Montefiore Einstein Department of Medicine

2012 Residency Program Graduation


2012 Graduation Highlights (2:23)

The Montefiore Einstein Department of Medicine congratulates the 2012 members of the Internal Medicine Residency Program who graduated Wednesday, June 13 at a ceremony held in Cherkasky Auditorium.

"I would like to congratulate all of the house staff for their hard work and achievements in our program in the last three years, and for the prestigious fellowships and positions they are going on to," said Dr. Victor Schuster, Chairman of the Department of Medicine. "Our thanks go to Phil Lief, outgoing Program Director, for leading the nation's fifth largest Medicine house staff program with such success; to firm leaders Sheira Schlair, Bettina Fries, and Joe DeLuca for their strong direction; and to chief residents Grace Shin, Olga Aroniadis, David de Gijsel, Bonnie Stahl, and Ari Kriegsman for their unstinting hard work and humor throughout the past year." 

Special recognition goes to this year's winners of awards for outstanding house officer; outstanding ambulatory care resident; house staff excellence in teaching; humanity, ethics and excellence in the practice of medicine; and dignity and commitment exhibited during internship.


 Outstanding House Officers 

  • Mayra Rodriguez (Firm 1)
  • Hanna Lee (Firm 1)
  • Coral Parikh (Firm 2)
  • Michael Samuel (Firm 2)
  • Eric Goss (Firm 3)
  • Sarah Weiss (Firm 3 PC/SM) 

Outstanding Ambulatory Care Residents 

  • Melissa John (Firm 1)
  • Oksana Lewis (Firm 2)
  • Natalie Zelta (Firm 3)
  • Fahmida Keya (Firm 3 PC/SM) 

Davidoff Society Award for House Staff Excellence in Teaching 

  • Sudha Dubey (Firm 1)
  • Izona Bock (Firm 1)
  • Janaki Sharma (Firm 2)
  • Jin Im (Firm 2)
  • Swathi Reddy (Firm 3)
  • Michelle Cleeves (Firm 3 PC/SM) 

Barry Mishkin Award (awarded to a resident or fellow for humanity, ethics and excellence in the practice of medicine)

  • Olga Aroniadis, MD  

Matthew Florczyk Award (awarded to an intern in recognition of dignity and commitment exhibited during internship)

  • Mendel Goldfinger, MD

Graduates and their next career steps are listed below.

Medical Service I 

  • Grace Shin, MD, Chief Resident
    Gastroenterology Fellowship, Temple University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA
  • Izona Bock, MD
    Infectious Disease Fellowship, Montefiore Einstein, Bronx, NY
  • Jing Chao, MD
    Endocrinology Fellowship, University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, WA
  • Sudha Dubey, MD
    Clinician-Educator, Beth Israel General Medical Associates New York, NY
  • Robert Hirten, MD
    Chief Resident – Medical Service I, Montefiore Einstein, Bronx, NY
  • Jennifer Hsieh, MD
    Gastroenterology Fellowship, Stony Brook University Medical Center, Stony Brook, NY
  • Adrienna Jirik, MD
    Hepatology Fellowship, Montefiore Einstein, Bronx, NY
  • Melissa John, MD
    Internal Medicine Private Practice, Philadelphia, PA
  • Hanna Lee, MD
    Endocrinology Fellowship, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, NY
  • Noah Moss, MD
    Cardiology Fellowship, Mount Sinai Urban Community Program, New York, NY
  • Eirini Pectasides, MD
    Hematology/Oncology Fellowship, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA
  • Mayra Rodriguez, MD
    Nephrology Fellowship/Masters in Clinical Research, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, NY
  • Sandipani Sandilya, MD
    Plans in Progress
  • Mili Shum, MD
    Plans in Progress
  • Hillel Sternlicht, MD
    Teaching Hospitalist, Long Island College Hospital, Brooklyn, NY
  • Sharon Yee, MD
    Allergy and Immunology Fellowship, National Jewish Health/University of Colorado, Denver, CO

