 2021 students: Bonita Simmons, Chiamaka Madu, and Heather Brightharp (left to right)

AUA strives to bridge the disparities in medicine so that patients from all communities can receive the best care possible.

AUA is guided by the belief that patients benefit from diverse, compassionate medical professionals.

As the United States and world grow increasingly diverse, AUA is proud to play a role in ensuring that qualified students from under-represented backgrounds have the same opportunity as anyone else to fulfill their dreams of practicing medicine—with the patients being the ones to benefit. ■Making Strides in Medical School Diversity | 17

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Dr. Swaiman Singh’s

MEDICAL CAMPS SUCCESS STORY

DR. SWAIMAN SINGH Class of 2015 Cardiology Fellow Newark Beth Israel Medical Center/Robert Wood Johnson Barnabas Health

I

n March, Dr. Swaiman Singh organized a series of medical camps in three cities in the state of Punjab, India, where he grew up. In each of the camps, in Pakhoke, Jalandhar, and Ludhiana, large numbers of residents turned out for preventive care checkups, health screenings, and other medical services.

“We saw around 4,000 patients on our first camp day, as reported by local media,” said Dr. Singh, AUA Class of 2015. “After the camps, we did personal follow-ups in two out of three places. The Pakhoke camp received five days of follow-up, and the Jalandhar camp had two days.

The Ludhiana camp received follow-up over the phone by us and in person through local doctors there.”

AUA Alumni's Commitment to Health | 19

A team of physicians from a wide variety of fields, including surgery, obstetrics, pediatrics, orthopedics, oncology, dental, and ophthalmology, joined Dr. Singh.

Several nonprofit organizations donated medication, and Mai Bhago College of Nursing students and instructors volunteered to help.

Dr. Singh said the goals for the camps were to learn about the diseases that are affecting the local populations in different parts of India, to see what he and others can do to help in the future, and to build enthusiasm around social work in the local community.

“We learned a lot,” said Dr. Singh. “Some of the major takeaways were that diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension (HTN) are big problems, as well as alcohol, steroid, and antihistamine abuse. Skin care is a challenge due to pollution and bad sanitation. Lack of education and screening opportunities also pose ongoing obstacles.

There’s a huge need for doctors in India, but having more nurse practitioners might help close the gap. On the positive side, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are close to nonexistent because smoking isn’t common.”

The medical camps resulted in the following successes: •

Testing more than 800 attendees’ eyes and giving out more than 200 pairs of prescription eyeglasses

•

Administering dental and eye checkups and giving toothbrushes to all Pakhoke schoolchildren

•

Performing 300 electrocardiography tests, diagnosing one attendee with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome

•

Testing and diagnosing many patients with diabetes and high blood pressure

•

Using Apple Watches as a screening tool to identify atrial fibrillation, diagnosing seven attendees

•

Conducting cancer screenings, including mammograms

•

Providing free medication and guidance to attendees

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Dr. Singh is already looking ahead to the medical camps he is planning for 2020, which will be held from March 14 to 28.

We're looking forward to expanding our efforts to help as many people as possible.

“We’ll need to keep the focus on dermatology, HTN, DM, heart disease, headaches, pain, gastritis, oncology, and OB-GYN services,” said Dr. Singh. “We will be looking to meet more innovators, as we feel using Apple Watches was a huge success. For next year, we are planning to use other new technologies that are cost-effective. We have already reached out to a couple of companies, including one that makes stethoscopes and one that makes portable EKG machines. We’re looking forward to expanding our efforts to help as many people as possible.” ■

AUA Alumni's Commitment to Health | 21

SERVING OVERLOOKED COMMUNITIES with Dr. Jasmine Sawhne

D

r. Jasmine Sawhne is driven by her desire to help the most vulnerable populations in her community. An AUA Class of 2013 graduate, Dr. Sawhne completed her residency at Columbia University’s New York-Presbyterian Medical Center and Creedmoor Psychiatric Center, treating patients who suffered from chronic mental health issues. After residency, she accepted a fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Mental Health Policy and Services Research

22 | AUA Alumni Magazine • Issue 04 • 2019

in Philadelphia. The fellowship centered around working with community-based populations—including many people who desperately need medical care but don’t receive it.

