putting names to - Waterbury Hospital

“These programs have proven vital in allowing Waterbury Hospital to be invigorated with upto-date
medical advances and fresh perspectives on a broad range of medical issues.”
A Message from
Steven E.
Schneider, MD
Vice President of Medical Affairs,
Waterbury Hospital
- Steven E. Schneider, MD
PUTTING NAMES TO
THE NEW FACES
IN OUR HOSPITAL
One of the most gratifying things about being a part of the medical staff at Waterbury Hospital is seeing the new faces coming through our residency
programs every year. Without fail, the new physicians receiving their medical and surgical training are always highly intelligent, highly motivated
and highly skilled. They bring fresh energy to our mission of providing the best quality of care to our patients, and that’s what makes the residency
programs so special. These residency programs are equally rewarding to both the residents and the hospital community they serve.
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R E S I D E N C Y P R O G R A M
Surgical Residency Program Director
Scott H. Kurtzman
MD, FACS
Chairman, Waterbury Hospital Department of Surgery
Current forecasts predict that in the near future there will be an enormous shortage of general surgeons. At Waterbury Hospital, we take the responsibility
of training the next generation of surgeons very seriously. Our training philosophy is that the residents and students are here for education, not
service. It is understood that this educational activity is a result of clinical care of patients as well as classroom learning. Being a busy community hospital
with only one surgical training program, our residents have several advantages for their education. This unique aspect offers the opportunity to
participate in surgeries on patients with a variety of clinical problems beyond general surgery including ENT, gynecology, neurosurgery, urology and
orthopaedics. In addition, as a small program with a resident-to-faculty ratio of less than 2:1 we can individualize our education. We are confident that
our graduates leave here as complete and capable physician surgeons.
Robert H.
Nunoo, MD
Chief Resident, General Surgery
Karolinska Institutet, Sweden
Knowing very little about
Waterbury Hospital, I was initially
apprehensive about coming over
from England but my fears quickly dissipated during the first few
months of my intern year. The training is rigorous yet relaxed and being
able to start operating as interns was a big morale booster. My attendings
have always been helpful and instructive and the hospital staff is
friendly and welcoming. For the first weeks after my daughter‘s birth
four years ago, I always went home laden with a pink gift bag from
nurses and colleagues. It was a most humbling experience and confirmed
my decision to cross the Atlantic.
Nicholas Verdura, MD
Chief Resident, General Surgery
St. George’s University
School of Medicine
It is with great pride that I begin my Chief
Resident year at Waterbury Hospital. Being
from the Bunker Hill area, I was very fortunate
to have been able to earn a position in the Surgical Residency Program at
Waterbury Hospital. It is an honor for me to be able to treat and operate on
patients from my local community. The residency program allows for personalized
attention, close interactions, a vast hands-on experience, and a teamwork
approach. We are able to develop strong ties with the attending surgeons and
physicians, fellow nursing and ancillary staff, and other residents. Everyone at
the hospital takes care of one another with respect and dignity, as if we were
one large family. I look forward to the challenges and opportunities my final
year has, and hope to instill knowledge and leadership into the other members
of the residency program as we engage in the life-long journey of learning.
2

Jennifer M. Malsbury, DO
Fourth-Year Resident
General Surgery
Philadelphia College of
Osteopathic Medicine
Victoria Sahadevan
Fossland, MD
Fourth-Year Resident
General Surgery
Albany Medical College
Souheil Adra, MD
Third-Year Resident
General Surgery
American University of Beirut,
Lebanon
Kristina Bermas, MD
Third-Year Resident
General Surgery
Ross University
Daniel Tuvin, MD
Second-Year Resident
General Surgery
I.M. Sechenov
Moscow Medical Academy
Colleen Pietras, MD
Second-Year Resident
General Surgery
Medical University
of the Americas
Juan Diego Holguin, MD
First-Year Resident
General Surgery
UCONN School of Medicine
Yuk Ming Liu, MD
First-Year Resident
General Surgery
State University of New York
Buffalo School of Medicine
Rae Lynn P. Kinler, MD
First-Year Resident
General Surgery
Preliminary
American University of the Caribbean
Arianne Theodorous, DO
First-Year Resident
General Surgery
Preliminary
Philadelphia College of
Osteopathic Medicine
3

