Internal Medicine Residents

Michael Heger, M.D.

Michael Heger was born in Wenatchee, Washington — the "Apple Capital of the World" —  but it was not long before his family moved to Billings, Montana — or what he calls the "Metropolis of Montana." It was here that he was raised, and he lovingly calls it home. He attended Montana State University (Go Cats!), where he studied electrical engineering and decided to pursue a career in medicine. It was this endavor that brought him to St. Louis, where he studied at Saint Louis University. He was elated to stick around SLU for residency, where he found a supportive and fostering community.  Three years later, he's excited to be chief resident and to give back to the program that trained him to be the physician he is today.

In his free time, Heger loves to hang out with his wife and newborn son. Additionally, he's always working to perfect his golf game, and he is trying to pick up a new skill: woodworking.

Ryan Plunkett, M.D.

Ryan Plunkett is the chief resident for quality improvement and patient safety at SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital and John J. Cochran Veterans Hospital. A native Hoosier, Plunkett came to Saint Louis University for his undergraduate studies before attending Indiana University for medical school. He returned to St. Louis for his internal medicine residency and has since been heavily involved in research, medical education and his clinical interests: gastroenterology and hepatology.

Hayden Rotramel, M.D.

Hayden Rotramel grew up in a tiny town outside of St. Louis and completed her medical training in Kansas City, Missouri. Intially, she was drawn to Saint Louis University due to its proximity to family. However, after interviewing, SLU quickly rose to the top of her list because of its supportive learning environment and tight-knit community. Three years later, she can attest that both those things hold true; her program is truly committed to helping residents continually improve and receive the best possible training. During Rotramel's time here, she has grown as a clinician and a medical educator, and has discovered a passion for academic medicine and patient-centered care. She looks forward to serving as chief resident and can't wait to give back to the program/community that has given her so much.

When she's not at the hospital, she enjoys attending events in Tower Grove Park and Missouri Botanical Garden, listening to live music (ideally outdoors), and bothering her two cats.

Hadil El Sharkh, M.D.

Hadil El Sharkh was born in Egypt and raised in Alabama, where she completed her undergraduate degree in electrical engineering and her medical education at the University of South Alabama. Her diverse background has shaped her perspective and passion for medicine. She is honored to serve as a chief resident and excited to support her colleagues, advocate for the residency program and help foster a culture of excellence in both clinical care and medical education.

Outside of medicine, Sharkh loves exploring new countries with her husband, staying active through CrossFit and unwinding with a good crochet project.

Adam Streicher, D.O.

Adam Streicher is a lifelong Midwesterner and St. Louis transplant. He now proudly calls St. Louis home. In his internal medicine training, he has learned the importance of pairing strong clinical skills with genuine compassion for the people under his care. His love for medicine is rooted in his privilege of building meaningful relationships with patients, his curiosity for the diseases he seeks to treat and prevent, and his strong desire to help people live well. The School of Medicine is a place where he has found community, mentorship and vocation. Because the program has given him so much, he became a chief resident to pay it forward and help foster continual program improvement.

Outside of the hosptal, Streicher finds joy in distance running and spending quality time with his growing family. Looking ahead, he plans to practice general internal medicine at SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital and remain an active part of the SLU community.

Brian Abboud, M.D.

Medical school: Northeast Ohio Medical University
Undergraduate school: Saint Louis University

Meghan Baumer, D.O.

Medical school: Lincoln Memorial University -DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine
Undergraduate school: Saint Louis University

Shivang Chaudhary, M.D.

Medical school: Saint Louis University School of Medicine
Undergraduate school: University of Illinois - Urbana Champaign

Brenna Clark, D.O.

Medical school: Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine
Undergraduate school: Saint Louis University

Porag Jeet Das, M.D.

Medical school: University of Michigan Medical School
Undergraduate school: University of California Los Angeles

Nitin Desai, M.D.

Medical school: Saint Louis University School of Medicine
Undergraduate school: University of Washington

Hassan Farhoud, M.D.

