Morsani College of Medicine Alumni Society

Alumni Updates

March 2024
Alicia Billington ’14, awarded “Rising Star’ and “Top Doctor” in Plastic Surgery by Castle Connolly, a leading research and information resource for patients looking to find and connect with the best health care. 

Sapna Patel ’08, was named assistant medical director of the BayCare Medical Group Hospitalist Program at St. Joseph’s Hospital – Main. 

Todd Yonteck ’00, was credited as producer on a recently released Hallmark movie, “A Taste of Love,” filmed in Clearwater and Dunedin. He is the CEO/Founder of Digital Caviar, an independent film production company in Tampa. 

April 2023
Richard Brilli, MD ’76, John F. Wolfe Endowed Chair in Medical Leadership and Pediatric Quality and Safety, Nationwide Children’s Hospital; Professor Emeritus, Pediatrics and Critical Care Medicine, Ohio State University College of Medicine, presented the USF Health Department of Pediatrics’ 2023 Lewis Barness Endowed Lectureship in Pediatrics and Fellows Forum, entitled “Quality is Not Extra Work – It is the Work.”

Jared D. Capouya, MD, FAAP ’03, was named Chief Quality and Patient Safety Officer for Nemours Children’s Health in Florida.

Karim Hanna, MD ’14, was named the Florida Academy of Family Physicians Full-Time Educator of the Year 2022 in recognition of his dedication, expertise and ability to provide the highest quality instruction to physicians in all phases of medical training. Dr. Hanna is the program director for family medicine at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine

Jonathan Jones, MD ’04, was recently elected President of the American Academy of Emergency Medicine. 

Phil Matar, MD, GME ’14, founder and CEO of Pool Knight LLC., gave the USF Health Department of Pediatrics’ 2023 Bernard Pollara Lecture, entitled "Drowning: Impact and Prevention."

Andrew Wilson, MD, GME ’13, was honored with the Morton Plant North Bay Hospital Distinguished Physician Leadership Award for unparalleled excellence in clinical practice, leadership and outstanding service to the hospital and community.

Jason Wilson, MD ’08, was named Chief of the Division of Emergency Medicine in the Department of Internal Medicine at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. He is an associate professor and holds several leadership roles in emergency medicine at USF Health, Tampa General Hospital and TeamHealth.

October 2022
Karla Bernardi, General Surgery ’21, completed her fellowship in minimally invasive surgery at The Ohio State University and has joined the University of Pittsburgh Physicians as an assistant professor of surgery, minimally invasive bariatric and general surgery. 

Vignesh Doraiswamy, MD ’15, was recently appointed to associate program director, medicine/pediatrics residency program at The Ohio State University. 

Richard Castellano, MD ’99, was awarded a Fast56 award by the USF Alumni Association for his business, ImageLift, in Tampa. 

Shreya Narayanan, MD ’16, completed her internal medicine and GI fellowship at USF and recently joined the faculty as an assistant professor, division of digestive diseases and nutrition. 

August 2022
Christopher Cook, GME ’20, recently joined USF Health as an assistant professor in the division of cardiovascular sciences, where he will work in the Tampa General Hospital Electrophysiology Center of Excellence. 

Aloyna Makarova, MD ’21, now in her first year of a neurology residency at USF Health, was the resident on the Tampa General Hospital stroke team recognized for the fastest time from presentation to IV tPA (32 minutes) and stroke alert to interventional radiology and thrombectomy (55 minutes). 

Daniel Mathew, GME ’19 and ’22, recently joined USF Health as an assistant professor in the division of pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine.

Sayeef Mizra, MD ’16, currently in his hematology-oncology fellowship at Yale University, was selected to join the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy’s Clinical Research Training Course with a focus on bridging chemotherapy to CAR-T.  

Dexter Turnquest, MD ’89, was appointed to chair the Texas Medical Association’s Council on Constitution and ByLaws. 

Phillip Zegelbone, MD ’12, completed his pediatric cardiology fellowship at Children’s Hospital Colorado and joined Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital as a cardiac hospitalist in cardiac acute care. 

June 2022
MD Alumni:
Courtney Bovee, MD 11, has been honored by The Ophthalmologist as one of the top 100 most influential people in the field of ophthalmology by being selected to be on the Power List 2022.   

