Step 1 Qmax Authors

Maria Carolina Musri

Maria is an Argentinian doctor in the process of obtaining the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) certificate to practice medicine in the United States. She enjoys learning about and experiencing new cultures and the traditions of the people she meets. She wants to become the best version of herself and the best doctor that she can be. She is sure that residency in the United States will help her achieve this.

Jennifer Gamache

Jennifer is a second-year medical student and currently manages social media for Prevent Child Abuse – Vanderburgh County, Indiana.

Ian Garbarine

Ian is a second-year medical student from Raleigh, North Carolina, and graduated from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, with degrees in history and biology. At UNC, Ian has contributed to research in the pathogenesis of cystic fibrosis and hopes to continue his work as a critical care specialist/pulmonologist.

Adam Heath, MD

Adam grew up in Ohio and graduated from Case Western Reserve University with a degree in biology. He attended Ross University School of Medicine and completed his residency in the HonorHealth Family Medicine Residency Program in Scottsdale, Arizona. He is currently a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Family, Community and Preventative Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix Campus, and works as an assistant director of the Doctoring Program, developing curricula and teaching clinical skills. In addition, he works at an outpatient addiction medicine center providing medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder.

Zarrin Hossein-Zadeh, MD

Zarrin is an intern in pathology at New York University Winthrop Hospital. Zarrin is passionate about medical education and helping other residents or medical students learn basic concepts, especially Step 1 content, which has a high pathology content.

Charles Hurth

Charles is a third-year medical student, and he is interested in pursuing a career in internal medicine or ophthalmology.

Amatus Legbedion

Amatus is from Brampton, Ontario, Canada, and graduated from the University of Guelph in 2013, where she majored in human kinetics. She is a fourth-year medical student and is completing her clinical rotations in Houston, Texas. In her spare time, she enjoys watching basketball games, reading novels, painting, and traveling.

Kenneth Nguyen

Kenneth is a third-year medical student who earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from St. Bonaventure University in 2015 and also did graduate coursework and research at George Washington University until 2017. He is interested in pursuing a career in either emergency medicine or a surgical specialty.  In his free time, Kenneth enjoys cooking, skiing, and films.

Levonti Ohanisian, MD

Levonti is a fourth-year medical student whose dream has always been orthopedic surgery.

Amira Perviz

Amira was born and raised in Bosnia-Herzegovina. After completing high school, she moved to the United States as an international student with the dream of becoming a doctor. In her spare time, she works as a pathology tutor and enjoys traveling and experiencing new cultures.

Dustin Reykdal

Dustin is a fourth-year medical student who is applying for an anesthesiology residency in the coming year. He enjoys teaching, coaching hockey, and exploring parks with his dog.

Apurva Shrigiriwar

Apurva is a fourth-year medical student who wishes to complete a residency in the United States.

Luke Sorensen

Luke is a second-year medical student with a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of  California–Santa Barbara. He has previous experience as an EMT, ER scribe, wound care technician, and rehabilitation aide. He is interested in anesthesia and emergency medicine.

Erica Spano

Erica is a third-year medical student and is interested in pursuing a career in general surgery.

Tina Stanco, MD

Originally from Roselle, New Jersey, Tina earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in clinical health sciences while serving as a hospital corpsman in the United States Navy. After her retirement, she entered medical school to chase her life-long dream of becoming a doctor. Tina’s goals after medical school include practicing in underserved areas and traveling with her husband.

Lakshmi Tatineni

Lakshmi is interested in the business aspects of medicine. When not studying, Lakshmi is working on startups or learning about Jungian psychology.

Sarah Tedesco

Sarah is a second-year medical student. Most of her training has been in the emergency medical department as a trauma technician, EMT, and an American Heart Association instructor, for 7 years (Capital Health Medical Center). As she finishes her second year in medical school, she is very excited to experience the hands-on exposure during rotations, so that she may discover her true calling for residency.

Shelby Wood

Shelby Wood is a third-year medical student who is also working toward a master’s degree in public health. She is currently completing rotations at Brooklyn Hospital Center in New York City. She worked as a paramedic before attending medical school and recently served as president of the SGU Emergency Medicine Club. Shelby hopes to practice as an emergency medicine physician specializing in critical care, prehospital/EMS medical directorship, or global medicine/public health.

Jerry Xio

Jerry spent an equal amount of time growing up in Maryland and California. He studied bioengineering at the University of California, Berkeley, before moving back to the East Coast to pursue a dual MD/PhD degree at Georgetown University. When not buried in self-help or autobiographical books, he can be found on the basketball court or in his research laboratory, where he focuses on his work in regenerative medicine and oncology.

