Fellows & Alumni
Our Current and Past Fellows
BIDMC's Hospice and Palliative Medicine fellows are a group of talented physicians advancing in the palliative medicine specialty. Hospital Medicine Program faculty and staff are committed to training the next generation of leading clinicians, educators, team members, and thought leaders working to advance the care of patients and caregivers facing serious illness. Learn more about how to apply to the Hospice and Palliative Medicine fellowship.
Meet our current and past fellows below.
2025-2026 Fellow Biographies
Prithwijit (Prith) Das, MD
2025-2026 Fellow
Residency
Family Medicine, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA
Medical School
SUNY Downstate, Brooklyn, NY
BIO:
Prith grew up in New York City and attended Cornell University, where he studied biology and global health. After graduating, he joined Teach For America and taught kindergarten in the Bronx, working with immigrant and low-income families while earning a Master’s in Early Childhood Special Education from Hunter College. His work with children with disabilities led him to pursue medicine, beginning with an internship at Cohen Children’s Medical Center. He earned his medical degree at SUNY Downstate, where he led advocacy efforts as chief of outreach and education at the Brooklyn Free Clinic. Prith eventually moved to Boston and completed his Family Medicine residency at Boston Medical Center, where an early ICU rotation introduced him to palliative care and the value of listening closely to patients’ stories to guide a more patient-centered approach to goals of care. As chief resident, he helped launch a palliative care curriculum and conducted research on the use of medical interpreters in serious illness conversations. Prith is thrilled to stay in New England as a Hospice and Palliative Medicine fellow at BIDMC, where he hopes to continue exploring his interests in medical education, health equity, and community-based palliative care. In his free time, he enjoys writing songs, studying films, and exploring Boston with his wife, son, and their puppy, Hazelnut.
Samantha (Sam) Kumarasena, MD
2025-2026 Fellow
Residency
Internal Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA
Medical School
Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA
BIO:
Sam has spent most of her life in the Greater Boston area. After completing a degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Olin College, she found her passion for medicine. She completed medical school at Tufts University School of Medicine; following her internal medicine residency at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, she is delighted to remain at BIDMC for fellowship. Her professional interests include supportive oncology and serious illness communication, which have led her to pursue combined training. She finds teaching a joy, especially in exploring the potential within digital/asynchronous modes of teaching. Outside of medicine, she enjoys cooking, baking, and tending to her many houseplants.
Jessica Ma, MD
2025-2026 Fellow
Residency
Internal Medicine Residency, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA
Medical School
University of Massachusetts Medical School
BIO:
Jess immigrated to the U.S. with her parents when she was four years old, and she enjoys visiting China, where the rest of her family still resides. She lived in multiple states as a child, but considers the Chicago suburbs to be where she grew up. She moved to the East Coast to attend Dartmouth College, and then worked in management consulting in New York City for a few years prior to medical school. She became interested in palliative care while rotating with the department at University of Massachusetts Medical School, and has reinforced this interest during residency at Boston Medical Center, where she has had the privilege of taking care of many diverse patient populations both at BMC and the VA. She finds it rewarding to help patients and families make sense of overwhelming and complicated situations, and she hopes to continue learning and ultimately teaching the nuances of high-quality communication between clinicians and patients of all cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. Outside of work, she enjoys cooking, being outdoors (skiing, running, hiking), public transit, and playing co-op video games with her fiancé.
2024-2025 Fellow Biographies
Emma Meyers, MD
2024-2025 Fellow
Residency
Neurology Residency, Mass General Brigham, Boston, MA
Medical School
Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
BIO:
Emma grew up in the New York City area and attended Columbia University. She eventually moved to Boston for medical school at Harvard Medical School and completed neurology residency at the Massachusetts General and Brigham and Women's Hospitals. Emma was initially drawn to neurology out of an interest in the experience of living with neurological disease, and during medical school spent a research year studying illness adjustment and coping in neurology patients. During residency, this bloomed into an interest in palliative care and the unique needs of people living with advanced and end-stage neurological disorders. After fellowship, Emma hopes to combine her neurology and palliative medicine training to provide goal-concordant care for neurology patients and their families, and to provide palliative care education to neurology providers. Outside of work, Emma enjoys reading, taking long walks, and hosting elaborate dinner parties for friends with the help of her partner and her cat.
