While a Texas native originally, Dr. Meryim Poursheykhi spent half of her life in Germany before returning to Texas for residency. One of her main priorities in her career is teaching, and working with the residents at an academic medical center provides many opportunities for continued learning, as well as sharing knowledge. When not on service, Dr. Poursheykhi enjoys exploring the waterfalls in Middle Tennessee and international travel.Tell us about your background.

When Dr. Tamer Ghanayem and his wife, who is a pediatrician, were exploring residency programs together, both were impressed by Vanderbilt’s well-respected programs, as well as the close relationships they observed between residents and attendings. That, plus the perks of life in Nashville, prompted them to continue their training here at VUMC. Though once interested in cognitive neurology and the possibility of combining electrical engineering and neurology, Dr. Ghanayem has since developed a passion for the high-intensity interdisciplinary realm of stroke neurology.

As the director of the teleneurology program, Dr. Adam Hartman manages the clinical and business needs of this emerging technology, ultimately with the goal of opening up care to large patient populations who otherwise would not have access. As an educator, he finds inspiration in the trainees he works with and remains close with several of his own mentors from his residency and fellowship programs. In his free time, Dr. Hartman and his husband like to keep busy, and particularly like hiking and exploring the outdoors with their dog. 

Dr. Jieun Kang, who goes by Ellie, stumbled into neurology by way of her experience on the high school speech team. The supportive and down-to-earth nature of the residents and attendings that she witnessed during her residency interview was enough to convince her to spend her residency at Vanderbilt. In her free time, she enjoys discovering new music, exploring fun food spots, and spending time in Nashville’s many scenic parks.  Tell us about your background and how your path led to Vanderbilt. 

Dr. Lily Kim’s path to sleep medicine arrived via a fellow resident who introduced the idea. Upon learning more about the subspecialty, Dr. Kim realized it encompassed everything she was looking for in her medical practice. She discovered that the supportive atmosphere and wide variety of faculty interests within the Sleep Division made Vanderbilt a great fit both for fellowship and as a faculty member. In her free time, Dr. Kim enjoys exploring Nashville’s coffee shops and traveling to pursue outdoor adventures with her family. 

Dr. Lisa Wang’s educational background was not a typical pre-med path, but along the way she discovered a passion for medicine, particularly neurology and acute hospital care. During her time at Vanderbilt, she has appreciated the way the residency program is always striving to improve, as well as the surprising connections she has built with her patients. A recent family emergency has sharpened her perspective about how supportive the Vanderbilt community is of residents and their families.