Welcome New Interns!

Safa Abdelhakim *

Stony Brook University School of Medicine

Birthplace: EgyptHobbies: Yoga, cooking, reading poetry in particular work by 13th century middle eastern poets.  Favorite foods: Seafood, especially seafood pasta and tuna burgers.  What you’re most likely to be found doing on a day off: Enjoying some time outdoors where there is a nice scenery and a good company, going to the gym with my husband or eating out with friends. Your #1 goal for internship: to survive, just kidding! My goal is to learn as much internal medicine as I can before I move on to neurology.  

Nicholas (Nick) Apostolopoulos**

Yale School of Medicine

Birthplace: New Jersey Hobbies: Hiking, Camping, Cycling, and Cooking Favorite foods: Cheese, Bread, Coffee & Wine What you’re most likely to be found doing on a day off: Riding my bike Your #1 goal for internship: Become the best clinician I can be!

Megan Baker

Wayne State University School of Medicine

Birthplace:  Midland, Michigan  Hobbies:  Reading, running, tennis, snowboarding, sailing, traveling, listening to music, watching movies, and trying to learn French.  Favorite foods:  Mexican food! And seafood. Not picky but not a meat eater.  What you’re most likely to be found doing on a day off:  In addition to my hobbies, exploring the area, catching up with a friend, or relaxing at home with my cat, Salome.  You’re #1 goal for internship:  To take advantage of every opportunity for learning and growth I can while still maintaining balance. 

Kevin Barnum

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Birthplace: Albany, NY Hobbies: Hiking, TV and movies, the NYT crossword, baking Favorite foods: tacos, peanut butter, pie, popcorn, Frank's RedHot What you’re most likely to be found doing on a day off: Hiking and meal prepping Your #1 goal for internship: To stay in love with medicine

Jemma Benson

Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

Birthplace: Massachusetts  Hobbies: Reading, cooking/baking, listening to podcasts, crossword puzzles, critiquing Netflix original movies  Favorite food: Any kind of carb with cheese melted on it  What you¹re most likely to be found doing on a day off: Working my way through my epic list of novels I want to read then cooking with friends  Your #1 goal for internship: Learn how to take care of each patient the way I would want my family and friends to be taken care of

Jan Bewersdorf

Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München Medizinische Fakultät

Birthplace: Aalen, Germany  Hobbies: cycling, hiking  Favorite food: Italian (pizza, pasta etc.)  What you're most likely to be doing on a day off: cycling with friends  Your #1 goal for internship: managing the transition from being a medical student to becoming a resident and from Germany to the US  

Daniel Bui

Yale School of Medicine

Birthplace: Orlando, FL  Hobbies: Guitar, escape rooms, college football  Favorite foods: Indian food, gourmet burgers, soondubu jjigae  What you’re most likely to be found doing on a day off: Hanging out at Koffee or catching up on Westworld  Your #1 goal for internship: To set up a strong clinical foundation for the rest of residency. Also to use the phrase “micturition syncope” at least once during the year.  

Ben Carey

Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

Birthplace: DeKalb, IL  Hobbies: reading, hiking, walking, cycling  Favorite foods: toss up between bibimbap and a good homemade (but not by me!) Italian meal  What you’re most likely to be found doing on a day off: doing something outdoors with my wife, 1 year old son, and dog  Your #1 goal for internship: establishing good habits that enable me to care for patients while also caring for myself and my family     

Yee Cheng*

University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine

Name: Yee Kuang Cheng  Birthplace: Malaysia  Hobbies: Table tennis, Chess  Favorite food: Malaysian food  What you’re most likely to be found doing on a day off: Chilling at home, doing laundry, jogging  Your #1 goal for internship: Getting to know my colleagues and be a competent intern! 