“I was drawn to take this fellowship because I was interested in helping the populations that get overlooked,” said Dr. Sawhne. “The people who truly need help often can’t access it. I wanted to help people who couldn’t get other resources.”

During her fellowship, Dr. Sawhne learned about treating patients who struggle with challenges such as homelessness, addiction, and isolation, and require significantly more attention. The program taught her how to use systems-based practice management—the concept that doctors must learn to work effectively within a complex set of overlapping healthcare systems. She learned to determine which resources she could rely on from the federal government or the state to provide the best possible care.

Dr. Sawhne’s fellowship led to a full-time job at Horizon House, an organization that serves the homeless and people with mental and behavioral health needs and intellectual and developmental disabilities. The community-based work she is doing with Horizon House is significant, as there is a substantial national shortage of psychiatrists and other mental health providers, especially in rural regions, urban neighborhoods, and community health centers, according to the AAMC. Dr. Sawhne also works with the Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) team, which uses evidence-based practices in behavioral healthcare to help people with severe mental illness.

“Many people have been hospitalized and can’t function in the community,” said Dr. Sawhne. “They need a lot of extra support and very personalized care.”

Dr. Sawhne also works on a team dedicated to early intervention for people who are experiencing psychosis —losing touch with their sense of reality—for the first time. The team’s goal is to intervene prior to them going into a hospital.

The people who truly need help often can’t access it. I wanted to help people who couldn’t get other resources.

Dr. Jasmine Sawhne, Class of 2013

“With psychosis, most of the time we think of major disorders like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, but actually psychosis is just defined as when a patient experiences a disconnection from their version of reality.

This usually shows symptoms between the ages of 15 and 25,” she said. “Most people who have symptoms don’t get care until a year or two later. Getting them care earlier reduces the number of days they spend in the hospital, and then they can re-engage back into college or work.

I enjoy working with the younger population because I can intervene early and change their trajectory.”

Much of Dr. Sawhne’s work in the mental health field revolves around battling cultural stigmas. Many people resist seeking help because of the stigmas that exist around mental illness. And people often mistakenly associate mental illness with violence, when in reality, less than 1% of people with mental illness are violent.

“A lot of the work is educating people about mental illness,” she said. “It’s not a weakness, it doesn’t define you as a person, and you can still be highly functional despite having this condition. The goal is not to label the patient with a diagnosis. The goal is to manage the symptoms, so that patients can have a long-term plan and an achievable goal.”

Dr. Sawhne is interested in how technological advancements in telemedicine will transform the mental health field. She believes these advances will align with her objectives of increasing awareness about mental health, destigmatizing treatment, and maximizing access to care for underserved populations. ■ AUA Alumni's Commitment to Health | 23

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Dr. Osman Ali Develops an

AUA RESEARCH PROGRAM at the University of Maryland

DR. OSMAN ALI Class of 2017 Internal Medicine Resident University of Maryland Medical Center

G

iving back to students at his alma mater is a priority for Dr. Osman Ali, a Class of 2017 AUA graduate. Dr. Ali is a secondyear internal medicine resident at the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC), where he was recently selected to be Chief Resident, starting this July. At the UMMC Midtown campus, Dr. Ali created a research program open exclusively to AUA students who have a gap between finishing medical school and starting residency.

He found himself in this exact situation two years ago; he was finishing clinical rotations but had a 10-month window to fill before he began residency.

“I did my fourth-year ICU rotation at the University of Maryland and happened to be on rotation with the ICU director, Dr. Verceles,” said Dr. Ali. “We got to chatting, and I told him I had some time before starting residency. He asked me for my CV, and that prompted me to apply for—and get accepted for—a research post-doc fellowship in the pulmonary and critical care department.”

AUA Alumni's Commitment to Health | 25

During his research fellowship, Dr. Ali worked on two clinical trials, one of which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. He later matched with UMMC’s internal medicine residency program, and he is now using his own experience to pave the way for other AUA graduates following a similar path. The research program he started in pulmonary and critical care accepts at least two AUA graduates each year.

“In the program, we teach them the entire process of doing clinical research,” said Dr. Ali. “They learn about statistics and how to use live equipment. They meet with critical care attending physicians and get experience in the various research programs the department has going on at that time. So far, including myself, six of us from AUA have gone through the program. And all have matched with residency programs!”

