Ana Natale-Pereira, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine
Director, Division of General Internal Medicine
Assistant Dean for Primary Care and Community Initiatives
Faculty Profile
Dr. Natale received her MD degree from Rutgers-NJMS, and an MPH in Urban Health Administration from the Rutgers-School of Public Health. She completed her residency in internal medicine, and served as Chief Resident, at University Hospital-NJMS.
Dr. Natale has been a faculty member of Rutgers-NJMS since graduation from residency, serving many roles. As the Division Chief for General Internal Medicine since 2012, Dr. Natale leads a Division of more than 30 faculty members, responsible for both inpatient and outpatient clinical services provided at University Hospital. She continues to teach medical students and residents in both inpatient and outpatient rotations. In addition to her clinical responsibilities, Dr. Natale serves as a board member of the Greater Newark Health Care Coalition, president-elect of the Medical Staff governing council of University Hospital, and chair of the UH Quality Steering Committee. In her role as the Assistant Dean for Primary Care and Community Initiatives, leads the strategic integration of Community Engagement, Research, and Education.
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General Medicine/Primary Care
Suzanne Atkin, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine
Faculty Profile
Dr. Atkin graduated from Cornell University, the College of Arts and Sciences, where she received her BA and then attended New Jersey Medical School where she received both her MD degree and completed her residency training in Internal Medicine. Dr. Atkin became the Associate Director of the ED in University Hospital in 1992 and has held numerous administrative and academic positions, both at UH and NJMS. She was honored by her colleagues in 1999 when she was elected the first woman president of the UH Medical Staff and was also the Chief Medical Officer of UH. Also held the post of Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs at NJMS from 2005 to 2013. She sees patients regularly in the UH outpatient Internal Medicine Practice and teaches medical students and internal medicine residents. She is a fellow in the American College of Physicians and the American College of Emergency Physicians.
Manasa Ayyala, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Faculty Profile
Dr. Ayyala is an Assistant Professor of Medicine who joins the Division of General Internal Medicine as a Primary Care Physician. She earned both her undergraduate (Magna Cum Laude) and Medical Degree at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. Dr. Ayyala completed her Residency training at the Rhode Island Hospital/Alpert Medical School of Brown University, and a Fellowship in General Internal Medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Her research focuses on medical student and resident education on community engagement to better understand and integrate health equity and social determinants of health. She is Board Certified in Internal Medicine.
Dhvani Doshi, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Faculty Profile
Dr. Doshi is an Assistant Professor of Medicine who joins the Division of General Internal Medicine as a Primary Care Physician. She earned her Bachelor's Degree from Rutgers University, New Brunswick and her Medical Degree from UMDNJ-RWJMS. She simultaneously achieved an MPH from Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia. Dr. Doshi completed her Internal Medicine Residency at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, in the well-recognized Primary Care Track. While in school and training, Dr. Doshi was inducted in the Gold Humanism Honor Society, and received the Silver Apple Resident Teaching Award. Following her training, she worked in the Settlement Health Clinic, an FQHC in NYC, as a primary care physician; and continue on to Maryland, where she worked as a hospitalist at the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore. Her research focus has been lung cancer screening in primary care, quality improvement and community outreach. Dr. Doshi is Board Certified in Internal Medicine.
Alla Fayngersh, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Director, Medicine Clerkship
Faculty Profile
Dr. Fayngersh completed her medical degree at University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry and moved to New York City to for internal medicine training at Mt. Sinai Hospital and Medical Center. Dr. Fayngersh began her career at Englewood Hospital in New Jersey where she worked for 8 years, becoming the Associate Program Director and Site Director for medical student education. Her commitment to academics and teaching led her to join NJMS, where she continues to have many roles including Assistant Professor in Medicine, Resident Preceptor in the Ambulatory Care Center, and Medicine Clerkship Director for medical students. As an active member in the medical school at NJMS and nationally through the Association of American Medical Colleges, Dr. Fayngersh is a leader in the development of medical school curricula and student performance assessment using innovative tools. Dr. Fayngersh is a great asset to our institution as she guides trainees in both inpatient and outpatient settings to not only learn from her clinical skills and vast medical knowledge but to synthesize complex medical information in an accurate and concise manner.
Robert Fede, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Faculty Profile
Dr. Fede received his medical degree from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, formerly (UMDNJ) and completed his residency training in Internal Medicine at University Hospital. He joined the faculty of Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in 1991, and has since been working as an assistant professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine. He is active in the medical education of students and residents. Dr. Fede is a native of Newark, NJ.
