Meet our Residents

David Arastehmanesh, MD

Medical School: Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Professional Interests: Disaster Medicine, Health Policy, Medical Education, Global Health
Awards/Positions in Medical School & Residency: Alpha Omega Alpha, AMA-MSS Policy Writer, AMA-MSS Einstein Chapter Recruitment Chair
Fun facts/Interesting past life:I've been to over 40 countries, I hold a Master of Sport title (black belt) in SAMBO, I used to brew my own beer, I've been snowboarding for close to a decade, and I make an excessive amount of puns.
Why did you choose BIDMC? The exceptional and dedicated faculty, the down-to-earth residents, the various clinical training sites, and the innovative 3+1 curriculum that produces extremely strong physicians in just 3 years while allowing you to stay another year to pursue whatever specific interests you have. This was especially important to me as I have many career interests and the opportunities and resources at BIDMC are endless. Also, Boston is awesome.

Nicolette Castaneda, MD

Medical School: Tufts University School of Medicine
Professional Interests: Global Health, Physician Wellness, Medical Education, Critical Care
Fun facts/Interesting past life: I have lived in Colorado, California, and now Massachusetts and have spent a considerable amount of time paddle boarding in all three. I enjoy outdoor activities including climbing, skiing, hiking, boating, etc. In addition to being an awesome emergency medicine physician, I aspire to own and operate my own alpaca farm.
Why did you choose BIDMC? The residents, faculty, and overall atmosphere of the program. BI’s 3+1 training structure provides residents the flexibility to explore and expand their interests while also creating well rounded and experienced physicians.

Crystal Chiang, MD

Medical School: University of Maryland School of Medicine
Professional Interests: Emergency ultrasound, medical journalism, wilderness medicine, toxicology
Fun facts/Interesting past life: I adopted a kitten from the streets of Baltimore and taught her how to fist bump. I’m also an avid true crime documentary watcher. Outside of medicine, I love (and am solidly average at) snowboarding, bouldering, and cooking.
Why did you choose BIDMC? The tangible camaraderie and warmth within the program. Everyone is down-to-earth yet extraordinarily talented. I also love the quality of clinical training, flexibility of the 3+1 structure, and wealth of academic resources.

Alexander Clark, MD

Medical School: Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB
Professional Interests: EMS, Disaster Medicine, Critical Care
Fun facts/Interesting past life: I have a Black Belt in Krav Maga. Past life as an EMT before medical school.
Why did you choose BIDMC? Boston is an awesome city. The 3+1 residency format offers a flexible fourth year option. I really liked the residents I talked to at the interview dinner. It is a well designed curriculum that focuses on what you need to be a good emergency medicine physician.

Amanda Doodlesack, MD

Medical School: University of Massachusetts
Professional Interests: Medical Education, Sports Medicine, Ultrasound
Awards/Positions in Medical School/Residency: Alpha Omega Alpha, AMWA Glasgow-Rubin Citation, Worcester Free Clinic Coalition-Greenwood St. Clinic Head Student Coordinator, UMass AMWA Chapter Co-President
Fun facts/Interesting past life: My summer job during college was driving people to and from their boats on Cape Cod as a Coast Guard licensed launch boat driver! I still love spending free time down the cape and doing anything outdoors—running, hiking, tennis, sailing and the beach!
Why did you choose BIDMC? BIDMC offers top-notch training in my favorite (and home) city, supported by an incredible, close-knit community. The faculty, residents, and staff are smart, talented, hardworking, fun, down-to-earth people who immediately made me feel at home. The 3+1 structure is efficient yet allows flexibility to further pursue an interest. It was clear to me that this program is the right place to begin developing into the best emergency medicine doctor I can be!

Russell Elmes, MD

Medical School: Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell
Professional Interests: Point-of-Care Ultrasound, Wilderness Medicine
Awards/Positions in Medical School/Residency: Leader of Wilderness Medicine Interest Group, Zucker SOM Summer Research Scholarship
Fun facts/Interesting past life: I worked at Beth Israel in 2013 as a research assistant in the Neurology department studying Parkinson’s disease in mouse models. Things have changed! Since then I’ve found myself in over a dozen states and three different countries rock climbing in some of the most beautiful places before landing here at BI to train in EM.
Why did you choose BIDMC? It all comes down to the people. The leadership blew me away on Interview day with their dedication to the program, educating residents since the program’s inception almost 20 years ago. The residents that I met all carried themselves with a strong clinical confidence, but were also very easy to get along with and seemed genuinely interested in both each other and the interviewees.

