Faculty

Academic Leadership
Anatomy
Behavioral Science
Biochemistry
Biostatistics
Chemistry
Clinical Science
Genetics
Introduction to Clinical Medicine and Physical Diagnosis (ICMPD)
Medical Communications
Medical Librarian
Microbiology and Immunology
Neuroscience
Pathology
Pharmacology
Physiology
USMLE Review Course
Visiting Faculty

Chief Academic Officer

Arun Kumar Dubey,MBBS, MD

Dr. Arun Kumar Dubey is a Physician, Clinical Pharmacologist and an Administrator by training. After completing his MBBS degree from Guwahati Medical College in India, Dr. Dubey completed three years of Residency in Clinical Pharmacology at Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE).

Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of Clinical Sciences

Richard George Pestell,MB, BS, MD, PhD, MBA, FRACP, FACP, FRS (Medicine), FAAAS

rpestellmd@xusom.com

Dr. Pestell received an M.B.B.S. from the University of Western Australia, an F.R.A.C.P. (Endocrinology and Oncology training), an M.D. and a Ph.D. from the University of Melbourne, an F.A.C.P. (Fellow American College of Physicians), and an M.B.A. from New York University. He has been in executive leadership at USA Universities and Medical Centers since 2002.

He completed Post Doctoral studies at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital. He was subsequently faculty at Northwestern University Medical School, Professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and Chairman of the Department of Oncology at Georgetown University and Associate Vice President at Georgetown University Medical School. He has previously Executive Vice President of Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia. He has served as Director of two NCI-designated Cancer Centers (Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, 2002-2015), founded two biotechnology companies and is the author of multiple issued patents.

He is concurrently Distinguished Professor, Translational Medical Research, and the President of the Pennsylvania Cancer and Regenerative Medicine Research Center at the Baruch S. Blumberg Institute.

He has received a number of awards for his work in clinical activity, research and education in Medicine including elected membership to the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Elected Member, American Society for Clinical Investigation, Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, Doctor Honoris Causa, University of Western Australia, Doctorus Honorus Causa Medical Science from University of Melbourne, RD Wright Medallion, and the Eric Sussman Prize.

Dr Pestell’s work has more than 56,700 citations and an H-index of 129, i10 index 413 (https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=RYlsfBQAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao). He is top ranked by Google Scholar for his areas of research including: cell cycle (#1), prostate cancer (#1), Oncology (#6) and Breast cancer (#7)

Associate Dean of General Professional Education

Shawn Cannon,D.O., FACOI

Dr. Shawn Cannon is the Chief Academic Officer, Stony Brook Medicine at Southampton Hospital. He started his medical studies at NYIT-College of Osteopathic Medicine, in an accelerated program. He earned his B.S and D.O. degrees in seven years. From there he studied medicine at the University Hospital for the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center in the City of New York. At Montefiore, he served as chief resident in the Department of Social Internal Medicine. He is a board certified osteopathic internist with sub-specialty boards in Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Dr. Cannon is currently studying at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec in the International Master’s for Health Leadership (IMHL). He is expected to finish his master’s curriculum in August 2018. He is also and active member of the American Osteopathic Association of Addiction Medicine and the American Society of Addiction Medicine. He is currently serving on the Board of the American Osteopathic Directors of Medical Education (AODME) as it transitions into an assembly of the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM). He founded the Residency Program in Social Medicine at Southmpton to ensure medial students and residents were being educated in the fields of medicine that are acutely affecting citizens of the United States.

Dean of Basic Science

Shankhar Majhi,MBBS, MD

smajhimd@xusom.com

Dr. Majhi completed his medical school training at VSS Medical College, Sambalpur, and Orissa. After completing his M.D. in Biochemistry, and a Senior Residency in JIPMER, Dr. Majhi moved to Nepal. During his time in Nepal, he became a founding Professor of Biochemistry in a new Medical College and also worked as an editor of the medical journal, NMCJ.

