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Family Medicine

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.

We invite you to see what we have to offer! Click here to follow us on Instagram.

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