Mirela Feurdean, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Program Director, Internal Medicine Residency Program
Faculty Profile
Emily Gordon, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Faculty Profile
Dr. Gordon received her medical degree from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in 2009 and completed a residency in Social Internal Medicine and Primary Care at Montefiore Medical Center, earning board certification in Internal Medicine. She joined the faculty at New Jersey Medical School in 2012 and currently provides primary care to patients at the clinic affiliated with University Hospital, in addition to precepting Internal Medicine residents in their primary care clinic. She is the director for the Urban Health track within the residency program. Her favorite part of her job is running the Resident Seminar in Reflective Medicine. Her clinical and research interests include physician wellness, narrative medicine, and treatment of opioid use disorder in primary care.
Iris Herrera, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine
CMIO University Hospital
Faculty Profile
Dr. Iris Herrera completed her Internal Medicine Program at Bronx Lebanon Hospital, she is an associate professor of Internal Medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. She is the Chief Medical Information Officer for University Hospital. Born in the Dominican Republic, she immigrated to Newark, NJ at the age of nine. Her experiences growing up in Newark served as a catalyst for working in areas where her cultural background is an asset in better serving the community. It's wonderful to be able to communicate with a patient in their native language.
Michael Jaker, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine
Faculty Profile
A graduate of Tufts University School of Medicine, Dr. Jaker started working at New Jersey Medical School/University Hospital in 1979. He for many years worked on both the inpatient service of the Department of Medicine and also the University Hospital Emergency Department. A Diplomate of both the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Emergency Medicine, he has continued for 40 years to provide medical care for acutely ill or injured patients, teach medical students and residents. Dr. Jaker is proud to have been a faculty member of New Jersey Medical school and continues to feel committed to the goals of our institution: patient care, contribution to the community served by University Hospital, teaching and training our students and residents and academic research.
Neil Kothari, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine
Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education
DIO
Faculty Profile
Dr. Kothari earned his BA in 1996 from Columbia University, and his MD from UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School in 2000. He completed residency training at Bellevue Hospital/New York University Medical Center from 2000 to 2003, and then served as Chief Medical Resident at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center from 2003 to 2004.
He joined NJMS in 2004 and was appointed Associate Program Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program. From 2008 to 2010, Dr. Kothari served as Co-Course Director of Physician?s Core, the 2 year pre-clerkship course that teaches students the ?art? of medicine including interviewing skills, physical diagnosis, ethics, humanism, and cultural awareness. From 2010 to 2016, he was Program Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program, greatly improving the program's academic reputation, scholarly output, and fellowship match. During his tenure he also served as Vice-Chair for Education in the Department of Medicine. In 2013 he was appointed Assistant Dean for Graduate Medical Education (GME), and then promoted to Associate Dean for GME in 2016.
Dr. Kothari has been the recipient of several teaching honors, including 5 Golden Apple Awards, the Internal Medicine Residency Program Faculty Teaching Award, and the Foundation of UMDNJ Excellence in Teaching Award. In addition, he has been inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society and the Master Educators' Guild.
Daniel Matassa, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Associate Program Director, Internal Medicine Residency Program
Faculty Profile
Dr. Matassa is an Assistant Professor of Medicine who joins the Division of General Internal Medicine as the Associate Program Director for the Internal Medicine Residency Program, and as Primary Care Physician. He completed his Bachelor of Arts in Biology at La Salle University in Philadelphia, where he graduated Maxima Cum Laude, and received his Medical Degree at UMDNJ in Newark, NJ, where he was awarded the Humanism Scholarship Award, the Jacob Dreskin Award, and was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Society. Dr. Matassa completed his Residency in Internal Medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and was also Chief Resident. As a resident, he received multiple Golden Apple Nominations for his teaching performance, as well as Intern of the month recognition in multiple occasions. Dr. Matassa is Board Certified in Internal Medicine.
Dennis Quinlan, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine
Deputy Chairman, Department of Medicine, Rutgers NJMS
Chief of Medical Service, VANJHCS
Faculty Profile
Undergraduate-Villanova University (Biology). 1965. Medical School-College of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey MD June,1969. Residency-Internal Medicine-University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-(1969-1971,1973-1974). United States Air Force-Major, 1971-1973. Faculty-UMDNJ, Department of Medicine(1974-Present). Associate Professor. Rutgers-New Jersey Medical School, (July 1,2013-Present). Deputy Chairman, Department of Medicine. Chief of Medical Service-VANJHCS, (January,2003-Present).
