Sydney Shoulder Research Institute - Current Fellows
2022 Fellow
Adil Shahzad Ahmed, M.D
Tampa, USA
BIO
Adil Ahmed was born and raised in Dallas, Texas, U.S.A., the son of Pakistani immigrants. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Texas Christian University, and subsequently completed medical school at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. Adil then completed his five-year Orthopaedic Surgery residency training in Tampa, Florida, U.S.A. at the University of South Florida and Florida Orthopaedic Institute. He received the honor of being chosen as Chief Resident in his final year. Upon completing residency training, Adil pursued a year-long fellowship in Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A. Following this, Adil moved to Sydney, Australia to train at the Sydney Shoulder Research Institute for further sub-specialization in Shoulder and Elbow Surgery.
Outside of the medical world, Adil is an avid martial arts enthusiast, having trained in various disciplines for over 18 years. He also loves to travel, and has visited over 40 countries. Adil enjoys writing for pleasure, and has written articles and anecdotes in publications such as Buzzfeed, KevinMD, and Doximity. He also runs a website (www.medschooldeclassified.com) chronicling his medical and surgical training, and offering advice and guidance to hopeful students.
Adil returns to Houston, Texas, U.S.A. to join the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine, where his practice will encompass the full gamut of finger to shoulder upper extremity surgery.
My Fellowship Story
The best laid plans sometimes don’t come to pass but I am so grateful that in my case they did. I had worked for two previous SSRI fellows during my training in Ireland, who spoke highly of their time in Sydney both professionally and socially. I was lucky to secure my place on the highly competitive SSRI fellowship programme in 2019, which I thought would be the biggest challenge. How wrong I was.
Fast forward to June 2021, 2 years into a global pandemic and world-wide travel still limited, we packed our bags. The days when you could easily travel the world with just a passport and a credit card were on hold. We will be forever indebted to Jasmin at the SSRI. Without her helping us navigate the necessary paper work for both medical registration and COVID-19 travel exemption, we would never have had the adventure of a lifetime. After one last headache of having our flights cancelled with a week to go, I finally boarded the plane with my wife and two sons (aged 2 years and 6 months). After a surprisingly enjoyable hotel quarantine experience, we had arrived and loved every minute of the next 12 months.
From a professional stand point, I could not recommend Dr Cass, Dr Young and Dr Hughes more as mentors for others looking to learn. Every aspect of shoulder and elbow surgery was covered, be it in the operating theatre, clinic room, small group tutorial or at the coffee table between cases. I was exposed to a high volume caseload, a spectrum of complexity and had the opportunity to develop my own skills set. For years to come, I will be recalling what I learnt at the SSRI as I start my own practice.
From a personal stand front, my family loved our adventure. We have made lifelong memories and fell in love with the city and wider Australian culture. It really is one of the best cities in the world for young families. At the SSRI, I have made lifelong friends that I will be indebted to forever for the opportunity they gave me. The year exceeded my expectations in every way.
Robert Piggott