Humood Boqambar, MB BCh BAO

Humood was born and raised in Kuwait. He earned his medical degree from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI). During his time at RCSI, Humood was fascinated by surgery and was awarded a medal for his excellence in this field. After medical school, Humood moved back to Kuwait for his medical internship. Currently, he serves as an orthopedic assistant registrar at Farwaniya Hospital in Kuwait. Apart from surgery, Humood has a special interest in medical education. He has helped with multiple USMLE-Rx/ScholarRx projects, including First Aid for the USMLE Step 1. In his spare time, Humood enjoys playing sports, watching movies, and tasting new flavors of coffee.

Zachary Britstone

Zak is from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and obtained his BSc from the University of Guelph. He is currently working toward his MD at the Sackler School of Medicine. Outside of medical school, he is  most likely to be found cooking, snowboarding, or playing the piano.

Jeffrey L. Roberson, MD

Jeff was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, and earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia and his MD from George Washington University. In medical school, his basic science research focus was on the genetic and molecular basis of hidradenitis suppurativa. He is currently a general surgery resident at the University of Pennsylvania with a keen interest in medical education. Outside of the hospital, he enjoys backpacking and hiking.

Dennis Dwan

Dennis is a fourth-year medical student at Dartmouth. He graduated from the University of Georgia in 2015, where he majored in  biochemistry and molecular biology. His interests include medical education, cooking, and staying active.

Sara Mahmood

Sara is originally from Baltimore and completed her undergraduate degree in psychology at the University of Maryland. She is a fourth-year medical student and plans to pursue a career in psychiatry. In her free time, she enjoys playing music and singing, as well as boxing and practicing martial arts.

Raghav D. Acharya

Raghav is interested in internal medicine and diagnostic radiology.

Lilit Aslanyan

Lilit was born in Armenia and moved to the United States when she was 14 years old. She is a fourth-year medical student pursuing a career in diagnostic radiology. During her free time, she enjoys taking dance lessons and reading mystery novels.

Dhruvi Barot

Dhruvi is from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and graduated from the University of Ottawa with honors in biomedical sciences. Dhruvi is currently a third-year medical student, who is excited about exploring the different specialties of medicine. In her free time, she enjoys reading novels, watching movies and TV shows, and spending time with family and friends. In the future, Dhruvi would love to use travel opportunities to provide medical services and contribute to women and children’s health around the world.

Stephen J. Bordes, Jr.

Stephen is a third-year medical student and a Seattle Science Foundation Clinical Fellow conducting research in anatomy and looking to specialize in surgery. He has contributed to many texts, including Gray’s Anatomy, 42nd edition, and Netter’s Clinical Procedures, 2nd edition. He also serves as President of Iota Epsilon Alpha Medical Honor Society and is certified in point-of-care ultrasound. In his free time, Stephen sails and windsurfs competitively. He travels nationally as an instructor trainer for US Sailing and holds a California real estate license in San Francisco with Cayenne Realty.

Julian Bruce

Julian grew up in San Jose, California, and attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he majored in environmental economics with minors in biology and chemistry. He will be starting his third year at St George’s, University of London in the United Kingdom, with the intention of becoming a board-certified general surgeon in the United States. He hopes to follow his MBBS with a PhD focusing on machine learning for medical diagnostics. He enjoys working out at the gym, running outside, playing video games, attending music festivals, and funny memes.

Nimerta Burmhi, MD

Nimerta is hoping to pursue a career in family medicine.

Maria Carolina Musri

Maria is an Argentinian doctor in the process of obtaining the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) certificate to practice medicine in the United States. She enjoys learning about and experiencing new cultures and the traditions of the people she meets. She wants to become the best version of herself and the best doctor that she can be. She is sure that residency in the United States will help her achieve this.

Kayla Chin

Kayla is currently a third-year medical student at Indiana University School of Medicine. In the future she is looking to go into a surgical specialty, such as trauma surgery or cardiothoracic surgery.

Vanessa Denny, MD

Vanessa is a first-year pediatrics resident at the Goryeb Children’s Hospital in Morristown, New Jersey. She graduated from St. George’s University School of Medicine; she earned her master’s degree in global health from George Mason University and her bachelor’s degree from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. She has a passion for international medicine and plans to continue research and work in the field of pediatric global health.

Sarah Eldin

Sarah is a 25-year-old third-year medical student. She says that as she rotates through her clerkships, she falls in love with medicine more and more each day. Her only interest is to become the best doctor she can be. “Be the change you wish to see.”