Kristina Moller, MD
2024-2025 Fellow
Residency
Boston University Internal Medicine Program, Boston, MA
Medical School
Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, Camden, NJ
Bio:
Kristina is originally from Upstate New York and made her way south for her undergraduate degree at Wake Forest University. She then moved to Boston for three years where she served in AmeriCorps with Boston Healthcare for the Homeless Program, an experience that led to her decision to become a physician. Kristina completed her medical degree at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University in Camden, New Jersey and returned to Boston for internal medicine residency at Boston Medical Center. She has now been working at Beth Israel as an Oncology Hospitalist for the past two years. Kristina has had an interest in palliative care since medical school. That interest has grown through her training and her time working within oncology; she has seen what an integral and diverse role palliative care plays in ensuring patients’ symptoms and quality of life are prioritized. In her free time Kristina loves to be outdoors and especially enjoys skiing, hiking and trying to coerce her lazy dog, Ella, to go on walks.
Abena Oduro, MD
2024-2025 Fellow
Residency
Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ
Medical School
St. George's University School of Medicine, Grenada
Bio:
Abena grew up in Ghana and moved to Grand Rapids, MI, for college. Her educational journey took her to Newcastle, UK, and Grenada before she returned to the US to complete her internal medicine residency at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. During her residency, Abena participated in the urban health track, where she gained firsthand experience with the social determinants of health in underserved urban communities, reigniting her commitment to holistic care. Her rotations in the ICU sparked a deep interest in palliative medicine, where she realized the importance of focusing on the patients' and their families' journeys and providing comprehensive care. Abena's academic interests include oncological palliative care, pain management, and urban health. She is excited to join the BIDMC community to further her knowledge of addressing patients' and their families' physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs. Outside of medicine, Abena enjoys spending time with family and friends, exploring new cities, and cooking.
2023-2024 Fellow Biographies
Kathleen (Katie) Waybill, MD
2023-2024 Fellow
Residency
Virginia Commonwealth University Health, Richmond, VA
Medical School
Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA
Bio:
After growing up in Hershey, PA, Katie was drawn south for 12 years to complete her undergraduate and medical education, Internal Medical Residency and chief residency. Throughout this time, she developed a passion for medical education and communication with patients at the end of life. As an internal medicine resident, she was initially drawn to critical care, both due to the complex pathophysiology and the opportunities she was given to work with patients and their families to provide goal-concordant care in critical illness. Soon after starting her pulmonary and critical care fellowship in 2020, she realized the importance of palliative care integration in both the intensive care unit and the pulmonary clinic. Over the course of her pulmonary fellowship, she developed a passion for treating patients with end stage lung disease and was able to build an integrated Pulmonary/Palliative Clinic at Tufts. After fellowship, Katie hopes to integrate her critical care, pulmonary and palliative care training to care for patients both inside and outside of the hospital with advanced lung disease, while providing palliative care education to pulmonary providers. Outside of work, Katie enjoys traveling, exploring new restaurants, board games, swimming, yoga, running and spending time outside with her husband and daughter.
Nicole (Nikki) Moraco, MD, MA
2023-2024 Fellow
Residency
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA
Medical School
Doctor of Medicine, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH
Bio:
Nikki developed an interest in palliative care while doing sarcoma research at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center prior to medical school. She was fortunate to work with surgical oncologists who helped her understand that while cure is often desired, many of the most meaningful operations are focused on palliation and restoring quality of life. While working at MSKCC she completed a master's in bioethics, focusing on medical ethics and the role of hope in cancer care. After graduating from Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, she completed three years of general surgery training at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center before completing a three-year clinical research fellowship focused on surgical palliative care at Lahey Hospital and Medical Center. Her academic interests include surgical palliative care, medical education, critical care, surgical oncology, and medical ethics. As a hospice and palliative care fellow, Nikki is excited to acquire new knowledge and skills that will be invaluable to her as a physician. Outside of work she enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, cooking, and hiking.
