-New Resident Physicians-
Drs. Khalid, Farhat

Dr. Madiha Farhat

Physicians Tabindeh Khalid and Madiha Farhat have a lot in common. Not only are they the latest two resident physicians on rotation at the Mackinac Island Medical Center, they share a Pakistani nationality and a history of medicine in the family. Dr. Khalid arrived on the Island July 1 and will depart July 15, while Dr. Farhat arrived July 8 and will work until July 22.

Dr. Tabindeh Khalid

Dr. Khalid comes from a rich family tradition of medicine. Her father was a pediatrician and six of her seven siblings are in the medical field.

Born in New York and reared in Ann Arbor, Dr. Khalid attended medical school in Pakistan and has one year left in a family medicine residency at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. Learning medicine in Pakistan, she said, was a valuable experience.

"We have less of the high tech stuff there, so we rely more on our own skills," she said. "You kind of have to rely on your skills more. Here, we kind of just start ordering tests."

She is accompanied by her husband, Imran, and two daughters for her residency at the Mackinac Island Medical Center. Imran is also in the medical field. She said that wherever he gets a job will likely determine the location where she searches for a job.

This residency will mark the second year that Dr. Khalid has worked at the medical center. She was here last year, and liked it.

"I wanted to come this year, but there were no spots," she said. "Luckily enough, there was a cancellation and it was perfect for me."

Mackinac, she said, offers a relaxing atmosphere, and Dr. Khalid and her family have toured the Island and visited spots that they didn't get a chance to see last year.

Dr. Madiha Farhat Dr. Farhat was born and reared in Pakistan and attended medical school there before venturing to the United States about seven years ago following her marriage. Her father is a dental surgeon and many of her aunts and uncles are in the medical field.

"Because of the family, I got interested from a very young age," she said. "My parents always encouraged me."

Dr. Farhat has about one year to go on a family medicine residency at the Kalamazoo Center for Medical Studies and then hopes to begin a career.

She arrived on the Island July 8 with her husband and three children.

"It's really beautiful," she said of Mackinac. "It's just like what we see in the movies."