Current Residents
PGY4
Medical School: University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
Undergraduate: University of Rochester
Favorite things about Philly: walkability, museums, Schuylkill river trail, street murals, diversity, and food/bar scene.
Favorite middle school trend: wearing my hair in a side ponytail, low or high
Medical School: Tufts University School of Medicine
Undergraduate: Princeton University
Favorite thing about Philly: The food! There’s no shortage of amazing food and drink. I also love that Philly has so many outdoor spaces – parks, restaurants, and roof decks!
Favorite middle school trend: angsty AIM away messages and gelly rolls.
Medical School: Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
Undergraduate: Wesleyan University
Favorite thing about Philly: The many community gardens!!
Favorite middle school trend: Scrunching my hair with a handful of gel each morning and playing with my straw hair during class.
Medical School: Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University
Undergraduate: Tufts University
Favorite middle school trend: gel-pens and Lisa Frank, otherwise blacked out that part of my memory due to sheer embarrassment.
Is a hotdog a sandwich? No, this question is offensive.
Medical School: New York University Grossman School of Medicine
Undergraduate: Drexel University
Favorite thing about Philly: So many different neighborhoods with totally different vibes for whatever you're feeling.
Favorite middle school trend: Band t-shirts, Hot topic, going to the mall on Friday night, other embarrassing things.
Post-call tradition: Maybe eat a bagel, go to bed, wake up in the afternoon and get a vegan cheesesteak or Italian hoagie from Blackbird.
Is a hotdog a sandwich? The OED says, "an item of food consisting of two pieces of bread with meat, cheese, or other filling between them, eaten as a light meal". So, to meet this definition the two halves of the bun would have to physically separate from each other to be considered two pieces of bread and therefore a sandwich.
Medical School: Rutgers, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Undergraduate: Rutgers University, New Brunswick
Post call tradition: Picnic brunch with my fellow foodie co-res!
Favorite middle school trend: My pink Motorola razor, white Fubu kicks, and Lisa Frank trapper keeper <3
PGY3
Medical School: University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Undergraduate: College of William and Mary Williamsburg
Medical School: Eastern Virginia Medical School of the Medical College of Hampton Roads
Undergraduate: Clemson University
Medical School: University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Undergraduate: Johns Hopkins University
Favorite thing about Philly: You can definitely find any kind of restaurant you're looking for.
Favorite middle school trend: All the different iPods everyone had (RIP to my 1st gen shuffle).
Medical School: Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University
Undergraduate: Johns Hopkins University
Medical School: Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University
Undergraduate: George Washington University
Medical School: Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
Undergraduate: Northeastern University
PGY2
Medical School: Rutgers, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Undergraduate: Brown University
Most excited for coming to Philadelphia: The food! So many people have said that Philly has the best food and I'm excited to try them out.
Medical School: Albany Medical School
Undergraduate: University of Southern California
Most excited for coming to Philadelphia: Exploring the Philly food scene with my co-residents!
Medical School: University of Chicago Division of the Biological Sciences, The Pritzker School of Medicine
Undergraduate: Brown University
Favorite middle school trend: My favorite middle school trend was angsty CW teen dramas. I feel so nostalgic for the days of Gilmore Girls and One Tree Hill as I write this!
Medical School: Albany Medical College
Undergraduate: University of Pittsburgh
Medical School: University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine
Undergraduate: University of Michigan
Favorite middle school trend: Juicy Couture track suits and hanging out at the mall!
Most excited for coming to Philadelphia: The food scene! I love trying new foods, and Philly has plenty of diverse restaurants to choose from. Also, my sister lives here!
Medical School: Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
Undergraduate: Clemson University
Favorite middle school trend: How can a girl decide?? It's a toss-up between intentionally wearing two different colored Vans, splatter-painted Bermuda shorts, and straightening only my side bangs before making the rest of my hair crunchy with gel.
Medical School: Northwestern University, The Feinberg School of Medicine
Undergraduate: Williams College
Favorite middle school trend: Relentlessly flat ironing my hair every morning and rocking double eye liner with clumpy mascara - oh, and those weirdly long tunic shirts from Hollister.
PGY1
Julia Bateh, MD
Medical School: Cooper Medical School
Undergraduate: Johns Hopkins University
What is your favorite middle school trend? Silly bandz bracelets
What are your interests outside of medicine? Environmental justice, new vegan food products, and my two nephews
Emina Causevic, MD
Medical School: Lewis Katz Medical School
Undergraduate: Arizona State University
What would your superpower be and why? The ability to understand any language (including baby talk)
What are your interests outside of medicine? My interests include film photography, traveling, trying new coffee shops, and doing the crossword (only sometimes successfully).
Asha Dahiya, MD
Medical School: New York University Grossman
Undergraduate: University of Pennsylvania
What is your favorite middle school trend? I was all about the corduroy pants and chunky clogs. I also attempted to pull off a pixie cut.
What are your interests outside of medicine? Cooking, traveling, snorkeling, reading mystery novels, fitness classes, and hiking
Tracy Gao, MD
Medical School: Sidney Kimmel Medical
Undergraduate: Johns Hopkins University
What are you most excited for coming to Philly? I've been in and around Philadelphia my whole life. My favorite part of this city is Chinatown-it serves as a lifeline and community hub for many. I hope to continue contributing to and advocating for the community throughout residency!
What are your interests outside of medicine? Anything arts related! I do photography, painting, ceramics, and recently started sewing/altering clothes.
Franny Kwak, MD
Medical School: Albany Medical College
Undergraduate: College of William & Mary
What is your favorite middle school trend? Midnight premieres.
What are you most excited for coming to Philly? I'm most excited for the food, sports, and mild winters!
Nikita Patel, MD
Medical School: University Of Pittsburgh
Undergraduate: University Of Pittsburgh
What is your favorite middle school trend? Silly bandz! Loved trading with your friends at school and seeing who had the most unique colors/shapes.
What are your interests outside of medicine? I love taking care of my houseplants, crocheting/embroidering gifts for friends/family, watching TV and trying out new restaurants/coffee shops!
Comreen Vargees, MD
Medical School: New York Medical College
Undergraduate: Boston University
What is your favorite middle school trend? Let's see, this is really gonna age me but braided bracelets, DCOM, discovering the magic of hair straighteners, winged eyeliner (forever), and collecting Victoria's Secret perfumes!
What are your interests outside of medicine? I love finding new books, exploring museums, my plant babies, old Indian art, food crawls with friends, mariokart, stray kitties, and finding cute coffee shops :)