Current Residents

PGY-1 Resident Profiles

Robert Hill, MD

BIO

Abdul Majeed, MD

BIO

Jayachandra Muppa, MBBS

Hi! My name is Jayachandra Muppa, I was born and raised in India. I went to Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College for medical school. I then worked as a research scholar in the Department of Neurology at UMass, Worcester. Following residency I am interested in vascular neurology. However, I am eager to explore all the sub-specialties of neurology.

Sam Natla, MD

BIO

Jing Wang, MD

My name is Jing Wang. I was born and raised in Southwestern China. I went to medical school at Zhejiang University and moved up to the north for a Ph.D. in neurology at Peking University. I arrived MCG, Augusta for postdoctoral research in neuroscience and have made Augusta my home. My interest in neurology includes movement disorder, neuroimmunology and neurocognition.

Michael Ko, MD

Pediatric Neurology

Monica Yacoub, DO

Pediatric Neurology

PGY-2 Resident Profiles

Jessica Lier, MD

My name is Jessica Lier and I am a PGY1. I was born and raised in Jackson, MO and went to medical school in Columbia, MO. Coming south to Augusta for residency has been a big change, but one that I have enjoyed. At this time my interest in neurology is widespread but the areas that fascinate me the most are epilepsy, ALS, headache, and sleep medicine. My current career plan is to pursue general neurology but to have a focus in one or multiple of these areas in the future. I am looking forward to discovering more areas that intrigue me as I pursue my career.

Kajol Patel, MD

I was born in an extremely small town in Florida (less than 600 people total), but I spent most of my upbringing in rural South Georgia (yes, this was an upgrade!). I completed my undergraduate education at the University of Georgia, where I majored in biology and psychology with an emphasis on neuroscience. After leaving Athens, I came to the Medical College of Georgia where I completed medical school, and then I decided to stay for four more years to complete my neurology residency. Outside of the hospital, you can find me doing indoors-y things like reading, watching TV, catching up on sleep, or spending time with my husband. My subspecialty interests currently involve inpatient medicine, but I am looking forward to exposure on multiple different areas in this field.

Parth Patel, MD

I was born and raised in the suburbs of Atlanta. I went to college at Vanderbilt University in Nashville then came back to Georgia at the Medical College of Georgia for medical school. I’ve been making Augusta my home ever since. My interests in Neurology include stroke and interventional Neurology. Outside of the hospital I’m an avid reader, runner, and ukulele player.

Asif Sheikh, MD

Although originally born in Fargo, North Dakota, my family moved to Tifton, Georgia when I was 4 years old. For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to be a neurologist. I graduated from Georgia Tech as part of its inaugural class majoring in neuroscience and then from Mercer School of Medicine in Savannah for medical school. My current areas of interest include movement disorders and dementia, but I look forward to what else this amazing field has to offer. When I am not busy with my duties as a resident, I like being in the kitchen cooking up something new, playing video games on my custom-built PC, hanging out with friends on Discord, quoting the Sopranos, and cheering on Aston Martin while watching Formula One. I also probably own more pairs of Chuck Taylor's than anyone else you've ever met (11 pairs and counting).

Sijia Tian, MD

I come from the deep mountains of Southwest China and graduated from the West China School of Medicine, Sichuan University. Since I was young, I've dreamt of leaving the mountains to explore beyond. Growing up, my love for travel took me to 13 countries. A trip to the United States captured my heart, leading me to choose it as my next adventure. Beyond travel, I enjoy cooking and inline skating. I'm also intrigued by the supernatural, often watching paranormal videos, UFO documentaries, and shows that investigate mysterious events. I'm currently interested in stroke and movement disorders, but I'm also keeping an open mind.

PGY-3 Resident Profiles

Brian Brown, MD

I was born in Texas, but growing up in a military family I was raised all over the country. I completed undergrad at the University of Wyoming and went on to medical school in the inaugural class of the Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine. In my free time, I enjoy hiking, golfing, playing board games, and used to love flying light aircraft which is a hobby I hope to get back into one day! After finishing residency, I am hoping to pursue an epilepsy fellowship.

Specialty interests are, Epilepsy, Movement Disorders and Headache Medicine.

Hesamoldin Khodadadi Chamgordani, MD, PhD

I was born and raised in Isfahan, Iran. I received my medical degree from Isfahan University. After graduating from medical school, my wife and I moved to the United States and I started working as a post-doctoral research fellow in the field of neuroimmunology. I was very lucky to have mentorship of excellent scientists and clinicians on my journey which led me to pursue my passion as a clinician-scientist by getting PhD in neuroscience and molecular medicine. My main area of interest is dementia and neurocognitive disorders, and I am very excited to start a new chapter of my life as a neurology resident at Augusta University. I spend my free time watching true crime documentaries with my wife, playing with our little puppy (Benji), and playing piano. I can’t wait to dig in deeper into the amazing world of neurology.

Shane Musick, MD

Born and raised in southern West Virginia, where I completed both my undergraduate studies and medical school, I felt it was time to spread my wings elsewhere. Having been to Augusta several times, and learning more about the program, I knew it was an ideal fit. My current neuro interest is in neurointerventional, albeit I’ve been obsessed with all things under the neuroscience umbrella since beginning this journey. My hobbies include playing video games (mainly on Xbox), lifting weights (where I once won a powerlifting competition), listening to podcasts (hardcore history is my favorite), and playing basketball (RIP Kobe).

