'Get people from everywhere': International physicians numerous at Conemaugh, across U.S. health care industry
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A map of the world hangs at Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center in Johnstown, with pins marking the origin nations of the internal medicine department's current residents.
They come from India, Nepal, Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Brazil, Libya, Türkiye and other countries.
'We have a big, diverse resident population,' said Dr. Khandakar Hussain, Conemaugh's chief medical information officer and a former member of the residency program from Bangladesh. 'We try to get people from everywhere.'
WATCH VIDEO | Conemaugh's Dr. Khandakar Hussain talks modern immigration
Dr. Khandakar Hussain, from Bangladesh, talks about why he decided to live in the Johnstown region during an interview at Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center on March 5, 2025.
Dr. Saba Waseem, the director of Conemaugh's Internal Medicine Residency Program, said foreign-born medical personnel, including residents who are undergoing postgraduate training in specialized fields, make up an important part of the hospital's identity.
'I think that certainly helps international graduates to be able to see that the institution is welcoming to a diverse group of very skilled physicians from all over,' said Waseem, a native of Karachi, Pakistan, a major city with a population of more than 20 million people.
Dr. Saba Waseem
Dr. Saba Waseem
'Within our department, we usually have 10 to 12 different nationalities that we have residents from, and our extended faculty and then obviously medical staff overall. We learn from each other, and then we learn from our local colleagues who have been here for a very long time.'
'Opportunities for everything'
There are 84 residents throughout the hospital's different programs, with 40 of them being international, according to information provided by Conemaugh Health System.
'Residency-wise, it's a huge hospital for the residents,' Hussain said. 'The reason is there are a lot of small residency programs which offer opportunities for everything.
'For our program, we handle all the rotation in house. The residents come here. They stay in Johnstown and they do all of their training here – their surgery, their medicine, cardiology.'
Faces of Immigration logo
Conemaugh's workforce also has a strong international presence. The diversity was highlighted in 2021 when flags from across the world were hung in the hospital to celebrate the Summer Olympic Games. At the time, there were natives of almost 60 nations among Conemaugh's staff and providers.
Across the United States, 'eds' and, in Conemaugh's case, 'meds' are fields that attract immigrants. The American Medical Association estimates that nearly one-quarter of the nation's active physicians are foreign graduates and international medical graduates.
'Really welcoming'
Like Hussain and Waseem, Dr. Aly Husein, from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, also started his time at Conemaugh as a resident in 2019.
Faces of Immigration | Dr. Khandakar Hussain
Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center Chief Medical Information Officer Dr. Khandakar Hussain, former member of the residency program from Bangladesh, points to a world map with pins denoting the origin nations of the internal medicine department's current residents at the hospital on Franklin Street in Johnstown on Wednesday, March 5, 2025.
He described the region as an 'awesome place' with plenty of outdoor recreational opportunities, such as skiing at Seven Springs Mountain Resort in Somerset County, just like back in Canada.
'It actually reminds me of home because everyone is so friendly,' Husein said. 'That's kind of how I felt growing up in Canada – very nice, polite, they help each other.'
Husein, who is of Kenyan descent, is now established at Conemaugh as director of Apogee's hospitalist medicine program, which puts him in a position in which he can provide assistance to potential residents who are considering coming to Johnstown.
'If I see someone that needs help with getting them a spot, I try to tell them how I feel living here,' Husein said, 'how it kind of feels like the town is really welcoming, small town so there's no traffic at all, and the bigger cities are close by.'
'Bond' with patients
Husein is a hospitalist, a physician who specializes in providing personalized comprehensive care for hospitalized patients.
'We're here all day, pretty much to monitor patients,' said Husein, who trained in primary care. 'It's kind of a more in-house physician. … I switched over to this because I don't have to worry about any of the insurance stuff. I just see my patients, treat them, and then they go to their primary care after for follow-up. I can actually take care of the patient and not worry about what I can and cannot do.'
He said the job enables him to 'build a bond with the patients.'
'I like the rapport that you get,' he said.
