Family Medicine Residency | Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (2024)

Message from the Program Director

Our program started in 1980, and we have graduated over 240 residents who practice in New Jersey and nationwide.Our goal is to guide your development into becoming the family physician you dream of, and allowing you exposure to a wide variety of areas of interest to pursue and develop expertise in.

Our program is a 5-5-5 academically focused, fellowship linked, community-oriented family medicine residency. We train future leaders in clinical care, community outreach, education and primary care practice-based research.

We are located inNew Brunswick, New Jersey,the home ofRutgers Universityand a vibrant university town with diverse cuisine, cultural and recreational opportunities. Located incentral New Jerseywith excellent public and personal transportation connectivity, the “Hub City” is an easy 30-60 minute ride to major airports as well as New York City, Philadelphia, the Jersey Shore and multiple recreation areas. There are many prospects for work life balance and also for significant other employment or education in the central New Jersey area.

We look forward to meeting you and getting the opportunity to introduce you to our program. We wish you the best on your family medicine educational journey.

Barbara Jo McGarry, MD
Program Director

• The Residency’s innovative curriculum is designed to prepare residents for the Future of Family Medicine, in academic, research, clinical practice, community advocacy and family medicine subspecialty careers. Our curriculum offers an opportunity for publishable research/scholarly projects and an optional longitudinal fellowship experience during the second and third years.

  Curriculum by Postgraduate Year (PGY)

  PGY1	PGY2	PGY3
  Orientation - (2 weeks)	Family Medicine Day Service - (6 weeks)	Family Medicine Day Service - (6 weeks)
  Family Medicine Day Service - (10 weeks)	Family Medicine Night Service - (6 weeks)	Family Medicine Night Service - (6 weeks)
  Family Medicine Night Service - (2 weeks)	Ambulatory Pediatrics - (6 weeks)	Pediatric ER - (4 weeks)
  Obstetrics - (8 weeks)	Community Medicine - (4 weeks)	Emergency Medicine - (4 weeks)
  Emergency Medicine - (4 weeks)	Evidence Based Medicine/Research - (4 weeks)	Board Review (selective) - (2 weeks)
  Intensive Care Unit - (4 weeks)	Geriatrics - (4 weeks)	Orthopedics - (2 weeks)
  Pediatrics Floor - (4 weeks)	Sports Medicine - (4 weeks)	Rheumatology - (2 weeks)
  Surgery (outpatient) - (4 weeks)	Reproductive and Gender Health - (4 weeks)	Practice Management - (2 weeks)
  Cardiology (outpatient) - (2 weeks)	Behavioral Health - (2 weeks)	Ambulatory Pediatrics - (2 weeks)
  Cardiology (inpatient) - (2 weeks)	Elective - (2 weeks)	Elective - (2 weeks)
  Newborn Nursery - (2 weeks)	Dermatology (selective) - (2 weeks)	ENT (selective) - (2 weeks)
  Practice Management - (2 weeks)	Endocrinology (selective) - (2 weeks)	Pain Management (selective) - (2 weeks)
  Radiology - (2 weeks)	USMLE/COMLEX Prep (selective) - (2 weeks)	Ophthalmology (selective) - (2 weeks)
  Vacation - (4 weeks)	Vacation - (4 weeks)	Urology (selective) - (2 weeks)
  		HIV Medicine - (2 weeks)
  		Oral Health (selective) - (2 weeks)
  		Vacation - (4 weeks)

• Alfred F. Tallia, MD, MPH
  Professor and Chair
  Email:alfred.tallia@rutgers.edu

  Maria F. Ciminelli, MD, FAAFP
  Vice Chair and Associate Professor
  Email:mciminelli@centrastate.com

  Barbara J. McGarry, MD
  Program Director
  Associate Professor
  Email:bj.mcgarry@rutgers.edu

  Anna Sliwowska, MD
  Associate Program Director
  Assistant Professor, Reproductive Health Provider
  Email:aniasl@rutgers.edu

  Core Residency Faculty

  Karen Wei-Ru Lin, MD, MS
  Professor
  Email:karen.weiru.lin@rutgers.edu

  Jeffrey Levine, MD, MPH
  Professor
  Email:jeff.levine@rutgers.edu

  Michael Song, MD
  Assistant Professor
  Email:michael.j.song@rutgers.edu

  Annie Truss, MD
  Assistant Professor
  Email:aet68@rutgers.edu

  Mark Versella, PhD
  Assistant Professor
  Email:mark.versella@rutgers.edu

  Residency Coordinator

  Toni Scales
  Email:scalests@rwjms.rutgers.edu

  Lillian Kimmel
  Email:lillian.kimmel@rutgers.edu

  Behavioral Health Faculty

  Mark Versella, PhD
  Assistant Professor
  Email:mark.versella@rutgers.edu

  Community Health Faculty

  Sneha E. Jacob, MD
  Associate Professor
  Email:jacobse@rwjms.rutgers.edu

  Steven J. Levin, MD
  Professor
  Email:steven.levin@rutgers.edu

  Karen Wei-Ru Lin, MD, MS
  Professor
  Email:karen.weiru.lin@rutgers.edu

  Maria Pellerano, MA, MBA, MPH
  Assistant Professor
  Email:maria.pellerano@rutgers.edu