The program has been a success, and UMMC plans to continue it in future years, offering positions exclusively to AUA students. Research fellows are currently working on two active clinical trials—one for the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, and one for the National Institute on Aging.

“We’ve had a good track record with AUA graduates, and it’s a great pathway for students graduating off-cycle to add more to their CV,” said Dr. Ali. “I will be Chief Resident next year, and I know exactly what we look for. Step scores are definitely important, but being well-rounded, and especially being involved in research, are things that we value."

It’s important to give back because it can be a daunting process, especially for students coming from a school outside the U.S. 26 | AUA Alumni Magazine • Issue 04 • 2019

After completing his residency, Dr. Ali hopes to match to a gastroenterology fellowship at a program on the East Coast. He is interested in advanced bariatric endoscopy, which is the focus of much of his work at the moment. At UMMC, he is researching the use of telemedicine to help patients with chronic gastrointestinal issues. Dr. Ali, with the help of two AUA graduates, is investigating whether early intervention via telemedicine can help shorten the hospital stays of patients who use the emergency department often.

Dr. Ali stays involved with AUA, keeping in touch with faculty, hosting webinars for prospective students, and

answering questions from current AUA students who are studying for exams. He is invested in empowering the next generation of doctors who are graduating from AUA. “It’s important to give back because it can be a daunting process, especially for students coming from a school outside the U.S.,” he said. “AUA does a great job of letting students lead and progress in their career. I had opportunities to serve as a TA and tutor while I was there that I found really rewarding and planted the seed for my interest in teaching. AUA allowed me to take charge of my education, providing just enough support as well as the autonomy that I needed to gear up for success.” ■ AUA Alumni's Commitment to Health | 27

Dr. Angela Echeverria Helps Patients

ACHIEVE A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE

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and includes both open and endovascular treatments. Dr. Echeverria is a highly trained vascular surgeon, but she also sees patients who don’t need surgery – and can be helped with medication, exercise, or other treatments.

Vascular surgery is a specialty that treats a wide variety of conditions of the arterial, venous, and lymphatic systems,

“I get to see patients over and over and monitor their outcomes,” she said. “There is a big educational component to vascular surgery that includes addressing health concerns for people who are overweight; are smokers; have high cholesterol or diabetes; etc. I have an

ne of the main reasons Dr. Angela Echeverria, an AUA Class of 2010 graduate, was drawn to vascular surgery was the continuity of care she is able to offer her patients. With many surgeries, the doctor’s aim is to “fix the patient” and never see them again. But in vascular surgery, Dr. Echeverria builds relationships with patients over time.

28 | AUA Alumni Magazine • Issue 04 • 2019

opportunity to help these patients have a better quality of life. And because a lot of vascular disease has a genetic component, I get to know their family members. Their family is part of their practice as well.”

Dr. Echeverria is in her third year of private practice at Naples Vascular Specialists in Naples, Florida, where she treats more than 300 patients a year. After graduating from AUA, she completed her general surgery residency at the University of Tucson and a vascular and endovascular surgery fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX. During her fellowship at Baylor, Dr. Echeverria trained with many experts in vascular disease, including Dr. Joseph Caselli, a leading authority on aortic surgery.

I have an opportunity to help these patients have a better quality of life.

“I was the first person to match into a categorical surgery spot and the first vascular surgeon,” said Dr. Echeverria.

“There are still very few women in vascular surgery—less than 10% of vascular surgeons are women and only 5% are in the U.S. As a woman, your work is scrutinized early on, and you have to work very hard to get your spots. If you work hard, and you keep your head down, you can achieve anything if you put your mind to it.”

Dr. Echeverria said she enjoys her work because every day is different. She operates on patients ranging from newborns to the elderly. And with the exception of the heart, her procedures cover the entire human body, from the base of the skull to the tips of the toes.

As a woman, your work is scrutinized early on, and you have to work very hard to get your spots. If you work hard, and you keep your head down, you can achieve anything if you put your mind to it.

Dr. Anglea Echeverria, Class of 2010

One of Dr. Echeverria’s big passions is amputation prevention. She wants to preserve quality of life by prioritizing limb salvage and focusing on preventative measures.

