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Internal Medicine

A Message from Our Program

Our training program has a rich history of producing high quality physicians who go on to excel in both general and sub-specialty medicine. We have as our mission the education of physicians who have the clinical skills and the humanistic qualities to practice as well rounded primary care general internists, hospitalists and sub-specialists.

In order to meet our goals, the training program at St. John’s Episcopal Hospital has undergone significant, exciting change. While retaining the best, high-quality categorical internal medicine program, we have added several months of ambulatory care experience to our schedule. Residents will, therefore, acquire expertise in the nuances of both inpatient and outpatient care. Much of this training takes place in our Ambulatory Care Center and is provided by an experienced faculty of Board-Certified physicians.

Our curriculum has also been expanded in the areas of ambulatory and general internal medicine, as well as evidence-based medicine, to provide our residents with the knowledge necessary to practice comprehensive Primary Care Internal Medicine. We service a wonderfully diverse community, which provides a fertile training environment.

We welcome your interest and look forward to meeting with you. Please apply to our residency through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS).

Mohammed Anwar, MD

Program Director

Samer Takmaje, MD

Associate Program Director

Audeth Clarke

Program Coordinator

Maybel Akosah

Program Coordinator

Didactics

As a supplement to the broad range of clinical experience we provide, the training program offers an extensive conference schedule. Our weekly Medical Grand Rounds often features eminent speakers from major medical centers all around the country, and our monthly Morbidity/Mortality Conference is a highlight of the educational program. At our monthly Basic Science Conference, speakers from the Medical School present the latest developments in bench research. There are monthly conferences in every subspeciality of Internal Medicine, as well as twice monthly Radiology conferences and a monthly ECG conference.

Residents at St. John’s Episcopal Hospital are actively encouraged to participate in medical research. Clinical projects at the Hospital are ongoing and opportunities for laboratory research are available at the Medical School. St. John’s Episcopal Hospital has been a participating institution in several major international cardiology studies such as the third and fourth versions of the International Study of Infarct Survival (ISIS 3 and ISIS 4). Several publications with residents as co-authors and resident entries into writing competitions have resulted from these efforts.

We also have monthly joint comprehensive Grand Rounds.

Clinical Experience

Inpatient Training

Our relationship with the medical school is a strong one. Medical students rotate to St. John’s Episcopal Hospital during their second year and the medical school faculty provides many teaching conferences. St. John’s Episcopal Hospital residents spend a total of six months at the medical school campus during their training; rotations include General Medicine, Neurology, Cardiology, and electives.

All of the intensive care units at St. John’s Episcopal Hospital have the most up-to-date computerized equipment and are staffed year round with board-certified subspecialists. Residents are assigned to intensive care units a total of five months during their training, and receive additional critical care experience on night float.

Our inpatient floor rotations include rotations in a dedicated telemetry service, a non-telemetry floor service and an admitting team.A team in General Medicine consist of two PGY-1 residents, one PGY-2 resident, and an attending physician.Care is split into a day shift and a night shift.

Outpatient Training

While we remain a Categorical Internal Medicine Training Program with extensive in-patient experience, we have been expanding our emphasis on primary care and ambulatory medicine. Residents attend their medical continuity clinic twice weekly and have a total of four months of ambulatory block rotations in the three years of training. All clinics are directly supervised by faculty, and we have developed a separate ambulatory care curriculum. Our Ambulatory Care Center provides a modern and comfortable environment for patients and staff. Additional ambulatory experience is obtained in subspeciality clinics
and private offices of local voluntary physicians. Areas of emphasis in primary care include Adolescent Medicine, Gynecology, Behavioral Medicine, Preventive Medicine and Public Health. Ambulatory experience is also gained in Orthopedics, ENT Medicine, Neurology, Dermatology, Pediatrics, Geriatric Medicine, and many other fields. Clinical experience is supplemented by ample teaching rounds and a
comprehensive lecture series in general Internal Medicine. By expanding our curriculum in primary and ambulatory care, we are providing residents with the broad skills needed to enter practice in general medicine. At the same time, the training in categorical internal medicine provides residents with the backgrounds to enter subspeciality training.

