12-04-2025
'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.'