Chigozie Emetarom, MD, MPH

Medical School: Central Michigan University College of Medicine
Professional Interests: Global Emergency Medicine, Global Health, Diversity and Inclusion in Medicine, Mentorship.
Awards/Positions in Medical School/Residency: Rollin M. Gerstacker Scholarship, Student National Medical Association (SNMA) President.
Fun facts/Interesting past life: From Anambra, Nigeria – Naija by nature! Past life as a Public Health Inspector. Including Massachusetts, I have lived in 6 different states.
Why did you choose BIDMC? I chose BIDMC because of the excellent curriculum and training at the different community sites. They have a superb global health program that attracted me, and I believe they would prepare me to emerge not only as an excellent emergency physician, but one that will be ready to practice emergency medicine in any setting. They are also by far some of the “chilliest” and most down to earth residents and attendings I ever met on interview day.

Jake Hoyne, MD

Medical School: Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Professional Interests: Ultrasound, Medical Education, budding interest in EKGs
Awards/Positions in Medical School/Residency: Alpha Omega Alpha
Fun facts/Interesting past life: I played volleyball in college and have played the drums for 20 years. I am a diehard Yankees fan, but I try not to let too many Red Sox fans figure that out. I almost became a biomedical engineer, but I am very happy that I chose medicine instead!
Why did you choose BIDMC? I chose BIDMC because of how balanced it is. It's an academic program that also has great community exposure throughout the training. There is an efficient and well-thought-out 3 year curriculum that maximizes time in the ED, and the optional 4th year gives amazing flexibility if I decide to pursue a fellowship or further develop a niche. I also loved how close-knit and supportive the residents and faculty are. BIDMC was my last interview and I knew right away it was the perfect fit for me. All the sushi doesn't hurt either. 

Hosana Mamata, MD

Medical School: University of Massachusetts Medical School
Professional Interests: Population Health, Maternal & Child Health, Health Disparities, Disaster Medicine
Awards/Positions in Medical School/Residency: Delta Omega Public Health Honor Society
Fun facts/Interesting past life: Born and raised in Japan until 8 years old and moved to Brookline without knowing a single word of English! I ran three full marathons during medical school and studied all of biochem for Step 1 while on a treadmill. Outside of medicine, I love to bake, eat, sleep and travel. I spent a month traveling to China, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and Thailand right after match day and also got to hike the tallest peak in Vietnam.
Why did you choose BIDMC? The residents and faculty I met on interview day were such amazing, talented group of people who are all there to help you become the best EM physician possible. BIDMC also provides so many different opportunities and they are ready to help you pursue any interest you have. I also grew up in Brookline so I'm excited to be back near family and friends.

Eric Reseland, MD

Medical School: University of Pittsburgh
Professional interests: neurologic emergencies and critical care
Fun facts/interesting past life: I worked in a bleach factory
Why did you choose BIDMC? Boston is a great town I've never gotten to spend much time in and the 3+1 option is perfect for me.

Deesha Sarma, MD

Medical School: Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Professional Interests: Health policy, global health
Awards/Positions in Medical School & Residency: RWJMS Global Health Scholar, Director of student-run free clinic
Fun facts/Interesting past life: New Jersey native that stayed in the state for both undergrad at Princeton and medical school at RWJ - excited to now be up in Boston! I worked at the management consulting firm Bain & Company before medical school.
Why did you choose BIDMC? I did an away rotation at BIDMC and immediately felt at home in the department. Not to mention the supportive environment, an impressive group of awesome and down-to-earth residents, great pathology, and the 3+1 curriculum.

Joshua Sheehan, MD

Medical School: Wake Forest School of Medicine
Professional Interests: Medical education, ED administration, operations
Awards/Positions: AOA and Gold Humanism Honor Society
Fun facts/Interesting past life: I went straight from undergrad at UVA (wahoowa!) to medical school so this is my first "real" job. I consider myself semi-professional at connect four, corn hole, and spikeball. I make some mean nachos, consider a jar of mango salsa as a personal serving size, and contrary to popular belief I think all flavors of sour patch kids taste the same.
Why did you choose BIDMC? Great group of down to earth residents and faculty. Love the 3-1 model, wicked high acuity, and diverse clinical sites. And well...Boston sports :)

David Tempel, MD, PhD

Medical School: Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Professional Interests: Emergency Ultrasound, Trauma, Medical Education
Awards/Positions in Medical School/Residency: Alpha Omega Alpha, Distinction in Clinical Research
Fun facts/Interesting past life: I worked as a theoretical physicist in my past life prior to starting a career in medicine. I like to play ice hockey in my spare time.
Why did you choose BIDMC? I rotated at BIDMC as a fourth year medical student and loved the program and the people. The attendings, residents and nurses really value one another and work well as a team. Being able to rotate at so many sites gives a uniquely broad clinical experience. Also, I really liked the 3+1 format.

