Meet Our Pathology Residents & Fellows
Our Current Residents and Fellows
The Pathology Residency at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center prepares residents and fellows for careers in pathology and academic medicine. Learn more about our current residents and fellows below.
2024–2025 Residents and Fellows
Veronica Alvarez 
Veronica is an aspiring pathologist from Miami, Florida with interest in hematopathology. She earned both her undergraduate and medical degrees at Florida International University in Miami. Her research interests in medical school included basic science and medical education. She dreams of a future teasing apart the colors on a flow cytometry chart. During her free time, she enjoys watching her cat attack his own reflection, reading romantic fantasy, and praying her pager doesn’t go off.
Khristlyn Bellamy
Khristlyn brings a splash of Miami sunshine with her from her hometown in Florida. She blends her dedication to patient care with a rich background in community leadership. From spearheading district-wide events tackling critical issues like human trafficking to organizing projects around social justice, Khristlyn has consistently shown her commitment to social responsibility and advocacy. Drawn to the field of pathology for its diagnosis and outcome-driven nature, she is excited about using her growing expertise to positively impact health outcomes, at both an individual and a collective scale. She is passionate about delving deeper into the intersectionality between pathology and public health. Outside of work, Khristlyn loves picking up new hobbies, exploring the globe, and celebrating every season with festive cheer, firmly believing that it's never too early to start decorating for the holidays.
Sophia Bellegarde 
Born and raised on the beautiful island, Sophia has carried the Haitian principles of hard work and dedication from her homeland into every aspect of her life. Her deeply ingrained devotion to helping others led her to the field of pathology, where she became fascinated by the complexities of disease processes. During her undergraduate studies, she found her niche in pathology and pursued a career as a NY state licensed medical technologist, with a particular zeal for Transfusion Medicine. Driven by her love for the discipline, Sophia expanded her expertise by earning an MBA in Healthcare Administration, which allowed her to delve into quality assurance in the laboratory setting at various institutions in New York City. Her enthusiasm continued to grow, leading her to pursue an M.D. from the American University of Antigua, where she seized every opportunity to analyze complex cases. When she's not working or studying, Sophia celebrates her Haitian culture through her love of travel, indulging in Caribbean cuisine, reading and sharing Haitian folklore, and even dancing to Konpa music; all of which keeps her connected to her roots. Sophia's journey is best summed up by the Haitian proverb, "Piti piti zwazo fè nich li," which means "With time, everything is possible!”
Olivia Durant 
Olivia graduated from Chapman University in southern California before returning to Alabama to attend the University of South Alabama College of Medicine. During medical school she participated in research that explored echocardiogram outcomes in pediatric COVID-19 patients. She decided to pursue pathology after attending a tumor board conference during her internal medicine rotation. In her spare time Olivia enjoys traveling abroad, studying interior design, going to the gym, and reading horror novels.
Alejandro Guerra 
Alex graduated from the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine, University of North Texas, in Fort Worth, where his wide-ranging scientific and medical interests eventually led him to pathology. Over the course of his education he has engaged in research ranging from studying asthma in local populations to the adsorption of antibiotics using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. In his spare time, he continues to pursue his interests in history and archaeology, and enjoys hiking, swimming, classic literature, and sci-fi.
Gurzhikhan Murtazaalieva 
Gulia hails from Moscow, Russia, and brings a vibrant enthusiasm for pathology with a particular focus on women’s health and education. She earned her MD from Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, where she discovered her enthusiasm for pathology and commitment to advancing medical education. When she’s not busy unraveling the mysteries of pathology, you can find Gulia striking yoga poses, getting lost in the pages of a good book, or indulging her inner detective with true crime stories.
Isabel Noboa 
Isabel is a certified true crime enthusiast with interests in becoming a medical examiner. She earned her undergraduate degree from Temple University in Philadelphia, where she studied abroad in Japan, exploring psychology and Japanese crime fiction. At the Lewis Katz School of Medicine in Philadelphia, Isabel received the Lewis Katz Merit Scholarship and earned a Master of Arts in Urban Bioethics, focusing her research on bias in medical education. Outside of her work, she enjoys relaxing outdoors in her egg chair and taking long walks with her eight sisters.
Quinn Rainer 
From humble beginnings in Tallahassee, Florida, Quinn developed a deep passion for biology and unraveling the complexities of disease processes, making pathology a natural fit. During his undergraduate studies at Florida State University, he engaged in cutting-edge research in nanotechnology, focusing on the development of microarrays and the innovative use of lipid-based sensors. While attending medical school at the University of Miami, he delved into both basic and clinical research. Ever curious, he has published on a wide range of topics, from the effects of anti-arrhythmic drugs in Zebrafish models to the clinical significance of calcification in Peyronie’s Disease. Outside of medicine, he enjoys relaxing with video games and weightlifting.
