Residents & Faculty
Swati Anand, MBBS
Hometown: Massapequa Park, NY
Medical School: Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Medical College, Ahmedabad, India
Internship: New York Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, Brooklyn, NY
PM&R Interests: Interventional pain
Hobbies: Traveling to Indian jungles and safaris in tiger reserves
Why Downstate: Diverse patient population, research opportunities, supportive faculty, can stay close to my family.
Fun Facts:
- Favorite Movie: Any “whodunit” genre
- Favorite TV Show: Poirot
- Favorite Book: All books by my favorite hunters - Jim Corbett, Kenneth Anderson, Hugh Allen
- Favorite Musician: anything pleasing to my ears
- Favorite Meal: Mom made food
- Favorite App: YouTube
- Would Most Like to Visit: Switzerland
- Bucket List: Learn horseback riding
- Hidden Talent: Racquet ball solo player
Nikita Desai, DO
Hometown: Old Bridge, NJ
Medical School: Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, Erie, PA
Internship: Peconic Bay Medical Center, Riverhead NY
PM&R Interests: Interventional Pain Medicine, Sports/Spine
Hobbies: Cooking, Hiking, Puzzling
Why Downstate: SUNY Downstate offers strong clinical training, diversity in patient population and exposure to procedural skills which is important to me.
Fun Facts:
- Favorite TV Show: Psych
- Favorite Book: Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
- Favorite Musician: Ed Sheeran, Old Kanye, Frank Ocean
- Favorite Meal: Truffle Fettuccine Alfredo
- Favorite App: Netflix
- Would Most Like to Visit: Zürich, Banff, Kyoto
- Bucket List: Pasta food tour in Italy
- Hidden Talent: I have most of the Harry Potter movie dialogues memorized
Arooj Iqbal, DO
Hometown: Paramus, NJ
Medical School: Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, Erie, PA
Internship: SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, NY
PM&R Interests: Pain, Spine, Sports
Hobbies: Tennis, Traveling, Hiking
Why Downstate: I chose Downstate because of the supportive faculty and comradery among the residents. Also, the diverse patient population to learn from and the multiple research opportunities provided to accomplish my goals in PM&R.
Fun Facts:
- Favorite Movie: Fast and Furious Series
- Favorite TV Show: Friends
- Favorite Book: To Kill a Mockingbird
- Favorite Musician: Ed Sheeran
- Favorite Meal: Lasagna
- Favorite App: Instagram
- Would Most Like to Visit: Peru—Machu Pichu and Rainbow Mountain
- Bucket List: To Zipline across Dubai
- Hidden Talent: Baking
Isha Rao, DO
Hometown: Bucks County, PA
Medical School: New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, NY
Internship: Ocean University Medical Center, Brick Township, NJ
PM&R Interests: Pain, spine, sports
Hobbies: Cooking, summer strolls, podcasts
Why Downstate: Experience the city, diverse patient populations, get to see various pathologies
Fun Facts:
- Favorite Movie: the imitation game
- Favorite TV Show: Gilmore Girls
- Favorite Book: The Silent Patient
- Favorite Musician: Rihanna
- Favorite Meal: tuxedo cake from Costco
- Favorite App: chipotle
- Would Most Like to Visit: Italy
- Bucket List: skydive
- Hidden Talent: double jointed
Kody Sumida, DO
Hometown: Honolulu, HI
Medical School: Touro University Nevada, Henderson, NV
Internship: St. John's Riverside Hospital, Yonkers, NY
PM&R Interests: Pain, sports, general
Hobbies: Basketball, Football, Cooking, Surfing
Why Downstate: Great program with lots of resources and friendly residents. Also in New York!
