Dr. Maham Babar was raised in Peshawar, Pakistan, and completed her medical education at Khyber Medical College before relocating to Canada. Her diverse experiences have fueled a strong commitment to patient advocacy and expanding access to quality healthcare. Dr. Babar is enthusiastic about continuing her training at Northside Hospital, where she aims to make a positive impact on the community’s health.
Following residency, she plans to pursue a career as a hospitalist while exploring interests in critical care, research, and medical education. In her free time, Dr. Babar enjoys strength training, playing board games, spending time with family, and exploring walking trails with her dog, Kubo.
Dr. Meghan Kapur grew up in Pensacola, Florida, where her family has resided for most of her life. She later moved to Houston, Texas, to attend Rice University, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics. During her time at Rice, she actively participated in the university’s EMS task force, which deepened her passion for medicine.
Pursuing her lifelong goal of becoming a physician, Dr. Kapur completed her medical education at the Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine. Now based in Atlanta, she is eager to explore various specialties as she advances through her residency.
Outside of medicine, Dr. Kapur enjoys live music, cooking, learning new languages, shopping, and spending time with friends. She is also a proud cat owner and holds a deep appreciation for music, language, and good food.
Dr. Megan Law is a dedicated physician originally from South Georgia. She pursued her undergraduate studies in Biology with double minors in Chemistry and Dance at Point Park University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After graduation, Dr. Law gained valuable research experience as a research assistant at Emory University before earning her medical degree from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2025.
Outside of medicine, she values a balanced lifestyle and enjoys traveling, reading, practicing yoga and Pilates, and is an enthusiastic Atlanta Braves fan, having attended over 40 games during the 2024 season. Her clinical interests include hospital medicine, infectious diseases, and critical care. Dr. Law is excited to begin her Internal Medicine residency at Northside Hospital.
Shivani Palanivel was raised in South Florida and Georgia. She earned her undergraduate degree in Neuroscience from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2020 and went on to complete her medical education at PCOM Georgia, choosing to remain close to her home community.
Throughout both undergraduate and medical school, Dr. Palanivel remained dedicated to community service, with a particular focus on volunteering at senior centers and assisted living facilities—a commitment she plans to carry forward in her medical career.
During her third-year rotations and Sub-Internship at Northside, she was drawn to the program’s broad clinical exposure and the opportunity to learn from its outstanding residents and faculty. These experiences solidified her interest in hospital medicine and critical care. She is excited to continue her training at Northside Gwinnett.
Outside of medicine, Dr. Palanivel enjoys running, hiking, reading, and spending time with her friends and family.
Dr. Michael Pierson is originally from Lakeville, Minnesota, and attended Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine. Before medicine, he worked as a licensed salon manager and cosmetologist, an experience that shaped his passion for helping people feel confident and improving quality of life through both health and aesthetics. His professional interests include hospital medicine, primary care, dermatology, allergy/immunology, rheumatology, and LGBTQIA+ healthcare.
Outside of work, his newer hobbies include surviving residency, gardening and plant propagation, attending music festivals and concerts, and exploring queer culture and community spaces. When he has free time, he's happiest relaxing by a beach or pool with a good book—because reading is fundamental. A fun fact about me is that my path to becoming a physician started in the beauty industry, giving me a unique perspective on wellness, self-image, and patient care.
Dr. Hifza Sakhi was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and completed her undergraduate studies at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where she double-majored in Biomedical Engineering and Computer Science. Before pursuing medicine, she worked as a software engineer at AT&T. She earned her medical degree from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in Suwanee, Georgia. Drawing on her engineering background, she has a keen interest in understanding mechanisms of disease processes which inspired her to pursue a residency in Internal Medicine. As a proud native of Gwinnett County, she is excited to be at Northside Hospital for her training. Her professional interests include hospital medicine. Outside of medicine, Dr. Sakhi enjoys exercising, exploring new restaurants and coffee shops, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.
Dr. Mustafa Salih is originally from Mosul, Iraq, and immigrated to the United States as a teenager. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia and his medical degree from the American University of Antigua College of Medicine. Having lived in four countries, he values cultural diversity, resilience, and compassionate patient care.
His professional interests include hospital medicine, critical care medicine, and medical education. He enjoys caring for acutely ill patients, solving complex clinical problems, and working as part of multidisciplinary teams to improve patient outcomes.
Outside of medicine, Mustafa enjoys soccer, traveling, exploring new coffee shops, and spending time with family and friends.
Dr. Beenish Usmani, a compassionate and dedicated physician, originally hails from Karachi, Pakistan. Having made Gwinnett her home for over five years, she is honored to serve the community at Northside Hospital. Her commitment to medicine was sparked at the age of 13 when she volunteered at a hospital serving underprivileged patients, an experience that fueled her lifelong passion for healthcare. Dr. Usmani is devoted to internal medicine, with clinical interests focused on nephrology and pulmonary/critical care, and she plans to pursue subspecialty training in these fields. Outside of her professional life, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling to new places, and expressing her creativity through art.
As a proud member of the Northside Hospital team, Dr. Usmani is dedicated to making a meaningful difference in the health and well-being of her community.
