The UAB Department of Neurology is celebrating 10 residents who will have completed their residency within the department as of June 2024. Residents shared their plans for where their careers will take them next while also reflecting on their time in the Department’s residency program.
The Heersink School of Medicine communications team asked each resident, “What are your plans, careerwise, after graduation?” and “Reflecting back on your residency, what are your thoughts as you complete this portion of your training at UAB and move on to the next chapter?” Here are their responses.
Yurany Andrea Arevalo Canizales, M.D.
Future plans: I am going to do a fellowship in vascular neurology at the University of Chicago. I am also considering doing a second fellowship (cognitive).
Reflection: Being part of the UAB Neurology residency program was one of my most valuable experiences from a professional but also personal perspective. Besides having an excellent training formation, I had the opportunity to meet inspiring and role model professors (Dr. Shapshak, Dr. Geldmacher, Dr. Standaert). Having the “UAB” brand added on my CV is one of the greatest achievements in my entire life. I am also very thankful for living five years in Alabama, which I consider is one of the most beautiful states in the US. I was very lucky to interact with the people here, who always made me feel welcome and as if I was in my own country.
Hrishikesh Dadhich, MBBS
Future plans: I will be doing an epilepsy fellowship at UT Southwestern in Dallas.
Reflection: I had a great time at UAB. I learned a lot about neurology, made some great lifelong friends, and formed some amazing memories. I am grateful to UAB for giving me the opportunity to train here.
Mark Dean, M.D.
Future plans: I am staying at UAB for a fellowship in Neuromuscular Medicine.
Reflection: During my training here, I learned so many things. There were so many physicians, colleagues, friends, and patients that taught me so much. I will never forget them or stop being grateful for them. The extreme variety of patients I’ve seen, mixed with the unique socioeconomic demographics in Alabama, provided me with training that I wouldn’t trade for anything. I take a lot of pride in the fact that I can say I am a UAB-trained neurologist.
Felicia Hataway, M.D.
Future plans: I will be completing a fellowship in vascular neurology at UAB and plan to stay in academic medicine.
Reflection: The fortune I feel in getting to train at UAB for residency has only grown over the last four years. As residents, we are comprehensively molded by knowledgeable, invested attendings, and the reward is the confidence in our departing strides that we are ready for anything. In truth, the foundation of this labor has been my resident cohort: 10 humans that have shared long days, rough calls, challenging patients, and outright exhaustion, all restored with laughter, venting, reassurance, hugs, tears, and unending silliness. While I consider the intellectual merits of this program to be unparalleled, it is the sense of family that makes this residency the best residency in the world. I will forever be grateful and proud of being a UAB-trained neurologist.
Nidhi Shankar Kikkeri, M.D.
Future plans:I will be staying at UAB for a fellowship in Headache Medicine.
Reflection: I feel fortunate to have trained at UAB. The training here not only broadened my understanding of various neurological disorders, but also provided me an invaluable exposure to a diverse patient population. I am thankful to all my attendings and colleagues who made this place welcoming and provided an amazing experience during my residency training. I will forever be grateful for this opportunity.
Sanjith Prahas Krishnam, MBBS
Future plans: I am headed to Baylor for a neurocritical care fellowship.
Reflection: Looking back, I'm very grateful for the opportunity to train at an institution such as UAB with robust training and exposure to diverse pathology. I will miss working with my friends and colleagues and hope to find a similar camaraderie during my next phase of clinical training.
Roxanne Lockhart, M.D.
Future plans: I will be staying at UAB for a Neuro-Oncology Fellowship.
Reflection: I have been working at UAB since high school studying neuroscience. For nearly 13 years, I have known that this is truly a remarkable and special place. This institution has given me so many unimaginable opportunities—from traveling to all seven continents to making differences in the lives of thousands of patients. The Department of Neurology’s faculty have been some of the most inspirational and helpful doctors as I start my own career. I am honored to have so many amazing mentors and friends that will remain lifelong relationships. Go Blazers!
Matthew McCay, M.D.
Future plans: I will be working as a general neurologist at both the Birmingham VA and UAB.
Reflection: I was impressed with the quality of education I received at UAB, thanks to faculty with excellent teaching skills. I will miss my co-residents, whom I have become very close with and trust to be great neurologists.
Reema Sadruddin, MBBS
Future plans: I will be practicing general neurology at the University of Miami.
Reflection: Leaving UAB is bittersweet. I have spent four wonderful years here, have learned from some of the most talented and kind-hearted physicians, and made incredible friends. At the same time, I am excited to practice all that I have learned in these last four years. I am so grateful for all the attendings and my peers who made UAB and Birmingham such a memorable place for me!
Aubrey Young, M.D.
Future plans: I will be taking a neuro-hospitalist position in Huntsville.
Reflection: During my training at UAB, I had the privilege of caring for complex patients and participating in collaborative multidisciplinary care. These experiences have been invaluable, and I feel both excited and prepared as I move into independent practice.