R E S I D E N C Y P R O G R A M
Yale Primary Care Internal Medicine Program Director
Stephen Huot, MD, PhD
Associate Chair for Education, Yale Department of Medicine
Among the many advantages offered to the residents in the Yale Primary Care Program is the opportunity to learn medicine
in a range of settings that provides in depth and comprehensive training in internal medicine. Our internal medicine
residents split their inpatient training between Waterbury and Yale New Haven hospitals while also working at the
Chase Outpatient Clinic for their continuity practice. Their outpatient training is rounded out by office-based experiences
with practicing Internists here in the Waterbury area. Residents are confronted with the full range of challenges
faced by on-the-job clinicians every day. Because there are no Fellowship programs at Waterbury Hospital, our internal
medicine residents work directly with senior clinicians, specialists, social workers, therapists, nurses and other
staff. This allows our residents to fully comprehend the demands and challenges of their work in ways that nothing else
could. Many of our residents are natives of Connecticut or graduates of Connecticut colleges and medical schools,
which helps meet our goal of attracting talented physicians to the Waterbury community.
Jock Lawrason, MD, FACS
Chairman, Waterbury Hospital Department of Medicine
There are many qualities we look for in the residents who come to work at Waterbury Hospital as part of the Yale Primary Care Residency Program: intelligence,
compassion, ingenuity, creativity, drive, ability. The mutually beneficial relationship between residents, the faculty and the hospital in which they
serve, provides the best education possible as our residents are exposed to the full range of challenges that our residency provides at Waterbury
Hospital. It is that combination of superb faculty and our diverse patient base which has been a key to the program’s success. The faces you see in the
pages of this Directory may not be familiar to you as yet, but in just a short amount of time they will become part of the hospital community. We are fortunate
that many of our residents choose to stay in the area to practice medicine or eventually return after receiving additional sub-specialty training.
That is truly a testament to the quality of our Residency Program and Waterbury Hospital.
Maya Balakrishnan, MD
Chief Resident, Yale Primary Care
Harvard Medical School
One of the reasons I chose to complete my residency
at Waterbury Hospital was because of
the many opportunities, clinical and otherwise,
that are offered here that would be hard to find
somewhere else. Like some other programs,
this one offers a diverse range of clinical
opportunities that mean you are constantly
learning and constantly challenged intellectually.
At the same time, the program is intimate
enough that you get to know colleagues and
faculty and patients on a personal level that is
hard to find in other programs.
Minesh Patel, MD
Chief Resident, Yale Primary Care
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Serving as chief resident is a tremendous challenge
and responsibility. One of the aspects I
enjoy most is helping to fulfill the common
vision that we have in this program, which is to
provide evidence-based, compassionate care
to the people of Waterbury. As a chief resident,
there is also a sense of commitment that
we bring to our colleagues, faculty and residents
alike, to ensure that the program continues
to grow and excel.
4
Aylin Ulku, MD
Chief Resident, Yale Primary Care
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
As part of both Yale Primary Care and Medicine-
Pediatrics, I feel that caring for the underserved
population of Waterbury is the privilege and responsibility
of our programs. The community we serve is
one that relies heavily on our expertise and compassion,
and this calling drives us all to work harder and
expand our medical knowledge on a daily basis. This
feeling grows more pronounced as a chief resident,
a role that challenges me to become a better advocate,
teacher, clinician, administrator, and perpetual
student of medicine. It is an honor to be in this position
and to work with so many bright and dedicated
residents and faculty.

Andrea Berg, MD
PGY-3, Yale Primary Care
George Washington
University
Barry Fields, MD
PGY-3, Yale Primary Care
University of Rochester
Grace Huang, MD
PGY-3, Yale Primary Care
Boston University
Brendan Jackson, MD
PGY-3, Yale Primary Care
Yale University School
of Medicine
Nitin Kapur, MD
PGY-3, Yale Primary Care
University of Texas
Southwestern School
Chryssanthi Kournioti, MD
PGY-3, Yale Primary Care
New York Medical College
Cristine Maloney, MD
PGY-3, Yale Primary Care
University of Vermont
Jennifer Michael, MD
PGY-3, Yale Primary Care
UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson
Medical School
Douglas Olson, MD
PGY-3, Yale Primary Care
George Washington University
Jennifer Ongchin, DO
PGY-3, Yale Primary Care
UMDNJ School of
Osteopathic Medicine
Jorge Ramos, DO
PGY-3, Yale Primary Care
UMDNJ School of
Osteopathic Medicine
Targol Saedi, MD
PGY-3, Yale Primary Care
Oregon Health &
Science University
Deepak Thomas, MD
PGY-3, Yale Primary Care
Virginia Commonwealth University
David Wu, MD
PGY-3, Yale Primary Care
University of California,
San Diego
Felix Cabrera, MD
PGY-2, Yale Primary Care
University of Washington
Alia Chisty, MD
PGY-2, Yale Primary Care
Stony Brook University
Health Science Center
5

