Walid (far left) with fellow IM interns (l-r) Jennifer Wang, Lauren Mahoney (neurology intern), Brian Wentworth, Dierdre Axell-House and Matthew Bender.
I was born in Maryland and lived in Bowie for the first eight years of my life. My family and I then moved to Egypt (where my parents are originally from) and we lived there until I completed high school.
I came back to the States in 2007 to work on my undergraduate degree at UVA; I majored in chemical engineering, but after some exposure to healthcare (and more than enough exposure to calculus), I decided to apply to medical school. I ended up staying here for my MD, and am now a PGY-1 in the internal medicine program! After a lot of back-and-forth on what do in life (I had my eye, in turn, on cardiology, hematology/oncology, infectious disease, palliative care, and pulmonary/critical care), I think I’ve finally settled on general medicine, hoping to work in academics with a focus on medical student education.
Why internal medicine?
Everyone advised me to keep an open mind going into the third year of medical school, because you never know what specialty will surprise you. All of them allow you to connect with patients in different ways, and each had interesting things to offer; but with internal medicine, you get to be the one to put the pieces together, figure out the big picture, and then explain it all to the patient. You get to be their point person.
Walid and family, at his graduation from UVA medical school.
Some days that means long hours, frustration, and feeling physically drained — typing orders, making endless calls, trying to coordinate a lot of moving parts to get your patients the care they need. Some days it can be emotionally draining, walking into a room and seeing family members look up at you, knowing you are there to pronounce their loved one. Other days, though, you get to walk into a room and see a patient sitting up by the window, when two weeks ago they were on a breathing machine with three organs failing. So — it isn’t always glamorous, but it is certainly always meaningful.
Why UVA?
Ask any residency applicant and they’ll tell you how stressful the application process can be. I spent way too much time before interviews trying to compare the variables of different programs — call schedules, locations, program sizes, etc. And I thought a lot about whether, after being in Charlottesville for eight years, I should consider a change of scenery. But after going on the first few interview dinners I realized, like most applicants do, that what matters most at any program is the people – and that’s why I’m here. Nowhere else did I get the sense that the residents get along like they do here. They’ve been an incredible support system in these few months of residency — friends more than colleagues.
Proudest achievement outside the professional realm?
Winning a Michael Jackson dance contest on a cruise I took during medical school. As a disclaimer, my competition consisted of an 80-some-year-old (although she appeared younger than that) and a 7-year-old. The 7-year-old really had a great Thriller, though.
What’s one thing you always have in your fridge?
Cadbury Fruit and Nut bars. Sugar, fruit and protein — what’s not to love?
What’s a story your family always tells about you?
Apparently when I was really young, I woke up in the middle of the night, took some black shoe polish, and really went to town on the walls of our white-tiled bathroom and my face.
Where did you go on your last vacation?
To the West Coast (San Francisco, Portland, and Seattle) for the first time, with some friends from college. It was a lot of fun seeing that side of the country. And I still have the “Full House” and “Frasier” theme songs stuck in my head.
If you could learn to do anything, what would it be?
Probably sing. Mostly for the sake of people that have to hear me.
Words you live by?
Friends always share laughs, food, stories, and work.
What about you would surprise us?
During my medical school talent show, I went up with a friend of mine and performed a rap song we wrote about medical school. It was a very different experience for me, but a ton of fun.
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