Isha Agarwal, MD, PhD

Medical School: Harvard Medical School
Professional Interests: Operations, Global Health
Awards/Positions in Medical School & Residency: NIH F30
Fun facts/Interesting past life: I was a healthcare consultant at Boston Consulting Group before joining residency. I’m on my local neighborhood association and love hyper-local news.
Why did you choose BIDMC? 3+1 program and streamlined curriculum

Damian Apollo, MD, MBA

Medical School: Yale
Professional Interests: Sports medicine, Wilderness medicine, Exercise physiology, Nutritional science
Fun facts/Interesting past life: Interests in power lifting, gymnastics, wrestling and coloring.
Why did you choose BIDMC? By far the coolest group of residents of any program. Faculty is fantastic, city is amazing, and the program is known for offering the best training in the country in a program that you can make three or four years.

Max Blodgett, MD

Medical School: Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Professional Interests: Medical Education, Clinical pathways, Wilderness medicine, Disaster medicine
Awards/Positions in Medical School & Residency: SAEM Excellence in Emergency Medicine Award
Fun facts/Interesting past life: Competed in the National Vocabulary Championship on the Game Show Network. Spent a month hiking across a glacier. On a first name basis with all of the Ikea furniture in my apartment.
Why did you choose BIDMC? An outstanding academic EM department with exceptional clinical training. Incredibly accomplished faculty who are all vested in the mission of educating residents. EM is a strong presence at BI. Third-year residents really run the department, managing flow, overseeing care and educating junior residents. Unparalleled flexibility to take the 4th year to build a niche, join a fellowship, or start working after three years. A patient population of sick complex patients at the BI rounded out with a variety of community and affiliate hospitals. An awesome group of co-residents!

Gideon Cohen, MD

Medical School: Albany Medical College
Professional Interests: Emergency ultrasound, ED administration, medical malpractice.
Awards/Positions in Medical School & Residency: Alpha Omega Alpha, SAEM Medical Student Excellence in Emergency Medicine Award, EMIG President.
Fun facts/Interesting past life: Born and raised in New York. Past life as an EMT. I love hiking and the outdoors.
Why did you choose BIDMC? The program here has an intelligently and deliberately designed curriculum that maximizes time spent in the ED. The various rotations also expose you to a very high-acuity and diverse patient population. The opportunity to rotate through several community hospitals with less availability of consultants fosters a high degree of independence and prepares you to practice in any environment. All of this occurs in the setting of an extremely supportive and close-knit group of residents, faculty, and staff.

Arjun Dhanik, MD

Medical School: UT Southwestern
Professional Interests: Operations, Disaster Medicine, Global Health
Awards/Positions in Medical School/Residency: Cardiology Interest Group Co-president
Fun Facts/Interesting past life: I completed 2 years of post-graduate training in General Surgery at Mayo Clinic Arizona before switching to Emergency Medicine. I ran with the bulls in Pamplona. I have never successfully sent a fax in my life.
Why did you choose BIDMC?: There truly is a sense of community at BIDMC, not just amongst the residents but also between the residents and the faculty. The residents have an excellent quality of life without sacrificing clinical training. The resources at BIDMC and the 3+1 program structure give you unparalleled flexibility to tailor your training. The attendings are incredibly approachable and are genuinely interested in teaching. The leadership has put a great deal of thought into our curriculum; it is constantly being updated and improved with feedback from the residents.

William Fyfe, MD

Medical School: University of Massachusetts
Professional Interests: Narrative Medicine, Health Policy, Community Practice Settings
Awards/Positions in Medical School & Residency: Alpha Omega Alpha, Board Member for the Worcester Evening Free Medical Service Program.
Fun facts/Interesting past life: I’m originally from Berkley, MA. Before medical school I was fortunate to serve as a deck watch officer aboard the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter MIDGETT, joining an outstanding crew who interdicted and seized over 10 metric tons of cocaine.
Why did you choose BIDMC? I rotated here in my 4th year and was immediately impressed with the collegiality and professionalism of all the ED staff and faculty. Other huge factors – living in Boston, unparalleled community practice exposure, and an amazing homegrown computer interface that actually (gasp) helps you take better care of your patients!

George Guo, MD

Medical School: Yale School of Medicine
Professional Interests: Being awesome at emergency medicine
Fun facts/Interesting past life: I love to dance hip hop and salsa.
Why did you choose BIDMC? Awesome program, awesome people, awesome city.

