SAMEER ISLAMStudent Doctor, OMS-II Email Sameer

SAMEERISLAM

Sameer Islam in a dark pinstripe suit and tie

Student doctor, orthopaedic track.Second-year at LMU–DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine in Knoxville, Tennessee.

3 years in orthopaedic clinic Former volunteer EMT Published, AJBSR 2026

About

Three years beside a hand surgeon taught him to answer every clinical question with evidence.

Sameer in a white coat examining a patient's wrist in an exam room; the patient's face is blurred for privacy
Clinical skills: wrist exam

Sameer Islam is a second-year osteopathic medical student at Lincoln Memorial University–DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine, preparing for a career in orthopaedic surgery.

Before medical school he worked as a medical assistant and scribe at OrthoVirginia with hand and upper-extremity surgeon Dr. Alexander Croog. He took histories, presented patients, observed in the operating room and learned to take each question back to the literature. OrthoVirginia also provides medical care to the Washington Commanders, and as a Commanders fan, Sameer is grateful that the role gave him the chance to get on the field.

He didn’t set out to be a doctor. He planned a career in cybersecurity until a summer in the emergency department at Fort Belvoir Community Hospital changed his direction. Since then he has run calls as a volunteer EMT, led the Muslim Student Association at VCU and coordinated volunteers for A Place to Stand in Fairfax.

Medical school
LMU–DCOM, Class of 2029
Undergraduate
VCU Honors College, B.S. Biology
Interest
Orthopaedic surgery

Track record

  1. 2025to present

    Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine candidate

    LMU–DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine, Knoxville
    Education

    Second-year student building toward orthopaedic surgery, with ongoing clinical research in spine.

  2. 2022to 2025

    Medical Assistant and Scribe

    OrthoVirginia, Fair Oaks, Virginia
    Clinical

    Worked with Dr. Alexander Croog in hand and upper-extremity surgery: histories, triage, vitals, EMR documentation, case presentations and time in the OR. Through OrthoVirginia’s work with the Washington Commanders, he also got time on the field.

  3. 2022

    B.S. Biology, minor in Chemistry

    Virginia Commonwealth University, Honors College
    Education

    Coursework in neuroscience, biochemistry, organic chemistry and developmental psychology.

  4. 2021to 2022

    Emergency Medical Technician

    Henrico Fire Department, volunteer
    Clinical

    Basic life support calls: assessment, vitals and stabilization on the way to the emergency department.

  5. 2019to 2022

    President, Muslim Student Association

    Virginia Commonwealth University
    Leadership

    Fundraising chair, then president through the pandemic. He ran the budget with student affairs and built local partnerships.

  6. 2018to present

    Volunteer Coordinator

    A Place to Stand, Fairfax, Virginia
    Service

    Food drives, school courtyard cleanups with the Travis Manion Foundation and pandemic meal deliveries.

  7. 2018

    Emergency Department Volunteer

    American Red Cross, Fort Belvoir Community Hospital
    Clinical

    The summer that turned him from cybersecurity to medicine.

In training

Clinical skills, simulation, lab work and time with classmates at LMU–DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine, plus medical coverage out in the community.

Sameer Islam in his LMU–DCOM white coat with a stethoscope
Student doctor, LMU–DCOM
Sameer holding a laryngoscope over an airway training mannequin
Airway simulation
Sameer in black scrubs, surgical cap and mask
Scrubbed in
Sameer in navy scrubs and a stethoscope laughing with two classmates outside on campus
With classmates on campus
Sameer leaning on a treatment table next to a classmate in the osteopathic manipulative medicine lab
With a classmate in the OMM lab
Sameer in scrubs with a youth flag football team and their coach; the children's faces are blurred for privacy
Sideline medical coverage for youth flag football at Knoxville Christian School

Research

Published, October 2026

Electronic cigarette battery injuries presenting to US emergency departments, 2015 to 2024

Hassan S, Chahal JS, Islam S, Amadiar A, Park KT, Chughtai N, Gamadia M, Maris C, Keehn S

American Journal of Biomedical Science & Research 2026;32(4). doi:10.34297/AJBSR.2026.32.004174

A ten-year analysis of national emergency department surveillance data (NEISS) on burns and blast injuries from e-cigarette batteries, looking at where on the body patients were hurt and whether they were admitted.

Read the full text DOI

The question

Does the part of the body an e-cigarette battery injures predict whether a patient needs to be admitted?

What we found

Of 93 patients, most injuries were thermal burns, most often to the upper leg and the hand. About one in four were admitted, but the injury site did not predict who was.

Under review, 2026

Discontinuation and nonpublication of lumbar spinal fusion clinical trials

Hassan S, Gamadia M, Islam S, Chahal JS, Hanif MI

A 24-year registry-based analysis of Phase 3 and 4 randomized controlled trials registered on ClinicalTrials.gov.

The question

How often do spine fusion trials stop early or never publish, and what does that cost the patients who enrolled?

Why it matters

Surgeons choose fusion techniques from trial evidence. Results that go missing leave gaps in that evidence.

2025

Radial head fractures and lateral epicondylitis: an evidence review

Independent review written at Dr. Croog’s request after a clinic case raised the question.

Beyond medicine

2nd

Degree black belt, Taekwondo

Training since 2008. He has taught classes and given community demonstrations at Fort Belvoir.

Swim

Varsity swimmer

Red Cross–certified lifeguard at the Fort Belvoir family pools.

MVP

Varsity tennis

Singles and doubles, and twice named team MVP.

DE

Varsity football

Played defensive end on the varsity team through his junior year of high school.

2020

Jiu-jitsu

A year of training on the mats, from 2020 to 2021.

Sundays

Commanders fan

OrthoVirginia provides medical care to the Washington Commanders, and his time there gave him the chance to get on the field. He’s grateful for that opportunity.

Podcast

Give it a Snip

Sameer hosts Give it a Snip, a self-improvement podcast about the psychology of everyday life: what makes people happy, why we lose motivation halfway through a task, how free time and money really affect well-being, and how the seasons shape mood.

Episodes mix solo deep dives with conversations with friends and mentors, including his former teacher Dr. Gordon Brown.

  • 11 episodes
  • Self-improvement
  • Rated 5.0 on Apple Podcasts
Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify