UPMC Presbyterian / UPMC Magee-Womens

Quick Facts

UPMC Presbyterian Hospital

  • Has a Level I (highest level) Trauma Center, designed to treat the most serious life-threatening injuries – and the area’s only Trauma in Pregnancy Center
  • Over 750 medical/surgical beds, 150 critical care beds, and more than 32,000 inpatient admissions per year
  • Major training site for all University of Pittsburgh residency and fellowship programs
  • Has performed more than 20,000 total transplants and 2,000 lung transplants, the most of any lung transplant program in the U.S.
  • Home of Thomas E. Starzl, M.D., the “father of transplantation”
  • Second center in the world to surpass 3,000 cardiothoracic transplants
  • One of 41 nationally certified Comprehensive Stroke Centers

UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital

  • State-of-the-art Emergency Department delivers extensive medical services to men and women 24/7
  • Offers expertise in women’s health across the lifespan and an array of services for men
  • Treats more than 1,500 seriously or critically ill babies each year; the highest-volume neonatal intensive care unit in Pennsylvania and one of the largest in the country
  • Collaborates with Magee-Womens Research Institute, the largest research institute in the U.S. devoted exclusively to women’s health research
  • One of the busiest clinical sites in the country for women’s cancer
  • Offers additional care services for all patient populations such as genetics and genomics, imaging, cardiology, orthopedic surgery, lupus, gastro-enterology, colorectal surgery, pulmonology, and urology. In addition, Magee is home to robust MS Clinic, Infusion Center and Vein Center.

Allison DeKosky, MD

Interim Medical Director, Presbyterian Hospital Medicine
Assistant Professor

Dr. DeKosky is an Assistant Professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine. She currently serves as a staff hospitalist with the Section of Hospital Medicine as well as the Director of Inpatient Quality Initiatives and Education, and APD for Quality and Patient Safety. Prior to her medical career, Dr. DeKosky worked in government and private health policy for several years. Dr. DeKosky’s academic efforts are diverse, encompassing quality improvement, medical education, health policy/advocacy, and the cultivation of leadership skills in medical students, residents, and faculty. She directs the Hospital Medicine Track for the UPMC General Medicine Academic Clinician-Educator Scholars Fellowship, and has mentored many projects with residents and faculty. She has spearheaded efforts around value metrics and QI initiatives on the inpatient medicine service, including the novel IM-SPARC Fund, which in 2019 allowed the residents to earn a group incentive for meeting hospital quality metrics. Dr. DeKosky is also active in the internal medicine residency program and several hospital committees.

E. Raymund Ramirez, MD

Interim Associate Medical Director, Presbyterian Hospital Medicine
Clinical Assistant Professor

Dr. Ramirez is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine who joined the Division of General Internal Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh in 2013. Previously, he earned both his undergraduate and medical degrees at Indiana University before completing his internal medicine residency at UPMC. Dr. Ramirez is currently a daytime hospitalist supervising 2nd and 3rd year residents on the Junior Hospitalist rotation and providing didactic instruction to the residents on the rotation. Dr. Ramirez also is a core hospitalist at Magee Womens Hospital providing primary hospital care as well as consultative services. Outside of clinical care, he is a facilitator in several medical school courses including Medical Interviewing, Advanced Physical Exam, and Population Health.

Fadeke Akanbi, MD

Clinical Instructor

Dr. Akanbi is a Clinical Instructor of Medicine and staff hospitalist in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Section of Hospital Medicine. She attended medical school at Drexel University before completing a residency in internal medicine and pediatrics at UPMC. Before joining the University of Pittsburgh faculty in 2006, she worked as a hospital pharmacist in Oregon. She rejoined the faculty in 2011 as a nocturnist and currently serves as a faculty preceptor for internal medicine residents completing their night float rotation. Dr. Akanbi has clinical and research interest in cardiology, with several presentations on the topic.

Matan Arnon, DO

Dreema Awan, MD

Clinical Instructor

Dr. Awan is a Clinical Instructor of Medicine and staff hospitalist in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Section of Hospital Medicine. She attended medical school at Aga Khan University before completing a residency in internal medicine at the Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education. Before joining the University of Pittsburgh faculty in 2019, Dr. Awan served as a research associate in electrophysiology and cardiology at the Texas Heart Institute in Houston, TX. She continues to research and present on current issues in cardiology.

