Meet the Internal Medicine Residents

Tyler Saunders, D.O. 

Hello, my name is Tyler. I have gone all over the United States on my medical journey. I originally grew up in Hudson, Ohio. I graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University with a degree in biology. While at Wesleyan, I competed in cross country and track. After graduation, I worked at Johns Hopkins University doing research in a pancreatic cancer lab specializing in advanced metastatic disease. I then pursued medicine at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in Bradenton, Florida. I am interested in pursuing a career in primary care using an integrative/functional approach to medicine. I am interested in nutrition and lifestyle medicine and how they can be incorporated into conventional practice. My personal interests include running, fitness and cooking and eating delicious food.   

Nilofer Sidhu, D.O. 

Hi everyone, my name is Nilofer Sidhu. Originally from New York, I went to SUNY Binghamton as an undergraduate where I studied biology and classical civilization. I completed medical school close to home at NYITCOM. I was excited to make the move to Chicago for residency to experience a new city and environment. When I’m not at the hospital, I love exploring restaurants in downtown Chicago or getting lost in a good book. 

Naser Aljundi, M.D. 

Hello there! My name is Naser Aljundi. I was born in Vancouver, Canada but grew up in Dubai, UAE. I've also lived in Syria and Cyprus, and now reside in the great city of Chicago! I feel very fortunate to be doing my internal medicine residency at Swedish Hospital, where diversity, inclusion and a supportive working environment are encouraged and actively promoted. During my time off, I enjoy catching up on sports, particularly soccer, and love going out for a run when the weather allows for it. I am fluent in Arabic, and I'm keen on learning Spanish too. In the future, I wish to pursue a fellowship and hope to be able to give back to the community I reside in.

Jared Hinds, D.O. 

Hey everyone, my name is Jared Hinds and I am one of the internal medicine residents at Swedish Hospital.  I am originally from Alpharetta, Georgia, but grew up a Florida gator fan and eventually attended the University of Florida.  I completed my medical education at the Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine. Outside of work, I enjoy any and all sports, hiking, trying new foods and hanging with my dog. I am pursuing a career in sports medicine. 

Sagar Patel, D.O. 

Hello! My name is Sagar Patel.  I grew up in Washington and got my Bachelor Degree at University of Washington in Seattle. I went to complete medical school at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in Bradenton, Florida. I am really excited to get my medical training in Chicago. It’s a great city!

Brittany Rambo, D.O. 

Hi everyone! My name is Brittany Rambo. I grew up in a small town in Ohio and received my Bachelor Degree from Ohio State University. After college, I moved to Chicago and worked in research at both Loyola University and University of Chicago, and then I went on to complete medical school at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine. In my free time, I love to bake, travel, try new restaurants and relax with my dog, Alfie.

Benjamin Reimer, D.O. 

Hello, everyone! My name is Ben Reimer, and I’m one of the second year internal medicine residents. I am originally from Green Bay, Wisconsin and attended the University of Wisconsin in Madison. After college I moved to New Jersey to pursue a Master Degree. I did a post-baccalaureate year at the University of South Florida in Tampa before going to medical school at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in Bradenton, Florida. I’m excited to be back in the mid-west for residency! After, I hope to do a fellowship in hematology and oncology. When I’m not in the hospital, I love exploring the city with my wife and golden retriever!

Bimel Thomas, M.D. 

(Turns around, fully tuxedoed, martini in hand) Well hello there, I’ve been expecting you. Congratulations on making it to our webpage. My name is Bimel Thomas and I’m a graduate of UMHS–St. Kitts and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I was born in India, raised in the suburbs of Chicago.  While my medical school rotations have taken me all across the country, I’m glad to have matched back home in the greatest city in the world. I was never able to fulfill my childhood dream of playing in the NBA (one day?), so I considered medicine a pretty decent fallback. If I’m not roaming the hallways of Swedish Hospital, you can find me jamming on my guitar, studying for Step 3 at a local Starbucks or exploring the city with my co-residents. When patients ask me where I’m from, I like to tell them, “I’m 100% Indian, 100% American… and 100% Swedish.” I think that confuses them, and I usually stop. 

Charles Blackwell

Howdy! My name is Charles Blackwell and I grew up in Fort Worth, Texas.  For undergrad I spent four great years at Texas A&M University, GIG EM, before going to NOVA Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine for medical school. I came to Swedish for the educationally focused and nurturing environment, in order to become the best internist possible. I came to Chicago to enjoy my life outside work, with its large music and restaurant scene. In the future, I may pursue fellowship or take a hospitalist position—just taking it one day at a time for now. I look forward to meeting you.