Joshua Kolikof, MD

Medical School: The University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMass)
Professional Interests: Healthcare Disparities, Medical Education, Ultrasound, Toxicology.
Awards/Positions in Medical School & Residency: Albert Schweitzer Fellow for Life, Gold Humanism Honor Society.
Fun facts/Interesting past life: I was born at the BI (prior to the merger)! My first job was as a Subway Sandwich Artist and I still make an excellent sub to this day. Outside of medicine, I have interests in running, cooking, food chemistry and fermentation science.
Why did you choose BIDMC? It was an easy decision; it was about the people. Prior to starting medical school, I had the pleasure of working at BIDMC. Then and now, I was inspired by the dedication, humanism, empathy and outstanding clinical abilities of each and every staff member. Everyone is engaged in sharing knowledge, providing excellent patient care, and working collaboratively. This is an institution that prides itself on being a premier teaching hospital, and that was apparent to me from day one. I'm ecstatic to be back, and to learn from some of the very best in Emergency Medicine!

Stephen Ngo, MD

Medical School: Northwestern University
Professional Interests: Administration and Management, Disaster Medicine, Global Health
Awards/Positions in Medical School & Residency: VP for Hepatitis B Alliance, Board Member for the Chinatown Clinic
Fun facts/Interesting past life: With no prior acting experience, I was hired to be a standardized patient during undergrad. I played roles ranging from an orphaned teenager to a rude businessman for medical students, paramedics and doctors. I also like to travel.
Why did you choose BIDMC? A close-knit community of accomplished faculty, staff and residents, a 3 + 1 training format, abundant opportunities to pursue more specific interests, sushi for interview dinner and the experience of living in Boston.

Danielle Rawal, MD, MPH

Medical School: University of North Carolina
Professional Interests: Public Health, Critical Care, Sepsis, Research, Medical Education
Awards/Positions in Medical School & Residency: Treasurer and research fellow at the Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine 
Fun facts/Interesting past life: I’m from rural Michigan, but I have lived in four different cities in my 20’s (Ann Arbor, Boston, New Orleans and Chapel Hill). I am a University of Michigan alumna, and I am obsessed with watching Michigan sports. When I was younger my career goal was to play basketball for the WNBA. I can tap dance.
Why did you choose BIDMC? I spent time doing research at BIDMC before medical school and completed a rotation here as a fourth year medical student. One of the things that stood out to me about BI was the culture in the emergency department. Everyone, including students, staff, residents and faculty are treated like important members of the team. I also think the variety of clinical sites we rotate at provide an unparalleled training experience and I like the 3+1 format of the program.

Kelsey Row, MD

Medical School: Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University
Professional Interests: Public Heath, Global Health, Women's Health in the ED
Awards/Positions in Medical School & Residency: Alpha Omega Alpha, President of Women's Health Interest Group
Fun facts/Interesting past life: I was an EMT before med school, and I studied jellyfish and firefly bioluminescence in college (complete with research trips to the Vieques bioluminescence bay) Why did you choose BIDMC? In a word, the people. On my interview day, I immediately felt so at home with everyone in the department. BIDMC really exemplifies team-based patient care and resident education. Residents, attendings, nurses, techs and everyone else on the healthcare team has an amazing relationship, both inside and out of the hospital. I also really liked the flexibility of the 3+1 layout, and the endless opportunities to pursue your own interests within the field of Emergency Medicine.

Daniel Shaw, MD

Medical School: Yale School of Medicine
Professional Interests: Ultrasound, Public Policy, Wilderness Medicine, Medical Education
Awards/Positions in Medical School & Residency: Co-president Medical Education Interest Group, Finalist at Startup Yale Pitch Competition
Fun facts/Interesting past life: In my past life, I worked as a medicinal chemist. My love for the outdoors has led to some awesome adventures, including winter camping in Vermont, surfing in Costa Rica and hiking across the crater of Mount Kilauea in Hawaii.
Why did you choose BIDMC? BIDMC offers top-notch training at diverse clinical sites while providing amazing resources in an awesome city.

James Whitledge, MD

Medical School: Tufts University School of Medicine
Professional Interests: Wilderness medicine, potentially lots of other things I haven't discovered yet.
Awards/Positions in Medical School & Residency: AOA, Civic Honors, Research Honors
Fun facts/Interesting past life: I taught English and coached ski racing in northern Japan for two years after college. Later on while being a ski bum in Maine I found a starving dog in the woods and adopted him; he's been very supportive of my decision to pursue emergency medicine.
Why did you choose BIDMC? Friendly and immensely talented faculty and staff, and a unique training structure (3+1, many clinical sites) suited to my undecided future career path.

Peter Yeo, MD

Medical School: University of New Mexico
Professional Interests: Global health, wilderness and austere medicine, health policy
Fun facts/Interesting past life: I had a nearly sustainable life traveling the world as a climber/skier/salad server before med school.
Why did you choose BIDMC? A three year program that excels in academic and community emergency medicine with the goal of producing emergency physicians who can work anywhere was exactly what I was looking for. The global and public health resources here are incredible, and the option to continue to pursue those interests in a fourth year was impossible to pass up.