Find a Top Internist Near Me in Bethesda, MD – Book an Appointment Instantly

Niala Saeed, PA-C is a nationally board physician assistant with 16 years of experience in primary care and occupational health. She is originally from Petersburg, WV. She completed her bachelor’s in health sciences in 2005 and received a master’s in physician assistant studies from Alderson Broaddus in 2006.

After graduating, she worked in the city of Winchester, VA for 5 years after which she moved to California and continued to practice primary care for 11 years. She enjoys focusing on women’s health, diabetes management, and behavioral health. Patient education with an emphasis on preventative health is at the core of her clinical practice.

Niala is also an NRCME certified medical examiner, giving her the ability to perform DOT physicals. Niala recently moved with her family back to Virginia from California. She is excited to return and serve the patients of Washington Internal Medicine. When she is not working, she enjoys spending time with her husband, two children, and her pet cat.

Sultana Afrooz, DO, is a holistic and integrative medicine physician at Be The Change Health & Wellness, located in Columbia, Maryland. Dr. Afrooz specializes in diagnosing and treating highly complex health challenges confronting many patients and providing them with the in-depth, compassionate, and individualized care they deserve.

Dr. Afrooz has practiced osteopathic medicine since receiving her doctorate from Des Moines University – Osteopathic Medical Center in Des Moines, Iowa, in 2002. Her training included an osteopathic internship and family practice residency at the Frankford Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Dr. Afrooz was board certified in family practice from 2005 to 2014 and is currently board-eligible. She has successfully completed the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners NBOME Part I, II, III Boards, the State Osteopathic Licensing Examination, and is licensed to practice medicine in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Georgia.

Dr. Afrooz is committed to evaluating and treating the individual while improving their physical health and spiritual well-being. She is well-versed in testing and discovering environmental, genetic, and infectious factors connected to chronic health issues. Dr. Afrooz utilizes the best available integrative laboratory evaluations to get to the root cause of disease and help patients regain their health. Dr. Afrooz brings to her practice of medicine a history of continued excellence in her training and education, an intellectual curiosity that's motivated by compassion, and a life-long commitment to learning. Dr. Sultana Afrooz specializes in treating patients who have been chronically ill from the effects of tick-borne infection, mold toxicity, and environmental toxicity.

Dr. Afrooz uses an integrative approach to treatment using prescription antimicrobials, herbal supplements, and nutritional supplements. She has an exceptional knowledge of mind-body medicine, food as medicine, and other integrative functional approaches to health and healing. Dr. Afrooz is dedicated to helping her patients achieve wellness and healing in all aspects of their lives. She believes that the body has an inherent ability to heal itself and that it is her goal as a practitioner to guide patients in their journey to healing. Dr. Afrooz has had extensive training in the treatment of tick-borne infections and has attended annual ILADS conferences to keep up to date on the latest research and treatments in tick-borne infections and Multiple Infectious Disease Syndrome. With this training, she has become extremely involved in learning about the systemic effects of mold toxicity and treating the chronic systemic effects of mold illness. Dr. Afrooz has also spent years studying the various methods of persistence in chronic infections.

Mahadevappa Hunasikatti, MD, FCCP, is a board-certified pulmonary care, critical care, and sleep medicine specialist at Sleep Services of Maryland LLC. He provides high-quality sleep medicine to people of all ages in Germantown, Maryland.

Dr. Hunasikatti grew up in India. He began his career pursuits at the Vijayanagar Institute of Medical Sciences (formerly Government Medical College) in Ballari, Karnataka, India, earning his medical degree. He then completed a psychiatry residency at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences in Bangalore.

In 1989, Dr. Hunasikatti moved to the United States. Before entering private practice, he completed a psychiatry internship, an internal medicine internship, and residency at the University of Toledo Health Science Campus in Ohio (formerly the Medical College of Ohio, Toledo) and a medicine-pediatrics internship at Hurley Medical Center in Flint, Michigan.