Ricardo Bedoya, MD

Senior Hospitalist, UPMC Magee Hospital Medicine
Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine

Dr. Bedoya 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 St. George’s University before completing a residency in Internal Medicine at the Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. Before joining the University of Pittsburgh faculty in 2019, Dr. Bedoya served as clinical faculty and the Assistant Director of Hospital Medicine, Patient Safety and Quality for the Division of Hospital Medicine at Penn State Health Hershey Medical Center. He also served as Core Faculty for the Penn State Internal Medicine Residency Program and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Penn State College of Medicine. In addition to actively participating on several hospital committees, Dr. Bedoya was also involved in quality improvement and patient safety projects, using the results to improve clinical practice. At UPMC, Dr. Bedoya is Site Director for Hospital Medicine at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital, where he serves on several committees focusing on patient safety and quality improvement.

Pooja Bhatt, MD

Clinical Assistant Professor

Dr. Mahadeshwar is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine and staff hospitalist in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Section of Hospital Medicine. She received her medical degree from The George Washington University and completed her internal medicine residency at Mount Sinai Beth Israel. She joined the University of Pittsburgh faculty in 2020 and is particularly interested in initiatives around operations improvement and healthcare provider wellness. During her residency, she served as co-chair of the Medicine House Staff Committee, working to identify and resolve barriers to productivity and workflow. Dr. Mahadeshwar also has research experience in lupus and ocular imaging, having pioneered a novel methodology and device for studying the lamina cribrosa.

Layana Biglow, MD

Molly Brennan, DO

Clinical Instructor

Dr. Brennan is a Clinical Instructor of Medicine and staff hospitalist in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Section of Hospital Medicine. She completed a degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology before attending medical school at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM). Following medical school, she completed a residency in internal medicine at Jefferson Health Northeast Campus (formerly Aria-Jefferson Health) in Philadelphia, serving as Chief Resident from 2017-2018. She joined the faculty at the University of Pittsburgh in 2019 as a nocturnist and continues to actively support resident education as a faculty preceptor for night float rotations.

Andy Cheng, MD

Clinical Assistant Professor

Dr. Cheng is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine and staff hospitalist in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Section of Hospital Medicine. He earned both a BA in Medical Sciences and MD through Boston University’s accelerated combined BA/MD program before completing his residency in internal medicine at UPMC. Dr. Cheng is active in both research–having presented posters at several national conferences–and resident education. He previously served as a preceptor for Carnegie Mellon and University of Pittsburgh undergraduates interested in pursuing careers in Medicine, and also served as a speaker recruiter for Grand Rounds at UPMC Shadyside. Dr. Cheng’s current clinical interests include readmission reduction–actively working on a Six Sigma Sepsis Readmission Reduction Quality Improvement Project in conjunction with UPMC Health Plan–and post-discharge follow up programs.

Shalini Chiravuri, MD

Clinical Assistant Professor

Dr. Chiravuri is an academic hospitalist and Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine. She earned her MBBS from the International University of Health Sciences School of Medicine before completing a residency in Internal Medicine at Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center in Johnstown, PA. During that time, she also conducted research and presented at several conferences. In addition to her clinical responsibilities, she served on several committees, including Pain, Performance Excellence, and Clinical Resource Management. She joined the University of Pittsburgh faculty in 2020 and works as a nocturnist in the Presbyterian/Magee-Womens program.

Chelsea Dahl, MD

Clinical Assistant Professor

Dr. Dahl is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine and staff hospitalist in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Section of Hospital Medicine. She attended medical school at Stony Brook University before completing her internal medicine residency at UPMC. During medical school, she served in several leadership roles including EMR Committee Leader, Poetry Editor of the literary and scientific journal Anastomoses, and President of NoteService. She developed her teaching skills during residency–presenting on several topics at UPMC seminar series–before joining the University of Pittsburgh faculty in 2020. Her research has focused on emotion and cognitive control interactions, working memory, antibiotics resistance. She is also a published poet.

