Category: Class Bios

Rakan Al-Adwan, MD

Rakan was born and raised right here in Oak Lawn, IL. He studied at the University of Illinois at Chicago for his bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry before pursuing his medical degree at Chicago Medical School. Being from the area, Rakan loves the great diversity of the area and wanted to stay near his family. His current interests in medicine include home health, full-scope outpatient care and preventative care. Some of his hobbies include trying new activities, traveling and video games. Rakan traveled to 12 countries during his fourth year of Medical School 

Krystal Almazan, MD

Krystal is a Chicago native, growing up in Belmont-Cragin with family roots in Pilsen. She graduated from UW-Madison with a BS in Biology, received her Master’s Degree in Biotechnology from Rush University Medical Center, and completed medical school at the Medical College of Wisconsin. She chose Family Medicine to aid in bridging the gap between health care and underserved communities. Because she has a passion for sports and working with athletes, she plans to pursue a fellowship in sports medicine. Outside of medicine she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, binge watching TV shows, listening to music, watching sports, working out, and playing softball. She is eager to learn full spectrum family medicine and be equipped with skills to serve underserved communities. 

michael davidson, MD

Michael was born in Oak Lawn and grew up in the south suburbs of Chicago. He currently resides in Homer Glen, IL and attended medical school at Ross University School of Medicine. He hopes to one day work with patients of all ages and serve as a productive member of the community he lives in; his interest in medicine include pediatric care, developmental disabilities, dermatology, and cardiac health care. Outside of medicine he enjoys playing guitar and piano and spending time with family. He hopes to use what he learns to help the community he grew up in and be a resource for his patients. 

janki majithia, do

Janki was born and raised in Aurora IL. She attended UIC for her undergrad and A.T Still University for medical school. Janki chose family medicine because she loves building relationships with her patients. She plans to become a functionalist doctor, and hopes to practice a combination of Eastern and Western medicine. Outside of medicine, Janki likes to run, read, garden, listen to podcasts, and go on long walks with her two dogs (Luna and Theo). 

isley martins-correia, DO

Isley grew up in New Jersey and attended undergrad at North Carolina State University. She graduated from Marian University (Indianapolis, IN) in May 2023.  
She loves family medicine because of the broad scope of practice that will allow her to shape her practice to best serve her future patients. After hearing nothing but amazing things regarding the quality of training and comradery at Christ, she is ecstatic to become a part of the family! 

Some of her career interests are obstetrics and preventative women’s health, pediatrics, and working with underserved communities.  

Outside of medicine, she loves traveling, trying new restaurants/breweries with her fiancé, and playing The Legend of Zelda! 

shabia mohammad, DO

Shabia was born and raised in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. She just graduated from Lake Erie college of osteopathic medicine.  She enjoys spending time with her family and friends and loves to read, bake and cook.  

When she gets a bit more flexibility in her schedule she’d love to travel, try out new cuisines and explore the World. She is excited to be a part of Advocate Christ’s Family Medicine residency program and is looking forward to serve the community. 

batoul zalkout, DO

Batoul grew up in Dallas Texas and completed medical school in Kansas City. So her heart is torn between the Dallas Cowboys and KC Chiefs. When not in the hospital you can find her in an art fair, yoga studio, or walking her cats. My interests in medicine are community health and addiction medicine.  

Alqasem Alsaqri, MD

My name is Alqasem Alsaqri. I go by Qasem (pronounced like “awesome” but with a Q in the front) I am originally from Chicago. I was born in CHRIST hospital. I attended American University of Antigua. I believe to better a community, you need to work with a community as a whole. Family medicine let’s me achieve that by not leaving out anyone in the community. This is why I became inspired to work as a Family Physician.  I’m a sports junky. You name the sport and I’m probably following it.  I find pleasure in challenging myself to try new things, being involved in many activities.  I love to learn about different cultures and people from all over the world, hoping that this will help develop me into the best doctor I can be. I want to be a doctor that will make a patient feel welcomed and know that they are in good hands.