Dr. Echeverria advises current medical students and residents to stay disciplined and focused on their professional goals.

“Everything is hard work and what you put into it,” Dr. Echeverria said. “Getting good test scores, getting good grades, making good connections—go out of your way to do a bit more work. If you put everything into your education every day, then the sky’s the limit.” ■ AUA Alumni's Commitment to Health | 29

Photo source: Patch

ALUMNI PROVIDE AID in Puerto Rico

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t AUA, part of our mission is to ensure graduates develop attitudes of lifelong learning, compassion, professionalism, and a commitment to supporting underserved communities.

As a result, many AUA alumni have a deep sense of global responsibility and are passionate about assisting people and communities in need.

workers, who organized a group therapy station for the citizens on the island.

After the devastation of Hurricane Maria in 2017, several AUA alumni came together to provide much-needed medical support to Vieques, Puerto Rico. One of those alumni was Dr. Pedro Torres, who founded the nonprofit organization Community Health Alliance of Medical Professionals (C.H.A.M.P.) to help provide medical help and support to relief missions around the world.

The time spent in Puerto Rico underscored the healthcare disparities the community faced and what needs to be done before the next storm hits. “The island as a whole has to reconsider—instead of just putting tapes over the bruises—what’s going to happen when the next storm comes around, because it’s not going to hold up for another storm of that magnitude,” Torres shared with Patch. “I think the whole island might be wiped out.”

Dr. Torres experienced the storm firsthand while doing his medical residency in Puerto Rico. After witnessing the wreckage of Hurricane Maria, Dr. Torres gathered up volunteers with diverse backgrounds and organized C.H.A.M.P.’s first official mission. In addition to focusing on medical care, the group also included mental health 30 | AUA Alumni Magazine • Issue 04 • 2019

One of those volunteers was fellow AUA alum Dr. Kirill Alekseyev, who participated in two trips in 2018. A year after the storm, Alekseyev was astounded by the lack of resources that the community had and the long-term impact of the destruction.

While there is no shortage of work to be done, both Dr. Torres and Dr. Alekseyev are committed to the cause and dedicated to providing ongoing aid and relief. ■

M ATC H D AY :

Getting Social with Alumni

AUA Alumni's Commitment to Health | 31

AUA

AROUND THE WORLD AUA ATTENDS 2018 GLOBAL HEALTH SUMMIT

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UA attended the 2018 Global Healthcare Summit, hosted by the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI).

The Global Health Summit took place in Mumbai, India from December 28-30, and provided a platform for Indian physicians and physicians of Indian origin to share their expertise in their respective medical fields with fellow physicians.

As a globally-focused medical school and a division of Manipal Education and Medical Group, AUA maintains strong ties to India. “We continue to be impressed with the quality of physicians, researchers, and scientists that come from India,” said Simon. “They advance and further progress global health initiatives that impact the world.

Their medical community continues to be a significant contributor to our institution’s success.” ■

Since 2012, AAPI has recognized AUA as the leader in international medical education. After conducting a comprehensive site visit, AAPI awarded AUA this distinction based on AUA’s numerous state accreditations, strong curriculum, global health resources, and graduate success. Presently, AUA is the only medical school to receive this status and recognition.

AUA President Neal Simon participated in panel discussions during the Summit’s Access to Healthcare and CEO Forum, where he discussed global healthcare and the much-anticipated global physician shortage.

Additionally, Simon joined William W. Pinksy, M.D., President & CEO of the Education Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG), on a panel to discuss the international medical school’s programs and the importance of credentialing and credential verification.

32 | AUA Alumni Magazine • Issue 04 • 2019

Neal Simon, AUA President, Global Health Summit

EMTC HOSTS FIRST RESPONDER TRAINING IN INDIA

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or the fourth year in a row, the AUA Emergency Medicine Training Centre (AUA EMTC), an American Heart Association International Training Center, collaborated with the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) to host a first responder training in India during the 2018 Global Health Summit.

As part of their mission to promote global health around the world, AUA EMTC provided intensive training sessions for first responders in an effort to decrease the number of deaths, especially from road accidents, by arming first responders with the necessary training to deliver basic life support to accident victims. It is hoped that by equipping first responders with these basic skills, a reduction in the number of victims succumbing to their injuries, prior to reaching a hospital, might be minimized.

