UPMC Mercy
Quick Facts
UPMC Mercy Hospital
- The Mercy Hospital of Pittsburgh — the first hospital in Pittsburgh and the first Mercy Hospital in the world — was established in 1847. As the region’s only Catholic hospital, we remain committed to continuing the great spiritual and social mission of our founders, the Sisters of Mercy
- A 500 bed tertiary care hospital, with more than 1,200 medical staff and home to a vibrant Internal Medicine Residency Program comprised 63 total residents
- A Level I trauma center and a Joint Commission-Certified Comprehensive Stroke Center, one of only 130 Comprehensive Centers out of 6000 US hospitals
- Home of the UPMC Eye Center, directed by a world-renowned expert in vision therapies and developer of interventions, such as stem cell implantation, gene therapy, innovative pharmacologic approaches and the artificial retina
- Largest rehabilitation network in western Pennsylvania, and one of the largest in the U.S., treating 4,678 inpatients and 72,000 outpatients in the past year
Faculty
Mashukur Khan, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor
Clinical Director, Mercy Hospitalist Program
412-232-5918
Bio
Dr. Khan is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine and staff hospitalist in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Section of Hospital Medicine. He attended medical school at Chittagong Medical College before completing his internal medicine residency at UPMC Mercy. He joined the University of Pittsburgh faculty in 2007 and currently serves as Chief Hospitalist at UPMC Mercy. In addition to his clinical responsibilities, Dr. Khan is involved in resident education and faculty development, and is an active member of several hospital committees.
Fnu Abishek, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor
Bio
Dr. Abhishek attended medical school at Maulana Azad Medical College at the University of Delhi before completing internal medicine residencies at Maulana Azad Medical College and Western Pennsylvania Hospital at Temple University. He joined the University of Pittsburgh faculty in 2011, working first in the Department of Critical Care Medicine before joining the Section of Hospital Medicine in 2017. He is heavily involved in the internal medicine residency program, serving as a clinical preceptor and Director of the Bedside Ultrasound Training Program in addition to hosting regular EKG tutorials, group lectures, and journal club. His contributions to resident education were recognized with Best Teacher Awards from 2013-2016.
Ruben Abunto, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor
Bio
Dr. Abunto is a Clinical Assistant Professor and staff hospitalist in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Section of Hospital Medicine. He attended medical school at University of the East before completing his internal medicine residency at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. He joined the University of Pittsburgh faculty in 2006, working first in the Department of Critical Care Medicine before joining the Section of Hospital Medicine in 2017.
Brenna Conroy, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor
Bio
Dr. Conroy is a Clinical Associate Professor and staff hospitalist in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Section of Hospital Medicine. She attended Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine before completing her residency in internal medicine at UPMC Mercy, serving as Chief Resident from 2014-2015. She joined the University of Pittsburgh faculty in 2015, working first in the Department of Critical Care Medicine before joining the Section of Hospital Medicine in 2017. Dr. Conroy is recognized as an outstanding patient care provider and is active on several hospital committees, including the Mercy Executive Committee. She is also very involved with the internal medicine residency program, serving on the admissions committee and leading several internal medicine didactic sessions per year.
Katherine Foust, MD
Clinical Associate Professor
Bio
Dr. Foust is a Clinical Associate Professor and staff hospitalist in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Section of Hospital Medicine. She attended Temple University School of Medicine before completing a residency in internal medicine at Western Pennsylvania Hospital in Pittsburgh. Dr. Foust joined the faculty at the University of Pittsburgh in 2010, working first in the Department of Critical Care Medicine before joining the Section of Hospital Medicine in 2017. Dr. Foust also specializes in palliative care medicine, currently serving as the Associate Medical Director for Palliative and Support Services and Palliative Care Physician at UPMC Mercy. Dr. Foust also serves as Director of the Internal Medicine Clerkship and serves on several committees at UPMC Mercy, including the ethics committee.
Peter Harvey, MD
Clinical Instructor
Bio
Dr. Harvey is a Clinical Instructor of Medicine and staff hospitalist in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Section of Hospital Medicine. He earned his medical degree from The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland before completing an internal medicine residency at UPMC Mercy in Pittsburgh, where he served as Chief Resident from 2018-2019. During residency, he led several case discussions with 3rd and 4th year medical students. Before joining the University of Pittsburgh faculty in 2020, he conducted pulmonary research at UPMC Children’s and UPMC Presbyterian. His current research focuses on Acinetobacter targeted screening based on common risk factors.