Dean of Pre-med Program

Kevin Pawlak,PhD

kpawlakphd@xusom.com

Dr. Kevin Pawlak received his Ph.D in Biology from the University of Western Ontario in Canada. He was nominated for a Teaching Assistant award twice, first in 2005 and again in 2006. He has numerous publications and has given many presentations, and has served as a supervisor to many students.

Assistant Dean of Clinical Science

Sergey Kunkov,MD, MS, MBA

skunkovmd@xusom.com

Dr. Kunkov graduated with his Medical Degree from the Pediatric Medical Academy in St. Petersburg, Russia. He then went on to complete his pediatric residency at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York in 1999. He pursued his interest in pediatric emergency medicine, and in 2002 completed his pediatric EM fellowship at Jacobi Medical Center- Albert Einstein College of Medicine. In 2005 he graduated from Albert Einstein College of Medicine with his MS Degree in Clinical Research Methods. Since 2010 he has been the Director of the Pediatric Emergency Medicine Department at Stony Brook University.

Clinical Chair of Family Medicine

Ahmad Abazid,MD

abazidmd@xusom.com

Dr. Ahmad graduated from Aleppo University School of Medicine in 2004. After that he became the Assistant Medical Director at Carolina Medical Lab before he started a family medicine residency in Wichita Falls, Texas in 2007. During his last year he was Chief Resident. Upon completion of his residency, he became core faculty. At that time he was the Vice Chairman and then the Family Medicine Department Chairman at United Regional Health Care System. In 2016, he and his family moved to New York so his wife could begin her OB residency. He has practiced as a hospitalist in LIJ Medical Center and North Shore University Hospital, and practiced urgent care in Brooklyn. His passion for academia led him to start a geriatric fellowship at State University of New York, Downstate Brooklyn.

Chair of Curriculum Committee, Associate Professor of Physiology

Gopikumar Shivaramaiah,MBBS, MD

gshivaramaiahmd@xusom.com

Dr. Kumar earned his M.B.B.S. from Bangalore Medical College in Bengaluru. Following that, he received his M.D. in Physiology from Rajarajeswari Medical College and Hospital. He is a life member of two scientific organizations: Association of Physiologists and Pharmacologists of India (APPI) and Indian Medical Association (IMA).

Assistant Dean of Student Affairs

Narasimha Prasad Vijayashankar,MD

nvijayashankarmd@xusom.com
Dr. Vijayshankar earned his MD in Pharmacology from Manipur University. He has given a number of presentations and participated in many workshops and conferences. His MD thesis is titled “Evaluation of Anti Gastric Ulcer and Anti Microbial Property of Impatiens Balsamina Linn.”

Associate Professor of Anatomy and Medical Terminology

Segie Apacible II,DMD

segiedds@xusom.com

Dr. Apacible II earned a Bachelor’s degree in 1994 in Pre-Dental Sciences from Centro Escolar University in the Philippines. He went on to graduate from the same University in 1998 as a Doctor of Dental Medicine.

Assistant Professor of Anatomy

Manisha Hansda,MBBS, MD

mhansdamd@xusom.com

Dr. Manisha Hansda received her M.B.B.S. and her M.D. from Lady Hardinge Medical College in India. She has served as a delegate for a number of conferences, workshops, and training programs, and has organized a number of these events as well.

Assistant Professor of Anatomy

William James Cobb,DO., D.Sc. PGC, Anat

wcobbDO@xusom.com

Dr. Cobb graduated from Keele University School of Medicine where he completed a PGC in Applied Clinical Anatomy. During his time at Keele, he worked voluntarily as an anatomy demonstrator and presector at the University of Oxford where he completed a postgraduate module in anatomical teaching through the Anatomical Society and the American Association of Anatomists. Dr. Cobb is a highly trained professional educator, scientist and clinician whom has dedicated his wealth of knowledge to teaching, publishing, patient education and research.

