Class Notes

What’s New? Your fellow alumni want to know!

Please send your professional and personal news and photos to: rwjmsalumni@rwjms.rutgers.edu, with the subject “Class Notes.”

In addition to updates we receive from alumni, we use public news information and stories to share in our Class Notes section.

1974

• Dennis Novak is a family medicine specialist in Forked River, N.J.

1982

• Russell W. Campbell is a vascular surgeon at Centra Health in Lynchburg, Va. When not providing care, Dr. Capmpbell likes to spend his time fishing, rebuilding cars, and spending time with his wife and four children.
• John DiPaola is an orthopedic surgeon in Tualatin, Ore.

1983

• David H. Madoff is an assistant professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore.

1984

• Robert D. Huang joined ENT and Allergy Associates, LLP, and is seeing patients at the practice’s Woodbridge, N.J., location.
• C. Steve Schramm specializes in family medicine and preventative health at Family Practice Center PC in Atlanta, Ga. Dr. Schramm was included in Marquis Who’s Who.

1986

• Joseph Carl Yarze practices gastroenterology in Glens Falls, N.Y.

1987

• Lawrence A. Silverman is chief of the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology at Goryeb Children’s Hospital, part of Morristown Medical Center in New Jersey.

1990

• Han Kim is a radiologist in Jackson Heights, N.Y., and is affiliated with NewYork–Presbyterian Queens in Flushing, N.Y.

1991

• Debra L. Friedman is an associate director for community science and health outcomes, co-leader of the Cancer Health Outcomes and Control Research Program, E. Bronson Ingram Chair in Pediatric Oncology, professor of pediatrics, and director of pediatric hematology and oncology at the Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, Tenn.
• David A. Wohl is professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill School of Medicine. An infectious disease specialist, Dr. Wohl also serves as site leader of the HIV Prevention and Treatment Clinical Trials Unit at Chapel Hill and co-lead of UNC Viral Hemorrhagic Fever Research Working Group. He has conducted HIV-related research for more than 20 years, including studies of aging with HIV infection, as well as the nexus between mass incarceration and the HIV epidemic, and research on HIV therapeutics and prevention. Since 2014, he has been conducting research in Liberia, West Africa, on Ebola and Lassa fever.

1993

• Glenn Lieberman is an orthopedic surgeon with Advanced Orthopedics in New Hampshire, which sees patients in Barrington, Sanbornville, and Gilford.
• Mark White is professor of surgery/urology at Albany Medical Center in New York, where he specializes in the treatment of adult and pediatric kidney stone disease and has extensive experience with laser lithotripsy and percutaneous stone removal procedures. Dr. White was one of the first physicians in the region to perform laparoscopic renal surgery in 1998 and, over the course of 18 years, has performed more than 4,000 ureteroscopic stone removal procedures and more than 500 percutaneous stone removal procedures for treatment of complex stone disease.

1994

• Felicia Shalski Lacksen practices medicine at Hawthorne Medical Associates/Piedmont Physicians Group in Watkinsville, Ga.

1995

• Michael S. Fleischer is an ophthalmologist in Westwood, N.J., who is affiliated with Hackensack Meridian Health Pascack Valley Medical Center, Valley Hospital, and Hackensack University Medical Center. Dr. Fleischer is a fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

1996

• James R. Daniels Jr. is a surgeon affiliated with Bon Secours Surgical Specialists in Midlothian, Va., and is also affiliated with Bon Secours St. Francis Medical Center in Greenville, S.C., and Bon Secours St. Mary’s Hospital in Richmond, Va.
• John Friend is the chief medical officer at Kazia Therapeutics, based in Sydney, Australia.

1997

• Laura Iavicoli is the deputy chief medical officer at Elmhurst Hospital Center in Queens, N.Y.

1998

• Marcus Magnet is a family medicine practitioner with South Jersey Family Medicine, West Deptford, N.J. A member of the practice since 2003, Dr. Magnet is particularly interested in orthopedics, pediatrics, and adult medicine.
• Michael A. Peck is a vascular surgeon in San Antonio, Texas, and a fellow in the American College of Surgeons.

2000

• Scott Chudnoff is chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. Dr. Chudnoff previously served as chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Stamford Health and director of gynecology at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx. He also is a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Columbia University Irving College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City.

