Current Residents

Chief Residents

  • Amy Ku, MD, PhD

    • AP/CP, PGY3

    Hometown: Lancaster, CA
    Undergraduate: University of California, Los Angeles
    Medical School: Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo
    Future plans:  Hematopathology Fellowship, Columbia 2023-2024
    Academic Interests: Hematopathology and Transfusion Medicine
    Hobbies: D&D, Olympic recurve archery, compound archery, video games, board games, cats

    Amy Ku, MD, PhD

  • Jeremy Miyauchi, MD, PhD

    • AP, PGY3

    Hometown: Ossining, NY
    Undergraduate: Cornell University
    Medical School: Stony Brook University
    Future plans: Genitourinary Pathology, Cornell 2022-2023
    Academic Interests: Molecular classification of tumors, Tumor-immune system interactions
    Hobbies: Playing guitar, breakdancing, capoeira regional, BJJ, Muay Thai, judo, surfing, hiking, snowboarding

    Jeremy Miyauchi, MD, PhD

  • Maxwell Weidmann, MD, PhD

    • CP, PGY3

    Hometown: Highland Park, NJ
    Undergraduate: Princeton University
    Medical School: Albert Einstein College of Medicine
    Future plans:  Planning to pursue Clinical Microbiology/Public Health Laboratory Fellowship
    Academic Interests: Incorporation of laboratory testing into syndromic surveillance algorithms; Novel biomarkers for emerging pathogens.
    Hobbies: Running, biking, mindfulness practice, environmental activism, hiking, camping, short-form poetry.

    Maxwell Weidmann, MD, PhD

PGY4

  • Joseph Burt, MD

    • AP/CP, PGY4

    Hometown: Long Beach, CA
    Undergraduate: Columbia University
    Medical School: Albert Einstein College of Medicine
    Future plans:  GI/Liver Pathology Fellowship
    Academic Interests: Liver
    Hobbies: Chess, biking

    Joseph Burt, MD

  • Lanny DiFranza, MD

    • AP/CP, PGY4

    Hometown: Princeton, MA
    Undergraduate: New York University
    Medical School: State University of New York - Downstate College of Medicine
    Future plans:  Renal Pathology Fellowship 2022-2023
    Academic Interests: Renal pathology, transplant pathology, immunology
    Hobbies: Playing piano, hiking, creative writing

    Lanny DiFranza, MD

  • Jacob Valk, MD

    • AP/CP, PGY4

    Hometown: Newcastle, WA
    Undergraduate: Occidental College
    Medical School: Sackler School of Medicine - Tel Aviv University
    Future plans:  Surgical Pathology Fellowship, Columbia 2022-2023; Genitourinary Pathology Fellowship, Memorial Sloan Kettering 2023-2024
    Academic Interests: Surgical Pathology, Informatics, Digital Pathology
    Hobbies: Baking and cooking, struggling on the Peloton, Tennis, PC building 

    Jacob Valk, MD

PGY3

  • Chinwe Madubata, MD

    • AP/CP, PGY3

    Hometown: Riverdale, MD
    Undergraduate: Harvard University
    Medical School: Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine
    Future plans:  TBD
    Academic Interests: Health disparities in oncology, personalized genomic medicine, and transfusion medicine.
    Hobbies: Visiting parks, reading, and playing guitar.

    Chinwe Madubata, MD

  • Simona Pichler Sekulic, MD

    • AP, PGY3

    Hometown: Ljubljana, Slovenia
    Undergraduate: University of Belgrade School of Medicine
    Medical School: University of Belgrade School of Medicine
    Future plans:  TBD
    Academic Interests: Anatomic pathology
    Hobbies: Local history and art museums

    Simona Pichler Sekulic, MD

  • Mine Yilmaz, MD

    • AP/CP, PGY3

    Hometown: Ankara/Turkey - Toronto/Canada
    Undergraduate: Hacettepe University School of Medicine
    Medical School: Hacettepe University School of Medicine
    Future plans:  TBD
    Academic Interests: Dermatopathology, Head&Neck/Endocrine Pathology
    Hobbies: Reading, Badminton, Playing Piano, Photography

    Mine Yilmaz, MD

PGY2

  • Sepideh Besharati, MD

    • AP/CP, PGY2

    Hometown: Rasht and Baltimore
    Undergraduate: Azad University
    Medical School: Azad University
    Future plans:  GI Pathology fellowship
    Academic Interests: Cancer Immunotherapy
    Hobbies: Painting, Watching movies, Sightseeing

    Sepideh Besharati, MD

  • Michael Daniel, MD, PhD

    • AP/CP, PGY2

    Hometown: Anaheim, CA
    Undergraduate: University of California, Los Angeles
    Medical School: Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
    Future plans:  Possibly Hematopathology and Molecular Pathology fellowships
    Academic Interests: Hematopoietic Stem Cells, Cancer, Personalized Medicine
    Hobbies: Guitar, Video Games, Board/Card games, Cooking

    Michael Daniel, MD, PhD

  • Shaheen Malick, MD

    • CP, PGY2

    Hometown: Manhattan, NY
    Undergraduate: CUNY Hunter
    Medical School: Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons
    Future plans:  TBD
    Academic Interests: Nutritional pathology, mTOR signalling
    Hobbies: Playing cello

