Our Residents 2024-2025

Our Chief Residents

2024-2025
Co-Chief Residents

Hassanain
Hala Hassanian, MD
PGY-4

Kirsten Killough, MD
PGY-3

Saad
Jean Michel Saad, MD
PGY-3

Hala Hassanain is a distinguished alumna of Alfaisal University's medical program in Saudi Arabia. She moved to Detroit, Michigan where she completed her intern year. Hala's pursuit of knowledge led her to Houston Methodist where she has excelled as a resident. Her exceptional abilities and leadership qualities were recognized and she was appointed as the PGY-4 Chief Resident. Hala is driven by her passion for hematology/oncology, with a keen interest in basic and translational research. Beyond her medical pursuits, Hala embraces an active lifestyle with Pilates and yoga. But what stands out most is her vibrant collection of happy socks, adding a splash of color with every pair!

Kirsten Killough is from Boerne, TX. She studies at Abilene Christian University and UT Houston McGovern Medical School before making her way down the street to Houston Methodist for Residency. Kirsten plans to pursue a career in hospital medicine and is incredibly honored to serve as Chief Resident this year. In her free time, Kirsten enjoys trying out Houston's amazing restaurants, hanging out with her friends and co-residents, and lounging at home with her best friend (aka her chubby cat of which she will show you pictures of whether you want to or not!).

Jean Michel Saad is excited and honored to serve as Chief Resident for 2024-2025. Jean Michel was born and raised in Byblos, Lebanon. He achieved his MD at LAU School of Medicine before moving to Houston, TX. There, he joined the Houston Methodist Hospital for his Internal Medicine residency. Jean Michel hopes to pursue a career in Cardiovascular Disease with a focus on cardiac imaging, research and medical education. When not spending time at Houston Methodist, he enjoys traveling, eating his way through Houston's diverse culinary scene, and getting plenty of sleep (failing miserably most of the time).

IM Residents Social

PGY-1 Class of Internal Medicine Residents (2024-2027):

