Daniel Mueller, MD
Program Director 

I was born and raised in Green Bay, Wisconsin and attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison as an undergraduate.  Medical school interviews brought me to Philadelphia, and I was immediately drawn to Temple (now the Lewis Katz School of Medicine).  I packed up my Cheesehead, moved to Philly, and I've been here ever since.  After medical school, I completed my medicine residency, chief residency, and infectious diseases fellowship at Temple University Hospital.  I was fortunate to have the opportunity to join the Section of Infectious Diseases as faculty and to take on the role of Associate Program Director for the IM residency in 2016 with a transition to the role to Program Director in 2020. There are a number of reasons why I have become a Temple "Lifer:" our faculty is passionate about medical education, our trainees are enthusiastic about learning, and our patients have so much to teach us.  Above all else, we have the privilege of caring for the underserved community of North Philadelphia, which can be incredibly rewarding.  My professional interests include medical education, antimicrobial stewardship, and multidrug-resistant organisms.  Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my family, playing the piano, trying out new restaurants, searching for places in Philly that serve cheese curds (if you aren't familiar with this amazing food, just ask me), and cheering on my Green Bay Packers.

Neha Etherington, MD
Associate Program Director
Director of Clinical Competency Committee

I was born and raised in central NJ into a family of Philadelphia sports fans. I attended Princeton University for my undergraduate degree where I majored in Economics with a certificate in Global Health and Health Public Policy before going to medical school at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. As a medical student, I was never quite sure what I wanted to specialize in and explored many options including Emergency Medicine and General Surgery before finally landing in Internal Medicine. I am a generalist at heart and get most excited about the diagnostic process in undifferentiated clinical cases. I completed Internal Medicine Residency at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital where I discovered an affinity for medical education and was in the medical education pathway. I first came to Temple in 2018 as an early faculty, and while I am not a Temple "lifer," I felt a connection with the mission at Temple and with the incredible Temple faculty. From 2022-2024, our family spent two years in Pittsburgh for my husband's fellowship which allowed me the opportunity to pursue my Master's Degree in Medical Education through the University of Pittsburgh and to do a Fellowship in Diagnostic Excellence through the Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine. When our time in Pittsburgh was coming to an end, I knew that I wanted to return to Philadelphia and to Temple. Outside of work, I spend my free time with my husband, our two wonderful children and our Bernedoodle. I am happiest when I am outdoors or exploring new places. 

I was born on the small unassuming isle of Manhattan and have slowly worked my way out concentrically from there. I grew up in Briarwood in Queens and then Great Neck (“West Egg”) on Long Island. My parents both worked in public schools and I was seemingly predestined to be involved in education. I attended college at Binghamton University in upstate New York, studying physics and math before deciding to pivot to what I considered at the time “science + people.” I still like to pretend my premedical studies have had some meaningful long-term effect on the way I think, so please humor me. Conversely, I have long since abandoned the idea that my teenage act of rebellion against my native-Spanish speaking mother to take High School Latin was a good idea. I fell in love with Philadelphia while attending the University of Pennsylvania for medical school and, more importantly, with my wife who is a Philadelphia native. Therefore, after a brief four-year stint at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx for residency and chief residency, where I came to love working with underserved patient populations, I moved back to Philadelphia in 2017 to start working as a hospitalist at Temple. My primary academic interests lie in medical education and clinical reasoning, and I have served in various educational roles during my time at Temple before getting this opportunity. Outside of medicine, I spend my free time obsessing about the New York Yankees, binging books/TV/movies, and spending time with my physician spouse, a pediatric rheumatologist.

Rachel Snyder, MD
Associate Program Director
Director of Ambulatory Curriculum, Co-Chair of Wellness Committee
Associate Track Director of Primary Care Track

