General Surgery Research Electives

Resident Research Electives

Huma Baig, MD Harvard Medical School

Huma's hometown is Glenview, Illinois. She received her BS in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and her BA in Latin American Studies from Yale University. At Yale, she volunteered with refugee populations and mentored incarcerated women. Between college and medical school, she pursued a fellowship with the Yale School of Public Health, investigating transmission of the Zika virus in urban Brazilian populations with publications in Neuron and PNAS. Huma received her MD from Harvard Medical School, where she served as a leader of Mission Crimson, a tutoring and mentoring program for minority and low-income elementary students in Boston. Huma is interested in surgical oncology. She is fluent in five languages and enjoys yoga, traveling, reading, writing, and spending time with loved ones.

Anastasia 'Ana' Bogdanovski, MD

Anastasia 'Ana' Bogdanovski, MD Rutgers New Jersey Medical School

Ana comes from New Jersey and completed her undergraduate studies at Johns Hopkins University, where she received a BA, majoring in Public Health Studies. Ana was the recipient of multiple titles and awards as an NCAA swimmer and competed in the 2016 Rio Olympics, in swimming. Ana received her MD from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, where she was elected to AOA and was the recipient of multiple scholarships, co-founded a program to empower female student athletes to excel, and volunteered in a patient education program. Ana engaged in a number of research projects throughout medical school, and her interests include cooking, travel, and music.

Brian Campos, MD

Brian Campos, MD The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University

Brian comes from New York and completed his undergraduate studies at Harvard University, where he received a BA, majoring in Neurobiology. Brian served as Sports Chair for The Harvard Crimson, engaged in various research efforts, and was the recipient of the RMHC/HACER National Scholarship and the Walmart Scholarship Delegate. In between college and medical school, Brian worked for the New York Stem Cell Foundation and the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Munich. Brian received his MD from the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University with a concentration in Biomedical Informatics. Throughout, he has been dedicated to mentorship and education for under-represented minority students interested in STEM careers. Brian's interests include soccer, running, and yoga.

Sandra Carpenter, MD

Sandra Carpenter, MD Integrated Vascular Surgery Resident
University of Connecticut School of Medicine

Sandy's hometown is Ridgefield, Connecticut. Sandy majored in molecular biology at Princeton University and also received a certificate (minor) in the visual arts, completing two separate theses. Sandy rowed for Princeton lightweight women's crew team and led the Princeton Special Olympics rowing program. Sandy returned to Connecticut for medical school at the University of Connecticut where she deepened her engagement in disability advocacy, receiving a grant to develop and teach courses on health disparities for people with disabilities. She served as co-director of a national medical student organization advocating for increased disability inclusion and representation, writing disability-focused policy for the American Medical Association and petitioning the Liaison Committee on Medical Education to include disability training as an accreditation standard. Sandy also served on a state task force on accessible medical diagnostic equipment which led to the passage of legislation in Connecticut. Sandy was nominated to the Gold Humanism Honor Society and received a public health award for her work in collaboration with the disability community. Sandy is also a published medical illustrator and creates illustrated patient education materials. Her surgical interests include pediatric surgery and transplant surgery. Sandy's passions outside of surgery are disability advocacy and healthcare accessibility, medical illustration, ultrasound, running/rowing, and petting dogs.

Ritah Chumdermpadetsuk, MD

Ritah Chumdermpadetsuk, MD Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

Ritah's hometown is Bangkok, Thailand. She received her BS in Biochemistry, summa cum laude, from Tufts University. During college, Ritah participated in theater and worked professionally in musical theater, both in the US and abroad. She was also a member of the Tufts University all-female a cappella group and was first soprano and soloist with the Thai Youth Choir, representing Thailand at the World Choir Games. Ritah received her MD from Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, where she served in leadership roles focused on student mentoring and advising. She served as Co-President of Columbia's Chapter of Medical Students for Choice and Co-President of the Bard Hall Players, a student-run theater organization. Ritah is interested in pediatric surgery and enjoys singing, acting, piano, reading, writing, playing Scrabble, tennis and speed math.

Stephanie Cohen, MD

Stephanie Cohen, MD Tufts University School of Medicine

Stephanie comes from Illinois. She completed her undergraduate studies at Tufts University in the combined program with the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, graduating Phi Beta Kappa, with a BS in Biochemistry and a BFA in Studio Art. During college, Stephanie worked as an EMT and also served as a teaching assistant in ceramics at Harvard. She received her MD from Tufts University School of Medicine, where she has worked as a research assistant, medical illustrator, and served as an officer on the Student Council. Stephanie is an accomplished artist, working as a free-lance illustrator. She has published and exhibited multiple works of art and was selected as a participant in the National Academy of Medicine Art Show. Stephanie's hobbies include art, drawing, design, painting, and marathon running.