Maria Soto-Greene, MD
Vice Dean and Professor of Medicine
Director, Hispanic Center of Excellence (HCOE)
Faculty Profile
Dr. Maria Soto-Greene is Professor and Executive Vice Dean at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School (NJMS). She has amassed over 30 years of experience in all aspects of medical education. Initially, Dr. Soto-Greene focused on the care of the critically ill patient, honing in on the significance of physician/patient communication, and the impact on vulnerable patients and their loved ones. These experiences, combined with her own life in a family which was uninsured and educationally and economically disadvantaged, influenced her to champion initiatives for individuals from similar backgrounds. Dr. Soto-Greene is committed to advancing the school’s health equity and social justice education with the goal of attaining health equity. Dr. Soto-Greene has been continuously funded by federal and private agencies since the early 1990’s and has passionately worked to create unequaled opportunity for thousands of Hispanic and other individuals under-represented in medicine and science. These programs support individuals beginning at the pre-college level through medical school faculty, contributing to career advancement and cultivating the next generation of champions for social justice. Equally important, she has been a leader in disseminating best practices to other medical schools. Dr. Soto-Greene is a past Chair for the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Group on Diversity and Inclusion and a past President of the Hispanic-Serving Health Professions Schools (HSHPS). She has been the proud recipient of numerous awards recognizing her contributions to advancing diversity in medical education and faculty including being named for the AAMC 2019 Herbert W. Nickens Award. However, her greatest pride is routed in her identity as a Latina (Puerto Rican).
Dr. Soto-Greene received her B.S. degree in Medical Technology from Douglass College. She received her M.D. degree from the New Jersey Medical School, completed her internal medicine training at University Hospital, and her Masters in Health Professions Education at the MGH Institute of Health Professions. She is a board certified internist.
Yolette Sterling-Jean, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Faculty Profile
Dr. Yolette Sterling-Jean earned her medical degree from Universite D'Etat in Port au Prince, Haiti. She went on to do her internship at LaGuardia Hospital in Queens before completing her internal medicine residency at St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx. After finishing residency, she did a hematology/oncology fellowship at Seton Hall University - St. Joseph's Hospital in Paterson, NJ. Serving mainly as a primary care provider, Dr. Sterling uses her hematology/oncology background to help provide high-quality care to the Newark population. Her fluency in Haitian Creole makes her an added asset for providing care to the local Haitian community. Dr. Sterling also serves as a preceptor for residents in clinic, as well as a teaching attending for residents on floors.
Alan Y Tso, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Faculty Profile
Dr. Tso graduated from SUNY Upstate Medical Center at Syracuse and completed his combined internal medicine and pediatrics residency in Baystate Medical Center in Springfield Mass. He was also the Medical Director in the Charles B Wang Community Health Center and the Associate Director of Primary Care with the New Year University Student Health Center. Before joining Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Dr. Tso was the lead physician in Mt. Sinai Beth Israel in Internal Medicine Residency Program. In 2017, Dr. Tso received the Cullman Family Award ranking in the top 1% nationally in provider communication.
Luis Alzate-Duque, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics
Faculty Profile
Luis Alzate-Duque received his medical degree from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in 2014 and completed his medical residency training in combined Internal Medicine/Pediatric at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in 2018. He completed an Academic Medicine Fellowship through the Hispanic Center of Excellence at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and is currently completing his Master's in Public Health with a focus in Urban Public Health. He is focusing on cancer care disparity research in Latino communities. His interests include research on health disparities in primary care, community outreach and engagement of underserved populations, and urban public health. He is an Assitant Professor of Medicine with Rutgers NJMS.
Gipsa Joseph, MD
Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics
Faculty Profile
Dr. Joseph received her Bachelor's degree in biology from St. John's University in Queens, NY. She then went on to receive her medical degree from Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit and stayed on at Wayne State to complete her internal medicine-pediatrics residency. A recent addition to the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School family, Dr. Joseph brings with her the experience of working in a busy urban center in Detroit, as well as a dedication to service to the community and education of house staff. Dr. Joseph serves as teaching attending for both internal medicine and pediatrics services during the year.
