Current Residents
Chief Residents
Pankti Bhavsar, MD (CHoNJ, Chief Resident)
Medical School: St. George’s University School of Medicine
Personal Interest: I love to travel and hope to check off different countries from my bucket
list. Trying different cuisines and trying to recreate them at home. I
love to binge watch tv-shows, painting, reading and spending time with
family and friends.
Professional Interests: I am interested in General Pediatrics, Neonatology-Perinatology, and
Pulmonology. But I am keeping an open mind and explore different specialties
during residency.
Ayesha Usman, MD (CHoNJ, Chief Resident)
Medical School: Jinnah Sindh Medical University (SMC)
Personal Interest: Organizing spaces and drawers, Hosting people, Making To-do-list, and
expertly filling online carts I never check out.
Professional Interests: Pediatric Hematology and Oncology
Shivani Patel, MD (CHoNJ, Chief Resident)
Medical School: AMC MET Medical College
Personal Interest: Listening to podcasts, traveling, meditation
Professional Interests: Hematology and Oncology/ Primary Care
Saraaga Tamirisa, MD (CHoNJ, Chief Resident)
PGY-3
Pankti Bhavsar, MD
Medical School: St. George’s University School of Medicine
Personal Interest: I love to travel and hope to check off different countries from my bucket
list. Trying different cuisines and trying to recreate them at home. I
love to binge watch tv-shows, painting, reading and spending time with
family and friends.
Professional Interests: I am interested in General Pediatrics, Neonatology-Perinatology, and
Pulmonology. But I am keeping an open mind and explore different specialties
during residency.
Manasee Vyas, MD
Medical School: MGM Institute of Health Sciences, Navi Mumbai
Personal Interest: Spending time with my family and friends, watching sports games, and
exploring new music.
Professional Interests: I enjoy working with children and I hope to pursue a future in cardiology.
Abeera Naeem, DO
Medical School: West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine
Personal Interest: I love arts & crafts – anything from drawing, painting, DIY.
Recently I took on crochet and have been making crochet flowers, hope
to make enough to maybe start an Etsy one day. Other than spending my
time on arts & crafts, I enjoy devoting my life to drinking bubble
tea – yes, it is an obsession. I say "Boba everyday, all day,
anytime, anywhere."
Professional Interests: I have always wanted to be a pediatrician and have a special interest
in developmental pediatrics and would love to care for patients with developmental
disabilities, ADHD, autism, etc in the near future. However, I also am
highly interested in pediatric rheumatology and am waiting to rotate through
both fields before deciding on a fellowship route.
Nicole Flaherty, MD
Medical School: St. George’s University School of Medicine
Personal Interest: Yoga, swimming, eating, laughing :)
Professional Interests: Pediatric cardiology & teaching
Maritza Lino-Grover, DO
Medical School: Rowan-Virtua SOM
Personal Interest: Journaling, Prayer, Cooking authentic Mexican food, Making YouTube vlogs
for my channel (like & subscribe), volunteering with our nonprofit
Christian organization, spend time with my husband, shop for clean beauty:
makeup and skincare, road trip, hit the gym or long walks
Professional Interests: Child Advocacy, Global Health, Medical Missions, Pediatric Nutrition,
Food is Medicine, Diabetes Prevention, Hispanic/ Latino
Ilham Farhat, MD
Medical School: University of Tripoli
Personal Interest: I have enriched my love for traveling and exploring new cultures, which
I often capture through photography. I am passionate about cooking diverse
recipes and experimenting with different culinary techniques.
Professional Interests: I am passionate about advancing treatments for pediatric endocrine and
hospital medicine.
Lajja Gadhavi, MD
Medical School: GCS Medical College, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
Personal Interest: I like singing, painting, dancing, etc.
