Neurology Residency Program
PGY4 Residents
Class of 2022
Ornella Bricoune, MD
Medical school: Saint George’s University School of Medicine
University: University of Miami
I was born and raised in Paris, France and moved to the United States during high school. I majored in Psychology and had double minors in Chemistry and French Literature while in university. There I completed my Honor’s Thesis with a captivating research project that examined the relationship between existential meaning and psychological well-being in chronically ill individuals. Some of my hobbies include being around, riding and training horses, free writing about Psychology and Philosophy, traveling and learning about different cultures, and learning about technological advances in Neuromodulation. My plans after completing residency are to do fellowships in Interventional Pain Medicine and Neuro-Rehabilitation with the ultimate goal of practicing and expending research within the field of Neural Repair and Modulation.
Training to become a Neurologist at the USF Neurology Residency Program has been an amazing experience. This program offers exposure to a dynamic and broad variety of cases, ample elective time tailored to each resident’s particular career goal, research opportunities, and tons of educational resources to allow its residents to become competent well-rounded neurologists. The USF Neurology residents, fellows and attendings are like a family and form a network of multi-cultural, caring, and approachable providers in all sub-specialties of Neurology. We are a program built upon a commitment to improving our field while supporting and helping each other. With this, the program and its hospital locations are situated in a gorgeous beachside Floridian environment that allows for plenty of beach time with friends and year-round outdoor activities such as hiking, kayaking, scuba diving, snorkeling and entertainment events. I could not be more grateful to have gotten the opportunity to complete my Neurology training at this residency program.
Kareem Elsayed, MD
Medical School: University of South Florida
College: Lehigh University
I grew up in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania where I attended college in my hometown at Lehigh University with majors in behavioral neuroscience and philosophy. I then completed my medical training at USF as a SELECT student sharing time between Tampa and the Lehigh Valley as I rediscovered my love of neuroscience and decided to pursue a career in neurology. In my free time I enjoy being outdoors biking or out on the water. I also enjoy reading, writing, film, guitar, and dog walks around this charming, tropical town.
I chose USF for residency based upon on my experiences as a student and my time thus far has done nothing but reaffirm this decision. There is a sense of comradery, team spirit, and unabating humor that while certainly an inherent trait amongst neurologists is exceptionally exemplified by my fellow colleagues. From managing patient care, learning, and still finding time to spend together after a long day, I can honestly say that there is no other group with whom I would rather embark upon the challenging yet rewarding journey of residency. With passionate, involved faculty and a truly diverse clinical experience, the opportunity for both personal and professional growth as a resident here is immense and unparalleled. I hope you consider joining the team!
Daniel Kaplan, DO
Medical School: Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine
College: New College of Florida
I was born and raised in Sarasota, FL and after working as a mechanic and IT administrator, attended New College of Florida for chemistry. After working both on the academic side and the government side as a chemist, I transitioned to medicine and ended up at Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine, eventually matching at USF Neurology residency. I spend most of my free time with my wife and daughter, trying new recipes, fixing things, and watching movies. I also try to make some time for projects in my garage as well, fixing and modifying cars and motorcycles.
Why I chose USF Neurology residency? Initially I was looking for a program with strong clinical experience and wasn’t much concerned with other factors. When I interviewed at USF, it quickly became clear how well everyone got along, not just with fellow residents, but with faculty as well. Adding to that, the diverse patient population (Tampa General Hospital, VA hospitals, Moffitt Cancer Center) and the well developed academic programming promised the clinical exposure I was looking for. In the end, I’m incredibly happy I matched with USF Neurology. From the neurology continuity clinic first year, to the multitude of approachable subspecialists eager to teach, to the numerous fellowship opportunities, there’s no place else I’d rather be.
Janet Lee, MD
Medical School: University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine
College: Brown University
I was born in Canada, grew up in Hong Kong, and moved to the US for undergrad. After graduation, I worked as a research assistant in a psychiatric hospital and then traveled for a year in southeast Asia with my now husband. I moved to Philadelphia, completed a post-bacc program, and then moved to Boston for the year I applied to medical schools. In that year, I worked in hospice, took classes in photography, learned to drive, and learned about how much I hate winter.
The week before I interviewed at USF for med school, I had been in Chicago in the middle of February. Stepping off the plane in Tampa was like stepping into a tropical paradise. It was 75 degrees, sunny, with blue skies, and sparkling blue water.