Hyung Cho, MD
PGY-2, Yale Primary Care
Susan Gamble, MD
PGY-2, Yale Primary Care
James Gray, MD
PGY-2, Yale Primary Care
Megan Groh, MD
PGY-2, Yale Primary Care
Temple University
University of Washington
University of California, Irvine
University of Pittsburgh School
of Medicine
Efia James, MD
PGY-2, Yale Primary Care
Howard University
College of Medicine
Rachel Laff, MD
PGY-2, Yale Primary Care
Yale University School
of Medicine
Nicole Lang, DO
PGY-2, Yale Primary Care
Nova Southeastern
University College
Randy Luciano, MD
PGY-2, Yale Primary Care
UCONN School of Medicine
Jonathan Nunez, MD
PGY-2, Yale Primary Care
UCONN School of Medicine
Jaime Ruszkowski, MD
PGY-2, Yale Primary Care
Albany Medical College
Sarita Soares, MD
PGY-2, Yale Primary Care
UCONN School of Medicine
Elizabeth Wahl, MD
PGY-2, Yale Primary Care
Yale University School
of Medicine
Deena Adimoolam, MD
PGY-1, Yale Primary Care
Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Florence Chan, MD
PGY-1, Yale Primary Care
Brown Medical School
Mina Chang, MD
PGY-1, Yale Primary Care
The Chicago Medical School
David Chia, MD
PGY-1, Yale Primary Care
University of Minnesota
Medical School
6

Marcus Conti, MD
PGY-1, Yale Primary Care
David Elson, MD
PGY-1, Yale Primary Care
Natalie Galanina, MD
PGY-1, Yale Primary Care
Chang Na, MD
PGY-1, Yale Primary Care
The University of Toledo College
of Medicine
Brown Medical School
The Chicago Medical School
University of California, San Diego
James Ocampo, MD
PGY-1, Yale Primary Care
Carolyn Presley, MD
PGY-1, Yale Primary Care
Aviva Romm, MD
PGY-1, Yale Primary Care
Carla Sawan, MD
PGY-1, Yale Primary Care
UCONN School of Medicine
Dartmouth Medical School
Yale University School
of Medicine
University of Balamand
Isaac Shalom, MD
PGY-1, Yale Primary Care
Sackler School of Medicine
Ryan Smith, DO
PGY-1, Yale Primary Care
UMDNJ School of Medicine
Brittany Craiglow, MD
PGY-1, Yale Primary Care
Preliminary
Yale University School
of Medicine
Shaun Gruenbaum, MD
PGY-1, Yale Primary Care
Preliminary
Ben Gurion University of the Negev
Jennifer Lee, MD
PGY-1, Yale Primary Care
Preliminary
Reversa Mills, MD
PGY-1, Yale Primary Care
Preliminary
Kathleen Samuels, MD
PGY-1, Yale Primary Care
Preliminary
Shannon Watkins, MD
PGY-1, Yale Primary Care
Preliminary
Yale University School of Medicine
Georgetown University
School of Medicine
Yale University School of
Medicine
Columbia University College
of Physicians and Surgeons
7

PUTTING NAMES TO THE NEW
FACES IN OUR HOSPITAL
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2
A Message from
Steven E. Schneider, MD
Vice President of Medical Affairs,
Waterbury Hospital
is published monthly by the Public Relations/
Marketing Department at Waterbury Hospital
MANAGING EDITOR:
HEATHER TINDALL
For comments, questions and suggestions,
please contact Heather Tindall at
(203) 573-6717 or htindall@wtbyhosp.org
The two residency programs at Waterbury Hospital are the primary care/internal
medicine program (sponsored by the Yale School of Medicine) and the surgical
residency program (sponsored by Waterbury Hospital in association with the
Yale School of Medicine and the University of Connecticut School of Medicine.)
These programs have proven vital in allowing Waterbury Hospital to be invigorated
with up-to-date medical advances and fresh perspectives on a broad range
of medical issues. By maintaining strong residency programs, we also ensure
that many of these talented new physicians will choose to remain in the
Waterbury region and establish their careers here through affiliations with the
hospital. That’s something that benefits the entire community for years to come.
So it’s understandable why this annual Directory of Residents, which puts names
and backgrounds to the fresh faces walking our hallways this year, is so popular.
We hope you will enjoy getting to know these residents on a personal and professional
basis in the months and years to come.
64 Robbins Street
Waterbury, CT 06708