Alam, Deen, D.O.

Hometown:  Knoxville, TN 

Undergrad:  University of TN, Knoxville (Go Vols!) 

Med School:  Lincoln Memorial University - DCOM 

Career Interests:  Medical Education/ Nocturnist/ General Internist 

Hobbies in Residency:  Spending time with fellow residents and enjoying the multitude of breweries and restaurants Birmingham has to offer.  Also bought a grill and trying to co-master this skill alongside medicine.  

Thoughts about our program:  Finding the right balance of life-style and training can be challenging during the application and interview process for residency.  Training in a community program, I have enjoyed the close interaction and mentorship received from attendings and supervising residents.  The well-being of residents is taken to heart at BBH while still fulfilling a complete training program.  Working in two different facilities has been beneficial as well as we are exposed to a wide range of patients population, pathology, and acuity.  

Cunningham, Tom, D.O.

Hometown: Pensacola, FL Undergrad: United States Naval Academy Med School: University of North Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine

Gade, Ajay, M.D.

Hometown- Kothagudem, India.

Medical School- Sri Devaraj Urs Medical College, India

Career Interest- Interested in Gastroenterology -- would like to sub-specialize in transplant hepatology in the future. 

Hobbies: Watching TV shows, cooking, and socializing with friends.

Thoughts about our program: Great program, good work-life balance.  Excellent mentors, always willing to teach, and help. The program is very supportive in achieving our goals both personal and professional. I grew up in a small town in India -- coming to this program is one of the best things that happened to me -- I feel home away from home.

Griffin, William, M.D.

Hometown: Eufaula, AL

Undergrad: Auburn University

Medical School: UAB

Career Interest: PCP/ Traditional IM

Hobbies: Getting outdoors; hunting, fishing, spending time on my farm, DIY projects

Thoughts about our program: I chose and enjoy BBH for the unique, close-knit atmosphere and camaraderie that provide an ideal learning environment. We all (both residents and attendings) truly enjoy working together. The program also allows for exposure to a very diverse patient population as well as 1 on 1 teaching in the medicine sub-specialties. These all combine for an academic center education in a community setting that I feel have prepared me very well for any path beyond residency.

Hill, Brittany, D.O.

Hometown: Fort Worth, TX

Undergrad: Baylor University

Medical School: University of North Texas Health Science Center

Career Interest: Fellowship - rheumatology

Hobbies: Hiking, cooking, hanging with my husband and doggo, Bandit

Thoughts about our program: I knew immediately that this program was for me. At the interview dinner, the residents were happy and well-adjusted. They were helpful and eager to answer questions! For me, residency was somewhere that I would learn a ton but also feel connected to my colleagues and BBH has been that and more! 

Lin, Karen, M.D.

Hometown: Plano, TX

Undergrad: Rice University

Medical School: UT Health Science Center at San Antonio 

Career Interest: Hem/Onc Fellowship

Hobbies: Reading sci-fi/fantasy books, piano and guitar, running and yoga, baking, growing succulents

Thoughts about our program: It’s really about the people here. I felt that the attendings wanted to get to know each resident personally and understand my career goals. The residents work very well together, and I have a great cohort that I trust for cross-cover calls and emergencies. I’ve made a lot of friends in this program, while also getting a great education. This program also does a great job with resident wellness and balance. I’ve enjoyed my time as a resident here at BBH.

Simmons, John, M.D.

Hometown: Tallahassee, FL

Undergrad: University of Georgia

Medical School: Florida State University College of Medicine

Career interest: Hospitalist

Hobbies: Fishing, hunting, playing guitar, going to concerts

Thoughts about our program: When deciding which residency to attend, I essentially looked at two factors:  can I reach my potential career goals, and do the current residents seem happy?  I did not know much about the program when I was applying, but Brookwood Baptist Health definitely checked both boxes.  It is a program that has a community feel where the residents have a good work-life balance and the faculty is easily accessible.  But at the same time, there are many opportunities for research, and we have great relationships with some of the nearby academic centers.  Our program usually does very well in the fellowship match and on the internal medicine boards.  Plus, Birmingham is a great city with plenty of hiking and a fantastic restaurant and brewery scene.  It seems to be a hidden gem that not many people outside of the state of Alabama know about.