Medical school: University of Kansas School of Medicine
Graduate school: Wichita State University 
Undergraduate school: Wichita State University

Wyatt Fones, D.O.

Medical school: A.T. Still University of Health Sciences Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine
Undergraduate school: Truman State University

Ashley Gagen, M.D.

Medical school:  Southern Illinois University School of Medicine
Undergraduate school: Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Kaitlin Hoff, M.D.

Medical school: University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine
Undergraduate school: University of Missouri - Kansas City

Kelly Hoofman, M.D.

Medical school: University of Kansas School of Medicine
Undergraduate school: University of Missouri-Columbia

Sophiya Lamsal, Ph.D., M.D.

Medical school: University of Kansas School of Medicine
Graduate school: University of Chicago
Undergraduate school: Hampshire College

Sumrah Khan, D.O.

Medical school: Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine of Midwestern University
Undergraduate school: Saint Louis University

Tiffany Khounsombath, D.O.

Medical school: A.T. Still University of Health Sciences Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine
Undergraduate school: Emporia State University

Yaman Kouatli, D.O.

Medical school: Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine
Undergraduate school: Ohio State University

Shae Margulies, M.D.

Medical school: University of Florida College of Medicine
Undergraduate school: University of Florida 

Barbara Okeke, Ph.D., M.D.

Medical school: St. George's University School of Medicine
Graduate school: University of Iowa
Undergraduate school: Norfolk State University

Bisini Panicker, D.O.

Medical school: Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine of Midwestern University
Undergraduate school: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Rica Patil, D.O.

Medical school: A.T. Still University of Health Sciences Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine
Undergraduate school: Saint Louis University

John Peters, D.O.

Medical school: Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine of Midwestern University
Graduate school: Saint Louis University
Undergraduate school: Saint Louis University

Lanerica Rogers, D.O.

Medical school: Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
Graduate school: Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
Undergraduate school: Georgia Institute of Technology

Nevel Vaidyan, M.D.

Medical school: Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine & Science
Undergraduate school: Saint Louis University

Cynthia Wakil, M.D.

Medical school: American University of Beirut Faculty of Medicine
Undergraduate school: American University of Beirut

Moyi Rebecca Zhang, M.D.

Medical school: Saint Louis University School of Medicine
Undergraduate school: Wellesley College

Liam Arnold, D.O.

Medical school: Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Undergraduate school: University of British Columbia

Sabella Blanc, D.O.

Medical school: Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine
Graduate school: Arkansas College of Health Education 
Undergraduate school: University of Oklahoma

Oliver Chrisler, M.D.

Medical school: University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine
Undergraduate school: University of Missouri-Kansas City

Rohan Das, M.D.

Medical school: Saint Louis University School of Medicine
Undergraduate school: Creighton University

Kelly Fan, M.D.

Medical school: University of Illinois College of Medicine - Rockford
Undergraduate school: University of Illinois at Chicago

Gillian Gascon, D.O.

Medical school: A.T. Still University of Health Sciences School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona
Undergraduate school: Point Loma Nazarene University

Abbas Hoteit, M.D.

Medical school: American University of Beirut Faculty of Medicine
Undergraduate school: American University of Beirut

Nathan Jacobs, M.D.

Medical school: Drexel University College of Medicine
Undergraduate school: John Brown University

Brian Kierl, M.D.

Medical school: University of Oklahoma College of Medicine
Undergraduate school: Oklahoma State University

Kyleigh Kirbach, M.D.

Medical school: University of California, San Diego School of Medicine
Graduate school: Saint Louis University
Undergraduate school: Illinois Wesleyan University

Lara Makhoul, M.D.

Medical school: University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine
Undergraduate school: University of Missouri-Kansas City

Anila Mamidi, M.D.

Medical school: Saint Louis University School of Medicine
Undergraduate school: University of California, San Diego

Ladislao Marrero-Rivera, M.D.

