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Meet the Associate Program Directors

Brian Lich, MD, DTM&H

Dr. Brian Lich is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine. Originally from Missouri, he moved to Texas in 2004 to complete his undergraduate degrees in Biology and Chemistry at Southern Methodist University. Dr. Lich then came to the Oklahoma University Health Sciences Center in 2009 for his medical and residency training. After serving as Chief Resident in 2015-2016, Dr. Lich joined the OU General Internal Medicine faculty where he works today. 

Prior to his medical training, Dr. Lich developed a strong interest in global health and social inequality. In 2006, he first travelled to Ghana to work with the NGO Unite for Sight which focuses on screening and treatment of preventable causes of blindness. He then returned to Ghana in 2008 with a research grant where he focused on the impact and role of foreign aid on health outcomes. During his medical training, Dr. Lich helped to develop and now serves as the director of the OU Internal Medicine Global Health Program. In the fall of 2017, Dr. Lich completed his Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. In the future, he hopes to grow the impact of OU’s Global Health Program with a focus on research and educational development in low resource areas. 

Outside of the university, Dr. Lich is an avid soccer and tennis player. He retains a strong connection to his hometown of St. Louis through friends, family, and the St. Louis Cardinals. Dr. Lich met his wife in Texas who now works as a pediatrician at an OU satellite clinic in SW Oklahoma City. They enjoy travelling and playing with their young children, Eva and Henry. 

Lyndsey J. Jones, MD

Dr. Lyndsey Jones is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine. She was born and raised in Tulsa, OK. She moved to Norman, OK to complete her undergraduate training at the University of Oklahoma obtaining a Bachelors of Science in Zoology: Biomedical Sciences. She then settled in Oklahoma City where she obtained her M.D. in 2016 at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine. Dr. Jones completed her residency and served as Chief Resident in 2019-2020 at the same institution. She joined the OU General Internal Medicine Faculty thereafter. Dr. Jones serves as an attending in the inpatient and outpatient setting. She has her own private clinic at OU Physicians and is the Internal Medicine Resident Clinic Associate Director. Dr. Jones' interests are in administration, systems improvement, and resident advocacy. She is a member of the Curriculum Evaluation subcommittee for the OU College of Medicine. She is also the Advocacy Chair for the Oklahoma chapter of the American College of Physicians. 

Dr. Jones lives in Oklahoma City with her husband, who is also a faculty member in the Department of Medicine, their son, and two dogs. She enjoys travelling, going out to restaurants, spending time with family, and enjoying nature. She is an OU Sooners and Chicago Cubs fan.

Salar Faiazi, MD

Dr. Salar Faiazi is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine. He was born and raised in Oklahoma City, OK. He received a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from the University of Oklahoma in 2012 and an M.D. from the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine in 2016. He completed his residency at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in 2019 and a Chief Residency at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in 2020. He joined the Department of Medicine Faculty in 2020 and serves as an attending in both the inpatient and outpatient settings. Dr. Faiazi is the Assistant Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program’s POCUS course, serves on the Curriculum Evaluation Subcommittee for the OU College of Medicine, and is a Council of Early Career Physicians Co-Chair for the Oklahoma Chapter of the American College of Physicians. His interests are medical education, administration, and medical humanities.

 

Dr. Faiazi lives in Oklahoma City and enjoys traveling and spending time with family and friends.

Kastens Valerie

Valerie Harwell, MD

Dr. Valerie Kastens Harwell is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine. She was born and raised in Oklahoma City, OK. She moved to Norman to attend the University of Oklahoma and graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor's degree in Biochemistry in 2015. She moved back to OKC to attend the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, graduating with distinction in 2019. She elected to remain at OU for Internal Medicine residency, which she completed in June 2022. She went on to serve as Chief Resident during 2022-2023. Dr. Harwell is passionate about resident advocacy and medical education, and was thrilled to remain at OU to continue her career in academic general internal medicine. She works in both the inpatient and outpatient settings, and is also the faculty advisor to the medical student Internal Medicine Interest Group.

 As a native Oklahoman, she feels fortunate to have witnessed the incredible growth and change that Oklahoma City has gone through over the last 20 years, and enjoys taking advantage of all the city has to offer, from new restaurants, concerts, parks and walking trails, and cheering for the OKC Thunder. Dr. Harwell lives with her husband and their two cats in northwest Oklahoma City.