Eva Crooke, MD ’08, has been installed as the 119th Hillsborough County Medical Association president. 

Cyndi Yag-Howard, MD ’93, has been selected as vice president-elect of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Alumni Alpha Omega Alpha Inductees:

Stephanie Goff, MD ’03, is an associate research physician in the general surgery branch of the National Cancer Institute. As senior staff, she shares responsibility for the care and management of patients receiving cell-based immunotherapy for metastatic solid tumors.  

Brigadier Thomas Harrell, MD ’92, is the Commander, Air Force Medical Readiness Agency, providing consultative leadership to more than 44,000 personnel and 78 medical treatment facilities. 

John Hughes, MD ’75, is an associate medical director of Clinical and Academic Affairs at the Kelsey-Sebold Clinic in Houston, where he continues an active gastroenterology practice. 

Col James Sampson, MD ’98, is Chief, Readiness Analysis & Comprehensive Evaluation, Air Force Medical Readiness Agency, supporting AFMRA to ensure the development and sustainment of a ready medical force. 

Zach Wilson, MD ’11, is an Air Force reserve flight surgeon at the 859th SOS, Duke Field, FL, and a practicing emergency medicine physician. He is also the chair of the continuing medical education accreditation committee for the Florida Medical Association and a participant in its leadership academy. 

 

Student News:

Zeegan George, MSII SELECT, Frank Lee, MSIV SELECT, RGHS’22, and Gautam Koipallil, MSIII have won the 2022 Golden Bull Award!  The Golden Bull Award is one of USF's highest honors given annually in the spring semester to deserving undergraduate and graduate students who exemplify the spirit of USF and have demonstrated its core values. Recipients must embody exceptional leadership and service to the University and the community. 


April 2022
Dan Duncanson ’89, was elected to the 2022 board of directors of the American Medical Group Association. Dr. Duncanson is the CEO and board chair of SIMEDHealth in Gainesville. 

Stephanie Goff ’03, head of clinical operations for surgery branch at the Center for Cancer Research at the National Cancer Institute, participated in the panel "Breaking Bias: Women in Healthcare and Science Leadership" with Admiral Rachel L. Levine, MD, assistant secretary, Department of Health and Human Services. 


Catherine O’Connor ’88, was named medical director of the Breast Center at Southern Illinois Healthcare. 

Angela Scheuerle ’88, was named director of the Rare Disease Center of Excellence at UT Southwestern in Dallas, where she also serves as a professor of pediatrics and pathology.

Charles Soares ’20, will serve as chief resident, Piedmont Macon Emergency Medicine Residency Program for 2022-2023.


November 2021
Alummi News
Danielle Saunders-Walsh ’95, has been elected chair of the American College of Surgeons Board of Governors by her peers.

Peter Embi, ’97, president and chief executive officer for the Regenstrief Institute, Inc., and Leonard Betley Professor of Medicine and Biostatistics & Health Data Science at the Indiana University School of Medicine, has been named as the new chair of Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Department of Biomedical Informatics (DBMI), effective January 1, 2022. He will also serve as senior vice president for research and innovation.

Jeremy Davis ’05, surgeon in chief at the National Institutes of Health, NIH Clinical Center accepted a handmade quilt from his two of his patients, one of whom was treated for an inherited form of stomach cancer caused by germline mutations in the CDH1 gene. The quilt will be on display at the NIH Clinical Center as a thank you to the team that supported the siblings during their medical journey at NIH. 

Sam Crane ’08, delivered the first triplets born at Hillsboro Medical Center in Hillsboro, Oregon. Dr. Crane completed his training at Oregon Health Sciences Center in Portland in 2011 and a fellowship in Advanced High Risk OB/Surgical OB at Swedish Medical Center in 2012. 

Wilfredo Herrera ’13, has joined Ft. Sanders Regional Medical Center in Knoxville, TN, where he will continue his OBGYN practice.


September 2021
Alummi News
Courtney Bovee ’11, was installed as the secretary/treasurer for the Florida Society of Ophthalmology during the Masters of Ophthalmology 2021 meeting. She completed her residency in ophthalmology at UCLA Harbor in Los Angeles and Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, followed by a glaucoma fellowship at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. She is currently a glaucoma surgeon at Newsome Eye Center in Tampa.