In the time since the inaugural training, AUA EMTC has become an official National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) Training Center, bringing it to the forefront of both international and national discussions and initiatives that have a significant impact on the Emergency Medical System (EMS) profession.

AUA EMTC is an accredited American Heart Association International Training Center (AHA ITC). AUA EMTC delivers Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) and Basic Life Support for Health Care Providers courses. Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) courses are also offered to local and regional pediatric healthcare providers through EMTC. â– AUA Around Antigua and the World | 33

AUA Community

OUTREACH ST. MARY'S SECONDARY SCHOOL CAREER DAY

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n March 20, 2019 – Twenty AUA Basic Sciences students, along with three faculty and three staff members, attended the St. Mary’s Secondary School career day to speak to students about AUA’s academic programs and to also offer BMI and vision screening.

During his opening address, Casey Phillip, the school's principal, expressed his appreciation for AUA’s support of the initiative and that he looks forward to a continued partnership between the two institutions. Sharon Brusch, who spoke on behalf of AUA, thanked Mr. Phillip for the opportunity to showcase AUA and urged the high schoolers to consider pursuing a career in medicine. ■

34 | AUA Alumni Magazine • Issue 04 • 2019

AUA DONATES TO PROJECT HOPE COMMUNITY CENTRE

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n March 15th AUA donated three laptops to the Project Hope Community Centre in Cassada Gardens, St. John’s Antigua. Avery Jonas, AUA’s Associate Director of Campus Operations, made the presentation on behalf of AUA to the Centre’s Director, Wendy Abbott.

The Project Hope Community Centre develops and implements a number of social and educational programs to benefit individuals who have difficulty pursuing tertiary education due to financial and other constraints.

During his brief remarks, Jonas reiterated AUA’s commitment to assisting community partners, particularly in terms of creating educational opportunities for the less fortunate. He added that he is pleasantly surprised to learn that the Centre currently provides educational programs for over 120 individuals. He noted that AUA provided furniture earlier in the year and is happy to provide the Centre with laptops as well, knowing that the items will be put to good use for the benefit of the community.

Abbott expressed her heartfelt appreciation and added that the laptops will enable delivery of online programs that students were forced to access via smartphone previously. The handover was witnessed by some of the Centre’s current students who were very vocal in their appreciation of AUA’s continued support of the Centre’s operations and also expressed avid interest in the programs currently offered by the AUA Emergency Medical Training Centre. ■ AUA Around Antigua and the World | 35

AUA Appoints DR. SAMUEL LEBARON as Executive Dean of Basic Sciences

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n February 2019, AUA named previous professor Samuel LeBaron, M.D., Ph.D., as Executive Dean of Basic Sciences, Antigua Campus.

Dr. LeBaron, Professor Emeritus of Family Medicine, spent more than ten years as the Director of Education in Family and Community Medicine at Stanford University College of Medicine and served on the faculty for 25 years.

While at Stanford, he focused on improving medical school education and spearheaded the first course on Integrative Medicine.

“Having served as the Chair of Clinical Medicine for AUA, we are pleased to welcome Dr. LeBaron back as the Executive Dean of Basic Sciences,” said AUA University Provost Robert Mallin, M.D. “He is a dynamic leader and

36 | AUA Alumni Magazine • Issue 04 • 2019

an authority on improving medical school education, mentoring new generations of physicians, and enhancing the quality of patient care. We look forward to his contributions in his new role including recruiting and supporting a vibrant, diverse, and inclusive scientific student community.”

Dr. LeBaron earned a doctorate in clinical psychology from Michigan State University, then became Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Texas Health Science Center. He earned a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Calgary and completed his residency in Family Medicine at San Jose Medical Center in San Jose, California.

AUA has a noble mission, and I am honored to work alongside notable physicians, faculty, and administrators who are dedicated to supporting underserved communities and addressing the physician shortage.

Dr. LeBaron with his wife, Meili Xu, and their granddaughter

“AUA has a noble mission,” said Dr. LeBaron, “and I am honored to work alongside notable physicians, faculty, and administrators who are dedicated to supporting underserved communities and addressing the physician shortage by providing students, who would otherwise be unable to receive a medical education, the tools they need to become successful physicians.”

