Program Director’s Welcome
Program Director’s Welcome
Megna Khatri, MD
Program Director
Welcome to the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School Internal Medicine-Pediatrics Residency Program! From your first day of training, our goal is to help you become the best internist and pediatrician you can be. We are proud to be a true Med-Peds family, one where we teach, mentor, support, and guide each other through every step of residency. Our training and culture are built on three core principles: Education, Diversity, and Family.
Education is the foundation of our program. Our residents learn through rich clinical experiences across multiple sites, supported by a structured curriculum and faculty who are dedicated teachers and mentors. Our combined Med-Peds clinic is the heart of both our patient care and our teaching, providing continuity for our patients and a strong connection to the community we serve. Residents also gain extensive hands-on experience and exposure to a wide range of unique pathology. We encourage curiosity, scholarship, and growth so that every graduate leaves as a skilled physician and a lifelong learner.
Diversity is central to who we are, beginning with the city we call home. Newark is vibrant and diverse, and that diversity is reflected in our faculty and residents. Newark's population is 45.7% Black or African American and 37.6% Hispanic or Latinx, and caring for this community is one of the greatest privileges and rewards of training here. Our residents rotate through four distinct institutions: University Hospital, The Children's Hospital of New Jersey, the East Orange VA Medical Center, and Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center. Each offers its own healthcare environment and patient population, giving residents a remarkable breadth of learning and engagement. Together, these experiences prepare our graduates to care for patients of every age, background, and level of complexity with skill and compassion.
The greatest strength of our program, though, is our people, and that is what makes us a family. Each resident and faculty member brings unique talents and perspectives that help our program grow and improve each year. Our residents celebrate each other's professional and personal triumphs, offer encouragement during stressful times, and show up for one another in everything in between. That sense of community extends well beyond our own program. Our residents are closely integrated with the categorical Internal Medicine and Pediatrics programs, where they are frequently recognized with teaching awards and selected as Chief Residents in both departments. The friendships and professional bonds formed here last long after graduation.
Residency is a journey filled with both joy and challenge. Over the next four years, you will build meaningful relationships with your patients and their families, grow in knowledge and skill, and discover the deep fulfillment that comes from caring for people across the lifespan. Along the way, there will also be difficult days marked by loss, fatigue, and moments when things do not go as planned. You will never face those moments alone. Our faculty and your fellow residents will be by your side to cheer you on through every success and help you through every setback. As your Med-Peds family, we are committed to your wellbeing and your development, and we will hold you to the high standards our patients deserve. In turn, we ask that you bring curiosity, compassion, and your very best effort to each day. It is a privilege to be part of your training, and I look forward to watching you become the physician you are meant to be.
Megna Khatri, MD, FACP, FAAP
Internal Medicine-Pediatrics Residency Program Director
Assistant Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics
Biography
Dr. Megna Khatri is a proud New Jersey native who earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology from New York University. She then returned home to attend Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, where she also completed her residency training in the combined Internal Medicine-Pediatrics program. Deeply committed to the Newark community, Dr. Khatri stayed on at NJMS, where she practices as a Med-Peds hospitalist caring for both adults and children. Early in her career, she was actively involved in medical student education through a variety of preceptorship and clerkship roles. That work sparked her passion for graduate medical education and led to her appointment as Associate Program Director and later as Program Director of the Internal Medicine-Pediatrics Residency Program. Her interests center on hospital medicine, medical education, and compassionate, community-centered care.
