Crystal Jobson was born and raised in Jamaica. She attended medical school in Cuba at Facultad de Ciencias Médicas de Granma, where she graduated near the top of her class. Following her training, she moved to the Bahamas where Crystal was one of two primary care physicians for the island's population and for refugees found at sea. In that role, she focused on preventive medicine, chronic disease management, and population health while expediting access to specialty care. She moved to Texas with her family in 2015 where she started coursework towards an MBA in Healthcare Management at West Texas A&M University. She is passionate about mentoring others and providing high quality care for underserved communities.
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James Chan
jamchan@montefiore.org
James Chan is a first generation, native New Yorker who grew up in Queens. He began his career in the financial world as a consultant for multinational companies. This background equipped him with the financial security to embark on a career in medicine and focus on his true interest - community advocacy and engagement. Before his medical training at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, he worked as an Americorp volunteer and a site director at Sunnyside Community Services. In his free time, James is an avid runner and amateur food critic.
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Usama Irshad
uirshad@montefiore.org
Usama Irshad comes to us from King Edward Medical College in Pakistan where he was not only celebrated for his academic achievements but also his extremely popular and varied contributions to the school blog. Usama has a strong interest in the health of the LGTBQ+ community. He has spent many years working with NAZ - a community based non-profit organization in Lahore focused on HIV prevention in MSM and transgender individuals. In addition to many other hobbies, Usama is an enthusiast of Indian classical music and enjoys curating playlists and writing reviews.
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Harsh Jain
hjain@montefiore.org
Harsh Jain graduated from Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine. In medical school, he has served as the AMA chapter president, working for equitable patient care through lobbying and drafting resolutions, and as a founder of a free clinic at his local house of worship. Harsh also received recognition for his love of teaching. When not pursuing medical and educational endeavors, Harsh enjoys trivia, sports and photography.
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Humayra Mayat
humayat@montefiore.org
Humayra Mayat is a Bronx native who graduated from SUNY Upstate Medical University. During her time in medical school, she has been a leader in organizing the Health Justice Conference at Upstate. Humayra has a passion for advocacy and has worked on bioethics research on the collection of genetic information from asylum seekers and public health writing focused on disparities in care for gender and sexual minorities. When not working, Humayra likes to try her hand at baking challenges seen on the Great British Baking Show.
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Rinas Osman
rosman@montefiore.org
Rinas Osman is currently at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai. At Sinai, she has been active in the SNMA New York Chapter, the Muslim Students Association and the East Harlem Outreach Program Access to Care Team. In addition to these many pursuits, Rinas developed educational workshops on diabetes and prevention of liver cancer for the population of African immigrants served by the nonprofit organization Sauti Yetu in the Bronx. She seeks to be a provider for communities who are often overlooked. Outside of medicine, Rinas is passionate about powerlifting, bicycling and hiking.
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Neha Saini
nsaini@montefiore.org
Originally from Toronto, Canada, Neha Saini comes to us from Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine. Prior to medical school, she earned a Master of Science in global health. While in medical school, Neha has participated in a broad range of activities focused on health justice and patient advocacy, including contributing to research on the long-term health consequences of the Flint, MI water crisis and serving as the social advocacy chair for one of Detroit’s largest free clinics. Neha loves to experiment with vegetarian cooking and travel in her free time.
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Jamia Saunders
jsaunders@montefiore.org
Jamia Saunders is a Baltimore native and graduate of Howard University College of Medicine. Ever since entering medical school, Jamia has been focused on becoming a primary care physician. Her goal is to improve medical care in communities similar to hers in Baltimore and to work with vulnerable populations to achieve health equity. Jamia has participated in research on disparities in the experiences of patients living with COPD as well as on post-operative opiate prescription de-escalation. When not working, Jamia can be found working on home improvement projects, attending sporting events or singing in the church choir.
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Sejal Shah
seshah@montefiore.org
A Queens native, Sejal Shah joins us from SUNY Downstate Medical Center College of Medicine where she will complete both an MD and an MPH degree, with a concentration in epidemiology. While at SUNY Downstate, she has stood out for her commitment to the Anne Kastor Brooklyn Free Clinic where she has served as chief clinical coordinator. Sejal has a passion for medical education and public health with the goal of becoming a socially conscious clinician educator. Sejal’s other interests include Bollywood, vegetarian cooking and board games.