Shilpa Venkataraman 
Shilpa hails from the southern part of India, where she completed her medical school from Kilpauk Medical College, Chennai. She then pursued her residency training in pathology at Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, India, where she worked on projects involving lupus nephritis, including immune cells activation and the utility of simple and cost-effective staining techniques in urine sediment analysis to assess activity of lupus nephritis. Subsequently, she worked as a postdoctoral research fellow at the Proteomics Research Lab under the mentorship of Dr. Akhilesh Pandey M.D., Ph.D. at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, where she actively contributed to method development and projects involving FFPE tissues for proteomics. She believes translational research and pathology go hand-in-hand, and would love to keep both aspects alive throughout her career. When she is not in the lab, she enjoys playing with her German Shepherd, Bode, cooking Indian cuisine, or watching crime thrillers and Sci-Fi series.
Ritika Bhat
Ritika is a Pathologist from India and has completed her medical schooling at Smt. Kashibai Navale Medical College, India. She also earned a Master's degree in Clinical Research from the University of North Texas, Fort Worth, providing her with a distinguished background in clinical trials, specifically within the field of oncology. With a deep passion for deciphering the language of cells, she considers Pathology to be an art form. Beyond medicine, Ritika finds creative self-expression through poetry. She finds sheer joy in taking jungle safaris, fueled by her insatiable desire to spot majestic tigers in their natural habitat.
Jacqueline Chen
Jacqueline joins us from Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine, Midwestern University, where she worked with medical educators to design virtual patient cases. She maintains her long-time interest in gerontology through volunteer work and balances it all with leisure time hobbies of classical piano, baking, yoga, and visual arts (perhaps she will join the Art in Pathology Committee).
Avash Das
Avash completed his PhD in Biological Chemistry at UT Southwestern after obtaining his MBBS from Nilratan Sircar Medical College, India. His research explored the genetics and molecular mechanisms of inherited cardiomyopathies, cardiovascular and cardio-metabolic diseases, resulting in a significant body of published literature. He enjoys art museums, art history, and learning about the history of medicine, and finds relaxation through cooking.
Elliott Jiles
Elliott comes to us from Howard University, where he won many academic awards (including one in pathology, naturally). He has in recent years worked as an epidemiologist, investigating infectious disease outbreaks, with his work most recently focusing on COVID outbreaks in group settings. In his downtime, Elliott likes to spend time with his wife and son, relax with a book or a game, and can also be found enjoying weight training.
Ruben Oganesyan
Ruben is the MacGyver of pathology, pouring his considerable intellect and ingenuity, not to mention his engineering background, into developing new medical devices and technologies, often building on simple materials. He graduated at the top of his class from First Moscow State Medical University, holds several patents, and is a dedicated mentor to more junior trainees. Perhaps he will be interested in seeing the sub-basement for materials, bwahaha – we’ll send a search party to rescue you, Ruben.
Cristiana Pineda
Cristiana graduated with her MD from Georgetown University School of Medicine after completing her PhD in genetics at Yale University. Her graduate work utilized live-imaging to investigate how healthy tissue responds to the presence of mutant stem cells. During medical school, her research project examined the utility of pathogen-reduced platelets compared to conventional platelets in liver transplant patients. In her downtime, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two children including playing games, exploring parks, and cooking.
Cleveland Ricketts
Cleveland has, since graduating summa cum laude from Escuela Latinamericana de Medicina, Cuba, worked as a medical officer in emergency medicine in Montego Bay, Jamaica, as well as getting a jump on experience in pathology through the study of autopsy findings and other facets of our field. He has shared his clinical expertise with the broader community through extensive mentoring and medical volunteer work, and in his free time likes to remodel buildings and cook.
Newsha Sajadi
Newsha graduated from Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine at New Mexico State University. He was actively involved in his school's pathology interest group, providing mentorship to aspiring pathologists and organizing interviews with practicing pathologists. In his leisure time, Newsha enjoys watching psychological horror films, playing backgammon, and rowing.
Ibidunni Bode-Sojobi
Ibidunni graduated from the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Nigeria, after which she was a productive academic microbiologist and the recipient of multiple teaching awards. She served as the sole infection control practitioner for a large hospital in Ottawa prior to joining BIDMC.
Brendan Camp
Brendan completed a DO/MPH from the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine and Baylor. He has published and presented various research aimed at improving colorectal and lung cancer screening in underserved communities. He loves to share his passion for the intersectionality of public health and pathology — follow him on Twitter.