These experiences inspired Dr. Hunasikatti to pursue specialty training. He completed a critical care medicine fellowship at Shock Trauma | University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore and a pulmonary medicine fellowship at DMC Sinai-Grace Hospital (formerly Sinai Hospital Wayne State University) in Detroit, Michigan.

Dr. Hunasikatti has served in various roles throughout his career, including hospitalist, sleep medicine physician, and medical director. He diagnoses and treats most sleep-related health problems but has a special interest in sleep apnea, workplace fatigue, and restless legs syndrome.

Dr. Hunasikatti enjoys attending medical conferences, contributing to scientific journals, and speaking at sleep symposiums. He welcomes anyone experiencing insomnia or other sleep problems to Sleep Services of Maryland LLC today.

Jill Forbes, A-CNP, GS-C is an experienced provider holding an Autonomous Practice license from the Virginia Board of Medicine. She has been a practicing NP since 2005 who provides primary care for ages 14 and up. Her background includes working as a charge nurse in a 28-bed Intensive Care Unit, private internal medicine practice for ten years, skilled nursing, rehab and assisted living facilities.  Jill has a passion for caring for the elderly population and aiding her patients during end-of-life. She is a Certified Gerontological Specialist (GS-C). Her services include providing primary care via Telehealth and in-person to homebound patients and to patients living in assisted living communities. Jill delivers quality and compassionate care to her patients. She received her Bachelors of Science in Nursing at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and her Masters Degree in Nursing from the collaborative program of George Mason University and GW School of Medicine.

Jill Forbes, A-CNP, GS-C is an experienced provider holding an Autonomous Practice license from the Virginia Board of Medicine. She has been a practicing NP since 2005 who provides primary care for ages 14 and up. Her background includes working as a charge nurse in a 28-bed Intensive Care Unit, private internal medicine practice for ten years, skilled nursing, rehab and assisted living facilities.  Jill has a passion for caring for the elderly population and aiding her patients during end-of-life. She is a Certified Gerontological Specialist (GS-C). Her services include providing primary care via Telehealth and in-person to homebound patients and to patients living in assisted living communities. Jill delivers quality and compassionate care to her patients. She received her Bachelors of Science in Nursing at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and her Masters Degree in Nursing from the collaborative program of George Mason University and GW School of Medicine.

Dr. Seema Chaudhary is a preventive medicine expert and obesity physician at Nova Physician Wellness Center. As a health advocate for the people of Fairfax, Sterling, and Ashburn, Virginia, she has been in clinical practice for about 15 years.

She finished her residency from the University of Florida, Gainesville, and she joined Community Health Center Clearwater so that she could help the poor and underserved population. She moved from Florida to Northern Virginia and worked with Kaiser Permanente for about seven years.

During her tenure at Kaiser, she became more passionate about preventive medicine, especially treating obesity, which is the root cause of most chronic medical illnesses, like diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, heartburn, and arthritis.

Seeing the growing need for weight management expertise, she switched her area of specialty to bariatric medicine. She is now a board-certified obesity medicine specialist and helps patients achieve their healthiest weight, wellness, and a reversal of cardiovascular risk factors.

As a primary care physician, Dr. Chaudhary understands the complexity of chronic medical illness associated with abnormal weight gain. She is comfortable and confident with the treatment of obesity, while also monitoring all associated diseases.

Dr. Chaudhary works closely with her patients and collaborates with primary care physicians to help her patients live happy, healthier lives.

Office Location(s): Aldie

Other languages spoken: Spanish (fluent)

 

Double board-certified pediatrician and internal medicine specialist David Rubio, M.D., F.A.A.P., has cared for patients in Northern Virginia for over two decades. He is part of the Virginia Pediatric Group team and sees patients at the practice’s location in Aldie, Virginia. 

