Muhammad Hammad Asghar, MD

"So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?" (55:13) ✨ Incoming Infectious Diseases Fellow – Westchester Medical Center, NY 🇺🇲 It took me five years. “I don’t have the resources. Can I pursue the USMLE journey?” I asked a senior during my fourth year of MBBS, soon after he had matched. His response, “Only if you are willing to pay the price,” struck me deeply. ‘Could the son of a laborer, from a family surviving on a few thousand rupees a month, really dream this big? Was this path not reserved only for the privileged?’ For years, such questions consumed me. But not anymore. From that day on, I did not stop. Yes, it took me five years. Balancing work as a medical instructor and medical officer, long residency hours, and a full-time moonlighting job, all while surviving on four to five hours of sleep, was never easy. The journey was full of uncertainty, visa rejections, moments of humiliation, and countless tests of patience. Yet I kept going with quiet defiance, smiling through it all, grounded in discipline, consistency, and faith. Since the early days of medical school, the United States has always been my goal. Despite initial hesitation, financial burdens, and the knowledge that my path would take longer than most, making me an older graduate and placing me at a disadvantage, I still chose to begin. I could not allow my circumstances to define me, nor could I live with the regret of not even trying if my conscience were to question me in my forties or fifties, because Allah says, “That man can have nothing but what he strives for.” (53:39) I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the people who lifted me when I needed it most, as none of this would have been possible without them. This success belongs as much to my parents, family, mentors, colleagues, and friends as it does to me. To those who stood by me, thank you. And to those who didn’t, you too played your part. To anyone walking this path through uncertainty, self-doubt, or unanswered questions: trust in your work and in Allah’s plan. Write your own story, one that inspires someone else to keep going when they feel like giving up. And if you ever feel like quitting, remember you were not born to settle for less. Alhamdulillah, countless times! 🙏

"So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?" (55:13) ✨ Incoming Infectious Diseases Fellow – Westchester Medical Center, NY 🇺🇲 It took me five years. “I don’t have the resources. Can I pursue the USMLE journey?” I asked a senior during my fourth year of MBBS, soon after he had matched. His response, “Only if you are willing to pay the price,” struck me deeply. ‘Could the son of a laborer, from a family surviving on a few thousand rupees a month, really dream this big? Was this path not reserved only for the privileged?’ For years, such questions consumed me. But not anymore. From that day on, I did not stop. Yes, it took me five years. Balancing work as a medical instructor and medical officer, long residency hours, and a full-time moonlighting job, all while surviving on four to five hours of sleep, was never easy. The journey was full of uncertainty, visa rejections, moments of humiliation, and countless tests of patience. Yet I kept going with quiet defiance, smiling through it all, grounded in discipline, consistency, and faith. Since the early days of medical school, the United States has always been my goal. Despite initial hesitation, financial burdens, and the knowledge that my path would take longer than most, making me an older graduate and placing me at a disadvantage, I still chose to begin. I could not allow my circumstances to define me, nor could I live with the regret of not even trying if my conscience were to question me in my forties or fifties, because Allah says, “That man can have nothing but what he strives for.” (53:39) I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the people who lifted me when I needed it most, as none of this would have been possible without them. This success belongs as much to my parents, family, mentors, colleagues, and friends as it does to me. To those who stood by me, thank you. And to those who didn’t, you too played your part. To anyone walking this path through uncertainty, self-doubt, or unanswered questions: trust in your work and in Allah’s plan. Write your own story, one that inspires someone else to keep going when they feel like giving up. And if you ever feel like quitting, remember you were not born to settle for less. Alhamdulillah, countless times! 🙏

"So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?" (55:13) ✨ Incoming Infectious Diseases Fellow – Westchester Medical Center, NY 🇺🇲 It took me five years. “I don’t have the resources. Can I pursue the USMLE journey?” I asked a senior during my fourth year of MBBS, soon after he had matched. His response, “Only if you are willing to pay the price,” struck me deeply. ‘Could the son of a laborer, from a family surviving on a few thousand rupees a month, really dream this big? Was this path not reserved only for the privileged?’ For years, such questions consumed me. But not anymore. From that day on, I did not stop. Yes, it took me five years. Balancing work as a medical instructor and medical officer, long residency hours, and a full-time moonlighting job, all while surviving on four to five hours of sleep, was never easy. The journey was full of uncertainty, visa rejections, moments of humiliation, and countless tests of patience. Yet I kept going with quiet defiance, smiling through it all, grounded in discipline, consistency, and faith. Since the early days of medical school, the United States has always been my goal. Despite initial hesitation, financial burdens, and the knowledge that my path would take longer than most, making me an older graduate and placing me at a disadvantage, I still chose to begin. I could not allow my circumstances to define me, nor could I live with the regret of not even trying if my conscience were to question me in my forties or fifties, because Allah says, “That man can have nothing but what he strives for.” (53:39) I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the people who lifted me when I needed it most, as none of this would have been possible without them. This success belongs as much to my parents, family, mentors, colleagues, and friends as it does to me. To those who stood by me, thank you. And to those who didn’t, you too played your part. To anyone walking this path through uncertainty, self-doubt, or unanswered questions: trust in your work and in Allah’s plan. Write your own story, one that inspires someone else to keep going when they feel like giving up. And if you ever feel like quitting, remember you were not born to settle for less. Alhamdulillah, countless times! 🙏