Curriculum PGY1-PGY3

Post Graduate Year 1

The PGY-1 year includes approximately:

  • Twenty Four weeks on the General Medical Floors
  • Eight weeks of night float
  • Four weeks in Intensive Care Unit
  • Four weeks in Coronary Care Unit
  • Four weeks of block continuity ambulatory care experience.
Post Graduate Year 2

The PGY-2 year consists of approximately:

  • Twenty Four weeks on the General Medical Floor
  • Four to Six weeks of night float
  • Four weeks in the Medical Intensive Care Unit
  • Four weeks in the Emergency Department
  • Four weeks in the Neurology Unit
  • Four weeks of Elective Rotation
  • Four weeks of block continuity ambulatory care experience.
Post Graduate Year 3

The PGY-3 year consists of approximately of:

  • Four months of elective
  • One month on the General Medical Floors
  • One month in the Emergency Department
  • One month as the supervising resident in the CCU
  • One month on the Cardiology Unit
  • One month of Geriatrics
  • One month of block continuity ambulatory care experience
  • One month of block interdisciplinary ambulatory care experience.

Electives

Each resident chooses rotations in medicine subspecialties during their Electives. We offer electives in:

  • Cardiology
  • Dermatology
  • Endocrinology
  • Gastroenterology
  • Hematology
  • Infectious Disease
  • Integrative Medicine
  • Nephrology
  • Neurology
  • Oncology
  • Palliative Care
  • Pulmonology

On-Call Schedule

Our Program utilizes a night float system of on call. This system means that residents do not work more than 24 hours at a time and have adequate time off between shifts.


Current Residents

Chief Residents

Joel Jophin Francis

Hometown: Kerala, India
Medical School: North-Western State Medical University
Interests: Movies, music, sports, road trips

Sofia Sampara

Hometown: Temopil, Ukraine
Medical School: I.Ya. Horbachevski Temopil State Medical University
Interests: Traveling, hiking

Ahmed Sarwat

Hometown: Cairo, Egypt
Medical School: University of Cairo, Egypt
Interests: Swimming and running

Imrana Simraj

Hometown: Dhaka, Bangladesh
Medical School: Chittagong Medical College and Hospital
Interests: Traveling, listening to music

Post-Graduate Year 1

Husham Abbas

Hometown: Sudan/Sacramento, CA
Medical School: National Ribat University
Interests: Basketball, comedy shows, hiking

Mohammad Al-Ansari

Hometown:
Medical School: University of Baghdad College of Medicine
Interests:

Victor Anghel

Hometown: Chisinau, Moldova
Medical School: State University of Medicine and Pharmacy “N. Testemitanu”
Interests: Hang gliding, fishing, volleyball

Yans Cosculluela

Hometown: Havana City, Cuba
Medical School: Higher Institute of Medical Sciences of Havana
Interests: Hiking, traveling, snorkeling, scuba diving, playing chess, reading, going out with friends

Yasser Esmaeil

Hometown: Egypt
Medical School: Ain Shams University
Interests: Fishing, soccer

Alexandera Gershkovich

Hometown: Kaliningrad, Russia
Medical School: Pavlov Saint Petersburg State Medical University, Russia
Interests: Hiking, reading, going to the gym, going out with friends, planning events

Samuel Governor

Hometown: Accra, Ghana
Medical School: Novgorod State University, Russia
Interests: Soccer, time with family and TV shows/movies

Addisalem Gurara

Hometown: Sacramento, California
Medical School: Addis Ababa University Medical Faculty
Interests: Reading, soccer, table tennis, watching movies, spending time with my family