I was born in Nebraska, but moved to a suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania when I was a baby. I lived there until I moved to go to college at The University of Michigan (forever Go Blue!). No one in my family even remotely has a career in science or healthcare; it was at Michigan that I really began to explore my love of science. After college, I moved back to Philadelphia to be closer to my family and have happily been here ever since! I worked for two years before starting at Drexel University College of Medicine. After medical school, I completed my residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania – the Primary Care Track. After residency I knew I wanted to stay in Philadelphia, get involved in medical education and work with an underserved population. I specifically wanted to be at a place where I would be surrounded by people who would challenge me to be the best doctor I could be and who shared a similar mission of taking care of the North Philadelphia community. Temple proved to be that place. My clinical time is spent in outpatient primary care and working at the TRUST clinic (suboxone). My non-clinic time is spent as the Associate Program Director where I oversee the ambulatory curriculum for the residency. I also serve as the Associate Program Director of the Primary Care Track. While I am biased because I am from the area, I do believe Philadelphia is an east coast city gem and I love living and working in the city. Outside of work, I enjoy experiencing all that Philadelphia has to offer—from overhyped sports teams to amazing food, music, and running trails. You can usually find me searching for a good neighborhood coffee shop (I have a lot of recommendations!) or hanging out at one of Philly’s amazing parks with my husband and two energetic kids.

Carly Sokach, MD
Associate Program Director
Director, Resident Recruitment

I am a Pennsylvania native who has spent most of my life hopping from different corners of the state. Originally from a small town called West Pittston in Northeastern Pennsylvania, I moved to Philadelphia for college at the University of Pennsylvania where I mixed my pre-med work with a Classical Studies major. I stayed in Philly for medical school at Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University before couples matching with my husband (a Family Medicine PCP) to the Southwest corner of the state at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. After spending three years getting to know the suburban charm of Pittsburgh we moved back to Philadelphia, settling in the suburbs to give our rescue beagle a yard to run around in. We both knew we wanted to return to Philadelphia to provide patient-centered healthcare in an academic medicine setting. I found a true mission-fit as a hospitalist at Temple, caring for an underserved patient population and contributing to the medical education landscape that first and foremost seeks to serve this community in North Philadelphia. Working with our residents is the best part of my job - they are constantly amazing me with their commitment to education and providing high-quality, just care. My academic passions include teaching things that are classically challenging to teach including empathy, resilience, and transitions of care. Outside of medicine you can find me in the stands at a Penn State football game, on the Peloton leaderboard, enjoying the whipped ricotta at Barbuzzo (the most perfect Philly restaurant gem), or spending time enjoying our backyard garden with my husband and son!

Jessica Briscoe, MD
Assistant Program Director
Director of Career Development
Associate Program Director of the Gastroenterology Fellowship

I was born in Washington D.C. and raised in the Maryland Suburbs.  My parents emigrated from Jamaica to the DMV in the 1970’s and my family remains there today. I attended the University of Maryland Baltimore County as a Meyerhoff scholar and pursued my medical degree at New York University School of Medicine. I returned home to Maryland for my Internal Medicine residency at the University of Maryland Medical Center. After residency I remained in Maryland as a hospitalist at St. Joseph Medical Center while I applied to GI fellowship.  Philadelphia seemed like a natural step in my east coast training journey, and I was thrilled to match at Temple for GI fellowship.  After completing my fellowship, I accepted a position at Virtua Gastroenterology in South New Jersey as a general gastroenterologist. My true passion is graduate medical education, and I was recruited back to TUH as the Associate Program director of our GI fellowship.  I have been on faculty at Temple for 3 years and in that time, I have also accepted roles through LKSOM as an academic coach and faculty advisor for SNMA, as well as an Assistant PD position for our Internal Medicine residency.  In my role with our residency, I function as the Director of career development, helping to position residents to reach their goals through residency and beyond. My clinical interests include colorectal cancer and disparities, nutritional related GI disease and obesity medicine. I live with my husband in the Fishtown/Northern Liberties area and during our time in Philadelphia we have transitioned from the “DINK” life (dual income, no kids) to a family of four! You will usually find us at all the neighborhood festivals and kid events or at the best restaurants.

