Alumni Class of 2021

Nnanna Alozie, M.D.

EM Interests:
Sports medicine and critical care

Interests/hobbies:
Weight lifting, watching movies/documentaries, political reform, and trying new foods

Bio:
I was born in Jacksonville, Florida to Nigerian immigrants. We lived in Jefferson City, Missouri for 9 years before moving to Chicago where we have lived since I was 12. I was fortunate enough to go to the best HBCU in the country, Xavier University of Louisiana!! After that I did a post bac for a year and then medical scribing before applying to medical school. I chose emergency medicine because it’s a fast paced environment where I’m able to use the wide array of medical knowledge that I gained through my doctoral training. I truly value maintaining a wealth of medical information pertaining to all different aspects of physiology and pathology and then being able to use that knowledge to provide care to people in critical times. The ER also provides many opportunities for procedures so I get to use my hands a bit! The fact that you never know what you will experience is exciting and humbling, all you know is that you must be prepared no matter what presents to you. I’m excited for what the next 3 years has to offer as the ER at Hackensack is very busy and provides a diverse patient population with many different pathologies.

Roopa Avula, M.D.

College:
Drew University

Medical School:
West Virginia University School of Medicine

EM Interests:
Ultrasound, Medical Education, Clinical Practice

Interests/hobbies:
Piano, linguistics, movies, music, art, family, beach

Bio:
Born and raised on Staten Island, I moved to NJ for undergrad where I majored in music. I opened a music school in Livingston, NJ which I ran for 10 years while also playing concert piano before deciding to pursue my dream of becoming a doctor. I am so happy to be back in NJ close to my family and friends with the amazing people at Hackensack! My fiancé is doing his residency at Rutgers, so we are enjoying living in vibrant Jersey City between shifts.

Brandon Duffy, M.D.

College:
Northwest University

Medical School:
University of Washington School of Medicine

EM Interests:
I chose EM in large part because I was interested in the diversity of practice environments that exist following residency as well as the opportunity for interesting fellowships such as critical care, ultrasound, and sports medicine.

Interests:
Spending time with friends and family, sports, travel, hiking, reading, and chess

Bio:
I grew up in Seattle, and I was excited to explore a new area of the country for residency, especially with the enthusiastic residents and faculty I discovered when I rotated at Hackensack during an away rotation. Prior to medical training, I coached basketball for a number of years. I look forward to continuing my travel endeavors and am excited by the opportunity in EM to make an impact at some of the most critical moments in patients lives. I enjoy the diagnostic challenge of EM and the intersection of meeting people compassionately when they often need you the most.

Aminat Ibikunle, M.D.

Medical School:
New York University School of Medicine

EM Interests:
Global Health, Ultrasound, Event Medicine, Education

Interests/hobbies:
Trying new recipes, Learning new skills, going to live music, fashion and other interesting or informational events, traveling, all things wellness.

Bio:
I was born and raised in Bronx, NY. I lived a few of my HS years in Nigeria where I learned more about my culture and grew an interest in medicine. In college, I took a medical mission trip to Ghana which sparked my interest in Global health. What attracted me to Emergency Medicine was the fact that I could see and treat a variety of patients with undifferentiated problems spanning all specialties within Medicine. EM keeps the art of effective communication and medicine (with some procedures) at the bedside as opposed to a practice of medicine at the computer. I also love the fact that I often have time for myself and other interests. My career goal is to not only make an impact locally, but in my global community as well and I hope to begin fostering some of my ideas here at Hackensack University Medical Center!

Sarah Hussein, D.O.

College:
University of Rochester

EM Interests:
Sports Medicine, Toxicology, Ultrasound

Interests/hobbies:
Snowboarding, sports, friends, food

Bio:
I grew up in Buffalo and worked my way even further east for medical school. After four years in Harlem, I decided I loved the city and to continue my training in the most diverse city in the world. I chose Emergency Medicine because of the people, patients, and opportunity to see and learn something new with every shift.

Yllka Krasnigi, M.D.

Medical School:
St. George’s University School of Medicine

EM Interests:
Ultrasound, Peds EM

Interests/hobbies:
Traveling, Cooking, Comedy shows, Picnics at vineyards, Spending all day at the beach

Bio:
I was born in Kosovo, and then moved to NJ when I was 8 years old. After working various jobs, I decided I wanted to be a doctor and life took me to beautiful Grenada where I studied medicine. Now I’m back in NJ and very excited to have matched here at Hackensack University Medical Center which is close to my family and friends. I chose Emergency Medicine because I find it to be the most entertaining and challenging specialty.

David Lo, D.O.

College:
University of California, Los Angeles

Medical School:
Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine

EM Interests:
Medical education, Ultrasound.

Interests/hobbies:
Basketball, saxophone, watching movies, dancing

Bio:
I was born in San Francisco, California but spent most of my 20s in Los Angeles. I took some time off after college, landed multiple odd jobs, only to confirm that I hated all of them and didn’t want to do anything except medicine. I chose EM based on the wise philosophy that you should enjoy the people that you work with. This is exemplified at Hackensack University Medical Center, where my co-workers and I get to share our passion for medicine in a diverse, fun, and encouraging environment.