Throughout his career, Dr. LeBaron has received numerous awards for outstanding teaching and clinical work, and he has conducted research and published numerous articles related to physicianpatient communication and the mind-body approach to managing chronic illness.

Dr. Robin Roberts, Dr. Samuel LeBaron, and Vernon Soloman

Dr. LeBaron will be joined by his wife, Meili Xu, L.Ac, D.A.O.M., who will join the AUA College of Medicine faculty as an assistant professor in Clinical Medicine. ■ AUA Around Antigua and the World | 37

Congratulations,

AUA CLASS OF

2019

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ore than 240 medical school students officially became doctors on Friday, June 7 at American University of Antigua (AUA) College of Medicine’s 2019 Commencement Ceremony. Held at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, NJ, Friday’s event saw these new physicians recite the Hippocratic Oath, receive their Doctor of Medicine degrees, and celebrate their accomplishments with friends, family, and peers.

Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, presidential candidate and the first Hindu member of the US Congress, delivered the keynote address. Gabbard recalled a time from her

38 | AUA Alumni Magazine • Issue 04 • 2019

youth when, after a day spent clearing trash from a beach in her home state of Hawaii, she realized the importance of careers that serve others.

“Even at that young age, the experience made me happier than if I were doing anything for myself,” she said, drawing comparisons to AUA’s graduating class and praising them for “putting service above self.”

Congratulations to the 2019 class! ■

“Even at that young age, the experience made me happier than if I were doing anything for myself.�

Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard 2019 Keynote Address

AUA Around Antigua and the World | 39

AUA Alumni

UPDATES 2019 Joel Alcid, M.D. [class of '16]

Imran Farooqui, M.D. [class of '13]

Ashley Kanjira, M.D. [class of '12]

Residency: Internal Medicine | Drexel University College of Medicine | Philadelphia, PA

Residency: Neurology | University of Florida College of Medicine | Jacksonville, FL Fellowship: Vascular Neurology | Duke University Medical Center | Durham, NC

Practicing: Emergency Medicine | Gwinnett Medical Center | Lawrenceville, GA

Osman Ali, M.D. [class of '17] Residency: Internal Medicine | University of Maryland Medical Center | Baltimore, MD

Zubair Ali, M.D. [class of '14] Residency: Psychiatry | Richmond Univesity Medical Center | Staten Island, NY Fellowship: Consultation Liaison Psychiatry | Stony Brook University Hospital | Stony Brook, NY

Adam Alperstein, M.D. [class of '15] Residency: Internal Medicine | Oak Hill Hospital | High Point, FL Fellowship: Nephrology/Critical Care

Alexander Austin, M.D. [class of '11] Practicing: Family Medicine | United States Air Force

Edward Christiansen, M.D. [class of '15]

Residency: Research Family Medicine | HCA-Research Medical Center | Kansas City, MO

Diana Daftari, M.D. [class of '19]

Tariq Farzad, M.D. [class of '19] Residency: Internal Medicine | UHS Southern California Medical Education Consortium | Temecula, CA

Anil George, M.D. [class of '13]

Sanjay Karatam, M.D. [class of '11] Residency: Internal Medicine - HCA Blake Medical Center, Bradenton, FL

Monique Leung, M.D. [class of '13] Residency: OBGYN | Saint Peter's University Hospital | New Brunswick, NJ

Hadi Mahmaljy, M.D. [class of '15]

Residency: Pediatrics | University of Kentucky College of Medicine | Lexington, KY Fellowship: Pediatric Hematology/ Oncology | University of Illinois College of Medicine | Chicago, IL

Residency: Internal Medicine | Southern Illinois University School of Medicine | Springfield, IL Fellowship: Cardiology | Geisinger Health System | Danville, PA

Rahul Gupta, M.D. [class of '18]

Maram Marouki, M.D. [class of '14]

Residency: Internal Medicine | Newark Beth Israel Medical Center | Newark, NJ

Lukman Hassan, M.D. [class of '15] Fellowship: Pulmonary Critical Care | Stony Brook University | Stony Brook, NY