Hussain and Waseem also spoke positively about how their careers provide them with the opportunity to help their patients in their times of need, along with being part of Conemaugh Health System, the region's largest employer.
'I love my patients and my patients love me,' Hussain said.
Waseem expressed that she is 'blessed and privileged and humbled to be able to provide health and care to people in our community, to make a difference in their lives.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
19 hours ago
- Forbes
AMA: Doctors And Patients Hurt By ‘Big Beautiful Bill'
The American Medical Association says legislation wending its way through the Republican-controlled ... More Congress would 'take us backward' as a country by cutting health benefits for poor and low-income Americans, the group's president said Friday, June 6. In this photo, the US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, June 3, 2025. Photographer: Eric Lee/Bloomberg The American Medical Association says legislation wending its way through the Republican-controlled Congress would 'take us backward' as a country by cutting health benefits for poor and low-income Americans. Meeting for its annual policy-making House of Delegates this weekend in Chicago, the AMA is rallying physicians to thwart the legislation now before the U.S. Senate. Legislation known as the 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act' that narrowly passed the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives two weeks ago 'would reduce federal Medicaid spending by $793 billion and that the Medicaid provisions would increase the number of uninsured people by 7.8 million,' a KFF analysis shows. 'We have to turn our anger into action,' AMA President Bruce A. Scott, M.D. said in a speech to AMA delegates Friday. 'I know our patience is being tested by this new administration and Congress.' The AMA said it has launched a 'grassroots campaign targeted at the Senate' in hopes of making changes to the legislation. The AMA is the nation's largest physician group with more than 200,000 members. 'The same House bill that brings us closer to finally tying future Medicare payments to the rising costs of running a practice, also takes us backwards by limiting access to care for millions of lower-income Americans,' Scott said. 'Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act are literal lifelines for children and families for whom subsidized health coverage is their only real option. We must do all we can to protect this safety net and continue to educate lawmakers on how best to target waste and fraud in the system without making it tougher for vulnerable populations to access care.' Scott, an otolaryngologist from Kentucky, said the Medicare physician payment system is broken and Congress hasn't addressed – as an increasing number of states have – prior authorization, the process of health insurers reviewing hospital admissions and medications. Prior authorization delays needed treatment and puts patient health in jeopardy, doctors say. 'I'm angry because the dysfunction in health care today goes hand in hand with years of dysfunction in Congress,' Scott added. 'I'm angry because physicians are bearing the brunt of a failed Medicare payment system. And while our pay has been cut by more than 33 percent in 25 years, we see hospitals and even health insurance companies receiving annual pay increases.' Meanwhile, the AMA says cuts to physician payments are pushing more physicians away from private practice and exacerbating the nation's doctor shortage. A recent analysis by AMN Healthcare shows only two in five physicians are now in doctor-owned private practices. And Americans in most U.S. cities face waits of at least one month before they can see certain specialists. 'Congress needs to know there is no 'care' in Medicare if there are no doctors," Scott said.
