Yousra Shahab, MD, staff physician with UT Physicians Multispecialty – International District, always knew what she wanted to be.
“I really liked biology, and I just enjoyed being around kids. I knew I wouldn’t be the best teacher, so I decided to be a pediatrician,” she said. “I knew from the get-go that was my calling.”
After college, Shahab attended medical school at St. George’s University in Grenada, West Indies, and then completed her residency at The Brooklyn Hospital Center in Brooklyn, New York. She practiced in northern California for a year before she and her husband moved to Houston.
For this native New Yorker, Houston feels a lot like home.
“I was born in Pakistan but raised in Queens since I was 9,” she said. “Even though Houston is more spread apart, all the different ethnicities, cultures, and foods here are very similar to New York.”
She especially enjoys the sense of community at the International District clinic.
“We have both types of patients here, those with private insurance and those with Medicaid. The children I see come from all cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds, and I get to care for them all,” Shahab said. “The clinic staff is also varied. It’s a good place to work.”
Shahab hopes to develop long-term relationships with her patients.
“As a pediatrician, you get to care for patients who can potentially know you their whole life. Getting to know my patients really matters to me,” Shahab said. “You’re also meeting their parents and celebrating with them when their children achieve milestones. That’s another bonus.”
When she takes time for herself, Shahab enjoys baking and cooking, interior decorating, and hiking. She also plans to travel to New York as often as she can to visit her family.
In the meantime, the doctor is happily settling in.
“I work for an excellent health care system in a great city,” she said. “I don’t just want to be here, I’d like to become part of the community and make a difference.”
To schedule an appointment with Shahab, contact UT Physicians Multispecialty – International District at (713) 486-5900.