Sean Doerfler, MD

Clinical Assistant Professor

Dr. Doerfler is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine and staff hospitalist in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Section of Hospital Medicine. He earned a degree in neuroscience before attending medical school at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He completed his internal medicine residency at Duke University Health System before joining the University of Pittsburgh faculty in 2020. Dr. Doerfler has conducted extensive research in neurosurgery and neurocritical care, and has both presented and published. His clinical interests include high-value patient care and medical education.

Neha Etherington, MD

Shumail Fatima, MBBS

Clinical Assistant Professor

Dr. Fatima is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine and staff hospitalist in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Section of Hospital Medicine. She attended medical school at King Edward Medical University, Pakistan and completed internal medicine residency at UPMC McKeesport. Besides her role as an academic hospitalist, she is avidly interested in the field of clinical research particularly related to cardiovascular diseases and has published her research at various national and international conferences and journals. She has also been involved in the quality improvement projects aiming at reducing readmission risk with acute decompensated heart failure and increasing compliance to ambulatory visits. She has many hobbies which including reading, cooking, gardening & she is a make- up enthusiast & can make everyone look good !

Kristian Feterik, MD, MBA

Clinical Associate Professor

Dr. Feterik joined the Division of General Internal Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh in 2008 and currently services as a clinical informaticist and staff hospitalist in the Section of Hospital Medicine. Dr. Feterik also serves as Core Faculty for the Adult Acute Care Nurse Practitioner clerkship and is an active member of the Medical Executive Committee, System-wide Health Information Management Committee, Presbyterian Hospital Wound Care Committee, Diabetes Patient Safety Committee and Documentation Integrity Steering Committee. Dr. Feterik’s research interests include optimization of electronic health records, clinical decision support systems, knowledge discovery and data mining. He also serves as adjunct faculty for Department of Biomedical Informatics with special focus on interoperability.

Shea Ford, MD

Clinical Assistant Professor

Dr. Ford is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine and staff hospitalist in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Section of Hospital Medicine. He attended University of Florida College of Medicine. His career has been focused on Cardiology, Critical Care, and research on High Value Care in the Hospital Setting. He may do a Pulmonary/Critical Care or Cardiology fellowship at some point. When he is not working, he enjoys reading books, traveling, or riding his Peloton. His favorite sports teams are the Florida Gators, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Tampa Rays, and of course the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Nikola Gligorijevic, MD

Clinical Instructor

Dr. Gligorijevic 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 at the University of Belgrade School of Medicine before completing a residency in internal medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai/James J. Peters VA Medical Center in NY. He served as Chief Resident from 2018-2019 before joining the University of Pittsburgh faculty in 2019. During residency, he assisted in a project aimed at decreasing admission rates and helped implement several quality improvement initiatives. He also has an interest in medical education and is active in UPMC’s internal residency program.

Lauren Glikes, MD

Clinical Assistant Professor

Dr. Glikes is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine and staff hospitalist in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Section of Hospital Medicine. She attended the West Virginia University School of Medicine before completing a residency in Internal Medicine at The George Washington University. She joined the faculty at the University of Pittsburgh in 2019 and is interested in a multidisciplinary approach to complex patient care, particularly focusing on patient-physician communication. Dr. Glikes also conducts research in quality improvement and patient satisfaction in addition to educating residents and providers. Dr. Glikes is also involved in many internal committees to assist with scheduling and orientation of new physicians. She recently founded The Hospitalist Post-Call, a quarterly newsletter devoted to providing hospital medicine-related news and information.

Danielle Heffner, MD

Clinical Assistant Professor

Dr. Heffner is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine and staff hospitalist in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Section of Hospital Medicine. She earned a BA in Neuroscience at the University of Virginia before attending medical school at the University of Pittsburgh. She joined the faculty at the University in Pittsburgh in 2020 after completing her residency in internal medicine at UPMC. Dr. Heffner has previously conducted research in nervous system development, telemedicine, and clinician burnout, subsequently earning several awards for the quality of her work. She has also volunteered extensively and served as a mentor to 1st year medical students.