Jaime Fineman, MD, MBE
Associate Program Director
Director of Ambulatory Education
Section Chief of General Internal Medicine

I am a Philly-area native - I attended Upper Dublin High School in Montgomery County and then undergraduate and medical school at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, where I also graduated with a Masters in Bioethics. The highlight of my undergraduate experience was my time as an EMT, so I naturally thought I was headed towards emergency medicine. In medical school, however, I soon found myself attracted to the long-term care of patients with chronic conditions, and thus began my life as a primary care doctor. I moved to New York City for Internal Medicine-Primary Care residency at Weill Cornell to be closer to my husband’s family. While in residency, I found my true calling by working in a small Federally Qualified Health Center in Queens - the joy of working with patients with social barriers to health, helping them navigate the American health system, working outside of the box to get them the care they need with the resources at hand. When it came time to starting my post-residency career, I knew I wanted to be back in Philadelphia, and Temple checked all of my boxes - an underserved patient population, a strong work “family” that supports and teaches each other, and a smart, hardworking, and compassionate group of residents with a seemingly endless supply of Temple “Grit”. I currently work in our outpatient clinic at Temple Internal Medicine Associates, seeing patients of my own, working with residents and students, and managing the logistics of the clinic as the TIMA Medical Director and General Internal Medicine Section Chief.  My academic interests are high-quality primary care, medical education, and medical ethics, and my clinic interests include the primary care management of ADHD, obesity, and fibromyalgia. Outside of work I am kept busy with my three young children, and in my spare time I enjoy spending time outdoors (biking, hiking), reading (science fiction and fantasy especially), doing puzzles, and playing board games. I love my time working with residents and helping to run this incredible residency program, and I am always amazed at the passion and energy that Temple residents and faculty bring to our program, our hospital, and our city each and every day.  And I’m always eager to convert interested residents into future primary care doctors - #ProudToBeGIM!

Vanneta Hyatt, MD, MA
Assistant Program Director
Director of Community Engagement, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Chair of Diversity Task Force

When I relocated to Philadelphia looking for my first job as a primary care physician, I knew I wanted to find an academic institution with a mission focus on serving the underserved population. This has been the driving force behind my medical education- helping marginalized and underserved population. I truly found that at Temple- from the medical school through the residency program, the faculty and staff, the passion for our mission and community motivates me daily. Originally from the beautiful island of Jamaica, I relocated to Brooklyn New York, where I spent majority of my life. I did my undergraduate and graduate studies at the City University of New York and my medical education at Weill Cornell Medical College. I decided to venture out of NYC and travelled to the south for residency at Emory University.  While in Georgia my passion for primary care flourished, thus it was no surprise when I relocated to Philadelphia that Temple would be the ideal place to plant my roots-and plant I did- as I am now the proud owner of a home in Philly.  My time here at Temple is spent working with the residency program, initially as a core faculty and now an Assistant Program Director, working with medical students within the Doctoring Program and of course taking care of our wonderful North Philadelphia population. In addition, I get to enjoy the unique attributes of the city, from the rich history, foods and of course the people. Now, I am not a huge sport fan, but I learned quickly how “fanatic” Philly natives are with their sports and I love it!! On any given weekend you may find me hanging out with my “tween” niece and yes, oftentimes chauffeuring her to her activities. I also love hanging out with friends exploring Philly and its suburbs, but most of all, I enjoy moments of relaxation with my siblings and extended family.

Rebecca Kim, MD, MPH, AAHIVS
Assistant Program Director

I was raised in Southern California but was lured east by the idea of apple picking every fall. After graduating from Brown University I ping ponged across the country, spending an AmeriCorps year working for a literacy nonprofit in Oakland, CA and then helping them expand to Brooklyn, NY shortly thereafter. Looking for a career change, I spent a year at Bryn Mawr College completing a pre-med postbac program and falling in love with Philadelphia for its seriously underrated music and food scenes. I went on to medical school at the University of Pennsylvania, where I stayed on for an extra year to complete a Masters in Public Health. I then couples matched with a surgeon and stayed on at Penn as one of the Primary Care residents. After flirting with the idea of subspecializing I realized how much I love the breadth of General Internal Medicine. Drawn to the shared mission of caring for the North Philadelphia community, I came to Temple where I provide primary care to patients in General Internal Medicine and the HIV program. When I’m not working — and my two young children allow — you might find me sitting in the park, learning to cook, reading, or teaching my daughter how to paint.