Madeleine (Emmy) Coleman

State University of New York Downstate Medical Center College of Medicine

Birthplace: Greenwich, CT Hobbies: cooking, taking care of plants, working out Favorite foods: tacos, all cheeses What you’re most likely to be found doing on a day off: spending time outdoors/hiking, catching up on TV shows/Marvel movies, playing board games Your #1 goal for internship: learn as much as possible  

Maria Diaz Soto

Universidad de Los Andes Facultad de Medicina (Colombia)

Birthplace: Bogotá, Colombia.   Hobbies: Soccer, running, biking   Favorite foods: Ceviche!! Also, crab legs, steak and tomato with cheese   What you`re most likely to be found doing on a day off: Sleeping in, catching up with friends and family, and hopefully if it is a nice day, outdoor activities.   Your # 1 goal for internship: to ENJOY every step of the way.   

Maxwell (Max) Eder

Wake Forest School of Medicine of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center

Birthplace: Milwaukee, WI  Hobbies: Cooking, baking bread, running, skiing, reading, getting rad  Favorite foods: Tacos, honorable mention to sushi  What you’re most likely to be found doing on a day off: Something food centric involving either my kitchen or someone else’s   Your #1 goal for internship: Stay stoked  

Solmaz Ehteshami Afshar

Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences

Birthplace: Tehran, Iran  Hobbies: Reading books, playing music, growing African violets  Favorite foods: traditional Iranian dishes, sushi, pizza  What you’re most likely to be found doing on a day off: Exploring New-Haven, hiking, biking (if possible at New-Haven), enjoying local coffee shops  Your #1 goal for internship: Fitting into US healthcare system  

Eric Elliott***

University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine

Birthplace: Southfield, Michigan  Hobbies: Playing music (guitar, piano mainly), drawing, oil painting, Taekwondo, reading science fiction  Favorite Foods: Everything from the ocean  What you're most likely to be found doing on a day off: cleaning, reading for study or pleasure, listening to podcasts or audiobooks, reading about audio equipment, playing guitar  Your #1 goal for internship: become completely confident in managing diverse general medicine conditions while improving my communication with my patients and developing lasting relationships with patients and colleagues at Yale

Alex Fogel**

Stanford University School of Medicine

Birthplace: Chicago, IL Hobbies: My primary hobby is TCB - taking care of babies - but I also love playing ukulele, gardening, cooking, being in nature, and writing and reading poetry. Favorite foods: Anything my wife Tara makes - she's a fantastic cook! Her pies in particular are legendary.  What you’re most likely to be found doing on a day off: Chasing my son Nico in a game of tag or picking (and eating) flowers with my baby daughter Angelina. Your #1 goal for internship: Enjoy the ride - surf's up dude!  

Shiv Gandhi***

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Birthplace: Atlanta, GA  Hobbies: Sports, skiing, reading, photography, spending time with my wife and son  Favorite foods: Tacos  What you’re most likely to be found doing on a day off: Play date with my son  Your #1 goal for internship: Focus on becoming a good clinician  

Zaniar Ghazizadeh

Tehran University of Medical Sciences School of Medicine

Birthplace: Oroumieh, Iran.  Hobby: Trying new places for coffee, Watching and playing Soccer and Basketball, playing video games, BBQing  Favorite food: Pasta, Thai  What you're most likely to be found doing on a day off: Hiking, hanging out with friends  Your #1 goal for internship: Make new friends and learn 

Erin Gombos

University of Connecticut School of Medicine

Birthplace: Norwalk, CT  Hobbies: Running, biking, interior design   Favorite foods: Mediterranean   What you’re most likely to be found doing on a day off: Getting outside   Your #1 goal for internship: Finding ease during a time of transition and (perhaps) discomfort  

Kelly Hager

University of Arizona College of Medicine

Birthplace: Arlington, VA  (Hometown: Hereford, AZ). Hobbies: Baking desserts and breads, singing, gardening, letter writing using vintage stamps. Favorite foods: Whoopie pies, Rainier cherries, a perfectly ripe peach, Kinder Hippos, waffles (or pretty much anything covered in maple syrup). What you’re most likely to be found doing on a day off: Decorating sugar cookies, searching for my new coffee shop, exploring the northeast, beating my brother in NES Dr. Mario, attempting to play the banjo. Your #1 goal for internship: To listen, learn and grow; to strengthen my clinical knowledge and further develop the skills integral to providing kind, compassionate and quality patient care. 