Associate Professor of Behavioral Sciences and Biostatistics

Michelle Heffner Macera,PhD

mhmaceraPhD@xusom.com

Dr. Michelle Heffner Macera earned a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from West Virginia University. Her doctoral dissertation, “Empirical Support for the Use of Storytelling to Guide Behavior,” won the Elsie Ramos Research Poster Award from the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, and the Best Research Poster award from the Society for a Science of Clinical Psychology (American Psychological Association Division 12/Section 13).

Dr. Macera completed her pre-doctoral psychology internship at the Veteran’s Affairs: Sierra Nevada Health Care System, and completed her post-doctoral psychology internship at Northern Nevada Adult Mental Health Services. She is a licensed Psychologist in Nevada. She is first author of “The Anorexia Workbook” and co-author of several other publications, including a body image treatment manual, book chapters, and peer-reviewed journal articles. She previously worked as a Psychology faculty member at Harrisburg Area Community College, where she was named a three-time Faculty Scholar award winner.

Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology

Diana C. Wever-Salcedo,MD

Dr. Weaver-Salcedo is currently a Director and Psychologist at MIND+, a company located in Aruba. She graduated from Leiden University in 2007 with her Bachelors in Psychology and then in 2008 she graduated with her Masters in Occupational Health Psychology from Leiden University. Since 2013 she has been an active member of the organizing committee o the Professional Woman Network.

Professor of Biochemistry

Shankhar Majhi,MBBS, MD

smajhimd@xusom.com

Assistant Professor of Bio Chemistry and Genetics

Jeremy Laurence Rae, PhD

jraephd@xusom.com

Dr. Jeremy Laurence Rae holds a PhD in Biochemistry from the University Of Otago (N.Z.), an adult teaching qualification, and has been teaching in the biological sciences for over 14 years. He has worked in New Zealand, Australia and the UAE. Dr. Jeremy Laurence Rae’s PhD concerned the characterization of an enzyme and its corresponding gene from infectious bacteria. For his post-doc he helped develop a vaccine against a bacterial infection in livestock which was later patented.

Associate Professor of Behavioral Sciences and Biostatistics

Michelle Heffner Macera,PhD

mhmaceraPhD@xusom.com

Associate Professor of Chemistry

Jacques Odryzynski

jodryzynski@xusom.com

Professor Odryzynski received his Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Florida. He has since received A+ and MCP certification. Professor Odryzynski worked previously as a process engineer for Valero Energy Corporation. In 2007, he started teaching at Xavier University School of Medicine. He began with parts one and two of general chemistry, working to help each student understand and apply chemistry. Professor Odryzynski has since taught organic chemistry, pre-calculus, and physics as well. He is also a facilitator for PBL (Problem-Based Learning) for those respective subjects.

Associate Dean of General Professional Education

Shawn Cannon,D.O., FACOI

Professor Internal Medicine

Bangalore Murthy,MD

Medical Director

Jackson Park Hospital

bangaloremurthy@hotmail.com

Professor Internal Medicine

Eric Mizuno,MD

Medical Staff

Weiss Memorial Hospital

ericmizuno@yahoo.com

Professor Internal Medicine

George Lawrence,MD

Director of Medical Education

St. Agnes Hospital

glawrence@stagnes.org

Professor Family Medicine

Regional Chair/Professor of Family Medicine

Lakshmi Dodda,MD

Dean of Family Medicine Residency and Medical Students

Jackson Park Hospital

lpdodda@gmail.com

Professor Surgery

Surgery Chair

Madhu Rangraj,MD

Director of Surgery

Montefiore New Rochelle Hospital

ramaf@aol.com

Professor Internal Medicine

Internal Medicine Chair

Parvez Mir,MD

Director Pulmonary CC

Wyckoff Heights Medical Center

pmirmd@gmail.com

Professor of Pediatrics

Chair of Pediatrics

Gagandeep Goyal,MD, MMM

ggoyal@xusom.com

Medical Director

Addiction Wellness Services Inc.