Forbes
a day ago
- Forbes
How Campus Counseling Centers Can Increase Capacity With Little Money
Broken piggy bank getty Some might believe that increasing the capacity of campus counseling centers to better serve students requires a large financial investment. This perception might seem daunting, especially in light of a 2025 report by Inside Higher Ed describing significant budget cuts at multiple colleges. However, below are five possible ways to increase the capacity of campus counseling centers with little money. A 2022 report by the American Medical Association defined scope of practice as the range of activities that health professionals are authorized, trained and prepared to perform. Health professionals develop a scope of care statement to inform the public about the services they provide. This makes it efficient for when the public is searching for a provider and prevents providers from absorbing into their practice clients with concerns beyond the scope of care. It might be tempting to believe that campus counseling centers should have an unlimited scope of care, and many centers don't provide a concise scope of care statement. However, this goes against best practices. Scope of care statements which summarize the services and limitations of counseling centers are needed. In addition, all staff counselors need to operate under the stated scope of care. When different staff counselors provide different scopes of care to different students, this reduces capacity because stakeholders might expect services that cannot be regularly provided. A indicated by a 2023 report from the Center of Collegiate Mental Health, counseling centers gave 56% of all appointments to 20% of clients. Many of these clients were likely those with high clinical needs who were absorb into their counseling centers' normal operations. As discussed in a 2024 report on using an absorption model to treat students with high needs is often ineffective. It's likely more effective to arrange specialized services for these students, and there are several ways to do this. As discussed in the report on some centers have partnered with treatment centers to bring high level services onto campus. Others might develop memorandums of understanding with off-campus providers to facilitate referrals. Regardless, counseling centers should avoid an absorption model unless they have high capacity and decide to intentionally utilize this model. It's important to note that third-party telehealth vendors may or may not be able to treat students with high clinical needs. Some schools might financially invest into a third-party vendor thinking that more online counselors will automatically increase capacity (and without thinking about scope of care). However, if the counseling center is spending the majority of sessions on high needs students, then a more effective, and often less expensive approach, might be to arrange specialized services for this group of students. A discussed in a 2022 report by Inside Higher Ed, many current counseling center's clients have previously received services from the center. It's not surprising that, without after-care services, many students with episodic symptoms will return to the center and need additional services. There are several ways to provide after-care services. Some centers might provide individualized self-management plans upon termination of counseling. As discussed in the report by Inside Higher Ed, other centers might expand the principles within the field of substance use disorders and promote a mindset of recovery and peer support for those who've completed counseling. The report by Inside Higher Ed also discussed how many staff counselors experience high levels of burnout. Because counselors with high levels of burnout might be less efficient, counseling centers should address sources of high burnout. For some counselors, serving on crisis/on-call rotations is a high source of burnout; however, other staff members might enjoy this work more than carrying a caseload. Thus, realigning staff duties to accommodate these preferences might be helpful. Other options include flex-scheduling, pre-determined caseload sizes, reducing outside committee assignments, and regular team building and self-care activities. Many counseling centers have a robust mental health outreach program, but sometimes these programs are similar to those provided by a campus health promotion office. For large campuses, redundant programing is often needed, and there may be times in which saturating a campus with an outreach initiative is warranted. However, if a counseling center is struggling with capacity, and the campus has an active health promotion office, then it might be helpful for the health promotion office to take the lead in conducting outreaches. It's possible that other campus partners can also meet certain sub-clinical needs better than the counseling center. For example, a student success office might be better equipped to address concerns related to procrastination and time management. Likewise, a student activities office might be better equipped to address homesickness. Few, if any, campus partners can provide the clinical services that the counseling center provides. Thus, avoiding redundant services is often a key to increasing capacity.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
House Oversight Chair Comer subpoenas Biden doctor
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) issued a subpoena on Thursday for testimony from former President Biden's White House doctor, Kevin O'Connor. It's Comer's latest move to expand his panel's probes into Biden's mental acuity. 'Among other subjects, the Committee expressed its interest in whether your financial relationship with the Biden family affected your assessment of former President Biden's physical and mental fitness to fulfill his duties as President,' Comer said in a letter accompanying the subpoena. 'Given your connections with the Biden family, the Committee sought to understand if you contributed to an effort to hide former President Biden's fitness to serve from the American people.' The subpoena dictates that O'Connor appear for testimony at a deposition on June 27, and comes after O'Connor had declined Comer's request to voluntarily appear before the committee. O'Connor's attorneys previously told the committee that the denial to appear was due in part to a D.C. code concerning physicians disclosing patient information to a court without consent, 'ethical obligations pursuant to 'Principal No. IV of the Code of Ethics of the American Medical Association (AMA),'' and 'physician-patient privilege,' according to the letter from Comer. 'These arguments lack merit,' Comer wrote. 'Congress is not a court; this Section therefore in no way precludes you from appearing and testifying regarding your role as Physician to former President Biden,' the letter said. O'Connor's attorney David Schertler told The Hill in a statement: 'We just received the correspondence and subpoena from the House Oversight Committee this afternoon. We will review it carefully and respond to Chairman Comer after we have had a chance to do so.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