Fun Facts:
- Favorite Movie: Finding Nemo
- Favorite TV Show: One piece
- Favorite Book: The Giver
- Favorite Musician: Mariah Carey
- Favorite Meal: Sashimi
- Favorite App: Spotify
- Would Most Like to Visit: Italy
- Bucket List: going to multiple football and basketball games
- Hidden Talent: Disappearing food act
Rebecca Takele, DO
Hometown: Annandale, VA
Medical School: Edward VIA College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM), Blacksburg, VA
Internship: General Surgery at Albany Medical Center, Albany, NY
PM&R Interests: Pain medicine, Spinal cord injury
Hobbies: Hiking, all things related to being by the water, kickboxing, playing my electric guitar
Why Downstate: Here there is an opportunity to treat and learn from a diverse patient population not seen at many other residencies. I was also drawn to the reputation of this PM&R program, the supportive faculty, the strong clinical training I would receive, the opportunities to make the most of my residency, the success of past residents, and the emphasis on the wellness of residents.
Fun Facts:
- Favorite Movie: Pride and Prejudice (2005)
- Favorite TV Show: Criminal Minds
- Favorite Book: Any Nicholas Sparks books
- Favorite Musician: Rascal Flatts and other country musicians
- Favorite Meal: Salmon poke bowl
- Favorite App: Spotify
- Would Most Like to Visit: Greece
- Bucket List: backpack through Europe, skydive, become fluent in Spanish, own a boat for recreational purposes
- Hidden Talent: 3rd degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and former instructor
Miriam Bekhit, MBBCH
Hometown: Cairo, Egypt
Medical School: Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
Internship: Richmond University Medical Centre, Staten Island, NY
PM&R Interests: Neurorehabilitation, Electrodiagnosis
Hobbies: Travelling, hiking, reading
Why Downstate: The residency culture is positive and supportive, I like that the patient population is diverse and challenges you to grow in so many ways. At Downstate I know I would be entirely supported in any endeavors/goal.
Fun Facts:
- Favorite Movie: Gone with the wind
- Favorite TV Show: Friends
- Favorite Book: Any Agatha Christie novel
- Favorite Musician: Josh Groban
- Favorite Meal: Macaroni Bechamel
- Favorite App: Facebook
- Would Most Like to Visit: Lake Como
- Bucket List: Parasailing, Banff National Park
- Hidden Talent: I won a drawing competition
Jason Do, DO
Hometown: Rochester, MI
Medical School: AT Still University - School of Medicine, Mesa, AZ
Internship: Jewish Hospital - Cincinnati, OH
PM&R Interests: Pain, Sports/Spine
Hobbies: Powerlifting, Eating, Cooking, Horror movies
Why Downstate: Getting training at a great program with a diverse population, potential for a plethora of pathology, and the opportunity to live in Brooklyn
Fun Facts:
- Favorite Movie: Boondock Saints
- Favorite TV Show: Bob's Burgers
- Favorite Musician: Chromeo
- Favorite Meal: Sushi
- Favorite App: Yelp
- Would Most Like to Visit: Korea/Japan
- Bucket List: paying off my med school loans
- Hidden Talent: I breakdance
Simron Gill, MD
Hometown: Edmonton Alberta, Canada
Medical School: Ross University School of Medicine
Internship: St. Marys medical center, long beach, CA
PM&R Interests: Sports, Spinal cord injury
Hobbies: Snowboarding, soccer, tennis, hockey, dungeons and dragons, video games, bow hunting, and golf
Why Downstate: I chose Downstate due to its reputation for education, research, and patient care.
Fun Facts:
- Favorite Movie: Star Wars (especially Episode IV- A New Hope)
- Favorite TV Show: One piece
- Favorite Book: Red Rising
- Favorite Musician: Tenacious D
- Favorite Meal: Chicken Wings
- Favorite App: The Score
- Would Most Like to Visit: Singapore
- Bucket List: Bungee jumping and/or scuba diving
- Hidden Talent: I can crochet
Ryan Kim, DO
Hometown: Born in S. Korea, grew up in Ridgewood, NJ
Medical School: Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine
Internship: Garnet Health Medical Center - Transitional Year
PM&R Interests: Pain, Sports
Hobbies: Golf, Weightlifting, Soccer
Why Downstate: Exposure to diverse patient population. Very supportive faculty members. Being close to family.