Jonathan Jindia, MD

Clinical Instructor of Medicine

Dr. Jindia is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine and staff hospitalist in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Section of Hospital Medicine. He received his Doctor of Medicine from Louisiana State Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, LA. His career has been focused on improvement in healthcare accessibility. During his residency he worked and volunteered in many homeless charitable clinics that provided medical care to the underserved and disadvantaged in the rural communities and to those with special needs. He mentors medical students and continues to volunteer his services when possible.

Joseph M Kaplan, MD

Clinical Assistant Professor

Dr. Kaplan is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine and staff hospitalist in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Section of Hospital Medicine. He earned his medical degree from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine before completing his internal medicine residency at Northwell Hofstra North Shore/LIJ Hospitals. During residency, he pursued a track focused on genomic medicine, earning a certification in Medical Genetics and Genomics. Before joining the University of Pittsburgh faculty in 2020, Dr. Kaplan had an extensive background in research; he served as a Research Fellow at the Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute at the University of Miami from 2015-2016 working on stem cell differentiation and its application to treat chronic and incurable diseases, and also investigated health care screenings for skin cancer among runners while in medical school. He has also pursued several quality improvement initiatives focused on such outcomes as improved diabetes control in patients and improved CT screening.

Jooseob Lee, MD, MPH

Clinical Assistant Professor

Dr. Lee is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine and staff hospitalist in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Section of Hospital Medicine. He attended Yonsei University College of Medicine in South Korea. His career has been focused on improvement in healthcare accessibility. In pursuit of his goal, he worked with underserved populations in rainforest areas of Malaysia and finished his Master of Public Health with a specific focus on community health promotion at the University of Minnesota. Later, he completed his internal medicine residency at St Francis Hospital in Evanston, IL, before joining the University of Pittsburgh faculty in 2021. During his residency, he conducted research on prolonged mechanical ventilation in psychiatric patients and hospital outcomes of patients with COVID-19 induced acute respiratory distress syndrome.

William Levin, MD

Associate Professor

Dr. Levin joined the Division of General Internal Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh in 2007 and is currently a full-time hospitalist in the Section of Hospital Medicine. He has extensive clinical experience in ambulatory care and long-term care, as well as residency and medical student education. His areas of active interest include inpatient consultative medicine, discharge quality improvement, bedside procedures, and medical education. In addition to his clinical duties, Dr. Levin actively supervises clinical practice for residents, interns, and medical students, including bedside teaching and case-based didactic presentations. He is a regular lecturer for the senior residents rotating on the consult service and precepts consult residents throughout the year. Dr. Levin is also a physician Champion (liaison) for a nursing unit in Montefiore Hospital, a physician representative on the Medicine Line Committee, and a member of UPMC Patient Safety Collaborative.

Kathryn Leyens, MD

Faculty, Non-ACGME Fellow

Dr. Kathryn Leyens is a first-year fellow in the Academic Clinician-Educator Scholars Fellowship, training in the hospitalist track. Dr. Leyens grew up in upstate New York. She then moved to Montreal where she graduated with a BS in Biology from McGill University in 2013. She completed her MD at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, NY in 2017. Dr. Leyens continued onto Pittsburgh where she pursued her residency training in combined internal medicine-pediatrics. It was during her residency that she was introduced to medical education as a career and plans to work as an academic hospitalist. Her professional and research interests include medical education, caring for children and adults with medical complexity, promotion of resident autonomy, and patient safety. In her free time she enjoys singing classical music, walking with her husband and her dog, and exploring Pittsburgh with her friends.

Kareem Lezama, MD

David McAdams, MD, MS

Clinical Associate Professor

Dr. McAdams is a Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine and senior Hospitalist in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Section of Hospital Medicine. He earned both an masters in Physiology and an MD at Georgetown University before completing his internal medicine residency at UPMC. Dr. McAdams joined the University of Pittsburgh faculty in 2001 and has served in a number of roles, including Director of Intermediate Service, Director of the Medical Stepdown Unit, Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Officer, Director of Hospitalist Fellowship, Director of Medical Consult Service, and Director of the Preoperative Evaluation Clinic. His areas of active interest include adult hospital medicine, curriculum development, hospital quality improvement, patient safety, and the development of tools for billing and length of stay. He is also active in UPMC internal medicine residency program, conducting several lectures each year.

