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
Imo 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
Taimoor 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:
- Fellowship Mentor of the Year: Mark Friedman, MD
- Procedural Teaching Faculty of the Year: Tam Truong, MD
- Lecturer of the Year: Peter Ott, MD
- Clinical Teaching Faculty of the Year: Mark Friedman, MD
- Favorite Attending to be on Call with this year: Kapil Lotun, MD
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.
Endocrinology
Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism Fellowship Program
Laila 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
Muna 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
Andrew 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
Sumaya Farran, MD — Private Practice
Catalin Florita, MD — Private Practice, New Jersey
Graduation event May 12 at home of division chief Liz Connick, MD.
Nephrology
Nephrology Fellowship Program
Fahad 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
Roula Altisheh, MD — Private Practice, Ohio
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
Huthayfa 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
Luke 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
Shubha 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!