Over the coming weeks, the Department of Internal Medicine will introduce faculty members who joined us in 2020 (start dates in parentheses). We are pleased to welcome them to the department.
Mohamed Modar Abidian, MD (7/1/20)
Division of General Internal Medicine
Dr. Mohamed Abidian joins the Division of General Internal Medicine as an Associate. Dr. Abidian received his MD from the University of Aleppo Faculty of Medicine in Aleppo, Syria, followed by an Internal Medicine Residency at MedStar Washington Hospital Center in Washington DC. His clinical and academic interests include practicing evidence-based medicine, teaching, and focusing on quality improvement projects. Outside of work, Dr. Abidian enjoys hiking and playing tennis.
Ali Alkhayru, MBChB (7/1/20)
Division of General Internal Medicine
Dr. Ali Alkhayru joined the Division of General Internal Medicine as an Associate. Dr. Alkhayru received his MBChB degree from the University of Al-Mustansiriyah, College of Medicine in Baghdad, Iraq. His clinical and research interests focus on pregnancy-related cardiovascular diseases. In his free time, Dr. Alkhayru enjoys outdoor family fun activities and staying current on world issues.
Zachary Lauer, MD (7/1/20)
Division of General Internal Medicine
Dr. Zachary Lauer joins the Division of General Internal Medicine as a Clinical Assistant Professor, from his hospitalist position at the Kansas University Medical Center in Kansas City. Dr. Lauer received his MD from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities in Minneapolis, Minnesota, followed by a Medicine Residency, and a Chief Resident year at the University of Kansas. Dr. Lauer’s clinical focus is hospital medicine and medical education. His interests outside of the hospital include spending time with his family, traveling, and fanatically following sports.
Baoqiong Liu, MD, PhD (7/1/20)
Division of General Internal Medicine
Dr. Baoqiong Liu has joined the Division of General Internal Medicine as an Associate. She received her MD and PhD from the Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University in Changsha, China, where she also completed Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation residency. Dr. Liu completed an Internal Medicine Residency at AdventHealth in Orlando, Florida, as well. Dr. Liu’s clinical and research interests include heart failure, translational genetics, and hospital outcomes. She enjoys biking, hiking, and reading in her free time.
Michael Osnard, MD, MS, MPH (7/1/20)
Division of General Internal Medicine
Dr. Michael Osnard joined the Division of General Internal Medicine as an Associate after completing an Internal Medicine Residency at Case Western Reserve University Hospitals/Louis Stokes Cleveland VAMC in Ohio. Dr. Osnard received his MD and MPH degrees from the University of Pittsburgh, as well as an MS in Health Sciences/Physiology/Biophysics from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Dr. Osnard’s clinical and research interests include cardiovascular disease prevention. Outside of work, Dr. Osnard likes to travel and play table tennis.
Sameer Prakash, DO (7/1/20)
Division of General Internal Medicine
Dr. Sameer Prakash comes to the Division of General Internal Medicine as an Associate after completing an Internal Medicine Residency at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Amarillo, TX, where he also served as Chief Resident. He received his DO from the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine in Fort Worth. Dr. Prakash’s current clinical and research interests focus on medical education, quality improvement, and gastroenterology/hepatology. In his free time, Dr. Prakash likes to travel, hang out with his wife and their cat, Winston, and support the Texas Longhorns.
Andrei Schwartz, MD (7/1/20)
Division of General Internal Medicine
Dr. Andrei Schwartz joins the Division of General Internal Medicine as an Associate after completion of his internal medicine residency here, where he served as a Chief Resident. Dr. Schwartz received his MD from Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University. His clinical and research interests include teaching residents and medical students, and clinical reasoning. When he isn’t at the hospital, Dr. Schwartz enjoys spending time with his wife, two young boys and three cats, spending time outdoors, and visiting other countries and US National Parks.
Adeyinka Taiwo, MBBS (7/13/20)
Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism
Dr. Adeyinka Taiwo joined the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism as an Associate after completing her Endocrine Fellowship here. Dr. Taiwo went to medical school at the University of Lagos in Nigeria and completed her Internal Medicine residency at Abington Memorial Hospital in Abington, Pennsylvania. She completed a Clinical Diabetes Research Fellowship at MedStar Research Institute in Washington, DC and worked as a Hospitalist for several years, prior to starting her Endocrine Fellowship. Dr. Taiwo’s current clinical work focuses on seeing patients at the Endocrine Clinic at the IRL and the VA. Her research interests includes diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. When not at work, Dr. Taiwo likes to travel and focus on her humanitarian work with her NGO, concerning disadvantaged children in Nigeria.
Suresh Veeramani, MS, PhD (6/1/20)
Division of Hematology, Oncology and Blood & Marrow Transplantation
Dr. Suresh Veeramani was recently appointed to the rank of Research Assistant Professor in the Division of Hematology, Oncology and Blood & Marrow Transplantation, from his position as an Assistant Research Scientist in Dr. George Weiner’s research laboratory at University of Iowa. He completed his MS and PhD degrees in Veterinary Immunology at the Indian Veterinary Research Institute in Bareilly, India. Dr. Veeramani’s research interests include evaluating nucleic acid-based approaches, including the use of aptamers, for immunomodulation and biomarker discovery. His current research focuses on studying the biology of soluble ligand-receptor complexes in diseases and the use of RNA aptamers, called LIRECAPs (for Ligand-Receptor complex-binding aptamers), for accurate measurement of ligand-bound receptor complexes in the clinical biospecimens. His research focus also includes modulating the activity of immune cell subsets using RNA aptamers for cancer therapy. He enjoys listening to music in his spare time.