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Rex Tai
rtai@montefiore.org
Rex Tai will be joining us from the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine. With a background working as a community organizer and harm reduction volunteer in Chicago, Rex kept himself very busy in medical school. He has been active in APAMSA, Chicago Health Coalition for Black Lives, the Chicago Human Rights Collaborative, and Students for a National Health Program. As part of the Urban Medicine Program, he has done longitudinal work on food insecurity in the local community by creating a food resource navigator program. His research interests are focused on improving outcomes for people who use drugs. Outside of medicine, Rex is a ramen enthusiast - much like his associate program director.
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Jeremy Ziring
jziring@montefiore.org
Jeremy Ziring will be joining us from NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Prior to medical school, Jeremy worked for NYC Health + Hospitals’ Office of Population Health and published work on the collaborative care model. In medical school he has been the leader of the Health Policy Interest Group and obtained a New York Academy of Medicine Fellowship in Health Policy which funded research related to transforming health care delivery systems for vulnerable populations. His research has focused on risk stratification to identify high-needs patients in safety net hospital systems, hospital staffing, and supply availability. In his free time, Jeremy likes playing board games, running long distances and finding new recipes to cook.
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Galit Benoni
gbenoni@montefiore.org
Galit Benoni will earn her Medical Degree at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. At Einstein, she was involved in the global health program and worked in Kisoro, Uganda, alongside local physicians learning to provide primary care in a resource limited setting. After graduating from Johns Hopkins University with a B.S. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Galit worked at the National Institute for Aging for one year as a post baccalaureate fellow where she studied the effects of running on neurogenesis in the brain. She’s volunteered at the Living Room, a drop-in shelter for the homeless in the Bronx where she worked with the Homeless Outreach Team (HOT) and provided direct care to those living in the community. She was a board member of the Climbing and Outdoors club at Einstein and enjoys rock climbing, hiking, camping, and other outdoor activities.
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David Edelman
daedelman@montefiore.org
David Edelman earned his Medical Degree and Master of Public Health at the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons and the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. David is passionate about using research into social determinants of health and health inequity to drive system-level changes in population health and health policy. His work to date has focused on the role of non-English language and limited English proficiency in patient-provider interactions and its influence on communication and health outcomes. David co-founded the COVID-19 Student Service Corps at Columbia and was involved in city-wide medical school collaborations to coordinate student response efforts prior to starting residency. He was an involved student-clinician and student-educator at the Columbia Harlem Homeless Medical Partnership, a student-run free clinic in Harlem. He also co-directed the Public Health Commute, an online interactive tool for integrating public health concepts into health professional education, and used this work to develop a public health curriculum for preclinical medical students. David is a member of the Gold Humanism Honor Society. He enjoys creating “Wednesday Trivia” questions for family and friends, running, hiking, and team sports.
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Alexander Jordan
aljordan@montefiore.org
Alexander Jordan comes to us from Tufts University School of Medicine. During his first year at Tufts, Alexander was accepted to the Sam W. Ho Health Service Justice Scholars program, a curricular track comprised of faculty mentors and students who shared a passion for underserved medicine. This track led to the completion of a scholarly project entitled “’We Are Our Stories:’ Developing a Narrative Medicine Program for LGBT Older Adults,” which was presented at The LGBT Health Workforce Conference. He has volunteered at Concourse House, a temporary housing complex in the South Bronx for homeless women with children, and at the Church of St. Luke’s in the Fields, which has a youth drop-in program for LGBT homeless and marginally housed young people in New York City. Alexander appreciates film, art museums, podcasts, and nonfiction essay collections.
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Ayoola Kalejaiye
akalejaiye@montefiore.org
Ayoola Kalejaiye earned his medical degree from All Saints University School of Medicine in Dominica. Ayoola has been an active member of the Volunteer Medical Corps in Chicago for the last 4 years and serves as a group leader. Since 2016, he has also been a Student Research Intern at New York University's Department of Population Health. In this role, he worked on various research projects that focused on the impacts of behavior change on cardiovascular risk reduction in the minority and low-income population. Ayoola walks approximately 4 miles a day and enjoys playing soccer.
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Samuel Kebede
skebede@montefiore.org
Samuel Kebede is originally from Ethiopia; but, as a member of a family of UN workers, he spent time living in Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, the Congo and Pennsylvania. Samuel studied public health as an undergraduate at Johns Hopkins and worked closely with the Baltimore City Health Department to implement HIV and HCV testing sites. Samuel will graduate from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. During his time at Sinai he acted as a founding member of #ProtectOurPatients, a grassroots organization representing over 5,000 medical students in the U.S. who advocate for patients’ rights and will earn a Masters of Philosophy in Epidemiology as a Gates-Cambridge Scholar. Samuel enjoys spending his time playing soccer and weight-lifting.
