DR . WHO
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT DR . M . SALEEM SEYAL
AUTHOR Kathryn Vance
As most anyone with older siblings would admit , there are most certainly squabbles and differences . That being said , there is also often a sense of pride , and you might even look up to them . Growing up in one of the oldest cities in South Asia , Multan , Pakistan , Dr . M . Saleem Seyal was inspired by his brother 10 years his elder , Dr . Muhammad Shafi , and wanted to be just like him .
“ He was my person to look up to , we were really close . When he wasn ’ t in his room , I ’ d sneak in and look at his big , thick medical books and I was fascinated with human anatomy . I enjoyed watching him work so hard until the wee hours of the morning .” His brother later immigrated to the U . S . and became an internist .
After high school , Dr . Seyal went to Government Degree College for two years in the pre-medical program , placing first in biology . Out of the 150 students in each class , only 12-15 would receive high enough marks to be admitted to medical school . He made the cut and was granted a medical scholarship before being admitted to Nishtar Medical College , just like his brother , in 1968 .
During his third year , his father became ill and suffered from intractable hiccups . Doing diligent research and spending hours in libraries , he not only developed a love for books but also a love for research that would follow him to this day . “ I enjoy books , and that addiction has not evaded me ; it has gotten more pronounced . I ’ m not just a bibliophile , but a bibliomaniac .”
His research looked at archives and current literature on sleep , hiccups and acupuncture and he submitted one article to a medical student competition , and he won first place . The award won him 500 rupees - quite a bit of money at the time - and publication in The Journal of Pakistan Medical Association . He continued his research and won first prize in two more essay contests . Sadly , his father ’ s
hiccups did not improve .
By his fifth year in medical school , he took his ECFMG , an exam used to qualify foreign medical graduates for residency in the U . S . After passing the crucial exam , he was ready to pursue his longtime dream of coming to America . With help from his brother who already had connections in the medical world stateside , Dr . Seyal was able to secure an internal medicine residency at Weiss Memorial Hospital in Chicago in 1975 .
“ The ICU at Weiss Memorial Hospital was the largest in the city , I was very fortunate to train there ,” he said . “ I had a very kind-hearted , dedicated teacher who was the director of medical education by the name of Dr . Herbert Bessinger .”
During residency , he began dating Sally , a beautiful young critical care nurse . They married in 1980 , during his third year at Weiss . “ We fell in love with one another . She ’ s a very lovely , wonderful , supportive person .”
At the end of his third year of residency , Dr . Bessinger offered him a job as medical supervisor of the emergency department , which Dr . Seyal accepted . During this time , two friends and former co-residents , Dr . Amjad Sheikh and Dr . Ajaz Shaikh , had gone to the University of Illinois for cardiology fellowship and both had recently returned to Weiss Memorial Hospital . The two shared their experiences and encouraged Dr . Seyal to pursue the fellowship as well . Three and a half years into his new job supervising the ED , he was settled into his career . Now married and making decent money , he had to ask himself if he really wanted to put that on hold and go back to training . After talking with his wife , he made the choice to apply to the University of Illinois and pursue a cardiology fellowship , where he worked under the directorship of Dr . Kenneth Rosen , a pioneer in electrophysiology . After finishing in 1983 , he was ready
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