Yahya Alwatari, MBBCh

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland - Medical University of Bahrain
Undergraduate: Gifted Students School
Hometown: Baghdad, Iraq
Fellowship: Thoracic Surgery Fellowship at Mayo Clinic

General surgery resident with aspirations of one day becoming a well-trained high-calibre minimally invasive thoracic surgeon. Has great interest in students training and surgical education. Enjoy swimming and travelling.

Research Interests: Racial disparity in surgical access and operative care. Minimally invasive surgical approach utilizations and outcomes. Metabolic diseases and weight loss surgery

Adam Beyer, DO

PGY-5

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: Lake Eerie College of Osteopathic Medicine
Medical School: LECOM
Undergraduate: University at Buffalo
Hometown: Lewiston, New York
Fellowship: Vascular Surgery Fellowship at Wake Forest

About me: I decided on surgery because it makes me excited to get up in the morning and brings a constant challenge. When not working I love being with my beautiful wife and two dogs going on hikes or just hanging out in our backyard by the fire. I am pursuing vascular surgery and am grateful to have matched at Wake Forest where I will continue my training.
Favorite things about VCU residency: The environment here yields strong clinical and technical surgeons. The attendings are dedicated to your learning and you will have the opportunity to see a broad scope of practice and pathology. In addition the residents are a very supportive group who all are striving to be the best in whichever field of surgery they are pursuing, which helps drive the program to improve year after year.
Favorite thing about Richmond: the food
Research Interests: Surgical Site infections
Fellowship Match: Vascular Surgery at Wake Forest

Diyar Omer, MD, MPH

PGY-5

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: St. George's University School of Medicine
Undergraduate: University of Buffalo
Hometown: Bardonia, NY
Fellowship: Vascular Surgery Fellowship at VCU Health

I'm a pretty active person, enjoy being outdoors and exploring the mountains. Richmond is the perfect place close to the beach and the mountains! When it's raining out, I'll stay home and play the bass guitar. I enjoy charcoal and graphite sketching and hiking. I chose surgery because it is the perfect blend of medicine and art. My favorite place in Richmond is the riverfront canal walk especially on a cool fall evening as the sunsets. Between the art, history, and culture Richmond has a way of making you feel at home.

Interested in Vascular Surgery and providing surgical services in underserved communities.

Email: Diyar.Omer@vcuhealth.org

Yannis Reissis, MBBS

PGY-5

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: Imperial College School of Medicine
Hometown: London, UK
Future Plans: General Surgery Practice, National Health Service, United Kingdom

Greek family, born and raised in the UK, training in the USA. I want a career in breast surgery/global surgery with a special interest in improving cancer screening and health promotion in underserved areas. I love travelling, finding new local food spots, and being near the water. I can't live without my piano.

Research Interests: Public health policy and disparities in access to surgical care. Surgical education and the psychology of performance.

Email: Yannis.Reissis@vcuhealth.org

Ashley Rosenberg, MD, MPH

PGY-5

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Medicine
Undergraduate: University of Arkansas
Hometown: Denver, CO
Fellowship: Colorectal Surgery Fellowship at Cleveland Clinic, Florida

Ashley was VCU's first Global Surgery Research Fellow and focused her work on improving the ambulance systems in Rwanda. She loves to travel, and enjoys nearby Virginia Beach and Charlottesville. Outside of the hospital in Richmond, you can find Ashley spending time outside and cooking new recipes.

Wayne Tse, MD

PGY-5

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine
Undergraduate: Case Western Reserve University
Hometown: Cleveland, Ohio
Future Plans: currently in match for Vascular Surgery Fellowship

I spend most of my free time training for triathlons, playing volleyball, and playing video games. My favorite about Richmond is the 50+ mile Capital Trail. I plan on applying to vascular surgery.

Research Interests: Patient Safety and Quality Improvement; Clinical outcomes in vascular surgery

Chonn Cadiz, MD

PGY-4

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University of Chicago
Undergraduate: Brooklyn College
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY

Renee Cholyway, MD

PGY-4

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine
Undergraduate: University of St. Francis
Hometown: Warren, MI

Anatomy and problem-solving led her to surgery and to research cardiac transplantation optimization. She's a connoisseur of cooking and enjoys new breweries, a horticulture dilettante keeping plants from her pet cats, and a fanatic marathon runner training on the wooded trails of Richmond. Her favorite surgical instruments are the stepstool so she can reach the patient and the Gigli saw.

