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Our Residents

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As you consider taking your first step in residency training, we encourage you to apply to the University of Rochester. We look forward to introducing you to Western New York, sharing more about our program and are confident you will be pleased with what you find.

1st Year Residents 2nd Year Residents 3rd Year Residents 4th Year ResidentsFellows

Co-Chief Residents 

Olivia Sagan, MD

Olivia Sagan, M.D.

Hometown: Arlington, MA and Strongsville, OH
Medical school: The University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences
Family: Myself and my husband
Hobbies/interests: Photography, board games, traveling, and watching movies/TV

Social media handle: Twitter - @OASPath

What made you choose URMC?
URMC has everything I was looking for in a residency program: Large volume, caring and dedicated faculty, a focus on residents as educators, and friendly and welcoming residents. Rochester is also a perfectly sized city in a beautiful area of the country.

What are your career goals?
I am planning on applying for GI fellowship next year. I am channeling my love of teaching through the pursuit of a career in academic medicine.

Fun fact about you?
I have logged over 900 hours playing Stardew Valley.

Andrew Johnson, MD

Olivia Sagan, M.D.

Hometown: Auburn, NH

Medical school: University of Massachusetts T.H. Chan School of Medicine

Family: I am the oldest of two siblings, and the majority of my family is scattered around the Northeast

Hobbies/interests: I regularly go rock climbing and hiking, and play sports including tennis, soccer, golf, jujitsu, cycling, volleyball, kayaking, skiing, and ping-pong! Lawn games like Spikeball and Kan Jam hold a special place in my heart as well. Other non-active interests I have are cooking, video games, movies and TV shows, and board game nights.

Social media handle(s): Instagram - @ajredhead

What made you choose URMC?
The two major things I was looking for were location in the Northeast and a great group of supportive people. From the first moment I saw and spoke to the faculty and residents at URMC, they could be described as nothing other than a family. The supportive and charismatic environment combined with ample opportunities to pursue career interests in a fantastic program made URMC the easy choice for me!

What are your career goals?
I decided I wanted to be a forensic pathologist when I was 18! While I love many aspects of pathology and medicine as a whole, becoming a medical examiner will forever be my dream career.

Fun fact about you?
I played quidditch (the sport from Harry Potter) all 4 years of undergrad for Hofstra University and the regional tournament was held every year in Rochester. To this day quidditch is the roughest sport I have ever played.

PGY-4 

Bahadir Yildiz, MD

Bahadir Yildiz, MD

Hometown: Trabzon, Turkey

Medical School: University of Health Sciences, Gulhane School of Medicine, Turkey

Why did you select URMC for your residency? I chose URMC for my residency training because of its wide selection of fellowships, friendly environment and strong research opportunities.

What is the best feature of your residency program? I think the best feature of my program is its strong leadership and support for its residents.

Family: I’m married to Betul, who is not only my better half, but also my co-resident (she’s better at that too).

Hobbies and interests: I enjoy outdoor activities like jogging or cycling. I like playing and watching chess. I am also a Linux enthusiast. 

What is your favorite thing(s) about Rochester? My favorite part about Rochester is its outdoor activities and beautiful views. I'm new to the city so I still have a lot to explore.

Social Media Links:  Instagram: @bahadiryildiz  Twitter: @_bahadiryildiz

Where would you like to end up/career goals/aspirations?  I want to be a forensic pathologist and help my community as best as I can.

One thing you wish you knew before you started your residency here? I wish I knew the importance of the time I've had before residency. 
 

Juwairiya Arshi, MBBS

Arshi JuwairyaHometown: Hyderabad, India

Medical School: Deccan College of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad, India

Why did you select URMC for your residency? High volume program with dedicated faculty interested in teaching, and supportive leadership.

What is the best feature of your residency program? Volume and variety of cases.

Hobbies and interests: Cooking, traveling, and watching movies.

What is your favorite thing(s) about Rochester? Beautiful summers and proximity to finger-lakes!

Where would you like to end up/career goals/aspirations? I have done a fellowship in GI/Hepatobiliary Pathology at URMC (2022-23).

One thing you wish you knew before you started your residency here? The numerous activities that Rochester has to offer, both in summers and winters!
 

Harsimran Kaur, MBBS

Harsimran Kaur

Hometown: Punjab, India

Medical School: Christian Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana (India)

Why did you select URMC for your residency? I like Rochester, it's a small city with all the amenities of a larger city.

What is the best feature of your residency program? Diversity!

Hobbies and interests: Playing badminton and spending time with family.