Vidhi Kapoor, MD
Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics
Faculty Profile
Dr. Kapoor did her medical school education at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. She stayed here for residency in internal medicine and pediatrics, staying on to serve as chief resident. After spending two years working as a hospitalist at Robert Wood Johnson, Dr. Kapoor returned to Rutgers NJMS this year. She is board certified in both internal medicine and pediatrics. In addition to her interest in transitions of care, she is passionate about global health and has gone on multiple medical mission trips. To that end, she worked as part of the Global Health faculty at Robert Wood Johnson. A recent graduate of this program, Dr. Kapoor brings both her familiarity with University Hospital and her clinical expertise, in addition to her friendly demeanor that made her a favorite as a chief resident.
Aleksey Tentler, MD
Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine & Pediatrics
Director of Educational Informatics
Faculty Profile
Dr. Tentler received a Master's degree in Computer Science and Medical Informatics from the Rochester Institute of Technology, followed by an MD with distinction in research from the University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry. He then went on for residency training in Internal Medicine & Pediatrics at the Rutgers (formerly UMDNJ) New Jersey Medical School (NJMS) in Newark, followed by a year as Chief Resident, specializing in quality improvement and simulation training. During that year he also became double-board-certified in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics.
He then joined the NJMS faculty, working as a physician-educator and was soon appointed as the school's Director of Educational Informatics. He is also a director of several courses for second-year medical students, a longitudinal Learning Community mentor for medical students, and director of several fourth-year informatics-related electives. His clinical responsibilities include outpatient primary care at the Med-Peds Resident Clinic and inpatient coverage shifts at the University Hospital. He is also involved in the clinical informatics committees at the University Hospital. His academic areas of interest include quality improvement, clinical informatics, medical education and educational informatics.
Kristin Wong, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine & Pediatrics
Program Director, Internal Medicine Pediatrics Residency Program
Faculty Profile
Dr. Kristin Wong is practicing physician treating children and adults. She received her medical degree from University of Kansas School of Medicine. After a combined Internal Medicine and Pediatrics residency at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Dr. Wong served as Chief Resident for Medicine-Pediatrics. She stayed an additional year as Chief Resident for Internal Medicine. She is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Pediatrics. Since 2015, she has been the Medicine Pediatrics Program Director, in this role, she oversees the clinical training of the combined residency program, educating and training residents and medical students as they participate in electives and rotations within the division.
Sanaa Bdiiwi, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Faculty Profile
Dr. Bdiiwi received her medical degree from the University of Tishreen in Syria. She came to the United States and completed her residency at Coney Island Hospital. After working for many years at Coney Island Hospital, Dr. Bdiiwi came to Rutgers New Jersey Medical School to work as an academic hospitalist. In addition to her busy inpatient clinical service, Dr. Bdiiwi works frequently with the residents, helping educate and guide them during their medical consult and admission rotation as third-year residents.
Jacquelyn Bradley, DO
Instructor
Faculty Profile
Dr. Bradley attended Rowan School of Osteopathic Medicine and completed her residency at New York Medical College- Westchester Medical Center. She is board certified in Internal Medicine and a member of the American Osteopathic Medicine and American College of Physicians. Since 2017, Dr. Bradley has been an academic hospitalist at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. Her primary interest within medicine are providing high- quality evidence- based clinical care and enjoys teaching residents and medical students.
Dorothy Castro, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Faculty Profile
Dr. Castro completed her Bachelor of Arts in Biology and Spanish Literature at Cornell University. She received an MPH from Boston University School of Public Health. She earned her medical degree from New Jersey Medical School and stayed to complete a Residency in Internal Medicine. Dr. Castro works as an academic hospitalist and is part of the teaching faculty for residents in Internal Medicine. She is board certified in Internal Medicine.
Chetankumar Chauhan, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Faculty Profile
Dr. Chauhan is an Assistant Professor of Medicine who joins the Division of General Internal Medicine as a Hospitalist. Dr. Chauhan received his medical degree from Smt. N.H.L. Municipal Medical College in India, Dr. Chauhan went on to complete an MPH in Epidemiology and Biostatistics at New York Medical College. He completed his residency training at McLaren Regional Medical Center at Michigan State University in 2012, and began working as an Attending Physician with the Saint Francis Medical Group of the University of Connecticut, as well as a Hospitalist in the Charlotte Hungerford Hospital in Torrington, CT. In his free time he contributes as an Academic Hospitalist at Trinitas Regional Medical Center, here in Elizabeth, NJ.