Michelle Ouellette, MD
2023-2024 Fellow
Residency
University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
Medical School
University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA
Bio:
Michelle grew up in Massachusetts and attended Providence College followed by the University of Massachusetts Medical School. She moved to Tampa, Florida, for her Internal Medicine Residency training at the University of South Florida. There, she was chosen to be a third year Chief Resident at Tampa General Hospital. Michelle was first introduced to the field of Palliative Care on an elective rotation in medical school. During this rotation, she realized that she was drawn to the intricacies of complex symptom management and creating a thoughtful, patient-centered approach to goals of care. In her residency, Michelle was selected for the Clinical Educator Track, where she developed a multifaceted hospice and palliative care curriculum targeted to internal medicine residents. She recently presented this work at the 2023 AAHPM Assembly in Montreal, Canada. Michelle is thrilled to return to New England and join the BIDMC family in pursuit of her dream of becoming a Hospice and Palliative Medicine Physician. Outside of medicine, she enjoys boating, playing piano, football Sundays, and trying new restaurants with family and friends.
2022-2023 Fellow Biographies
Renée Santana, MD
2022-2023 Fellow
Residency
SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY
Medical School
Ross University School of Medicine, Bridgetown, Barbados
Bio:
Renée developed an interest in palliative care during her Emergency Medicine residency. Seeing the complex psychosocial, financial and physical obstacles that patients and their families face made her realize the tremendous value of incorporating a more patient-centered approach into her practice. She understands that some people experience a kind of suffering that is not limited to physical pain; it results from the fear that either the illness or its treatment may threaten their core sense of self going forward. In such situations, Renée believes it is critical to listen closely to patients' concerns and what matters most to them. She hopes to bring awareness to the importance of having goals of care conversations early on. By employing this approach, providers can improve quality of life, reduce hospital stays and help bring greater peace of mind to both patients and their families. Outside of work, Renée enjoys gardening, traveling and exploring new restaurants with her husband.
Alexander (Alex) Teng, MD
2022-2023 Fellow
Residency
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center – Montefiore/Presbyterian
Medical School
Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA
Bio:
Growing up in the suburbs of Massachusetts, Alex briefly left his home state to complete his residency at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center after completing his MD/MBA at Tufts University School of Medicine and the Heller School for Social Policy and Management. He returned as a hospitalist at Lahey Hospital and Medical Center. His interests include quality and patient safety, previously serving on a committee and completing projects in those domains. As a hospice and palliative care fellow, Alex is excited to continue to develop communication skills to provide patient-centered care. In his spare time, Alex is a fan of the Boston Celtics and the Duke Blue Devils.
2021-2022 Fellow Biographies
Charlotte Grinberg, MD
2021-2022 Fellow
Residency
Mount Auburn Hospital, Cambridge, MA
Medical School
Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA
Bio:
Charlotte initially moved to Boston for residency at Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge after attending medical school at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia near her family. After residency, she loved working at BIDMC as an oncology hospitalist. She is excited to continue to develop her clinical and communication skills as a palliative care fellow. Outside of the hospital, she loves spending time with her supportive husband and three young kids who have a lot of energy. She also loves reflecting and writing about clinical experiences and has pieces published in JAMA, the Annals of Internal Medicine, and Health Affairs; she is currently a writing fellow for Doximity.