Tawadrous, Mina, D.O.

Hometown: Victoria British Columbia Canada.  Born in Cairo, Egypt. 

Undergrad: University of Victoria 

Medical School: Kansas City University of Medicine 

Career Interest: Hospitalist/ Primary Care

Hobbies: Soccer and Cooking

Thoughts about our program: Solid program where you get to experience hands-on medicine from day one! Not only do you get to work closely with very experienced and approachable attending physicians but you also get to work with bright and intelligent residents who come from various backgrounds. Everyone is very supportive and eager to work hard! Outside of work we all enjoy Birmingham's scenery including a wide variety of breweries, hiking and tasty food! 

Tice, Kevin, D.O.

Hometown: Indian Springs, AL

Undergrad: University of Alabama

Medical School: Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine

Career Interest: Hospitalist

Hobbies: Hiking, fishing, kayaking, grilling out, and spending time at Lay Lake with my family

Thoughts about our program: Growing up in the Birmingham area and going to medical school in a community hospital setting made it an easy transition when starting this program. You will have plenty of opportunities to manage ventilators and perform procedures in our open ICUs. On the cardiology rotation, for example, you will have the chance to scrub in alongside cardiology attendings during heart catheterizations and are also sent to cardiovert patients in the ICU. Despite being a community-based internal medicine program, teaching on the wards is emphasized and implemented in a low pressure setting. All of the attendings are easily approachable. It is simple to get in touch with other residents across different specialties and in elective rotations to get things done. Outside the hospital, the Birmingham community has a lot to offer in terms of dining, breweries, shopping, and outdoor activities. 

Young, Jeffrey, D.O.

Hometown: Anaheim, CA

Undergrad: University of California, San Diego
Medical School: Western University of Health Sciences
Career Interest: Primary Care Psychiatry Fellowship

Hobbies: Traveling, Food, Photography, Singing, and Music
Thoughts about our program: The camaraderie shared among the residents is what I truly value the most at Brookwood Baptist Health. Not a day goes by where I don't enjoy coming in to work because I get to spend time with my fellow co-residents. There is a transparent policy for residents to reach out to faculty to figure out what's best for their learning and schedule. Many of the strong attending physicians are extremely resident-friendly and willing to teach with an open door policy. I am truly happy being a resident at Brookwood Baptist Health!   

Benaksas, Raphael, M.D.

Hometown: Montreal, Canada / Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Undergrad: Florida Gulf Coast University

Medical School: Florida Atlantic University - Charles E Schmidt School of Medicine

Career Interest: Hospitalist

Hobbies: Video games, fishing, technology, hiking, fur babies, local cuisine, traveling on off days and reading encouraging e-mails regarding MKSAP qbank questions

Thoughts about our program: A major consideration was the large faculty-to-student ratio and the ability to really get to know our administration and attendings. It might seem like a flyover fact, but when you are able to text message any staff member and reach them at any day of the week, any hour (and I do mean any hour), this sincerely helps. Staff acknowledge/celebrate birthdays, achievements, and are even there when life gets hard and you need an ear. You end up really close with your co-residents and staff. This helps to forge ties to the local community if you are not already from the surrounding area. 

Faynberg, Boris, M.D.

Hometown: Ft Lauderdale, FL by way of Moscow, Russia

Undergrad: Florida State University

Medical School: Florida State University

Career Interest: Interested in Critical Care, but still exploring

Hobbies: I play a lot of golf.  I love college football.  Sometimes I workout

Thoughts about our program:  Before I saw this program listed first alphabetically, I heard about it from a med school friend who matched here. He mentioned the elite faculty, high level of independence and good work life balance which encouraged me to interview and eventually match here. Well now I've seen for myself that our attendings are not only excellent physicians and educators, but are very accessible and easy to talk to. It's really no big thing to curbside your specialists, which i believe facilitates learning and leads to better patient outcomes. I was very happy to see there is no culture of negative reinforcement here, making these otherwise intimidating interactions seem very low pressure. I have never asked a question that wasn't answered to my satisfaction. Independence is encouraged, and there is a good balance of clinical work and academic activity, pushing continued education; the experience gained leaves you feeling well prepared to take over the service as an upper level. One of the best compliments I can give the program is that there is no unnecessary stress placed on interns and residents and, consequently, work-life balance is easy to achieve and maintain: no strained relationships, no abandoned hobbies, no negative effects on my health or fitness. Otherwise, everything everyone else here mentioned about the city of Birmingham is true. I have had family friends in the area for years and years, and I know this place has come a long way. Birmingham really is experiencing a renaissance, as evidenced by the many redevelopments, breweries, culinary presence and growing number of young professionals. There's always something to do no matter what you're into. I'm enjoying myself so much, I just might stay.