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Natalie Lazarescou
nlazaresco@montefiore.org
Natalie Lazarescou comes to us from Baylor College of Medicine. Natalie has demonstrated her passion for working in healthcare policy by working with Doctors for Change, a non-profit organization that brings together leaders at the municipal and state levels to advocate for initiatives that improve access to mental healthcare and reduce the maternal mortality rate. She has also advocated for health-related legislation at the Texas state legislature and has co-authored several policy briefs. Natalie is a member of the Gold Humanism Honor Society. She was instrumental in coordinating a research group investigating how well refugees have adjusted to resettlement in Houston, the nation’s largest refugee city. Natalie appreciates and supports Houston by exploring its food scene, attending community events such as stand-up comedy, concerts, and artist pop-up shops.
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Zainab Mabizari
zmabizari@montefiore.org
Zainab Mabizari will be joining us from the Baylor College of Medicine. Prior to medical school, she volunteered at refugee fairs providing health screenings, organized a coalition to denounce hate speech in Houston, and crafted a policy brief that turned into a state bill. She is an acclaimed performance poet who uses her writing as a medium for immigrant and refugee narratives. Zainab pursued a Masters of Narrative Medicine at Columbia University as a means to integrate humanities in medicine. Zainab is a member of the Gold Humanism Honor Society. During medical school, she created a women’s health literacy program for Muslim women and co-founded the Houston branch of Performing Arts Mosaic, a non-profit promoting writing and performing in underrepresented communities. She performs her poetry at open mics, learns how to make coffee using different brewing methods, and has a passion for reading.
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Alexander Niculescu
aniculescu@montefiore.org
Alexander Niculescu will graduate from Tulane University School of Medicine. While in medical school, Alexander was awarded a Schweitzer Fellowship to create a mobile public health intervention for people who inject drugs in New Orleans. Alexander is currently involved in several research projects that include the evaluation of barriers to obtaining naloxone from pharmacies, the development of a chronic pain management curriculum for medical students, and a qualitative study understanding how people who inject drugs experience relationships with healthcare professionals. Alexander spends his time in various activities such as biking, hiking, rock climbing, meditation, and yoga.
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Anna Nwokelo
anwokelo@montefiore.org
Anna Nwokelo matriculated to New York University School of Medicine in 2015. While at NYU, Anna conducted research related to sickle cell disease and maternal mortality at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra, Ghana. She presented her findings to the 8th Annual Consortium of Universities for Global Health annual conference in Washington, DC. After this research experience, she continued to pursue activities in order to expand her research skills. For example, she took a year off to investigate the use of patient navigators to reduce the barriers to care for medically underserved women with breast cancer. Anna partakes in vigorous activities like kickboxing, boot camp, yoga, and dance classes.
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Anita Sreedhar
ansreedhar@montefiore.org
Anita Sreedhar will earn her medical degree at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. When she was a teenager, she immigrated to Austin, Texas from Malawi, Africa. Prior to medical school, Anita had a 10+ year career as an award-winning journalist and producer covering international and domestic news. Committed to a career in social medicine and public health, she earned a Master Degree in Public Health from the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University while in medical school. She is an organizer and activist for Students for a National Health Program (SNaHP) and Med Students for Choice where she has spoken at events on single-payer healthcare and planned events on topics ranging from the ACA to the history of ACT UP and AIDS-related activism. In her spare time, she experiments with family recipes from southern India, New Delhi and Malawi and has written short screenplays.
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Alexander Azan
Perelman School of Me3dicine at the University of Pennsylvania
alazan@montefiore.org
Alex Azan (he·him·his) graduated from Tufts University with a BS in Biology and concentration in Studio Art. After college, he served as a City Year Americorps volunteer tutoring and teaching middle school students in Los Angeles. He also worked with For Jamaica Inc., a 501(c)(3) he co-founded, to provide locally-sourced bedding to shelters in Jamaica. Alex then attended and earned his medical degree from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. In medical school, he volunteered with Physicians for Human Rights and was elected Co-President of UPenn’s Gold Humanism Honor Society chapter. He has a strong interest in population health research and has collaborated on projects assessing the health benefits of urban green space as well as the opportunity for inter-conception care screening at Federally Qualified Health Centers in West Philadelphia. Looking forward, he hopes to pursue a career in primary care, research, and community advocacy with the intention of exploring urban housing and public space as platforms for healthcare delivery.