  Geriatric Faculty

  Fred Kobylarz, MD, MPH
  Professor
  Email:kobylafr@rutgers.edu

  David F. Howarth, MD, MPH
  Associate Professor
  Email:howartdf@rwjms.rutgers.edu

  Sarah Leonard

  Maternity Care Faculty

  Rhina Acevedo, MD
  Assistant Professor
  Email:acevedra@rutgers.edu

  Komal Bhatt, MD
  Assistant Professor
  Email:bhattkg@rwjms.rutgers.edu

  Elizabeth Clark, MD, MPH
  Associate Professor
  Email:elizabeth.c.clark@rutgers.edu

  Hospitalist Faculty

  Sara Khalil, MD
  Assistant Professor
  Email:sarask@rutgers.edu

  Michael Noll, MD
  Assistant Professor
  Email:nollmi@rwjms.rutgers.edu

  Mafudia Suaray, MD, MPH
  Associate Professor
  Email:mafudia.suaray@rutgers.edu

  Rory Ulloque, MD
  Associate Professor
  Email:ulloqura@rwjms.rutgers.edu

  Jigar Patel
  Assistant Professor
  Email:jigerp@rwjms.rutgers.edu

  Ora Domovich
  Assistant Professor
  Email:od105@rutgers.edu

  Alisa Reznikov

  Juyeon Park

  Predoctoral Education

  Joyce Afran, MD
  Assistant Professor
  Email:afranjo@rwjms.rutgers.edu

  Sonia Garcia Laumbach, MD
  Associate Professor
  Email:sgarcia@rwjms.rutgers.edu

  Betsy Mathew, MD
  Assistant Professor
  Email:betsy.mathew@rutgers.edu

  Research Faculty

  Benjamin Crabtree, PhD
  Distinguished Professor
  Email:benjamin.crabtree@rutgers.edu

  Jeanne Ferrante, MD, MPH
  Professor
  Email:jeanne.ferrante@rutgers.edu

  Shawna Hudson, PhD
  Professor
  Email:hudsonsh@rutgers.edu

  Denalee O'Malley, PhD, LCSW
  Assistant Professor
  Email:omalledm@rwjms.rutgers.edu

  Sports Medicine Faculty

  Jill Kropa, MD
  Assistant Professor
  Email:kropaja@rwjms.rutgers.edu

  Kinshasa Morton, MD
  Assistant Professor
  Email:curtiski@rwjms.rutgers.edu

  Navia Axia, MD
  Assistant Professor
  Email:naviaai@rutgers.edu

  Jason Womack, MD
  Associate Professor
  Email:womackja@rwjms.rutgers.edu

  Reproductive Health Faculty

  Jennifer Amico, MD, MPH
  Associate Professor
  Email:amicojr@rutgers.edu

  Jeffrey Levine, MD, MPH
  Professor
  Email:jeff.levine@rutgers.edu

  Anna Sliwowska, MD
  Assistant Professor, Reproductive Health Provider
  Email:aniasl@rutgers.edu

• 

  Class of 2024

  Nathalia Arias Alzate, MD

  • Hometown: Armenia, Colombia
  • Undergrad: The College of New Jersey
  • Medical School: Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
  • Favorite book: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
  • Travel Bucket List: Greece, Maldives, Caño Cristales
  • If I weren't a physician, I would be: A history teacher or social worker.
  • If I had a superpower, it would be: Teleportation.

  Joshua Katz, DO

  • Hometown: Warren, NJ
  • Undergrad: University of Michigan
  • Medical School: Rowan SOM
  • Favorite book: The Story of Ferdinand, by Munro Leaf
  • Favorite NJ activity: A weekend down the shore on LBI
  • If I were an animal I would be: An alpaca (super versatile)
  • If I weren’t a physician, I would be: Michigan’s Head Football Coach

  Hinal Patel, MD

  • Hometown: Jersey City, NJ
  • Undergrad: Rutgers University, New Brunswick
  • Medical School: Drexel University College of Medicine
  • Last book read: The Martian
  • Favorite book: Harry Potter series
  • Travel Bucket List: Japan
  • Ideal weekend: Catching up with friends/family, playing video games, watching shows, relaxing

  Nehi Patel, DO

  • Hometown: North Brunswick, NJ
  • Undergrad: University of the Sciences
  • Medical School: Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine
  • Travel Bucket List: To hike through every National Park and see the Northern Lights
  • If I weren't a physician, I would be: A professional cookie baker!
  • If I had a superpower, it would be: Teleportation because I love traveling but hate the commute.
  • Ideal weekend: A day spent hiking followed by a refreshing drink and a great meal. A second day soaking in the sun at the beach!