Fun Facts:
- Favorite Movie: Marvel movies, 007 series, Knives out, Prestige, The Secret life of Walter Mitty.
- Favorite TV Show: Planet Earth
- Favorite Book: When breath becomes air
- Favorite Musician: Maroon 5, Post Malone, Ed Sheeran
- Favorite Meal: Asian food, anything with a side of fries
- Favorite App: Google maps
- Would Most Like to Visit: Banff (Candada), Iceland, Switzerland
- Bucket List: Hole-in-one in golf, running a full marathon
- Hidden Talent: Parallel parking
Raymond Li, DO
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Medical School: New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, NY
Internship: Nassau University Medical Center, East Meadow, NY
PM&R Interests: Everything
Hobbies: Calisthenics, Ice Skating, Cooking, Karaoke, Talking about exercise and nutrition
Why Downstate: Downstate gives you the opportunity to see how multiple hospitals work, providing valuable experience in how different hospitals function and giving exposure to what kind of environment I want to work in after residency. The volume of patients also provides the opportunity to see and learn as much as I can during residency.
Fun Facts:
- Favorite Movie: The Avengers
- Favorite TV Show: Arcane
- Favorite Book: Enders Game
- Favorite Musician: Ed Sheeran
- Favorite Meal: matcha red bean slush
- Favorite App: Calendar
- Would Most Like to Visit: Greenland
- Bucket List: None. The ups and downs of life is fun enough
- Hidden Talent: Enjoying awkward silences
Anam Purewal-Kossack, MD
Hometown: Holmdel, NJ
Medical School: St. George’s University School of Medicine
Internship: Jersey Shore University Medical Center
PM&R Interests: Cancer Rehab, Pain Medicine
Hobbies: Tennis, exploring NYC, chillin
Why Downstate: Supportive faculty. Wonderful co-residents. Bright and bustling city.
Fun Facts:
- Favorite Movie: 10 Things I Hate About You
- Favorite TV Show: Friends
- Favorite Book: When Women Were Birds: Fifty-four Variations on Voice
- Favorite Musician: 2000s Kanye, or wherever afrobeat and Sam Smith intersect
- Favorite Meal: How many slices of pizza does it take to make a meal?
- Favorite App: Call me old-fashioned, but probably the “phone” app
- Would Most Like to Visit: Sundance Film Festival
- Bucket List: Short list: Open a microbrewery. Didn't make the short-list: Cut my coffee intake
- Hidden Talent: Grip strength–guess my deadhang time!
Teymur Aliyev, DO
Hometown: Born in Baku, Azerbaijan, grew up in Brooklyn, NY
Medical School: Rowan School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, NJ
Internship: Mount Sinai-Queens, Queens, NY
PM&R Interest: Sports, Pain management
Hobbies: MMA, powerlifting, Crypto, NFTs
Why Downstate: I always wanted to give back to the community I grew up in, as well as receive diverse exposure to MSK pathology. Spread Love It’s the Brooklyn Way!
Fun Facts:
- Favorite Movie: White Men Can’t Jump
- Favorite TV Show: Jackass
- Favorite Book: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
- Favorite Meal: Sushi
- Favorite App: YouTube
- Would Most Like to Visit: Brazil, Spain
- Bucket List: Skydiving, NYC marathon, Sailing the Mediterranean
- Hidden Talent: I play competitive Call of Duty
Marc C. Ramos Emos, MD
Hometown: Jamaica, NY
Internship: SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, NY
PM&R Interest: Cancer Rehabilitation, General Rehab, Neuro Rehab
Hobbies: Slacklining, biking, cooking, baking, board games, video games
Why Downstate: Camaraderie between residents. Opportunity to provide rehabilitation services to the underserved.