Julia Newman, MD
2021-2022 Fellow
Residency
Boston Medical Center, Boston MA
Medical School
University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO
BIO:
Julia Newman hails from Colorado where she also completed her medical school training at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Afterwards, she moved to Boston for her Internal Medicine residency at Boston Medical Center. In addition to a passion for medical education, she has worked on a variety of research projects regarding patient consent in the ICU, tobacco cessation in patients with substance use, and blood clots in patients with sickle cell disease. Spending long hours working in the medical intensive care unit during multiple COVID peaks she came to realize the necessity of integrating Palliative Care and Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine both in and out of the hospital. After her palliative care fellowship, Julia hopes to complete a fellowship in Pulmonary/Critical Care to help patients with end stage lung disease live their best lives. Outside of medicine she enjoys spending time outside, cooking new recipes, reading and loves hosting game nights with her fiancé, Will. Hopefully soon she can also get back to traveling the world!
Eric Tsu, MD
2021-2022 Fellow
Residency
Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA
Medical School
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be’er Sheva, Israel
Bio:
Eric (he/they) first gained exposure to hospice care in Austin, Texas, where he volunteered with Project Transitions, a local NGO providing support to individuals with HIV/AIDS in Central Texas. Family roots in South Korea and Taiwan cultivated a long-standing interest in culture and identity, motivating him to serve in the United States Peace Corps in Mozambique and later study medicine and global health in Israel. He sought postgraduate training in physical medicine and rehabilitation and is similarly drawn to hospice and palliative medicine because of the specialties’ shared focus on patient goals and quality of life. He had the privilege of completing an additional fellowship in bioethics during his final year of residency and looks forward to integrating the sum of his experiences as a palliative medicine fellow. Eric finds joy in cooking and sharing meals as a natural expression of caregiving and loves to travel and learn about other cultures.
2020-2021 Fellow Biographies
Kirsten Engel, MD
2020-2021 Fellow
Residency
St Joseph Mercy Hospital, Ann Arbor, MI
Medical School
Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
Bio:
After graduating from Harvard Medical School, Kirsten completed a residency in emergency medicine and a clinical research fellowship, as part of the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars program, at the University of Michigan. In subsequent years, Kirsten’s husband had several new job opportunities which resulted in moves within the US and ultimately to his native country of Denmark. Kirsten worked as emergency medicine faculty at Yale University and Northwestern University and, most recently, held a position at Copenhagen University. She is now thrilled to have the opportunity to pursue her longstanding interest in hospice and palliative medicine. Kirsten loves spending time with her three teenagers and her husband, as well as going on long walks with their little cavapoo, Felix.
Brian Gacioch, MD
2020-2021 Fellow
Residency
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA
Medical School
Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, PA
Bio:
Brian grew up in central New York State and trained as a paramedic while in college at Cornell University. After a few years as a paramedic and flight paramedic in New York, Los Angeles, and Vermont, he attended medical school at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, and then completed an emergency medicine residency and served as a chief resident at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. He served for three years on active duty in the United States Air Force, during which he further developed his interest in integrating palliative care concepts into emergency medicine. He loves spending time with his wife and dog, cooking, and really any outdoor activity, but mostly cycling, kayaking, hiking, and skiing.
Sundeep Grandhe, MD
2020-2021 Fellow
Residency
UCLA-Kern Medical Center, Bakersfield, CA
Medical School
Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute, India
Bio:
Before coming to BIDMC, Sunny attended medical school at Sri Ramachandra University in Chennai, India. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine at UCLA-Kern in Bakersfield, California. He served as chief of pharmacovigilance in a committee established to search for novel therapeutic non-opioid interventions including virtual reality for managing acute and chronic pain in both inpatient and outpatient settings for a variety of medical illnesses. Research interests include pain management and he is currently engaged in projects utilizing virtual reality as a therapeutic intervention for refractory symptom management. His academic interest focuses on the intersection of palliative care with hematology and oncology. He has a great passion for providing culturally sensitive and compassionate care for medically disadvantaged and underserved populations. In his free time, he loves pursuing his wanderlust, portrait photography, and cooking worldly cuisines!
