Faculty

I was born in Norman, Oklahoma, and grew up on a farm in what is today the Muscogee Nation Reservation. Following high school, I attended the University of Oklahoma where I studied psychology. I worked in bachelor-level positions in mental health before returning to the same institution to pursue graduate education in that field.

I completed my pre-doctoral internship at the Oklahoma Health Consortium splitting time between Goddard Health Services on campus at OU, and both the Harold Hamm Diabetes Center and the Oklahoma Children’s Hospital’s Diabetes and Endocrinology Clinic on the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center campus. Subsequent to the completion of my time at OU and OUHSC I completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Oklahoma City Veteran Affairs Medical Center.

I love my work as a psychologist, particularly related to the treatment of anxiety, insomnia, trauma, and testing (ADHD, learning disabilities, personality, etc.). As a citizen of the Chickashsha (Chickasaw) Nation, multicultural issues are also a particularly important area of interest to me.

I’m a young–at–heart Family Doctor with a passion for special needs patients/Autism spectrum disorders, obstetrics, missions medicine, teaching young physicians and for life-long learning. My hubby Ted & I love family activities with our 3 children, we share in vocal music and brass band performance, travelling, cooking and going fishing.

I grew up in Oklahoma, and have done most of my professional training only a few miles away from where I now serve among Godly, amazing friends in medical ministry. Graduated from the University of Oklahoma with my Letters degree and then with an MD, I then got my Residency training right here, at the newly-formed St. Anthony Family Medicine Residency. It was a leap of faith into an amazing new venture: to serve Christ and to develop clinical skills alongside docs determined to make a difference, through faith and excellent clinical care. It worked! We prayed, trusted and worked side-by-side to build an amazing residency education site, which continues to grow and to thrive today.

After residency, I completed 16 years of missions medicine, 7 years overseas (Zambia, others,) international disaster relief & short-term missions, & 9 yrs in inner-city free clinic (Atlanta, GA) and substance abuse recovery programs (Dallas, TX and Washington, D.C.). After 7 more years teaching in an academic, rural FP program for OU, I have returned to my home at Saints, continuing this personal mission: To honor God with my life’s work, providing primary care among underserved populations, through excellence in clinical practice for my patients, with colleagues, clinical residents and students.

I grew up in Muskego, Wisconsin. I joined the United States Air Force right after high school graduation. I worked as a Medical Service Specialist in the Emergency Department for four years and was stationed in Minot, North Dakota while in the military. I went to College in Colorado and Physician Assistant School at Wichita State University College of Health Professions. I attended medical school in Tulsa at OSU and Family Medicine Residency at Hillcrest Health Center in Oklahoma City. My special interests are in Hospice and Palliative Medicine, Medicolegal Medicine and Graduate Medical Education. My wife, Darlina, and I have one son and 3 grandchildren.

I was born in southern California and raised in Oklahoma. I graduated from the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine in 1993 and completed a Family Medicine residency in the US Navy at Naval Hospital at Camp Pendleton, California. I served at the Naval Hospital in Yokosuka, Japan before returning home to Norman, Oklahoma in June of 2000 and starting with the St. Anthony Family Medicine Residency program.

I am married with five children, now grown, and four grandchildren. My grandfather completed an internship at St. Anthony Hospital in 1939. My special interests in Family Medicine include inpatient medicine, obstetrics, and point of care ultrasound.

Outside of residency interests include interfaith dialogue, social justice, family history research, swimming, cycling & running.

I was raised in Oklahoma City after moving from North Carolina at a young age. I graduated from Baylor University and then went to OU for medical school, where I was part of the community medicine track. I went to the University of Washington in Seattle, WA for residency and then worked at a Critical Access Hospital and Rural Health Clinic in Grand Coulee, WA (Population 1257). My family and I decided to move back to our roots, and I joined SSM Family Medicine Residency. I have a wide variety of interests in medicine which include rural health, teaching, MOUD and POCUS. I am board certified in addiction medicine.

Outside of medicine I have too many hobbies to name, but I am certain we have something in common. I especially like spending time with my wife and children, cycling, running, homebrewing and trying not to kill my beehive.