Adam Isacoff, M.D. [class of '09] Practicing: Pediatric Emergency Medicine | Bethesda Hospital East | Boynton Beach, FL

Residency: Anesthesiology | Detroit Medical Center | Detroit, MI Fellowship: Critical Care Anesthesia | Cleveland Clinic | Cleveland, OH

Aswim Mathew, M.D. [class of '11] Interventional Cardiologist and Assistant Professor of Medicine | Drexel University College of Medicine | Philadelphia, PA

Joseph Mathias, M.D. [class of '13]

Residency: Emergency Medicine | Brandon Regional Hospital | Brandon, FL

Residency: Psychiatry | Berkshire Medical Center | Pittsfield, MA Fellowship: Addiction Psychiatry | Emory University | Atlanta, GA

[class of '13]

Cristina Jimenez Aponte, M.D.

Residency: Internal Medicine | University of Mississippi Medical Center | Jackson, MS Fellowship: Cardiology | University of Mississippi Medical Center | Jackson, MS

[class of '19]

Adam Nielson, M.D. [class of '14]

Residency: Internal Medicine | Riverside Community Hospital/UC | Riverside, CA

Christopher DeGroat, M.D.

Bryan Doherty, M.D. [class of '15] Residency: Internal Medicine | Grand Strand Medical Center | Myrtle Beach, SC Fellowship: Gastroenterology | New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital | Brooklyn, NY

40 | AUA Alumni Magazine • Issue 04 • 2019

Rashmi A. Jadhav, M.D. [class of '18]

Residency: Pediatrics | Puerto Rico

Residency: Family Medicine | University of Ottowa | Renfrew, Ontario, Canada

Anthony Johnson, M.D. [class of '17]

Mayank Ohri, M.D. [class of '15]

Residency: Family Medicine | University of Alabama | Tuscaloosa, AL

Suhayb Kadura, M.D. [class of '14] Residency: Internal Medicine | Universtiy of Rochester | Rochester, NY Fellowship: Cardiovascular Disease | SUNY Upstate | Syracuse, NY

Residency: Internal Medicine PGY3 | Kendall Regional Medical Center | Miami, FL

Michael Park, M.D. [class of '12] Residency: Internal Medicine | Richmond University Medical Center | Staten Island, NY

Chase Parsons, M.D. [class of '16]

Amar Shere, M.D. [class of '16]

Justin Stubbs, M.D. [class of '19]

Residency: Diagnostic Radiology PGY2 | Mount Sinai Medical Center | Miami, FL

Residency: Internal Medicine | Mercer University - Medical Center Navicent Health | Macon, GA Fellowship: Advanced Heart Failure & Pulmonary Hypertension | Hackensack University Medical Center | Hackensack, NJ

Residency: Internal Medicine | Las Palmas Del Sol Healthcare | El Paso, TX

Christopher Showers, M.D.

Pedro Torres, M.D. [class of '15]

Matthew Procopio, M.D. [class of '14] Residency: Family Medicine | Wilson Hospital | Johnson City, NY

Ryan A. Raffel, M.D. [class of '16] Residency: OBGYN | Nassau University Medical Center | East Meadow, NY

Basit Rahim, M.D. [class of '14] Fellowship: Neurocritical Care | Stanford Medicine | Stanford, CA Research Position: Neurology | University of Minnesota | Minneapolis, MN

Qasim Sajawal, M.D. [class of '14] Residency: Internal Medicine | Coney Island Hospital | Brooklyn, NY Fellowship: Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine | SUNY Downstate Medical Center | Brooklyn, NY

Neelam Sarwar, M.D. [class of '18] Residency: Pediatrics | Saint Peter's University Hospital | New Brunwick, NJ

Jasmine Sawhne, M.D. [class of '13] Residency: Psychiatry | Creedmoor Psychiatric Center | Queens, NY Fellowship: Community Psychiatry | University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA

Peter Sayegh, M.D. [class of '16] Residency: Internal Medicine | Lenox Hill Hospital | New York, NY Fellowship: Cardiology | Lenox Hill Hospital | New York, NY

Nickul N. Shah, M.D. [class of '17] Residency: Pathology | University of Massachusetts Amherst | Amherst, MA