Ayesha Habib

Hometown: Lahore, Pakistan
Medical School: Faisalabad Medical University
Interests: Traveling, reading, cooking, spending time with kids and family

Abela Jake

Hometown: Palawan, Philippines
Medical School: Far Eastern University Nicanor Reyes Medical Foundation
Interests: Easting, chess, basketball

Michalina Kamowska

Hometown: Poznan, Poland
Medical School: Poznan University of Medical Sciences
Interests: Spending days at the beach, exploring new places and restaurants, going on road trips, hiking, capturing landscapes and nature through photography, keeping up with fashion trends, spending quality time with family and friends

Khadija Kubra

Hometown: Dhaka, Bangladesh
Medical School: Bangladesh Medical College and Hospital
Interests: Spending time with kids and family

Yordanos Negassi

Hometown: Asmara, Eritrea
Medical School: Orotta School of Medicine
Interests: Reading, traveling, baking, spending time with family and friends.

Joseph Augustin Nestor

Hometown: Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Medical School: University Notre Dame D’Haiti
Interests: Exercising, movies

Nepali Prakash

Hometown: Tanahun, Nepal
Medical School: Chitwan Medical College, TUTH
Interests: Travel, hiking, volleyball

Andrea Rivas

Hometown: Maracaibo, Venezuela
Medical School: Universidad del Zulia (LUZ)
Interests: Baking, exercising, spending time with family and friends

Htu Sam

Hometown: Katha
Medical School: University of Medicine Magway
Interests: Sightseeing, fishing

Lorena Velez

Hometown: Guayaquil, Ecuador
Medical School: Universidad de Guayaquil
Interests: Traveling, movies, cooking, cats, football

Victoria Voytovych

Hometown: Ternopil, Ukraine
Medical School: Ternopil National Medical University, Ukraine
Interests: Traveling, hiking, socializing, board games

Qing Wang

Hometown: Guangzhou, China
Medical School: Sun Yat-Sen University
Interests: Badminton, table tennis, road trips, board games, dogs

Post-Graduate Year 2

Moaaz Abdelrashid

Hometown: Monofiya, Egypt
Medical School: Ain Shams University
Interests: Squash, camping, biking

Amali Baissari

Hometown: Merida, Venezuela
Medical School: Universidad Romulo Gallegos
Interests: Watching sports, basketball, football, F1, baking, knitting, reading

Estifanos Bejitual

Hometown: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Medical School: AAU, School of Medicine
Interests: Laughter, socializing

Gizeshwork Belete

Hometown: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Medical School: Gondar University, Ethiopia
Interests: Spending time with family

Heidi Fernandez

Hometown: Passaic, NJ
Medical School: Universidad Nacional de Chimborazo
Interests: Formula 1, traveling, spending time with family and going to concerts

Yumnary Gato Satiesteban

Hometown: Pinar del Rio, Cuba
Medical School: University of Medical Sciences Pinar del Rio
Interests: Movies, TV shows

Hridaya Ghimire

Hometown: Biratnagar, Nepal
Medical School: Sun Yat-Sen University, China
Interests: Traveling

Jonathan Gonzales

Hometown: Whittier, CA
Medical School: Ross University School of Medicine
Interests: Skating, snowboarding, motocross, guitar, MMA

Yulia Grigorova

Hometown: Krasnodar, Russia
Medical School: Pavlov Saint Petersburg State Medical University, Russia
Interests:

Christiana Igbenabor

Hometown: Benin City, Nigeria
Medical School: Igbinedion University Okada, Nigeria
Interests: Event planning, cooking/baking, road trips, long walks, spending time with family and friends

Farirai Marwizi

Hometown: Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe
Medical School: Victor Babes University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timisoara
Interests: Volleyball, chess, hiking, home improvement projects, learning languages

German Masnata

Hometown: Santa Cruz, Bolivia
Medical School: Catholic Bolivian University, Bolivia
Interests: Playing guitar, rock climbing, canyoneering, hiking, soccer, racquetball