Casey McQuade, MD

Clinical Assistant Professor

Dr. McQuade joined the Division of General Internal Medicine, Section of Hospital Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh in 2020 after earning his MD at the University of Pennsylvania and completing his residency at UPMC. He has a particular interest in treating patients with cardiovascular diseases, particularly acute decompensated heart failure, who are admitted to the hospital. His primary research interest is the use of technology to enhance medical education, with a specific focus on how social media can be utilized for asynchronous education. He is also interested in interventions for decreasing the readmission rate of heart failure patients who have recently been admitted for an acute exacerbation. Dr. McQuade is also active in resident education and runs an educational blog on Twitter called @MedEdPGH, which uses case vignettes to teach diagnostic principles to its audience.

Bruce Milburn, MD

Clinical Instructor

Dr. Milburn is a Clinical Instructor of Medicine and staff hospitalist in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Section of Hospital Medicine. He earned degrees in Biology and Chemistry before attending medical school at Florida Atlantic University. Following that, he completed his residency in internal medicine at West Virginia University’s Ruby Memorial Hospital, also serving as a clinical preceptor. He joined the University of Pittsburgh faculty in 2019. Dr. Milburn has active interest in Internal Medicine and has also conducted and presented research related to autoimmune disorders

Margaret Moreland, MD

Dr. Moreland is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine and staff hospitalist in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Section of Hospital Medicine. She attended West Virginia University School of Medicine. She is Board Certified in IM and Pediatrics. She has received many award and recognitions throughout her career,. She has many hobbies including gardening, traveling, reading and hiking.

Ayman Omara, MD

Clinical Instructor

Dr. Omara 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 Cairo University and joined the University of Pittsburgh faculty in 2019. Dr. Omara comes to the team with an extensive background and experience in cardiology, critical care, general practice, and rural health. He has also served on humanitarian missions and as a member of Patient Doctor New Era, an organization devoted to providing quality medical service with an emphasis on the spirit of medical volunteerism and creative innovations.

Ashish Patel, MD

Krupa Patel, MD

Ann Perrin, MD, MPH

Clinical Assistant Professor

Dr. Perrin is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine and staff hospitalist in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Section of Hospital Medicine. She earned an MPH from Boston University and her medical degree from St. Louis University before completing her residency at Oregon Health and Science University. Dr. Perrin joined the University of Pittsburgh faculty in 2016 and spends the majority of her clinical time teaching residents. In addition, she volunteers her time facilitating small groups at the medical school. Her interests include high value care, quality improvement, and prevention of hospital acquired VTE.

Raghunandan Purushothaman, MD

Clinical Instructor

Dr. Purushothaman is a Clinical Instructor of Medicine who joined the Division of General Internal Medicine, Section of Hospital Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh in 2017. Before that, he attended medical school at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences before completing his residency at the University of Arkansas. In his final year of residency he served as the program’s representative for the hospital’s infection control team. He also co-founded the Society for Enhanced Health and Access to Treatments (SEHAT) in 2013, which promotes the control of non-communicable diseases in India. He conducts research related to this area, with a co-authored publication on the effectiveness of community health in controlling cardiovascular disease in LMIC that appeared recently in Global Heart, and a design of a cluster randomized controlled trials to study the same issue in India which was published in the American Heart Journal. Since joining UPMC, his time is mainly spent caring for socially and medically complex health plan patients. His clinical interests include point-of-care ultrasound in the hospitalized patient, bedside procedures and high value care. Dr. Purushothaman also teaches point-of-care ultrasound to residents and faculty in various settings and currently directs the point-of-care ultrasound elective for internal medicine residents.

Qiaochu Qi, MD, PhD

Clinical Assistant Professor

Dr. Qi is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine and staff hospitalist in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Section of Hospital Medicine. She attended Weill Cornell Medical College In New York after receiving a Masters in Public Health in Epidemiology from Yale School of Public Health in New Haven, CT. She received many scholarships & awards including Provost award in 2012. Her career will focus on Women in Medicine. She is fluent in Mandarin. She enjoys cooking and reading.