What is your favorite thing(s) about Rochester? Wegmans!

Where would you like to end up/career goals/aspirations? As a senior administrator.

One thing you wish you knew before you started your residency here? Value of home cooked food.
 

Wilrama Lima (Wila), MD, DDS

Wilrama LimaHometown: Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil

Medical School: University of Fortaleza

Why did you select URMC for your residency? Numerous reasons, including the warm and receptive welcoming by the faculty, residents and coordinators during interview season. Besides the program providing many opportunities to achieve my career goals, I am still near my family as I’ve been living in Rochester!

What is the best feature of your residency program? The friendly environment.

Hobbies and interests: Body pump classes, volleyball w/ my daughter, hanging out w/ friends!!

What is your favorite thing(s) about Rochester? Rochester is a hidden jewel! We find everything here from a big city, but without the traffic/disadvantages of a large city.

Where would you like to end up/career goals/aspirations? That’s difficult one! I have many of them, but first to become a good pathologist and be helpful to my community!

One thing you wish you knew before you started your residency here? How to find things better inside SMH. It's a huge hospital and many times I get easily lost. :)
 

Xiaoqin (Lucy) Liu, MB, PhD

Lucy Liu

Hometown: Taiyuan, China

Medical School: Shanxi Medical University

Why did you select URMC for your residency? The supportive environment and dedicated supervisors. I am sure I will be happy while I am learning.

Family: My husband and I have a lovely son and an adorable kitten.

Hobbies and interests: Hiking, swimming, and traveling.

What is your favorite thing(s) about Rochester? Beautiful summer scenery and awesome grocery stores: Wegmans.

Social media Links: Instagram: @liuxq0908

Where would you like to end up/career goals/aspirations? My career goal is to be a good pathologist and an educator practicing in an academic setting.

One thing you wish you knew before you started your residency here? There are numerous waterfalls in the Rochester region for me to visit. 
 

Dingani Nkosi, MBBS, PhD

HometownDingani Nkosi: Lilongwe, Malawi

Medical School: University of Malawi, College of Medicine

Why did you select URMC for your residency? I believe that URMC provides excellent support, supervision and mentorship for its residents. The program has all the components of an outstanding residency training institution including diverse patient population and pathologies, research opportunities, state of art facilities and high caliber faculty devoted to training the residents.

What is the best feature of your residency program? The best feature is the closeness of the family here at URMC. Everyone is willing to help at every point, starting from the day I got an invitation to interview here to now where am I settling down as a resident. You never walk alone, there is always people to help. 

What is your favorite thing(s) about Rochester? So far I have enjoyed the diversity of food and restaurants around the Rochester area.

Where would you like to end up/career goals/aspirations? Upon finishing residency, I would like to continue to strengthen my clinical and research skills with a Hematopathology and Molecular pathology fellowship. Ultimately I am interested in dividing my career between doing research and assuming clinical and teaching responsibilities.  I hope to combine my love of science with a commitment to teaching the next generation of physician scientists

One thing you wish you knew before you started your residency here? I am still pretty new so ask me again next year, I am sure I will have an answer. LOL!
 

Hatice Betul Zengin, MD

Hatice Betul ZenginHometown: Burdur, Turkey

Medical School: Istanbul University, Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Turkey

Why did you select URMC for your residency? I selected URMC for my training because of its prestige, broad array of fellowships and supportive leadership.

What is the best feature of your residency program? The best feature of my program is that it's not only a residency program. It's a family. Where every member supports each other and want their happiness.

Family: Bahadir is my husband and also my co-resident.

Hobbies and interests: Playing flute, swimming and traveling.

What is your favorite thing(s) about Rochester? What I love about Rochester is its summer, outdoor activity options and how everything is 10 minutes away.

Social Media Links:  Instagram: @hbetulzengin

Where would you like to end up/career goals/aspirations? I want to become a successful pathologist and have the opportunity to teach pathology to others.

One thing you wish you knew before you started your residency here? Skiing (I just started learning)
 

PGY-3s

Benjamin Gertsen, MD

Kyla Jorgenson

Hometown: Ridgefield, Washington

Medical School: University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry

Why did you select URMC for your residency? Completed medical school here and spent a significant amount of time within the department as a year-out student fellow in pathology. Everyone is warm and friendly, residents are valued, and there are ample educational, teaching, and research opportunities as URMC is a tertiary referral center.

Family: Family is scattered throughout the Pacific Northwest, Washington DC, and abroad. 

Hobbies and interests: Distance running, chess, soccer, and foreign languages. 