Paolo de Angelis, MD

Paolo de Angelis, MD Weill Cornell Medical College

Paolo’s hometown is Milan, Italy. He moved to the U.S. for college and studied neuroscience at Cornell University. Before medical school, he took a gap year to pursue research at Rockefeller University. During medical school at Weill Cornell, Paolo was involved with teaching and mentoring, volunteered at a soup kitchen and helped co-lead a project to support NYC restaurants and healthcare workers during the first surge of the COVID-19 pandemic. In medical school, he also conducted research with a focus on healthcare disparities in trauma patients, resulting in multiple publications and presentations at national conferences. Before graduating, he was elected to both AOA and the Gold Humanism Honor Society. Paolo loves art, cooking and road cycling; he is interested in HPB/surgical oncology and thoracic surgery.

Nicholas DeStefino, MD, PhD

Nicholas DeStefino, MD, PhD Harvard Medical School

Nick's hometown is Scottsdale, Arizona. He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh, Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude, with degrees in both neuroscience and history. He then matriculated to the MD/PhD program at Harvard Medical School, earning his PhD in Neurobiology and serving as an Editor of the Journal of Emerging Investigators. Nick is interested in education, participating as both an undergraduate and graduate teaching assistant, and volunteered as a junior clinician in the Crimson Care Collaborative, an interdisciplinary student-faculty run medical clinic. Nick co-led the pediatric clinic as a staffing director, senior director, and program-wide medical education chair and volunteered to provide patient outreach for patients discharged after hospitalization for COVID-19. Nick is interested in surgical oncology and GI surgery and enjoys running and reading.

Djanira Fernandes, MD

Djanira Fernandes, MD Boston University School of Medicine

Djanira’s hometowns are Praia, Cape Verde and Boston, Massachusetts. She received her BS in Biochemistry from Boston College. She then matriculated at Boston University School of Medicine where she received her MS and MD, and was elected as an AOA member. As a medical student, she served as a student leader of the Global Surgical Student Association chapter at BUSM and participated in international service trips. She is interested in mentorship and education, serving as educational fellow and anatomy prosector for PA and dental students, and longitudinal peer advisor for medical students. She also served as a co-leader of the Science Teaching Enrichment Program, mentoring underrepresented high school students interested in healthcare careers. Djanira conducted research on chemotherapy-induced inflammation that regulate tumor growth in the Center for Vascular Biology at BIDMC, where she presented at multiple conferences and published. Djanira is interested in surgical oncology and enjoys family trips, swimming, hiking, and baking.

Camila Guetter, MD

Camila Guetter, MD Universidade Federal do Paraná Faculdade de Medicina

Camila's hometown is Curitiba, Brazil. She received her MD from the Universidade Federal do Paraná in Brazil, and her MPH from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Camila has held multiple leadership positions in national and international societies, including mostly recently Chair of the Resident and Fellow Committee of the Association of Women Surgeons (AWS), and Secretary of the Resident and Associate Society of the American College of Surgeons (RAS-ACS). Camila is interested in vascular surgery and surgical outcomes research and is currently pursuing a PhD in Clinical Epidemiology at the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. She enjoys playing tennis and traveling to new places.

Darian Hoagland, MD

Darian Hoagland, MD University of Virginia School of Medicine

Darian comes from New Jersey and graduated from the University of Maryland with a BS in Biological Sciences and Women's Studies. She received her MD from the University of Virginia School of Medicine, where she was elected to AOA. During medical school, Darian pursued several clinical research projects, was active in a number of peer mentorship programs, and served as President of the UVA Chapter of the Association of Women Surgeons. Darian's hobbies include hiking, concert-going, visiting wineries, knitting, and reading.

Peterson Maina, MD, PhD

Peterson Maina, MD, PhD Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Peterson hails from Mombasa, Kenya. He attended St. Lawrence University, graduating with a degree in Biochemistry, magna cum laude. He went on to earn his PhD from University of Iowa in Anatomy and Cell Biology, before matriculating into Albert Einstein College of Medicine. At Einstein, he assumed various leadership roles, including being the Student Representative to the Office of Medical Education, above Senator in charge of Alumni Relations. He also was the Educational Coordinator of the Homeless Outreach Program and Co-president of Einstein's Christian Fellowship. He pursued a post-doctoral research project after winning an NIH Research Fellowship, during which time he volunteered with Einstein's Project Kindness, a program that saw students visit with hospital patients for conversation. Peterson was elected to AOA and was a member of SNMA. His interests include travel, singing and choreography. He hopes to pursue a career in surgical oncology.

