Residents
Rubina Bhura, DO
New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine
Rubina graduated from the University of Connecticut in 2018 with dual degrees in Human Rights and Molecular & Cell Biology. During undergrad, Rubina conducted health education lessons in medically underserved areas, mentored high school and first-year college students, raised awareness of Islamophobia, and advocated for refugees and migrant workers. After graduating from UConn, Rubina completed a year of service through the Service to Improve Community Health (STICH) AmeriCorps Program at a federally qualified health center in her hometown of East Hartford, CT. Through STICH, she facilitated health education and health insurance literacy workshops, volunteered with various community service projects, and participated in several health center improvement projects, including working with patients with uncontrolled hypertension and improving health center-wide colorectal cancer screening rates. Rubina’s AmeriCorps year further fueled her passion for health equity and inspired her to pursue a career in primary care, specifically working in a diverse, urban underserved community. During medical school, Rubina served as the Vice President of the NYITCOM Physicians for Human Rights Student Program, a member of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, the class representative for her school's Student National Medical Association Chapter, a member of the leadership teams of the student-run NYIT Community Free Clinic and Asylum Clinic, and a member of the Gold Humanism Honor Society. Rubina is passionate about diversifying the field of medicine and advocating for healthcare as a human right. Rubina loves spending her free time caring for her many plants, working on art projects, and trying new restaurants!
Elise Gruber, MD
Medical University of South Carolina College of Medicine
Elise graduated from the University of Richmond in 2017 with a BS in Biochemistry and a BA in Latin and Iberian Studies. During her time at Richmond, she worked as a greenhouse caretaker for the University, played on a club ultimate frisbee team, and volunteered as an ESL teacher’s aid at a local middle school. Following graduation, she returned to her hometown of Charleston, South Carolina, where she volunteered as a Spanish interpreter at Barrier Island Free Medical Clinic and worked on a vegetable farm before deciding to pursue a career in medicine. She then worked as a medical scribe at Charleston Asthma and Allergy and later as a clinical study coordinator at Lowcountry Infectious Disease before starting medical school in fall of 2019 at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). During medical school, she was involved in MUSC’s chapter of Physicians for Human Rights, serving as community outreach and continuity coordinator, and in the family medicine interest group, of which she was co-president during her fourth year. She was a member of Neuro-X lab throughout her medical training, working most notably on a project which explored the use of trigeminal nerve stimulation to enhance olfactory thresholds. She also was closely involved with the Charleston Art Therapy Initiative, a pilot program which is incorporating art therapy programs into middle schools across Charleston County, in an effort to improve access to pediatric mental health resources. In her free time, Elise likes to garden, cook, paint and spend time outside
Sarah Hershberger, MD
Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine
Sarah graduated from Marian University with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. Sarah is a first-generation high school graduate and is passionate about bridging gaps in access to education. She was able to attend college due to The Twenty First Century Scholars Program, an Indiana state-funded scholarship for low-income students, and she has therefore remained dedicated to helping students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Since going to college, Sarah has been involved in mentoring initiatives with College Mentors for Kids, Bridge Mentoring, and the American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA). After working as a medical scribe in the community emergency department throughout college, Sarah decided to become a primary care physician in hopes of making healthcare more accessible for all people. While attending medical school at Penn State, Sarah was actively involved in community health outreach initiatives. She volunteered extensively with Penn State’s student-organized free healthcare clinics, at local free vaccine clinics, and for the regional COVID-19 Contact Tracing program. Sarah was elected as president of the Penn State’s AMWA chapter, where she organized with local and national leadership to develop mentorship initiatives and medical school curriculum reform to address sex and gender disparities in health outcomes. She also served as the Advocacy Chair for Medical Students for Choice, where she organized donation drives for local housing shelters, evidence-based education for medical students, and petitions for comprehensive reproductive healthcare. During her final year of medical school, Sarah was inducted into Gold Humanism Honors Society and selected as a member of Alpha Omega Alpha Honors Society. With her free time, Sarah enjoys baking any new dessert she finds online, making DIY science experiments with her nieces, and working on numerous craft projects (without really finishing a single one).
Julia Holber, MD
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Julia was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She is a proud graduate of Taylor Allderdice High School and Washington University in St. Louis, where she graduated with degrees in educational studies, children’s studies, and premedical studies. After graduation, she spent two years conducting research with the University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Medicine and then moved to New York to attend the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. During medical school, she continued pursuing her love of teaching by mentoring pre-medical students through ECHO, EFAM, and Uncle Albert’s and by developing a social justice driven elective at the Bronx Health Collective for medical students wanting to strengthen their roles as physician advocates. She worked with Jacobi’s Stand Up to Violence program and conducted research on community and hospital-based violence intervention programs. She also helped to implement grocery deliveries and clinic-based pantries for patients experiencing food insecurity at the student-run free clinic. Over her four years of medical school, Julia fell in love with the Bronx and with the patients and teachers who welcomed her, taught her about humility and advocacy, and treated her with love and patience. Julia is thrilled to be training with the Department of Family and Social Medicine and honored to continue learning from the patients, physicians, and residents who introduced her to the type of medicine she had always hoped to practice.