Thomas (Tom) Holowka

Stony Brook University School of Medicine

Birthplace: Ithaca, NY Hobbies: Running, Reading, Hiking, Brewing, Listening to/collecting music Favorite foods: PB&J sandwiches (seriously), Pizza, pretty much any sweet tasty baked good What you’re most likely to be found doing on a day off: Driving out to a nice trail somewhere, or reading a book at a coffee shop Your #1 goal for internship: Actually feel like I can refer to myself as doctor without laughing

Reza Hosseini

Tehran University of Medical Sciences School of Medicine

Birthplace: Sanandaj (Kordestan), Iran  Hobbies: photography, cycling, playing with my cats, learning about art, and reading about tech  Favorite foods: Fesenjoon (Persian stew with walnuts, pomegranate, and meatballs), Korean BBQ, and Tikka Masala  What you're most likely to be doing on a day off: going for a walk with Julia (my wife), taking photos, visiting museums, and trying new restaurants  Your #1 goal for internship: to build relationships with my patients and colleagues

Christine Hsueh

Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Birthplace: Stony Brook, NY Hobbies: Cooking, playing viola and ukulele, hiking, rock climbing Favorite foods: Cheese of all sorts What you’re most likely to be found doing on a day off: Concocting a bizarre food experiment Your #1 goal for internship: Maintaining my hobbies! 

Yiduo Hu***

Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

Birthplace: Jinhua, China (It used to be a small town about 180 miles south from the City of Shanghai but it is now much larger)  Hobbies: Fix up things (computers, cars, house projects, etc.)  Favorite foods: Anything that looks good to me … but if I have time, I enjoy best my own cooking.  What you’re most likely to be found doing on a day off: spending time with my kids, reading at home, playing in parks, or wondering in museums.  Your #1 goal for internship: be a good doctor and do no harm

Melanie Hundt

State University of New York Upstate Medical University

Birthplace: Mt. Kisco, NY Hobbies: Running, reading, and traveling Favorite foods: Blueberries and dark chocolate What you’re most likely to be found doing on a day off: Exploring New Haven, doing the NY Times crossword with a cup of coffee, and/or visiting my family and family dog in Westchester  Your #1 goal for internship: To gain the knowledge and skill necessary to provide patients with the excellent medical care they deserve 

Nona Jiang

University of Virginia School of Medicine

Birthplace: Cheverly, MD  Hobbies: hiking, traveling, yoga, reading  Favorite foods: fresh fruit  What you’re most likely to be found doing on a day off: spending time with family and friends  Your #1 goal for internship: to learn as much as I can from my patients, colleagues, and attendings  

Golsa Joodi

Tehran University of Medical Sciences School of Medicine

Birthplace: Tehran  Hobbies: Exercising (Running, biking, yoga, swimming), movies and reading.  Favorite foods: Almost any Persian, Italian, and seafood.  What you’re most likely to be found doing on a day off: Catching up with old friends, or meeting new ones.  Your #1 goal for internship: To be an efficient team member, and keep my colleagues and myself happy at work -and life! 

Habib Khan**

Yale School of Medicine

Birthplace: Rhode Island  Hobbies: Hiking. Reading. Snowboarding.   Favorite food: Its Ramadan so I love it all.  What you’re most likely to be found doing on a day off: Spend the day outside enjoying the sun.  Your #1 goal for internship: Learn as much as I can. 