Kimberly Felker

Kimberly is a third-year medical student studying for the Step 1 exam. She is a wife and the  mother of two children (4 and 6 years old) from Chandler, Arizona. She is interested in emergency medicine.

Anna Frazier, MD

Anna is now a first-year categorical pediatrics resident at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. She is interested in pursuing a career in pediatric critical care with a focus on medical education.

Jennifer Gamache

Jennifer is a second-year medical student and currently manages social media for Prevent Child Abuse – Vanderburgh County, Indiana.

Ian Garbarine

Ian is a second-year medical student from Raleigh, North Carolina, and graduated from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, with degrees in history and biology. At UNC, Ian has contributed to research in the pathogenesis of cystic fibrosis and hopes to continue his work as a critical care specialist/pulmonologist.

Adam Heath, MD

Adam grew up in Ohio and graduated from Case Western Reserve University with a degree in biology. He attended Ross University School of Medicine and completed his residency in the HonorHealth Family Medicine Residency Program in Scottsdale, Arizona. He is currently a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Family, Community and Preventative Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix Campus, and works as an assistant director of the Doctoring Program, developing curricula and teaching clinical skills. In addition, he works at an outpatient addiction medicine center providing medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder.

Zarrin Hossein-Zadeh, MD

Zarrin is an intern in pathology at New York University Winthrop Hospital. Zarrin is passionate about medical education and helping other residents or medical students learn basic concepts, especially Step 1 content, which has a high pathology content.

Charles Hurth

Charles is a third-year medical student, and he is interested in pursuing a career in internal medicine or ophthalmology.

Amatus Legbedion

Amatus is from Brampton, Ontario, Canada, and graduated from the University of Guelph in 2013, where she majored in human kinetics. She is a fourth-year medical student and is completing her clinical rotations in Houston, Texas. In her spare time, she enjoys watching basketball games, reading novels, painting, and traveling.

Kenneth Nguyen

Kenneth is a third-year medical student who earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from St. Bonaventure University in 2015 and also did graduate coursework and research at George Washington University until 2017. He is interested in pursuing a career in either emergency medicine or a surgical specialty.  In his free time, Kenneth enjoys cooking, skiing, and films.

Levonti Ohanisian, MD

Levonti is a fourth-year medical student whose dream has always been orthopedic surgery.

Amira Perviz

Amira was born and raised in Bosnia-Herzegovina. After completing high school, she moved to the United States as an international student with the dream of becoming a doctor. In her spare time, she works as a pathology tutor and enjoys traveling and experiencing new cultures.

Dustin Reykdal

Dustin is a fourth-year medical student who is applying for an anesthesiology residency in the coming year. He enjoys teaching, coaching hockey, and exploring parks with his dog.

Apurva Shrigiriwar

Apurva is a fourth-year medical student who wishes to complete a residency in the United States.

Luke Sorensen

Luke is a second-year medical student with a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of  California–Santa Barbara. He has previous experience as an EMT, ER scribe, wound care technician, and rehabilitation aide. He is interested in anesthesia and emergency medicine.

Erica Spano

Erica is a third-year medical student and is interested in pursuing a career in general surgery.

Tina Stanco, MD

Originally from Roselle, New Jersey, Tina earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in clinical health sciences while serving as a hospital corpsman in the United States Navy. After her retirement, she entered medical school to chase her life-long dream of becoming a doctor. Tina’s goals after medical school include practicing in underserved areas and traveling with her husband.

Lakshmi Tatineni

Lakshmi is interested in the business aspects of medicine. When not studying, Lakshmi is working on startups or learning about Jungian psychology.

Sarah Tedesco

Sarah is a second-year medical student. Most of her training has been in the emergency medical department as a trauma technician, EMT, and an American Heart Association instructor, for 7 years (Capital Health Medical Center). As she finishes her second year in medical school, she is very excited to experience the hands-on exposure during rotations, so that she may discover her true calling for residency.

Shelby Wood

Shelby Wood is a third-year medical student who is also working toward a master’s degree in public health. She is currently completing rotations at Brooklyn Hospital Center in New York City. She worked as a paramedic before attending medical school and recently served as president of the SGU Emergency Medicine Club. Shelby hopes to practice as an emergency medicine physician specializing in critical care, prehospital/EMS medical directorship, or global medicine/public health.

Jerry Xio

Jerry spent an equal amount of time growing up in Maryland and California. He studied bioengineering at the University of California, Berkeley, before moving back to the East Coast to pursue a dual MD/PhD degree at Georgetown University. When not buried in self-help or autobiographical books, he can be found on the basketball court or in his research laboratory, where he focuses on his work in regenerative medicine and oncology.