I was born and raised in south Oklahoma City. I graduated from MIT with a degree in Chemistry and completed medical school at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, TN. After completing residency at Via Christi Family Medicine Residency in Wichita, KS, I returned to Oklahoma. I worked for two years in Chickasha, OK seeing patients in the clinic and nursing home, and doing colonoscopies prior to joining St. Anthony faculty. My clinical interests include inpatient medicine, women's health, and bedside ultrasound. My research interests include clinical informatics and global health.

Outside of work, I like to spend time with my family. That includes my husband Francisco, my two children, Carmen and Samuel, my parents Patti and John, and our dog Katie. My husband is from Mexico, so we frequently travel there to see family. When time allows, I enjoy playing music, gardening, birdwatching, and enjoying the outdoors.

I grew up in central New Jersey and thought I’d stay a Jersey girl for the rest of my life… However, God had other plans, starting with undergrad in Steubenville, OH, then medical school at Lincoln Memorial University DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine in eastern TN, and family medicine residency here at SSM Health – St. Anthony Hospital in Oklahoma City. Now, I am proud to have become one of the program faculty and teach our physicians in training while continuing to practice full spectrum family medicine. Special interests include obstetrics, OMT, and NaProTECHNOLOGY restorative women’s health.

Outside of work, I enjoy staying active, helping run the OKC Catholic Medical Association guild and traveling. My husband and I have two children.

After moving multiple times, we moved to Edmond, Oklahoma during junior high. I graduated from Edmond Memorial HS before attending Oklahoma Christian where I studied Biochemistry. Here I met and married my husband. Together, we attended OU Medical School and moved to Enid to complete a rural residency program. After residency, God sent us to Woodward, Oklahoma.

In Woodward, I was blessed to serve the NW OK, Texas panhandle and SW Kansas area, providing rural family medicine and OB services for 24 years. During that time, I raised three children, and was very involved in church, school, and community activities. I also enjoyed being able to do short term medical mission work in Mexico and Central America.

In my office, I was asked to allow learners at different levels in medicine to work with me at times and through this community preceptorship, I found that I liked to teach. And then when we needed to move closer to family, God provided the opportunity for me to join the SSM Health Family Medicine Residency to teach new doctors who are just starting their journeys.

Outside of medicine, I enjoy traveling, especially to go scuba diving or skiing, but I am always excited to see as much of God’s creation as I can.

I was born in Tulsa and raised on a small farm, with 3 siblings and 4 step siblings. I attended the University of Tulsa as a philosophy major, and then OSU College of Osteopathic medicine, graduating in 1992. I have been teaching and practicing Osteopathy since graduating from my Family Practice Residency at Ochsner Hospital in New Orleans in 1995. After a few years in resident education in South Dakota, and a manipulation practice in New Orleans, I spent 11 years with the VA. I joined SAFM in 2011 part time, and now am enjoying full time faculty and director of Osteopathic Education since 2018.

On the weekends, my husband of 25 years and I run a small cattle ranch west of OKC, where we enjoy the sunsets over the hill where we were married. I have an adult son and daughter and we enjoy activities on the farm together. We play music together, go shooting, practice martial arts and train new heifers to be part of the herd! We see our ranch as a place where our family and friends can have sanctuary from the busy life in the city, promoting wellness and longevity through creativity and self-care (exercise, nutrition, relaxation, and creative repurposing).

I was born in Detroit, Michigan, while my dad was an intern. My parents became missionaries, serving in the Congo (DRC), where I spent most of my youth. I moved from Africa to Michigan for college, took time off to get married and start a family before moving to Oklahoma for medical school at Oral Roberts University on a National Health Service scholarship. After residency in Orlando, FL, I served rural communities in Alabama for 4 years, a short stint in Wisconsin, and 7 years in Appalachia (southern West Virginia) before joining this residency in 1999. I’m now working part-time, supervising in our clinic, a nursing home, and coordinating the geriatrics rotation. I enjoy teaching geriatrics and exploring the intersection between faith and medicine. My wife and I have four children and seven grandchildren, and enjoy cycling, camping and spending time with family.

