Graduating Class of 2018 Department of Medicine Residents Celebrating in Style

Graduates of the UA College of Medicine Residency Program – University Campus celebrated their graduation on June 2 at the Skyline Country Club with a dinner and awards ceremony.

They were preceded by the Advanced Dermatology residents, who held their grad night event on May 17. The South Campus internal medicine residents follow with theirs on June 15.

University Campus Internal Medicine

Among those recognized by the University Campus residency program were:

• Distinguished Research Award – Darien Reed, MD, PhD
• Distinguished Vignette Award – Kshipra Joshi, DO
• Program Director’s Outstanding Humanism and Professionalism Award – Ryan Wong, MD
• Outstanding Fellow of the Year 2017-18 – Tammer El Aini, MD, Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellow (third straight year that he has won this teaching honor)
• Outstanding Attending of the Year 2017-18 – J.P. Ferreira, MD, assistant professor, Division of Inpatient Medicine, and assistant director, UA Internal Medicine Residency Program – University Campus
• Outstanding Intern of the Year 2017-18 – Gilbert Ortega, MD
• Certificate of Appreciation – Yvonne Huckleberry, PharmD, BCPS, associate professor, UA College of Pharmacy
• Bressler-Alpert Society Travel Award* winners
     – Shilpa Junna, MD
     – Kelly Wickstrom, DO

* Learn more about the society and see all the travel award winners at this link.

A number of other “personalized” awards were presented by the residents to fellow residency graduates, 20 of whom (including chief residents) matched into fellowships for further training. Seven of them will be staying at the UA College of Medicine – Tucson. Current destinations are indicated in parentheses below.

They are, in order of award presentation: Matthew Adams, DO (Infectious Diseases, UA); Aditya Paliwal, MD (travelling physician); Ryan Wong, MD (chief resident, UA); See Wei Low, MD (Pulmonary & Critical Care, Mayo Scottsdale); Kelly Wickstom, DO (Pulmonary & Critical Care, UA); Ilya Finkelshteyn, MD (hospitalist, Chicago); Eric “Drew” Robinson, MD (Cardiology, Indiana University); Kris Kumar, DO (chief resident, UA); Claudia Gafke, MD (Allergy & Immunology, University of South Florida);  Jack Stephens, MD; Prashant Rao, MBBS (Sports Cardiology & Human Performance, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia); Ryan Buckley, MD (Allergy & Immunology, University of Colorado); Nathan Kellis, MD (hospitalist, Boise, Idaho); Anthony Witten, DO (chief resident, UA); Steven “Chase” Stroud, MD (Cardiology, UA); Jarred Sargeant, MD (Cardiology, Palmetto Health, Richland, SC); Robert Betancourt, MD; Gwinyai Chikwava, MD; Omar Velasco, MD (Cardiology, UA); Sheila Maier, DO (Endocrinology, University of Colorado); Sehem Ghazala, MD (GI, Tulane University); Benjamin Jarrett, MD (Hospice & Palliative Care, Maine Medical Center); Onyemaichi Okolo, MD ((Hematology & Oncology, UA); Joshua Eason, DO (Cardiology, University of Kentucky); Khushboo Goel, MD (Pulmonary & Critical Care, University of Colorado); Jaren Trost, MD (Rheumatology, University of New Mexico); Adam Berlinberg, MD (Rheumatology, University of Colorado); and Kelly Barnett, MD (chief resident, UA).

Other graduates included preliminary residents completing their internship in internal medicine and moving on to complete residencies in another program: Reza Alizaeh, MD; Alexis Cahn, DO; Cooper Crain, MD; Laurel Kittrell, MD; Brittany Morgan, MD; Danh Truong, MD; Victoria Tsang, MD; and Jared Wilson, MD. Drs. Alizaeh, Cahn, Truong and Tsang will continue their training at the UA College of Medicine

Co-hosting as emcees were Drs. Kelly Barnett, Kris Kumar and Anthony Witten. They along with Dr. Ryan Wong will serve as chief residents for the University Campus internal medicine program in 2018-19.

Three outgoing chief residents—Jawad Bilal, MBBS (Rheumatology, UA), Aakahs Shah, MD (Cardiology, University of Arkansas), and Kawanjit Surapur, MD (Pulmonary & Critical Care, UA)—also matched into fellowships. A fourth, Yuni Valenzuela, MD, is headed to Tampa to work in outpatient services. 

The closing lecture was provided by Serena Scott, MD, an assistant professor and internist with the UA Division of Geriatrics, General Internal and Palliative Medicine.

Photos were shot (mostly) by Michele Dalmendray, senior program coordinator. To view a photo gallery from the nights festivities click here (or on the image at right).

You also can see the photos at this UA Department of Medicine Facebook webpage photo album.

Other Residency Programs

Advanced Dermatology

Graduates from the UA Advanced Dermatology Residency Program celebrated their graduation May 17 at the home of James Sligh, MD, PhD, program director, professor and chief, UA Division of Dermatology. They include:

• Jessin H. Blossom, MD – Private practice, Louisville, Ky.
• Joseph T. Chao, MD – Private practice, San Francisco
• Colleen Cotton, MD (chief resident) – Pediatric Dermatology Fellowship, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
• Jennifer Sawaya, MD — Laser, Cosmetic and Dermatologic Surgery Fellowship, Harvard Medical School, Boston

South Campus Internal Medicine

Graduates from the UA Internal Medicine Residency Program at South Campus celebrate their grad night festivities on June 15. Graduating residents include (with where they’re headed next):

• Kady Goldlist, MD – Geriatric Fellowship, Harvard, Boston
• Jayasree Jonnadula, MBBS – Endocrinology Fellowship, UA College of Medicine – Tucson
• Radhamani Kannaiyan, MBBS – Hospitalist, Vidant Health/East Carolina University, Greenville, N.C.
• Jose Marquez, MD – Infectious Diseases Fellowship, UA College of Medicine – Tucson
• Balaji Natarajan, MBBS – Cardiology Fellowship, University of California Riverside
• Rui Wen Pang, MD – Geriatrics Fellowship, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
• Nirmal Singh, MBBS – Hospitalist, Memorial Hospital, Bakersfield, Calif.
• Chandra Stockdall, MD – Hospitalist, Carondelet Health Network, Tucson
• Roberto Swazo, MD – Chief Resident, UA Internal Medicine Residency Program – South Campus
• Wei Xiang Wong, MD – Nephrology Fellowship, UA College of Medicine – Tucson

South Campus chief resident, Senthil Anand, MBBS, is headed to Mayo Clinic – Scottsdale for a cardiology fellowship. Look for more news on awards presented at a later date.

ALSO SEE:
“New University of Arizona Dermatology Chief Residents Announced for 2018-19” | Posted May 22, 2018
“Honors Come Early for Those Recognized at 2018 DOM Annual Awards Assembly” | Posted April 12, 2018
“Chief Residents in UA Internal Medicine Named; See Who’ll Serve in 2018-19, 2019-20” | Posted April 10, 2018
“See Fellows Match in Internal Medicine Subspecialties—Both at, from UA Department of Medicine” | Posted March 6, 2018
"South Campus Residents Join at the Omni Resort for Grad Night Festivities" | Posted June 19, 2017
“Class of 2017 Tucson Campus Residents Celebrate Graduation with Honors” | Posted June 5, 2017
“DOM Program Directors Share Insights on Incoming Class of 2020 Interns, Residents” | Posted March 24, 2017