Fun Facts:
- Favorite Movie: Inception
- Favorite TV Show: Final Space
- Favorite Book: Time Enough for Love
- Favorite Meal: Sushi
- Favorite App: YouTube
- Would Most Like to Visit: Hong Kong, Hawaii
- Bucket List: Adopt a cat, learn magic, learn to play harmonica
- Hidden Talent: Handstands
Jayne Ha, DO
Hometown: Orange County, CA
Medical School: Touro University Nevada, Henderson, NV
Internship: Maimonides Health, Brooklyn, NY
PM&R interests: Undecided
Hobbies: Hiking, weight training, museum hopping, wine tasting, food binging
Why Downstate: I love living in Brooklyn and serving its diverse community
Fun Facts:
- Favorite Movie: Avengers: Endgame
- Favorite TV show: Rick & Morty and The Office
- Favorite Book: I have way too many to choose one!
- Favorite Musician: varies depending on the genre; Bill Evans for Jazz, Kendrick Lamar for Hip Hop, Jhene Aiko for R&B, Keshi for intense studying— I can go on!
- Favorite Meal: Sushi and Korean BBQ
- Favorite App: Instagram
- Would Most Like to Visit: Bolivia, Italy, Philippines
- Hidden Talent: I can whip up a dinner with bare minimum ingredients at all times. I also play the ukulele very poorly.
Michael Khalil, DO
Hometown: Queens, NY
Medical School: New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, NY
Internship: Garnet Health Medical Center, Middletown, NY
PM&R interests: Sports/Pain
Hobbies: Basketball, cooking
Why Downstate: The education curriculum is strong and the patient population allows me to see rare pathology
Fun facts:
- Favorite movie: Not big on movies
- Favorite TV show: Friends
- Favorite book: Eragon by Christopher Paolini
- Favorite musician: Lecrae
- Favorite meal: Can’t go wrong with pizza
- Favorite app: Waze
- Would most like to visit: Greece
- Bucket list: Finish residency
- Hidden talents: I can cook
Muhammad Rizwan, DO
Hometown: Piscataway, NJ
Medical School: Rowan School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, NJ
Internship: Inspira Health, Vineland, NJ
PM&R Interests: Musculoskeletal, Sports Medicine
Hobbies: Cooking, Watching movies, 3D printing
Why Downstate: I had a great experience as a rotating student with exposure to a lot of unique medical cases
Fun Facts:
- Favorite Movie: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
- Favorite TV Show: Top Gear, Game of Thrones, Cobra Kai
- Favorite Book: Percy Jackson series
- Favorite Musician: Matchbox 20
- Favorite Meal: Cookies
- Favorite App: YouTube
- Would Most Like to Visit: New Zealand
- Bucket List: Visit every county in the world
- Hidden Talent: Making Halloween costumes
Andrew Tom, MD
Hometown: Flushing, NY
Medical School: SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, NY
Internship: St. Johns' Riverside Hospital, Yonkers, NY
PM&R Interests: General PM&R and Pain
Hobbies: ping pong
Why Downstate: I had a great experience here as a medical student
Fun Facts:
- Favorite Movie: Star Wars
- Favorite TV Show: Friends
- Favorite Book: Catch 22
- Favorite Musician: Romeo Santos, Michael Buble
- Favorite Meal: chocolate
- Favorite App: Youtube
- Would Most Like to Visit: Malaysia/Singapore
- Bucket List: Visit every buffet in the world
- Hidden Talent: ping pong
Alex Vertes, MD
Hometown: Toronto, Canada
Medical school: Ben Gurion University, Israel
Internship: General Surgery at The Brooklyn Hospital Center, Brooklyn, NY
PM&R interests: Sports Medicine
Hobbies: Playing and watching hockey, skiing, windsurfing, movies, video games, playing with my dogs
Why Downstate: I was attracted to the large volume of out-patient based rotations with greater sports medicine exposure. I also found the residents in the program to be friendly and have positive attitudes related to their work.
Fun facts:
- Favorite movie: Batman Begins
- Favorite TV show: Entourage
- Favorite book: Harry Potter
- Favorite musician: Pearl Jam
- Favorite meal: Steak
- Favorite app: Twitter
- Would most like to visit: Italy
- Bucket list: Traveling, sky diving, skiing in the Swiss Alps, scuba diving in Thailand.
- Hidden talents: Sort-of amateur dog trainer