Professor OB/GYN

Chairperson OB/GYN

Paul Liu,MD, JD

Director of Gynecologic Oncology

Nassau University Medical Center

pliuJDMD@gmail.com

Professor Family Medicine

Peter Urazov,DO

Director of Medical Education

Brookhaven Memorial Hospital

purazov@bmhmc.org

Professor of Pediatrics

Sanjivan Patel,MD, FAAP

Wyckoff Heights Medical Center

patelsanjivan@gmail.com

Professor Family Medicine

Sonia Velez,MD

Program Director, Medical Education

St. Joseph’s Medical Center

sonia.velez@saintjosephs.org

Professor Internal Medicine

Pratap Kumar,MD

Attending Physician

Jackson Park Hospital

pkumar352@aol.com

Professor Primary Care

Shawn Cannon,DO, FACOI

Chief Academic Officer

Stony Brook Medicine at Southampton

scannon@rpsom.org

Professor Family Medicine

Chairperson Psychiatry

Ronald Brenner,MD

Chief of Behavioral Health Service Line for the Catholic Health System

Mercy Hospital Medical Center

Rbrenner16@aol.com

Professor Internal Medicine

Rebecca Fishman,DO

Director of Medical Education

Mercy Hospital Center

rfishmando@gmail.com

Professor of Internal Medicine

Chairman Internal Medicine

Richard Pomerantz,MD

Chairman Department of Medicine

St. Agnes Hospital

rpomeran@stagnes.org

Professor Surgery

Siddiq Hasan,MD

Chief of Surgery

Jackson Park Hospital

siddiqzehrahasan@yahoo.com

Associate Professor

Zhiping Li,MD

Baruch S. Blumberg Institute, Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center

