Callana Fox, MD

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When Callana Fox, MD SGU ’17, visited Richmond, VA for her interview with the Department of Anesthesiology at Virginia Commonwealth University, everything about the experience just felt right – right down to the smiles on the residents’ faces.

“It’s an amazing program and I think the culture is a good fit for me,” she said. “Also, everybody I interacted with was so genuine and enthusiastic. I could sense they were happy where they were.”

Born and raised in Wisconsin, Dr. Fox earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Wisconsin. Her interest in global health spurred her to apply to and enroll in St. George’s University Of Grenada School Of Medicine/Northumbria University Four-, Five- and Six-Year MD Program(formerly the Keith B. Taylor Global Scholars Program), for which students spend the first year of basic sciences at Northumbria University in Newcastle, United Kingdom. She enjoyed the program’s smaller class sizes as well as the international experience in and outside the classroom. When time permitted, she and friends traveled throughout Europe, including to Ireland, Scotland, France, Holland, and Switzerland.

With high marks, Dr. Fox was welcomed to SGU’s chapter of the Iota Epsilon Alpha Honor Medical Society. She also volunteered at several health fairs and diabetic clinics in Grenada, and as a mentor to aspiring medical students during clinical rotations in New York City. With a robust resume, Dr. Fox went on 17 residency interviews, and was pleased to learn on Match Day that her career will continue at VCU.

“I think the whole experience has helped me come out of my shell and really helped me to become a much stronger, more resilient applicant,” Dr. Fox said. “Going to SGU taught me to work hard for what I want and to do what needs to get done.”

 

Published July 2017 

Namrita Prasad, MD

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Namrita Prasad, MD SGU ’16, never imagined that she would leave her home or her family, never mind come this far. She grew up in the Fiji Islands, her family had limited resources, and no family member on either side had graduated college. Yet in March, after raising the bar with each year gone by, she celebrated yet another remarkable achievement in her journey, having secured an internal medicine residency at The Brooklyn Hospital Center in New York.

“It’s unreal to me that I’m even here,” she said, joining fellow St. George’s University graduates at the annual Match Day luncheon. “It was all a dream that seemed unattainable when I was at a community college while working full time. The one thing that led me here was perseverance. I wasn’t the smartest student but I knew how to work hard and ask for help whenever I needed it. I was blessed with wonderful mentors that guided me to where I am today and I am just so extremely humbled.”

She comes from modest beginnings. At age 16, a military coup forced her family to relocate from Fiji to San Bruno, CA, in South San Francisco. Money was tight and her career options, she thought, minimal. However, Dr. Prasad volunteered at several hospitals in the area and joined a summer youth program through Kaiser Permanente, through which she discovered a deep passion for medicine. Dr. Prasad kept pressing forward, enrolling at American River Community College before moving on to the University of California, Davis, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in biological science, with an emphasis on neurology, physiology, and behavioral science. She did this all while working long hours to put herself through school.

Although her family thought it might, Dr. Prasad’s journey didn’t stop there. A UC Davis friend turned her on to SGU, citing its prowess not only in the region but globally. After researching SGU and learning of its wide network of physicians practicing in the United States, Dr. Prasad scored well on the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), applied, and soon found herself on her way to Grenada, first as part of SGU’s Master of Public Health program. She also served as public relations officer in the Public Health Students Association.

“It was the most amazing experience that I could have ever asked for,” Dr. Prasad said. “The MPH program taught us to think about community health – not just individual health – and to promote healthy living to prevent diseases and empower individuals through education to become active participants in their own health. The health promotions and disease prevention theories and models that I learned in MPH program are still very applicable in everyday interaction that I have with patients to limit the number of readmissions.”

That included during Dr. Prasad’s research, which she conducted while obtaining a Master of Medical Research through SGU. She has created and submitted several manuscripts to peer-reviewed publications, bolstering her residency resume in the process.

Dr. Armand Asarian, Vice Chairman for the Department of Surgery at Brooklyn Hospital and Assistant Dean of Students at SGU, served as a mentor for Dr. Prasad while and after she trained as a clinical student in New York City, a new frontier for her. His protégé’s unique skills were evident to him early.

