Critical care physicians have expertise caring for patients with life-threatening or serious illnesses or injuries and typically work in an intensive care unit (ICU). The goals of critical care are to stabilize the patient's condition, prevent further complications and promote recovery.
Dr. Patrick Sylvester, a pulmonology critical care and emergency medicine physician, graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a bachelor of science degree before going on to graduate summa cum laude from The Ohio State University College of Medicine.
“When I was in the process of finding a position in central Illinois, I was stuck by how honest and straightforward everyone was and how welcoming they were when I came to visit,” Dr. Sylvester said. “I felt like this was going to be a great fit for myself and my family.”
Dr. Bharat Raju, a nephrology critical care physician, graduated with honors from the People’s Friendship University of Russia School of Medicine in Moscow. He served a residency in internal medicine at Good Samaritan Hospital in Cincinnati, a fellowship in nephrology at Washington University in St. Louis and a critical care fellowship at Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, N.Y.
“I want to reassure the patients and their families that the ICU is not a place to be scared of, but it is a place to receive the care you need at the time of a critical illness,” Dr. Raju said. “It’s where new journeys begin.”
Dr. Kewan Hamid, a pulmonology critical care physician, earned a medical degree from Hawler Medical University College of Medicine in Iraq and served a residency at Hurley Medical Center in Flint, Michigan. He also had fellowships in pulmonology and critical care at the University of South Alabama Hospital in Mobile, Alabama, and St. Peters University Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
“I am looking forward to getting to know my patients and the Decatur area,” Dr. Hamid said.