	Selma Abdurrahman, MD Hometown: McAllen, TX Undergrad: University of TX Rio Grande Valley Medical School: University of Texas Medical Branch An interesting fact about yourself: I can wiggle my ears (but can't prove it to anyone).
	Ahmad Afzal, MD Hometown: Karachi, Pakistan Undergrad:St. Mary's Catholic School, Fujairah, UAE Medical School: Aga Khan University An interesting fact about yourself: If I wasn't a doctor, I would have probably been a tennis player, or a cricketer. Also, I make the best biryani!
	Taha Ahmed, MD Hometown:Pittsburgh, PA Undergrad:University of Pittsburgh Medical School:Lewis Katz School of Medicine @ Temple University An interesting fact about yourself: I did research on jumping spiders in college!
	Faizan Azim, MD Hometown: Gainesville, VA Undergrad: University of Texas-Austin Medical School: Northeast Ohio Medical University An interesting fact about yourself: If I wasn't training to be a physician, I would be training to be a professional food critic!
	Ashley Heck, MD Hometown: Hemphill, TX Undergrad: University of Texas-Austin Medical School: McGovern Medical School, Houston An interesting fact about yourself: I won a baking competition in college.
	Zara Ijaz, MD Hometown:Mobile, AL Undergrad:University of South Alabama Medical School:USA Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine An interesting fact about yourself: I never chew a full piece of gum. I'll always split it in half, no matter how small it is.
	D. Kelly Jeon, MD Hometown: Wonju, South Korea Undergrad: University of Texas at El Paso Medical School: University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston An interesting fact about yourself: Every time I get coffee, I order one sweet drink and one black coffee.
	Taha Jilani, MD Hometown:Spring, TX Undergrad:University of Houston Medical School:Texas Tech University HSC School of Medicine An interesting fact about yourself: I love baking different types of desserts in my free time.
	Shahrukh Khan, MD Hometown:Lake Charles, LA Undergrad:McNeese State University Medical School:LSU New Orleans School of Medicine An interesting fact about yourself: I like to watch international food vloggers while I eat.
	Zahra Lalee, MD Hometown:Dallas, TX Undergrad:Duke University Medical School:McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX An interesting fact about yourself: In elementary school, my sister and I created our own newspaper and distributed it to family and friends.
	Amna Naqvi, MD Hometown:Houston, TX Undergrad:University of Texas at Austin Medical School:University of Texas HSC at San Antonio An interesting fact about yourself: I completed a wilderness medicine course in medical school and am certified in Wilderness Life Support!
	Konstantinos Ouranos, MD Hometown:Kos, Greece Undergrad:Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Medical School:Aristotle University of Thessaloniki School of Medicine An interesting fact about yourself: I am a huge LEGO fan!
	Vinayika Papineni, MD Hometown:Austin, TX Undergrad:Texas A&M University Medical School:Texas A&M College of Medicine An interesting fact about yourself: My roommates and I had a pet snake named Chance the Wrapper in college. We would throw him birthday parties.
	Sarah Peytavin, MD Hometown:Reserve, LA Undergrad:LSU Medical School:LSU Health Shreveport School of Medicine An interesting fact about yourself: I caught a cowbell from Will Ferrell at Mardi Gras.
	Nandini Ray, MD Hometown:Amarillo, TX Undergrad:Texas Tech University Medical School:Texas Tech University HSC School of Medicine An interesting fact about yourself: I spent two weeks backpacking across the Camino de Santiago in Spain.
	Benjamin Saul, DO Hometown:San Antonio, TX Undergrad:The University of Texas at Austin Medical School:University of North Texas HSC at Fort Worth-Texas COM An interesting fact about yourself: I'm a huge Texas football fan and have proudly held season tickets for the past 10 years! Hook'em!
	Minhal Zaidi, MD Hometown:Karachi, Pakistan Undergrad:University of Houston Medical School:Texas A&M College of Medicine An interesting fact about yourself: When I was in undergrad, I used to make painting TikTok videos.
PGY-2 Class of Internal Medicine Residents (2023-2026):
	S. Muneeb Ajaz, MD Hometown: Arlington, TX Undergrad: UT Southwestern Medical School: The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School An interesting fact about yourself: I have a twin sister.
	Alwin Alias, MD Hometown: Missouri City, TX Undergrad: Texas A&M Medical School: Texas A&M HSC College of Medicine An interesting fact about yourself: In 6th grade, I was unfortunately passed up for the role of Aladdin in the school play for being "too brown".
	Andrew Chung, MD, PhD Hometown: Los Angeles, CA Undergrad: University of California Berkeley Medical School: Texas A&M HSC College of Medicine An interesting fact about yourself: I can make my own Korean bbq, but I am not a fan of all you can eat Korean bbq.
	Elia El Hajj, MD, PhD Hometown: Mansourieh, Lebanon Undergrad: Loyola Medical School: Louisiana State University School of Medicine, New Orleans An interesting fact about yourself: When we were 13, my twin brother and I raised chickens and sold fresh eggs in our small town.
	Noah Giese, MD, MEng Hometown: College Station, TX Undergrad: UT Austin Medical School: Texas A&M HSC College of Medicine An interesting fact about yourself: I love to host social gatherings like Friendsgiving and White Linen Night!
	Brianna Hamilton, MD Hometown: Bronx, NY Undergrad: Temple University, Philadelphia Medical School: Drexel University College of Medicine An interesting fact about yourself: I love to travel! The last place I traveled to was Bali, Indonesia.
	Deepak Jagannath, MD Hometown: Sugar Land, TX Undergrad: UT Austin Medical School: Baylor College of Medicine An interesting fact about yourself: I have broken the same tooth three times!
	Drew Levy, MD Hometown: Houston, TX Undergrad: Duke University Medical School: Texas A&M HSC College of Medicine An interesting fact about yourself: When I'm not at the hospital, you can find me playing golf with family and friends, enjoying a good book or playing pickleball with my co-interns, especially Freddie.
	Jessica Lowe, MD Hometown: Austin, TX Undergrad: Washington University, St. Louis Medical School: The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School An interesting fact about yourself: Sat front row at a presidential debate.
	Hannah O'Neill, MD Hometown: Smithton, IL Undergrad: Purdue University Medical School: Southern Illinois University School of Medicine An interesting fact about yourself: My R&R activities are painting and running.