W. Brenton French, MD

PGY-4

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: University of Virginia School of Medicine
Undergraduate: University of Georgia
Hometown: Marietta, GA

I chose surgery because I enjoy the both the procedural nature of our work and the potential we have to improve the well-being of our patients. Outside of work, I enjoy golf, watching college football and NFL, going to UVa Basketball games, visiting friends in D.C., yardwork, renovating my house, and spending time with my wife. I plan to pursue a Trauma / Critical Care fellowship upon completion of residency.

Research Interests: Enhanced Recovery After Surgery, Post-Operative Acute Kidney Injury, Cost Reduction Efforts in General Surgery

Hannah Gassie, MD

PGY-4

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: St. Louis University School of Medicine

Hae Sung Kang, MD

PGY-4

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine
Undergraduate: University of California, Berkeley
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA

He is a die-hard Lakers fan and he is eagerly awaiting for the revival of the Lakers dynasty. He believes Richmond is awesome because it offers a great selection of food ranging from comfort food to ethnic food and has a lot of nature that is close to the city. On days off, he enjoys playing tennis, attending his church, playing guitar, hanging out with friends and grilling/smoking meat.

Research Interests: Utilization of telemedicine in pediatric surgery, low volume resuscitation in critically ill patients

H. Anna Xu, MD

PGY-4

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine
Undergraduate: University of Pittsburgh
Hometown: Chicago, IL

Research resident working in Dr. Mangino's laboratory on neurotrauma. Hobbies include board games, travelling, and photography.

Sally Boyd, MD

PGY-3

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: Eastern Virginia Medical School
Undergraduate: James Madison University
Hometown: Salem, Virginia

In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my husband and our dog, Bailey. I also enjoy reading, hiking, and exploring Richmond. 
Chief Resident in Quality and Safety through the Hunter Holmes McGuire VA.

Christine Dart, MD

PGY-3

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: University of Pennsylvania

Lucas Keller-Biehl, MD

PGY-3

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine
Undergraduate: The Ohio State University
Hometown: Loveland, OH

Research resident working at the VA with Dr. Amendola. I enjoying spending time with my wife and son, my fellow residents, playing sports, exercising, visiting the various breweries and restaurants around Richmond, and reading.

Clinical Interest: I want to go into bariatrics

Julie Kilpatrick, MD

PGY-3

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: University of Utah School of Medicine
Undergraduate: Westminster College, Boston University
Hometown: Miami, FL

I try to spend most of my free time outdoors, whether running, biking, hiking, fishing, tubing the James River or even mowing the lawn. I also enjoy baking, but mostly because I enjoy eating.

Alexander Simmonds, MD

PGY-3

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine
Undergraduate: Greenville University, IL
Hometown: Greenville, IL

My favorite activities include playing the guitar, riding my motorcycle, and cooking.

Research Interest: I'm currently interested in trauma and acute care general surgery

Matt Wishnoff, MD

PGY-3

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: Virginia Commonwealth University

Hometown: Chicago, IL

I enjoy spending my free time outdoors mountain biking, skiing, or even just wandering and exploring the neighborhoods around me. My favorite places in Richmond are the Pipeline and North Bank trails, and the restaurants in Church Hill.

Vashti Bandy, MD

PGY-2: Categorical

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.

Ruby Barq, MD

PGY-2: Categorical

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: George Washington University

Graham Gardner, MD

PGY-2 Categorical

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: Virginia Commonwealth University

Alyssa Habermann, MD

PGY-2 Categorical

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.

Cody Tragesser, MD

PGY-2 Categorical

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.

Katherine Yu, MD

PGY-2 Categorical

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: Virginia Commonwealth University

Hometown: Ranchos Palos Verdes, CA
Outside of the hospital, I can be found either eating at one of many restaurants in Richmond, working out at the Larrick gym, or cooking and baking whatever new dish I found on the Internet! I'm so far interested in many specialties I get to experience as a general surgery resident here at VCU Health. I have a lot of pen pals worldwide, writing letters in fountain pens and inks!