Professional Interests: Go into fellowship, like PICU/ Peds ED currently
Shivani Patel, MD
Medical School: AMC MET Medical College
Personal Interest: Listening to podcasts, traveling, meditation
Professional Interests: Hematology and Oncology/ Primary Care
Ayodele Ajayi, MD
Medical School: University of Lagos
Personal Interest: Cooking, reading books and spending time with family
Professional Interests: Primary care pediatrician, public health and research
Jennifer Christensen, DO
Medical School: Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
Personal Interest: Spending time with my step kids and husband. Taking my chocolate lab
on long hikes.
Professional Interests: Open to all specialties. Interested in procedures.
Shiva Lal Bhattarai, MD
Medical School: Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University
Personal Interest: I like nature, walking, and hiking. I like volleyball.
Professional Interests: General Pediatrics
Ayesha Usman, MD
Medical School: Jinnah Sindh Medical University (SMC)
Personal Interest: Organizing spaces and drawers, Hosting people, Making To-do-list, and
expertly filling online carts I never check out.
Professional Interests: Pediatric Hematology and Oncology
PGY-2
Tochi Alex-Okoro, MD
Medical School: Abia State University Faculty of Medicine NGA
Personal Interest: Traveling, cooking, baking, spending time with family, and window shopping
Professional Interests: Pediatric NICU
Rabika Aslam, MD
Medical School: St. Matthew’s University School of Medicine
Personal Interest: Watching reality tv shows, going to theme parks, volunteering, and spending
time with family and friends.
Professional Interests: General Pediatrics
Pallavi Bhogesara, MD
Medical School: G.M.E.R.S Medical College and Hospital, Sola IND, Ahmedabad, India
Personal Interest: Hiking and exploring national parks, cooking different cuisines to host
my friends and loved ones, painting scenic landscapes and abstract animal
art, and practicing yoga/meditation
Professional Interests: Pediatric gastroenterology
Karishma Desai, MD
Medical School: St. George’s University School of Medicine, Grenada
Personal Interest: Reading, painting, drawing, trying new foods and recipes, embroidery
and personalizing jackets, and power naps.
Professional Interests: Pediatrics NICU
Nayan Manish Gandhi, MD
Medical School: G.C.S Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre
Personal Interest: Competitive FPS game, experimenting with different coffee types and brewing
methods. Aspire to build an extensive speaker collection
Professional Interests: Peds EM and Cardiology
Aishwarya Joy Gilkes, MD
Medical School: St. George’s University School of Medicine
Personal Interest: Baking, crochet, hiking, trying new activities
Professional Interests: Pediatric Hematology & Oncology or ICU
Sachin Reddy Kasarla, MD
Medical School: GITAM Institute of Medical Sciences and Research
Personal Interest: Hiking, long drives to the beach, exploring natures beauty, badminton
and cricket. Binge watching suspense thriller web series.
Professional Interests: Peds Cardiology
Makuochukwu Maryann Ozoude, MD
Medical School: Zaporozhye State Medical University
Personal Interest: Reading fiction books, cooking, board games, and attending music concerts.
Professional Interests: Pediatric Hematology & Oncology
Ritika Parekh, MD
Medical School: K.J. Somaiya Medical College
Personal Interest: Yoga, Rope mallakhamb (yes, I climb ropes for fun), on an eternal quest
for NYC’s perfect pizza, love to travel with family & friends
with my camera always on standby, and a sweet tooth forever searching
for new desserts.
Professional Interests: Team tiny humans! Advocacy is my love language. Future academic pediatrician,
Gen Peds at heart, exploring NICU, Peds Pulm, and Peds Endo with wide-eyed
curiosity.
James Ryberg, MD
Medical School: St. George’s University of Medicine
Personal Interest: Coffee, weight lifting, comedy shows, hanging out with friends.
Professional Interests: General Surgery, Pediatric Cardiology, Peds GI
Iqra Zaheen, MD
Medical School: Jinnah Medical and Dental College
Personal Interest: Experimenting with new recipes and culinary techniques, watching engaging
thriller series, exploring new places with loved ones, and capturing meaningful
moments through photography.