Ingrid Gils

I'm from Oakland, California. I went to Tufts University in Medford, MA for undergrad and TouroCOM in Harlem, NY for medical school. In my free time I enjoy running, trashy 90s action films and petting dogs that don't belong to me. I was attracted to Swedish Hospital's strong sense of community and commitment patient wellness and resident education. After residency, I'd love to purse a GI or ID fellowship.

Raheel Kapadia

Hey, I am Raheel. I am from the suburbs of Chicago. I graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago with a major in Biology and then went to Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Indiana for medical school. I am happy to be back in Chicago with all the great restaurants! For fun, I like to travel to different countries and try different cuisines. I hope you see the trend, haha. I also like to play board games and watch TV, movies and the Bulls. I chose Swedish Hospital because of the supportive environment, focus on active learning and teaching and how well all the residencies (IM, FM, EM, Podiatry) get along with each other. Swedish Hospital offers a community program, but it is as rigorous as an academic institution due to the high volume of patients with diverse cultures, socioeconomics and pathology. Often, you will be the first doctor that they have ever seen. After IM residency, I am interested in pursuing a fellowship in GI, but I am still open to other specialties, hospitalist work or academic work.

Biana Modilevsky

Hello! I'm Biana, I grew up in the northern suburbs of Chicago, went to undergrad at Nova Southeastern University and Medical School at CCOM-Midwestern. I love going on runs along the lakefront and in general enjoy activities outdoors. I was attracted to Swedish Hospital because of the people, supportive culture and strong educational curriculum. I am still undecided about what I plan to pursue after residency, and am trying to keep an open mind between all the career paths that internal medicine has to offer.

Saba Munir

Hi, my name is Saba Munir! I’m from Chattanooga, Tennessee, where I went to undergrad at UTC before starting medical school at William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. What attracted me to Swedish Hospital was the incredibly supportive residents and welcoming learning environment. Training in a city like Chicago means treating a variety of pathologies for a very diverse patient population, which I have really enjoyed so far. When I’m not in the hospital, I love spending any time I can outside with classmates and friends! I’m currently undecided about post-residency plans but am considering different fellowship opportunities.

Matthew Nemoy

Hi, my name is Matthew Nemoy. I’m a Chicago native and grew up in Lincoln Park. I did my undergrad at Duke University and went to medical school at A.T. Still University, Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine in Missouri. I’m excited to be a part of the long-standing tradition of medical education at Swedish Hospital. It’s important to me to train in an environment that provides residents with exposure to a wide variety of clinical pathology. The internal medicine program carefully balances the autonomy of their trainees with the guidance necessary to become a successful physician. That balance combined with fantastic hospital staff and faculty makes Swedish Hospital a great place to practice and learn. Following completion of residency, I plan to pursue a fellowship in pulmonology and critical care. Outside of the hospital I’m a big college sports fan, especially Duke Basketball, enjoy working out and spending time with my family and friends.

Michael Poser

Hi I'm Mike Poser, I'm from Columbus, WI, which is like a suburb of a suburb of Madison. Super tiny.  I flew the coop over to University of Wisconsin - La Crosse for college and nabbed a biology major and chemistry minor. I eventually moved to Colorado to attend medical school at Rocky Vista University which was a good change of pace from home in the Midwest. During my fourth year I completed a Sub-I rotation at Swedish Hospital and absolutely loved it. The faculty and the residents were so easy to work with and I learned a lot from my peers over my months’ time there. I also found the patient load and the various pathology to be intellectually stimulating. Living in Chicago is really special, though. When I matched I was excited to be coming home to the Midwest, and Chicago will be a great fit for my interests, which include concerts, theater, comedy and films. After residency I'm considering returning home to give back to my community, but I feel like I'd miss the big city. We'll see. At the moment, I'm on the fence about hospitalist work versus continuing training into nephrology. We'll see about that too. 

Basharath Khan

Hello, my name is Basharath Khan, and I’m originally from the Rogers Park area of Chicago, just a couple of minutes away from Swedish Hospital. I completed all of my schooling in Chicago including undergraduate education at Loyola University Chicago, and then went on to complete medical school at NYIT-COM’s Arkansas State campus. I knew I wanted to return to Chicago to complete residency, and Swedish had been my neighborhood hospital growing up, so the opportunity to receive my training whilst caring for and giving back to the members of my community was really appealing to me. In the future, I hope to be a hybrid physician seeing patients in the clinical setting and in the hospital. Outside of medicine, I love playing and watching sports, especially basketball and football, and love spending time with family and friends.