    Shaheen Malick, MD

  • Christopher Shin, MD

    • CP, PGY2

    Hometown: Demarest, NJ
    Undergraduate: University of Notre Dame
    Medical School: SUNY Downstate College of Medicine
    Future plans:  Transfusion Medicine, Medical Microbiology, GI/Liver Pathology
    Academic Interests: Physics, psychology
    Hobbies: Painting, learning languages, and challenging himself to the spiciest foods around

    Christopher Shin, MD

  • Jonathan Tepp, MD

    • AP/CP, PGY2

    Hometown: Fair Lawn, NJ
    Undergraduate: Queens College, CUNY
    Medical School: Sackler School of Medicine-Tel Aviv University
    Future plans:  TBD
    Academic Interests: GI pathology, dermatopathology
    Hobbies: Running, hiking, biking, cooking 

    Jonathan Tepp, MD

  • Jeffrey Thomas, DO

    • AP/CP, PGY2

    Hometown: Flemington, NJ
    Undergraduate: Rutgers University
    Medical School: Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine
    Future plans:  Hemepath/ Dermpath
    Academic Interests: Hemepath
    Hobbies: Baking, Cooking, Piano, Video Games, Astronomy

    Jeffrey Thomas, DO

PGY1

  • Courtney Connelly, MD

    • AP/CP, PGY1

    Hometown: Rochester, NY
    Undergraduate: Tufts University
    Medical School: SUNY Downstate College of Medicine
    Future plans: Hematopathology fellowship
    Academic Interests: Hematopathology, molecular pathology
    Hobbies: hiking, gardening, trying new restaurants 

    Connelly Courtney

  • Niyati Desai, MD

    • AP/CP, PGY1

    Hometown: Surat, Gujarat, India
    MBBS: Government Medical College, Surat, India
    MD: C.U. Shah Medical College, India
    Future Plans: TBD
    Academic Interests: microbiology, molecular diagnostics, biomarker discovery, repeat RNA, RNA- in situ hybridization
    Hobbies: taking long walks, gardening, reading books, art and craft -including minakari stone work on glass

    Niyati Desai

  • Michelle Garlin, MD

    • AP/CP, PGY1

    Hometown: Caracas, Venezuela.
    Undergraduate and medical school: Jose Maria Vargas School of Medicine, Universidad Central de Venezuela.
    Future plans: TBD
    Academic interests: Clinical microbiology, pulmonary and breast pathology, tumor microenvironment.
    Hobbies: Art, yoga & meditation, cats.

    Michelle Garlin

  • Yin Guo, MD

    • AP/CP, PGY1

    Hometown: Henan, China 
    Undergraduate: Zunyi Medical University, China 
    Medical School:  Zunyi Medical University, China 
    Future plans: GI/Liver Pathology, Hematopathology 
    Academic Interests: Cancer Immunotherapy 
    Hobbies: Lake fishing, camping, hiking, painting, and growing different kinds of succulents. 

    Yin Guo

  • Ian Mellis, MD, PhD

    • CP, PGY1

    Hometown: New Rochelle, NY
    Undergraduate: Amherst College
    Medical School: Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
    Future plans: Research, specialty TBD
    Academic Interests: Regenerative medicine, systems biology, transfusion medicine, genomics
    Hobbies: Cooking, traveling, languages

    Ian Mellis

  • Maelle Saliba, MD

    • AP, PGY1

    Hometown: Beirut, Lebanon
    Undergraduate: Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth
    Medical School: Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth-Faculté de médecine & American University of Beirut
    Future plans: Combine Head and Neck pathology with experience in genomic medicine
    Academic Interests: Mutation-specific immunohistochemistry, personalized medicine
    Hobbies: Classical piano, watercolor painting and traveling

    Maelle Saliba

  • Evan Waldron, MD, PhD

    • CP, PGY1

    Hometown: Nutley NJ
    Undergraduate: Vassar College
    Medical School: Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
    Future plans: Establish a research lab
    Academic Interests: Understanding disease on the molecular scale using structural biology and biochemistry.
    Particular interests: membrane proteins, receptors, protein-protein/protein-nucleic acid complexes. The development of protein based therapeutics and diagnostics
    Hobbies: Springboard diving, tailoring, violin, baking, anime/manga, and animals.

    Evan Waldron

Oral Pathology

  • Daria Vasilyeva, DDS

    • Oral Pathology Chief Resident, PGY3

    Hometown: St. Petersburg, Russia
    Undergraduate: Barry University, Miami FL
    Medical School: Columbia University College of Dental Medicine
    Future plans:  Dental academia
    Academic Interests: Pre-doctoral education, clinical oral pathology
    Hobbies: low maintenance houseplants and naps with the cat 

    Daria Vasilyeva, DDS

  • Khanh Trinh, DMD

    • Oral Pathology, PGY2

    Hometown: Saigon, Vietnam
    Undergraduate: University of Arizona
    Medical School: Midwestern University - College of Dental Medicine-Arizona
    Future plans:  TBD
    Academic Interests: Oral Pathology
    Hobbies: Photography, reading, baking

    Khanh Trinh, DMD

  • Dennis Shem, DMD

    • Oral Pathology, PGY1

    Hometown: El Cerrito, CA
    Undergraduate: University of California, Berkeley
    Medical School: Temple University Kornberg School of Dentistry
    Future Plans: TBD
    Academic Interests: Predoctoral education; medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ); head and neck cancer
    Hobbies: Eating my way through New York City; Film photography; Music; Thrifting

    Dennis Shem