Amit Persaud ’17 is Passionate About Emergency Medicine

Even as a teenager, Amit Persaud ’17 was sure that he wanted to have a career in medicine. “I started volunteering for my local emergency medical services (EMS) team while still in high school,” he says.

The next step toward that goal would be a biology degree from Montclair. “I fell in love with the campus,” Persaud recalls. “Commuting to classes and volunteering for the EMS in South Plainfield was difficult, so I got certified to become part of the University’s volunteer, student-run EMS squad. I did that for two years, often being called to Little Falls and Clifton, in addition to responding to emergencies on campus.”

Persaud’s dedication earned him the 2016 Montclair State University EMS Rookie of the Year award. As proud as he is of that recognition, there is another Montclair memory that stands out for him. “The EMS was asked to be on hand for a campus event that featured a red hawk,” he says. “I got the opportunity to hold this beautiful animal. It was a very special moment.”

By his senior year, he had moved into campus housing. His roommate, a firefighter, inspired Persaud to complete firefighting training as well. “It all came together for me at that point,” he says. “I knew that emergency medicine was in my future.”

That inner knowledge didn’t stop Persaud from considering other aspects of the medical field. Through his membership in the Biology Club, he participated in a research study analyzing the relationship between waist circumference and obesity. “We even had professors who signed up to help us by having their measurements recorded over time,” he says with a laugh.

After graduation, Persaud took time to explore the potential for a career in research, spending a year as an associate customer support scientist for the global biotech company, GENEWIZ. His team helped researchers from large pharmaceutical firms design research projects in gene editing and sequencing.

Medical school continued to call. He was two years into studies at American University of Antigua College of Medicine, however, when life dealt him a major blow. In 2021 his younger brother was killed in a tragic auto accident. “He had just finished his undergraduate work at Rutgers,” Persaud explains. “It was up to me to receive his diploma on his behalf.”

“I took two years off from schooling but, ultimately, my brother’s death became motivation to continue pursuing emergency medicine,” he continues. He transferred to Xavier University School of Medicine in Aruba and began clinical rotations in Chicago and hospitals in the Northeastern United States.

He completed several rotations at New York’s Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, gaining experience in pediatrics, gynecology and obstetrics and internal medicine, in addition to emergency medicine. It seemed only natural that this is where he would land his residency – in emergency medicine, of course. His skill and hard work have already achieved acknowledgment with the 2026 Wyckoff Neoblast of the Year award. 

Despite the rigors of his training, Persaud manages to keep up with his Montclair friends, even if it’s only on social media. “A lot of my friends went into medical fields as well,” he says. “Four or five went on to medical school, a few chose nursing. There were a lot of us in the bio program who were working toward careers in medicine, dentistry, and pharmaceuticals.”

Going forward, Persaud would like to see more alumni engage in support of students choosing these fields. “Montclair is the second largest university in New Jersey,” he points out. “It puts a lot of really good people into the workforce.”

“It would be great to be able to encourage students to find their passion, whatever it may be, and to go after it with effort and resilience,” he adds. “I am a great example of that. Losing my brother could have been the end of my career, but instead, I was even more motivated to follow my dreams. And now that I have, I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else.”

Do you have an interest in reconnecting with your Montclair classmates? Visit the Alumni Networks page to learn about the University’s many regional and interest groups for alumni.