“She didn’t have an easy trip to this point, but she came early every day, worked hard, she asked for help, she listened to that advice, and did everything she could to better her future,” Dr. Asarian said. “I’m really excited to see her succeed.”

Dr. Prasad shared similar praise for her mentor, Brooklyn Hospital Medical Student Coordinator Karine Camacho, as well as Daniel Ricciardi, MD SGU ’81, Dean of Clinical Studies at SGU and Director of Undergraduate Medical Education at TBHC. All of those she has met along the way have shaped her into the physician – and the individual – that she has become.

“I feel like SGU creates a family for you,” Dr. Prasad said. “I’m grateful that I have encountered such wonderful people because I know I couldn’t have done this without their help and guidance. It wasn’t easy being an immigrant with no idea on how to go about making my dream a reality. The only way I can think of showing my gratitude is to pay it forward and guide students to keep their dream alive and just keep swimming.”

 

Published June 2017

Vimon Seriburi, MD

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Vimon Seriburi, MD SGU ’04, is an infectious disease consultant for Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Plano, TX, and also recently opened up her own private practice. She specializes in inpatient hospital care, treating wound infections and post-surgical infections.

Dr. Seriburi grew up in Thailand before going on to double major in biology and chemistry at Lamar University in Texas. Her pre-health advisor recommended St. George’s University, which she said is “very well equipped in providing students with the resources to become a doctor and to be successful.”

Having earned her MD, Dr. Seriburi completed an internal medicine residency at the Hospital of St. Raphael in Connecticut, as well as an infectious disease fellowship at New York Medical College’s program at Westchester Medical Center. She is currently board certified in infectious disease and wound care.

Published May 2017

Harshan Weerackody, MD

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Harshan Weerackody, MD SGU ’90, is “shoulder to shoulder” with Ivy League graduates at his private cardiology practice, as well as at several hospitals and medical centers throughout New York.

A native of Sri Lanka, Dr. Weerackody accepted a scholarship offer to attend St. George’s University, an opportunity for which he is “eternally grateful.”

Upon earning his Doctor of Medicine, he completed an internal medicine residency and cardiovascular disease fellowship at Coney Island Hospital, and stayed on to become an Associate Professor and Director of its cardiac catheterization laboratory. Dr. Weerackody is board certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular disease, nuclear cardiology, and echocardiography, and is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology.

In their free time, Dr. Weerackody and his wife enjoy traveling to remote hospitals and clinics around the world to exchange ideas on patient treatment.

Published May 2017

Masaru Nishiaoki, MD

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Masaru Nishiaoki was confident that he had matched into his top-choice program, but nevertheless, Match Day still brought some anxiety.

“I think I kind of knew from the vibes I got from the program and the second look that I went on,” Mr. Nishiaoki said. “It wasn’t entirely a surprise, but it was nice to have it in writing.”

He was “elated” to learn he was headed to the Ghent Family Medicine Program at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, VA. He returns to the southern region of the US and joins a program that fits his ideals.

“I like the fact that it’s an academic center and that it treats a large underserved population,” Mr. Nishiaoki said. “I’ll be able to practice the full spectrum of family medicine that I want to do later in the future. Also, the residents were so open and kind. They were willing to take an interest in us as clinical students.”

Mr. Nishiaoki became interested in SGU after speaking to his counselors at Bob Jones University in Greenville, SC. One of his professors was an SGU graduate who greatly valued her experience.

“She spoke very highly about the University, the support system, and the work ethic of the students who go there,” Mr. Nishiaoki said. “She thought that I would be able to come back and pursue a residency in any field that I wanted to.”

He was rewarded for his dedication with a position at his top-choice program, and encourages prospective students to strongly consider SGU if given the chance.

“SGU has such a strong track record,” he said. “I feel more than prepared for residency.”

 

Published May 2017 

Matthew Dawdy, MD

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On the morning of the match, Matthew Dawdy’s breakfast with his girlfriend and family was just an appetizer to a life-changing moment. When noon arrived, Mr. Dawdy learned that he had secured a highly competitive orthopaedic surgery residency at Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM)—his top-choice program—through the Canadian Residency Matching Service (CaRMS).