Anays Murillo, MD, MPH

Anays Murillo, MD, MPH Tufts University School of Medicine

Anays grew up in a Spanish-speaking home in South Florida, proud of her Mexican roots. She received her BA in French Studies from Duke University. After her undergraduate studies, she conducted global health work in Central America, received her MS/MPH from Boston University, and researched the impact of frailty and end-of-life discussions on clinical outcomes at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute leading to multiple presentations and publications. As a medical student at Tufts University School of Medicine, she was a member of the Health Justice Scholars Program, Latino Medical Student Association, a hotline volunteer for The Network/La Red supporting survivors of partner abuse, and part of a team developing and implementing the use of inpatient pediatric screening tools for social determinants of health. During her free time, she enjoys running, playing soccer, hiking, canoeing, and caving. You can always find her trying something new with her husband; they recently are learning how to kiteboard.

Josephine Nwokedi, MD, MBA

Josephine Nwokedi, MD, MBA Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California

Josephine's hometowns are Los Angeles, California and Arlington, Virginia. Josephine received her BS in Psychobiology, with honors, from the University of California, Los Angeles. She matriculated at the MD/MBA program at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, participating in multiple international social entrepreneurial projects impacting health and quality of life. While at Keck, Josephine served as Community Service Co-Chair of the Student National Medical Association, Program Chair of the Tom Bradley Outreach Program, a teaching and mentoring program for underserved communities, and a Care-Team Coordinator in Keck's Student-Run Clinic. Josephine also pursued several clinical research projects in the field of trauma surgery. Her interests include cooking, especially Sierra Leonean and Italian cuisines, cycling, and travel.

Jennifer Pan, MD

Jennifer Pan, MD University of Illinois College of Medicine

Jennifer's hometown is Chicago and she completed her undergraduate studies at MIT with a BS in Materials Science and Engineering (Course 3), working in the Langer Lab, and also studied at Oxford. While at MIT, Jennifer volunteered in a program to encourage STEM careers for girls. Jennifer received her MD from the University of Illinois College of Medicine, where she was active on the Student Wellness and Resilience Committee of the Student Council, serving as Chair of this committee. Her research has ranged from biomaterials science to clinical research. Jennifer's hobbies include yoga and traveling.

Jemin Park, MD

Jemin Park, MD University of Michigan Medical School

Jemin's hometown is Knoxville, Tennessee. He received his BA in Neuroscience from Dartmouth College and his MD from the University of Michigan Medical School, with election to AOA. He was engaged in various research projects throughout college and medical school, resulting in multiple publications. As a medical student, Jemin served as a Surgery Clerkship Curriculum Developer and Social Services Coordinator for the University of Michigan Student-Run Free Clinic, where he assisted patients applying for Medicaid. Jemin's interests include violin, orchestra, volleyball, and soccer. He is an accomplished violinist and was a member of both the Dartmouth Symphony Orchestra and the Life Sciences Orchestra at the University of Michigan.

J. Christopher Polanco Santana, MD, MSc, MPH

J. Christopher Polanco Santana, MD, MSc, MPH Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud

Chris' hometown is Cabarete, Dominican Republic. He received his MD from Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra in the Dominican Republic. After medical school, Chris pursued a research fellowship with Dr. Tara Kent at BIDMC. He went on to receive a Master's of Science degree from Dresden International University in Germany and a Master's of Public Health degree from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. As a MPH student, Chris continued to work as a research fellow with Dr. Tara Kent at BIDMC. He participated in a series of studies related to clinical and pathophysiological HPB surgery problems, as well as a project elucidating whether letters of recommendation writer characteristics, including gender, age, professorial rank, and leadership positions, predict language bias and the Provider Awareness and Cultural Dexterity Toolkit for Surgeons (PACTS) Trial. Chris' interests include kitesurfing and hiking. He is also a self-taught computer programmer since the age of 12.

Dominic Recco, MD

Dominic Recco, MD Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University

Dominic comes from Pennsylvania and graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a BS in Biomedical Engineering. He received his MD from the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, where he was elected AOA, and received the LKSOM Academic Scholarship for outstanding academic achievement. As a medical student, Dominic developed an outreach program to middle school students and pursued clinical research focused on diabetes, leading to several publications. Dominic's hobbies include powersports, camping, cooking Hispanic and Italian cuisine, dancing, table tennis, and for those planning a major home remodeling project, carpentry, masonry, HVAC, and plumbing.