Social Media Links: Instagram: @BenjaminGertsen

Where would you like to end up/career goals/aspirations? Global pathology, general surgery, surgical pathology.

 

Kyla Jorgenson, MD, MS

Kyla Jorgenson

Hometown: Burlington, ON, Canada

Medical School: American University of the Caribbean

Why did you select URMC for your residency? Being away from family meant I wanted a group of people that would become my family and I felt that from URMC at the virtual open houses and interview day. Everyone was welcoming, could joke around with one another, and seemed to genuinely love the program. URMC ticked off everything I was looking for in a program, great people to learn from and be supported by, fellowship opportunities, a beautiful area (as a cyclist I'm incredibly excited for cycling the Finger Lake region), and a well rounded program that would prepare me for the future.

Family: I have two cats, 'Heme' and 'Eo', or H&E as a pair.

Hobbies and interests: As a self-taught crochet addict, I love creating color and pattern combinations for blankets and stuffed animal amigurumi. My yarn stash is getting out of hand. In the colder months, crochet pairs well with binge-watching a TV series, especially British crime dramas. But as soon as it warms above freezing, my favorite place is outside on my bike. I also dabble in photography while exploring a new city or out hiking.

Social Media Links- Twitter: @FscPathKMJ Instagram: @k_jorgs 

Where would you like to end up/career goals/aspirations? My unwavering goal since high school has been forensic pathology and I want to compliment that with a pedipath fellowship beforehand.
 

Tiffany Goetz Sheganoski, DO

Tiffany Goetz SheganoskiHometown: South Jersey/Philly area

Medical School: Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine

Why did you select URMC for your residency? The support of my specific career goals was evident to me throughout my conversations with Dr. Schiffhauer, Leslie, and the other faculty. I was attracted to URMC due to the multiple curriculum track options and the ability to further personalize the curriculum within my chosen track to best suit my individual interests. The faculty at the highest level is clearly committed to helping and guiding their residents in a highly individualized manner, a flexibility and support system not often seen in other institutions. With forensics as my chosen subspecialty, it was especially exciting to know that a board-certified forensic pathologist is the autopsy director (we have since brought a second FP onto our autopsy team!). Beyond the program itself, Rochester is a surprisingly wonderful place to live. Low cost of living coupled with endless options for extracurricular activities (who knew Rochester would have a thriving circus community??) has made living here, amidst all the beaches along Lake Ontario, an unexpected pleasure.

Family: My husband and I have performed post mortem organ and tissue recoveries together for the past 6+ years, and I have a stepson.

Hobbies and interests: Technical scuba diving and cave diving, circus arts (especially aerial silks), yoga, horseback riding, billiards, discovering breweries.

Social Media Links: FB @tiffanygoetzshegs

Where would you like to end up/career goals/aspirations? As an autopsy tech throughout undergraduate and medical school, my passion for forensics has never wavered. During and after my forensic pathology fellowship, I aspire to hone an expertise in water-related deaths. 
 

Kristin Rybski, MD

Kristin Rybski, MD

Hometown: Grand Rapids, Michigan

Medical School: Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine

Why did you select URMC for your residency? URMC's fellowship opportunities, warm and friendly environment, faculty committed to teaching and mentoring students, and the affordable cost of living.

Family: I married my high school sweetheart, Brendan, and we are excited to adopt our first "fur child" this year.

Hobbies and interests: I love the outdoors, especially hiking, skiing and snowboarding. I also enjoy playing volleyball, board games and cooking with my husband. I like watching cheesy Hallmark movies and I'm a big fan of The Office.

Social Media Links- Twitter: @KristinRybski 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristin-rybski-4a2b7988/

Where would you like to end up/career goals/aspirations? As I begin residency, I have interests in dermatopathology and hematopathology. I am excited to explore new areas within the field and see where my passions lead me in my career.

PGY-2 

Alexander Besen, MD

Alexander Besen

Hometown: Chappaqua, NY

Medical school: New York Medical College

Family: My parents live in Westchester County and my younger sister lives in Manhattan. My parents and I adopted a golden doodle, Molly, in 2017, but she's staying downstate with them.

Hobbies: Big into video games, particularly Pokémon and platformers. I'm especially drawn to challenge runs and the speed running community over on Twitch. I also enjoy DnD campaigns with some online friends and reading and writing sci-fi and science fantasy stories.