Daniel Graber

Hello! I’m Daniel and I grew up in the northern suburbs of Chicago. I went to undergrad at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and medical school at CCOM-Midwestern. I love playing sports and enjoy outdoor activities in general. I also love watching movies and tv shows and playing video games. What attracted me to Swedish hospital was the family-like environment. All of the residencies get along well with each other and are supportive of each other. Swedish also provides a diverse population of patients and strong educational curriculum. I am still undecided about my plans following IM residency, but am strongly considering a fellowship in cardiology, pulm/critical care, or GI.

Emily Hamm

Hi! I'm Emily. I grew up in the southwest suburbs of Chicago. I went to University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign for undergrad and LECOM Erie for medical school. I was originally interested in Swedish because of the welcoming atmosphere I experienced on my interview day, and I also wanted to come back home to Chicago. Everyone I have met and worked with is extremely approachable making this program an incredible learning environment! I have 3 brothers, 3 nephews, and a niece all here in Chicago. In my spare time I like to spend time with my family and friends, binge watch tv, and join different fitness classes. After residency I'm interested in pursuing either hospitalist medicine or Nephrology.

Syed Kausar

"Hi everyone! It’s Syed. I grew up in the Albany Park neighborhood so it’s good to be back. I obtained my Bachelor’s in health care administration and finance at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. After working behind the scenes, I realized patient care was my calling, prompting me to earn my Master’s and Doctorate at Midwestern University in Arizona.  I am very fortunate to be back home and a part of the Swedish family. The program embraces diversity, nurtures a friendly work environment, and provides ample opportunity to see complex cases with attendings who love to teach! In my spare time, I enjoy playing sports, trying new restaurants and hanging out with family and friends . In the future, I wish to pursue a fellowship and hope to be able to give back to the community that raised me."

Jaadeep Mann

Hey guys! My name is Jaadeep Mann aka JD. I am originally from the Virginia suburbs of Washington D.C. I did my undergrad at Virginia Commonwealth University and Medical School at St. George’s University School of Medicine. Coming to Chicago and having the opportunity to train at Swedish Hospital is an exciting experience while the autonomy, culture, and comradery of the program make it unique and truly one of a kind.  In my free time you can find me either enjoying the views on a tall rooftop, playing sports, or watching a good horror movie.

Nicole McAlvany

Hi! My name is Nicole, and I’m from Roswell, GA, which is just north of Atlanta. I went to undergrad at Rhodes College, a small liberal arts school in Memphis, TN. There I played for the volleyball team and majored in philosophy. After college I took a few years off. For the first year I taught English as a second language in Spain, mostly Granada. After that I decided to move to Chicago and haven’t been able to leave ever since! I nannied and scribed for two years before applying to Midwestern—CCOM where I went to med school. I applied to Swedish after doing a Sub-I here that I absolutely loved. The most important part of choosing a residency program for me was the culture/people. And so far I’ve been blown away by this aspect of the program. As far as future plans go, I can see myself specializing in Infectious Disease or being a hospitalist, time will tell. I enjoy farmers markets, summer street fests, spending too much money at Chicago’s awesome bars and restaurants, and going to see as much live music as I can. 

James Ruska

Hi guys, my name is James Ruska and I’m from Columbus, Ohio.  I did my undergraduate education at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and went to Medical School at Midwestern University in Phoenix, Arizona.  Pretty much everything I enjoy doing is liable to get you ill these days, but I love to travel to new places, and see live music whenever I can (remember concerts?).  I grew up playing hockey and am a big fan of the Columbus Blue Jackets.  I was drawn to Swedish because of the welcoming culture the program has.  It’s a “learn by doing” environment where there’s always a support system in place to help you out when you need it.  We have a great group of residents that constantly look out for each other both in and out of the hospital, as coworkers and friends.  On top of all that, living in an amazing city like Chicago with literally hundreds of things to do at a moment’s notice is an excellent perk.  After residency I’m unsure of what my plans will be, but I’m keeping an open mind to all the potential career paths Internal Medicine may present.  I look forward to meeting you all, best of luck with what lies ahead.