Emily Mejia
Emily earned her MD at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, where she was the president of the pathology interest group, a medical student mentor, and an active participant and leader in several community service projects. She is currently Social Co-Chair for the 2023-24 academic year. In her free time, Emily enjoys watching Netflix dramas, comedies, 90s sitcoms & reality TV, cooking new recipes, traveling, and exploring the Boston area.
Michael Ren
Michael earned his MD at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida. He was involved in mentoring high school students in resilience, and peer academic coaching. He greatly enjoyed his pathology elective rotation here at BIDMC.
Outside of medicine, Michael enjoys the outdoors in all its forms including hiking, cycling, skiing, and foraging. He also loves board games and discovering new movies.
Outside of medicine, Michael enjoys hiking, cycling, skiing, and camping. He also loves board games and discovering new restaurants.
Danielle Rinck
Danielle graduated from Saint Louis University School of Medicine, where she worked to nurture interest in pathology among high school students in the cadaver lab. She also enjoys applying her digital art skills to medicine, and her drawings are published in a medical textbook.
Siba Saker
Siba graduated from Wake Forest School of Medicine, where she had completed a year-long, focused training program in medical education. During her time there, she undertook substantial mentoring roles, was elected president of a Wake Forest learning community, and was inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society. A lover of all things Pathology, Siba is excited to explore every nook and cranny of our fine field. Outside of medicine, she enjoys board games, outdoor lounging, cozy tea-time with friends, making and listening to music, and surrealist art.
Mohammed Wali
Mo graduated from the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine, where he led the pathology interest group, was a student ambassador, researched the effect of COVID on postpartum mothers, and developed materials for teaching gender-affirming pronoun use in medical education. In his free time, Mo is a doting cat parent (of two), enjoys board games and exploring new cuisine options in the city.
Lisha Wang
Lisha received her MD from Shandong First Medical University and her PhD and pathology residency from Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center. She completed a post-doctoral research fellowship at the University of Michigan. She has co-authored over 50 publications on a wide range of cancer-related topics, and received the International Society of Urologic Pathology (ISUP) Stipend award.
Sehyo Yune
Sehyo earned her MD at Chung-Ang University and completed an internal medicine residency at Samsung Medical Center in Seoul, Korea. After earning her MPH/MBA at Johns Hopkins University, she worked at the World Health Organization, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Northeastern University and gained experience in various aspects of medicine and public health. As a CP-only resident at BIDMC, Sehyo is pursuing her interest in population health and quality of care by serving as the chairperson of the House Staff QI Council, and she will continue her training at BIDMC as a transfusion medicine fellow.
Feidi Chen
Feidi obtained her MD from Guangzhou Medical University (China), then went on to complete her PhD (University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston) and postdoctoral work (Washington University in St. Louis and Cleveland Clinic), studying the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease. While amassing a truly impressive body of published work, she has also found time to pursue her love of toy collecting and her cat, Lola.
Samuel dos Reis Freire
Samuel completed his medical studies at the Universidade Federal do Ceará Faculdade de Medicina Fortaleza (Brazil), where he received a Science Without Borders scholarship to study abroad in Australia for a year and undertake research using complex systems to model hematopoietic stem cell migration. After medical school, he practiced as a family physician in rural Brazil. Get your paddles ready, because he also loves table tennis.
Ruth Gichinga (Hematopathology)
Ruth Gichinga comes to us from the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, where she amazingly continued to work as a registered nurse while excelling in her academic pursuits, volunteering in a variety of settings, researching the impact of immediate release of patient medical reports on web portals, and acting as a reviewer and senior editor of the Medical Student Research Journal.
Ashley Gochoco (Dermatopathology)
Ashley Gochoco obtained her medical degree from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, and is proud to be carrying on a family tradition of a career in our fine field. She serves as the Secretary of CAP’s Residents Forum Executive Committee and has been academically productive with numerous publications in cutaneous lymphoma and other dermatologic disorders. A violinist, one of her favorite things to do in Boston is attending BSO concerts whenever she gets the chance.
Lily Mahler
Lily completed her medical training at the UAB Heersink School of Medicine in Birmingham, Alabama. In addition to her research and medical education interests, she is also an avid painter. She has contributed multiple pieces to fundraiser auctions/medical humanities journals and is a member of the BIDMC Art in Pathology Committee, through which she collaborated with artist Shuli Sade to create a pathology-themed virtual reality exhibit in the new Klarman Building. Lily has served as a Social Chair, is currently a CP Chief Resident, and will be staying at BIDMC for breast fellowship in 2025.