Social media handle: @alexmbesen

What made you choose URMC?
I was already familiar with the Rochester area thanks to attending RIT and loved my time there. I also worked for URMC Specimen Management before medical school. When I knew I wanted to apply to a pathology program, URMC was immediately on my radar because of the sheer volume and diversity of samples and specimens I knew they received. And I really enjoyed the folks I got to (virtually) meet through open houses, interview day, and Grand Rounds. I just knew it would be a perfect fit!

What are your career goals?
My hope is to move onto fellowship in one or two subspecialties (possibly heme or molecular) and then use that training and my love of teaching to work as an attending pathologist and train the next generations of physicians.

Fun fact about you?
I attended the great Wayne Gretzky's final NHL game before retirement. Unfortunately, I lost the commemorative hockey stick.
 

Olivia Sagan, MD

Olivia Sagan, M.D.

Hometown: Arlington, MA and Strongsville, OH
Medical school: The University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences
Family: Myself and my husband
Hobbies/interests: Photography, board games, traveling, and watching movies/TV

Social media handle: Twitter - @OASPath

What made you choose URMC?
URMC has everything I was looking for in a residency program: Large volume, caring and dedicated faculty, a focus on residents as educators, and friendly and welcoming residents. Rochester is also a perfectly sized city in a beautiful area of the country.

What are your career goals?
I am planning on applying for GI fellowship next year. I am channeling my love of teaching through the pursuit of a career in academic medicine.

Fun fact about you?
I have logged over 900 hours playing Stardew Valley.

J. Gael Uy, DO

J. Gael Uy, D.O.Hometown: Amarillo, TX

Medical school: Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific-Northwest

Family: All of my family is in Texas. I’m the eldest of three siblings, and easily the worst at Mario Kart (I hold my own in Smash Bros, though).

Hobbies/interests: Music holds a special place in my heart. I play piano, harp, ukulele, and am working on picking up the guitar. Other hobbies I have include camping on the beach, cycling around new cities, finding the best places to watch meteor showers, building bonds through getting lost, enthusiastic car karaoke with the windows down, telling stories over video games, improving medical education regarding LGBTQ+ topics, and volunteering in my community.

What made you choose URMC?
How considerate, easy-going, and dedicated the people are. Those I met during my interview day treated me like I was already a part of the team (even as my fire alarm went off halfway through!). It’s difficult to be so far from home, but finding people you can laugh with while being part of a tight-knit community makes things a lot easier. 

What are your career goals?
Whether through research or education, I want to use my background in developmental biology to translate academic findings to clinical practice. My future goals center around making pathology more accessible to both clinicians and students while finding ways to add compassion in delivering difficult diagnoses.

Fun fact about you?
I helped organize a Zombie Prom-themed 5K and was a musician for the prom band!
 

Giby V. George, MBBS

Giby V. George

Hometown: Philadelphia, PA

Medical school: Amala Institute of Medical Sciences, Kerala, India

Family: I am married to my medical school sweetheart and we have a daughter.

Hobbies: I love learning in all forms, whether it be professionally or otherwise. I enjoy traveling, adventuring, visiting museums and parks, trying new foods, and reading and playing with my daughter.

What made you choose URMC?
I fell in love with the program during my pre-interview pathology exposures. I also feel greatly indebted to the faculty for having made my experiences so memorable.

What are your career goals?
I'm not entirely sure yet to be honest; I'm excited to see where residency will take me!

Fun fact about you?
I share a birthday with Kawhi Leonard, who happens to be my favorite basketball player.
 

Andrew Johnson, MD

Andrew Johnson, M.D.Hometown: Auburn, NH

Medical school: University of Massachusetts T.H. Chan School of Medicine

Family: I am the oldest of two siblings, and the majority of my family is scattered around the Northeast

Hobbies/interests: I regularly go rock climbing and hiking, and play sports including tennis, soccer, golf, jujitsu, cycling, volleyball, kayaking, skiing, and ping-pong! Lawn games like Spikeball and Kan Jam hold a special place in my heart as well. Other non-active interests I have are cooking, video games, movies and TV shows, and board game nights.

Social media handle(s): Instagram - @ajredhead

What made you choose URMC?
The two major things I was looking for were location in the Northeast and a great group of supportive people. From the first moment I saw and spoke to the faculty and residents at URMC, they could be described as nothing other than a family. The supportive and charismatic environment combined with ample opportunities to pursue career interests in a fantastic program made URMC the easy choice for me!

What are your career goals?
I decided I wanted to be a forensic pathologist when I was 18! While I love many aspects of pathology and medicine as a whole, becoming a medical examiner will forever be my dream career.