Arturo Brito ’89, was recently named president and CEO of the national children’s healthcare nonprofit, Children’s Health Fund, after serving as its chief medical officer and executive vice president from 2006-2011. He has held prior positions as the medical director for the CHF-founded South Florida Children’s Health Project; executive director of The Nicholson Foundation; and deputy commissioner for public health services of the New Jersey Department of Health.

Eric Coris ’96, was named chair, department of family medicine, USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. He joined the department of family medicine faculty in 2001, rising to the rank of professor in 2012. He helped create the primary care sports medicine fellowship and garnered a multi-million-dollar recurring state grant for the Sports Medicine and Athletic Related Trauma Institute. He is the head medical team physician for USF Intercollegiate Athletics and the team physician for the Super Bowl-winning Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Thomas Harrell ’92, was promoted to Brigadier General, United States Air Force, in May 2021. Brigadier General Harrell received an ROTC Pre-Health Profession Scholarship, commissioning from the University of South Florida in 1988. He is trained in cardiology/electrophysiology and has served a very distinguished career in the USAF, including as a chief flight surgeon with more than 730 hours, including 94 combat hours. 

Douglas Murphy ’80, was installed as the 145th President of the Florida Medical Association in August 2021. After receiving his medical degree from USF in 1980, Dr. Murphy went on to complete his Ob/Gyn training at the Medical University of South Carolina in 1984. Later that same year, he joined his former USF medical school roommate, Dr. Richard Mann, Jr., in opening a practice, Ocala Gynecology, in Ocala, FL. They have been partners ever since. Dr. Murphy is no stranger to the FMA. He is past president of the FMA Political Action Committee and currently serves on its board. He has also been a member of the FMA’s delegation to the AMA House of Delegates since 1988. 

Amanda Pitre ’21, was awarded first place in the 2021 Florida Academy of Family Physicians Poster Presentation student category for her scholarly work on contraception counseling at the USF Health BRIDGE Clinic. Dr. Pitre is now in her Ob/Gyn residency at USF Health. 

Brian Williams ’00, was one of six healthcare professionals announced in July for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellows Program at the National Academy of Medicine. These fellows will spend a year in Washington, D.C. working on health-related legislative and regulatory issues with members of Congress and the Executive Branch. Dr. Williams is professor of surgery, section of trauma and acute care surgery at the University of Chicago Medicine.

Cyndi Yag-Howard ’93, was elected as president of the Florida Society of Dermatology and Dermatologic Surgery for 2021-22. She is CEO and president at Yag-Howard Dermatology and Aesthetic Center in Naples, FL. 

Welcome to Alumni on Faculty
Mary Langenstroer ’10, has joined the department of Ob/Gyn as an assistant professor. She completed her residency at Winnie Palmer Hospital, where she was administrative chief resident. She has been in practice in central Florida since 2014.

Cameron David Nereim ’14, has joined the department of pediatrics, division of adolescent medicine as assistant professor. He completed his pediatrics residency at USF Health, where he also served as chief resident and went on to complete his fellowship training in adolescent and young adult medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital. 

Lindsay Ryan MD, has joined the division of rhinology and skull base surgery as assistant professor of otolaryngology. She is a graduate of the University of Louisville School of Medicine and completed her otolaryngology residency at USF. Her fellowship in rhinology and skull base was done at the Medical College of Georgia.

Chelsea Torres '18, has joined the department of pediatrics, division of general pediatrics as assistant professor. She returns to USF after completing her residency in pediatrics at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

July 2021

2021 Alpha Omega Alpha – USF Chapter – Alumni Inductees:

Jane Benton MD ’87, was named to the Board of the Space Coast Health Foundation, a grant-making organization established to the health and wellness of individuals and communities in Brevard County. 


Candice Castro ’76 completed her general surgery training at USF in 1981 and went on to serve in the US Army, retiring in 2006 at the rank of colonel. During her time in the Army, she served in Seoul, Korea as chief of the department of surgery from 1999-2002 and was deployed to Afghanistan in 2003 and Iraq in 2005. She continues to be active with the Brooke Army Medical Center Retiree Activities Group and teaches English as a second language to refugees/asylees through the Catholic Archdiocese of San Antonio.