Siddique Qurashi, MD

Sinthana Ramsey, DO

Clinical Assistant Professor

Sinthana Ramsey is a graduate of the University of Florida where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Nutritional Sciences with dual minors in Chemistry and Education. She then attended Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine for medical school. Upon completing her medical degree, she did her residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Presbyterian-Shadyside. She then spent two years as a hospitalist physician before joining the Ohio State University for a Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship. She is currently holding a joint position as Clinical Assistant Professor in Palliative Medicine and Hospital Medicine at UPMC while pursuing a master’s degree in medical education. Her clinical interests include furthering palliative medicine integration with chronic non-malignant diseases and graduate medical education. Her most recent publication is as second author for the article, “Top Ten Tips Palliative Clinicians Should Know About End Stage Liver Disease.”

Rachna Rawal, MD

Clinical Assistant Professor

Dr. Rawal is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine who joined the Division of General Internal Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh in 2019. She attended medical school at the University of Illinois at Chicago before completing her residency at St. Louis University, serving as Chief Resident from 2018-2019. She has extensive research and presentation experience, with a special interest in value-based healthcare and patient-reported outcomes. Her current research interest is in monotherapy sliding scale insulin use in the hospital. Dr. Rawal is also experienced in medical resident education, having previously served as a course developer for medical students and residents at St. Louis University teaching high-value care quality improvement and mindful lab ordering. She is also a faculty member of the Physicians in Training Committee for Society of Hospital Medicine and serves as the editor for the Future Hospitalist Roundup (a quarterly newsletter for trainees) and she is a member of the SGIM Quality Improvement and Safety Committee. In addition to her clinical and teaching responsibilities, she continues to promote high-value care within the hospital.

Evan Sacolick, MD

Clinical Assistant Professor

Dr. Evan Sacolick is a hospitalist, board-certified in Internal Medicine with six years of experience. Evan grew up in Fort Lee, New Jersey and after earning his B.S. in Health Sciences from Quinnipiac University in Connecticut in 2008; he went on to attend Saint Louis University School of Medicine in Missouri and earned his MD in 2012. In 2015, Evan completed his internship and residency at Boston University/Boston Medical Center. He then joined its Hospitalist Medicine Unit where he worked on the teaching service and with PAs on the direct care/observation unit for two years. Next he headed west to San Francisco in 2017 where he worked as a hospitalist for four years at California Pacific Medical Center – Davies Campus, a tertiary stroke center. While there he took on many projects including becoming the scheduler and on a COVID-19 research project to help determine risk factors that predict severe disease. Evan is thrilled to join UPMC in 2021 as both a hospitalist and the Lead Physician for Team Structure and Logistics, in which he hopes to streamline the scheduling process and its distribution in addition to the further development of the group.

Tabinda Saleem, MD

Amjad Sattout, MD

Michael Simonson, MD

Clinical Instructor

Dr. Simonson 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 Sidney Kimmel Medical College, earning the Sokoloff Award for Excellence in Clinical and Diagnostic Skills, before completing his residency at UPMC. Dr. Simonson joined the University of Pittsburgh as a Fellow in 2019, and spends the majority of his clinical time on the inpatient wards with internal medicine housestaff teams. His clinical interests include the management of medically complex patients, optimization of multidisciplinary care, and perioperative medicine. Dr. Simonson is actively involved in research on medical education, specifically curriculum development and assessment, the use of social media in medical education, and evaluation of quality improvement efforts. He also directs the preoperative medication management curriculum for internal medicine residents and is the co-creator of @MedEdPGH, an educational Twitter account used for promoting clinical reasoning skills and evidence-based medicine.

Danica Smith, DO

Clinical Assistant Professor

Dr. Smith is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine and staff hospitalist in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Section of Hospital Medicine. She earned her medical degree from Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine before completing her internal medicine residency at Kent Hospital. After serving as Chief Resident from 2011-2012, she joined the Kent Hospital and Brown University faculties where she taught rheumatology in addition to being the Continuing Medical Education Director. She joined the University of Pittsburgh faculty in 2018. In addition to her clinical responsibilities, she has research interests in cost-conscious healthcare, including topics outlined in the Choosing Wisely Campaign and Things We Do For No Reason Series. She also recently presented on chest pain admissions based on HEART scores.

