PGY-1 Resident Profiles

photo of Jessica Lier, MD

Jessica Lier, MD

My name is Jessica Lier and I am a PGY1. I was born and raised in Jackson, MO and went to medical school in Columbia, MO. Coming south to Augusta for residency has been a big change, but one that I have enjoyed. At this time my interest in neurology is widespread but the areas that fascinate me the most are epilepsy, ALS, headache, and sleep medicine. My current career plan is to pursue general neurology but to have a focus in one or multiple of these areas in the future. I am looking forward to discovering more areas that intrigue me as I pursue my career.   

photo of Kajol Patel, MD

Kajol Patel, MD

I was born in an extremely small town in Florida (less than 600 people total), but I spent most of my upbringing in rural South Georgia (yes, this was an upgrade!). I completed my undergraduate education at the University of Georgia, where I majored in biology and psychology with an emphasis on neuroscience. After leaving Athens, I came to the Medical College of Georgia where I completed medical school, and then I decided to stay for four more years to complete my neurology residency. Outside of the hospital, you can find me doing indoors-y things like reading, watching TV, catching up on sleep, or spending time with my husband. My subspecialty interests currently involve inpatient medicine, but I am looking forward to exposure on multiple different areas in this field. 
photo of Parth Patel, MD

Parth Patel, MD

I was born and raised in the suburbs of Atlanta. I went to college at Vanderbilt University in Nashville then came back to Georgia at the Medical College of Georgia for medical school. I’ve been making Augusta my home ever since. My interests in Neurology include stroke and interventional Neurology. Outside of the hospital I’m an avid reader, runner, and ukulele player.
photo of Asif Sheikh, MD

Asif Sheikh, MD

Although originally born in Fargo, North Dakota, my family moved to Tifton, Georgia when I was 4 years old. For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to be a neurologist. I graduated from Georgia Tech as part of its inaugural class majoring in neuroscience and then from Mercer School of Medicine in Savannah for medical school. My current areas of interest include movement disorders and dementia, but I look forward to what else this amazing field has to offer. When I am not busy with my duties as a resident, I like being in the kitchen cooking up something new, playing video games on my custom-built PC, hanging out with friends on Discord, quoting the Sopranos, and cheering on Aston Martin while watching Formula One. I also probably own more pairs of Chuck Taylor's than anyone else you've ever met (11 pairs and counting).
photo of Sydney Smith, MD

Sydney Smith, MD

I am originally from Charlotte, North Carolina and am currently interested in pursuing vascular neurology and interventional neurology after residency. I am also interested in traumatic brain injuries. I enjoy trying new restaurants, kickboxing, watching movies, and spending time with family. My favorite place to be is at the beach by the water and after living in the islands and Miami I developed a love for snorkeling and diving. I also have two dogs, Frank the English bulldog, and Stassi a rescue from Grenada who I love being outside with. 
photo of Sijia Tian, MD

Sijia Tian, MD

I come from the deep mountains of Southwest China and graduated from the West China School of Medicine, Sichuan University. Since I was young, I've dreamt of leaving the mountains to explore beyond. Growing up, my love for travel took me to 13 countries. A trip to the United States captured my heart, leading me to choose it as my next adventure. Beyond travel, I enjoy cooking and inline skating. I'm also intrigued by the supernatural, often watching paranormal videos, UFO documentaries, and shows that investigate mysterious events. I'm currently interested in stroke and movement disorders, but I'm also keeping an open mind. 

PGY-2 Resident Profiles

photo of Brian Brown, MD

Brian Brown, MD

I was born in Texas, but growing up in a military family I was raised all over the country. I completed undergrad at the University of Wyoming and went on to medical school in the inaugural class of the Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine. In my free time, I enjoy hiking, golfing, playing board games, and used to love flying light aircraft which is a hobby I hope to get back into one day! After finishing residency, I am hoping to pursue an epilepsy fellowship.

