PGY4
Saba Bakhtiari, MD
Medical School: Drexel University College of Medicine
Undergraduate: City College of New York
What are you most excited for coming to Philly? I was excited about Philly's food scene-it's been awesome finding new places and happy hours. I also love how easy it is to get outdoors and how every neighborhood has its own vibe.
What would your superpower be and why? The ability to speak every language-being able to chat with anyone and understand all kinds of cultures sounds amazing
Sophia Bunde
Medical School: University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Undergraduate: College of William and Mary Williamsburg
Favorite thing about Philly: The Schuylkill River Trail Favorite Restaurant in Philly—still exploring but Zama Sushi is soooo good.
Thomas Donaldson
Medical School: Eastern Virginia Medical School of the Medical College of Hampton Roads
Undergraduate: Clemson University
Favorite thing about Philly: I haven’t been here long but I have enjoyed all of the different neighborhoods and areas there are to explore in the city.
Fun fact: I am the world’s biggest New York Knicks fan, I’m not sure how that is going to be received in Philadelphia…
Melanie Levine, MD
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).
Lindsay Serwatka
Medical School: Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University
Undergraduate: George Washington University
Favorite thing about Philly: there is fantastic food everywhere, whether it’s someplace new that just opened or a gem you just discovered. My list of places I want to try keeps growing!
Fun fact: my favorite hobbies to relax are reading, knitting, embroidery and paint-by-number.
Marisa Wozniak
Medical School: Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
Undergraduate: Northeastern University
Favorite thing about Philly: There are too many to choose! The food scene is fabulous, you can walk around the city on a nice day but also escape to nearby parks like Wissahickon or Valley Forge for a hike, and hanging out along the Schuylkill at Parks on Tap is always super fun.
Favorite Restaurant in Philly: Mission Taqueria
PGY3
Tiana Acosta
Medical School: Rutgers, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Undergraduate: Brown University
Favorite middle school trend: The Twilight Series!
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.
Katie Donovan
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!
Interests outside of medicine: Baking, skiing, binge watching television shows, and trying to keep my plants alive.
Nihita Manem
Medical School: Albany Medical College
Undergraduate: University of Pittsburgh
Interests outside of medicine: Traveling, taking care of my plant babies, cute farmers market finds, love trying new types of coffee + coffee shops, will overly spend on flowers, being by water (although can't say I can swim too well), sewing, binge eating any type of chocolate, strict window shopper, eating katie donovan's pasta, avid TV + candy crush binger, thrifting.
Niyati Rangnekar
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!
Emily Schultz
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.
Interests outside of medicine: I am a self proclaimed "crazy dog lady" and have fostered and adopted several dogs throughout college and medical school. I always gravitate to those older, sicker pups in the shelter that others overlook.
Maeve Serino
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.
Interests outside of medicine: Hiking, skiing, running, cooking/trying new food, sailing, playing guitar, and singing.
PGY2
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
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 :)
PGY1
Fatima Ahsan, MD
Medical School: Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University
Undergraduate: University of Virginia
What is your favorite middle school trend? Making colorful lanyards and shopping at the Aeropostale and Hollister for the bright hoodies
What would your superpower be and why? To be able to speak ANY language
Sarah Bejo, MD
Medical School: University of Maryland School of Medicine
Undergraduate: University of Maryland
What is your favorite middle school trend? Galaxy print everything, I <3 Boobies bracelets, Pink yoga pants + sugar lip tank top + tall Uggs folded over, and Vine.
What are your interests outside of medicine? I love yoga (CorePower is the best), traveling, cooking, exploring my local food scene, and DIY crafts like embroidering and painting.
Jessika Harris, MD
Medical School: Texas A&M University – Health Science Center
Undergraduate: Texas A&M University, College Station
What is your favorite middle school trend? Gauchos, side part & swoop bangs, a sidekick phone, and miss me jeans.
What are you most excited for coming to Philly? I am most excited about living outside of Texas for the first time, experiencing the food scene, and supporting Philly sports teams.
Alexandra Manoni, MD
Medical School: Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University
Undergraduate: Vanderbilt University
What is your favorite middle school trend? Wearing way too many hair clips, and way too many tank tops layered on top of another!
What are your interests outside of medicine? I love to explore the Philly food scene, go on hikes in the surrounding area, and attend Philly sports games. When I'm not in town I love to visit friends in other cities, and even travel abroad when I have the time.
Mirna Nashed, MD
Medical School: Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
Undergraduate: CUNY Graduate Center
What is your favorite middle school trend? I was rocking the curly hair and straight bangs combo in middle school.
What would your superpower be and why? My superpower would be the ability to instantly understand and speak every language in the world. I love meeting new people, traveling, and hearing different perspectives, so being able to communicate with anyone would let me connect with others on a much deeper level.
Grace Sarris, MD
Medical School: University of Miami Leonard M Miller School of Medicine
Undergraduate: Michigan State University
What is your favorite middle school trend? Pre-wrap headbands, Tumblr, crackle nail polish & Hard Tail yoga pants!!
What are you most excited for coming to Philly? I'm so excited to get back to all four seasons as a girl who loves fall/winter. Also really looking forward to the incredible food scene that Philly has!
Laura V. Uricoechea Stoker, DO
Medical School: Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
Undergraduate: Brigham Young University
What is your favorite middle school trend? BBM was super big in my middle school, and I absolutely loved it! The status updates, profile pic changes, PINGs, exchanging PIN numbers with friends, and the flashing light when you had an unread message-so much nostalgia.
What are your interests outside of medicine? I think I like a little bit of everything. I enjoy hiking, swimming, paddle boarding, playing tennis. I also very much enjoy shopping and trying out new restaurants. I like getting my nails done, taking care of my plants, and collecting LEGO botanical sets.