Neurology Residency Alumni

Samir Al-Ghazawi, MD
Medical School: Hashemite University Faculty of Medicine

Saleem Al Mawed, MD, MS
Medical School: University of Damascus Faculty of Medicine

Gaurav Kathuria, MD, MBA
Medical School: American University of Antigua College of Medicine

Amardeep Saund, MD
Medical School: St. Matthew's University School of Medicine (Grand Cayman)

Alexander Besser, DO, MS
Medical School: Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine

About Me

Hometown: San Diego, CA
Undergraduate: University of California, Santa Barbara
Graduate: New York University
Interests/Hobbies: Traveling, Hiking, photography, snowboarding, cooking, reading, paddle boarding, spending time at the beach.

Why I Chose Memorial Healthcare System

I had a fantastic experience rotating on the Neurology service as a medical student. It was a welcoming environment and I learned so much from the residents and attendings. I knew Memorial would be a positive environment to complete my residency. The hospitals are a safety net for Broward County, and there is a very wide range of patient populations and pathologies. South Florida is a great location for residency with beautiful weather year-round, beaches, restaurants, and no shortage of things to do outside of the hospital.

Nezar Khatib, MD
Medical School: International University of the Health Sciences

About Me

I am married with four children. We escaped the frigid Midwest to be in sunny Florida. I have a wide range of interests including (but not limited to) DIY projects, playing almost any sport, working on my car, landscaping, and fixing things (yes, I am an old man). What I enjoy most is spending time with my family, even if we're just hanging out at home watching annoying YouTube videos, lounging by the pool, or doing puzzles. Though I'm not completely certain about my future plans, I am leaning towards a neurohospitalist position after completing my training.

Why I Chose Memorial Healthcare System

I appreciate the flexibility offered to residents who wish to pursue a variety of career paths anywhere on the spectrum between academic and clinical. Our program director is very supportive in helping us achieve our career goals. Furthermore, a variety of specialists and general neurologists are well represented in our teaching faculty, and they are always willing to share their knowledge/expertise. Finally, if that isn’t enough, you can always fall back on the year round warm weather that South Florida provides.

Hassnain Rizvi DO, MSc
Medical School: Lincoln Memorial University-DeBusk COM

About Me

I love spending time with my wife and children. Playing with my daughters and watching them grow is truly the highlight of my life. We enjoy our time at home, visiting nearby parks, malls, and beaches. I also occupy my free time by watching basketball and new TV series on Netflix, HBO, Amazon.

Why I Chose Memorial Healthcare System

After spending five years in rural Tennessee to complete my master's and medical degree, going back home to south Florida for residency was my number one priority. During medical school, I had the opportunity to rotate with the neurology department at the MHS. I was impressed by their approachability and enthusiasm to teach. Meeting with and working with several neurology attendings at MHS made it easy to rank this program highly. The hospital staff is also down-to-earth and helpful, creating a healthy working and learning environment. The program curriculum is well-designed. Our program director has done an exceptional job creating a balanced mix of inpatient and outpatient neurology rotations. We have plenty of exposure to the various neurology subspecialties. Additionally, we have several rotations dedicated to learning and refining our procedural skills in EEG/EMU, EMG, and headache interventions which will help us become well-rounded clinicians. Being in a large and diverse community exposes us to common and rare pathologies. Finally, living in South Florida has its own set of perks, and is a blessing in and of itself.

Aakashi Shah, MD
Medical School: B.J. Medical College

About Me

I like cooking because it's the best stress buster for me. I like to learn new languages so I enrolled in a three month Spanish course when I first moved to Miami in 2018 as a research volunteer, and that has come a long way when interacting with Spanish patients (hospitals do have translator services so you don't have to necessarily know Spanish). Lastly, I love the weather down here and on a day off, you can find me relaxing at the beach or in the streets of Brickell exploring different food and drinks.

Why I Chose Memorial Healthcare System

This program was amongst my top choices for several reasons. The neurology program has been warm and welcoming from the start (interview experience, interaction with the PD and other staff members) What I like about the program is that you get the autonomy, responsibility and learn way more as compared to well established program with a larger number of trainees. The environment here is really motivating, there is no pressure and everyone around are friendly that provides a terrific working environment. Lastly, I love the weather here and I am glad to have chosen Memorial Healthcare as my home for the upcoming years into my training.