Eve Roth, MD

Eve Roth, MD Harvard Medical School

Eve's hometown is Wellesley, Massachusetts, and she completed her undergraduate studies at Yale University, majoring in English and Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. She received her MD from Harvard Medical School and was engaged in a number of clinical and educational research projects, leading to multiple publications. Eve has been active in curriculum reform, serving as a Medical Education Student Representative, representing her peers on committees addressing the cultural and academic environment at HMS, including the Education Policy and Curriculum Committee, Surgical Education Committee, and as Student Co-Chair on the LCME re-accreditation committee. Eve's hobbies include marathon running, cooking, baking desserts, skiing, reading, and playing flute.

Nensi Ruzgar, MD, MHS

Nensi Ruzgar, MD, MHS Yale School of Medicine

Nensi's hometowns are Istanbul, Turkey, and Toronto, Canada. Nensi graduated magna cum laude from McMaster University with a Bachelor of Health Sciences (Biomedical Sciences Specialization) and received her MD/MHS degree from Yale School of Medicine. Her research prior to medical school at McMaster and Johns Hopkins Universities focused on the transcriptomic and epigenetic signatures of pluripotent stem cells. At Yale, Nensi's interests were at the intersection of international and local health equity, medical education, and surgical care access. Her thesis focused on the development of a tumor bank and research capacity in Uganda. She also served as a Solomon Center Research Fellow at the Yale Law School, where she studied the barriers to pediatric surgical care access for refugees and was selected as a Farr Scholar for her research. Nensi chaired and currently is a Junior Advisor for the international group, Gender Equity Initiative in Global Surgery, as well as serving as the Vice Chair of the Medical Student Committee for the Association of Women Surgeons and the VP Education for the Global Surgery Students Alliance. Outside of medicine, Nensi was the musical director and conductor of YSM's Fourth Year Show and spends her free time enjoying the outdoors (especially walking/biking/kayaking along the Charles) and making music.

Aminah Sallam, MD

Aminah Sallam, MD Yale School of Medicine

Aminah's hometowns are Houston, Texas and New York, New York. As a high school student, Aminah was awarded 1st place and Grand Prize at the Intel NY Science Contest and 3rd place at the Intel International Science Contest. Aminah subsequently graduated from the University of Chicago with a BA in Biology and matriculated to Yale School of Medicine. Aminah has conducted research in animal models of congenital disease and large-scale genomics research, studied bioethics, and conducted qualitative research, yielding multiple publications in the fields of breast and head and neck cancer.

She served as Co-Leader of the Yale Chapter of the Association of Women Surgeons and developed a mentorship program connecting over 50 students with female mentors. She also served as a co-developer for the workforce development track in the Yale Surgical Hackathon and won the Hackathon competition. As Co-Vice President of SNMA/LMSA at Yale, she directed a pipeline program for local minority high school students and served as a student navigator for the Yale Refugee Patient Navigator Program. Aminah's interests include painting, pottery and all things coffee - making coffee, learning about coffee, and, of course, indulging in coffee with friends and family.

Emily Scire, MD, MBE

Emily Scire, MD, MBE Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

Emily's hometowns are Woburn, Massachusetts, Dover, New Hampshire and Wells, Maine. She graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Notre Dame with a BS in Biochemistry. She received her MD/MBE degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. As a medical student, she served on the Bioethics Standing Committee of the AMA Student Section and was appointed Northeast Student Representative to the Christian Medical and Dental Associations. In 2019, she received the Theodore Friedmann Prize for Significant Advances in Biomedical Ethics. She served on the board of the Agnew Surgery Society and the Agnew Surgery Clinic for uninsured Philadelphians. She was a peer mentor for the University of Pennsylvania Surgery Clerkship, served as a teaching assistant for the Doctoring and Anatomy courses, and was her class representative on the Diversity and Inclusion Student Advisory Committee. Emily's interests include gardening, knitting, crafting, baking, skiing, hiking, cycling, swimming, rowing, reading, and singing.

Thomas Xu, MD

Thomas Xu, MD University of Virginia School of Medicine

Thomas's hometowns are Glastonbury, Connecticut and Gainesville, Florida. He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Connecticut with a BS in Chemistry. He received his MD from the University of Virginia School of Medicine, where he was elected to AOA and pursued a variety of research projects leading to multiple publications, particularly in pediatric and colorectal surgery. He served as a teaching assistant for pre-clinical anatomy, created comprehensive pre-clinical question banks for his classmates, and organized online teaching sessions for students interested in general surgery. Thomas helped form a medical school soccer team to compete in the Charlottesville co-ed adult league and was active in UVA's basketball, football, and volleyball leagues. Thomas enjoys hiking and rock climbing.