Gbambele Kone*

Weill Cornell Medicine

Birthplace: Bronx, NY  Hobbies: listening to podcasts, listening to music, playing basketball, playing board games  Favorite foods: Mac and cheese or anything with pork belly in it. It's a tough call.  What you’re most likely to be found doing on a day off: playing some board games with my friends while we listen to some smooth tunes (smooth is a matter of opinion).  Your #1 goal for internship: to establish a strong foundation of clinical knowledge and skills for my future career in Neurology  

Ian Lamborn***

Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

Birthplace:  Roaring Spring, PA Hobbies:  Backpacking, traveling, soccer, fishing, horticulture Favorite foods:  pizza What you’re most likely to be found doing on a day off:  camping Your #1 goal for internship:  everyday (truly) listen to and learn from my patients and colleagues  

Wendy Linderman**

Yale School of Medicine

Birthplace: Worcester, MA  Hobbies: baking/cooking, barre, singing, hiking  Favorite foods: Peking duck, anything Italian  What you’re most likely to be found doing on a day off: sleeping in, spending time with my husband and friends, drinking tea and catching up on TV  #1 goal for internship: to remember to care for myself so that I can best care for others  

Keith Love

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Birthplace: Worcester, MA Hobbies: Birding, hiking, canoeing, boat building, guitar, cooking Favorite foods: Seafood, ramen What you’re most likely to be found doing on a day off: Trail running Your #1 goal for internship: Maintain a happy life

Natalie Mackow

Stony Brook University School of Medicine

Birthplace: Mountain View, California (though I did not grow up there!) Hobbies: Soccer, reading, hiking, gardening in the summer, crocheting in the winter, and baking all year round.  Favorite foods: I could eat good pizza every day of the week, but I also love tacos, salmon, and all things with pasta. What you’re most likely to be found doing on a day off: Baking something yummy or finding someplace outdoors to explore, depending on the weather. Your #1 goal for internship: To learn as much as I possibly can without losing sight of the things that drew me to medicine: the patient as an individual, and the cool science.

Sarah Mancone*

Wake Forest School of Medicine

Birthplace: Providence, Rhode Island  Hobbies: reading, collecting used books (especially signed copies and first editions), running, singing  Favorite foods: pizza, sushi, ice cream  What you’re most likely to be found doing on a day off: going for a run, reading, watching Netflix  Your #1 goal for internship: gain a strong foundation of medicine so I don’t forget too much of it when I move to neurology 

Goran Micevic**

Yale School of Medicine

Birthplace: Chicago (but I consider Belgrade my hometown)  Hobbies: tinkering with tech, karate, biking  Favorite foods: Lamb kleftiko  What you’re most likely to be found doing on a day off: Doing a western blot or fishing (not necessarily at the same time)  Your #1 goal for internship: Learning as much medicine as I can.

Aiden Milner

Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Birthplace: Cranbury, NJ (a little town outside of Princeton)  Hobbies: Traveling and anything active! I love soccer, tennis, football, and skiing. I will also shamelessly admit that I will binge-watch almost anything on Netflix, etc.  What you’re most likely to be found doing on a day off I'd probably start the day at the gym, and then spend the rest of the day visiting or catching up with family and friends.  Your #1 goal for internship: To feel as comfortable as possible taking care of any patient who is on the team.  

Jared Moreines***

University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

Birthplace: Livingston, NJ  Hobbies: cooking, spending time with my wife and dog

Favorite foods: brownie ice cream sundae  What you’re most likely to be found doing on a day off: Reading journal articles by the beach  Your #1 goal for internship: maintaining empathetic high quality care in the face of increasing challenges and work load 

Fludiona (Fludi) Naka**

University of Connecticut School of Medicine

Birthplace: Fier, Albania   Hobbies: Traveling, learning new languages, exploring cultures, dancing   Favorite foods: Paella, NE clam chowder  What you’re most likely to be found doing on a day off: Watching Netflix in bed   Your #1 goal for internship: To learn as much as I can while providing the best care for my patients

Rita Okumu*

Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine & Science

Birthplace: Mombasa, Kenya  Hobbies: Running, reading  Favorite food: Chapati (Kenyan), Alfredo pasta w chicken (Western)  What you’re most likely to be found doing on a day off: Relaxing at home or outside (reading/cleaning/cooking), running or doing physical exercise of some sort  Your #1 goal for internship: I hope to learn how to approach and think through the different patient scenarios. 

