A Message About Our Program
The St. John’s Episcopal Hospital Family Medicine Residency Program is a three-year training program aimed at developing competent, autonomous physicians that can practice in any facet of Family Medicine. Our program combines academics and education with hands-on, direct patient care. We are committed to providing the best possible educational experience for our residents, while providing a warm and supportive educational environment. Our program provides access to quality health care for our community with compassion and respect for all.
Our program fosters an environment conducive to education and excellent patient care so that each person excels in medical knowledge, clinical practice, professionalism, commitment to life-long learning, and leadership in their communities.
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Our Program Team
Richard Steward, III, DO, FAAFP, DiplABLM
Family Medicine Program Director
Tessy Peter, MD, FCCP
Family Medicine Department Chairperson
Letora Washington, DO, FAAFP, DipABLM
Family Medicine Associate Program Director
Valeriya Yevshayeva, MD
Family Medicine Associate Program Director
Marcella Fulton
Program Coordinator
Email: mfulton@ehs.org
Dionnedra Rodrigues
Program Coordinator
Email: drodrigues@ehs.org
Program Highlights:
ACGME Accreditation
Our Family Medicine Residency Program has been ACGME Accredited since 2018, and has the status of Continued Accreditation since 2024.
Board Pass Rate
Our program pass rate for American Board of Family Medicine is 97%.
Diverse Patient Population
Our community includes a wide variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds along with various medical conditions/pathologies.
Didactics
Our program offers didactics that focus on many specialty and subspecialty areas. Didactics include: Journal Club, board review sessions, specialty-specific lectures provided by residents and attendings, morbidity and mortality conferences, training sessions for procedures provided by device representatives, and insights on new medications and updated indications for drug utilization provided by pharmaceutical company representatives. Didactics are usually held on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We also have monthly Joint Comprehensive Grand Rounds.
Clinical Experience
Family Medicine Practice
- 495 Beach 20th Street, Far Rockaway, NY 11691 (across the street from the Hospital)
- 105-38 Rockaway Beach Boulevard, 2nd Floor, Rockaway Park, NY 11694
Sports Medicine
- 214 East Sunrise Highway, Valley Stream, NY 11580
- Total Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, 1789 Sheepshead Bay Road, Brooklyn, NY 11235
Gynecology Procedure Clinic and Breast Surgery
- 105-38 Rockaway Beach Boulevard, 3rd Floor, Rockaway Park, NY 11694
Inpatient Pediatrics
- 1 Healthy Way, Oceanside, NY 11572
Dermatology
- 11 Irving Place, Woodmere, NY 11598
Ophthalmology
- 123 Grove Avenue, Suite 214, Cedarhurst, NY 11516
Curriculum PGY1-PGY3
Post Graduate Year 1
- Family Medicine Practice (4 weeks)
- Half day of outpatient Family Medicine weekly throughout the year
- Inpatient Medicine (12 weeks)
- 2 months will involve a 2-week night float assignment
- General Surgery (2 weeks)
- Obstetrics/Gynecology (4 weeks)
- Outpatient Pediatrics (4 weeks)
- Emergency Medicine (4 weeks)
- Sports Medicine (4 weeks)
- Critical Care Elective (2 weeks)
- Medical Elective (8 weeks)
- Dermatology (2 weeks)
- Ophthalmology (2 weeks)
- Vacation (4 weeks)
Post Graduate Year 2
- Outpatient Family Medicine (8 weeks)
- One and a half days of Ambulatory Medicine weekly throughout the year
- Year long continuity care at Nursing Home
- Inpatient Medicine (8 weeks)
- Outpatient Pediatrics (4 weeks)
- Inpatient Pediatrics (4 weeks)
- Obstetrics/Gynecology (4 weeks)
- Emergency Medicine (4 weeks)
- Neurology (4 weeks)
- Geriatrics (4 weeks)
- Elective (8 weeks)
- Vacation (4 weeks)
Post Graduate Year 3
- Outpatient Family Medicine (12 weeks)
- One and a half days of Ambulatory Medicine weekly throughout the year
- Year long continuity care at Nursing Home
- Inpatient Medicine (4 weeks)
- Obstetrics/Gynecology (4 weeks)
- Outpatient Pediatrics (4 weeks)
- Emergency Medicine (2 weeks)
- Orthopedics (2 weeks)
- Sports Medicine (4 weeks)
- Population Health (2 weeks)
- Integrative Medicine (2 weeks)
- Behavioral Health (4 weeks)
- Electives (8 weeks)
- Vacation (4 weeks)
Electives
Medical Electives
- Cardiology
- Dermatology
- Endocrinology
- Gastroenterology
- Gynecology
- Hematology
- Infectious Disease
- Integrative Medicine
- Lifestyle Medicine
- Nephrology
- Neurology
- Oncology
- Palliative Care
- Pediatrics
- Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
- Psychiatry
- Pulmonology
- Wound Care
Surgical Electives
- Anesthesia
- Breast Surgery
- ENT
- Ophthalmology
- Orthopedics
- Urology
On-Call Schedule
PGY1
- 2 24-hour Inpatient Medicine calls
- 1 24-hour OB/GYN call each month
- 1-2 General Surgery
PGY2
- 3-5 24-hour Inpatient Medicine calls each month
- 2-3 Inpatient Pediatrics
PGY3
- 2-3 24-hour Inpatient Medicine calls each month
Current Residents
Chief Residents
Maria Santos Rodriguez, MD
Hometown: Levittown, Puerto Rico
Medical School: Universidad Iberoamericana (UNIBE) School of Medicine, Santo Domingo
Interests: Primary Care and Dermatology
Gislaine Bernabe, MD
Hometown: Haiti
Medical School: Caribbean Medical University School of Medicine
Interests: Geriatrics, Integrative Health, and Healthcare Administration
Post-Graduate Year 1
Eiman Dai, MD
Hometown: Omdurman, Sudan
Medical School: University of Bahri