2001

• Rebecca G. Carey is a pediatric gastroenterologist and medical director of the pediatric GI practice at Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at the Center for Children in Evanston, Ill. Dr. Carey is an Institute of Functional Medicine Certified Practitioner and Certified Nutrition Support Clinician who specializes in children who are fed by gastrostomy tube, have Inflammatory Bowel Disease, and have nutritional issues.
• Paul Codjoe is an orthopedic surgeon with Mercer-Bucks Orthopedics in Langhorne, Pa.
• Shayma M. Kazmi is a medical oncologist/ hematologist with Penn Medicine at Abramson Cancer Center in Cherry Hill, N.J., specializing in lung, breast, head and neck, thyroid, and brain cancers. Dr. Kazmi is co-founder of the Physicians Forum to combat burnout in the workplace.

2002

• Aaron B. Grotas is a urologist specializing in minimally invasive surgery, integrative medicine, male sexual health, and urinary incontinence for men and women and is affiliated with Mount Sinai Health System in New York.
• Lisa Maxwell has been appointed president of the ChristianaCare Medical Group. Dr. Maxwell’s priorities include adopting population health measures, embedding health equity into care delivery and workforce development, further expanding access for patients, and continued enhancement of patient and caregiver experiences.
• Eric Teller is a pulmonologist specializing in critical care medicine, pleural disease, and sleep medicine at Kamelhar-Teller Pulmonology in New York City.

2003

• Lauren Vales Carruth practices family medicine at Capital Health Primary Care in Washington Crossing, Pa.
• Patrick W. Hsu is a plastic and reconstructive micro-vascular surgeon in Houston, Texas.

2004

• Kishor Gandhi is the director of the PMC Center for Ambulatory Surgery in Monroe, N.J., as well as the director of acute pain and an anesthesiologist at Princeton Medical Center, part of Penn Medicine Princeton Health.
• Wilbert D. Yeung is the co-founder of Advanced Psychiatric Associates in Hackensack, N.J. Dual board certified in adult psychiatry and child and adolescent psychiatry, Dr. Yeung treats children, adolescents, and adults with a range of conditions. An active advocate for children’s mental health at the state and national levels, he has lectured on adolescent suicide and childhood mental health issues.

2005

• Kusum Punjabi was unanimously selected in July 2021 as chair of the Board of Trustees of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), an organization on which she served in a variety of board roles for the past 12 years. Dr. Punjabi is the youngest in AAPI’s 40-year history and the first person to go to medical school in the United States to hold the position of board chair, she noted. For the past 12 years, she has been working as an emergency medicine physician at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, N.J., and currently serves as assistant professor of emergency medicine at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

2006

• Amit Gupta is a board-certified specialist in child and adolescent psychiatry at Tripler Army Medical Center in Hawaii.
• Maryam Jowza is an anesthesiologist in Chapel Hill, N.C., and is affiliated with multiple hospitals in the area, including University of North Carolina (UNC) Hospitals and Chatham Hospital UNC Health Care.

2007

• Johanna Leigh Morton is a neurologist with SOC Telemed in Reston, Va. Dr. Morton is board certified in neurology and vascular neurology, holds a Certified in Medical Quality designation from the American Board of Medical Quality, and is a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality from the National Association for Healthcare Quality.

2008

• Joseph Nezgoda was installed as president-elect of the Florida Society of Ophthalmology during its Masters in Ophthalmology 2021 meeting. Dr. Nezgoda also received the John R. Brayton Jr., MD Leadership Award recognizing a Florida-based ophthalmologist who exemplifies leadership and dedication to the profession. A fellowship-trained, board-certified retina disease and surgery specialist, he practices in West Palm Beach and Boca Raton, Fla. His focus is on macular degeneration, diabetic eye disease, and other serious blinding eye diseases.
• Sagar Parikh is a pain management specialist in Shrewsbury, N.J.

