Welcome New Physicians – August 2025
Penn Highlands Healthcare offers 849 physicians who provide a wide range of care and treatments at our nine hospitals and locations throughout 26 counties in Pennsylvania that include community medical buildings, outpatient facilities, surgery centers and physician practices. We are pleased to welcome the following physicians who recently joined our medical staff.
Makkalon Em, MD, FACS
Ridgway, St. Marys
Board-certified general surgeon Makkalon Em, MD, FACS, joins the teams at Penn Highlands General Surgery, located at 250 West Main Street, in Ridgway; and 761 Johnsonburg Road, Suite 240, in St. Marys. Dr. Em provides surgical treatment for a wide range of diseases and conditions. He is a dual fellowship-trained surgeon specializing in transplant surgery with more than 15 years of experience. Dr. Em is a graduate of St. George University Medical School, in Grenada, West Indies. He completed his residency in general surgery at State University of New York at Stony Brook, in Stony Brook, NY. He also completed a fellowship in transplant surgery at Methodist University Hospital, in Memphis, TN; and a fellowship in living donor liver transplant & HPB surgery at Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital, in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons; and a member of the American Society of Transplant Surgeons; American College Surgeons; Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract; and Pennsylvania Medical Association.
Mitch P. Kovacs, MD
State College
Family medicine physician Mitch P. Kovacs, MD, joins the team at Penn Highlands Family Medicine, located at 239 Colonnade Boulevard, 2nd Floor, in State College. From annual exams to managing chronic conditions like diabetes, Dr. Kovacs provides comprehensive care to adolescent patients and older. Dr. Kovacs is a graduate of George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Washington, D.C., during which he was a Gill Summer Fellow. He completed his residency in family medicine at Penn Highlands Healthcare in DuBois.
Douglas May Jr., MD
Philipsburg
Board-certified family medicine physician, Douglas May Jr., MD, joins the team at Moshannon Valley Rural Health Center, located at 271 Railroad Street in Philipsburg. From routine checkups to chronic disease management, Dr. May Jr. helps patients manage a wide range of health conditions. He is focused on keeping as much care as possible in a primary care setting for his patients. Dr. May is a graduate of The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, in Hershey. He completed his residency in family medicine at Martin Army Community Hospital in Fort Moore, GA. Prior to joining Penn Highlands, Dr. May was an Army Family Medicine Physician, stationed at Fort Greely, AK. He completed seven years of active duty in the United States Army, before returning to PA. Dr. May has achieved the rank of Major in the United States Army.
Yasser Ousman, MD
Brookville, Punxsutawney
Multi-board-certified endocrinologist, Yasser Ousman, MD, joins the teams at Penn Highlands Endocrinology, located at 88 Hospital Road in Brookville; and 21911 Route 119 in Punxsutawney. Yasser Ousman, MD, provides diagnosis and treatment for gland- and hormone-related illnesses. With three decades of experience and as a fellowship-trained specialist, Dr. Ousman is here with highly skilled care for patients experiencing endocrine disorders. Dr. Ousman is a graduate of Universite Libre de Bruxelles in Brussels, Belgium. He completed his residency in internal medicine at Veterans Affairs Medical Center/Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington D.C. Dr. Ousman completed his fellowship in endocrinology and metabolism at George Washington University Medical Center in Washington, D.C.; and in clinical research at MedStar Diabetes Research Institute in Washington, D.C.
Obaid S. Shaikh, MD, FRCP
DuBois
Board-certified gastroenterologist Obaid S. Shaikh, MD, FRCP, joins the team at Penn Highlands Gastroenterology, located at 621 South Main Street, Ground Floor, in DuBois. Dr. Shaikh specializes in diagnosing and treating diseases of the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, colon and rectum, pancreas, gallbladder, bile ducts and liver. He is a multi-fellowship trained physician, which means he has achieved the highest level of education and training in his field. Prior to joining Penn Highlands, Dr. Shaikh practiced at VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System in Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in Pittsburgh and the Veterans Affairs Healthcare System in Pittsburgh. Dr. Shaikh is a graduate of Dow Medical College in Karachi, Pakistan. He completed internships in medicine and surgery at Civil Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. He completed his residency in gastroenterology at Whiston Hospital Prescot, UK, and in medicine at Goodhope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield, UK. He completed fellowships in hepatology at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, Calif., and in transplantation medicine at the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh. He is a member of the Association of Physicians of Pakistani-Descent in North America, Dow Graduates Association of North America and American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. He is a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, London, UK, and a diplomate of gastroenterology at the American Board of Internal Medicine.