“We all found out together and were very happy,” he said. “I’m very excited. I’ve been working toward this for four years now.”

As an avid athlete growing up, Mr. Dawdy has been drawn to studying the musculoskeletal system from the early age, choosing to work alongside physicians at area physical therapy clinics. “Everything pointed to orthopaedics for me,” he said. “I like being in the OR, and the field generally attracts people who are interested in active lifestyles.”

Mr. Dawdy obtained his bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from the University of Western Ontario before arriving at SGU. From the outset, he knew of orthopaedic surgery’s highly competitive nature, with only a handful of positions available across Canada. “From day one, my focus was on setting up rotations in Canada and building connections,” he said. “It wasn’t something I could half-heartedly pursue. I was definitely all in.”

Mr. Dawdy flourished during his basic science years and gained insight on the path ahead from David Santone, MD SGU ’08, an orthopaedic surgeon in Markham, Ontario who completed his residency at the University of Toronto. Mr. Dawdy confirmed his interest during orthopaedic rotations in his first clinical year and bolstered his resume with two observerships and three orthopaedic elective rotations in Canada. That he interviewed with all four schools with orthopaedic surgery residency programs—one of only two students to do so by his estimation—gave him confidence leading up to the match. He will go through NOSM’s surgical boot camp in July before beginning residency the following month.

Although he traveled a great distance to earn his education, he’s looking forward to diving in headfirst this summer.

“SGU does a really good job of preparing all of its students to be successful,” Mr. Dawdy said. “All the resources we needed were available to us. I think I was as prepared, if not more prepared, than the US students I rotated with. In the end, I kept working as hard as I could, and I’m glad that everything lined up properly.”

 

Published May 2017

Amanda Halstrom, MD

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Fifteen minutes from where she grew up, Amanda Halstrom will continue her career in medicine, having matched into the internal medicine residency program at Winthrop-University Hospital in Mineola, NY. She celebrated with her SGU colleagues while working in the University’s student call center between hospital shifts.

On the list of those who are excited about her return home—just about everyone.

“My family is over the moon,” she said. “My grandparents, my cousins, my friends—they’re very excited to have me back.”

In addition to its proximity to home, Winthrop has everything Ms. Halstrom was looking for in a residency program, which is why she made it her top-choice site. She highly valued the hospital’s wide range of research opportunities as well as fellowships in her projected field of study—gastroenterology—which she found during her clinical years to strike a good balance of procedural and clinical medicine. Ms. Halstrom also enjoyed meeting the program residents, and received positive vibes from St. George’s University graduates who had trained at the hospital.

“I heard they loved it, and that helped in selling it for me,” she said.

Ms. Halstrom has long set her sights on training and practicing on Long Island. She grew up in Bellmore and went on to earn her bachelor’s degree from the University of Delaware. At SGU, she immersed herself in her studies, while also partaking the University’s Iota Epsilon Alpha chapter and tutoring in the Department of Educational Services. The skills and knowledge obtained in four years at SGU paved the way for her to return home to family, friends, and a burgeoning medical career.

“I studied really hard and took my time at SGU as seriously as possible, but I also enjoyed my time on the island,” Ms. Halstrom said. “SGU was an amazing experience that not many people have, and I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity. I definitely recommend it for anyone who’s interested in medicine.”

 

Published May 2017

Anna Maro, MD

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The improbable, incredible journey of Anna Maro will now wind through Philadelphia—just where she hoped it would. On Match Day, Ms. Maro learned that she was headed to the internal medicine residency program at Drexel University—her number one choice.

“I opened up the email and just jumped for joy,” she said. “I screamed so loud that my neighbor came from downstairs thinking something was wrong. I was so happy though.”

Born and raised in Tanzania, Ms. Maro immigrated to the United States before college. Her mother had passed away a few years prior, and while attending the University of Massachusetts, her father succumbed to cancer. They had called her “little doctor” as a child, and Ms. Maro would not be denied her or their dream, not even as she was forced to work a full-time job and to live in her car for eight months to make ends meet.

 

She graduated from UMass with a Bachelor of Science in biology, and enrolled at St. George’s University in the fall of 2013. Her desire to land at Drexel was solidified during a visit to Philadelphia during her first clinical training year. It had everything she wanted in a program.

