Leadership

Fred R. Buckhold III, M.D.
Associate professor
Director, Internal Medicine Residency Program 

Originally from St. Louis, Buckhold went to the University of Arizona for his undergraduate degree before attending Saint Louis University for medical school and staying at SLU for IM residency. He joined the faculty after graduating in 2010 and became program director in 2014.

Buckhold has held plenty of different roles and responsibilities in his tenure at SLU. Above all of these, the most fulfilling is the role of PD, which provides the opportunity to exponentially improve patient care, build the careers of early physicians, and interact daily with a fantastic community of residents that provides such a positive impact on the program and the institution. Despite the bald jokes.

Buckhold has four daughters, a dog and now a guinea pig (because what’s another mouth to feed), and a saint of a wife who puts up with such madness. In his spare time, Buckhold loves to hear from former residents, particularly if they stressed him out, just so he may return the favor or hit them up for money for current residents. He also religiously watches his soccer (#COYS) and cannot wait for St. Louis City SC.

Twitter: @DrBuckholdSLU
Instagram: im_slu_pd

Stephanie Shieh, M.D.
Senior associate program director 
Division: Nephrology
Primary Practice Site: John Cochran VA Hospital

Stephanie Shieh is originally from Saint Louis but did the majority of her training in California including internal medicine residency and a chief resident year at University of California Irvine, as well as a nephrology fellowship at University of California San Francisco. She returned to St. Louis in 2014 and has been working at Saint Louis University and the John Cochran VA in both nephrology and internal medicine.

Shieh's interests are varied and include home-dialysis therapies, innovations in educational teaching, and healthcare policy both within and outside the VA.

Working with SLU and the Veterans Affairs has afforded Shieh the ability work with a diverse patient population with exposure to different models of healthcare delivery. She says her experiences working with residents, fellows, and medical students have helped her to become a better mentor, educator and clinician.

Ghassan Kamel, M.D., 
Division: Pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine
Primary Practice Site: SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital

Ghassan Kamel moved to Saint Louis in 2011 from Beirut, Lebanon, after completing his medical school training at the American University of Beirut. Saint Louis University has been his home since then. He completed his internal medicine training, chief residency, and pulmonary and critical care fellowship at SLU. He joined SLU as faculty in July 2018, he is now the medical ICU director and one of the associate program director for the core IM program. 

Kamel has a strong interest in airway diseases - in particular asthma and COPD. He is interested in quality improvement and improving health care metrics, especially in the ICU. 

On a personal level, he is a father of two beautiful daughters, and he loves spending time with them and his amazing wife. He enjoys tennis, basketball, and sports in general.

Twitter: @GKamelMD

Paul Kunnath, M.D. 
Division: General internal medicine
Primary Practice Site: SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital

Paul Kunnath received his undergraduate degree at Washington University in St. Louis, where he studied biomedical engineering and music. He worked as a research and development engineer in St. Louis prior to completing medical school, residency and chief residency at Saint Louis University. He joined the SLU faculty in 2020. 

Kunnath is a general internist and sees primary care patients at the Saint Louis University Doctors Office Building (soon to be Center for Specialized Medicine). He also attends on the general internal medicine wards at Saint Louis University Hospital. His teaching interests are in clinical reasoning and evidence-based medicine. His research interests are in reduction of low-value medical practices and physician and patient numeracy. He is deeply grateful for the opportunity to teach and learn from residents and students. 

Twitter: @PaulKunnath

Philip Mar, M.D., Pharm.D. 
Division: Cardiology
Primary Practice Site: SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital

Philip Mar grew up in Atlanta, and earned his pharmacy degree at the University of Georgia. After pharmacy school, he worked for a few years as a pharmacist while attending medical school at the Medical College of Georgia, and then completed his internal medicine residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He then moved to Kentucky to finish his general cardiology fellowship at the University of Louisville, where he also served as chief cardiology fellow. After cardiology fellowship, he finished an advanced fellowship in clinical cardiac electrophysiology at Indiana University before starting his career in academia at Saint Louis University. In his free time, Mar enjoys playing table tennis and is always looking for a good challenge!

Kelvin L. Pollard II, M.D.
Division: General Internal Medicine
Primary Practice Location: Center for Specialized Medicine

Kelvin L. Pollard II earned his undergraduate degree from Austin Peay State University in Biology with special emphasis in Leadership studies and graduate degrees from Mississippi College and Meharry Medical College. He worked as an elementary, middle school, and high school teacher prior to completing medical school at Meharry Medical College. He completed residency and chief residency at Saint Louis University before he joined faculty in 2022.

Pollard is an assistant professor of medicine, associate program director and general internal medicine physician at the Center for Specialized Medicine and SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospitals respectively. He provides patient care both in the outpatient and hospital setting.  He is most passionate about medical education, curricula innovations, and eradicating health disparities through evidenced based, culturally competent care. He is actively implementing the P.R.O.M.O.T.E. initiative, a new resident led medical education leadership initiative. He enjoys the opportunity to participate in the training and mentorship of both medical students and resident physicians.

Justin Purdy, M.D. 
Division: Hospital Internal Medicine 

Primary Practice Site: SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital 

Justin Purdy completed his medical school training at the University of Missouri and residency at the University of Kentucky. He also completed a hospital medicine fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and stayed on as faculty.  He is originally from St. Louis and jumped at the opportunity to move back in 2019 and join the hospitalist group at Saint Louis University Hospital. Upon joining SLU, Purdy helped develop a hospital medicine track for our senior residents and continues to serve as the co-director of the track. His research interests are focused on professional development, shared decision making, and preserving autonomy for patients and learners.   

When not in the hospital he enjoys spending time with his family which usually requires that he try and maintain some semblance of peace as his three children work tirelessly to destroy the house.  When a quiet moment can be found Purdy enjoys watching sports, binging prestige TV and playing golf or hockey.

Maya Mahmoud, M.D.
Hometown: Lebanon 
Undergraduate school: Saint Joseph University of Beirut
Medical school: Saint Joseph University of Beirut

"Born and raised in Lebanon, I completed my medical education at Saint Joseph University, followed by an internal medicine residency at the American University of Beirut. Seeking new horizons, I joined SLU for an internal medicine residency, where I am currently serving as chief resident. Since moving to the United States, SLU has become my second home, a place where I’ve found a community I can rely on and people who have given me both support and the strength to thrive. In my new role, I aim to continue helping others grow and flourish, just as those who came before have done for me."

Michael Zhang, M.D.
Hometown: Melbourne, Australia
Undergraduate school: University of Melbourne, Australia
Graduate school: University of Melbourne, Australia
Medical school: University of Queensland, Australia

"Committing three years to residency training is no small undertaking, with all the ups and downs life can throw at you. The SLU ethos resonated with me from the beginning and the Internal Medicine residency program welcomed me with open arms. I have had the privilege of taking care of patients from all walks of life. From those critically ill in the intensive care unit, to my own primary care patients in the state-of-the-art SLU Internal Medicine ambulatory clinic. Under the guidance of mentors and attending physicians in Internal Medicine & other subspecialty Medicine services, I can attest to the wonderful training that SLU offers. My co-residents continue to inspire me with their fierceness and dedication to patients, and their support for one another. I am proud to represent SLU and welcome you to our family."