There is a common joke that USF stands for “U Stay Forever”, and while that may sound a little ominous, it speaks to the many reasons medical students, residents, and fellows stay at USF and stay in Tampa. Our program provides a wide breadth of clinical experience in various hospitals and has world-renowned faculty dedicated to teaching. The program has created a supportive environment with co-residents who are like family.
After interviewing all along the East coast, I chose USF because ultimately, I felt that this program was the best “fit”. I am so thankful I did and survived a pregnancy in PGY2 year with the support of this extended family. So, in my free time at home I hang out with my husband, baby, and a couple cats. We grow some tropical plants (mangoes, papayas, passion fruit, lemons, limes, bananas, and whatever we don’t end up killing), love cooking, trying new restaurants, and love not having to shovel snow.
Ala Saleh, MD
Medical School: Hashemite University
I was born and raised in Amman, the capital city of Jordan. Both of my parents work in education. I have one sister that is younger than me. I love traveling and enjoy exploring different cultures, I also love food a lot! I have two amazing cats Warde and Gardenia. This is my 3rd year here in Tampa (I hope I never have to leave). My plan is to go to complete a neurophysiology fellowship after residency.
I chose USF for many reasons, it’s been a love story since the interview day (love from first sight). I could not ask for a better place to train. It feels like a family, I have learned and been exposed to a lot in the past 3 years. I can’t stress how great the faculty are and how invested they are in teaching. If I could go back in time, I would choose USF neurology over and over again.
Mona Sonbol, MD
Medical School: Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine
College: University of Minnesota
I am a first generation American born and raised in the Twin Cities. I am of Egyptian heritage and spent most of my summers growing up in Egypt. In undergrad I studied Neuroscience. In my free time I enjoy playing sports; specifically basketball and tennis. I am also a coffee enthusiast and like to travel so I make an effort to try local coffee in every new city I visit. I am also into playing video and board games and watching movies. I have not decided on a fellowship yet as I enjoy many areas of neurology, but I will be narrowing it down soon.
Why choose USF Neurology for residency? I chose this residency because the collegiality, teamwork, and kindness between both the residents and the faculty was very apparent just from my interview day. In addition, the volume and variety in neurological pathology and patient population was also evident. I have found all of these important characteristics of a residency program to be true since I have been here. Furthermore, I do not think any program has faculty like we do here in terms of fund of knowledge and approachability.
Neena Viswanathan, MD
Medical school: Thanjavur Medical College, India
I grew up in Kerala, a southern state in India and spent most of my summers in Saudi Arabia visiting my family. I moved to Tamil Nadu for my medical school training where I developed my passion for Neurology. After doing Neurology observerships at various universities and hospitals in the US, I chose to do my Neurology residency at USF after knowing the program well for its knowledgeable and supporting faculty who provides a comfortable and rich learning experience for the residents, the variety of patient population that we see across the training hospital sites and how it welcomes internationally trained candidates. These, in addition to the bonus of being able to live in Tampa, the city which reminds me of my own hometown made this choice the best for me. I spend most of my free time staying in touch with my family in India and catching up with my school friends, trying to maintain my pencil sketching skills, embroidery works, listening to music, enjoying coffee while reading novels especially when it rains. I am planning to do my fellowship in clinical neurophysiology.
Axel Wilson, MD
Medical School: Saba University School of Medicine
College: Queen’s University
I’m a Torontonian by birth. I grew up competing in martial arts alongside my brothers. I graduated from Queen’s University and pursued a Master’s degree in Human Anatomy, after which I lived in the Caribbean teaching gross anatomy to medical students at Ross University. While there, I developed a taste for tropical activities including skinning coconuts and scuba diving, achieving a max depth of 140 feet. This was a much different experience than my prior adventures of soaring to 4,500 feet AGL with my glider pilot’s license. After the Caribbean, I moved to the Maritime province of Nova Scotia and taught anatomy for a short time at Dalhousie Medical School. Growing weary of the perpetually overcast skies, and enticed back to the southern atmosphere, I landed on the shortest commercial runway in the world, to attend medical school at Saba University in Saba, Dutch Caribbean. I’m now a neurology resident at USF and couldn’t think of a better place to complete my training, and I’m happy to have found a home here.