What are your career goals?
My passion for family medicine is rooted in delivering quality, compassionate primary care with a focus on disease prevention and service to underserved populations. Through creative community partnerships, I hope to support building healthy, equitable communities that are empowered to drive the change they wish to see. All aspects of patients' lives affect their health -- from psychological and social spheres to workplace and home environments. As a family medicine doctor, I want to partner with my patients in achieving their health goals by understanding and supporting them in all arenas of their lives.
What attracted you to the Duke Family Medicine Residency Program?
The commitment of the Duke Department of Family Medicine and Community Health to providing comprehensive, excellent, and equitable care, as well as its emphasis on understanding social determinants of health, resonated deeply with my own values. The close-knit community between faculty and residents spoke volumes of their compassionate work environment, further solidifying my choice for Duke.
In your opinion, what makes Duke Family Medicine special?
Duke Family Medicine is special for their breadth of research involvement and community-based initiatives. The opportunities to take one’s training to new levels seem endless and I am excited to be involved.
What strengths or skills do you have that could be of benefit to the community?
I love listening to patient stories and taking a deep dive into who they are. Beyond the joy and fulfillment it brings to the practice of medicine, I find that it builds trust and fosters meaningful and longitudinal partnerships with patients. I speak Arabic and Spanish and love to work with patients with limited English proficiency. This is a population that often encounters barriers to care and spending the extra time to learn from these patients can make all the difference. I also have a background in research in microbiology, public and environmental health, and financial burden of disease. I’m excited to find avenues to explore these research interests and to expand into fields new to me.
What are you passionate about?
I am deeply passionate about being an ally to and advocate for historically marginalized groups, using whatever leverage I have to speak up and work towards solutions that create a more equitable society. Given my family’s Syrian origin, I am also passionate about working with refugees from all over the world to improve their access to healthcare and other basic needs.
What is your hometown?
Augusta, GA
What are your hobbies outside of work?
I love to take on huge cooking projects, from making complicated recipes like stuffed grape leaves to cooking hummus and felafel for a hundred people. Spending quality time with loved ones and making food for them is a soul-replenishing activity for me. I enjoy hiking and identifying wild mushrooms and birds with my fiancée and dog. I love to read science fiction, fantasy, and general fiction whenever possible.
Education and Training
- Emory University School of Medicine, MD
- Emory University College of Arts and Sciences, BS in Environmental Sciences