2009

• Lindsey A. Bordone is a dermatologist at Columbia University Medical Center in New York.
• Camille Green practices at Hunterdon Internal Medicine Associates in Flemington, N.J.
• Daniel Nelson is a partner with Emergency Physicians Associates San Jose PC in California. Dr. Nelson has served as medical director of utilization management for O’Connor Hospital, San Jose, since January 2021, and in July was named medical director of utilization management for Saint Louise Regional Hospital in Gilroy, Calif. Both hospitals are part of the County of Santa Clara Health System.
• George Patounakis is the medical director of Reproductive Medicine Associates of Florida, Lake Mary, Fla., and assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology with the University of Central Florida’s College of Medicine.
• Neil Puri is chief business officer at Medicus Sciences Acquisition Corp.
• Abhishek Singh is the medical director of Atlantic Health System’s Heart Success program in New Jersey, which cares for patients with advanced heart failure. Dr. Singh is triple board-certified in internal medicine, cardiology, and advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology, and fellowship trained in cardiology, as well as advanced heart failure transplant cardiology.

2010

• Diana M. Bush is a provider at Capital Health Primary Care – Lawrenceville, N.J., part of Capital Health Medical Group. She is board certified in family medicine.
• Oliver Eng is an assistant professor of surgery at the University of Chicago, Ill. Dr. Eng is a double board-certified surgeon and surgical oncologist who focuses on the treatment of cancers in the abdomen, and in particular, cancers that have spread to the peritoneum, the membrane that lines the abdominal cavity.
• Jenitta M. Kwong is a pediatrician with Princeton Nassau Pediatrics in New Jersey. In her spare time, Dr. Kwong enjoys photography, cooking, fine dining, and traveling.

2011

• Amanda Lerner practices internal medicine at Circle Medical, a University of California, San Francisco, affiliate.
• Rashmi Srikanth was recognized by Continental Who’s Who as a trusted doctor for her exemplary contributions in medicine and her professional excellence as a family practioner at Capital Health Primary Care in Columbus, Ohio.

2012

• Thomas K.M. Cudjoe is a member of the Engage National Board of Directors. A specialist in geriatric medicine, Dr. Cudjoe currently serves as the Robert and Jane Meyerhoff Endowed Professor and assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Geriatric Medicine at Johns Hopkins Medicine. He is vice president of the East Baltimore Community School – Henderson Hopkins school board and serves on the Scientific Advisory Board for the Foundation for Social Connection and the Administration for Community Living National Coordinating Center. He is focused on understanding the influence of social factors on the health of older adults and developing strategies to improve the health trajectory of older adults. His research has focused on identifying risk factors for social isolation, as well as the relationship between social connections and health outcomes. He is also a Major in the U.S. Army Reserves Medical Corps.
• Sophia Hu is a specialist in endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism, and internal medicine at Beth Israel Medical Center Endocrinology & Bone Diseases, New York, N.Y. Dr. Hu also is affiliated with Mount Sinai Medical Center and Mount Sinai Beth Israel Brooklyn Medical Center.
• Minyoung Jang is a pediatric otolaryngologist at NewYork–Presbyterian/Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital in New York City.

2013

• Elana R. Bannerman is a specialist in family medicine and sports medicine with Southern New Hampshire Health’s Bone & Joint Center.
• Mufaddal Dahodwala is an internal medicine physician with UCLA Health at Santa Clarita Primary & Specialty Care in Valencia, Calif. Dr. Dahodwala is passionate about empowering patients to take control of their health, incorporating holistic approaches in primary care, and promoting health literacy through technology and social media.

2014

• Elizabeth G. Bond joined the General Surgery Department at Northern Regional Hospital in Mount Airy, N.C.
• Matthew Chase is a clinical fellow in hematology and medical oncology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, whose interests are mainly in the areas of medical education, health care disparities, and clinical practice.
• Erin M. Honcharuk is a pediatric orthopedic surgeon with Johns Hopkins Medicine, with offices in Bethesda, Md., and is affiliated with Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center and The Johns Hopkins Hospital, both in Baltimore. Dr. Honcharuk’s research interests include evaluation and treatment of limb length inequality, traumatic injuries, and foot deformities, and she specializes in treating children with conditions affecting the lower extremities, and in limb-lengthening and reconstructive procedures to correct uneven limbs and treat congenital limb differences.
• Sehrish Jamot is an advanced endoscopist at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, N.Y.
• Jeffrey Williams is a board-certified pediatrician and pediatric hospitalist with Northwell Health at the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New Hyde Park, N.Y. Dr. Williams also serves as assistant professor at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/ Northwell and is affiliated with Long Island Jewish Medical Center, North Shore University Hospital, and South Shore University Hospital.