Email: zpli2009@gmail.com

Associate Professor

Xuanmao JIAO,MD, PhD

Baruch S. Blumberg Institute, Pennsylvania

Xuanmao.jiao@bblumberg.org

Associate Professor of Internal Medicine

Aftab Khan,MD

Teaching Attending Physician

Jackson Park Hospital

1368khan@gmail.com

Associate Professor of Surgery

Peter Geis,MD

Chair, Department of Medical Education

Northwest Hospital Center

wgeis@lifebridgehealth.org

Associate Professor of Surgery

Frank Apantaku,MD

Attending Surgeon

Jackson Park Hospital

clinic.apantaku@gmail.com

Associate Professor of Pediatrics

Gayle Kates,MD

Attending Physician

Jackson Park Hospital

gaylekatesmd@gmail.com

Associate Professor of Family Medicine

Hee Han Kim,MD

Attending Physician

Jackson Park Hospital

hkimjph@yahoo.com

Associate Professor of Surgery

Leonard Maffucci,MD, FACS

General and Bariatric Surgery

Montefiore New Rochelle Hospital

leomaff@aol.com

Associate Professor of Internal Medicine

Mohammad Hussain,MD

Attending Physician

Jackson Park Hospital

hussainmtj@yahoo.com

Associate Professor of Family Medicinwe

Rajiv Kandala,MD

Attending Physician

Jackson Park Hospital

rajib26@hotmail.com

Associate Professor OBGYN

Ruksana Nazneen,MD

Program Director

Jackson Park Hospital

ruknazmd@yahoo.com

Associate Professor of Pediatrics

Shirley Montgomery,MD

Director of Department of Pediatrics

Jackson Park Hospital

shirleymontgomery@jacksonpark.com

Associate Professor of Internal Medicine

Thodur Ranganathan,MD

Director Medical Education

Jackson Park Hospital

ranganthant@aol.com

Assistant Professor of Family Medicine

Adebayo Bademosi,MD

Attending Physician

Jackson Park Hospital

drbademosi@yahoo.com

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics

Carletha Hughes,MD

Attending Physician

Jackson Park Hospital

carlethahughes@yahoo.com

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics

Clara Akhigbe,MD

Attending Physician

Jackson Park Hospital

UYINO@aol.com

Assistant Professor of Surgery

Hong Ming Lay,MD, FACS

Private Practice

Jackson Park Hospital

hllay@yahoo.com

Assistant Professor of Surgery

Shani Palmer,MD

Attending Physician: Colon and Rectal Surgery/General Surgery

Motefiore New Rochelle Hospital

shanipalmer@gmail.com

Assistant Professor Internal Medicine

Syed Ali,MBBS

Jackson Park Hospital

syed_ali60640@yahoo.com

Assistant Professor of Surgery

Michael Silberstein,MD

Director of Bariatric Surgery

Montefiore New Rochelle Hospital

msilbers@montefiore.org

Assistant Professor of Bio Chemistry and Genetics

Jeremy Laurence Rae, PhD

jraephd@xusom.com

Professor of Introduction to Clinical Medicine and Physical Diagnosis (ICMPD)

Director of Standardized Patient (SP) Program and OSCE

Neelam Dwivedi,MBBS, DO, DNB

neelammd@xusom.com

Dr. Dwivedi is a trained Surgical Ophthalmologist. After finishing her M.B.B.S. at Jhansi Medical College in India, she completed her two-year Diploma in Ophthalmology at Manipal Academy of Higher Education. She went on further to complete three years of residency training at Icare EYE Hospital.

Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine

Zaheeb Choudrhy,MD

Dr. Choudhry graduated from Free University Medical School in Amsterdam in 2010. He then went on to do a number of Fellowships at the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam including a Fellowship in Clinical Immunology and in transplant nephrology and interventional nephrology. Currently he works at Horacio Oduber Hospital in Aruba as an Internist and a Nephrologist.

Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine

Kareem Alijaf,MD

Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine

Stefanie Lubbes,MD

Dr.Lubbes graduated from Amsterdam University with a degree in Biomedical Sciences. She also has graduated from Twente University with a Bachelor’s degree in Technical Medicine and Gronigen University with a degree in Medicine. She is a medical doctor at Horacio Oduber hospital in Aruba in the Emergency Medicine department.

Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine

Niloufar Rahim,MD

Dr. Rahim attended Leiden University Medical school. She worked at Kabul University since 2014 as a clinical skills trainer for Medical students. Currently Dr.Rahim works at Horacio Oduber Hospital in Aruba as a Junior Doctor in the department of emergency medicine. Dr. Rahim is a part of the KEIHAN Foundation which is a platform for students and young professionals to support and implement projects in the field of education, integration and development cooperation in the Netherlands and Afghanistan.

Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine

Rhiannon Blanchette,MD

Dr. Blanchette received her Bachelors and Masters in Medicine from Maastricht University. Currently she works at Horacio Oduber Hospital in Aruba in the Acute care department. Dr. Blanchette has knowledge in 5 different languages: Dutch, English, German, French, and Spanish.

Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine

Chris Franca,MD

Dr. Franca is a Gastroenterology and Hepatolgy Consultant at Horacio Oduber Hospital in Aruba, with a specific training and interest in advanced endoscopy and hepatolgy. He graduated Cum Laude with his medical degree from Vrije University in Amsterdam. Dr. Franca is fluent in 4 Languages; Dutch, English, Spanish and Papiamento, which is his native language.

Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine

J.M. Kuipers,MD

Lecturer

Fidelis Nwachukwu,MD, BMLS

fnwachukwumd@xusom.com

Dr. Nwachukwu received his Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Sciences from the University of Nigeria and then went on to obtain and M.D. from All Saints University College of Medicine in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Recently, he completed his M.Sc in Clinical Pharmacology at Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Nigeria. During his time at All Saints he was awarded Best Graduating Student in Basic Medical Sciences. Later, he was conferred an Outstanding Performance Award from the Nigerian Medical Association.

Librarian/ Assistant Professor of Medical Communications and Research

Patricia Brumley,Ph.D

pbrumleyphd@xusom.com

Dr. Patricia Brumley earned her M.A. in Library and Information Studies at Florida State University. She has also earned her B.S in special education, M.S in elementary education and Ph.D in higher education administration at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. Over the last 20 years she has worked with schools and their staffs to develop supervise and evaluate Library media programs. She has been an adjunct professor at Nova University for over 15 years teaching Library Educational Media Courses. At her time there she sponsored reading readiness projects, and developed educational policies for the library. She was also selected and served on the committee to evaluate the on-line databases for library media services for all public schools in Miami-Dade.

