Meet the Residents
Meet our current child neurology residents, learn about their interests and why they chose to train at Children's National.
Second Year Neurology Residents
- Emma Hickman
Hometown: East Lansing, MI
Undergraduate School: Amherst College
Medical School: Wayne State University School of Medicine
Areas of Interest in Child Neurology: Neuroimmunology, neuroinfectious disease
Personal Interests: Reading mystery novels, British television (including The Great British Bake Off), crochet, spending time with family
Why did you choose to train at Children’s National? I was very impressed by the passion and collegiality that I observed between the faculty and the fellows on my interview day during the weekly intake conference. In addition, I knew I wanted to train at a large academic institution with a diverse patient population and a wide variety of disease presentations.
Future Plans: Likely fellowship followed by a career in academic medicine with a mix of inpatient and outpatient practice
- Allison Saunders
Hometown: Saco, Maine
Undergraduate School: Georgetown University
Medical School: Columbia University
Areas of Interest in Child Neurology: Neuromuscular Medicine
Personal Interests: Traveling with my husband, spending time with our three cats & dog, gardening, hiking, listening to audiobooks, attempting DIY projects, going to concerts
Why did you choose to train at Children’s National? I wanted to be at a place where I felt at home, and I felt like I found “my people” even from my interview day! I value the collegial environment of Children’s, as well as the diverse and complex patient population.
Future Plans: Possibly a fellowship in neuromuscular medicine… but also planning a cross country RV trip with my husband after residency!
- Dhwani Sahjwani
Hometown: Mumbai, India.
Undergraduate School/Medical School: K.J. Somaiya Medical College, Research Center, and Hospital
Areas of Interest in Child Neurology: Neuro-oncology, Neurocritical care. (But truly most areas at this point)
Personal Interests: Dance, hiking and everything outdoors. Exploring new cities and restaurants. Running and orange theory is where you'll find me if I'm not at the hospital!
Why did you choose to train at Children’s National? The people, the neurology team is just amazing! I was at Children’s as a medical student and my experience was so wonderful and made me want to come back. Everyone I met in the group was so personable, kind, intelligent and cared so much for their patients and what they were doing! I learned so much and had to find a way to come back and I’m grateful to be here!
Future Plans: I'm keeping my options open at this time, waiting to see where fellowship takes me. Something that allows academic medicine/MedEd to be a priority in my future career.
- Olu(Busola) Shifatu
Hometown: Lagos, Nigeria
Undergraduate School: DePauw University
Medical School: University of Virginia
Area of Interest in Child Neurology: Global health
Personal Interests: Jam skating, making crochet outfits, exploring restaurants in the DMV area and reading
Why did you choose to train at Children’s National? I wanted to train at a large institution where I could be exposed to a variety of case presentations and a diverse patient population. Additionally, I am interested in global health and there are ample opportunities within child neurology department to pursue those interests.
Future Plans: Still exploring my options!
- Jacklyn (Jackie) Smith
Hometown: Calgary, AB, Canada
Undergraduate School: The University of Calgary, Biological Sciences and Psychology
Graduate School: The University of Calgary, Neuroscience
Medical School: St. George’s University
Pediatric Residency: Nicklaus Children’s Hospital
Areas of Interest in Child Neurology: Neurocritical care, neuroimmunology and epilepsy
Personal Interests: Adventure and art! Such as travel, scuba diving, hiking, skiing, live theater, painting and gallery perusing
Why did you choose to train at Children’s National? I wanted to train at a large independent children’s hospital, with a variety of case presentations, faculty interests and research opportunities. Plus, the faculty and my co-fellows are amazing!
Future Plans: Fellowship and ultimately academic medicine
- Lauren Vilardo
Hometown: Buffalo, NY
Undergraduate School: Hamilton College
Medical School: George Washington
Areas of Interest in Child Neurology: Undecided
Personal Interests: Biking (so many bike trails in Arlington, where I live!), cooking, spending time with my family
Why did you choose to train at Children’s National? Everyone I met during my med school rotations at Children’s National was so knowledgeable and passionate about what they do. I knew I wanted to be in a high-volume center to see as much as I can see and to be surrounded by experts whose love for what they do is contagious. Not to mention that the DC-area is a great place to live!
Future Plans: Undecided
- Vivien Xie
Hometown: Baltimore, MD
Undergraduate School: University of Maryland, College Park
Medical School: University of Maryland School of Medicine
Areas of Interest in Child Neurology: Neuroimmunology
Personal Interests: Indoor gardening, calligraphy, interior design, museum hopping, brunch
Why did you choose to train at Children’s National? The faculty and trainees have made me feel welcome at Children's ever since I was a med student! There is a wonderful culture of teaching and mentorship, and everyone is very invested in your personal and professional growth. I love being at a large academic institution that sees a vast variety of neurologic conditions and trains you to work in an interdisciplinary manner. Training here has made me feel like I will be prepared for whatever next step I take.
Future Plans: Neuroimmunology fellowship
- Sanam Zarei
Hometown: Iowa City, IA
Undergraduate School: University of Iowa
Medical School: University of Iowa
Areas of Interest in Child Neurology: Neurocritical care, epilepsy, neuromuscular
Personal Interests: Hiking, pick-up soccer, winter sports, playing music, traveling, baking
Why did you choose to train at Children’s National? I wanted a program where the people have a family vibe and I found it here! Children's was unique in encouraging me to pursue and forge connections between my multiple interests. I knew Children's would provide me with the training and wide variety of cases to become a well-rounded child neurologist and I love D.C. as a city!
Future Plans: Undecided, but most likely fellowship