My Story – Assem Al Refaei, MD

My name is Assem Al Refaei, and I am a physician, educator, and researcher on a journey to grow, to serve, and to help others do the same.

I was born in Syria, studied medicine at the University of Jordan, and began my clinical path with an internship at Al-Esraa Hospital in Amman. Later, I trained as a resident in Dubai before moving to New York, where I am now an Internal Medicine resident at Westchester Medical Center, New York Medical College.

Like many international medical graduates, I faced the uncertainty of exams, visas, and new systems. With persistence, I became ECFMG-certified and scored 283 on the USMLE Step 2 CK. Behind that score was not just knowledge, but thousands of hours with my constant companion: Anki. I often joke that I am “addicted” to Anki, but in truth, it shaped my discipline and gave me the structure to master medicine one card at a time.

That same obsession with structure is what inspired me to build AlRefaeiMD—not just as a platform, but as a mission. My goal is simple yet ambitious: to help 1 million medical students succeed in their exams, research, and careers. Through YouTube, courses, mentorship, and community, I want to give others the clarity and confidence I once craved.

I am also a firm believer in the thoughtful use of artificial intelligence. I embrace AI as a partner in learning, creating, and scaling impact. At the same time, I admit I am still something of a technophobe when it comes to social media platforms. You may suspect that much of what I write carries the touch of AI—and you would be right. But I want you to know this: my mind, my values, and my vision are in every single word. AI helps me express more, but it never replaces the person behind it.

Research has also become a passion of mine. I have been fortunate to publish 16+ peer-reviewed papers, collaborate with teams at the University of California San Diego and the Karolinska Institute, and serve as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Young Investigators. What drives me is not the number of papers, but the joy of discovery—and the chance to mentor others in unlocking their academic potential.

At heart, I am still a student—of medicine, of research, of technology, and of life. I believe in faith, in discipline, in the power of service, and in the idea that success means lifting others up with you. If there is one thread that ties my journey together, it is this: everything I learn, I share. Everything I achieve, I want multiplied in the lives of others.

This is the journey I am on, and I hope you will join me.

— Assem Al Refaei, MD