Specialty interests are, Epilepsy, Movement Disorders and Headache Medicine.

photo of Hesamoldin Khodadadi Chamgordani, MD, PhD

Hesamoldin Khodadadi Chamgordani, MD, PhD

I was born and raised in Isfahan, Iran. I received my medical degree from Isfahan University. After graduating from medical school, my wife and I moved to the United States and I started working as a post-doctoral research fellow in the field of neuroimmunology. I was very lucky to have mentorship of excellent scientists and clinicians on my journey which led me to pursue my passion as a clinician-scientist by getting PhD in neuroscience and molecular medicine. My main area of interest is dementia and neurocognitive disorders, and I am very excited to start a new chapter of my life as a neurology resident at Augusta University. I spend my free time watching true crime documentaries with my wife, playing with our little puppy (Benji), and playing piano. I can’t wait to dig in deeper into the amazing world of neurology.

photo of Shane Musick, MD

Shane Musick, MD

Born and raised in southern West Virginia, where I completed both my undergraduate studies and medical school, I felt it was time to spread my wings elsewhere. Having been to Augusta several times, and learning more about the program, I knew it was an ideal fit. My current neuro interest is in neurointerventional, albeit I’ve been obsessed with all things under the neuroscience umbrella since beginning this journey. My hobbies include playing video games (mainly on Xbox), lifting weights (where I once won a powerlifting competition), listening to podcasts (hardcore history is my favorite), and playing basketball (RIP Kobe).

photo of Mitchell Oei, MD

Mitchell Oei, MD

I was born and raised in sunny Santa Monica, California where I developed a love for the ocean and two of my favorite hobbies, surfing and SCUBA diving. I did my undergrad education at Cornell University in upstate New York, where I studied marine biology. I attended medical school at the University of Queensland-Ochsner Clinical School, where I spent two years in Brisbane, Australia and two years in New Orleans, Louisiana. In addition to my outdoor hobbies, I enjoy building computers,working on my car, and following up on aerospace and world news! Although there is still much for me to learn in the realm of neurology, I am currently interested in pursuing the fields of Interventional Neurology, Neurocritical Care, or Vascular Neurology after completing my residency training. I can’t wait to see all that Augusta has to offer, and am excited to train at MCG!

photo of Brandon Pope, MD, PhD

Brandon Pope, MD, PhD

I am originally from Decatur, Georgia. I attended the University of Georgia for undergrad in Athens, Georgia. Go DAWGS!! From there, I spent four months as a Lab Technician at MCG in the Department of Cell & molecular Biology and 18 months as a Postbaccalaureate IRTA scholar in Maryland at the NINDS. Next, I went to UAB and completed both my Ph.D and MD as a part of the medical scientist training program there. I am a father of two lovely children, husband to my amazing wife Rachel, lover of all things travel, basketball, and finance! I love the brain and am

most interested currently in neuroimmunology and interventional neurology! I’m excited about the opportunity to grow my knowledge and clinical skills in Neurology. Moreover, I feel fortunate to be able to train at MCG and develop great relationships with the residents, faculty, and patients that we serve. Specialty interests include, Neuroimmunology/MS, Interventional Neurology, and Clinical Neurophysiology. 

photo of Han Saem Yoo, DO

Han Saem Yoo, DO

I was born and raised in Seoul, South Korea. I went to Yale for undergrad, studied molecular, cellular, and developmental biology and went to NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine for medical school. In my free time, I enjoying practicing and performing the violin. I also like to cook korean food and home-garden my sesames and lettuces. My subspecialty interests are movement disorder, behavioral neurology and stroke.

PGY-3 Resident Profiles

photo of Ghazal Ahmad, MD

Ghazal Ahmad, MD

I grew up in a north Georgia in a town called Canton. I completed my undergraduate studies at Mercer University in Macon, GA, and went to medical school at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, GA. My family is originally from Pakistan. I became inte

photo of Brinda Bhaskar, MD

Brinda Bhaskar, MD

Hi! My name is Brinda Bhaskar. I was raised in Charlotte, NC. I went to NC State for under grad and Wake Forest for med school. I am currently undecided on subspecialty. During my free time I like to play ultimate frisbee and hike. 
photo of Mingyu Li, MD

Mingyu Li, MD

 Hi! I am Mingyu Li. I was born and raised in China. I went to Weifang Medical University for medical school and Capital Medical University for residency in China. I am interested in Epilepsy and Stroke. I love to play basketball and LEGO in my free time. I really enjoy living and learning in Augusta.  

photo of Alaa Mohamed, MBBS

Alaa Mohamed, MBBS

Hi there!

I was born in Saudi Arabia. However, I went to medical in school at the University of Khartoum in my home country, Sudan, where I am originally from. I earned a master's degree in molecular medicine and perused my research career in Neurology and neuroscience at the Mayo Clinic.