“It’s a university program with several fellowship opportunities, and at the same time, I get to help the underserved, which is my passion,” Ms. Maro said.

Of following her dreams and becoming a physician, Ms. Maro said, “My parents would be very proud. It was hard, but I had this dream that I wanted to accomplish, so I went to work, I went to school, and I smiled like everything was fine. I kept pushing and never gave up.”

 

Published April 2017

Kore Liow, MD

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Born in Penang Island, Malaysia, and raised in Singapore, Dr. Kore Liow is now the director of Hawaii Pacific Neuroscience, Hawaii’s leading and first multidisciplinary neuroscience center. He is also the Director of Neuroscience and Chair of the Department of Medicine at Castle Medical Center and a Clinical Professor of Neurology at the University of Hawaii John Burns School of Medicine. He has been listed among the “Best Doctors in America” and “Best Doctors in Hawaii,” and was named Hawaii’s Physician of the Year by Adventist Health in 2012.

Dr. Liow graduated from St. George’s University and completed his residency at the University of Utah, before earning fellowships at the US National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and National Human Genome Research Institute in Washington, DC.

“International students should feel free to explore St. George’s University,” Dr. Liow said. “I am very satisfied with the scope of the education I received. Our courses were taught by prominent professors from the United States, Canada, and United Kingdom. The next two clinical years in the States offer students adequate exposure to clinical medicine as practiced in the United States.”

Dr. Liow is an active researcher of epilepsy and served as Principal Investigator for more than 35 studies funded by the industries, as well as federal agencies like the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to investigate the condition of epilepsy and its treatments. He has authored more than 40 articles and written book chapters on epilepsy in Neurology Journal, Archives of Neurology, Seizure: European Journal of Epilepsy, and others, and has served as a reviewer for peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Liow has served in national advisory roles, on committees, and as faculty for the CDC Epilepsy Program, American Academy of Neurology, American Epilepsy Society, and the Epilepsy Foundation. He is a frequently invited presenter at national and international medical meetings.

Published May 2009

Kenneth Yeung, MD

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Dr. Kenneth Yeung is far from his roots in Hong Kong, but at Palo Alto Medical Foundation in Fremont, California, where he practices family medicine, he’s felt right at home. In a diverse community like Fremont, Dr. Yeung is able to treat patients from all backgrounds, applying the skills and training he learned while working toward his MD.

“SGU was a life-changing experience for me,” Dr. Yeung said. “You have faculty members and students from all over who come together with one goal in mind—to study medicine and provide good doctors to the world. “

Prior to his stint at Palo Alto Medical Foundation, Dr. Yeung worked in family medicine at South Cove Community Health Center in Massachusetts from 2006 to 2013. There he provided care for Chinese immigrants in Greater Boston, treating underrepresented patients whose native languages include Cantonese, Mandarin, and English. He also served as a clinical instructor in medicine for Harvard Medical School. During his time in the northeast US, he earned a diploma in structural acupuncture from the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School’s Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital.

Dr. Yeung was born and raised in Hong Kong and attended prestigious Wan Yan College Hong Kong until the age of 15. He completed his secondary education in the United States and in 1995 graduated cum laude from Concordia University in Irvine, CA, with a Bachelor of Arts in biology.

He was introduced to St. George’s University by one of its graduates, Dr. Paul Mansonhing, MD ’89, a family practitioner in Irvine. “I saw how he practiced medicine and he was a role model for me,” Dr. Yeung said. “He became a mentor to me and helped me realize that here was a state-of-the-art medical school that was producing awesome doctors.”

He enrolled in 1997, and after two years in Grenada, Dr. Yeung completed his third and fourth years at The Brooklyn Hospital Center, an affiliate of the Weill Medical College of Cornell University. He obtained a family practice residency at Brooklyn Hospital and became chief resident in 2005.

Dr. Yeung cherished his clinical experience, which set him up to be successful as a resident and practicing physician.

“SGU isn’t just any Caribbean school,” Dr. Yeung said. “We had a rigorous lecture program, excellent faculty, and used the same textbooks and board review books as US medical students. And then my two years of clinical prepared me well for residency and beyond.”

Published February 2017