Patricia Mergo ’88 completed her residency in diagnostic radiology at Eastern Virginia Medical School and a clinical fellowship in body imaging at the University of Florida. She is currently chair of the division of thoracic/cardiac radiology at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville and has received numerous Certificates of Merit for presentations at national meetings of the Radiological Society of America, in addition to serving as referee for several radiology journals.  


David Parda ’88 completed residencies in internal medicine training at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation and radiation oncology at Georgetown University, and is board certified in both. He has acquired noted expertise in collaborative multidisciplinary cancer care and has held many national and regional leadership roles in oncology, including design and oversight of NCI cancer clinical trials, member/vice chair/chair of the NCI CIRB, vice chair of the ASTRO Guidelines committee, past president and board member of the Pennsylvania Society of Oncology and Hematology, and past board member of the American Cancer Society and West Peen Allegheny Health System. He is currently president and CEO of Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, professor of radiation oncology and system chair, IRB of Allegheny Health Network.


Suzette Peng ’02 completed her internal medicine residency and rheumatology fellowship at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. She is currently a captain in the US Public Health Service, having served multiple assignments on medical disaster response teams, including the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014. During her service in the Army, she was deployed to Iraq where she was awarded the Bronze Start and Army Commendation medals.


Alumni Updates:

Joseph R Grajo, MD, who completed his residency in Radiology at USF in 2014 and is Associate Professor & Chief, Abdominal Imaging, Joint Associate Professor, Urology, Vice Chair, Research, Program Director, Abdominal Imaging Fellowship, is first cover editor on “Abdominal Imaging: The Core Requisites” 1st Edition by Elsevier (scheduled for publication in June).  He is also an author on a 2nd textbook, “Abdominal Imaging: Case Review Series 1st Edition by Elsevier (scheduled for publication in May).  


Sharon E. Albers ‘89 was elected to Vanderbilt University School of Medicine’s Academy for Excellence in Education based on her excellence in course/curricula/program design and mentorship. She has been at Vanderbilt since 2017 and is associate professor of dermatology and director of pediatric dermatology at Vanderbilt. In 2019, she was the recipient of the Lloyd E. King Jr. Excellence in Teaching Award, the department of dermatology’s highest award in education.  


Madeline Snyder Deutsch ’15 has been named the inaugural associate program director of the new internal medicine residency program at Lee Health/Cape Coral Hospital. The program is affiliated with Florida State University and will welcome its first intern class in July 2022.  


Al Sadari ’13 has joined Watson Clinic Main in Lakeland. He completed an internship in internal medicine at George Washington University, followed by his radiology residency and nuclear medicine fellowship at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital.


Katryna Thomas ‘21 was named Intern of the Year in the general surgery residency program at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas.  


David Winchester ’05 has been elected president of the Florida Chapter of the American College of Cardiology. He has also taken a position with the Veterans Health Administration in Washington as a senior medical advisor for the access office, which works to develop and implement programs that maximize veterans’ ability to access healthcare promptly within the VA and the community.  


May 2021


MD Alumni:

Jane Benton MD ’87, was named to the Board of the Space Coast Health Foundation, a grant-making organization established to the health and wellness of individuals and communities in Brevard County. 


GME Alumni:

Joseph R Grajo MD, who completed his residency in Radiology at USF in 2014 and is Associate Professor & Chief, Abdominal Imaging, Joint Associate Professor, Urology, Vice Chair, Research, Program Director, Abdominal Imaging Fellowship, is first cover editor on “Abdominal Imaging: The Core Requisites” 1st Edition by Elsevier (scheduled for publication in June).  He is also an author on a 2nd textbook, “Abdominal Imaging: Case Review Series 1st Edition by Elsevier (scheduled for publication in May).  

 

Current Residents:

Alicia Lew MD, resident in Pediatrics and Adel Hadque MD, resident in Dermatology, were the USF MCOM GME Culture Champion award for serving as role models to our community and for their commitment to professionalism, humanism, and demonstration of USF values of accountability, inter-professionalism, compassion, excellence, respect, and inclusion.  

 

Rishi Rane MD, resident in Emergency Medicine, was awarded a Grammy for Best Opera Recording at the 63rd annual Grammy Awards for his performance at the Metropolitan Opera in Porgy and Bess. 


March 2021

MD Alumni:

Ulysses Balis MD ’91, was appointed as Chair of the American Board of Medical Specialties Database and Information Technology Advisory Committee. He is Professor, Informatics; Director, Division of Informatics; Program Director, Pathology Informatics Fellowship in the Department of Pathology at Michigan Medicine. 