Medical school: Ponce Health Sciences University School of Medicine
Undergraduate school: University of Puerto Rico

Nicolas McDonald, M.D.

Medical school: Saint Louis University School of Medicine
Undergraduate school: Creighton University

Amanda Morgan, D.O.

Medical school: Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Undergraduate school: Washington University in St. Louis

Michaella-Jana Nasr, M.D.

Medical school: Saint Louis University School of Medicine
Undergraduate school: University of Colorado Boulder

Benny Ni, M.D. 

Medical school: Saint Louis University School of Medicine
Graduate school: Baylor University
Undergraduate school: Baylor University

Iris Ariane Paladi-Noel, M.D.

Medical school: Universitatea de Medicin i Farmacie Carol Davila Facultatea de Medicin

Manoj Palavalli, M.D.

Medical school: University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine
Undergraduate school: University of Missouri Columbia

Vaidehi Panchal, D.O.

Medical school: Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine of Midwestern University
Undergraduate school: University of Illinois Chicago

Christopher Phan, M.D.

Medical school: Saint Louis University School of Medicine
Undergraduate school: University of Missouri Columbia

Nicholas Philip, D.O.

Medical school: Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine of Midwestern University
Undergraduate school: University of Rochester

Nathan Ramos, M.D.

Medical school: Saint Louis University School of Medicine
Undergraduate school: Creighton University

Nishat Shaik, M.D.

Medical school: Guntur Medical College

Tina Sood, M.D.

Medical school: Government Medical College Chandigarh

Isra Taha, M.D.

Medical school: Saint Louis University School of Medicine
Undergraduate school: University of Illinois at Chicago

Jacob Wise, M.D.

Medical school: Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine
Graduate school: Washington University Olin Business School
Undergraduate school: College of the Holy Cross

Krystel Abi Karam, M.D.

Medical school: Université Saint-Joseph Faculté de Médecine

Mohammed Yaman Al Matni, M.D.

Medical school: University of Damascus Faculty of Medicine

Sarah Baghdadi, M.D.

Medical school: University of Kansas School of Medicine
Undergraduate school: Johns Hopkins University

Claire Boehm, M.D.

Medical school: Saint Louis University School of Medicine
Undergraduate school: Rockhurst University

Patrick Brotherton, M.D.

Medical school: Saint Louis University School of Medicine
Undergraduate school: Rockhurst University

Mitchell Casiano, M.D.

Medical school: University of Louisville School of Medicine
Undergraduate school: Indiana University-Bloomington

Lucas Cline, M.D.

Medical school: University of Oklahoma College of Medicine
Undergraduate school: University of Tulsa

Vanisa Ezukuse, M.D.

Medical school: American University of the Caribbean (AUC) School of Medicine
Graduate school: Western University
Undergraduate school: McGill University

James Hendrixson, M.D.

Medical school: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Medicine
Undergraduate school: University of Central Arkansas

Matthew Hoang, M.D.

Medical school: University of Kansas School of Medicine - Wichita
Undergraduate school: Newman University

Weronika Hodorowicz, M.D.

Medical school: Saint Louis University School of Medicine
Undergraduate school: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Karissa Jackson, M.D.

Medical school: Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine
Undergraduate school: Loyola University Chicago

Jared James, M.D.

Medical school: University of Arkansas College of Medicine
Undergraduate school: University of Arkansas

Hassan Kawtharany, M.D.

Medical school: Lebanese University

Husam Kivan, M.D.

Medical school: Ondokuz Mayis Universitesi

Serena Le, D.O.

Medical school: Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Undergraduate school: University of California-Santa Cruz

Yanquing "Geri" Lyu, M.D.

Medical school: Saint Louis University School of Medicine
Undergraduate school: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Nadine Mahmoud, M.D.

Medical school: Lebanese University

Heun Min, M.D.

Medical school: Medical College of Wisconsin
Undergraduate school: College of William & Mary

Vijay Nellutla, M.D.

Medical school: Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
Undergraduate school: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Yuanzun Peng, M.D.

Medical school: Saint Louis University School of Medicine
Undergraduate school: Rice University

Tony Pham, M.D.

Medical school: University of Kansas School of Medicine
Undergraduate school: University of Kansas 

Jack Sansone, M.D.

Medical school: Indiana University School of Medicine
Undergraduate school: Indiana University

Allison Shildt, M.D.

Medical school: Saint Louis University School of Medicine
Undergraduate school: University of Arkansas

Matthew Thompson, M.D.

Medical school: Louisiana State University School of Medicine
Undergraduate school: University of Louisiana Lafayette

Matthew Toedt, M.D.

Medical school: Saint Louis University School of Medicine
Undergraduate school: Georgia Institute of Technology

Rohan Tripathi, M.D.

Medical school: Saint Louis University School of Medicine
Undergraduate school: Saint Louis University

Jarrett Wade, D.O.

Medical school: A.T. Still University Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine
Undergraduate school: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Evan Xu, M.D.

Medical school: Saint Louis University School of Medicine
Undergraduate school: Washington University in St. Louis

Leora Abrams, M.D.

Medical school: University of Nevada - Las Vegas

Ian Alberts, M.D.

Medical school: Southern Illinois University School of Medicine

Hari Anandarajah, M.D.

Medical school: Medical College of Wisconsin

Kaitlynn Borik, M.D.

Medical school: Saint Louis University School of Medicine

Alec Falkenhain, M.D.

Medical school: Saint Louis University School of Medicine

Blake Miyamoto, M.D.

Medical school: Saint Louis University School of Medicine

Elie Ghoulam, M.D.

Class of 2020
Gastroenterology and hepatology fellow 

As a SLU graduate, I am grateful that the internal nedicine program allowed me to become comfortable with acute and long-term, complex patient care, and exposed me to diverse pathology in a tertiary university hospital setting. The program’s main goal is to train well-rounded internists with a solid foundation in evidence-based, high value care medicine, but it also offers the platform for research and mentorship from experts in subspecialty fields. Program leaders are constantly working in the residents’ best interests, and this is evident in the immediate response and action to feedback. At the risk of sounding corny, I genuinely feel that the support and culture offered by the program makes the residents feel like a close-knit family that can count on each other in and out of the hospital.

Nikhil Malhotra, M.D.

Class of 2019
Cardiology fellow

I really loved my time at SLU. The residents are supportive, fun-loving, and eager to learn and I made lifelong friends during my time there. Sure, residency was tough at times, but I think that's a necessary part of training to be a confident and capable doctor. Now, as a fellow, when the service gets busy and the patients are really sick, I'm able to reassure myself that I can handle it because I've done it before. Being able to fall back on that reassurance is so valuable.

Cassie Shaw, M.D.

Class of 2016
Associate program director, Internal Medicine Residency Program

When I was selecting residency, I put all of my focus on finding a program where I could simply get along with the people; I counted on our country’s residency governing bodies to ensure I was actually trained. I don’t think I’ve ever been so wrong in thinking these reasons were enough to choose SLU. I didn’t just get along with my colleagues - three years after completing residency, they remain my lifelong friends, confidants and mentors. In residency, my co-residents and attendings pushed me clinically and academically to stretch into places of discomfort, places which they recognized as untapped strengths, places that SLU allowed me to hone into skills which continue to serve me as an academic attending physician and hospital leader. Not only was I wrong about the depth of the relationships I would be able to form, I was wrong about ACGME alone guiding my education. SLU’s residency leaders are innovative and thoughtful in their approach to education. They consider resident needs and learning style. Further, outside of didactics, I was pushed clinically, caring for sick, underserved populations with just the right amount of autonomy. This balance allowed me to create my own style of medicine and be confident in taking excellent, evidence based and humanistic care of patients in my practice now. I would choose SLU over and over again for residency, although, this time, I would be more informed about the interpersonal, clinical and academic training that SLU can uniquely provide.