I grew up in Blanchard, Oklahoma. I attended undergraduate school at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma, then medical school at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine in Oklahoma City. After completing family medicine residency at SSM Health in 2019, I began full time outpatient practice with SSM Health in my hometown of Blanchard. I remain part time faculty with SSM Health family medicine residency for inpatient medicine and practice management rotations. Outside of work, I love spending time with my husband and my four children, coaching the kids’ sports teams, serving in youth and children’s ministries at church, gardening and cooking.

I am a born and raised Okie. I lived many summers in the north Houston area, but as the song says, I'm "Sooner Born, and Sooner Bred." My mom worked hard raising us, usually with two jobs and night school. She was a critical care nurse, so my sister and I grew up around the hospital. I guess it finally rubbed off since three out of four of her children went into the medical field. Through medical school at the University of Oklahoma, I found that I loved all areas of medicine and loved building relationships even more! During my residency training at SAFMR, I discovered my passion for teaching. So, after I finished my fellowship in advanced obstetrics, I joined the residency faculty for the first 10 years of my career. As much as I enjoyed teaching, I knew it was time for a change. The Lord blessed my path again with the opportunity to start Long Life DPC. I continue to be part-time faculty. My interests include my God, my wife and daughters, and Oklahoma football; my professional interest are office procedures, obstetrics and women's health, lifestyle and nutrition, and the intersection of spiritual and physical health.

I grew up in Richardson, a northern suburb of Dallas, Texas. I did my undergraduate studies at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX, where I received my Bachelor’s degree in Microbiology. I went to Ross University School of Medicine in Dominica, West Indies, for medical school and completed my residency in Family Medicine in Waco, Texas. After graduating residency, I moved to the rural town of Poteau, Oklahoma, (est. population 8,520). During my time in Poteau, I was able to continue doing surgical obstetrics, inpatient and outpatient medicine, nursing home, and I became the medical director for two home health companies and a hospice.

After working in Poteau for three years and being on the verge of burnout, I moved to Oklahoma City and joined a small private practice where I continued to practice full scope family medicine, but on a smaller scale. I first started working with residents in 2012 as an associate faculty member with the Great Plains Family Medicine Residency Program in OKC. During this time, I quickly realized how much I enjoyed teaching and training residents. So much so, that I became full-time faculty with the St. Anthony Family Medicine Residency program in 2017. My areas of interest in family medicine include obstetrics, POCUS and inpatient medicine. I am married with three children. I enjoy cycling, mountain biking, camping, and most of all spending time with my family.

Dr. Saleem brings a global perspective to her work, having lived in five countries before settling in Oklahoma to complete her medical education (she’s even learned to appreciate sweet tea). She completed her residency at St. Anthony Hospital, followed by fellowship training in high-risk obstetrics and women’s health at the University of Illinois College of Medicine, where she remains on staff as a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine. Now back at St. Anthony as adjunct clinical faculty, she is passionate about patient-centered, evidence-based care and improving access to healthcare for all.

She is actively involved with two local nonprofit clinics, serving as both a board member and volunteer physician. A strong advocate for lifelong learning, she values every opportunity to grow alongside her patients, learners, and colleagues. Outside the clinic, you might find her reading, daydreaming about her next travel destination, or making squeaky attempts at learning the violin. She also enjoys time with her family, friends, and vibrant community.

I grew up in small town in Kansas where many generations of my family have called home; I loved math and science so I studied chemical engineering at Kansas State University. While on a summer evangelical mission trip to Uganda, I felt the calling of the Lord to pursue medical education after college. My wife and I married while in school there and then the Lord's providence and her family roots in Oklahoma led us to the University of Oklahoma for medical school. After graduation, I then completed the St. Anthony Family Medicine Residency and joined the SSM Health clinic here in Blanchard. My family and I now spend our days at church, outside, and playing sports, board games, and video games with our five children. I love everything about gardening and the mountains - white water rafting, camping, hiking.