   

Courtney Bovee MD ’11, was awarded the Florida Society of Ophthalmology Michael R. Redmond MD Outstanding Young Ophthalmologist Leadership Award. She is a glaucoma specialist practicing at Newsome Eye in Tampa and is currently Vice President of the Florida Society of Ophthalmology. 

   

James Goldenberg MD ’89, was recently named Chief Medical Officer at Headlands Research. He is also Sr. Vice President and Associate Medical Director of JEM Research Institute, a company he co-founded that performs predominantly industry-sponsored Phase II-IV clinical trials to develop new treatments in the area of neurology. 

   

Gilbert Murimwa MD ’19, has been accepted into Training Resident Doctors as Innovators in Science (TARDIS), a program unique to the University of Texas Southwestern where Dr. Murimwa is a second year General Surgery Resident. The program is supported by the Burroughs Wellcome Fund to address a potential shortage of physician-scientists in the future. 


MD Future Alumni:
Robert Monsour, Class of 2023, was awarded the Hillsborough County Medical Association/Rivera, Gordimer, & Co. scholarship. 

   

Richa Bisht, Class of 2023, was awarded the Hillsborough County Medical Association Foundation scholarship award. 



January 2021

MD Alumni:

Eva Crooke MD ’08 was elected as Florida Alternate Delegate for the American Medical Association.


Dexter Turnquest MD ’89 was elected the 2021 president-elect of the Harris County Medical Society in Houston, Texas.


Brian Williams MD ’01 was named to the 2020 Black Leaders Worth Watching by the Profiles in Diversity Journal.  


Cindy Yag-Howard MD ’93 was named a Patient Care Hero by the American Academy of Dermatology for her work treating veterans with serious service-related skin conditions.


GME Alumni:

Madelyn Butler MD, OB/Gyn GME ‘94 was re-elected as Florida Delegate for the American Medical Association.  


Phil Matar MD, Pediatrics GME‘14 received a patent for his drowning prevention device, PoolKnight.


Alumni Faculty/Provider Appointments:
Sally Houston MD, Internal Medicine/Infectious Diseases GME ’92 re-joined the faculty as associate professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases. Dr. Houston comes from her recent position at Tampa General Hospital where she served as executive vice president and chief medical officer since 2007.


Stephen Aradi MD ’15 joined as assistant professor, movement disorders & Huntington’s disease in the Department of Neurology. Dr. Aradi completed his neurology residency at the University of Pennsylvania in 2019 and his movement disorders fellowship at USF in 2020.


Julia Toman MD, Facial/Plastic Reconstructive Surgery GME ’19 joined as assistant professor of otolaryngology in the Division of Facial Plastic Surgery. She completed medical school at the University of Maryland in 2013 and her residency in otolaryngology at Yale in 2018.

Winter 2020


MD Alumni:

Alicia Billington, MD ’14, began a position as Assistant Professor, Division of Plastic Surgery, East Tennessee State University. Dr. Billington also completed her PhD in Biomedical Engineering and her Plastic Surgery residency at USF in 2014 and 2020, respectively.  


Daniel Duncanson, MD ’89, published “Healthcare Leadership During a Pandemic” in the Fall 2020 edition of House Calls, the official publication of the Alachua County Medical Society.  Dr. Duncanson serves as Chief Executive Officer and Board Chair at SIMEDHealth in Gainesville, FL.


Peter Embi, MD ‘97, received the prestigious designation of Fellow in the International Academy of Health Sciences Informatics (IAHSI), located in Geneva.  Dr. Embi serves as President and Chief Executive Officer at Regenstrief, and is also the Leonard Betley Professor of Medicine and Associate Dean for Informatics and Health Services Research at Indiana University School of Medicine, Associate Director of Informatics with Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute and Vice President for Learning Health Systems with Indiana University Health.


G. Michael Swor, MD ‘81, leads Swor Women’s Care in Sarasota, named a 2020 Top 10 Places to work in Sarasota-Manatee, FL.  


