Sameen Farooq, MD

A Muslim physician in New York City.

About

Sameen Farooq is a Muslim physician in New York City. He is an assistant professor of medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and his work spans both inpatient hospital medicine and community-based hospice care. He is board certified in internal medicine, addiction medicine, palliative and hospice medicine, and obesity medicine.

His scholarly work spans serious illness care, substance use disorders, and the ethics of decision-making for patients without advocates. He is the lead author of a Palliative Care Network of Wisconsin Fast Fact on serious illness considerations for the unrepresented and adult orphans, and a coauthor of research in Substance Abuse on a pilot overdose education and naloxone distribution program for hospitalized general medical patients.

Outside his work as a doctor, he is always trying to figure out how to make the perfect cup of Pakistani chai, incorporate walking and spiritual reflection into his daily routine, and enjoy his time with family and friends.

Latest articles

Physician voices

An insurance denial kept my patient from end-of-life care

Sameen Farooq, MD

October 16, 2026Oct 16, 2026

My patient lay in the hospital bed approaching end of life. We had a plan to get the patient to an inpatient setting for active symptom management for end-of-life care. Everything was in place until we got a denial from the insurance for coverage for inpatient end-of-life care. The reason for denial was “lack of medical necessity.” The rage I have felt experiencing this situation over my decade-long experience as …

Physician voices

Can physicians and organized labor stand together?

Sameen Farooq, MD

September 15, 2026Sep 15, 2026

Our cultural ethos has revolved around the paragons of "hard work" and so much so that now our health leaders are suggesting that "healthy" Americans work longer to delay retirement to stimulate the economy. In the words of Dr. Oz,…

Our cultural ethos has revolved around the paragons of “hard work” and so much so that now our health leaders are suggesting that “healthy” Americans work longer to delay retirement to stimulate the economy. In the words of Dr. Oz, “If Americans could stay healthy enough to work just one additional year or start working earlier in their lives, it would increase the GDP of our nation by trillions …

Physician voices

A Muslim American physician on what an MD cannot shield

Sameen Farooq, MD

August 11, 2026Aug 11, 2026

As a physician, for the longest time, I thought my MD title, this profession, would be a shield in a world full of so many challenges. I was and am wrong. Growing up as an immigrant in the United States,…

As a physician, for the longest time, I thought my MD title, this profession, would be a shield in a world full of so many challenges. I was and am wrong.

Growing up as an immigrant in the United States, I became more acutely aware of my differences after September 2001. Due to my background, skin tone, complexion, name, religion, everything about me stood out. During this formative period, I …

Health policy

Medical frailty exemptions are the new prior authorization

Sameen Farooq, MD

July 30, 2026Jul 30, 2026

Every clinician can attest to the annoyance, stress, and worry that manifests when we think about paperwork. Even the likes of a snake oil salesman currently in charge of CMS, Dr. Oz, penned a piece noting this very real strain on physicians across the U.S. due to prior authorizations. Research has shown that physicians on average are spending up to 13 hours per week on this odious task and …

Physician voices

Wealth inequality is a clinical problem, not political

Sameen Farooq, MD

June 19, 2026Jun 19, 2026

We live and work in a sick society. I know this isn't a revelation as much as a cruel reality. The disparity between those with means and those without is noticeable in every available metric dissecting the spending habits of…

We live and work in a sick society. I know this isn’t a revelation as much as a cruel reality. The disparity between those with means and those without is noticeable in every available metric dissecting the spending habits of Americans, credit card indebtedness, retail, stock market portfolios. In this sick system, I am so tired of hearing about the ultra-rich whine and complain about the “difficulties of being …

Conditions and diseases

A hospitalist’s COVID reflection

Sameen Farooq, MD

October 10, 2020Oct 10, 2020

Amidst the height of the COVID pandemic in New York City, I turned to Netflix to find morsels of yesterday, which seemed so distant then. During this time, I discovered Mindy Kaling’s creation, Never Have I Ever. The show tries to tell the story of a protagonist who is struggling to find compassion for her identity as a South Asian girl living in California after the tragic loss of her …

Read more…

A hospitalist’s COVID reflection