Our Rheumatology Fellows

Saiteja Chava was born in India and later moved to the California bay area during high school. He obtained an undergraduate degree in chemistry at UC Berkeley. He finished his medical school at Saint Louis University, and then residency in Internal Medicine at University of Louisville. He is interested in Lupus, rare auto-immune diseases and also enthusiastic about medical education. He enjoys reading Sci-fi and fantasy novels along with watching them on television. His other hobbies include gardening and cooking.

Anna's fascination with medicine began during childhood summers spent reading her parent’s books on human biology. This interest led her to pursue a career in medicine, and during medical school at Lomonosov Moscow State University, she discovered her passion for Rheumatology.

After completing her Internal Medicine residency at Montefiore Medical Center - Wakefield Campus, Anna was selected to serve as Chief Medical Resident during the 2022-2023 academic year. It was during this time that her passion for Rheumatology solidified. Anna found particular interest in solving diagnostic puzzles and encountering a variety of pathologies, including lupus and vasculitides, which sparked her academic interests in quality improvement and women's health. In her free time, Anna enjoys being outdoors and finds peace and relaxation in gardening, where she loves to grow vegetables and flowers.

Eduardo Mantovani-Cardoso was born and raised in southern Brazil, where he graduated from the Western Paraná State University Medical School. He did some clerkships at that time in the US and decided to come here for further training. He then moved to the US and completed his Internal Medicine residency at the University of Connecticut, where he was at the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic, and discovered his passion for Rheumatology. He did research in residency into COVID-19 and autoimmunity, knee osteoarthritis, and industry involvement in Rheumatology guidelines. His other academic interests include SLE, systemic sclerosis, and medical education. Outside of medicine, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two cats, going on road trips, and can potentially be spotted on a tennis court.

James Haigney grew up in New York, and received his Bachelors of Science in Biology from University of Massachusetts Amherst. He attended New York Medical College and graduated as a member of AΩA Honor Medical Society before completing his residency in Internal Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Currently, he actively works in clinical research on the clinical manifestations, treatment, and diagnosis of neuropsychiatric lupus. Academically, he is interested in lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, quality improvement, and medical education. In his free time, he enjoys indoor rock climbing, hiking, fishing, and playing with his dog.

Natalya Surmachevska was born in Ukraine and grew up in New York City. She attended Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine for medical school and completed her Internal Medicine residency at the University of Massachusetts in Worcester, MA. Her clinical interests are in lupus and seronegative arthritis, and her research interests include lupus, frailty, and social determinants of health. She will be participating in the Clinical and Translational Research Academy Program at the Harvard Catalyst in her 2nd and 3rd year of fellowship where she will be investigating the risk of frailty in late- versus early-onset systemic lupus erythematosus. In her free time, Natalya enjoys running, cooking, and taking care of her many house plants.