Zoheb Shaikh, M.D. [class of '15] Practicing: Hospitalist | Orlando, FL

Sahar Takkouche, M.D. [class of '17] Residency: Internal Medicine | The Brooklyn Hospital Center | Brooklyn, NY

Residency: Internal Medicine | New York Presbyterian | Queens, NY

Fellowship: Emergency Medicine | Albany Medical Center | Albany, NY

Gurbani Sing, M.D. [class of '19]

Herit Vacchani, M.D. [class of '14]

[class of '17]

Residency: Family Medicine | University of Toronto | Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Residency: Internal Medicine | Mount Carmel Health | Columbus, OH

Amandeep Singh Bains, M.D.

Stephanie Vazquez, M.D. [class of '18]

[class of '11]

Residency: Psychiatry | Cleveland Medical Center University Hospitals, Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) | Cleveland, OH Fellowship: Child and Adolescent Psychiatry | CWRU, Rainbow Babies and Children Hospital | Cleveland, OH

Savreet Singh, M.D. [class of '19] Residency: Family Medicine | Henry Ford | Allegiance, MI

Srikant Sivaraman, M.D. [class of '12] Residency: General Surgery | University of Maryland Medical Center | Baltimore, MD Fellowship: Vascular Surgery | Wayne State University, Detroit Medical Center | Detroit, MI

Kunal Sood, M.D. [class of '13] Residency: Anesthesiology | Wayne State University, Detroit Medical Center | Detroit, MI Fellowship: Interventional Pain Medicine | Wayne State University, Detroit Medical Center | Detroit, MI

Residency: Pediatrics | Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital | Hollywood, FL

Jay Vithalani, M.D. [class of '17] Fellowship: Family Medicine | St. Joseph’s Medical Center | Stockton, CA

Aishwarya Vyas, M.D. [class of '16] Residency: Internal Medicine | Norwalk Hospital | Norwalk, CT

Jasmin Wilnise, M.D. [class of '13] Residency: Family Medicine | Loyola-Cook County Family Medicine | Chicago, IL Fellowship: Preventative Medicine | John Hopkins General | Baltimore, MD

Jeffrey Wilson, M.D. [class of '13] Residency: Internal Medicine | Interfaith Medical Center | Brooklyn, NY Fellowship: Cardiology | University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine, Sanford Heart Hospital | Sioux Falls, SD

Ali Yahya, M.D. [class of '16] Residency: Internal Medicine | NYU Langone Hospital - Brooklyn | Brooklyn, NY

If you would like to submit an alumni update, please contact: pkumar@auamed.org Alumni Updates | 41

AUA ALUMNI, At American University of Antigua (AUA) College of Medicine, we never lose sight of the fact that our esteemed alumni remain our greatest pride and finest ambassadors. Now more than 2,600 physicians strong, our school boasts graduates who are now directing residency programs, serving underserved patient populations across the globe, and practicing in dozens of medical specialties and subspecialties.

As this edition of our alumni magazine goes to print, graduates of AUA’s Class of 2019 recently donned caps and gowns to receive their Doctor of Medicine degrees, with many beginning residency training in July 2019. In the meantime, a brand new class of aspiring medical school students will be joining the AUA family this August, taking the same first few steps you did years ago when you arrived in Antigua.

We’re proud to have played a role in our graduates as they evolve as physicians. And, as you may have seen in the university timeline earlier in this magazine, AUA, is evolving too. The strength of our university is our alumni, and we do hope you’ll stay connected, online and in person, as we continue to develop today’s medical school students into tomorrow’s healthcare leaders. Visit AUA’s alumni website at www.auaalumni.org or find us on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.

Par Prem Kumar Advisor to the President for Special Projects

42 | AUA Alumni Magazine • Issue 04 • 2019

THE PATHWAY TO

As a student, AUA paved the way for you to become an MD, and the lifelong impact of your years at AUA is undeniable. Help us tell the AUA story by supporting us during AUA events and becoming brand ambassadors.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE AUA ALUMNI ASSOCIATION WWW.AUAALUMNI.ORG Alumni Updates | 43

Manipal Education Americas, LLC, Representative for: American University of Antigua College of Medicine, 40 Wall Street, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10005

auamed.org