Current Fellows
2024
Tarun Aurora, MD
Bio
Dr. Aurora was born in Detroit but raised in sunny Atlanta, GA. He studied biomedical
engineering at Georgia Tech and quickly realized he enjoyed the patient aspect of
learning. After finishing at the Medical College of Georgia, he moved to the Midwest
to pursue a Med-Peds residency at University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Children’s
Hospital. He developed a passion for hematology and the importance of transitional
care. He is currently pursuing a combined Hematology/Oncology fellowship with the
University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
He is excited to start his journey in Memphis!
Christine Son, MD
Bio
Dr. Son is a born and raised Memphian. She attended UTHSC for medical school as well
as residency. After completing a Chief year, she is excited to stay in Memphis for
fellowship. In her spare time, Dr. Son enjoys spending time with her dog Blue (who
was adopted during the pandemic), traveling, supporting Memphis's sports teams, and
exploring the city's expanding restaurant scene.
Lina Todorova, MD
Bio
Dr. Todorova is originally from Burgas, Bulgaria. She came to the United States at
age 11 and has lived mostly in Chicago ever since. She attended University of Illinois
at Urbana - Champaign where she majored in Molecular and Cellular Biology, minored
in Chemistry and did extensive bench research on arachidonic acid deficiency. She
attended medical school at Des Moines University, then Franciscan Health for her Internal
Medicine residency. She became interested in Hematology/Oncology after her mother
was diagnosed with melanoma. During residency, Dr. Todorova presented posters at multiple
conferences and she created a sickle cell order set and studied its impact on inpatient
care and long term outcomes. Currently, she is working on projects which involve
breast cancer screening in the elderly and incidence of thrombosis in patients with
COVID-19. She aspires to be a teaching faculty at a major academic institution and
a part-time clinician and a researcher after completing her fellowship. During her
free time, Dr. Todorova enjoys hiking, reading, trying new restaurants and traveling
around the world. She has been to over 10 countries and hopes to travel the world
one day!
Rana Usman, MD
Bio
Dr. Usman is originally from Lahore, Pakistan and attended Rawalpindi Medical College
there. He moved to Memphis and completed his residency here at UTHSC. He is thrilled
to stay at UT to complete his Hematology/Oncology fellowship because the mid-south
area offers incredibly diverse pathology and provides opportunity to work with great
mentors in this field. When he is not working, Dr. Usman enjoy cooking, spending time
with friends and travelling.
Sarah Hashimi, MD
Bio
Dr. Hashimi grew up in Mobile, AL and bounced around the state until landing in Memphis
for residency. She received her undergraduate degree in Chemistry from Auburn University.
Afterwards, she completed medical school at University of Alabama Birmingham where
she met her husband while in Huntsville, AL for her clerkships. After graduation,
she migrated from her home state to Memphis where she completed a residency in Internal
Medicine and Pediatrics. She is thrilled to stay at UT to complete her Hematology/Oncology
fellowship! Outside of the hospital you can find her exploring Memphis and its surrounding
counties, running the Memphis Greenline, and escaping to Colorado during vacations
to work on her goal of hiking all the Colorado “14ers.”
Elizabeth John, MD
Bio
Dr. Elizabeth John grew up in the Middle East and then moved to India where she completed
her medical school. After medical school, she relocated to Memphis, TN to be with
her husband where she completed her internal medicine residency at UTHSC. Subsequently,
she worked as an academic hospitalist at Methodist University Hospital for five years
and is now excited to pursue hematology oncology fellowship at UTHSC. Dr John loves
to call Memphis her home, exploring its culinary scene and photographing its nooks
and corners with her husband and two daughters.
Terrence Jones, MD
Bio
Dr. Terrence Jones is from Mississippi. He received an undergraduate degree in biochemistry
at the University of Mississippi. He moved to Memphis to complete both medical school
and residency at UTHSC and is excited to remain at UT to complete his Hematology/Oncology
fellowship. He enjoys doing spending time with his family, traveling, outdoor activities,
and doing research.
Simran Sekhon, MD
Bio
Dr. Sekhon moved from Northern California, where she completed her Internal Medicine
residency as well as doing a chief year. Following residency, she worked as an academic
hospitalist and finished a Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship at Stanford
University. She also had the opportunity to work as a sub-investigator in clinical
trials involving novel therapies for Sarcoma and Pancreatic Cancer at the Cancer Centers
of Southern California. Additionally, she has presented abstracts about the same at
national conferences such as ASCO and CTOS. When she is not busy with the duties of
fellowship, she loves to travel and spend time with her family.
Xinyu VonButtlar, MD
Bio
Dr. von Buttlar grew up in Memphis, where she received her undergraduate degree in
Biochemistry from Christian Brothers University, and both her master’s degree in Pharmacology
and medical degree from UTHSC. Following medical school, she trained in Internal Medicine
at Georgetown, Washington, DC, and is excited to return to her home in Memphis to
continue in her fellowship in Hematology/Oncology at UTHSC. In her spare time, she
enjoys spending time with her husband, traveling, painting, and trying out new recipes
and new restaurants.
Pavel Aksionav, MD
Bio
Meet Pavel Aksionav, a compassionate physician from Belarus. After graduating from
Vitebsk State Medical University, Pavel pursued his passion for medicine in the United
States. He completed his internal medicine residency at UTHSC and discovered his calling
in hematology/oncology. Pavel chose this blooming specialty to make a meaningful impact
on the lives of millions in the US. Outside of medicine, Pavel enjoys traveling and
plans to visit all 50 states. He also finds joy in reading, walking his dog, and spending
time with his loved ones.
Omar Mohammed, MD
Bio
Dr. Mohammed grew up in Murfreesboro, TN where he completed undergraduate studies
in Physics at MTSU. He then moved to Memphis for to complete medical school and Internal
Medicine residency at UTHSC. He worked at Northwestern Palos hospital in the Chicago
suburbs after completion of residency. He is excited to return to Memphis for Hematology
and Oncology fellowship. He is married and enjoys football and technology.
Natasha Amjed, MD
Bio
Dr. Natasha Amjed is excited to continue her medical training in Tennessee. She was
born in Lahore, Pakistan and grew up in Boston, MA and Birmingham, AL. She attended
medical school at the Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine. She then completed
her internal medicine residence training in Chattanooga, TN as well as a chief year.
Dr. Amjed enjoys rock climbing with her adventurous fiancé, cooking, traveling, and
yoga.
Srishti Sareen, MD
Bio
Dr. Srishti Sareen comes from a family of physicians. She completed her medical school
in India and started her medical journey in the USA with oncology rotations at MGH
hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston. She then continued to work in Thoracic Oncology
at Baptist Cancer Center and stayed in Memphis to complete Internal Medicine Residency
at UTHSC. Her husband also trained at UT and is now working as an endovascular neurologist
in Memphis. Together they have 3-year-old twin girls. Dr. Sareen loves to travel and
explore regional cuisines with her family. A trained classical dancer, she is also
passionate about cooking, hosting and enjoys being a twin mommy!