USF Health Alumni Faculty/Provider Appointments:

Ali M. Abbas, MD, MPH, joined the faculty as Director of Bariatric Endoscopy at the USF/TGH Bariatric Center & Department of Internal Medicine Division of Digestive and Nutrition.  He attended medical school at Al-Kindy College of Medicine and his Internal Medicine residency and Gastroenterology fellowship at USF and returns to USF following an Advanced & Bariatric Endoscopy Fellowship at Harvard University in Boston.


Mark Armanious, MD, joined the faculty as Assistant Professor, Headache and Pain Medicine in the Department of Neurology, Division of Neuromuscular, Headache, and Pain Medicine.  Dr. Armanious received his MD from the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, GA and his Neurology residency at the University of Miami, where he served as Chief Resident.  He completed two fellowships at USF, the first in Headache and Facial Pain Medicine and the second in Clinical Neurophysiology.


Sara Garcia, MD, joined the faculty as Assistant Professor in the Division of General Pediatrics.  Dr. Garcia completed her MS in medical sciences and her MD with a concentration in international medicine at USF.  She was named TGH NICU of the year in 2018.


Alexander Haas, MD, joined the faculty as Assistant Professor, Morsani College of Medicine Department of Neurosurgery & Brain Repair.  Dr. Haas attended the University of Illinois Chicago College of Medicine and completed his Neurosurgery resident, including a Chief Resident year, at USF.


Natalie Moreo, MD, joined as Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology, Multiple Sclerosis Division.  She attended Ross University College of Medicine and completed her residency in Neurology and a Multiple Sclerosis fellowship at USF.  While at USF, she also served as Chief Resident of Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Liaison.



Fall 2020

New Alumni Faculty/Provider appointments:

Anthony P. Cannella, MD ’06 joined the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine in May 2020 as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease and International Medicine. He is also part of the Hospital Epidemiology and Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs at the James A. Haley VAMC and joins the Moffitt Cancer Center ID team. Most recently, Dr. Cannella was on faculty at the University of Florida College of Medicine and a member of the UF Emerging Pathogens Institute.  


Waldo Guerrero, MD ’08 returned to USF Health Morsani College of Medicine in August 2020 as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurosurgery and Brain Repair, Neuroendovascular Division. After receiving his medical degree from USF in 2008, he completed a vascular neurology clinical research fellowship at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston and an endovascular surgery fellowship at the University of Iowa. Most recently, he was at St. Luke’s Hospital in Milwaukee, WI. 


Charles J. Bailey, MD (Vascular and Endovascular Surgery ’14) became an Assistant Professor of Vascular Surgery at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine in February 2020. Previously, he was a surgeon with Cardiac Surgical Associates in the Tampa Bay region. He completed his medical degree at Wayne State University, his residency at Emory University, and a fellowship in Vascular and Endovascular Surgery at USF. became an Assistant Professor of Vascular Surgery at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine in February 2020. Previously, he was a surgeon with Cardiac Surgical Associates in the Tampa Bay region. He completed his medical degree at Wayne State University, his residency at Emory University, and a fellowship in Vascular and Endovascular Surgery at USF. 


Ju Hee Katzman, MD (Internal Medicine ’18, Infectious Disease ’20) joined the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine as an Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine and Assistant Program Director of the Infectious Disease Fellowship Program. Dr. Katzman received her medical degree at De La Salle Health Sciences Institute before coming to USF for a residency in Internal Medicine and a Fellowship in Infectious Disease. 

   

Robby Wu, DO (Cardiology ‘20) joined the USF Health as an Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiology Provider. Prior to completing cardiology and advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology fellowships at USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, he earned his medical degree at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed an internal medicine residency at Danbury Hospital, Yale School of Medicine. 

   

MD Alumni:   

Nicholas DeVito, MD ’12 received a 2020 Outstanding Young Alumni Award from the USF Alumni Association. He created the USF Morsani College of Medicine’s peer-taught Step 1 medical licensing exam course and physician shadowing program, and he is currently an oncologist and immunotherapy researcher at Duke Cancer Institute. He is also the recipient of the 2018 Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation’s Physician-Scientist Training Award. 


Madeline (Snyder) Deutsch, MD ’15 is an Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She received the Outstanding Teacher Award from Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx, NY, in June 2020. 


John D. DeNigris, MD ’16 has joined the Yag-Howard Dermatology and Aesthetic Center in Naples, FL, led by Cyndi Yag-Howard, MD ’93. Dr. DeNigris was the chief resident for the USF Morsani College of Medicine Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery and also completed a fellowship in internal medicine at MCOM. He is a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society.  


