Current Residents
PGY-5
Kristofer Bires, MD
Hometown: Holland, PA
Undergraduate: Temple University
Medical school: Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Areas of interest: Hand (University of Chicago)
Interests outside of medicine: Football, Baseball, Snowboarding, Reading
Favorite part of Philadelphia: Bike rides on the Schuylkill, Cheesesteak (will try any place), Fairmount Avenue
Patrick Donaghue, MD
Hometown: Chadds Ford, PA
Undergraduate: Villanova
Medical school: Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University
Areas of interest: Foot and Ankle (Twin Cities Orthopedics)
Interests outside of medicine: Philadelphia Eagles football, Villanova basketball, offshore fishing
Favorite part of Philadelphia: Go Birds!
Ryan Judy, MD
Hometown: Bryn Mawr, PA
Undergraduate: The College of the Holy Cross
Medical school: University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Areas of interest: Hand (Philadelphia Hand to Shoulder)
Interests outside of medicine: Steelers football, Hot Wheels with my sons, mead making, hiking
Favorite part of Philadelphia: Anywhere with cheesesteaks
Rabia Qureshi, MD
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
Undergraduate: Drexel University
Medical school: Drexel University College of Medicine
Areas of interest: Hand (Stony Brook)
Interests outside of medicine: traveling and reading
Favorite part about Philadelphia: South Philly!
Melissa Soderquist, MD
Hometown: Edina, MN
Undergraduate: University of Florida
Medical school: Georgetown University School of Medicine
Areas of interest: Trauma (University of Florida)
Interests outside of medicine: Running, spinning, cooking, traveling
Favorite part of Philadelphia: Schuylkill River Trail, the Art Museum
PGY-4
Temidayo Aderibigbe, MD
Hometown: Simi Valley, CA
Undergraduate: Yale University
Medical school: New York Medical College
Areas of interest: Joints
Interests outside of medicine: Soccer (English Premier League), television/film, acoustic guitar, working out
Favorite part of Philadelphia: I’ve been very impressed with the restaurant scene so far and love that there’s always something to do in the city.
Etka Kurucan, MD
Hometown: Clifton, NJ
Undergraduate: Duke University
Medical school: University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry
Areas of interest: Hand and Upper Extremity
Interests outside of medicine: Working out, English Premier League, Duke basketball, guitar, live music, traveling
Favorite part of Philadelphia: The food!
Max McQuade, DO
Hometown: Long Beach, NY
Undergraduate: Saint Joseph’s University
Medical school: PCOM
Areas of interest/Fellowship: Hand and Upper Extremity
Interests outside of medicine: Skiing, hiking, and music
Favorite part of Philadelphia: Variety of great food all throughout Philly, great outdoor areas within the city limits as well
Ronit Shah, MD
Hometown: Toledo, Ohio
Undergraduate: University of Toledo
Medical school: University of Toledo College of Medicine
Areas of interest: Joints
Interests outside of medicine: Basketball, Working out, Reading
Favorite part of Philadelphia: Eagles Football, Playing basketball in center city, Trying out new restaurants
PGY-3
Drew Lowery, MD
Hometown: Collegeville, PA
Undergraduate: University of Pittsburgh
Medical school: Lewis Katz School of Medicine
Areas of interest/Fellowship: Hand/Spine
Interests outside of medicine: Snowboarding, fishing, hiking, cooking
Favorite part of Philadelphia: Cheesesteaks
Anuj Mehta, MD
Hometown: Allentown, PA
Undergraduate: Temple University
Medical school: Penn State College of Medicine
Areas of interest/Fellowship: Undecided
Interests outside of medicine: Basketball, football, traveling and cooking
Favorite part of Philadelphia: Amazing restaurants, strong sense of community and 76ers basketball
Alec Talsania, MD
Hometown: Fogelsville, PA
Undergraduate: Hamilton College
Medical school: Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University
Areas of interest/Fellowship: Hand and Upper Extremity
Interests outside of medicine: Soccer, Tennis, Paddle tennis, Skiing
Favorite part of Philadelphia: Running on the Schuylkill Trail, Great restaurants (Barbuzzo), Flyers games, Rittenhouse Farmers’ market
Kamali Thompson, MD
Hometown: Teaneck, NJ
Undergraduate: Temple University
Medical school: Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Areas of interest/Fellowship: Undecided
Interests outside of medicine: Fencing, Blogging, Traveling
Favorite part of Philadelphia: Cheering for Temple athletes, Great restaurants
PGY-2
Monica DiFiori, MD
Hometown: Manhattan Beach, California
Undergraduate: Trinity College
Medical school: Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University
Areas of interest/Fellowship: Undecided
Interests outside of medicine: Soccer (Juventus, EPL, USWNT), Coffee + Donuts, Philly sports (Go Birds!), Traveling
Favorite part of Philadelphia (can be specific or general, restaurant, museum, sports team, etc): The hard-nosed, scrappy personality of this city, the curse of being a Philly sports fan, and, of course, the food!
Justin Ly, MD
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
Undergraduate: University of Pittsburgh
Medical school: Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University
Areas of interest/Fellowship: Hand and Upper Extremity, Sports
Interests outside of medicine: history, working out, movies, Philadelphia sports, and traveling
Favorite part of Philadelphia: The Art and Barnes Museums, restaurant scene, Rittenhouse Square, and the sports teams
Raj Patel, MD
Hometown: Parsippany, New Jersey
Undergraduate: University of the Sciences
Medical school: Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
Areas of interest/Fellowship: Undecided
Interests outside of medicine: Basketball, Hiking, Football
Favorite part of Philadelphia (can be specific or general, restaurant, museum, sports team, etc): The food and culture!
Clay Townsend, MD
Hometown: Orlando, Florida
Undergraduate: University of Florida
Medical school: University of Central Florida
Areas of interest/Fellowship: Sports, hand/upper extremity, joints
Interests outside of medicine: Florida Gators Football, fishing, fly-fishing, lobstering, boating
Favorite part of Philadelphia: American history, Italian food, cheesesteaks
PGY-1
Nicolas J. Echeverria, MD
Hometown: Vienna, VA
Undergraduate: University of British Columbia (UBC)
Medical school: Lewis Katz SOM at Temple University
Areas of interest: Undecided
Interests outside of medicine: Backpacking throughout the world, attending EDM festivals & shows, kicking back with friends and family, and more.
Favorite part of Philadelphia: Exploring the Philly restaurant and brewery scene and cheering on the Eagles. Go Birds!
Justin Mathew, MD
Hometown: New Milford, NJ
Undergraduate: Rutgers University-New Brunswick
Medical school: Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
Areas of interest: Trauma, Foot & Ankle
Interests outside of medicine: Fitness, snowboarding, exploring national parks, trying new restaurants, singing
Favorite part of Philadelphia: Zahav, Alpen Rose, Chapterhouse Café
Dhara Patel, MD
Hometown: Augusta, GA
Undergraduate: University of Georgia
Medical school: Medical College of Georgia
Areas of interest: Undecided
Interests outside of medicine: Painting, working out, hiking
Favorite part of Philadelphia: The art/cultural scene, and amazing food!
Lasya Rangavajjula, MD
Hometown: Audubon, PA
Undergraduate: The Pennsylvania State University
Medical school: Sidney Kimmel Medical College
Areas of interest: Hand/Upper Extremity, Joints
Interests outside of medicine: Dance, hiking, cooking, and spending time with family and friends.
Favorite part of Philadelphia: Walks in Washington Square Park, Schuylkill River Trail, Rittenhouse Farmers’ Market, Chapterhouse Cafe