Department of Medicine Graduating 2018 Fellows Celebrate Grand Finale to Advanced Training

Ronnie Preethi William posts to Facebook on the end of '3 beautiful years together'Not all graduations come with commencements or convocations. In fact, some of the quietest celebrations are for physicians in advanced training for medical fellowships. The UA Department of Medicine has 18 such fellowships—including two created in the past year and all but one of which are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.

Fellows generally graduate between May and July, although some who start off-cycle may leave earlier or later in the academic year.

Here’s how sendoffs for this year’s DOM fellows proceeded, including the graduates, where they go next, program director comments, a few awards and—of course—photos: 

Graduates of the 2018 Cardiovsacular Medicine Fellowship (below left from left) Drs. Arun Kannan, Imo Ebong, Candice Kim, Hyon-he Garza, J.R. "Keng" Pineda and Preethi William.

Cardiology

Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship Program
2018 University of Arizona cardiovascular disease fellows celebrate graduation at Lodge on the DesertImo Ebong, MD — Advanced Heart Failure & Transplant Fellowship, University of Chicago
Arun S. Kannan, MD — Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology Fellowship, University of Chicago
Candice Kim, MD — Private Practice, Temecula, Calif.
JR Exequiel "Keng" Pineda, MD, PhD — Clinical Research Fellow, UA/Banner – UMC Tucson
Preethi William, MD — Advanced Heart Failure & Transplant Fellowship, University of Utah, Salt Lake City
Hyon-he Garza, MD — Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology Fellowship, UA/Banner – UMC Tucson

Interventional Cardiology Fellowship Program
Drs. Taimoor Hashim and Kapil YadavTaimoor Hashim, MBBS — Structural Heart Fellowship, University of Alabama in Birmingham.
Kapil Yadav, MBBS — interventional cardiologist, Baptist Health, Little Rock, Ark.

Graduation event June 3 at the Lodge on the Desert.

2018 Faculty & Fellow Awards for Cardiology include:

Graduating fellows also named two first-year cardiovascular disease fellows to receive a Professionalism Award: Bishnu Dhakal, MBBS, and Kristina Skinner, DO.

Faculty from the Southern Arizona Veterans Affairs Health Care System awarded the VA Cardiology Fellow of the Year to Preethi William, MD.

DOM Facebook photo album on Endocrinology fellows annual bash at Dr. Stephen Thomson's placeEndocrinology

Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism Fellowship Program
Drs. Laila Abuzaid, Zeina Ali and Zubair MirzaLaila Abu Zaid, MD — Group Practice, Sioux Falls, S.D.
Zeina Ali, MD — Group Practice, Palm Spring, Calif.
Zubair Mirza, MBBS — Group Practice, Houston

Graduation event June 10 at home of Stephen Thomson, MD.

“We are proud to plant our endocrine program flag across the country with our three graduating fellows, and are confident they will represent themselves and the University of Arizona brilliantly. We wish them and their families well and look forward to interacting with them as friends and trusted colleagues in the future.” — Craig Stump, MD, PhD, fellowship program director

Gastroenterology & Hepatology

Gastroenterology Fellowship Program
Thomas Kemmerly, MD — Private Practice, Kaiser Permanente, Southern California
Bhupesh Pokhrel, MBBS — Advanced Endoscopy Fellowship, University of California, San Diego

Graduation event June 10 at home of interim division chief Steve Goldschmid, MD.

Geriatrics, General Internal Medicine & Palliative Medicine

Hospice & Palliative Medicine Fellowship
Dr. Muna OmarMuna D. Omar, MBBS — Private Practice – Pulmonary/Critical Care; Redding, Calif.

Graduation event June 30 at Pastiche.