Chelsea Frost, MD ’16 had an abstract, “Is adjacent segment disease following instrumented short lumbosacral fusion influenced by postoperative sagittal alignment?,” accepted for podium presentation at the National Association of Spine Surgery 35th annual meeting and an abstract, “Spontaneous Regression of a Foraminal Discal Cyst: Case Report,” accepted for poster presentation at the Spine Intervention Society’s 2020 annual meeting. She completed her residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Virginia and is beginning a fellowship at Emory University.  


Gilbert Murimwa, MD ’19 is a general surgery resident at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. His first paper as a resident, “Comparative Outcomes of Adenosquamous Carcinoma of the Gallbladder: An Analysis of the National Cancer Database,” was published in the Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery in July 2020.  


Ali Wells, MD ’20 was the second place winner for the Florida Academy of Family Physicians scholarly poster presentation at the FAFP Family Medicine Summer Forum with her poster, “Cost Savings of HPV Testing Alone Versus Co-Testing in Cervical Cancer Screening at a Medical Student-Run Free Clinic.”  

   

GME Alumni:   

Shailesh Rajguru, DO, FACN (GME ’99) is a neurologist and executive board member at the Bond Clinic in Winter Haven, FL. He is a member of the Bureau of Osteopathic Specialists for the American Osteopathic Association and was appointed member of several leadership committees and task forces for the association, including single residency accreditation with AOA and ACGME programs. He was the neurology and stroke medical director at Bartow Regional Medical Center in Florida from 2011-2015. 


Dr. Chinyere Okpaleke, MD (Family Medicine ’18) received a 2020 Outstanding Young Alumni Award from the USF Alumni Association. She is a family medicine hospitalist physician for BayCare Health System and an international medical missionary. She is the founder of Reality Speaks, a nonprofit serving student-athletes and people in need, and the owner of Be Dope Do Yoga, a free community yoga program. Dr. Okpaleke is also the recipient of BayCare Medical Group’s Golden Compass Award for Service. 


Spring 2020

James Avery MD ’81, a Visiting Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, recently released his book, Marijuana: An Honest Look at the World's Most Misunderstood Weed.


Joann Somers MD ’82 was recognized by Continental Who's Who as a Pinnacle Lifetime Achiever in the field of Medicine as an Obstetrician and Gynecologist at her Private Practice.


Diane Duffy MD ’89 published her article, “How complementary feeding in infants affects allergies, chronic disease, and neurodevelopment” in the February 2020 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants, which also featured it on the cover.


Thomas P. Slavin MD ’05 was named senior vice president of medical affairs for Myriad Oncology in Salt Lake City. Previously, he served as assistant professor in the departments of medical oncology and therapeutics research, and population sciences, at City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte, CA.


Abu-Sayeef Mirza MD ’16 received a 2020 College of Public Health Outstanding Alumni Award.



Spring 2019


Courtney Bovee ’11 was honored by The National Business Journal with the Influencers - Rising Star Award. This award highlighted young executives influencing business across the nation. Dr. Bovee is a glaucoma surgeon at Mid Florida Eye Center in Orlando. She hopes to bring technology to Central Florida that will help end irreversible blindness caused by glaucoma.


Blessy (Mathew) Jacob MD ’09 was recently made partner with Florida Cancer Specialists. She practices out of the Venice and Englewood, Florida locations.


Jack Jennings MD ’02 was named chief of musculoskeletal radiology for Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis in St. Louis, Mo. He is an associate professor of radiology and the director of musculoskeletal and spine intervention procedures at the university.


Joshua Kraft MD ’14 joined Mount Nittany Physician Group in State College, Pa., as an OB-GYN physician.


Larry Kuhn MD ’90 and his wife are principals of Saving Grace in Uganda, a nonprofit organization that seeks to end street life in Uganda. Together, the Kuhns and their team provide hope and stability, education, medical care, advocacy to street children, who do not have anyone to care for them and are in desperate situations. Watch here to learn more about Saving Grace in Uganda.


Arti Balar Masturzo MD ’01 joined Solsys Medical, LLC in Newport News, Va., as its chief medical officer. She previously served as executive vice president of clinical innovation at Healogics in Jacksonville, Fla.