Syed Hussain, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor
Bio
Dr. Hussain is a Clinical Assistant Professor and staff hospitalist in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Section of Hospital Medicine. He earned his MBBS from Sheikh Zayed Medical College before completing his internal medicine residency at UPMC Mercy, where he served as Chief Resident from 2019-2020. During residency, he was actively involved in medical student education, leading a daily lecture series on core internal medicine topics and test-taking strategies. He also conducted research on the use of Modified Early Warning Scores to predict the need of transfer to higher level care. He joined the University of Pittsburgh faculty in 2020 and has clinical interests in preventative medicine, readmission reduction strategies, and quality improvement, with an emphasis on delirium prevention, evidence-based medicine, cost-saving strategies, and patient outcome improvements.
Mohit Jhamb, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor
Bio
Dr. Jhamb is a Clinical Assistant Professor and staff hospitalist in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Section of Hospital Medicine. He earned his medical degree from Maulana Azad Medical College before completing an MPH at the University of Texas Health Science Center and his internal medicine residency at Western Pennsylvania Hospital. Dr. Jhamb joined the University of Pittsburgh in 2010 and is actively involved in shaping resident curriculum and serving as a mentor of residents’ research projects. He also regularly conducts lectures and teaching rounds for internal medicine residents, as well as pursuing quality improvement projects. In addition to his clinical and teaching responsibilities, Dr. Jhamb also serves on the Quality Committee Team at UPMC Mercy.
Saloni Kapoor, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine
Bio
Dr. Kapoor is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine and staff hospitalist at UPMC Mercy. She attended medical school at India’s premier medical school All India Institute of Medical Sciences at New Delhi. Subsequently she completed and Internal Medicine residency at UPMC Presbyterian in the International Scholars Track. During her training, she found her niche in researching ocular manifestation of systematic illnesses and aspires to build a career as an academic clinician.
Bhagat Kondaveeti, MD
Assistant Professor
Bio
Dr. Kondaveeti is a Clinical Instructor of Medicine and staff hospitalist in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Section of Hospital Medicine. He earned his MBBS from MNR Medical College before completing a residency in Internal Medicine at UPMC Mercy. He joined the University of Pittsburgh faculty in 2017 and has been active in hospital service, research, and resident education. In addition to his clinical and teaching responsibilities, Dr. Kondaveeti is active on several hospital committees–including serving as Co-Chair of the Meds to Beds Committee–and is currently the lead physician for MCI-Disaster Preparedness. Dr. Kondaveeti also has research interests in post-endoscopic infection rates, early discharge planning and HCAHPS planning, and Meds to Beds.
Kiran Kuriakose, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine
Bio
Dr. Kuriakose is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine and staff hospitalist at UPMC Mercy. He attended medical school at Kerala University of Health Sciences Medical College Kottayam Kerala India. He attended a post graduate program at Johns Hopking University & MESF, NY for cardiology. His career will focus on better access of health care for all groups and communications.
Nicholas Maston MD
Clinical Assistant Professor
Bio
Dr. Maston is a board-certified internist who currently works as a hospitalist in adult medicine at UPMC Mercy in Pittsburgh, PA. He received his medical degree from Weill Cornell Medical College in 2016. He completed residency training in Internal Medicine at the University of North Carolina in 2019, where he was honored to stay for an additional year after graduation to work as a Chief Resident. His primary interests are in medical education and the care of elderly hospitalized patients.
Marc Roberge, DO
Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine
Robin Roy, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine
Bio
Dr. Roy is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine and staff hospitalist at UPMC Mercy. He attended medical school at Ross University school of Medicine. He received his undergraduate degree at Temple university . His career will focus on Quality improvement and communication in health care.
Ashish Sharma, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor
Bio
Dr. Sharma is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine and staff hospitalist in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Section of Hospital Medicine. He attended medical school at Baba Farid University of Health Sciences and then completed his residency in internal medicine at UPMC Mercy. Before joining the University of Pittsburgh faculty in 2010, he worked as a house surgeon and teaching assistant for the School of Pharmacy at the University of Pittsburgh. He has also conducted research related to drug interactions and effects in liver transplant patients, and prostate cancer screening in resident practice.
