Program Director – Dr. M. Kashif Qaseem
Dr. Qaseem completed training in Internal Medicine and Critical Care Medicine at Cooper University, followed by fellowship training in Nephrology at Emory University. He is also board certified in Neurocritical Care and serves as Medical Director of the ICU, bringing broad expertise in hemodynamics, shock, complex renal support, and neurologic critical illness. Dr. Qaseem is actively involved in clinical research, quality improvement, and mentoring learners at all levels.
Associate Program Director – Dr. Suhayb Ranjha
Dr. Ranjha completed Internal Medicine residency at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine and Critical Care Medicine fellowship at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He is deeply engaged in bedside teaching, curriculum development, and clinical research, and plays a central role in the education of residents and rotating medical students within the HCA Gulf Coast GME programs.
Core Faculty – Dr. Lakshmi Gundapaneni
Dr. Gundapaneni completed Internal Medicine residency at what is now Trinity Health in Ann Arbor, Michigan, followed by Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine fellowship at Ascension, now Henry Ford Macomb Hospital, in Warren, Michigan. She is passionate about trainee autonomy and believes that graded independence builds confidence and accountability. As core faculty, she emphasizes multidisciplinary rounds, encourages fellows to lead ICU care, and is committed to developing confident, thoughtful physicians who communicate intentionally with colleagues, patients, and families.
Core Faculty – Dr. Michael Oriakhi
Dr. Oriakhi completed Internal Medicine residency at Harlem Hospital in New York and Critical Care Medicine fellowship at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He has a longstanding enthusiasm for teaching trainees and leading quality improvement initiatives. As core faculty within the HCA Gulf Coast GME programs, he is actively involved in bedside education, procedural training, and advancing ICU care through structured quality improvement work.The fellowship is led by a committed group of intensivists with complementary training backgrounds and a shared passion for education and scholarship within HCA Gulf Coast GME.
Fellows also work closely with faculty from trauma surgery, neurology/neurosurgery, cardiology, cardiothoracic surgery, vascular surgery, radiology, and other specialties. Medical students from the multiple institutions rotate regularly in the ICUs, creating a dynamic teaching environment where fellows develop as clinician educators.