Foy, Thompson, M.D.

Hometown: Enterprise, Alabama

Undergrad: University of Alabama

Med School: University of Alabama at Birmingham

Career Interests: I would like to run my own practice one day, but as of now I am undecided on whether or not to pursue a fellowship.

Hobbies: Playing drums and reading about politics, history, and ancient mythology. I also recently started painting models again, a diversion which I enjoyed in my youth.

Thoughts about our program: My participation in the BBH IM Residency Program has been a journey of self-discovery and growth. The core faculty and sub-specialist attendings have consistently helped me to foster my strengths while also identifying and fortifying my clinical weaknesses. The program serves a patient population afflicted with high prevalence of the major acute and chronic illnesses affecting public health at large, affording residents the practical experience they will need to function in real-world solo and group practice.  Just as importantly, the program faculty ensure residents have the necessary and appropriate guidance when caring for patients with more obscure diagnoses and multiple organ system comorbidities. Perhaps my favorite thing about the program is working with and teaching medical students, which I find "raises the stakes", and really pushes me to know what I am doing! Every day is a day I have a chance to work shoulder-to-shoulder with attending and co-resident colleagues dedicated to helping each other be all that they can be.

Guduru, Harika, M.D.

Hometown: Hyderabad, India 

Undergrad and medical school: Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, India 

Henary, Mark, M.D.

Hometown: born and raised in Los Angeles, California

Undergrad: Psychobiology at the University of California, Los Angeles

Medical School: American University of Antigua SOM for my basic sciences, and did my clinical work at Florida International University in Miami, FL.

Career Interest: I have many interests in medicine; however, I am leaning towards a future as a hospitalist or a Gastroenterology fellowship.

Hobbies: Sports -- specifically basketball, going to the gym, movies, and going to new bars and restaurants.

Thoughts about our program: The restaurant and brewery scene here is excellent.  Since being up here in Birmingham, I have enjoyed saying “y'all" as much as I can and watching the "you're not from here are you?" looks that I get. I get asked a lot why I chose to come up here – 1,800 miles from home. I decided to apply here after a peer told me about the program and I came for the interview. Through that experience, I realized how wonderful the people here are. All the residents are very welcoming, and the staff, as well as my co-residents, are very supportive. Over the course of the year, I have realized how good of a fit BBH was for me.  It is a very welcoming and friendly environment. You feel that there is a strong sense of camaraderie

between residents making your experience not only educational but enjoyable as well. The attendings are very eager to teach and truly give you the best opportunity to excel.

Ikebudu, Stacey, M.D.

Hometown: Lawrenceville, GA
Undergrad: University of Georgia
Med School: Morehouse School of Medicine

Thoughts about our program: I am a Georgia native, but I must say Birmingham has really surprised me and not just because of its “southern hospitality.” It has easily become a “second home” to me. I was pleasantly surprised to see what it has to offer and I’m still having fun exploring my way around Birmingham.  Good news is there’s not a whole lot of traffic here compared to my days living in Atlanta, and the standard of living is great.  Plenty of walking trails and parks to get your steps in if you are a fan of the outdoors like me.  And believe me, when I say this, the food here is fantastic.  If you’re a fan of breweries or happy hour margaritas, you will not be disappointed.  I can honestly say that Brookwood Baptist Health is a very strong program, whether you are a TY or Categorical Internal Medicine resident.  What really drew me to this program was its welcoming atmosphere, approachability of the staff, and dedication to resident wellness.  Everyone here seems to be genuinely happy and supportive of each other.  Dr. Erin Townsley, our Program Director, has been absolutely amazing and incredibly involved, and she truly cares about us residents.  I have really enjoyed rotating between the two teaching hospitals as both have their diverse array of pathology and serve patient populations of various socioeconomic backgrounds.  The attendings and upper-level residents here are incredibly approachable, compassionate, and they are excellent teachers.  I love the autonomy I have and how they encourage you to take responsibility for handling complex patient cases.  One of my goals during my time here at BBH will be in expanding our community involvement within the Birmingham area and developing more events in the near future to address healthcare disparities and social inequalities as it relates to public health.  Above all, I am extremely thankful for my experience so far at Brookwood Baptist Health.  