Aye Mon

Hometown: MyaungMya, Mayanmar
Medical School: University of Medicine, Magway
Interests: Gardening, stray dog adoption

Avik Nandi

Hometown: New York, NY
Medical School: Jahurul Islam Medical College, Bangladesh
Interests: Watching movies, traveling, playing drama

Saman Nassiri

Hometown: Tehran, Iran
Medical School: Tehran University of Medical Sciences
Interests: Tennis playing, skiing, traveling

Maria Teresa Pacheco Hernandez

Hometown: Monteria, Colombia
Medical School: University of Cartagena
Interests: Hiking, traveling, and dancing

Maha Qas Marrogy

Hometown: Baghdad, Iraq
Medical School: Alkindy College of Medicine/Baghdad University
Interests: Music, movies, coffee, drawing, cooking, traveling

Sajedur Rahman (Sajed)

Hometown: Tangail, Bangladesh
Medical School: Jalalabad Ragib Rabeya Medical College, Sylhet, Bangladesh
Interests: Exploring trails, hiking, world politics and history, mentoring young physicians and medical students

Karamveer Singh

Hometown: California
Medical School: Ross University School of Medicine
Interests:

Phyo Sone

Hometown: Jacksonville, FL
Medical School: University of Medicine 2, Yangon, Myanmar
Interests: Traveling, outdoor activities, spending time with dogs

Post-Graduate Year 3

Sofia Therese S. Abella

Hometown: Batac City, Philippines
Medical School: University of Santo Tomas, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery
Interests: Coffee, interior design, hiking, pop culture

Shahab Bozorgmehri

Hometown:
Medical School:
Interests:

Bethelham Chemere

Hometown: Bahirdar, Ethiopia
Medical School: Addis Ababa University, MF
Interests:

Moonyoung Choi

Hometown: Gwangju, Korea
Medical School: Chosun University School of Medicine, Korea
Interests: Golf, wine, coffee, traveling, music

Jamel Dahim

Hometown: Sana’a, Yemen
Medical School: Sana’a University Faculty of Medicine and Health Science
Interests: Play soccer, chess game, reading, traveling, watching movies

Samvit P. Dave

Hometown: Plainsboro, NJ
Medical School: Ross University School of Medicine
Interests: Sports, movies, socializing

Carlo Emilcar

Hometown: Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Medical School: Notre-Dame University
Interests: Sports, lounges/bars, movies, music, traveling

Yaditsa Estrella

Hometown: Santiago, Dominican Republic
Medical School: Universidad Technologica de Santiago
Interests: Strength training, hiking, traveling, plants, coffee

Sabin Gurung

Hometown: Kathmandu, Nepal
Medical School: North Bengal Medical College, Sirajgonj, Bangladesh
Interests: Soccer, cooking, driving

Hnin Lwin

Hometown: Yangon, Myanmar
Medical School: University of Medicine 1, Yangon
Interests: Gardening, movies, travel, food, photography

Alfredo Ortiz Labrada

Hometown: Las Tunas, Cuba
Medical School: University of Medical Sciences, Las Tunas
Interests: Reading, hiking, movies

Bo Pang

Hometown: Jinan, China
Medical School: Shandong University
Interests: Traveling, writing travel guides, traditional Chinese painting

James Santos

Hometown: San Juan City, Philippines
Medical School: University of Santo Tomas
Interests: Golf, traveling, cooking, boxing, basketball

Eunice Animwaa Sisa

Hometown: Kumasi, Ghana
Medical School: University of Ghana Medical School
Interests: Cooking, traveling

Nageh Soliman

Hometown: El-Menya, Egypt
Medical School: University of El-Menya
Interests: Traveling, running, mountaineering

Olga Sviderskaya

Hometown: Moscow, Russia
Medical School: Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University
Interests: Traveling, hiking, rock climbing, art