Emily Hernandez, DO

I was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, studying neurobiology and psychology at the University of Arizona. I worked in substance abuse before starting medical school at Des Moines University.  I want to provide full-scope outpatient care to underserved populations with foci in women’s health and addiction medicine. I moved from downtown Chicago to Oak Lawn last year with my husband and yellow lab. I enjoy yoga, attempting to garden, and exploring downtown Chicago (especially the food!) in my free time.

Victoria Hooker, MD

Growing up on the Southside of Chicago was not for the faint at heart. With the majority of my cohort ending up in jail or dead, I chose to not become a product of my environment. After high school, I received my BA in Biology from Rutgers University-New Brunswick and went on to pursue my Master’s degree in Health Administration and Management at RFUMS-College of Health Professions and now recently finishing my medical degree at RFUMS- Chicago Medical School. Being a mother of 2 children (21 and 12) continues to give me daily excitement and they are my biggest inspiration. Besides loving being a doctor, in my free time I love to travel and I have been to at least 40 of the 50 states. I love outdoor activities, being by the beach and watching sports especially basketball. I love family medicine because of the complexity and variation within the specialty. It allows me to use the many skills I have acquired in my life’s experiences. Although it will be hard, I’m looking forward to the next 3 years of my life.

Adora Ilochonwu, MD

My name is Adora Ilochonwu. I am a first generation Nigerian-American. My name is Igbo and it means “first daughter of all”. I was born in Washington D.C. and raised in Maryland. I am a cooking enthusiast and I enjoy learning and trying out new recipes. I enjoy spending time with my family, listening and dancing to Afro-beats music, brunching, trying out new restaurants, spa dates, bingeing new shows, and online window shopping. In my career as a family medicine physician, I hope to have the opportunity to explore, connect, and counsel patients beyond the walls of the examination rooms. My passions within family medicine includes community outreach, health equity, obstetrics, preventative medicine, women’s health, reproductive health and addressing African American maternal mortality.

Hiba Khan, DO

Being born and raised in Illinois, I could not be more thrilled to be back and start my residency at Christ Hospital! I am from Naperville, IL. I attended Naperville Central High School, and then completed my undergraduate studies at Benedictine University. From there, I packed my bags, moved to Kentucky, and this past May completed my medical degree at UP-KYCOM. I enjoy being outdoors, reading a good book, and spending some quality time with my family.One day I hope to be a role model in the community to whom members relate and feel safe. Be a family physician that makes my patients feel heard. Most importantly, be an empathetic physician for my patients to trust.

Shalini Kumar, MD

I grew up in South Elgin, IL. I went to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for my undergraduate degree and majored in Molecular and Cellular Biology. I attended the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Rockford for medical school. I am hard-working, dedicated, and love meeting new people. Some hobbies of mine are dancing, traveling, and spending time with family and friends. I am extremely close to my family. As a family medicine doctor, I strive to treat every patient exactly how I would want any family member of mine to be treated. I want to not only provide them with medical advice but also truly listen to them and provide emotional support. I want to understand their struggles, family dynamics etc. so I can treat them holistically.

Rahim Shareef, DO

My name is Rahim Shareef. I was born in Chicago but raised in the northwest suburbs in a city called Wheaton, IL. I am a daughter to my Pakistani immigrant parents and have 2 siblings, an older brother and younger sister. I attended Elmhurst University where I graduated with a B.S. in Biology with minors in medical humanities, chemistry, and business. I went on to complete my medical degree at A.T. Still University Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine. In my free time I enjoy traveling internationally, attempting new recipes, engaging in all-things DIY, listening to true crime podcasts, and a competitive game night participant.

The versatility of family medicine is what initially drew my interest but as time went on I realized my true satisfaction came from serving as an advocate for my patients and guiding them through our complicated health-care system. Within the scope of family medicine, I am interested in pursuing OB, women’s health, and OMT. I am looking forward to being in the city I love and train with a diverse patient population!