	Ashmi Patel, MD, MEng, MS Hometown: New Albany, Ohio Undergrad: Southern Methodist University (SMU) Medical School: Texas A&M HSC College of Medicine An interesting fact about yourself: Between medical school and residency, I summited Mauna Kea, the tallest mountain in Hawaii at an elevation of 13,800 feet!
	Rishi Patel, MD Hometown: Muenster, TX Undergrad: Texas A&M Medical School: The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School An interesting fact about yourself: I am writing a sci-fi book!
	Yousf Radwan, MD Hometown: Houston, TX Undergrad: University of Houston Medical School: Texas Tech University HSC Paul L. Foster School of Medicine An interesting fact about yourself: I really enjoy cooking complex dishes.
	Chandni Vashee, MD Hometown: Kitwe, Zambia Undergrad: Southwestern Oklahoma State University Medical School: Texas Tech University HSC Paul L. Foster School of Medicine An interesting fact about yourself: I made my international TV debut at age 12 on KTV, with my face stuffed in a bowl of flour. This was for a competition to see who can find the most hidden M&Ms. I came in second place and wore my KTV gear everywhere I went as a badge of honor.
	Lien Vu, MD Hometown: New Orleans, LA Undergrad: University of New Orleans Medical School: Louisiana State University School of Medicine New Orleans An interesting fact about yourself: I like to experiment with Asian fusion cuisine during my free time.
	Frederick Wang, MD Hometown: Amarillo, TX Undergrad: UT Dallas Medical School: Texas A&M HSC College of Medicine An interesting fact about yourself: I own Raising Cane's pajamas and absolutely love getting Canes; Caniac Combo, no coleslaw, extra sauce, Dr. Pepper no ice. Also, I can eat 3 Popeye's chicken sandwiches in one sitting.
	Kenneth Williams, DO Hometown: Georgetown Undergrad: Texas A&M Medical School: University of North Texas HSC at Fort Worth - Texas COM An interesting fact about yourself: My wife and I love trying new food at all the diverse restaurants Houston has to offer.
PGY-3 Class of Internal Medicine Residents (2022-2025):
	Shayan Amini, MD Hometown: Tehran, Iran Undergrad: University of Houston-Main Campus Medical School: Texas A&M HSC College of Medicine An interesting fact about yourself: I got stung by a scorpion and took it with me to the ED to show the doctor.
	Neal Bhachawat, DO Hometown: San Antonio, TX Undergrad: Southern Methodist University Medical School: University of North Texas HSC at Fort worth-Texas COM An interesting fact about yourself: I like coffee.
	Alexandra Cloutet, MD Hometown: Mandeville, LA Undergrad: Louisiana State University Medical School: Louisiana State University School of Medicine Shreveport An interesting fact about yourself: I used to be a competitive swimmer.
	Siddharth Das, DO Hometown: Spring, TX Undergrad: University of Texas Medical School: University of North Texas HSC at Fort Worth-Texas COM An interesting fact about yourself: I enjoy swing dancing - mostly lindy hoop and east coast but a little of shag, blues, etc. I randomly picked it up in undergrad and continued learning at Houston Swing Dance Society, a nonprofit, where I occasionally volunteer. I recently tried picking up country swing with some co-residents. I'm always down to go social dancing!
	Ameesh Dev, MD Hometown: Lubbock, TX Undergrad: Texas Tech University Medical School: The University of Texas HSC at San Antonio, Joe R and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine An interesting fact about yourself: One of my life long goals is to travel to all 7 continents. I'm currently at 2/7.
	Helene DiGregorio, MD Hometown: Dallas, TX Undergrad: Texas A&M Medical School: McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas HSC at Houston An interesting fact about yourself: I love traveling! My favorite recent travel destinations are Makarska Croatia, Jamaica and the US Virgin Islands. I am planning to visit Australia some time this year!
	Alexsandra Drinnon, MD Hometown: San Antonio, TX Undergrad: Trinity University Medical School: Texas Tech University School of Medicine An interesting fact about yourself: I've written two novels in my spare time, neither of which will likely ever see the light of day, but still fun nonetheless!
	Robert Jameson, MD Hometown: Austin, TX Undergrad: Texas A&M University Medical School: Texas Tech University HSC School of Medicine An interesting fact about yourself: I love iced tea. Sweet, unsweetened or a refreshing arnold palmer.
	Meera Khosla, MD Hometown: Austin, TX Undergrad: University of Texas at Austin Medical School: Texas A&M HSC College of Medicine An interesting fact about yourself: I moved to New Delhi India when I was 7 years old and attended an international school.
	Kirsten Killough, MD Hometown: Boerne, TX Undergrad: Abilene Christian University Medical School: McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas HSC at Houston An interesting fact about yourself: I've been in the Guinness Book of World Records.
	James Kurian, MD Hometown: Houston Undergrad: UT Austin Medical School: The University of Texas HSC at San Antonio Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine An interesting fact about yourself: I like to build computers.
	Patrick Nguyen, MD Hometown: Fort Worth, TX Undergrad: The University of Texas at Dallas Medical School: The University of Texas HSC at San Antonio Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine An interesting fact about yourself: Milk first, then cereal.
	Jerrin Philip, MD Hometown: Houston, TX Undergrad: University of Texas at El Paso Medical School: University of Texas Medical Branch School of Medicine An interesting fact about yourself: I am a first generation US citizen and was originally born in the UAE.
	Jacqueline (Jackie) Rios, MD Hometown: Sugar Land, TX Undergrad: Rice University Medical School: Texas Tech University HSC School of Medicine An interesting fact about yourself: I have never ridden a horse. I was born in Mexico.
	Jean Michel Saad, MD Hometown: Byblos, Lebanon Undergrad: Lebanese American University LAU for Biolocy Medical School: LAU Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine An interesting fact about yourself: Learning to recreate some of my favorite Lebanese dishes on my own. Can make a mean tabouli. Not as good as my mom's though - not sure it's possible!
	Amir Saeed, MD Hometown: Houston, TX Undergrad: Texas Tech University Medical School: Texas Tech University HSC Paul L. Foster School of Medicine An interesting fact about yourself: I've spent time as a football coach and plan on coaching part-time after residency.
	Fadl Zeineddine, MD Hometown: Beirut, Lebanon Undergrad: American University of Beirut Medical School: American University of Beirut Faculty of Medicine An interesting fact about yourself: I have a keen interest in boxing.