Dr. Rubio was born in Queens, New York, although he considers South Riding, Virginia, his hometown. He completed a six-year biomedical program with Union College in Schenectady, New York, earning a Bachelor of Science in 1987. He completed his medical degree in 1989 at Albany Medical College, also in New York. He then went on to complete his internal medicine/pediatrics residency training in 1993 at the North Shore University Hospital/Cornell University Medical Center in New York. 

Upon residency completion, Dr. Rubio joined the Northern Virginia Primary Care Associates in Annandale until 2008, when he developed and managed his own private pediatrics practice in South Riding. He was board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in 1994 and recertified in 2003. Dr. Rubio was also board certified by the American Board of Pediatrics in 1994 and recertified in 2016. 

In 2016, Dr. Rubio and his practice joined the Virginia Pediatric Group. He feels it is wonderful to watch the children he's cared for over the years grow and develop. The personal relationships made with families have been extremely rewarding, and he looks forward to doing the same for many years to come. 

Dr. Rubio is fluent in Spanish and resides in South Riding with his wife and three children. In his free time, he enjoys sports and music.

 

Patient Reviews

---

“Dr. Rubio is the best! We've been with him since before he joined Virginia Pediatrics, and is the only reason we stay with that group. He's patient and answers all of our questions. Always feel better after talking to him about any concerns we may have. The kids really like him too!”
- Karla D.

 

“Been with Dr. Rubio for over 10 years. He is patient, listens, is understanding, is not forceful with medical advice. Helps you to understand. We have always felt and still feel comfortable with him and his staff.”
- Estelle K.

 

“Dr. Rubio is an amazing pediatrician. Highly recommended.”
- Victor G.

 

“Dr. Rubio is the best, super friendly. He didn't rush (like many other places) and he was thorough. Definitely recommend.”
- Kishore K.

 

Jill Forbes, A-CNP, GS-C is an experienced provider holding an Autonomous Practice license from the Virginia Board of Medicine. She has been a practicing NP since 2005 who provides primary care for ages 14 and up. Her background includes working as a charge nurse in a 28-bed Intensive Care Unit, private internal medicine practice for ten years, skilled nursing, rehab and assisted living facilities.  Jill has a passion for caring for the elderly population and aiding her patients during end-of-life. She is a Certified Gerontological Specialist (GS-C). Her services include providing primary care via Telehealth and in-person to homebound patients and to patients living in assisted living communities. Jill delivers quality and compassionate care to her patients. She received her Bachelors of Science in Nursing at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and her Masters Degree in Nursing from the collaborative program of George Mason University and GW School of Medicine.

Jill Forbes, A-CNP, GS-C is an experienced provider holding an Autonomous Practice license from the Virginia Board of Medicine. She has been a practicing NP since 2005 who provides primary care for ages 14 and up. Her background includes working as a charge nurse in a 28-bed Intensive Care Unit, private internal medicine practice for ten years, skilled nursing, rehab and assisted living facilities.  Jill has a passion for caring for the elderly population and aiding her patients during end-of-life. She is a Certified Gerontological Specialist (GS-C). Her services include providing primary care via Telehealth and in-person to homebound patients and to patients living in assisted living communities. Jill delivers quality and compassionate care to her patients. She received her Bachelors of Science in Nursing at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and her Masters Degree in Nursing from the collaborative program of George Mason University and GW School of Medicine.

Jill Forbes, A-CNP, GS-C is an experienced provider holding an Autonomous Practice license from the Virginia Board of Medicine. She has been a practicing NP since 2005 who provides primary care for ages 14 and up. Her background includes working as a charge nurse in a 28-bed Intensive Care Unit, private internal medicine practice for ten years, skilled nursing, rehab and assisted living facilities.  Jill has a passion for caring for the elderly population and aiding her patients during end-of-life. She is a Certified Gerontological Specialist (GS-C). Her services include providing primary care via Telehealth and in-person to homebound patients and to patients living in assisted living communities. Jill delivers quality and compassionate care to her patients. She received her Bachelors of Science in Nursing at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and her Masters Degree in Nursing from the collaborative program of George Mason University and GW School of Medicine.