  Yvonne Ye, MD

  • Hometown: Queens, NY
  • Undergrad: Cornell University
  • Medical School: SUNY Upstate
  • Little known fact: I almost convinced myself to fall asleep fully wrapped in blankets while a bat was flying around my room in the middle of the night.
  • Ideal way to spend a weekend: Sleeping in, eating and making delicious food, catching up with family, and playing games with friends
  • Travel bucket list: New Zealand, Hawaii, Indonesia
  • If I had a superpower, it would be: Flight (with actual wings)

  

  Class of 2025

  Alejandra Bolanos-Delgado, MD

  • Hometown:West Orange, NJ
  • Undergrad:Monmouth University
  • Medical School:Rutgers RWJMS
  • Travel Bucket List:7 new wonders of the world
  • If I weren’t a physician:I would be a professional baker for custom cakes and cookies
  • Ideal weekend:Spending time with my family and friends poolside with delicious food.
  • If I were an animal I would be:A french bulldog owned by a loving dog mom like myself!

  
  Chelsea Lauro, DO

  • Hometown:Manalapan, NJ
  • Undergrad:University of Massachusetts Amherst
  • Medical School:RowanSOM
  • Travel Bucket List:Amalfi Coast, South America, South Korea, Vietnam
  • If I weren't a physician:I would be a Food Blogger/Food Network Star
  • Ideal weekend:A dinner party/game night with friends followed by a visit home to see my family (especially my one year old nephew!!)
  • If I were an animal I would be:Anotter- they love to sleep and hold hands with their friends/family in the water so they don’t get separated

  Maria Mongo, MD

  • Hometown:Wilmington, NC
  • Undergrad:University of North Carolina at Wilmington
  • Medical School:University of North Carolina
  • Travel Bucket List:Alaska because it looks so beautiful, and I like the cold.
  • If I weren’t a physician:I'd be a social worker or I'd work in environmental conservation.
  • Ideal weekend:Waking up early to some coffee and grabbing breakfast with family and friends. We'd go hiking in the mountains all day (preferably on a trail with a view and waterfalls) and come back and cook a big dinner together. We'd stay up late eating midnight snacks and do some stargazing.
  • If I were an animal I would be:I'd be a bird because I've always wanted to fly! I also feel like I have a good sense of direction which birds have too.

  Jessica Santana, DO

  • Hometown:North Plainfield, NJ
  • Undergrad:The College of New Jersey
  • Medical School: Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine
  • Travel Bucket List:Patagonia and Capri
  • If I weren’t a physician:I would be a high school math teacher
  • Ideal weekend:exploring new coffeeshops and watching movies at home
  • If I were an animal I would be:a penguin!

  Sonali Shah, MD

  • Hometown:Horsham, PA
  • Undergrad:University of Pittsburgh
  • Medical School:Temple University
  • Travel Bucket List:Egypt, Thailand, Alaska, and the Amalfi Coast
  • If I weren't a physician:I would be an interior designer or event planner
  • Ideal weekend:Exploring a new city, checking out new restaurants, coffee shops, and parks!
  • If I were an animal I would be:my spoiled goldendoodle Maple

  

  Class of 2026

  Saad Mansuri

  • Hometown:Edison, NJ
  • Undergrad:Rutgers University
  • Medical School:Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
  • Travel Bucket List:Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington D.C.
  • If I weren't a physician:High School Math Teacher
  • Ideal weekend:Chilling with family and friends
  • If I were an animal I would be:Silverback Gorilla
    

  Nicolle Mazzei

  • Hometown: Holmdel, NJ
  • Undergrad: University of Miami
  • Medical school: Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine
  • Travel Bucket List: Italy, Australia, and Greece
  • If I weren’t a Physician: I would be an athletic trainer
  • Ideal Weekend: Sleeping in and then spending the rest of the day at the beach with either my family or friends. Followed by a nice dinner out at a new place!
  • If I were an animal I would be: A bird! I would love to be able to fly anywhere I want to whenever I want.
    

  Talia Paradiso

  • Hometown:Scotch Plains, NJ
  • Undergrad:Union College in Schenectady, NY
  • Medical School:Albany Medical College, NY
  • Travel Bucket List:Ireland, the Galapagos Islands, Tanzania, and back to Italy.
  • If I weren't a physician:I'd like to study classics, including work on archaeological sites.
  • Ideal weekend:I would love to have a sun-filled beach day, then order takeout and have game night with friends/family. The second day, I would sleep late and hang around reading, then go to the thrift store and spend the evening at the movies.
  • If I were an animal I would be:A sea turtle, or whale!
    

  Aradhika Sarda

  • Hometown:West Windsor, NJ
  • Undergrad:Case Western Reserve University
  • Medical School:Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
  • Travel Bucket List:Iceland, Switzerland, New Zealand
  • If I weren't a physician:Dance Instructor
  • Ideal weekend:Weekend trip to upstate New York or other nearby hiking/outdoor activities
  • If I were an animal I would be:Monkey
    

  Nicole Stein

  • Hometown:Manhattan Beach, CA
  • Undergrad:Barnard College
  • Medical School:Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine (Harlem Campus)
  • Travel Bucket List:Croatia and Japan
  • If I weren't a physician:A veterinarian
  • Ideal weekend:Doing something outdoors followed by a movie night.
  • If I were an animal I would be:A cat