Interests: Geriatrics, Primary Care, Palliative Care
Jerusha Gudapati, MD
Hometown: Visakhapatnam, India
Medical School: NRI Medical College, India
Interests: Primary Care
Swarna Mani, MD
Hometown: Jersey City, NJ
Medical School: Ross University School of Medicine
Interests: Primary Care, Women’s Health, Lifestyle Medicine, Palliative Medicine, Preventive Medicine
Desiree Marquez-Santos, MD
Hometown: Manila, Philippines
Medical School: Far Eastern University Institute of Medicine – Nicanor Reyes Medical Foundation
Interests: Primary Care, Lifestyle Medicine, Medical Informatics
Mahima Master, MD
Hometown: Upland, California
Medical School: Narendra Modi Medical College
Interests: Primary Care, Women’s Health, Lifestyle Medicine
Amna Muneer, MD
Hometown: Karachi, Pakistan
Medical School: Jinnah Sindh Medical University, Karachi
Interests: Primary Care, Hospital Medicine, Preventive Medicine
Uchechukwu Nwokoma, MD
Hometown: Azumini-Ndoki, Nigeria
Medical School: College of Medicine, University of Lagos
Interests: Geriatrics, Hospital Medicine, Primary Care
Adedolapo Ojo, MD
Hometown: Iree, Osun State, Nigeria
Medical School: Obafemi Awolowo University College of Health Sciences, Ife, Osun State
Interests: Primary Care, Women’s Health, Reducing Health Disparities, Quality Improvement
Donali Patel, MD
Hometown: Vadodara, India and Fords, NJ
Medical School: Narendra Modi Medical College, India
Interests: Primary Care, Behavioral Health, Sports Medicine, Endocrinology
Sarah Singh, DO
Hometown: Jamaica, Queens, NY
Medical School: Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine
Interests: Primary Care, Women’s Health
Kerolos Youssef, MD
Hometown: Cairo, Egypt
Medical School: Ain Shams University
Interests: Primary Care, Endocrinology, Hospital Medicine
Post-Graduate Year 2
Bisi Akindele, MD
Hometown: Ibadan, Nigeria
Medical School: St. George’s University, Grenada
Interests: Primary Care
Navinthiran Anbalagan, MD
Hometown: Malaysia
Medical School: Manipal University, India
Interests: Primary Care, Dermatology, LGBTQ+ Health
Alicia Charles, MD
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Medical School: Caribbean Medical University
Interests: Primary Care
Adam Coccia, DO
Hometown: Rochester, NY
Medical School: A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine
Interests: Addiction Medicine, Behavioral Health, LGBTQ+ Care/Trans-Affirming Medicine
Andres Eduardo Perez Correa, MD
Hometown: San Juan, Puerto Rico
Medical School: Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara
Interests: Addiction Medicine, LGBTQ/Gay Men’s Health, HIV/AIDS Care
Noha Elzaki, MD
Hometown: Sudan
Medical School: Sinnar University Faculty of Medicine, Sudan
Interests: Primary Care and Women’s Health
Sally Fouda, MD
Hometown: Mansoura, Egypt
Medical School: Mansoura University College of Medicine
Interests: Hospital Medicine, Clinical Procedures, Women’s Health
Alina Luka, DO
Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, FL
Medical School: Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine
Interests: Preventive Medicine, Primary Care, Sports Medicine
Krishna Rana, DO
Hometown: Wallington, NJ
Medical School: New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine
Interests: Primary Care and Sports Medicine
Fabiana Santelises, MD
Hometown: Santiago, Dominican Republic
Medical School: Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra
Interests: Primary Care and Endocrinology
Chaithanya Singh, MD
Hometown: Bangalore, India
Medical School: Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences
Interests: Primary Care and Pain Medicine
Gursharan Singh, DO
Hometown: Mukhliana, Punjab, India
Medical School: New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine
Interests: Primary Care and Addition Medicine
Adriano Yashar, MD
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Medical School: Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
Interests: Primary Care, Hospital Medicine, Preventative Medicine
Post-Graduate Year 3
Zohaib Ahmed, DO
Hometown: Frisco, TX
Medical School: West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine
Interests: Primary Care
Gislaine Bernabe, MD
Hometown: Haiti
Medical School: Caribbean Medical University School of Medicine
Interests: Geriatrics, Integrative Health, and Healthcare Administration
James Chin, DO
Hometown: Branchburg, NJ
Medical School: Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine – Middletown
Interests: Hospitalist Medicine, Sports Medicine
Nisha Desai, MD
Hometown: Fair Lawn, NJ
Medical School: Saint James School of Medicine Anguilla
Interests: Primary Care
Mellessa Keago, MD
Hometown: Guyana
Medical School: Ross University School of Medicine
Interests: Primary Care and Academic Medicine
Madeline Kidd, DO
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Medical School: Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine – New York
Interests: Preventive Medicine, Nutrition, Reproductive Medicine, and Endocrinology
Moona Nadeem, DO
Hometown: Westchester, NY
Medical School: Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine – Middletown
Interests: Preventive Medicine, Women’s Health, and Neuromuscular Medicine
Anju Punchamannil, DO
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Medical School: New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine
Interests: Women’s Health, Preventive Medicine, and Global Health
Maria Santos Rodriguez, MD
Hometown: Levittown, Puerto Rico
Medical School: Universidad Iberoamericana (UNIBE) School of Medicine, Santo Domingo
Interests: Primary Care and Dermatology