Kasia Wlodarkiewicz, DO

My name is Kasia Wlodarkiewicz, and I was born and raised in Addison, one of the Chicago suburbs. After attending Fenwick High School, I began my long journey to becoming Dr. W. I attended Fordham University in the Bronx, NY for my Bachelor of Science in Psychology, returned to Downers Grove, IL for my Master of Arts in Biomedical Sciences from Midwestern University, and then attended A.T. Still University-Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine in Kirksville, Missouri. I am excited to come full circle and be back in Chicago living in the South Loop while completing my Family Medicine residency at Advocate Christ Medical Center! I am particularly interested in Women’s Health Care and working with the underserved population. In my free time, I love creating memories with my family, hanging out with my two cats, traveling, and exploring the city with my fiancé!      

Teresa Chirayil, MD

Medical School: American University of Antigua College of Medicine

Home: Illinois

Career Interests: Hospital Medicine, Women’s Health, Traditional Family Medicine

Hobbies: Basketball, Lacrosse, Cooking, Exploring the globe, Time with family and friends

Favorites about the Program: This program is a true feeling of ‘family’ among co-interns and faculty. It’s such a great place to learn and grow. Diverse patient population with even more diversity in pathologies.

Katherine Metropulos, DO

Medical School: Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine at Midwestern University

Home: Illinois

Career Interests: Women’s Health, Preventative Care, Addiction Medicine, Underserved Medicine

Hobbies: Cooking/Baking, Binging Netflix and YouTube, Travel, Discovering new music

Favorites about the Program: The opportunity to care for a diverse patient population and see a wide variety of pathologies. The people! Attendings, specialists and staff who are supportive, approachable and so eager to teach. I also have loved getting to know and work with my amazing co-residents and seniors!

Damini Patel, DO

Medical School: Des Moines University, College of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery

Home: Illinois

Career Interests: Hospital Medicine, Full spectrum medicine with Women’s Health, Underserved/Global Medicine

Hobbies: Running whether that be outside or indoors on a treadmill, Hanging out with family and friends, Exploring new restaurants and spots in the city

Favorites about the Program: First and foremost, my co-residents! The support is fantastic!!! Our amazing faculty attending, staff, and other consultants throughout the hospital that foster the best learning environment. The diverse patient population and pathology.

Tara Piryaei, DO

Medical School: Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine at Midwestern University

Home: California

Career Interests: Preventative Care, Women’s Health

Hobbies: Eating all the foods – exploring restaurants in Chicago and Illinois suburbs. Spending time with my dog and my partner. Finding nature hikes to go on. Watching movies – pre COVID, I loved going to the movie theater. Now it’s more Netflix + popcorn on the couch. Decorating for Holidays ESPECIALLY between October – January

Favorites about the Program: The support system is unmatched – from the attendings to the residents to the MA’s. You never feel alone no matter how overwhelming things may seem. The education – the lectures are both informative and entertaining, and they help me grow as a resident. The structure – the blocks and curriculum are organized in a way that maximize learning and exposes you to a variety of patient cases, procedure opportunities, and the chance to teach your co-residents (which is how I learn best!).

Natasha Scaria, MD

Medical School: Rosalind Franklin University, Chicago Medical School

Home: Missouri

Career Interests: Women’s Health, Community Medicine, Public Health

Hobbies: Rock climbing, Hot yoga, Foodie adventures

Favorites about the Program: Getting to learn alongside a group of incredibly talented and supportive co-residents.

Sophia Wang, DO

Medical School: Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine at Midwestern University

Home: California

Career Interests: Not fully decided but most likely outpatient underserved medicine with emphasis on women’s health and geriatrics

Hobbies: Spending time with friends and family, Trying new food, Hiking/trails, Watching comedy & animated TV shows

Favorites about the Program: I enjoy being able to serve a diverse population alongside great co-residents and learning from our well-trained faculty.