Sharad Sharma, MD
Clinical Instructor
Bio
Dr. Sharma is a Clinical Instructor of Medicine and staff hospitalist in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Section of Hospital Medicine. He attended medical school at Gajra Raja Medical College before completing a residency in Internal Medicine at Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia. Before joining the University of Pittsburgh faculty in 2018, he served as a faculty at Jefferson University Hospital and as a consultant. Dr. Sharma’s clinical interests include telemedicine, artificial intelligence, and economics, and he has also conducted research in Impaired Glucose Intolerance and endocarditis. In addition to his clinical responsibilities, he also serves on several committees at UPMC Mercy.
Amaninder Toor, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor
Bio
Syed Zaidi, MD
Clinical Instructor
Bio
Dr. Zaidi is a Clinical Instructor of Medicine and staff hospitalist in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Section of Hospital Medicine. He attended medical school at Rawalpindi Medical College before completing his internal medicine internship and residency at Holy Family Hospital and BronxCare Hospital Center, respectively. He joined the University of Pittsburgh faculty in 2019 and has clinical interests in the usefulness of blood pressure management in septic shock and EMR sepsis alerts in clinical outcomes. Dr. Zaidi also has research and publication experience in ICU-associated pneumonia, management of inpatients with collapsed lungs, and the relationship between premorbid personality traits, perceived social support, and major depressive disorder.
Advanced Practice Providers
Whitney Douglas, PA-C
PA Specialist
412-232-5918
Bio
Whitney Douglas, PA-C is a Physician Assistant in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Section of Hospital Medicine. She earned her bachelor’s in Health Science and her Master of Physician Assistant Studies from Gannon University in 2015 and 2016, respectively. Her master’s capstone project, entitled “Caffeine Use: What Consumers Need to Know,” focused on the effects and risks of caffeine use and dependence. After graduation, she worked at Sparrow Hospital in Michigan as a hospitalist PA and gained additional clinical experience in the Neuro ICU and Observation Unit working but day shift and as a nocturnist. She joined the hospitalist team at UPMC Mercy in 2019 and has a wide range of clinical responsibilities, including admissions, medical management, and pre-op consults. Her professional philosophy emphasizes empathetic, patient-centered care.
Curtis Kalchthaler, CRNP
CRNP Specialist
412-232-5918
Bio
Curtis Kalchthaler, CRNP is a Nurse Practitioner in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Section of Hospital Medicine. He earned his Diploma in Nursing from West Penn Hospital School of Nursing, his BSN from Clarion University of Pennsylvania, and then his MSN in Family Nurse Practitioner degree from Duquesne University. After graduating with his Nursing diploma and BSN, he worked as a clinical nurse for West Penn Hospital, where he was recognized as a Rave Winner for Patient Excellence, helped facilitate the opening of two intensive care units, and served as a leader on the unit council. Curtis joined the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in 2008 as a nurse and has served in a variety of settings, including critical care and medical surgical units. He currently works as a member of the UPMC Mercy hospitalist team. His professional philosophy emphasizes a holistic and compassionate approach to patients, with a focus on advocating for their needs.
Lori Michalski, CRNP
CRNP Specialist
412-232-5918
Bio
Lori Michalski, CRNP is a Nurse Practitioner in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Section of Hospital Medicine. She earned her BSN at California University and then her MSN at Carlow University. Her clinical experience includes intensive care, organ transplantation, cardiac catherization, and wound management consultation. She joined the University of Pittsburgh’s hospitalist team in 2019 and is primarily based at UPMC Mercy.
Catilin Zovak, PA-C
PA Specialist
412-232-5918
Bio
Caitlin Zovack, PA-C is a Physician Assistant in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Section of Hospital Medicine. She earned her bachelor’s in Biological Sciences and Master of Physician Assistant Studies from the University of Pittsburgh in 2015 and 2017, respectively. During her master’s, she served as a PA Program Student Ambassador and as a mentor for first year students. After graduating, she worked as a hospitalist Physician Assistant at Uniontown Hospital before joining the UPMC Mercy hospitalist team in 2020. She has clinical experience in general internal medicine, surgical consultations, and trauma care.
Administrative Support
Adam Kramer
Project Coordinator
412-232-5918