Page 48 - South Mississippi Living - August, 2020

DOCTORS
OF THE WORLD
story by Lynn Lofton photos courtesy of Singing River Health System, Memorial Hospital and Magdy Mikhail
The Coast is blessed with a large group of talented health care professionals that includes a number of physicians who immigrated from other countries. Among those are doctors Priyanka Srivastav from Nepal, Samir Tomajian from Lebanon, and Magdy Mikhail from Egypt.
Now a liated with Singing River Health System, Srivastav grew
up in the beautiful Himalayan Kingdom of Nepal’s capital city Kathmandu and spent most
of her adult life there
where she received her medical degree from Kathmandu Medical College. “Kathmandu is a fascinating city with a mix of old
Nepali culture and western vibes,” she said.
She initially came to the U.S. in 2002 for pre-med studies but returned to
Nepal due to family issues. In 2013 she and her
husband, Dr. Subhas Sitaula, returned to this
country and did their residencies in New
York.
“My late father completed his
commercial pilot license in Florida and had a great experience in America, always saying great things about the country and the people,” Srivastav said. “My interest in the country began with his stories. He also encouraged me and my brother to pursue higher education in America due to the high standards of education here. Also, growing
up in Kathmandu, which is heavily in uenced by American lifestyle, America seemed like a great country to come to.”
As a youngster, she loved to read and research and was fascinated with the world of medicine.
She chose internal medicine as
a specialty because she enjoys
the interaction with patients. “I prefer knowing and understanding the whole medical situation in a patient,” she says. “I also like the continuity of care. I am enthralled when patients tell me their history (with trust) that they keep from their family. Moreover, internal medicine
SAMIR Tomajian from Beruit, Lebanon.
48 | August 2020
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