Benjamin Sprague, MD

Clinical Instructor

Dr. Sprague is a Clinical Instructor of Medicine and staff hospitalist in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Section of Hospital Medicine. He completed both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in biomedical engineering at the University of Wisconsin–Madison before earning his medical degree from Pitt, during which he was a Doris Duke Clinical Research Fellow and earned a Certificate of Clinical Research in the Clinical Trials Research Track from the ICRE. He then completed his internal medicine residency at UPMC, serving as Chief Medical Resident of Quality & Safety at the VA Pittsburgh from 2016-2017. He also volunteered at the Birmingham Free Clinic and served in several leadership roles, including vice president of academics for the medical school’s Student Executive Council, the American Medical Student Association National Office’s Academy Officer and Director, and the student representative to the NBME’s Advisory Committee for Medical School Programs. He has experience teaching medical students as a small group instructor and facilitator, and has delivered presentations at the American Heart Association and the Biomedical Engineering Society.

Tara Sunder, MD

Clinical Instructor

Dr. Sunder is a Clinical Instructor of Medicine and staff hospitalist in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Section of Hospital Medicine. She attended Creighton University School of Medicine before completing her internal medicine residency at the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. While in residency, she pursued the Medical Education Pathway and served on both the Patient Centered Rounds Workgroup Committee and Peer Review Committee. She joined the University of Pittsburgh faculty in 2019. Dr. Sunder’s clinical interests include working with residents and advanced practice providers on inpatient services, transitions of care, and patient education.

John Szymusiak, MD, MS

Assistant Professor

John Szymusiak, MD, MS, FAAP is an Assistant Professor. He graduated from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in 2011 and then completed a residency in Internal Medicine–Pediatrics at UPMC, serving as Chief Resident from 2014-2015. After residency, he completed the UPMC Academic Clinician-Educator Scholar (ACES) Fellowship in the Medicine-Pediatrics track, joining the faculty ranks after graduation. He currently serves as a Med-Peds hospitalist, caring for hospitalized adults at UPMC Presbyterian-Shadyside and hospitalized children at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.

Dr. Szymusiak is highly respected for his clinical, research, and educational skills. He has developed several curricula, including a patient safety curriculum for senior residents at CHP. He teaches medical students and residents in a variety of settings and has been recognized with teaching awards at both the medical student and residency level. His research has been supported by DGIM and the Shadyside Hospital Foundation and has been presented at national meetings of the American Academy of Pediatrics and SGIM, among others. He is an active citizen, having served as president of his medical student association, as a member of several committees for the residency and CHP. He was elected a Fellow in the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2015.

In addition to his clinical responsibilities, Dr. Szymusiak also serves in several leadership roles, including Director of the Pediatric Clerkship at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Director of Pediatric Resident Education in Quality and Safety at UPMC Children’s, and Assistant Program Director of the UPMC Internal Medicine-Pediatrics residency program.

Alvin Thalappillil, MD

Clinical Assistant Professor

Dr. Thalappillil is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine and staff hospitalist in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Section of Hospital Medicine. He attended the University of Pittsburgh school of Medicine. His career has been focused on improvement in healthcare communication. He has been recognized for his effective inter-personal and professional communicational skills. He will focus his career on pursuing research in hospital industrial engineering.

Andrew Wickerham, MD, MPH, MBA

Clinical Assistant Professor

Andrew Wickerham is originally from the East End of Pittsburgh. He studied history at Colgate, then completed his MPH at Dartmouth, focusing on health policy and clinical practice improvement. At Tulane he completed his MD and MBA and gained experience in quality improvement project development, implementation, and reporting. He returned to Pittsburgh in 2021 after four years in training and practice at Temple in Philadelphia, where he collaborated on new curricula in health systems sciences and professional development, and served as a chief resident and clinical instructor.