Mitchell Oei, MD

I was born and raised in sunny Santa Monica, California where I developed a love for the ocean and two of my favorite hobbies, surfing and SCUBA diving. I did my undergrad education at Cornell University in upstate New York, where I studied marine biology. I attended medical school at the University of Queensland-Ochsner Clinical School, where I spent two years in Brisbane, Australia and two years in New Orleans, Louisiana. In addition to my outdoor hobbies, I enjoy building computers,working on my car, and following up on aerospace and world news! Although there is still much for me to learn in the realm of neurology, I am currently interested in pursuing the fields of Interventional Neurology, Neurocritical Care, or Vascular Neurology after completing my residency training. I can’t wait to see all that Augusta has to offer, and am excited to train at MCG!

Brandon Pope, MD, PhD

I am originally from Decatur, Georgia. I attended the University of Georgia for undergrad in Athens, Georgia. Go DAWGS!! From there, I spent four months as a Lab Technician at MCG in the Department of Cell & molecular Biology and 18 months as a Postbaccalaureate IRTA scholar in Maryland at the NINDS. Next, I went to UAB and completed both my Ph.D and MD as a part of the medical scientist training program there. I am a father of two lovely children, husband to my amazing wife Rachel, lover of all things travel, basketball, and finance! I love the brain and am

most interested currently in neuroimmunology and interventional neurology! I’m excited about the opportunity to grow my knowledge and clinical skills in Neurology. Moreover, I feel fortunate to be able to train at MCG and develop great relationships with the residents, faculty, and patients that we serve. Specialty interests include, Neuroimmunology/MS, Interventional Neurology, and Clinical Neurophysiology.

Han Saem Yoo, DO

I was born and raised in Seoul, South Korea. I went to Yale for undergrad, studied molecular, cellular, and developmental biology and went to NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine for medical school. In my free time, I enjoying practicing and performing the violin. I also like to cook korean food and home-garden my sesames and lettuces. My subspecialty interests are movement disorder, behavioral neurology and stroke.

Jaknel Brown, MD

Pediatric Neurology

PGY-4 Resident Profiles

Ghazal Ahmad, MD

I grew up in a north Georgia in a town called Canton. I completed my undergraduate studies at Mercer University in Macon, GA, and went to medical school at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, GA. My family is originally from Pakistan. I became inte

Brinda Bhaskar, MD

Hi! My name is Brinda Bhaskar. I was raised in Charlotte, NC. I went to NC State for under grad and Wake Forest for med school. I am currently undecided on subspecialty. During my free time I like to play ultimate frisbee and hike.

Mingyu Li, MD

Hi! I am Mingyu Li. I was born and raised in China. I went to Weifang Medical University for medical school and Capital Medical University for residency in China. I am interested in Epilepsy and Stroke. I love to play basketball and LEGO in my free time. I really enjoy living and learning in Augusta.

Alaa Mohamed, MBBS

Hi there!

I was born in Saudi Arabia. However, I went to medical in school at the University of Khartoum in my home country, Sudan, where I am originally from. I earned a master's degree in molecular medicine and perused my research career in Neurology and neuroscience at the Mayo Clinic.

Augusta city is a perfect place for me as I am starting a new family. I Like to sing and to watch documentaries. I am looking to do my fellowship in Autoimmune Neurological disorders, but I am also open to other subspecialities, and I am sure that I can decide during my residency as the program here gives us very good exposure and training in most of the subspecialties, minors, and majors.

Luis G. Rueda, MD

Hi! I was born and raised in Ecuador, where I did my medical school at the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador. I grew up in a city in the middle of the Andes Highlands, where I got to experience a lot of outdoor activities, which I continue to enjoy. After residency, I am interested in Neurocritical care, Vascular Neurology, and Interventional Neurology.

Giandor Saltz, MD

Hi! My name is Giandor, and I was born and raised in Wyoming. I grew up in a small town and really enjoy the outdoors. I attended the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle, Washington. I moved across the country to Georgia with my family and am loving living in Augusta so far. I really love inpatient medicine and am interested in pursuing stroke or electrophysiology after I finish my residency.

Rakchhya Shrestha, MD

I was born in Nepal, where I did my medical school at Kathmandu Medical College. My interest in Neurology grew while in medical school. I have not fully decided on my career yet but I have great interest in clinical electrophysiology and movement disorder. I am looking forward to starting PGY 2 at Augusta and exploring neurology in depth. Outside of residency, I enjoy painting, reading, and playing ping pong. I love traveling and exploring new places and food. My list of specialties are, Clinical neurophysiology, Movement disorder and General Neurology.

PGY-5 Resident Profiles

Matthew Abbott, MD

Vascular Neurology

I grew up in north Florida, went to undergrad at Florida State University and medical school up in Cleveland at Case Western Reserve University. My hobbies include archery, swimming, scuba diving, metalworking, working on computers, and cooking barbeque. I am also trying to get into autocross. I run a medical outreach program that goes out to the Navajo Nation each year. My initial interest in neurology began after I had a knee surgery in high school that left me partially paralyzed and I got to meet some great neurologists that helped min in my recovery process.

Information for:

Resources