Augusta city is a perfect place for me as I am starting a new family. I Like to sing and to watch documentaries. I am looking to do my fellowship in Autoimmune Neurological disorders, but I am also open to other subspecialities, and I am sure that I can decide during my residency as the program here gives us very good exposure and training in most of the subspecialties, minors, and majors.

photo of Luis G. Rueda, MD

Luis G. Rueda, MD

Hi! I was born and raised in Ecuador, where I did my medical school at the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador. I grew up in a city in the middle of the Andes Highlands, where I got to experience a lot of outdoor activities, which I continue to enjoy. After residency, I am interested in Neurocritical care, Vascular Neurology, and Interventional Neurology.

photo of Giandor Saltz, MD

Giandor Saltz, MD

Hi! My name is Giandor, and I was born and raised in Wyoming. I grew up in a small town and really enjoy the outdoors. I attended the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle, Washington. I moved across the country to Georgia with my family and am loving living in Augusta so far. I really love inpatient medicine and am interested in pursuing stroke or electrophysiology after I finish my residency.

photo of Rakchhya Shrestha, MD

Rakchhya Shrestha, MD

I was born in Nepal, where I did my medical school at Kathmandu Medical College. My interest in Neurology grew while in medical school. I have not fully decided on my career yet but I have great interest in clinical electrophysiology and movement disorder. I am looking forward to starting PGY 2 at Augusta and exploring neurology in depth. Outside of residency, I enjoy painting, reading, and playing ping pong. I love traveling and exploring new places and food. My list of specialties are, Clinical neurophysiology, Movement disorder and General Neurology.

 

PGY-4 Resident Profiles

photo of Matthew Abbott, MD

Matthew Abbott, MD

I grew up in north Florida, went to undergrad at Florida State University and medical school up in Cleveland at Case Western Reserve University. My hobbies include archery, swimming, scuba diving, metalworking, working on computers, and cooking barbeque. Recently I am trying to get into autocross. I run a medical outreach program that goes out to the Navajo Nation each year. My initial interest in neurology began after I had a knee surgery in high school that left me partially paralyzed and I got to meet some great neurologists that helped me in my recovery process.

 

photo of Axel Baez-Lugo, MD

Axel Baez-Lugo, MD

Hello! I am Axel Baez-Lugo, born and raised in Puerto Rico. Graduated Pre-Med from UPR-Mayaguez Campus and then Medical School from Ponce Health Sciences University. In my free time I enjoy watching movies or series and basketball games. I enjoy going to the gym, running or trail walking with my kids (two dogs). Although still new to this, I have a growing interest in Headache Medicine and Pain Management. I am very happy to be a part of this team full of excellent human beings and great teaching staff. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions about our program and the application process!

photo of Mac Bohanan, MD

Mac Bohanan, MD

I attended Texas A&M University for undergraduate and University of Texas at Houston for medical school. I am looking forward to my time in Augusta at MCG.

photo of Shalane A. Morales-Nunez, MD, MPH

Shalane A. Morales-Nunez, MD, MPH

Hi! My name is Shalane. I was born and raised in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. I did my undergrad at the University of Puerto Rico and subsequently attended Ponce Health Sciences University to pursue my MPH as well as my Medical Degree.  In my free time,  I enjoy spending time with loved ones, going to the beach with my dogs, and trying out new places to eat. Although I love everything that neurology has to offer, I could potentially see myself sub-specializing in Sleep Medicine. I am thrilled to be part of the MCG family and look forward to making memories with my co-residents and faculty. 

photo of Brian Tong, MD

Brian Tong, MD

Hi! I was born and raised in Houston, Texas. I studied Biomedical Engineering at Duke University before performing neuroscience research at the NIH for a year prior to starting medical school at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston. When I'm not at work, I love to play basketball, work-out, hike, travel and snowboard! My crowning achievement is playing in the IM basketball finals in Cameron Indoor Stadium at Duke during my freshman year! I'm currently exploring my interests in Neurology!

PGY-5 Resident Profiles

photo of Uloma Ibezim, MD

Uloma Ibezim, MD

  • Pediatric Neurology
Hi there! My name is Uloma Labrie, and I am a 5th year child neurology resident. I studied Psychology at The University of Texas at Austin in undergrad, then I went to medical school at The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. I completed my 2 years of Pediatrics here at The Children's Hospital of Georgia. During my free time in Augusta, I enjoy walking the various trails around town, especially The Canal. I also enjoy reading, listening to true crime podcasts, practicing yoga, and playing with my cat and dog. I am interested in developmental delays, autism, and intellectual disabilities. Feel free to email me with any questions you may have about child neurology!