Medical Service II 

  • Olga Aroniadis, MD, Chief Resident
    Gastroenterology Fellowship, Montefiore Einstein, Bronx, NY
  • Bonni Stahl, MD, Chief Resident
    Clinical Educator, Cambridge Health Alliance, Cambridge, MA
  • Daniel Bamira, MD
    Cardiology Fellowship, St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital Center, New York, NY
  • Gene-Yuan Chang, MD
    Nephrology Fellowship University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
  • Oksana Davydov, MD
    Endocrinology Fellowship, Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York, NY
  • Jessica Dektyar, MD
    Hospitalist, Montefiore Einstein, Bronx, NY
  • Jin Seon Im, MD
    Oncology Fellowship, MD Anderson Center, Houston, TX
  • David Kotlyar, MD
    Hematology/Oncology Fellowship National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
  • George Lominadze, MD
    Hospitalist, Montefiore Einstein, Bronx, NY
  • Coral Parikh, MD
    Hospitalist, Montefiore Einstein, Bronx, NY
  • Sreekala Raghavan, MD
    Chief Resident – Ambulatory Care, Montefiore Einstein, Bronx, NY
  • Prameela Rao, MD
    Gastroenterology Fellowship, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, New York, NY
  • Michael Samuel, MD
    Hematology/Oncology Fellowship, Montefiore Einstein, Bronx, NY
  • Janaki Sharma, MD
    Geriatrics Fellowship, Montefiore Einstein, Bronx, NY
  • Monique Tanna, MD
    Chief Resident – Medical Service II, Montefiore Einstein, Bronx, NY
  • Ayesha Zahiruddin, MD
    Gastroenterology Fellowship, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY

Medical Service III 

  • David de Gijsel, MD, Chief Resident
    Hospitalist, Montefiore Einstein, Bronx, NY
  • Ari Kriegsman, MD, Chief Resident
    Attending Physician, Valley Homeless Healthcare Program, San Jose, CA
  • Marcus Bachhuber, MD
    Chief Resident – PC/SM, Montefiore Einstein, Bronx, NY
  • Michelle Cleeves, MD
    Primary Care/Women’s Health Clinician Educator, Denver Health, University of Colorado Hospital, Denver, CO
  • Rohit Das, MD
    Chief Resident – Medical Service III, Montefiore Einstein, Bronx, NY
  • Raquel Davis, MD
    Attending Physician, Montefiore Medical Group, Yonkers, NY
  • Gillian Goddard, MD
    Endocrinology Fellowship Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, NY
  • Emily Gordon, MD
    Clinician Educator UMDNJ- New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ
  • Erin Goss, MD
    Attending, Comprehensive Health Care Center, Montefiore Einstein, Bronx, NY
  • Fahmida Keya, MD
    Plans in Progress
  • Pankaj Khullar, MD
    Cardiology Fellowship, Montefiore Einstein/Bronx Lebanon, Bronx, NY
  • Evgeniya Krapivinsky, MD
    Attending, University Hospital of Kigali, Kigali, Rwanda
    Faculty, Duke University, Kigali, Rwanda
  • Khamranie Persaud, M.D
    Hospitalist, Havasu Regional Medical Center, Lake Havasu, AZ
  • Zia Rab, MD
    Cardiology Fellowship, North Shore University Hospital/LIJ, Manhasset, NY
  • Swathi Reddy, MD
    Attending, Adult Medicine Practice, Montefiore Einstein, Bronx, NY
  • Maria Sobolev, MD
    Attending, Adult Medicine Practice, Montefiore Einstein, Bronx, NY
  • Sarah Weiss, MD
    Hematology/Oncology Fellowship, New York University, New York, NY
  • Natalie Zelta, MD
    Plans in Progress

Preliminary Internship Program 

  • Jason Cohen
    Neurology, Montefiore Einstein, NY
  • Vikas Gupta
    Neurology, Montefiore Einstein, NY
  • Santiago Hernandez
    Plans in Progress
  • Henry Holt
    Ophthalmology, Albany Medical Center, NY
  • Paul Mello
    Emergency Medicine, Jacobi Medical Center, NY
  • Aleksandr Morim
    Radiology, Winthrop University Hospital, NY

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