2015

• Christiaan Robert De Vries is a specialist in infectious disease, currently practicing in California.
• Amanda Paternostro is an obstetrician and gynecologist at The Physician & Midwife Collaborative Practice in Alexandria, Va.

2016

• Vamsi Krishna Kalari is an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore.
• Mosopefoluwa “Sope” Lanlokun is an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and its Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh in the Division of Allergy and Immunology.
• Gerard R. Limerick is a specialist in critical care and pain medicine with the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore.
• Neil Newman is an assistant professor at the University of Texas Health San Antonio.

2017

• Okechukwu Anochie is a sleep medicine specialist at Van Wert Health in Ohio. Dr. Anochie provides consultation and treatment for a variety of sleep disorders through the Van Wert Health Medical Sleep Center, in addition to outpatient internal medicine services for adolescents and adults.
• Alyssa Huncken is a physician at Changebridge Medical Associates, a member of Consensus Health, in Montville, N.J.

2018

• Samantha Sauerzopf is a third-year ophthalmology resident at Geisinger Eye Institute in Pennsylvania. A member of the Pennsylvania Academy of Ophthalmology Young Ophthalmologists Committee, Dr. Sauerzopf currently serves as its social media director. She recently served as an ambassador in the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s Advocacy Ambassador Program, which provides an opportunity for residents and fellows to participate in the academy’s annual Mid-Year Forum.

Residents and Fellows

• Rubina Alvi is a geriatrician at the Family Medical Wellness Center in Elkridge, Md.
• Irina Bernescu is a specialist in colon and rectal surgery with Ascension Medical Group in Baltimore. Dr. Bernescu has a particular interest and expertise in robotic and laparoscopic surgery for the treatment of colorectal cancer, diverticulitis, inflammatory bowel disease, and rectal prolapse.
• Vinod Chauhan practices at Beacon Medical Group Advanced Cardiovascular Specialists in South Bend, Ind.
• Michelle Helms is a surgeon at Cooley Dickinson Medical Group in Northampton, Mass.
• Neeraj Hotchandani practices primary care at Nuvance Health Medical Practices in Highland, N.Y.
• Kennedy Ganti was recently installed as president of the Medical Society of New Jersey (MSNJ). A member of MSNJ since 2010, Dr. Ganti has served as a member of its board of trustees in a number of positions. He also serves as president-elect of the New Jersey chapter of the Health Information Management Systems Society. He is a diplomate of the American Board of Family Medicine and board certified in family medicine and clinical informatics.
• Chad A. Krueger was named a member of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons’ Board of Directors. Dr. Krueger is a Pennsylvania-based orthopedic surgeon at Rothman Orthopedic Institute.
• Cindy Lee is a family medicine practitioner at Hurtt Family Health Clinic’s Tustin, Santa Ana, and Anaheim, Calif., locations.
• Oleksiy (Alex) Lelyanov, a pain management specialist, recently joined Capital Health’s Center for Pain Management, part of Capital Institute for Neurosciences in Hopewell Township, N.J.
• Ajay N. Mathur is an infectious disease specialist in Hillsborough, N.J., who serves as regional vice president at ID Care. Dr. Mathur is a fellow of the American College of Physicians, volunteers nationally with the Infectious Diseases Society of America, and is a member of the HIV Medicine Association.
• Sima Mithani is an allergist and immunologist at ENT and Allergy Associates LLP in Hackensack, N.J.
• Bindi Nia is a fellow in clinical neurophysiology/EEG & Intraoperative Monitoring at Weill Cornell Medical Center and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.
• Andrea Russo is the director of Cardiac Electrophysiology and Arrythmia Service at Cooper University Healthcare in Camden, N.J.
• Ron Samet was selected as Best Doctor for Pandemic Response by readers of the Baltimore Jewish Times. Dr. Samet serves as medical director of a community COVID-19 vaccine clinic in Pikesville, Md., as well as assistant professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and staff anesthesiologist at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center. He has served as a trauma anesthesiologist for the past 15 years.
• Harvey Shub is a primary care physician in Orlando, Fla.
• Alisa Sokoloff is a board-certified hematologist-oncologist practicing at the New York Cancer and Blood Specialists in New York City.
• Juman Takkedin is an endocrinology provider at the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine at Marshall University, Marshall Health, and Mountain Health Network in West Virginia. Dr. Takkedin also has been named an assistant professor in the School of Medicine’s Department of Internal Medicine.