Dr. Rayad S.

Before attending the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Dr. Shams graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a Carolina Covenant Scholar, earning a Bachelor of Science in biology and a Bachelor of Arts in Asian studies with a minor in chemistry. As a Residential Program Advisor for the Chancellor Science Scholars, he planned cohort workshops, lab tours, and team-building programming that supported students' academic and professional growth. During college, Dr. Shams served as the Co-Founder of the UNC Biology Ambassadors and the Fundraising Coordinator of the UNC Minority Association of Pre-Health Students. 

At the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Dr. Shams served as Class Co-President for three years and subsequently as Student Body Co-President, working closely with students, faculty, and school leadership to address concerns and improve the student experience. In addition to serving as an application reviewer, he also represented UNC through the Association of American Medical Colleges' Organization of Student Representatives, where he contributed to efforts to make the school's Alpha Omega Alpha selection process more equitable. Building on his work with the Carolina Covenant mentorship program, Dr. Shams continues to mentor students, including medical students applying to dermatology residencies. Through the North Carolina Albert Schweitzer Fellowship, he helped provide mobile primary care and health education to migrant farmworkers in rural communities, and at UNC's student-run free clinic, he cared for uninsured and underserved patients while mentoring junior medical students.

Dr. Shams was inducted into Alpha Omega Alpha as a junior member for academic achievement, community service, leadership, and research. He received multiple awards in medical school, including the Eugene S. Mayer Honor Society for Community Service and the Salber-Phillips Award for Service to Older Adults. Dr. Shams also received multiple merit-based scholarships, including the Students Engaged in Enriching Diversity in Sciences (SEEDS) Scholarship for his outstanding work in improving rural medicine and the Pamela A. Oliver MD Scholarship for significant contributions to inclusivity at the UNC School of Medicine.

Dr. Shams completed a dedicated dermatology research fellowship at UNC investigating hidradenitis suppurativa, including surgical outcomes, barriers to care, and the disease's psychosocial impact, and participated in Harvard Medical School's Medical Student Training in Aging Research program, conducting research on frailty at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. His work has appeared in journals including JAMA Dermatology, the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, the British Journal of Dermatology, and the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. He also won the 2nd Place Medical Student Poster Award at the North Carolina Dermatology Association Summer Meeting and the 1st Place Student Presenter Award at the George Benjamin Research Symposium.

As a mentor, Dr. Shams is known for his genuine, direct advice to help applicants find their story and communicate what makes their path to medicine unique. He enjoys helping students identify the experiences that have shaped them and build a cohesive narrative around their motivations, contributions, and goals. His commitment to advising stems from his desire to offer that same support to others, especially students who may be unsure where to begin or how to recognize the strengths in their own experiences. Having navigated much of his career path with limited family support, Dr. Shams understands how challenging it can be to pursue medicine without a clear roadmap. He aims for applicants to feel understood, recognize the value of their journey, and present themselves with clarity and confidence.