Rebecca (Becky) Osborn

University of Nebraska College of Medicine

Birthplace: Omaha, NE Hobbies: reading, house plants, travel, live music  Favorite foods: Thai food  What you’re most likely to be found doing on a day off: Riding my bike around New Haven with a backpack full of coffee, crossword puzzles, and a good book. Your #1 goal for internship: Provide my patients with compassionate and competent care... and become confident in introducing myself as “Doctor”

Justin Pacor

Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine

Birthplace: New Jersey, USA Hobbies: Fishing, surfing, snowboarding, music, playing bass guitar Favorite foods: Chicken Parmesan over pasta What you’re most likely to be found doing on a day off: Taking the ferry with my fiance to Montauk, NY to hang on the beach with my parents. Your #1 goal for internship: Get to know my fellow interns and residents. Stay afloat. Get started on some cardiology research.

Jacob Park

Medizinische Fakultät Heidelberg, Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg

Birthplace: Aachen, Germany  Hobbies: Orchestra music (violin), baking  Favorite foods: A good ol’ home-style Kimchi stew  What I’m most likely to be found on a day off: Getting brunch with friends, cooking experiments  My #1 goal for internship: Be a good listener to my patients, family, and friends  

Melanie Pascal

Tulane University School of Medicine

Birthplace: Hartford, CT Hobbies: Swimming, cycling, baking  Favorite foods: Pizza, chocolate  What you’re most likely to be found doing on a day off: Taking a long walk or going for a bike ride  Your #1 goal for internship: Provide compassionate care and learn as much as possible 

Curtis Perry

Yale School of Medicine

Birthplace: Boston  Hobbies: frisbee, cooking Favorite foods: salad in the summer  What you’re most likely to be found doing on a day off: chasing my 3 year old daughter Julia Your #1 goal for internship: recognize when my patients are sick and then how to work well with intensivists

Camilla Powierza

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine

Birthplace: Thunder Bay, Canada Hobbies: yoga, watercolor, board games, traveling Favorite foods: homemade pierogi  What you’re most likely to be found doing on a day off: hiking & exploring  Your #1 goal for internship: learn how to provide the best care for my patients 

Harold Rahming

Meharry Medical College

Hometown: Plant City, FL  Hobbies: Running, Chess, Cards, Marksmanship, Pool, Fishing, Netflix, sleeping  Favorite Foods: Pizza, kale, chicken, All breakfast food, steak  What you're most likely to be found doing on a day off: family time, sleeping, running, and studying  Your #1 goal for internship: The Best team player and Intern 

Melissa Rethana*

Boston University School of Medicine

Birthplace: Long Island, New York  Hobbies: Spinning, exploring new places  Favorite foods: French fries; chicken cutlets and rice  What you're most likely to be found doing on a day off: Spending time with family and friends, watching Netflix/hulu   Your #1 goal for internship: learn as much as I can, make some friends along the way   

Matthew (Matt) Ringer

State University of New York Upstate Medical University

Birthplace: Brooklyn, NY  Hobbies: Golf, tennis, cooking, hiking and spending time with family and friends.  Favorite foods: Sushi, chicken parmesan, Wegman's subs and burrata.  What you're most likely to be found doing on a day off: Doing something outdoors and exploring New Haven for delicious food!  Your #1 goal for internship: To gain confidence as a physician and begin to explore different subspecialties. 

Tamara Samardzic

Tufts University School of Medicine

Birthplace: Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina   Hobbies: reading, traveling, hiking  Favorite foods: it depends on what day you ask me...but anything with buffalo chicken sounds amazing!   What you’re most likely to be found doing on a day off: Relaxing at home, catching up on some reading and Netflix, and probably doing some cooking.  Your #1 goal for internship: To grow as a person and as a new physician, to make lifelong friends, and to learn as much as possible from as many people as I can (patients, nurses, co-residents, attendings, etc)

Clifford Shin**

University of Utah School of Medicine

Birthplace: Oklahoma City, OK  Hobby: Watching/reading about baseball  Favorite food(s): Ramen, Bonchon chicken, Seafood What you’re most likely to be found doing on a day off: Spending time with my kids Your #1 goal for internship: Be efficient with my time in both the clinical setting and personal/social setting. 

