Meet Our Fellows

Hometown: I was born and raised in Komotini, a small city in north-east Greece.
Education: I graduated in 2013 from the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University in Athens (NKUA), Greece. I then completed my rural placement in Greece and continued my training in England, completing the Foundation Years training at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford and the Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton, UK. Subsequently, in the US, I worked in research until 2021 at Mass General Hospital. I then joined the Mass General Brigham - Salem Hospital Internal Medicine residency program, which I completed in 2024.
More about me: I am especially interested in antimicrobial stewardship, but also in pursuing further research in the field of Infectious Diseases. Outside of medicine, I love Agatha Christie books, poetry, philosophy, ballet, and Ludovico Einaudi music.

Name: Sarah Bakheet, MBBS

Hometown: I was born in Abu Dhabi, UAE. I grew up in Khartoum, Sudan.
Medical School: University of Medical Sciences and Technology, Khartoum, Sudan.
More about me: My passion for infectious diseases started in Sudan, where I was exposed to infections such as malaria, typhoid fever, and leishmaniasis on a daily basis. Our department was called Internal Medicine and Tropical Diseases in Sudan. This passion grew more when I worked as a hospitalist in Abu Dhabi, caring for patients with Hospital-Acquired Infections and immunosuppressed patients on the oncology and transplant service who presented with various and challenging infections. I am interested in transplant infectious disease and antimicrobial stewardship. In my free time, I enjoy cooking authentic Sudanese food.

Name: Hannah Hamad, MD

Hometown: Belmont and Cambridge, MA.
Medical School: UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA.
Residency: UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA.
More about me: Beyond medicine, I play trumpet in an amateur jazz band, explore my creativity through woodworking (including teaching an introductory woodturning class at Technocopia), challenge myself as an avid rock climber, and cultivate a collection of orchids. Clinically, my interests span Transplant Infectious Disease, Critical Care, and Global Health. I aspire to someday work with bacteriophage therapy for multidrug-resistant organism (MDRO) infections and malignancies.

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First Year Fellows

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Name: Haris Afzal, MD

Hometown: I was born and raised in Multan, Pakistan.
Education: I graduated in 2018 from Multan Medical and Dental College, Multan, and did my internship at Nishtar Hospital, Multan, Pakistan. Then I worked in the public health sector for some time before joining the Internal Medicine residency at Aga Khan University Hospital, Pakistan, which was completed in 2024.
More about me: I developed an interest in Infectious Disease while working in the public health sector. During my residency at Aga Khan University, I developed further insights during dedicated ID rotations, especially in antibiotic stewardship, HIV, and infections in immunocompromised hosts. I love to hang out with my family, explore new places and restaurants, watch movies, and sports.

Name: Sandus Khan, MD

Hometown: I am from Edmonton, Alberta in Canada.
Medical School: I graduated in 2022 from the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin, Ireland.
Residency: I completed my Internal Medicine residency at Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville, GA. 
More about me: Joining UMass Chan is a dream come true for me. Infectious disease is an ever-changing field, and I enjoy the complex interplay that it offers. I want to be at the center of optimizing antimicrobial strategies and improving outcomes in vulnerable populations, including transplant patients. Outside of the hospital, you will find me traveling or trying new cuisines, and when I am home, I enjoy spending quality time with my family and my 2 cats. I am looking forward to joining the ID team!

Name: Naveen Kuppusamy, MD

Hometown: I am originally from Kovilpatti, a vibrant town in Tamil Nadu, India.
Medical School: Government Thiruvannamalai Medical College, India.
Residency: Saint Vincent Hospital, Worcester, MA.
More about me: I am thrilled to join the UMass Chan Infectious Diseases team and continue my training in the state of Massachusetts. I chose Infectious Diseases for its impact on health equity, patient advocacy, and research. My specific areas of interest include Transplant ID, immunocompromised host, and diagnostic stewardship. Outside of medicine, I enjoy unwinding with videos on microeconomics and comedy vlogs.

Name: Tatiana Westfall, DO

Hometown: Chowchilla, California.
Medical School: Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Residency: Brown University/Kent Hospital, Providence, RI.
More About Me: In my spare time, I enjoy cooking, traveling, and spending time with my family.