Nandan Padmanabha
Nandan completed his medical school at Kasturba Medical College in Mangalore, India, where he dove into research on HPV immunization rates among medical students, the sensitivity and specificity of cytologic interpretation of CT-guided pancreatic aspirates, and the ameliorative effects of vitamin D in metabolic derangements. He also held leadership roles in multiple local and national medical societies. In his spare time, Nandan is active on PathTwitter and his favorite pastimes include cooking and travel. After finishing his AP/CP training, he will go on to do a hematopathology fellowship.
Xia Qian
Xia graduated with both an MD and PhD from Nanjing Medical University, where she studied molecular targets for cancer therapy. She has conducted post-doctoral research at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Washington University in St. Louis, focusing on cell signaling pathways implicated in the mechanisms of cancer metastasis. Xia joined us after completing her first-year training at Mt. Sinai. Outside of work, Xia enjoys jogging, traveling, and spending time with her family.
Danielle Stamer
Danielle comes to us from UMass Chan Medical School, where she built on her undergraduate biomedical engineering degree in tissue engineering to research hyperspectral imaging in burn evaluation, and where she published an educational case on classic seminoma of the testis. Danielle has a love of drawing, which she has shared through engagement with pediatric patients in the “Arts for Healing” program, and also enjoys running and biking. Her favorite loop is around Jamaica Pond.
Sierra Amaya (Medical Microbiology)
Sierra joined us from the Medical University of South Carolina College of Medicine, where she was co-president of Pathos, the MUSC pathology interest group. She was invested in helping others through formal mentoring of both prospective and incoming medical students and participation in a non-profit clinic serving uninsured and underserved populations. Her undergraduate studies in microbiology and internship in public health will surely serve her well as she completes a medical microbiology fellowship next year here at BIDMC. In her downtime, she especially enjoys drawing/painting, reading, and spending time with her Corgi, Chowder.
Maria Teresa Eyzaguirre Pellon (Hematopathology)
MT graduated from University College Cork Medical School in Ireland and went on to complete her AP/CP residency at Tufts Medical Center. She is now one of our Hematopathology Fellows and will join Yale for a fellowship in Blood Bank and Transfusion Medicine next year. Outside of her interest in hematologic disorders and their treatments, MT likes learning from different cultures, particularly through their food and customs.
Anup Jnawali (Gastrointestinal Pathology)
Anup completed his AP/CP residency at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. He is currently one of our GI pathology fellows.
Maria Pimenova (Cytopathology)
Maria has completed her AP/CP residency at the University of Hawaii. She is now a cytopathology fellow and will move to NYC next year for her gynecologic pathology fellowship at The Mount Sinai Hospital.
Raghunath Ramanarasimhaiah (Cytopathology)
Raghunath has completed his AP/CP combined residency at Staten Island University Hospital in NY. He is currently a cytopathology fellow.
Lynette Viruet Guzman (Gastrointestinal Pathology)
Lynette, holder of an MPH, obtained her MD from the Universidad Central del Caribe School of Medicine, Puerto Rico, where she received the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society Award and was the recipient of the Academic Excellence Scholarship. She also carried out many volunteer commitments in community healthcare and studied knowledge of intimate partner violence in the general Puerto Rican population. Her disparate talents include oboe, paddle-boarding, and American Sign Language. After completing her AP/CP residency here in 2024, she is now one of our GI Pathology fellows.
Yevgen Chornenkyy (Blood Banking/Transfusion Medicine)
Yevgen obtained his MD degree from the University of Kentucky College of Medicine and MSc degree from the University of Toronto. In his spare time he enjoys running, biking, hiking, and weight lifting.
Giancarlo Giovannini Sanguineti (Microbiology CPEP)
Giancarlo was born, raised and medically trained in Peru, where he developed a fond appreciation for research, medical education, and advocacy and a deep interest in pediatric infectious diseases and microbiology. After graduating from medical school, he worked as a primary care physician in the Peruvian Amazon and later at the Institute of Tropical Medicine. Subsequently, he finished his pediatric residency training at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital where he also served as chief resident. His interests include antibiotic resistance, microbiome dynamics and clinical microbiology.
Cana Tompkins (Dermatopathology)
Cana graduated with her MD from the University of New Mexico. She completed her AP/CP training with us and served as an AP Chief Resident. She also completed our Breast Pathology fellowship last year. Cana is currently one of our Dermatopathology Fellows. Outside of medicine, she enjoys hiking, spending time with her family and friends, her English bulldog, Penny, and cooking.
Dongling Wu (Breast Pathology)
Dongling completed her AP/CP residency at Northwell Health Long Island Jewish Hospital in New York. She is currently our breast pathology fellow.