Katherine Willoughby, MD

Clinical Assistant Professor

Dr. Willoughby attended medical school at the University of Alabama before completing her internal medicine and women’s health residency at UPMC Presbyterian. She joined the Division of General Internal Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh in 2013, and currently works as both a nighttime and daytime hospitalist with the Section of Hospital Medicine. She is a talented educator who plays an active role on the teaching teams, serving as a faculty preceptor for internal medicine residents on their night float rotation and presenting several lectures for junior hospitalist residents. Her clinical and research interests focus primarily on women’s health, though she has also participated in projects related to quality improvement and resident curriculum.

Christopher Wynkoop, MD

Clinical Assistant Professor

Dr. Wynkoop is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine and staff hospitalist in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Section of Hospital Medicine. He received his Doctor of Medicine from Georgetown University in Washington DC and his BS from Notre Dame in South Bend, IN. He completed the medical education track designed and developed to enhance teaching skills for a career in academic medical education. He received many award and recognitions during his academic years. He enjoys music and sports as well as cooking and brewing beer in his spare time.

Dylan Yang, MD

Faculty, Non-ACGME Fellow

Advanced Practice Providers

Alexis Allan, PA-C

PA Specialist
412-692-4882

Kyle Abram, CRNP

CRNP Specialist
412-692-4882

Christine Grom, PA-C

PA Specialist
412-692-4882

Christine Grom is a Physician Assistant in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Section of Hospital Medicine. She earned a bachelor’s in Health Sciences and a master’s in Physician Assistant Studies from Duquesne University in 2016 and 2017, respectively. After graduation, she worked as a Hospitalist PA for Excela Health in Pennsylvania before joining UPMC’s hospitalist team in 2020. Christine’s philosophy of care centers on multidisciplinary collaboration, interpersonal communication, and empathetic, compassionate care.

Nathaniel Laroue, PA-C

PA Specialist
412-692-4882

Nate is a Physician Assistant in the Section of Hospital Medicine at UPMC Presbyterian. He earned a BS in Biology from University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg in 2012 and then his MS Physician Assistant Studies from Seton Hill University in 2019. Before joining the UPMC team in 2021, he worked as a staff paramedic and Emergency Medicine Physician Assistant. Nate’s clinical approach focuses on collaborative care with an emphasis on building strong rapport with patients and families.

Marcy Lindsay, PA-C

PA Supervisor
412-692-4882

Marcy Lindsay, PA-C, MS is a Physician Assistant in the Division of General Internal Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. She earned her MS at Seton Hill University. Marcy has over twelve years of clinical experience, including gastroenterology, chronic pain, orthopedic spinal conditions, and acute emergency care. She joined the University of Pittsburgh in 2018 and currently oversees the Section’s advanced practice provider schedule.

Shally Saini, CRNP

CRNP Specialist
412-692-4882

Michell Weber, CRNP

CRNP Specialist
412-692-4882

Tracey Willis, CRNP

CRNP Specialist
412-692-4882

Administrative Support

Adam Kramer

Director, Operations
412-232-5918

Tracey Townsend

Administrative Coordinator
412-692-4882

Presbyterian Team Structure

Academic Hospital Medicine

    • 7 traditional teaching teams, with the attending physician leading a team of one resident, two interns, an acting intern, and two third-year medical students
    • Attending physicians conduct daily teaching rounds in the afternoon and twice a week bedside rounds with their team
    • The educational goal is to develop residents with strong clinical, management, teaching and leadership skills
    • Residents work independently under close supervision, leading daily multidisciplinary and care coordination rounds

Junior Hospitalist Service

    • One attending physician leads a team of 3 second-year residents
    • The educational goal is to strengthen the clinical, management, and efficiency skills of our residents.
    • Daily teaching sessions centered around hospital medicine topics

Non-Teaching Service

    • Hospitalist Attending physicians and Advanced Practice Providers see patients independently
    • 2 teams that cover all patients not admitted to the main medical floors

Medicine Consults

    • 2 consult teams that provide 24/7 preoperative risk assessments for all surgical patients
    • Management of all medical conditions for the patients admitted to non-medical services
    • Co-management programs that enhance efficiency and quality of the patient’s discharge