Craig Singer MD ’98 has published his first novel, More Than Bones (Twin Rabbit Books, 2019), a suspenseful and humorous coming-of-age story about a medical school graduate.


Spring 2018


Jenna Beasley MD ’12 joined Henghold Skin Health & Surgery Group. Beasley previously completed her fellowship in dermatopathology at New York University.


Timothy Boyett MD ’02, radiologist and integrative medicine fellow at University of Florida and Valor Network, married USF graduate Kristal PhD '02. They live in Florida with their two sons, Denver (11) and Wesley (7) and enjoy homeschooling their boys, traveling, and spending time with their family.


Julie Cheek MD ’89 joined PeaceHealth Medical Group in Bellingham, Wash. She was previously a pediatrician at Unity Care NW in Bellingham.


Jeremy Davis MD ’05 was promoted to Surgeon-in-Chief at National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, the nation’s research hospital, where he will provide oversight for all surgical-related activities, education and training, surgical quality and clinical outcomes. Read more about Dr. Davis here.


Daniel Dent MD ’90, professor of surgery and residency director, UT Health San Antonio, was elected secretary of the board of governors of the American College of Surgeons.


Nicholas Christian DeVito MD ’12, hematology/oncology fellow at Duke University, was recently granted the Damon Runyon Physician-Scientist award, a four-year grant that will support his work in tumor immunology and immunotherapy. Under the mentorship of Dr. Brent Hanks, Dr. Devito's work was recognized with a Conquer Cancer Foundation Young Investigator award at the 2017 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting. 


Roopal M. Karia MD ’95 was featured in The Leading Physicians of the World publication. She is a pediatric neurologist in Jackson, NJ.


C. Christopher Pittman MD ’88, chief executive officer and medical director of Vein911® Vein Treatment Centers, has been elected to the American College of Phlebology board of directors. Read more about Dr. Pittman here.


Paul M. Wallach MD ’84 nationally recognized leader in academic medicine named Executive Associate Dean of educational affairs and institutional improvement. Read more about Dr. Wallach here.


James Wilkinson MD ’78 recently started a new position at Vanderbilt University as the director of the Center for Clinical and Translational Research.



Spring 2017


Sion "Bill" Carter MD '87, radiologist and chair of the MCOM Alumni Society Board, participated in a legacy ceremony with his daughter, Bethany, on May 6 at Emory University in Atlanta just prior to her graduation. Bethany majored in philosophy & religion and minored in Spanish and is a third generation Emory graduate, following in her father and grandfather's footsteps.


Brian Derby MD '07 has been awarded board certification by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. He is a plastic surgeon at Sarasota Plastic Surgery Center in Sarasota, Florida. Read more about Dr. Derby by clicking here and read more about his certification here.


C. Scott Mahan MD '93, division head of the Department of Infectious Diseases at the Charles George VA Medical Center in Asheville, NC, was featured in USF's February Book of the Month for the Contributions to the Field collection for his book, "Are You Afraid of Snakes? A Doctor's Exploration of Alternative Medicine." Read more about the book and Dr. Mahan by clicking here.


Rahul Mehra MD '92, co-founder, chief executive officer and chief medical officer of MehraVista Health, LLC, an employee health and wellness management firm and a director on the MCOM Alumni Society Board, was honored at the College of Charleston Alumni Awards Gala. The Alumni Awards Gala recognizes alumni whose accomplishments in their chosen fields have brought honor to the college, showcasing the role the college has played in their lives as well as the impact they have had on society. Dr. Mehra, a 1983 graduate, received the Pre-Medical Society's Outstanding Service Award in Medicine. Read more about Dr. Mehra's background, involvement in the field and impact on his community on the Alumni Awards Gala website or watch Dr. Mehra's acceptance speech online.


Brian Williams MD '01 FACS, trauma surgeon and associate professor of surgery at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, spoke at the USF Diversity Lectures Series titled Reflection at the Intersection of Race and Medicine, addressing race relations and how they have shaped his life, citing the recent Dallas police shooting in 2016. On the event: "The main point I want the students to take away from my experience is that you cannot remain silent. Without good people speaking up to take a stance, they will continue to occur unabated.” Read about and watch Dr. William's Diversity Lectures Series feature on the USF Health News site.

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