About This Location
Alae Zarif, MD, F.A.C.S.
Medical Director of Surgical Services
Surgical Specialties: advanced laparoscopicprocedures, bariatric surgery, vascular surgery, oncology surgery
Surgeon Alae Zarif, MD, joined Atlantic General’s medical staff in April 2006. He has been in practice since 1996 when he finished his residency at Waterbury Hospital in Connecticut, a Yale-affiliated surgical training program. In 2018, Dr. Zarif received designation as one of the Top 100 surgeons in the U.S. for cholecystectomy (laparoscopic gallbladder removal) surgeries by Dexur. Dr. Zarif is certified by the American Board of Surgery and performs multiple advanced laparoscopic procedures as well as breast oncology and vascular surgeries. Dr. Zarif is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons.
Daniel S. Hakeem, PA-C
Surgical Specialties: Wound Care
Daniel Hakeem, PA-C, joined Atlantic General Surgical Associates in 2016 and provides pre- and post-surgery consultations for patients of surgeons Alae Zarif, M.D., and Xin Zhong, M.D. Daniel graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a Bachelor of Arts in natural sciences before pursuing his Master of Medical Science at University of Maryland Eastern Shore to become a physician assistant. Prior to entering medicine, Daniel was a clinical customer service coordinator for Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he focused on improving patient satisfaction and customer service efforts.
Xin Zhong, MD, FACS
Surgical Specialties: advanced laparoscopic procedures, bariatrics, hiatal hernias, complex abdominal wall hernias, screening colonoscopies
Dr. Xin Zhong joined Atlantic General Surgical Associates and the staff of Atlantic General Bariatric Center from North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, NY, where she completed a minimally invasive surgery fellowship in robotic and bariatric procedures. Dr. Zhong completed her residency in general surgery at Carilion Clinic in Roanoke, VA, and earned her medical degree at Tulane School of Medicine in New Orleans, LA. She is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons.
Angela Simmons, CBN, CRNP
Angela Simmons, CBN, CRNP, serves as the bariatric program coordinator for Atlantic General Bariatric Center. She has worked in nursing since 2000 and is certified as a Family Nurse Practitioner through the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners since 2009. She obtained her bariatric certification in 2015, and has worked with surgical and non-surgical patients since 2010.