Dharmini Shah Pandya, MD
Assistant Program Director
Director of Quality Improvement/Patient Safety
Director of Health System Sciences Track
Vice Chair and Chief of Quality Safety and Innovation of the Department of Medicine

I was born and lived in Guttenberg, New Jersey until I was 7 when I moved with my mom, dad, and sister to South Florida to be closer to Disney World (or so I thought). My parents taught me the value of hard work and determination at a young age. I spent my time growing up molding my brain as a violinist (I wish I still played!), dancer, mathlete who loved logarithms, and crafted scrap books. When I entered college at University of Florida I experienced college sports to a whole new level – back to back to back national championships in football and basketball (who’s bragging?) and became a diehard Gators fan. I then went to the rival Florida State University for medical school (this betrayal was as dramatic as it sounds) which is where I met my husband. The couples match landed us in Philadelphia so we packed up a little bit of Florida sunshine and were on our way. The collegiality and warmth I experienced here were unmatched, which is why after completing my residency I stayed on as faculty in the Section of Hospital Medicine. Fast forward to the present –I have learned to parallel park, bought snow boots, am a mother to two kids and a proud owner of a leaky roof– Philadelphia is now my home and Temple is now my family.  Through my residency and career at Temple I have learned that collaboration and innovation drive opportunities and change. Learning to understand and work within a complex health system has made me a better educator and clinician. My passion involves teaching these concepts, otherwise known as Health Systems Science, to others so that they themselves can become better teachers and leaders. I am Temple Made, and I am humbled to be able to drive innovation and teach future clinicians.
 

Key faculty members for the Internal Medicine program include:

• Aamir Ajmeri, MD, Resident Advisor
• Jill Allenbaugh, MD, Director of Medical Education Track
• Eric Altneu, MD, Resident Advisor
• Monica Busuioc, MD, PhD, Co-Director for Communications Curriculum
• Giuliana DeFrancesch, MD, Co-Director of Global Health, Member of Temple's Diversity Committee
• Jamie Garfield, MD, Co-Lead of LGBTQ/Transgender care curriculum thread, QI/PS curriculum creator, Member of Temple’s Diversity Committee
• Susan Gersh, MD, Resident Advisor
• Holly Greenwald, MD, Resident Advisor
• Sabrina Islam, MD, Resident Advisor, Co-Director of Advocacy Curriculum
• Vik Induru, MD, Resident Advisor
• Nicole Keane, MD, Director of Point of Care Ultrasound Education
• Sheetal Koul, MD, Resident Advisor
• Paul Leone, MD, Resident Advisor
• Keith McNellis, MD, Director of Medical Consultation & Morbidity and Mortality Conference
• Neena Mohan, MD, Resident Advisor, Co-Director of Advocacy
• John Nawn, MD, Director of Board Review Curriculum
• Estefania Oliveros, MD, Resident Advisor, Member of Temple’s Diversity Committee
• Mariah Presbery, MD, Resident Advisor
• Parth Rali, MD, Resident Advisor, Co-Lead for Simulation Education
• Stephanie Spivack, MD, Director of the Urban Bioethics Track
• Sam Stern, MD, Director of Addiction Medicine Curriculum and Elective; Community Engagement Coordinator
• Cherie L. Vaz, MD, Director of Resident Research
• Janice Yackoski, MD, Director of Primary Care Track
• Isaac Whitman, MD, Resident Advisor

GME Administrators:

• Brittany Colombo
• Nicole Faraldo

Many other faculty make major contributions to the residency program. Please refer to the faculty directory for more information. Among them are:

• Arundathi Jayatilleke, MD, Section Chief, Rheumatology
• Michael Bromberg, MD, PhD, Section Chief, Hematology/Oncology
• Ankita Chatterjee, MD, Sub-Internship Course Director
• Gerard Criner, MD, Chair, Thoracic Medicine and Surgery Department
• Daniel Edmundowicz, MS, MD, FACP, FACC, Chair, Department of Medicine
• Adam Erlich, MD, MPH, Section Chief, Section of Gastroenterology
• Martin Keane, MD, FASE, FACC, Interim Section Chief, Cardiology
• Karen Lin, MD, MPH, Abraham Roth Chair of Preventative Medicine, Assistant Dean of Phase 1-M2
• Nathaniel Marchetti, DO, Director of Intensive Care Unit
• Lauren Monaco, MD, & Caitlyn Labella, MD, Co-Directors Medicine Clerkship
• Paul Pronovost, MD, Section Chief of Nephrology
• Ajay Rao, MD, Section Chief, Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
• Rachel Rubin, MD, Section Chief, Hospital Medicine
• Rafik Samuel, MD, Section Chief of Infectious Diseases