PGY4
Michelle Benassai, MD
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
Sarina Dutta, MD
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.
Claudia Flores, MD
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.
Sara Fuhrman, MD
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.
Brian Goddard, MD
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.
Daphney Noel, MD
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
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).
Ellen Marcus
Medical School: Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University
Undergraduate: Johns Hopkins University
Favorite thing about Philly: So far has been walking around different neighborhoods and trying out new coffee shops!
Fun fact: Growing up in Vermont, we made our own maple syrup!
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
PGY2
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.
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 :)