Avinainder (Avi) Singh

Government Medical College Chandigarh

Birthplace: Meerut, India  Hobbies: Cooking, Cricket, Call of Duty, Driving   Favorite foods: Indian, Thai, Italian, Lebanese  What you’re most likely to be found doing on a day off: Brunch  Your #1 goal for internship: Acquiring clinical skills to provide the best care for our patients 

Shobhit Singla*

Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

Birthplace: India  Hobbies: cycling, playing squash,   Favorite foods: all kinds! What you’re most likely to be found doing on a day off: walking my dogs  Your #1 goal for internship: gain confidence in managing medical issues that I will see during residency in neurology  

Christina Tripsas

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Medicine

Birthplace: California by way of Greece Hobbies: Dancing (Argentine tango, salsa and Latin dance, and modern/lyrical), Reading, Creating and enjoying the arts, being in nature Favorite foods: anything from any culture that is prepared with love and in season ingredients  What you’re most likely to be found doing on a day off: Spending time by the water or doing any of the hobbies above Your #1 goal for internship: to lay a solid foundation for the rest of my training 

Cynthia Tsay

Yale School of Medicine

Birthplace: San Francisco, CA Hobbies: swimming, hiking, baking, antiquing, TED talks, and reading Victorian novels/British history/medical histories  Favorite foods: Ice Cream, Watermelon, Kombucha  What you’re most likely to be found doing on a day off: eating Arethusa ice cream and wandering around town with friends or watching Gilmore Girls reruns with a sheet mask on Your #1 goal for internship: Refining physical exam skills and becoming more comfortable at delivering bad news  

Urs Weber

Yale School of Medicine

Birthplace: Bremen, Germany  Hobbies: Running, soccer, cooking, playing with my dog  Favorite food: Potato salad and Leberkäs (a German baked meat)  What you’re most likely found doing on a day off: Walking my dog or going for a run  Your #1 goal for internship: Be a good teammate  

Elizabeth Wong

The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University

Birthplace: Concord, MA  Hobbies: hiking, biking, soccer  Favorite foods: ice cream, fruit  What you’re most likely to be found doing on a day off: reading in a hammock because I'm not in shape for hiking, biking, soccer  Your #1 goal for internship: becoming familiar with the New Haven community  

Jenny Xiang

University of Maryland School of Medicine

Birthplace: Wenzhou, China Hobbies: hiking, cooking, acrylic painting, travel, board games Favorite foods: noodles in any form, sushi, Italian sandwiches What you’re most likely to be found doing on a day off: sleeping in, trying a new recipe, spending time outdoors Your #1 goal for internship: to learn as much as possible 

Alan Zakko

University of Connecticut School of Medicine

Birthplace: Farmington CT  Hobbies: cooking French Pastry, playing music (most recently I am studying Classical guitar), reading, and playing Settlers of Catan.   Favorite food: Italian; specifically I love pasta.   What you’re most likely to be found doing on a day off: I am most likely to be reading and/or practicing my guitar.  Your #1 goal for internship: is to learn the fundamentals of medicine so that I can manage complex patients as a resident and to make great friends along the way.

Mark Siegel

Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons

Birthplace: Flushing, NY  Hobbies: reading, biking, traveling, and commiserating with fellow Met fans  Favorite foods: anything Heide makes, especially brown sugar lemon chicken and blueberry-lime pie  What you’re most likely to be found doing on a day off: Reading the NY Times, climbing East Rock, and biking on the Farmington Canal Trail  Your #1 goal for internship: To give our interns the tools they need to become fabulous doctors, to nourish their love of medicine, and to foster their commitment to our patients and their devotion to one another