Jijelava, Sardion, M.D.

Hometown: Tbilisi, Georgia

Undergrad: Tbilisi State Medical University

Medical School: Tbilisi State Medical University

Career Interest: Hospitalist

Thoughts about our program: I love my program because people here take care of each other.  I enjoy Birmingham as a big city without traffic, with a good variety of restaurants and hiking trails.  Birmingham, Alabama has been home for me for the last 6 years. I am interested in hospitalist medicine and plan on staying in Birmingham after I graduate.

Mendo Lopez, Rafael, M.D.

Hometown: Lima, Peru

Undergrad: Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (Lima, Peru)

Medical School: Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia- Facultad de Medicina Alberto Hurtado (Lima, Peru)

Career Interest: I am interested in pursuing a fellowship in Infectious Diseases or Gastroenterology, and I would like to focus on medical education and also have the opportunity to develop research.

Hobbies: Watching movies and/or series, video games, sleeping, basketball, cooking Peruvian food and traveling to visit family.

Thoughts about our program: I have seen great camaraderie between residents and attendings.  Furthermore, during my intern year, I have seen great teaching and a supportive environment. The schedule also allows you to have time for reading, and the program provides some financial support (for books, question banks and others) to continue building your medical knowledge.

Nutting, Andy, D.O.

Hometown: Orlando, FL

Undergrad: University of Central Florida

Medical School: Lincoln Memorial - DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine

Career Interest: Pulmonology/ Critical Care

Hobbies: Video games, traveling, theatre, my cats, canoeing, hiking, crochet

Thoughts about our program: One of the most important aspects I look for in a program is family atmosphere, and BBH is definitely a family. We all work together and help one another. Everyone enjoys teaching, and you can always count on your co-residents as well as attendings to be there when you need them. My fellow residents are always willing to stay and help out when I am on-call and things become unexpectedly busy. The attendings are compassionate and truly care about our learning. 

Stafford, Colin, M.D.

Hometown: Greenville, SC
Undergrad: Auburn University
Medical School: Medical University of South Carolina College of Medicine

Wyatt, Nikki, D.O.

Hometown: Ann Arbor, MI

Undergrad: Auburn University

Medical School: Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine at Auburn

Career Interest: Fellowship -- Nephrology

Hobbies: Anything outdoors, reading, cooking, plants

Thoughts about our program: After doing many of my third year and fourth year medical school rotations with BBH, I knew the environment that this program offers is one that cannot be matched. Everyone is open and willing to help one another while also supporting each other in becoming the best physicians we can be. The differences in patient demographics between the two hospitals allow us to learn from a wide variety of pathology. The setting of this community program really provides the best of both worlds, including one-on-one experiences with attendings along with strong emphasis on teaching and academics. The city of Birmingham and the people that live in it are also not to be beat! 

Kikkeri, Nidhi, M.D. Preliminary

Hometown: Bangalore Undergrad: Mandya Institute of Medical Sciences Med School: Mandya Institute of Medical Sciences Advanced Program:Neurology

Morrow, Lendrum, M.D. Preliminary

Hometown: Charleston, SC Undergrad:Brigham Young University Med School: Medical University of South Carolina College of Medicine Advanced Program:Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Schultz, Jacob, M.D. Preliminary

Hometown: Alexandria, KY Undergrad: University of Kentucky Med School: University of Louisville School of Medicine Advanced Program:Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Steffens, Ashley, M.D. Preliminary

Hometown: Albequerque, NM Undergrad: Auburn University Med School: University of Alabama School of Medicine Advanced Program:Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Willeford, Brea, D.O. Preliminary

Hometown: North Myrtle Beach, SC Undergrad: Coastal Carolina University Med School: Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine Advanced Program:Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation