Mohamad Chehab, MD

General Surgery Residency Program

Hometown: Beirut, Lebanon
Medical School: American University of Beirut
Undergrad: Lebanese American University
Short Bio: born and raised in Lebanon, moved to the USA after medical school for my surgical training; enjoy the intricacies of Cardiothoracic Surgery involving critical thinking, technical skills, and effective communication within a multidisciplinary team of highly-skilled providers
Favorite things about RVA: diverse cuisine; close proximity to the beach, mountains, and DC; not too hot and not too cold
Favorite thing about VCU Residency: high volume across specialties with a variety of training settings including academic, community, and the VA

Bhavishya Ramamoorthy, MD

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: University of Virginia School of Medicine
Undergraduate: University of Virginia
Hometown: Charleston, SC

In my spare time, I enjoy baking, eating, playing piano, and rewatching Disney and Pixar movies with my little sister.

Zachary Rollins, MD

General Surgery Residency Program

Hometown: Bloomfield, MI
Medical School: Oakland University William Beaumont
Undergrad: University of Minnesota
Short Bio: I choose surgery for the opportunity to be both a clinician and to help fix problems through operative techniques. My long term interest is to be an academic transplant surgeon but I also have an interest in critical care and global surgery. In my free time I enjoy spending time traveling, hiking, running, and trying new foods.
Favorite thing about Richmond: Exploring belle isle
Favorite thing about VCU: I wanted to work at a urban safety net hospital with great trauma and transplant exposure. My favorite part about VCU is the people and the opportunity to learn to operate

Dan Scheese, MD

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine
Undergraduate: Virginia Tech
Hometown: Reading, PA
About me: I am spending my research years in a necrotizing enterocolitis lab at Johns Hopkins University and pursuing a fellowship in Pediatric Surgery. I am an outdoor enthusiast and spend my free time hiking, camping, skiing, and backpacking.
Favorite thing about VCU residency: The quality of the attendings in every specialty we rotate through and the case volume.
Favorite thing about Richmond: The proximity of Richmond to Shenandoah National Park allows you to live in a city with an easy escape into the wilderness!
Research interest: Necrotizing Enterocolitis

Email: Daniel.Scheese@vcuhealth.org

Vignesh Vudatha, MD

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: University of Central Florida College of Medicine
Undergraduate: Duke University
Hometown: Jacksonville, FL

Vignesh describes surgery as a field that is constantly evolving which provides the desired opportunity to interpret and explore new information. He states that problem-solving and participating in the OR offers the greatest satisfaction. In his spare time, Vignesh likes hiking, piano.

Kyeong Ri (Katherine) Yu, MD

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: Virginia Commonwealth University
Undergraduate: Boston College
Hometown: Ranchos Palos Verdes, CA

After spending a wonderful four years in Richmond as a medical student, I decided to spend many more to pursue general surgery, for which VCU Health provides both breadth and depth of experience! Outside of the hospital I'm often found in various restaurants Richmond has to offer.

Ruby Barq, MD

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: George Washington University

Graham Gardner, MD

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: Virginia Commonwealth University

Alyssa Habermann, MD

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: Duke University School of Medicine
White Plains, NY
Outside of work, some of the things I enjoy most are live music (and playing piano and guitar), breweries, and college basketball. And of course, maximizing time with family and friends!
Growing up I wanted to be a paleontologist, which it turns out is not all that different from digging around in the abdomen.

Zachary Kiernan, MD

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: Eastern Virginia Medical School
Undergraduate: Virginia Tech
Hometown: Virginia Beach, VA

I enjoy spending time with my wife, reading when I have the time, watching college sports, and exploring all the great things Richmond has to offer.

Arunima Punjala, MD

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine
About me: I enjoy surgery because I find the art and science behind operating to be absolutely mesmerizing and am awestruck by the impact it has on our patients. My future plans are currently undecided but I hope to serve vulnerable populations and communities in my long-term career. Outside of work I enjoy hiking, traveling, reading, spending time with my baby niece, and eating at new places.
Favorite thing about VCU residency: My colleagues

Email: Arunima.Punjala@vcuhealth.org

Cody Tragesser, MD

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: Indiana University School of Medicine
Cody is a lifelong Hoosier but has traveled to all 50 States and throughout Latin America. He enjoys live music, collecting vinyl, local coffee, and river hikes with his dog Chano. He is interested in pediatric surgery.

Kyle Alexander, MD

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: Virginia Commonwealth University
Hometown: McLean, VA
Undergrad: UVA
Favorite things about Richmond: The outdoor parks and trails, great food, and proximity to both mountains and the beach are my favorite things about Richmond.
Research/Specialty Interests: Trauma, Critical Care, Global Surgery

Short Bio: Our program at VCU is made excellent by our mentors, complexity and acuity of operative cases, and collegiality within the residency. I'm aspiring to become a trauma and acute care surgeon.

Vashti Bandy, MD

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Hometown: Charlotte, NC
Outside of the hospital I enjoy going to the gym, exploring new places, and traveling. I'm also a major foodie! & Richmond's food scene does not disappoint.

Elizabeth Bashian, MD

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: Ohio State University

Lud Eyasu, MD

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont
Undergrad: Emory University
Short Bio: I like to spend time with my family and friends! I am also a big fan of podcasts and live music. 
Favorite thing about Richmond: My favorite thing about Richmond so far is the new friends that I have made.

Franklin Gergoudis, MD

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: Virginia Commonwealth University

Isabel Ho, MD

Surgery

Medical School: Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine

Demitra Chavez, MD

Surgery

Medical School: VCU School of Medicine

Rebecca Deitch, MD

Surgery

Medical School: VCU School of Medicine

Carolyn Haynes, MD

Surgery

Medical School: VCU School of Medicine

Kaivon Kouhestani, DO

Surgery

Hometown: Virginia Beach, VA
Medical School: Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine - Virginia Campus
Undergrad: University of Virginia

Short Bio: Surgery is a uniquely delicate balance between control and fluidity with the goal to solve human complexities using a blend of intra-operative skills and thorough understanding of anatomy and physiology. I grew up in Virginia my whole life, so I am very excited to continue to spend more time at a familiar location and be close to friends/family. Fun fact, my last name in the Persian language means "from the mountain."

Jessinta Sherdil, MD

Surgery

Medical School: Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth

Isabela Pavkov, MD

Surgery

Medical School: Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University

Devon Patel, MD

Surgery

Medical School: University of Toledo Medical Center

Jocelynne Dorotan, MD

Surgery

Medical School: Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University

Annie Luo, MD

Surgery

Medical School: VCU School of Medicine

Maria Peri, MD

Surgery

Medical School: VCU School of Medicine

Daniella Rodriguez, MD

Surgery

Medical School: University of New Mexico

Grace Sloan, MD

Surgery

Medical School: UNC Chapel Hill

Haley Wymbs, MD

Surgery

Medical School: University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville

Charles Bardawil, MD

Surgery

Medical School: American University of Beirut

Logan Bassoff, MD

Surgery

Medical School: FSU College of Medicine

Sarah Micah Cole, MD

Surgery

Medical School: VCU School of Medicine

Katherine McLaughlan, MD

Surgery

Medical School: Eastern Virginia School of Medicine

Kushali Patel, DO

Surgery

Medical School: Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine - Carolinas Campus

Cynthia Scott, MD

Surgery

Medical School: Eastern Virginia Medical School

Nikita Thakur, MD

Surgery

Medical School: Eastern Virginia School of Medicine

Antonio Dominguez, MD

Surgery

Nathaniel Faber, MD

Surgery

Hometown: Virginia Beach, VA
Medical School: Eastern Virginia Medical School
Undergrad: Washington and Lee University
Short Bio: I play recreational sports, exercise often, and enjoy visiting Virginia Beach. I don't yet know what specialty I will pursue, but look forward to finding my surgical niche during residency.

Favorite thing to do in Richmond: Run the trails around Belle Isle.
Favorite thing about VCU residency? VCU has a unique combination of high-volume clinical training and research opportunities.

Adam Finkelstein, MD

Surgery

Hometown: Wellesley, MA
Medical School: Penn State College of Medicine
Undergrad: Lafayette College

Short Bio:I appreciate the hands on nature of surgery and the close bonds that surgeons form with their patients. My career interest is colorectal surgery with a focus on IBD. Outside of the hospital I love playing basketball/baseball, exploring the area, reading, and cooking.

Aalap Herur-Raman, MD

Surgery

Hometown: Melbourne, Australia/Chicago, IL
Medical School: George Washington University
Undergrad: Northwestern University

Short Bio: I was born in Australia but spent my teens and twenties in Chicago. After graduating as a biomedical engineer I worked for a startup using virtual reality for surgical planning in Washington DC before starting medical school. In my free time I enjoy cooking, Bollywood dancing, and practicing Capoeira (a Brazilian martial art). I was drawn to surgery due to the hands-on and high-acuity nature of the field, as well as its utilization of cutting-edge medical technology.

Emily Krueger, MD

Surgery

Hometown: Middleton, Wisconsin
Medical School: Medical College of Wisconsin
Undergrad: University of Wisconsin

Short Bio: I chose general surgery because I love the variety of disease and pathophysiology you get to see throughout the abdomen, and because you can intervene on a patient with an operation and they can leave your care feeling better relatively quickly. In my free time I enjoy running with my dog, sampling local breweries, bingeing reality television, and reading at cute coffee shops.

Hisham Qadri, MD

Surgery

Hometown: Johns Creek, GA
Medical School: Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Undergrad: Wofford College

Short Bio: I love spending time with those closest to me. I chose surgery for the opportunity to help patients using a variety of different interventions, including our hands. I’m interested in academic surgery. I enjoy being around other learners.

Taylor Jacobs, MD

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: Virginia Commonwealth University

Anna Gibson, MD

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: Virginia Commonwealth University

Makenna Laffey, MD

General Surgery Residency Program

Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA
Medical School: University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Undergrad: Georgia Institute of Technology
Favorite things about Richmond: King's Dominion is pretty cool if you like roller coasters. I also love the Capitol Trail
Favorite thing about VCU residency? The attendings and my co-residents are absolutely amazing.
Research/Specialty interest? Pediatric surgery

Short Bio: I enjoy running and swimming, when there's time. I also like drawing and painting when I can. Surgery was always my plan because I like working with my hands and working with a team.

Devin Shah, MD

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Deki Tsering, MD

General Surgery Residency Program

Hometown: Falls Church, VA
Medical School: Virginia Commonwealth University
Undergrad: Georgetown University
Short Bio: My hobbies are cooking and yoga.
Favorite thing about Richmond: My favorite things about Richmond are the countless outdoor activities and Francine (the Broad Street Lowes Cat).
Favorite thing about residency at VCU? The wonderful faculty, co-residents, and staff.