Professional Interests: Congenital heart disease and advancing patient-centered care in pediatric
cardiology.
PGY-1
Rawan Abdalla, MD
Medical School: Saba University School of Medicine
Personal Interests: When I’m not at the hospital, you’ll usually find me spending
time with my husband, kids and friends, planning my next trip, trying
a new restaurant or reading a nonfiction book.
Professional Interests: I’m excited to explore all that pediatrics has to offer, with current
interests in allergy & immunology, cardiology, and neonatology.
Ahmed Abdaltawab, MD
Medical School: Cairo University Medical School (Kasr Alainy)
Personal Interests: Hikes, Movies, reading.
Professional Interests: Pediatric Neurology
Nirajan Baral, MD
Medical School: Universal College of Medical Sciences, Tribhuvan University, Nepal
Personal Interest: Soccer, Lifting weights, Hiking, Cooking
Professional Interests: Primary care, Pediatric Emergency Medicine (Yet, still figuring it out)
Vanessa Fernandez Lopez, MD
Medical School: Universidad de Oriente, Nucleo Bolivar, Venezuela
Personal Interests: I enjoy exercising, sports, and creative activities like designing, crafting,
and DIY projects.
Professional Interests: General Pediatrics for now, but I look forward to exploring the different
subspecialties during residency.
Elahe Golalipour, MD
Medical School: Iran University of Medical sciences (IUMS)
Personal Interests: Playing Chess and Running. I enjoy solving Chess Puzzles and starting
my day with a morning run.
Professional Interests: Pediatric emergency medicine and Neonatal Intensive Care
Ramsha Javed, MD
Medical School: St. George’s University SOM
Personal Interest: I love baking (which doesn’t help my sweet tooth), playing board
games, and trying out different coffee shops and restaurants with family
and friends!
Professional Interests: Pediatric Cardiology and Neonatology
Arsen Kaakijian, MD
Medical school: St. George’s University School of Medicine
Personal Interests: Reading, watching movies, Star Wars, hiking
Professional Interests: Primary Care
Osei Lindsay, MD
Medical School: St. George’s University
Personal Interests: Going to the gym, playing basketball, listening to music
Professional goals: General Pediatrician
Praise Nformi, MD
Medical School: American University of Antigua College of Medicine
Personal Interests: Traveling, creating social media creative content, thrifting, lifting,
and learning new languages.
Professional Interests: Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Pediatric Endocrinology or Hospitalist
Clemence Ngandu, MD
Medical school: Medical University of the Americas (MUA)
Personal interests: I’m a side quest connoisseur; I love baking and buying sweet treats,
trying new recipes and forcing my family to taste test them, getting lost
in a good book, discovering new cities/places and capturing organic moments.
I’m also extremely passionate about advocacy and showing up for
our community one act of service at a time, so if there’s a need
for a volunteer or a committee to serve on, I’m your girl!
Professional interests: Neonatology, Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Advocacy, Global Health
Virtue Olaitan, MD
Medical School: Afe Babalola University Ado-Ekiti
Personal Interests: Spending time with family and friends, visiting new places and attractions,
hiking, and enjoying a good movie.
Professional Interests: Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, and Child Advocacy. I am also keeping
an open mind and look forward to exploring different areas of pediatrics
throughout residency.
Nikitha Pappachen, DO
Medical School: Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine
Personal Interest: Playing guitar/singing, reading fiction, and watching mockumentary based shows.
Professional Interests: To become a general pediatrician
Nazia Shaheed, MD
Medical School: Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
Personal Interest: I love going on long walks and hikes with close friends. I also enjoy
non-fiction, especially books about history, philosophy, and social movements.
Professional Interests: I enjoy neurology, rare diseases, genetics, and psychiatry. Continue
advocating for vulnerable populations throughout my career.
Child Neurology
Saloni Bakkannavar, MD
Medical School: J.J.M Medical College
Personal Interest: Reading books, talking to my friends, dancing.
Professional Interests: Pediatric Neurology