Visit the UPMC Presbyterian Expansion website to learn more about the Daniel G. and Carole L. Kamin Tower and to view renderings of the new hospital space.

Click on the thumbnails below to enlarge the photos.

Calendars

Introducing your newest DOM faculty, postdocs, and staff colleagues hired or appointed December 2, 2025, through February 28, 2026.

Faculty

Ravi Akula, MD // Clinical Assistant Professor // Cardiology

Omar Al Metwalli, MD // Clinical Assistant Professor // General Internal Medicine

Daniel Boucek, MD // Clinical Assistant Professor // General Internal Medicine

Donna Doebler, DrPH, MS, MPH // UCR Visiting Research Associate Professor // General Internal Medicine

Sara Glass, PhD // Research Assistant Professor // Malignant Hematology and Medical Oncology

Shailaja Hegde, PhD // Research Assistant Professor // Malignant Hematology and Medical Oncology

Rebecca Meiksin, PhD // Research Assistant Professor // General Internal Medicine

Stephanie Mutchler, PhD // Research Instructor // Renal-Electrolyte

Christian Olivo Freites, MD // Clinical Assistant Professor // Infectious Diseases

Raghunandan Purushoth (Purushothaman), MD // Assistant Professor // General Internal Medicine

Kristen Raffensperger, MD // Assistant Professor // Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine

Sumit Sohal, MD, MS // Clinical Assistant Professor // Cardiology

Lauren Statman, MD, PhD // Clinical Assistant Professor // General Internal Medicine

Riley Steiner, PhD, MPH // UCR Visiting Research Associate Professor // General Internal Medicine

Carlie Wilson, MD // Clinical Assistant Professor // Infectious Diseases

Yu-Sheng Yeh, PhD // Research Instructor // Cardiology

Postdocs

Melody Chavez, PhD // Postdoctoral Scholar // General Internal Medicine

Shakti Dahiya, PhD // Postdoctoral Associate // Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine

Ricardo DeMoya, PhD // Postdoctoral Scholar // Cardiology

Rajashekar Donaka, PhD // Postdoctoral Associate // Aging Institute

Abigail Gerberick, PhD // Postdoctoral Associate // Infectious Diseases

Minxue Jia, PhD // Postdoctoral Associate // Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology

Guoqiang Ma, PhD // Postdoctoral Associate // Aging Institute

Venkata Krishna Kanth Makani, PhD // Postdoctoral Associate // Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology

Elizabeth Ottosen, PhD // Postdoctoral Associate // Infectious Diseases

Yeuran Oh, PhD // Postdoctoral Associate // Aging Institute

Haiqin Ping, MD, PhD // Postdoctoral Associate // Cardiology

Staff

Hala Alkawadri // Administrative Assistant III // Vascular Medicine Institute

Selena Anjur-Dietrich // Manager – Research & Evaluation // General Internal Medicine

Maria Belin // Research Program Manager // Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition

Holly Benson // Grants & Contracts Assistant // Research Administration

Andrea Brooks // Clinical Research Coordinator III // Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine

Leticia Candra // Grants & Contracts Specialist II (Pre-Award) // Research Administration

Kirsten Crowhurst // Community Engagement Program Manager // General Internal Medicine

Adriana Gebe // Clinical Research Assistant II // General Internal Medicine

Heather Gentry // Laboratory Manager II // Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition

Bailey Gibson // Clinical Research Coordinator II // Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology

Kelsey Humes // Student Program Coordinator // General Internal Medicine

Sarah Klein // Grants & Contracts Specialist III (Pre-Award) // Research Administration

Ellen Kline // Manager – Clinical Research Operations // General Internal Medicine

Rachel Kosciusko // Physician Assistant, Senior // General Internal Medicine

Nicole Neiman // Clinical Research Coordinator III // Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology

Pedram Paragomi // Research Scientist // Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology

Gayatri Pingle // Laboratory Research Technician III // Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine

From the New York Times and NPR to the local news, the Department of Medicine is making headlines. Read more about how our experts are leading the charge on the global stage.

Timothy Anderson, MD, MAS, contributed to a New York Times story on why many older adults are stopping their GLP-1 medications. >> Read the article

Timothy Anderson, MD, MAS, weighed in on the new pill version of Wegovy for a TribLIVE story. >> Read the article

Timothy Anderson, MD, MAS, also contributed to two STAT News articles on cardiovascular prevention. >> Read the article on statin side effects and the article on statin guidelines

Martina Anto-Ocrah, PhD, MPH, contributed to a documentary on male midwives in Ghana. >> Watch the video

The launch of a research office in East Palestine by Julianne Beier, PhD, and others to study the lingering health impacts following the 2023 train derailment was highlighted in a recent article by The Hill. >> Read the story

Katie Berlacher, MD, MS, was interviewed for a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article on women’s heart health. >> Read the story