Mursell Khairzada, DO
Nova Southeastern University Dr Kiran C Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine
Mursell graduated from Stony Brook University earning a Bachelor of Science in Biology. As the child of Afghan refugee parents, Mursell has dedicated her time to learning about the universal socioeconomic determinants of healthcare. While attending Stony Brook, Mursell was deeply involved in volunteering her time towards benefiting communities, including fundraisers for healthcare initiatives for women and children in Afghanistan, volunteering at a local rehabilitation center, and assisting local soup kitchens. She also raised funds to contribute to universal mission trips through Global Medical Brigades and participated in a mission trip to rural Honduras, during which she provided medical care to communities with little access to healthcare. While attending medical school at Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine, Mursell employed her creativity to support her classmates and community by creating artwork for patients suffering from COVID-19. As the treasurer for the Student Osteopathic Association for Research, she assisted with creating a new system to match medical students with research in the community. Additionally, she was actively involved in providing medical care for Afghan refugees entering South Florida by organizing and participating in free clinics with One Afghanistan and the UMC Free Clinic Miami. Mursell also dedicated a significant amount of her time to South Florida's homeless communities, where she fostered a strong interest in understanding the community's struggles through Project Downtown Fort Lauderdale and Camillus House in Miami. She enjoys spending time with loved ones engaging in anything involving laughter, good food, nature, art, and the NY Knicks. Mursell is a first-generation Afghan-American and also the first of her family to graduate from medical school. She is excited to help build up communities in the greatest city in the world, New York City.
Shawn Kurian, DO
Nova Southeastern University Dr Kiran C Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine
Shawn graduated from McMaster University in his hometown of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada with a Honours B.Sc. degree in Integrated Science. During his time at McMaster, he spent three summers volunteering in India at various institutions led by the Mar Thoma Church, which provided food, education, housing, and medical care for the less fortunate. Shawn then pursued an MS degree in Medical Sciences at Boston University. As part of his MS thesis, he designed and implemented a novel research project regarding Naloxone provision within the pharmacy setting, which he presented at the American Public Health Association’s 2019 Annual Meeting & Expo. Following graduation from Boston University, Shawn began full-time employment as a Clinical Research Coordinator at Hamilton General Hospital (HGH)/Population Health Research Institute. In this role, he was the HGH site lead for recruitment, data collection, and entry for several multinational clinical trials including POISE3, SmartView, & HIP ATTACK. Shawn then graduated from medical school at Nova Southeastern University (NSU), and consistently distinguished himself as a leader as he served as President of the NSU Canadian Osteopathic Medical Students Association, Vice President of the Addiction Medicine Club, and Treasurer of the Student Osteopathic Internal Medicine Association. While balancing his time effectively and encouraging his peers, Shawn fostered a sense of unity within each student organization, something he intends to apply throughout residency. During his free time, Shawn enjoys lifting weights, attending concerts, and meeting up with his friends.
Sorbari Lahben, MD
St George's University School of Medicine
Sorbari grew up in Nigeria where she completed her high school education before moving to Canada. She graduated from the University of Waterloo in 2017 with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry. During her undergraduate studies, she volunteered her time as a peer health educator towards preventing alcohol poisoning, promoting sexual health and improving mental health among students. Following her bachelor's degree, she tutored and mentored high school students in preparation for university. While attending St. George's University School of Medicine, she worked with the Department of Educational Services to organize and facilitate group review sessions for fellow medical students. As part of her Masters in Public Health program, she is working with St. George's University and WINDREF to create a health systems report for OECS countries. Her capstone project is focused on studying the association between the trends in primary prevention of Hepatitis B and disease outcomes in Nigeria. She is passionate about preventive medicine and primary care especially within immigrant populations. When she is not learning a new language or watching a sitcom from the 70's, she enjoys gardening, baking, hairstyling, all things arts-and-crafts, and group workout classes!
Christina Nelson, MD
Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University
Christina graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor’s degree in communication. As an undergraduate, Christina spent her time working in local public schools in Philadelphia. While there, did tutoring, college counseling, and also, she started and led, and after-school program focused on health and media literacy. During her gap years prior to medical school, she returned to her hometown of New Haven, CT and work at the Consultation Center at Yale where she was involved in a variety of community engaged research projects with vulnerable populations. In medical school, she enjoyed mentoring medical student who were earlier on in their training by assisting in clinical skills workshops and serving as a co-facilitator and mentor for a leadership for medical students course at her school. In her free time, Christina enjoys doing yoga, watching television, and spending time with her family and boyfriend.
Alexandra Perez, MD
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Alexandra is a first generation, Dominican-American, Bronx native - and has many ties to Montefiore-Einstein. During undergraduate training at Stony Brook University, she participated in the Summer Undergraduate Mentorship Program (SUMP) at Einstein which aimed to equip students from underrepresented backgrounds with exposure, skills, and tools to enter medicine. It was at the SUMP program that Alexandra found her passion for advocacy and focus on community engagement. After a year of working part-time at Einstein, she was privileged to attend the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and train under faculty and staff who furthered this passion. These mentors all had one thing in common: Family Medicine. Her specific interests in family medicine include community engagement, behavioral health, and addiction medicine.
Joshua Rowe, MD
Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School-Piscataway
Josh is a graduate of Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS) in New Jersey. He completed his undergraduate education in 2010 at Drew University and spent seven years in New York City working for a Rockefeller family foundation as a grant-maker in international philanthropy for the regions of Central and Eastern Europe, Russia, and Central Asia. During that time, he volunteered at free clinics throughout New York City, including the Einstein Community Health Outreach clinic, the Lower East Side Harm Reduction Center, and the St. Anthony Free Medical Clinic in the Bronx. While at RWJMS, he was a student doctor and Operations Committee member of Promise Clinic, the school’s student-run, free clinic providing services to the homeless and indigent population of New Brunswick and the surrounding areas. Outside of his academic and professional pursuits in medicine, he has worn many hats: florist, crisis counselor, baker, and poet. His most recent poems, “Come Over” and “He,” are published in the Fall/Winter 2022 edition of the online arts journal Wicked Gay Ways. He is a proud New Jerseyan and member of the LGBTQ+ community. His spare time is filled with friends, family, traveling, and writing.