Fun fact about you?
I played quidditch (the sport from Harry Potter) all 4 years of undergrad for Hofstra University and the regional tournament was held every year in Rochester. To this day quidditch is the roughest sport I have ever played.
 

Jared Lee, MD

Jared Lee,MD

Hometown: Miami, FL

Medical school: University of Miami

Hobbies/interests: 

What made you choose URMC? 
The positive work culture and friendliness of the residents and the sheer amount of mentorship opportunities.

What is the best feature of your residency program? : I feel that our faculty genuinely care about resident feedback in enhancing the residency experience.

Hobbies/interests: Winetasting, Dancing, Running, Horror Flicks, listening to R&B, EDM and Indie Rock Music

What is your favorite thing(s) about Rochester? The summers in Rochester are exceptionally beautiful, both in terms of access to nature and the numerous festivals going on every month.

What are your career goals? Still figuring it out! Potentially GYN, Derm or Molecular pathology

One thing you wish you knew before you started your residency here?  I wish I knew proper microscope care!

 

Alicia Schmidt, DO

Alicia Schmidt, D.O.

Hometown: Warner, NH

Medical school: Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine

Hobbies/interests: Arts and crafts, exploring the outdoors, drumming, my dog 

What made you choose URMC? 
I chose URMC for the people and the wide breadth of resources and opportunities.

What are your career goals?
I am still considering several different fellowships and career paths.

 

PGY-1

Ola Lanipekun, MBBS

Ola Lanipekun MBBS

Hometown: Ogbomosho, Nigeria

Medical school: University of Ilorin College of Health Sciences, Ilorin, Nigeria

Hobbies: I like spending time outdoors, riding my bike, and I recently took up golfing. I enjoy rock music, my favorite bands are Black Sabbath, Guns N’ Roses, Metallica, Savatage, Korn, and Rammstein. 

What made you choose URMC?I was looking for a residency program with brilliant faculty, great residents, and a diverse patient population, and URMC met and exceeded all my expectations. It is an amazing learning environment full of people who are ready to teach and help out every time. There are multiple research and fellowship opportunities and the guidance from experienced faculty mentors enables residents to make informed decisions about their future career plans. Rochester is a nice place to live with many golf courses and lots of summer and winter activities.  

What are your career goals? I am interested in GI, GU, cytopathology, and several other subspecialties. I would love to work at URMC and contribute to the growth and expansion of the Pathology Department. 

 

Madhurya Ramineni, MBBS

Madhurya Ramineni, MBBS

Hometown: Hyderabad, India
Medical school: Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Adilabad (India)
Family: Myself and my husband
Hobbies/interests: Yoga, cooking and reading about personal finance.

Social media links: Twitter- @Madhury57496817

What made you choose URMC? great subspecialty exposure and wide range of fellowship opportunities. Most importantly I was happy and felt deeply connected with the team during the interview. 

What are your career goals?
I am currently interested in molecular and GI/hepatobiliary pathology. 
 

Margaret Smith, MD

Maggie Smith, MDHometown: Portage, MI

Medical school: Western Michigan University Homer Stryker MD School of Medicine

Family: My family is mostly in the Midwest.

Hobbies/interests: Trivia, crochet, writing, window shopping, and baking. I also like catching up on all the tv shows and movies that when I tell someone I haven't seen it they act like I've personally insulted them.

What made you choose URMC?
I liked that URMC offered a large number of surgical specimens including transplants, varied CP options, and forensics exposure. I also liked what I heard about Rochester during my interview day. The city feels like a spot where the Midwest meets the East Coast which seemed like a perfect mix of where I grew up and somewhere new to explore. I love the proximity to Lake Ontario and other major cities along the East Coast. Also, getting to try traditional poutine.

Social Media Links: Instagram @kangakzoo

What are your career goals?I am very interested in forensic pathology, but I'm looking forward to exploring all areas of pathology during residency.
 

Fellows
 

Wei Huang

Wei Huang
Breast/GYN Fellow

Treyc Terry

Treyc Terry
Blood Bank/Transfusion Medicine Fellow

Chau Bui

Chau Bui
Dermatopathology Fellow

Irene Chen, MD

Irene Chen
Gastrointestinal and Hepatobiliary (GI) Fellow

Bailey Mosher

Bailey Mosher
Microbiology Fellow

katie king

Katie King
Laboratory Medical Directorship Fellow

Claire Mattson

Claire Mattson
Year Out Student Fellow

Sean Thomas

Sean Thomas
Microbiology Fellow

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