Sonya Borrero, MD, MS, highlighted how marginalized patients were most affected by temporary closures of three Planned Parenthood locations in Western PA in a recent Pitt News article. >> Read the story

Research by Randall Brand, MD, on the early detection of pancreatic cancer was highlighted in a Nature “Outlook” piece. >> Read the article

Matthew Chinman, PhD, discussed his article “Tailored Weight Loss Programs for Adults with Serious Mental Illness,” on a recent JN Learning podcast. >> Listen to the interview

Jeffrey Dueker, MD, was interviewed by HuffPost about an unexpected sign of colon cancer. >> Read the article

Eric Dueweke, MD, MBA, was interviewed by WPXI about the impact of heavy snow shoveling on heart health. >> Watch the interview

PittMed showcased research made possible by the Pittsburgh Foundation including research by Sarah Gaffen, PhD, on how Il-17 could lead to new treatments for autoimmune disease. >> Read the story

Swaytha Ganesh, MD, was interviewed by Cumberland Times-News about organ donation. >> Read the story

Nature Cell Biology sat down with Aditi Gurkar, PhD, for a recent Q & A. >> Read the interview

The 30th Impella Device Implant by the Ventricular Assist Device Program led by Gavin Hickey, MD, was highlighted in a recent UPMC Physician Resources story. >> Read the feature

Noor Khan, MD, spoke with Altoona CBS affiliate WTAJ about smart strategies like “food order eating” and the 80/20 rule to help balance fun and health. >> Watch the interview

Anum Saeed, MD, contributed to a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette story on how stress and anxiety affect cardiac health. >> Read the article

Anum Saeed, MD, also spoke with HuffPost about what heart-healthy food she always recommends to her patients. >> Read the article

Anwaar Saeed, MD, commented on the rise of colorectal cancer in younger people in a recent TribLIVE article.  >> Read the story

Research on the role of the nervous system in pancreatic cancer, led by Jami Saloman, PhD, was featured in a Nature “Outlook” piece. >> Read the article

PittMed highlighted how Daniella Schwartz, MD, and Pitt’s Pittsburgh Immunogenetics Discovery Center are rethinking how inflammatory and autoimmune genetic disorders are diagnosed and treated. >> Read the story

Matthew Steinhauser, MD, was interviewed by NPR’s Short Wave podcast about intermittent fasting, which was repurposed by All Things Considered. >> Listen to the podcast

Katie Suda, PharmD, MS, was consulted by the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota for a three-part series on the potential harms of taking antibiotics for dental procedures.  >> Read the article

Jesus Tejero, PhD, and his lab researchers developed a fast, portable therapy that could change how carbon monoxide poisoning is treated in emergencies, as featured in a recent PittMed story. >> Read the feature

And, a recent division-wide effort by the Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology to create clinical and research infrastructure to bring CAR T and future cellular therapies into autoimmune care was discussed by UPMC Physician Resources. >> Read the article

December 2025 – March 2026

Pitt Med Professionalism Accolades 

Residents

Andres Chavez Barragan, MD // PGY1 Resident – Global Health

Owen Clinger, MD // PGY1 Resident – Transitional Year

Christopher “Chris” Curran, DO // PGY1 Resident – Traditional/Categorical

Sameer Jhaveri, MD // PGY2 Resident – Geriatric Medicine

Chineye Odo, MD // PGY2 Resident – International Scholars

Eljamri “Souki” Soukaina, MD // PGY1 Resident – Traditional/Categorical

Swetha Tummala, MD // PGY2 Resident – Traditional/Categorical

Naditha Venkatesan, MD // PGY3 Resident – International Scholars

Faculty

Jonathan Alder, PhD // Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine

Matthew Culyba, MD, PhD // Infectious Diseases

Kathryn Leyens, MD // General Internal Medicine

Fred Rubin, MD // Geriatric Medicine

Sara Spinella, MD // General Internal Medicine

>> Read more about why these residents and faculty were recognized

Faculty Promotions, Appointments, and Tenure

December 2025* – March 2026

Promotion to Professor of Medicine 

Charles Dela Cruz, MD, PhD // Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine
Effective January 1, 2026

Leslie Hausmann, PhD // General Internal Medicine
Effective February 1, 2026

Shihui Liu, PhD // Infectious Diseases/Aging Institute
Effective March 1, 2026

Jared Magnani, MD, MSc // Cardiology
Effective March 1, 2026

Shari Rogal, MD, MPH // Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition
Effective March 1, 2026

Liza Villaruz, MD // Malignant Hematology and Medical Oncology
Effective January 1, 2026

Erin Winstanley, PhD // General Internal Medicine
Effective February 1, 2026

Promotion to Associate Professor of Medicine 

Michael Risbano, MD, MA // Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine
Effective February 1, 2026

Palash Samanta, MD // Infectious Diseases
Effective January 1, 2026

Leslie Scheunemann, MD, MPH // Geriatric Medicine
Effective February 1, 2026

Promotion to Assistant Professor of Medicine 

Marta Bueno Fernandez, PhD // Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine
Effective January 1, 2026

Conferral of Tenure 

Thomas Radomski, MD, MS // General Internal Medicine
Effective March 1, 2026

*Other December promotions were included in the winter 2026 issue.