Librarian/ Assistant Professor of Medical Communications and Research

Patricia Brumley,Ph.D

pbrumleyphd@xusom.com

Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Immunology

Prasanna Honnavar,PhD

phonnavarphd@xusom.com

Dr. Honnavar completed his Ph.D in Medical Microbiology at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in India. His thesis is titled “Speciation, molecular typing and pathobiology of Malassezia species isolated from patients with seborrhoeic dermatitis/dandruff”. He has numerous publications and awards, and has participated in and presented at a number of conferences.

Lecturer of Microbilogy

Joseph Jillwin,PhD

jjosephPhD@xusom.com

Dr. Joseph Jillwin graduated from Kasturba Medical College at Manipal University with his M.Sc in 2009. In 2019 he earned his PhD in Medical Microbiology from P.G.I.M.E.R IN Chandigarh. In 2018 he was a Demonstrator in Medical Microbiology at the Government Medical College & Hospital in Chandigarh. Dr. Jillwin has also worked at the Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh as a Senior Research Fellow.

Professor of Physiology and Neuroscience

Virginia De Frías, PhD

vdefriasphd@xusom.com

Dr. Virginia De Frías received her Bachelor’s in Science with a major in Bio Chemistry in 1986, and in 1999 she received her PhD in Basic Science with a focus in Pharmacology, from Universidad Central de Venezuela. From 1999 to 2018 she was a professor of physiology to undergraduate students at Universidad Central de Venezuela. She has also been a professor of Pharmacology in post graduate studies at Central University of Venezuela from 2002 – 2018. She was also the Professor of Neuroscience to students in the Residency programs of Neurology and Psychiatry from 2005 – 2013.

Assistant Professor of Pathology

Zahid Siddiqui,MD

zsiddiquimd@xusom.com

Dr. Siddiqui completed his pre-medical degree at Brooklyn College in New York. He majored in Biology and minored in Nutrition and Psychology. He then went on to graduate from Ross University School of Medicine in 2008, where he received his MD degree. he completed 4 years of residency training in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology at New York Medical College and then completed his fellowship in Cytopathology at the University of Florida, Jacksonville.

Professor of Pharmacology

Arun Kumar Dubey,MBBS, MD

Dubeymd@xusom.com

Assistant Professor of Pharmacology

Narasimha Prasad Vijayashankar,MD

Professor of Physiology and Neuroscience

Virginia De Frías, PhD

vdefriasphd@xusom.com

Chair of Curriculum Committee, Associate Professor of Physiology

Gopikumar Shivaramaiah,MBBS, MD

gshivaramaiahmd@xusom.com

Assistant Professor of Physiology

Sheetal Naik,MD, MBBS

snaikmd@xusom.com

Dr. Sheetal Naik is a physician and physiologist by training. After completing her MBBS degree from JJMMC Davangere, India, Dr. Naik completed three years of residency in physiology at KIMS, Bangalore, India. Her MD thesis is titled “Birth weight and its effect on cognition in children aged 5-6 years”. She has given a number of presentations and participated in many CME, workshops and conferences. She has undergone training in exercise physiology and neurophysiology.

Assistant Professor of Physiology and Biology

Kevin Pawlak,PhD

kpawlakphd@xusom.com

USMLE Review Program

Fidelis Nwachukwu,MD, BMLS

fnwachukwumd@xusom.com

USMLE Review Program

Mayank Gupta,MD

mguptamd@xusom.com

Dr. Mayank Gupta completed his M.B.B.S and one year of Compulsory Rotatory Internship at Lokmanya Tilak Municipal Medical College in Mumbai, India. He has years of teaching experience for medical students, and is ECFMG Certified.