Faiz Alam, M.D.

About Me:
Born to Pakistani immigrants, I grew up in Louisiana and bounced around the state throughout my childhood, while spending most summers in Pakistan with my cousins. I went to LSU for undergrad, where I majored in Biological Engineering with a minor in Robotics Engineering. Aside from spending my weekends in Tiger Stadium, I was also part of a longitudinal cohort to better understand the systemic inequities (both within healthcare and beyond) in Louisiana - this experience eventually led to a 6 month internship at the Louisiana Department of Health with the deputy secretary which heavily influenced my career decisions. Afterwards, I studied at the University of Cambridge, obtaining an MPhil in Biological Anthropology before going to Emory for medical school, where I was fortunate to be exposed to Med-Peds early on and also spent time as a clinic coordinator for a health center focused on immigrant and refugee health. Before my fourth year, I spent one year in Karachi, Pakistan, via a Fogarty fellowship, leading a cross-sectional field study that sought to explore the concordance of cardiometabolic disease risk within families and households. These experiences further affirmed my interest in Med-Peds as I saw the value in addressing disease processes throughout the life course. Outside of medicine, my hobbies include camping/backpacking, playing tennis, watching sports (Geaux Tigers!), reading, and exploring the local food and coffee scene!
Why I chose Michigan:
On my interview day, I was impressed by how well-established the Med-Peds community at Michigan was, especially coming from an institution that did not have a Med-Peds program at the time. It was clear that the residents enjoyed each other’s company, and this was confirmed further when I visited Ann Arbor before rank lists were due. I also was drawn to the program because of the wide range of opportunities available as a resident, such as the variety of continuity clinic sites and the extracurricular training tracks available to residents. After matching, I immediately felt like part of the family when Dr. Lukela called me, and it reaffirmed my decision that I would be content in Ann Arbor for the next four years (and maybe beyond)!