Welcome new faculty members to the Department of Medicine and UMMC!
Subahana Aboobucker, MBBS
Residency: University of Massachusetts Chan – Baystate
Fellowship: University of Maryland (Infectious Disease), University of Minnesota (Transplant Infectious Disease)
Division: Infectious Diseases
Tell us about yourself. Born in Kerala, India, and raised in Saudi Arabia, I have had the privilege of growing up immersed in diverse cultures and perspectives. These multicultural experiences have shaped my worldview and deepened my interest in global health, health equity, and social justice. I hope to help improve health outcomes for underserved populations and be part of a team that helps to bridge disparities in access to transplant care.
What are you most looking forward to working at UMMC? I am excited to join the team of wonderful Infectious Disease physicians at UMMC and work with them to promote equitable access to healthcare while growing clinically and academically. I am also excited to contribute to medical education and bring innovative teaching methods.
Chaning Burnett, MD
Residency: Internal Medicine, UMMC
Fellowship: Geriatrics, UMMC
Division: Geriatrics
Tell us about yourself. I’m originally from Ruston, Louisiana, completing my Undergraduate degree at Louisiana Tech University and my medical school degree at LSU-Health Sciences in Shreveport. My husband and I met in Shreveport and moved to Jackson after matching at UMMC for residency. We have fallen in love with Mississippi and have had 2 children throughout my training. This is such an amazing place to work, and I feel honored to get to work as a physician with the attendings who helped mold me into the doctor I am today.
What are you most looking forward to working at UMMC? I’m genuinely excited to get to work with a team of Geriatricians who love their careers and who place high value on their patients, their team, and their families. And I’m also looking forward to our move this next year to the new Geri building where we will have all of our clinics and offices under one roof. Y’all will have to come check out the new Fred R. Adams, Jr. MIND Center and Geriatric Clinic in 2027!
Armando R. C. León S., MD
Residency: Jefferson Einstein Hospital, Philadelphia
Fellowship: Baylor College of Medicine/MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston
Division: Infectious Diseases
Tell us about yourself. I was born in Venezuela and completed medical school there. I had the honor of working with multiple indigenous communities and I lived in a Warao community in the Orinoco River Delta for a year, which solidified my undying commitment to helping marginalized populations. I participated in research to help develop and validate breath tests for the diagnosis of tuberculosis in the Orinoco Delta, and bacterial and fungal pneumonia at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
I completed residency in Philadelphia and was honored to match at Baylor/MD Anderson in Houston for my infectious diseases fellowship. There, I served as a chief fellow, completed additional training in tropical medicine and global health, and performed research focused on fungal infections with Dr. Dimitrios Kontoyiannis.
I am extremely passionate about helping people and spreading positivity in all aspects of life, and my main goal is to help bridge gaps in access to healthcare. Outside of my work, I am also passionate about the arts. I am a true cinephile and aspiring filmmaker, a singer, a beginner pianist, and I thoroughly enjoy live music, collecting vinyl, and theater. I love to bake for others, travel, hike, and explore the beautiful outdoors.
What are you most looking forward to working at UMMC? I am looking forward to working with trainees and share my love and knowledge of infectious diseases with them. I am hoping I can inspire some of the residents and students to join the ID world after their training. I am very excited to take care of many wonderful patients and continue to practice medicine with compassion, kindness, and complete dedication. I hope to provide the best care to the underserved communities of Mississippi.
Hunter Sylvester, Ph.D.
Training: Department of Data Science, University of Mississippi Medical Center
Division: MIND Center
Tell us about yourself: I was born and raised in Brandon, Mississippi. I began my career as a mathematics teacher at the elementary and high school levels, then worked as a computer scientist in research and development for the Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC). I came to UMMC for my PhD in Biostatistics and Data Science, where I joined the MIND Center and found my passion for neurodegenerative disease research. In my free time, I enjoy exercising, cycling, rock climbing, traveling, and spending time with my family.
What are you most looking forward to working at UMMC? I’m looking forward to advancing Alzheimer’s disease research within our own community, especially through the Study of Aging here in Jackson, which brings much-needed diversity to aging research. I’m excited to continue my work on biomarkers and disease progression, with the goal of producing results that serve Mississippians and also generalize well beyond our region.