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Rachel Clark
University of Washington School of Medicine
raclark@montefiore.org
Rachel Clark will be joining us from the University of Washington School of Medicine. She was selected as one of ten students to participate in the Targeted Rural Underserved Track, served as the coordinator for the two-year Global Health Fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital Division of Global Health and Human Rights, and cofounded Students for an Anti-Racist UW School of Medicine. Rachel is interested in furthering her skills as a physician advocate especially in providing substance abuse counseling and treatment for patients and working in incarceration health.
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Belicia Ding
Baylor College of Medicine
beding@montefiore.org
Belicia Ding graduated from Baylor College of Medicine in 2019. She received her undergraduate degree from Rice University in Psychology. Belicia has made a commitment to working with underserved communities by helping local refugees and immigrants. She was selected into the Care of the Underserved Track during her medical school and compiled a mental health resource guide for mental health professionals and patients in the Greater Houston Area. Her work as a Coordinator in this track also focused on her advocacy for community resources and organizing events to bring awareness of the needs of underserved communities.
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Musaub Khan
New York Medical College
mkhan6@montefiore.org
Musaub Khan completed his medical school training at New York Medical College where he founded human rights clinic for survivors of torture seeking asylum. He also created a local chapter of Physicians for Human Rights to engage medical students in social justice initiatives, and served as the first president of the Muslim Student Association and vice president of the South Asian Medical Student Association. In his final year, Musaub was elected President of his local Gold Humanism Honor Society. Musaub aspires for a medical career that serves immigrants, queer individuals, refugees, and asylum seekers.
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Risha Khetarpal
Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University
rkhetarpal@montefiore.org
Risha Khetarpal completed her medical education and Masters in Public Health at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University. Risha's research interests include the social, behavioral and environmental determinants of obesity in black and Hispanic populations. Prior projects have led to presentations both locally at her medical school and at a national meeting for the Obesity Society. During medical school, Risha served as leadership for the Temple Emergency Action Corps (TEAC), through which she organized recurring health screenings and HIV testing at homeless shelters in North Philadelphia and planned a city-wide symposium on health disparities in infectious diseases.
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Nasir Malim
Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine
namalim@montefiore.org
Nasir Malim received a BA in African American studies from UC Irvine, and an MPH from Charles R. Drew University before attending Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine at Middletown. His research interests include bioethics and health disparities of Muslim Americans. During his osteopathic training he served as the National Health Disparities Director for the Student Osteopathic Medical Association where he created and implemented a social medicine curriculum that has been completed by over 400 students nationally. He also has been involved in Islamic Bioethics research in addition to mentoring students from background that are traditionally underrepresented in medicine to pursue careers in medicine.
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Karim Sariahmed
Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University
ksariahmed@montefiore.org
Karim Sariahmed completed their medical training at The Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University. They were inducted in the Gold Humanism Honor Society in 2018. Karim joined Put People First! PA, an anchor organization for the Poor People's Campaign, in 2014. Throughtheir continued involvement they work to nurture deep connections between health workers and organizations led by the and healthcare advocacy, “What does Jeff Bezos Have to Offer Health Care.
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Aaron Shapiro
The Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University
aashapiro@montefiore.org
Aaron Shapiro received his medical degree from The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and his MPH from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, with a focus on management and quality improvement. Prior to medical school, Aaron completed a Global Health Corps Fellowship in Rwanda with a non-profit working to reduce childhood chronic malnutrition, and worked for a primary care office in DC that focuses on positive patient experience. Aaron's work has focused on providing quality health care to stigmatized populations, specifically the LGBTQ community, sex workers, and people struggling with substance use disorders. He is also the founder of Citizen Physicians, a non-profit dedicated to empowering health care practitioner students in effective civic engagement.
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Marc Shi
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
mshi2@montefiore.org
Marc Shi grew up in Toronto, Canada and completed his medical training at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Prior to medical school, he completed a Masters of Science degree in Evidence Based Social Intervention and Policy Evaluation at the University of Oxford and a BA in Neurobiology at Harvard University. In medical school he worked with classmates to advocate for more equitable medical school admissions. While in Baltimore Marc organized with United Workers and the Baltimore Housing Roundtable to fight for permanently affordable housing and fair development, and continues to be involved in affordable housing organizing in New York City.
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Laura Sirbu
University of Maryland
lsirbu@montefiore.org
Laura Sirbu is a graduate of the University of Maryland School of Medicine. At Maryland, she served as President of the Global Health Interest Group, fundraising chair of the Latino Medical Student Association, and was elected into the Gold Humanism Honor Society. She has engaged in research in Rwanda on pediatric HIV care and treatment as well as behavioral research with Spanish-speaking clients suffering from depression. Laura is currently interested in immigrant and refugee health as well as obesity medicine.