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, catsJeremy 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, snowboardingMaxwell 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.
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, bikingLanny 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 writingJacob 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
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.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 museumsMine 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
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, SightseeingMichael 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, CookingShaheen 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 celloChristopher 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 aroundJonathan 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, cookingJeffrey 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
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 restaurantsNiyati 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 glassMichelle 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.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.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, languagesMaelle 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 travelingEvan 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.
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 catKhanh 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, bakingDennis 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