“Dr. Omar was an outstanding Palliative Medicine fellow. She will now be among a small group of intensivists who are formally trained in Palliative Medicine. It is an extraordinary accomplishment and we are proud of her!” — Linda Snyder, MD, program director, Hospice & Palliative Care Fellowship and Pulmonary & Critical Care Fellowship

Hematology & Oncology

Hematology & Medical Oncology Fellowship Training Program
Drs. Andrew Kovoor, Soyoung 'Sara' Park, Krushangi Patel and Umbreen (Arshad) RozellAndrew Kovoor, MD — U.S. Oncology/Texas Oncology, Plano, Texas
Soyoung "Sara" Park, MD — Hematology/Oncology Faculty, UA College of Medicine - Phoenix and UA Cancer Center - Phoenix/Dignity-St. Joseph's Hospital
Krushangi Patel, MD — CHI Franciscan, Burien, Wash.
Umbreen (Arshad) Rozell, MD — Glen Falls Hospital, Medical Oncology, Glens Falls, N.Y.

Graduation event May 5 at the home of new fellowship director Pavani Chalasani, MD, MPH.

"We offer our most sincere wishes for continued success and discovery to our four graduating hematology/oncology fellows. With their new careers taking them to deep in the heart of Texas, the Pacific Northwest, Upstate New York and right here in Arizona, these talented physicians will keep showing the 'Wildcat spirit' as they provide comprehensive, compassionate care to patients with cancers and blood disorders." — Andrew Yeager, MD, UA professor emeritus and prior fellowship director

Infectious Diseases

Infectious Diseases Fellowship Program
Drs. Sumaya Farran and Catalin FloritaSumaya Farran, MD — Private Practice
Catalin Florita, MD — Private Practice, New Jersey

Graduation event May 12 at home of division chief Liz Connick, MD.

Nephrology team Twitter post on fellows send-off at Westward Look ResortNephrology

Nephrology Fellowship Program
Drs. Fahad Alobaidi and Ilyad MansourFahad Alobaidi, MBChB — Private Practice, Dallas
Ilyad Mansour, MBChB — Private Practice, Redding, Calif.

Graduation event May 25 at Westward Look Resort.

“I am so proud of this year's graduating fellows – they are incredibly brilliant, have great compassion, and humility. I know they will both make a great impact in their future careers.” — Amy Sussman, MD, fellowship program director and DOM associate chair for education and clerkship director

Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine

Allergy & Immunology Fellowship Program
Drs. Rourla Altisheh and Pam TongchinsubRoula Altisheh, MD — Private Practice, OhioPulmonary and critical care medicine fellows festivities at Culinary Dropout, courtesy of Dr. Billie Bixby via Facebook
Pamela P. Tongchinsub, MD — Kaiser Permanente, Santa Clara, Calif.

Graduation event June 8 at home of program director Tara Carr, MD.

Critical Care Medicine Fellowship Program
Katelin Morrissette, MD — Private Practice, Vermont

Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine Fellowship Program
Drs. Katelin Morrissette, Huthayfa Ateeli, Billie Bixby, Elaine Cristan, Tammer El-Aini and Luke GabeHuthayfa Ateeli, MBBS — Private Practice, South Dakota
Billie Bixby, MD — Interventional Pulmonology Fellowship, University of Utah, Salt Lake City
Elaine Cristan, MD — Faculty, PACCS, UA College of Medicine – Tucson/Banner – University Medicine
Tammer Y. El Aini, MD — Faculty, PACCS, UA College of Medicine – Tucson/Banner – University Medicine
Dr. Chithra PoongjkunranLuke Gabe, MD — Private Practice, New Mexico

Sleep Medicine Fellowship Program
Chithra Poongjkunran, MD — Private Practice, Chicago

Graduation event for pulmonary, critical care and sleep fellows June 8 at Culinary Droput and Reforma.

Rheumatology

Rheumatology Fellowship Program
Drs. Shubha Kollampare and Nikila KumarShubha Kollampare, MBBS — Private Practice, East Coast
Nikila Kumar, MD — Private Practice, Pacific Northwest

Graduation event May 12 at the home of Margaret Miller, MD.

Congratulations to one and all — and happy trails!

Release Date: 
07/27/2018 - 6:00pm