M. Aurora Casillas Abundis, MD

PGY-2: Preliminary

General Surgery Residency Program

Kyle Alexander, MD

PGY-1: Categorical

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: Virginia Commonwealth University

Elizabeth Bashian, MD

PGY-1: Categorical

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: Ohio State University

Mohamad Chehab, MD

PGY-1: Categorical

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: American University in Beirut

Taylor Jacobs, MD

PGY-1: Categorical

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: Virginia Commonwealth University

Arunima Punjala, MD

PGY-1: Categorical

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

Zachary Rollins, MD

PGY-1: Categorical

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: Oakland University

Kendal Angell, MD

PGY-1 Preliminary

VCU General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: Virginia Commonwealth University

Alaia Christensen, MD

PGY-1: Preliminary

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: Tufts University

Emily Gullette, MD

PGY-1: Preliminary

General Surgery Residency Program

University of South Carolina Columbia

Nicholas Hooper, MD

PGY-1 Preliminary

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: Virginia Commonwealth University

Erica Johnson, MD

PGY-1 Preliminary

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: Virginia Commonwealth University

Osamah Khan, MD

PGY-1 Preliminary

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: Virginia Commonwealth University
Hometown: Richmond, Virginia

About me: In my free time I enjoy hanging out with my friends, trying new places to eat, and watching basketball. I like to spend my free time outside enjoying all the fun things Richmond has to offer.
Favorite thing about VCU residency: Getting to work with the latest cutting edge technology
Favorite thing to do in Richmond: Visiting Maymont Park

Email: Osamah.Khan@vcuhealth.org

Jack Vogel , MD

PGY-1 Preliminary

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: University of South Dakota Sanford

Devon Freudenberger, MD

Research Resident

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, MI
Undergraduate: University of Maryland College Park
Hometown: Elkton, MD
Outside the hospital you can find me spending my time with my husband, a new baby boy, playing with my 3 cats and 2 dogs, running my dog's Instagram account (@berkley.belle.theshelties), crocheting, or at my parents' farm.
Research Interest: Surgical Oncology

I'm currently interested in surgical oncology and colorectal surgery.

Email: Devon.Freudenberger@vcuhealth.org

Zachary Kiernan, MD

Research Resident

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.

McKenzie Lee, MD

Research Residence

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine
Undergraduate: University of Oklahoma
Hometown: Newark, CA

Passionate about working towards global health equity; currently completing my Msc Public Health for Development at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Extracurricular interests include water polo, techno, mixing music, studying French, learning about climate change, and continuously pushing myself outside of my comfort zone.
My goal is to do trauma/global surgery

Email: McKenzie.Lee@vcuhealth.org

Diana Otoya, MD

Research Resident

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine
Undergraduate: College of William and Mary
Hometown: Winchester, Virginia

About me: Proud immigrant from Peru. I enjoy spending time with my boyfriend, dog, family, and co-workers. I love my plants, traveling, food, live music, making memes, horror movies, Halloween, and hiking.
Favorite things to do in RIchmond: floating the James river and going to breweries.
Research Interests: vascular surgery, surgical education, diversity, and inclusivity, 3D Printing and simulation.

Email: Diana.Otoya@vcuhealth.org

Bhavishya Ramamoorthy, MD

Research Resident

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.

Dan Scheese, MD

Research Resident

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

Travis Sullivan, MD

Research Resident

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine
Undergraduate: University of Tennessee
Hometown: Knoxville, TN

I grew up and lived in Tennesssee prior to moving to Richmond, VA. Outside of work, I enjoy watching the Tennessee Volunteers, hiking, cooking, continuously improving my house/yard and will soon be a father! I have wanted to be a surgeon since my high school years and general surgery encompasses a variety of pathology that allows me to be hands on while caring for our patients. I am planning to pursue fellowship training upon completion of residency.

Research Interests: Pediatric Critical Care, Neuroinflammation

Vignesh Vudatha, MD

Research Resident

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.

Natalie Wall, MD

Research Resident

General Surgery Residency Program

Medical School: University of Utah
Undergraduate: Arizona State University
Hometown: Scottsdale, AZ