Igor Eyzner, DO
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Faculty Profile
Dr. Eyzner is an Assistant Professor of Medicine, who works in the Division of General Medicine as a hospitalist. He completed his undergraduate studies at New York University and received his medical degree from the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Eyzner completed his residency training in internal medicine at New Jersey Medical School, and is board certified in internal medicine. His areas of interest include hospital medicine, quality improvement, and resident education.
Enoc Fernandez, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Faculty Profile
Dr. Fernandez received his medical degree from Ponce School of Medicine and completed residency training in Internal Medicine at Rutgers- NJMS. After graduation, he stayed on to join the faculty as part of the Division of General Internal Medicine where he focuses on delivering high-quality patient-centered care in the inpatient setting. He has continued in his role as clinician-educator and the residents enjoy having him on floors as an attending. Additionally, he serves as a preceptor for medicine consults and admissions when residents rotate with him during their third year.
Mandeep Kaur, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Faculty Profile
Dr. Kaur received her bachelor's degree in Biology from Hunter College City University of NY. She then went to St George's University School of medicine, Grenada where she received her MD degree. She completed her Internal Medicine Residency at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai-Queens HospitalCenter. She was one of the chief residents at her program and then continued to work at the same institution as an attending physician. Dr Kaur came to Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in April 2019 and has been working in the Division of General Internal Medicine as a hospitalist.
Maninderpal Kaur, MD
Clinical Instructor of Medicine
Faculty Profile
Dr. Kaur is a Clinical Instructor at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. She received her bachelor's degree in Economics from New York University, and her medical degree from St. George University. She completed her residency in Internal Medicine at Rogers Williams Medical Center in Rhode Island. Dr. Kaur is currently a hospitalist within the Division of General Internal Medicine.
Htay Htay Kyi, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Faculty Profile
Dr. Htay graduated from the University of Medicine 1 in Myanmar. She completed her residency training at Hurley Medical Center/Michigan State University. Dr. Kyi recently joined the faculty of Rutgers New Jersey Medical School- Division of General Internal Medicine as a hospitalist and a clinical instructor. Her areas of interest include quality improvement and community outreach. During her spare time, she loves nature and traveling.
Sunil Patel, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Hospitalist Medical Director
Faculty Profile
Dr. Patel completed his medical degree at the University of the West Indies and his internal medicine residency at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. Additionally, he is board certified in hospice and palliative medicine. He joined the faculty after completing his residency and currently serves as an internist in the Division of General Internal Medicine whose mission is delivering high-quality primary care to the diverse patients of Newark. He educates the third-year residents on consultation skills during the medicine admission and consultation rotation. He serves as an attending on general medicine floors where he models skills necessary to be a successful internist in a busy urban hospital. As an active member of the hospital administration, he serves on several committees focusing on patient care, quality improvement and patient safety. His clinical interest are in general medicine and geriatrics and he is a member of the Society of Hospital Medicine.
Nipun Suri, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Faculty Profile
Dr. Suri is an assistant professor of Rutgers, New Jersey Medical School, where he currently works as a nocturnist. He received his medical degree at Howard University College of Medicine. He completed his residency training at the University of Southern California. Since 2018, Dr. Suri has been an attending physician at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.
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Occupational and Preventive Medicine
Shaun Shahani, DO, MPH
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Director, Occupational Medicine Service
Faculty Profile
Dr. Shaun Shahani is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine and Director of Occupational Medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School (NJMS). He is double board certified in both Preventive Medicine and Occupational Medicine. Originally from California, Dr. Shahani completed a dual degree program at Touro University California, where he obtained his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine and Master of Public Health degrees. After graduating from the Preventive Medicine Residency at Rutgers NJMS, Dr. Shahani worked for four years as an Occupational Medicine Physician at Hackensack Meridian Health. His clinical and research interests include the Workers' Compensation system, Tobacco Cessation, and Aerospace / Aviation Medicine.
Pauline Thomas, MD
Professor of Medicine
Director, Preventive Medicine Residency
Faculty Profile
Dr. Polly Thomas has practiced public health, pediatrics, and preventive medicine in NYC and in NJ for over 30 years. She started as an EIS officer with CDC, then researched the epidemiology of pediatric HIV, supervised HIV surveillance and the establishment of the World Trade Center Health Registry with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and now oversees preventive medicine training at NJMS as well as maintaining a part time practice in Pediatrics. She received her medical degree from Yale Medical School. She is board certified in Pediatrics and Preventive Medicine. Her areas of interest include Public Health, Public Health Practice, Preventive Medicine, Lifestyle Medicine, Pediatrics, Climate and Health, HIV.