Andrew Melnyk, D.O.

College:
James Madison University

Medical School:
NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine

EM Interests:
Critical Care, Global Health, Academics, Toxicology

Interests/hobbies:
Cooking, traveling, meeting new people, spending time with family and friends, road trips, trying new restaurants, skiing

Bio:
I was born and raised in the beautiful Garden State. After spending time in Virginia for my undergraduate education and in New York for medical school, I have finally found my way back to my home state for residency. I am a Ukrainian American and my heritage is something that I cherish greatly. I chose to become an Emergency Medicine physician because there is no other profession that can integrate the complexity of medicine with the intricacies of human existence quite like this. The drive to be a caring and just physician is something that this discipline anchors its roots in and I intend to uphold that philosophy every day. I pride myself on being a people person and I hope to enrich the lives of my patients and my loved ones with my passion for helping others

Linda E. M. Ngachie, M.D.

College:
University of Maryland

Graduate School (MPH):
George Mason University

Medical School:
Howard University College of Medicine

EM Interests:
Public Health, Global Health, Medical Education

Interests/Hobbies:
Running, cooking, hanging out with friends and family, traveling, binge watching tv shows

Bio:
I was born in Durham, North Carolina but I am of Cameroonian descent. After spending parts of my childhood in Cameroon, where French became my first language, I returned to the United States and have since resided in the DMV (DC, MD, VA Metropolitan area). Being a child of African immigrants has taught me discipline and the value of hard work. I got my first job in high school working as a Barista at Starbucks (which is where my caffeine addiction stems from). I then went on to work as a pharmacy technician while getting my Master’s in Public Health. I love Emergency Medicine because of the diverse pathologies, no two days are ever the same. I hope to use my backgrounds in public and global health to make a greater impact in my local and international communities.

Emmanuel Onyeyirim, M.D.

Medical School:
St. George’s University School of Medicine

EM Interests:
Sports Medicine, Critical Care, Diversity and Inclusion

Interests/hobbies:
Concerts, Festivals, listening to podcasts (academic and non academic), and going to the gym

Bio:
I am from New Jersey born into a Nigerian family. I went to Howard University where I majored in Sports Medicine. I lived in DC for years doing research, a post-bacc, and many jobs closely related to the field of medicine. I went out of the country to medical school and returned back to New Jersey for the second half of medical school.

I chose Emergency Medicine because it allows for me to continue to access knowledge that I acquired in all of my four years of medical school. Having all this information in my arsenal in a field that is constantly being advanced technologically and academically puts me in position to be a lifelong student.

On a community level, Emergency Medicine physicians have to be aware of the different issues that affect the patient population that they serve. We are placed in a unique position of being sociologists as well as public health professionals. Being able to be informed on these occurrences allow us to build rapport and trust with our patients in a short amount of time. I believe Hackensack’s diverse patient population will allow me to become a culturally competent physician.

Nima Rejali, D.O.

College:
UC Berkeley

Medical School:
Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine-NY

EM Interests:
Resuscitation, Toxicology, Medical Education

Interests/hobbies:
Cooking, Skiing, Hiking/Camping, Cocktail making, people watching in NYC, eating at famous food spots around the country

Bio:
West Coast transplant now living that East Coast life. I was born and raised in Orange County, California where I spent my days on the beach after school and I even worked at In-N-Out burger in high school (which is way better than shake shack for the record). I spent my college years amongst the tree-hugging and flower child personalities of Berkeley and the SF Bay Area and loved every second of getting to know and experience such a diversity of people and backgrounds. After I found myself in the Northeast, I traded in my surfboard for a pair of skis and now you can find me on the slopes every day off I have during the winter months. I wanted to be an EM doc because each shift you get a glimpse into the unique stories of so many people and have the opportunity to make an impact on them in their time of need. Whether you’re floating a transvenous pacer or giving simple reassurance to new parents, EM comes with its own unique mindset and skills which molds you into not just a well rounded physician but also a personable and relatable one as well. Hackensack University Medical Center allows me to train in a highly acute center where I get to see, smell and hear every disease process I could imagine all while developing the bedside skills that go deeper than the stethoscope.

John Slakey, M.D.

Medical School:
Albert Einstein College of Medicine

EM Interests:
Toxicology, wilderness medicine, wellness

Interests/hobbies:
Hiking, reading, running, traveling

Bio:
I’m from the Boston area and went to medical school in NYC. After interviewing at Hackensack, I was impressed by the patient volume, acuity, and commitment to residents’ wellbeing and learning. It was an easy choice to pick emergency medicine as well— the pace, people, and patients allow me to practice medicine on the frontlines and be a part of the community in a way that inspires the best from me. In my free time, I love to explore new hikes in the area and visit the city.