Dr. Asif Ghauri St. George's University Sschool of Medicine Class of 2002


Dr. Asif GhauriAccording to Dr. Asif Ghauri, a good education and grades will not on their own guarantee a position in the highly competitive field of medicine. He believes that the quality education he received from SGU, combined with his determination, personality and work ethic, were collectively essential for his success. A 2002 SGU graduate, Dr. Ghauri is currently Chief Resident in family practice at Laindon Health Center in the United Kingdom.

Dr. Ghauri obtained excellent grades in medical school and achieved top scores on many of the medical exams, including the USMLE and the PLAB. One would think that getting a job after graduation would not be too difficult for this former pharmacist. However, at the time he was looking in early 2000 in the UK, for every spare internship not filled by a UK graduate, there were several hundred applicants. Therefore, securing an internship was more challenging than expected.

“I got myself an interview with Dr. S. Bailey, the postgraduate dean at the Eastern Deanery and started to promote myself, talking about my excellent medical education and how well I have done academically and professionally,” Dr. Ghauri recalled. “Somehow the conversation turned to old cars, which happens to be a hobby of mine. We must have talked about cars for more than two hours!”

Needless to say, the interview went well. A medical internship was created specifically for Dr. Ghauri, funded by the Eastern Deanery. This had never been done before for an IMG student.

Once he got his foot in the door, he worked diligently, using his medical knowledge to care for patients at Basildon University Teaching Hospital. Looking back, Dr. Ghauri credits St. George’s University for enabling him to achieve his goals.

Growing up in Essex County, England, Dr. Ghauri always had the ambition to study medicine. However, in spite of good undergraduate grades, fierce competition to enter medical school led to a temporary change in his career path. He decided to become a pharmacist, “The closest thing to medicine,” he said.

After he became an accomplished pharmacist, Dr. Ghauri headed to the US for a new challenge and started taking classes towards an MSc in Biology at the University of Texas, Arlington. While he was enrolled in classes, his premed advisor suggested he apply to SGU if he still intended to pursue his dream of becoming a physician. He was accepted in 1998 and was on his way.

Dr. Ghauri’s experience at SGU is worth noting. “The training I received during the basic science years was very good,” he said. “The SGU administration and faculty set high standards for medical students. They made us go that extra mile and achieve that much more.”

“One of the things I especially liked about SGU was the combination of training opportunities in the US and the UK,” he continued. “It is very unique for someone with my background to be able to learn about the two different systems of medicine at one school.” Dr. Ghauri did his clinical rotations in Jersey City, NJ and some electives in UK teaching hospitals. After graduation, he considered furthering his training in the US but in the aftermath of September 11th, he chose to return to the UK to be with his family. He started his residency in family practice in 2003, being the highest scoring applicant in family practice at the Eastern Deanery for that year.

Now that he is settled and enjoying his work, Dr. Ghauri shares his story about the way he secured his position in the UK. His experience has led him to start a consulting company which helps medical graduates become successful, practicing physicians.

Dr. Ghauri is and will always be thankful for his years at SGU. “SGU provides opportunities for those who truly want to study medicine,” he said. Dr. Ghauri believes that SGU sets high standards for all its students who are driven to become a success in their field.