The Myositis Fellowship Training Program, based in the UPMC Myositis Center, builds on the institution’s long-standing strengths in rheumatology while advancing care for patients with rare autoimmune diseases. As one of only a few programs of its kind in the country, it offers physicians the opportunity to develop deep, focused expertise in inflammatory myopathies – conditions that often extend far beyond muscle involvement.

“Inflammatory myopathies are rare, complex, multisystem diseases that require a level of expertise beyond what is typically possible in standard training,” says Program Director Dr. Rohit Aggarwal. “UPMC has built a strong clinical and research program in myositis over many years, and it became clear that there was both a need and an opportunity to train future leaders specifically in this field.”

A Specialized Approach to Complex Disease

In traditional training pathways, myositis is often one topic among many. At UPMC, it’s the focus of a dedicated fellowship.

Fellows train in a high-volume, specialized center, working with patients across the full spectrum of disease, from newly diagnosed cases to those that are advanced or resistant to treatment. Along the way, they gain experience in nuanced diagnosis and individualized care.

“Myositis is not only rare, but highly heterogeneous,” Dr. Aggarwal explains. “Patients may present with muscle disease, lung involvement, skin manifestations, arthritis, dysphagia, or other systemic complications, and the diagnostic and therapeutic decisions are often nuanced. A focused program allows trainees to gain deep exposure to the full spectrum of inflammatory myopathies, including disease phenotyping, autoantibody-based classification, comorbidity assessment, and individualized treatment strategies. That kind of concentrated experience is difficult to achieve in a general fellowship setting. ”

Because the center draws referrals from across a wide geographic region, fellows encounter a diverse range of clinical presentations. This includes interstitial lung disease, immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy, anti-synthetase syndrome, and overlap syndromes—experience that helps build both pattern recognition and confidence in managing complex cases.

Learning Across Disciplines

Another defining feature of the program is its strong emphasis on multidisciplinary care. Fellows regularly work alongside colleagues in other disciplines, reflecting the reality that these conditions often require coordinated care across specialties.

Shared discussions, conferences, and specialized clinics are essential. “They help ensure that patient care is comprehensive and thoughtful,” says Dr. Aggarwal, “Fellows learn how to approach these diseases from multiple perspectives, appreciate the importance of coordinated care, and understand how to integrate clinical, serologic, imaging, and pathologic data into decision-making.”

For current fellow Dr. Alsayed Osman, that collaboration has been one of the most impactful aspects of the experience. “I have been particularly impressed by the level of multidisciplinary coordination at UPMC,” he says. “The coordination between rheumatology, neurology, dermatology, pulmonology, and other specialties is essential for managing complex myositis cases and has been a valuable learning experience.”

A Foundation in Research and Discovery

In addition to clinical training, the fellowship offers a wide range of research opportunities, from clinical trials and outcomes studies to biomarker development and disease classification. Fellows train within an active academic environment and have access to one of the largest prospective myositis clinical registries in the world, paired with matched biospecimens.

“This is a particularly exciting time in myositis,” says Dr. Aggarwal. “Advances in autoantibody-based phenotyping, improved recognition of disease subsets, and a growing therapeutic pipeline are all reshaping the field.”

For fellows, that momentum creates opportunities not only to learn, but also to contribute.

“There is a significant need for improved treatment strategies,” says Dr. Osman. “The program offers a unique combination of clinical exposure, multidisciplinary care, and a dedicated, robust research infrastructure. It provides an ideal environment to develop both clinical and academic skills in myositis.”

Shaping Future Leaders

The fellowship is designed to prepare physicians for a range of career paths, including academic medicine, industry, and specialized clinical practice. Through close mentorship and immersive training, fellows develop both the expertise and perspective needed to lead in a rapidly evolving field.

For Dr. Osman, the experience has helped define his professional direction.

“This fellowship has solidified my commitment to a career focused on myositis,” he says. “It has deepened my interest in both clinical care and research, particularly in developing structured approaches to diagnosis, outcomes assessment, and longitudinal patient management. It has also reinforced my goal of contributing to specialized myositis programs and research initiatives.”

For Dr. Aggarwal, that outcome is central to the program’s mission.

“One of the most rewarding aspects has been the opportunity to build a training pathway in an area where there is a real need for expertise. It is deeply gratifying to help shape the next generation of physicians who will care for patients with myositis, advance research, and contribute to the field in meaningful ways.”

As the program continues to grow, UPMC aims to further strengthen its role as a national destination for advanced myositis training, expanding opportunities for multidisciplinary education, research collaboration, and innovation in patient care.

In a field defined by complexity and rapid change, the Myositis Fellowship is doing more than training specialists, it is helping define the future of care.