"So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?" (55:13) ✨ Incoming Infectious Diseases Fellow – Westchester Medical Center, NY 🇺🇲 It took me five years. “I don’t have the resources. Can I pursue the USMLE journey?” I asked a senior during my fourth year of MBBS, soon after he had matched. His response, “Only if you are willing to pay the price,” struck me deeply. ‘Could the son of a laborer, from a family surviving on a few thousand rupees a month, really dream this big? Was this path not reserved only for the privileged?’ For years, such questions consumed me. But not anymore. From that day on, I did not stop. Yes, it took me five years. Balancing work as a medical instructor and medical officer, long residency hours, and a full-time moonlighting job, all while surviving on four to five hours of sleep, was never easy. The journey was full of uncertainty, visa rejections, moments of humiliation, and countless tests of patience. Yet I kept going with quiet defiance, smiling through it all, grounded in discipline, consistency, and faith. Since the early days of medical school, the United States has always been my goal. Despite initial hesitation, financial burdens, and the knowledge that my path would take longer than most, making me an older graduate and placing me at a disadvantage, I still chose to begin. I could not allow my circumstances to define me, nor could I live with the regret of not even trying if my conscience were to question me in my forties or fifties, because Allah says, “That man can have nothing but what he strives for.” (53:39) I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the people who lifted me when I needed it most, as none of this would have been possible without them. This success belongs as much to my parents, family, mentors, colleagues, and friends as it does to me. To those who stood by me, thank you. And to those who didn’t, you too played your part. To anyone walking this path through uncertainty, self-doubt, or unanswered questions: trust in your work and in Allah’s plan. Write your own story, one that inspires someone else to keep going when they feel like giving up. And if you ever feel like quitting, remember you were not born to settle for less. Alhamdulillah, countless times! 🙏

"So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?" (55:13) ✨ Incoming Infectious Diseases Fellow – Westchester Medical Center, NY 🇺🇲 It took me five years. “I don’t have the resources. Can I pursue the USMLE journey?” I asked a senior during my fourth year of MBBS, soon after he had matched. His response, “Only if you are willing to pay the price,” struck me deeply. ‘Could the son of a laborer, from a family surviving on a few thousand rupees a month, really dream this big? Was this path not reserved only for the privileged?’ For years, such questions consumed me. But not anymore. From that day on, I did not stop. Yes, it took me five years. Balancing work as a medical instructor and medical officer, long residency hours, and a full-time moonlighting job, all while surviving on four to five hours of sleep, was never easy. The journey was full of uncertainty, visa rejections, moments of humiliation, and countless tests of patience. Yet I kept going with quiet defiance, smiling through it all, grounded in discipline, consistency, and faith. Since the early days of medical school, the United States has always been my goal. Despite initial hesitation, financial burdens, and the knowledge that my path would take longer than most, making me an older graduate and placing me at a disadvantage, I still chose to begin. I could not allow my circumstances to define me, nor could I live with the regret of not even trying if my conscience were to question me in my forties or fifties, because Allah says, “That man can have nothing but what he strives for.” (53:39) I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the people who lifted me when I needed it most, as none of this would have been possible without them. This success belongs as much to my parents, family, mentors, colleagues, and friends as it does to me. To those who stood by me, thank you. And to those who didn’t, you too played your part. To anyone walking this path through uncertainty, self-doubt, or unanswered questions: trust in your work and in Allah’s plan. Write your own story, one that inspires someone else to keep going when they feel like giving up. And if you ever feel like quitting, remember you were not born to settle for less. Alhamdulillah, countless times! 🙏

Inspiration ♥️ Man who introduced me to the USMLE journey.