DR . WHO
DR . WHO
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT DR . WAQAR SALEEM
AUTHOR Kathryn Vance
Dr . Waqar Saleem has had a heart for helping those in
need since he was young . It was one of strongest reasons he chose medicine , years ago . Now , his love for serving others in need can be seen in his vast resume of volunteer and non-profit work .
Growing up in a small town in Pakistan called Kharian Cantt , Dr . Saleem always enjoyed school , and found he excelled most in math and science . Soon , he learned that the drive to help others was in his blood . His three older sisters were role models for him , and two of them were in medical school , eventually going on to become OB-GYNs in Pakistan . Once he heard their stories about a career that combined science with helping people , he followed in their medical footsteps . His parents were ideal role models and were highly supportive of the decision . After high school and college , he moved to Lahore , where for six years he attended post-graduate training , then medical school , at King Edwards Medical College . Just arriving from a small city with less than 100,000 people to Lahore with a population of over 11 million was an eye-opening surprise .
“ It was a huge culture shock . It ’ s like coming from a rural area in America to Chicago or New York ” he said . “ There were lots of people , lots of traffic , and it was just really hard to navigate . I also lived in the dorms , and that was my first dorm experience , which was interesting .”
After settling in and completing his medical school , he had another six months of post-graduate training in Pakistan . However , he knew that his options for his next steps in primary care were limited .
“ You are really limited to the countries with excellent post graduate training with English as a primary language . There was America , the UK and some other countries in Europe . But really post-graduate training in the US is wonderful ,” he said .
Dr . Saleem applied to residency programs across the country without knowing much about the new cities he ’ d be stepping into , just like so many other foreign medical graduates . After interviewing at the University of Louisville , he found it to be a great fit and was enthused to join the program in 1997 . Even the small town to big city experience had not prepared Dr . Saleem for the vast differences he met here in the US .
“ The first time I was in the US after interviews , that was my first work experience . Coming from another country and being another country ’ s citizen , it ’ s a very different culture that you ’ re exposed to . It ’ s the same patients , but navigating the work environment and things like the buildings and computer systems , that ’ s a huge change .”
Dr . Saleem spent three years in residency at the University of Louisville in the Department of Family and Geriatric Medicine . In 2000 , he began practicing in the medically underserved area of the West End where he enjoyed his work so much , he remained there for the next seven years . Even now , he still works in this area from time to time at the Family Community Clinic , treating patients without insurance .
After that , he worked for many different hospital systems , going through all the major mergers and acquisitions over the last decade . He is now employed by UofL Health and is with UofL Physicians - Primary Care in their Outer Loop office . While he is still in the office a few days per week , Dr . Saleem ’ s role in the community has shifted from hospital rounds and office visits to something much different , all because of the recommendations of some colleagues .
( continued on page 36 ) NOVEMBER 2020 35