2019-2020 Fellow Biographies
Jesse Solomon, MD
2019-2020 Fellow
Residency
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA
Medical School
York University, Toronto, ON
BIO:
My passion is to make every day the best day it can be for patients with serious illness. My interest in palliative care began during my internal medicine residency at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. I have been fortunate to pursue my Palliative Care fellowship at BIDMC and join a group of kind, motivated and thoughtful doctors, nurses, social workers and spiritual care providers. In addition to symptom management and communication skills, I have learned the importance of being an empathic presence to my patients, and having a team-oriented multi-disciplinary approach to patient care. After graduation, I will be moving home to Canada to continue my growth as a palliative care and internal medicine physician. Let's Go Raptors, Let's Go!
"Fellowship truly made me a better doctor. Everything I learned at Beth Israel Deaconess translates both inside the palliative care specialty but also to my practice in internal medicine. I just feel more versatile being able to handle difficult conversations surrounding prognosis and treatment options. I also feel confident treating any symptom. Perhaps most importantly is my appreciation of other staff and specialists in the hospital and trying to work together as a team to better patient care. My palliative care fellowship forever changed me and there's no doubt that all my patients are the true beneficiaries."
Natanong (Ten) Thamcharoen, MD
2019-2020 Fellow
Residency
Bassett Medical Center, Copperstown, NY
Medical School
Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
Bio:
My parents named me "Ten" because I am the 10th grandchild on both paternal and maternal sides. I am originally from Thailand. I came to US for Internal Medicine training at Bassett Medical Center in Cooperstown, NY. I was introduced to Palliative Care medicine there and this specialty has been imprinted on my mind since. Palliative Care has changed my view of how good doctor should be. However, I decided to do nephrology fellowship training first (also at BIDMC!) because it was my initial plan. Then I found the perfect fit between these two specialties, I realized that kidney patients do need doctors who know Palliative Care. My career focus is on applying Palliative Care practice in chronic kidney disease patients. After graduation, I am going back to my medical school in Thailand to help build a Palliative Care team there.
"What surprised me the most during my fellowship was our roles after the patient passed away. Helping patient's family with grief and bereavement is a big thing."
2018-2019 Fellow Biographies
Dylan Sherry, MD
2018-2019 Fellow
Residency
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA
Medical School
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH
Bio:
Dylan grew up in New Hampshire. He went to St. John's College in Annapolis, MD for undergrad studying philosophy and literature. He went to medical school at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland and also completed a Master's in Bioethics while he was there. He came back to New England for residency at BIDMC. He was thrilled to attend the Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship at BIDMC. After graduating, he and his wife moved to Philadelphia. Dylan now works as an attending a Fox Chase Cancer Center working in both the inpatient and outpatient setting. His academic interests include Advance Care Planning, Quality Improvement, and Medical Education. Outside of work, he enjoys going on day trips with his wife, cooking, skiing, playing guitar, and entertaining his goldendoodle puppy.
"One learning point that has been critical is the following: Have a differential for everything. This includes pain and other symptoms but also emotional reactions: Why did this family member react that way? Why did I react the way I did? Why might he or she ask that question? This persistent curiosity really helps to think critically about what someone might understand, where they are emotionally, and at the most basic level why their symptoms are occurring."
Judy Weinstock, MD
2018-2019 Fellow
Residency
Boston Medical Center, Boston MA
Medical School
Stony Brook University School of Medicine, NY
Bio:
Dr. Weinstock joined Care Dimensions in 2019 as a Hospice and Palliative Care physician. In her role, she provides palliative care consultations at Emerson Hospital in Concord, MA as well as works with an interdisciplinary team to provide hospice care to patients admitted to the Care Dimensions Hospice House in Lincoln.
Dr. Weinstock is a graduate of Stonybrook University School of Medicine in New York. She is board certified in family medicine and completed her residency at Boston University Medical Center and now specializes in Hospice and Palliative Care after finishing her fellowship training at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), Boston.
Prior to completing her fellowship, she has worked as a hospitalist and primary care physician in New York and the Greater Boston Area. She has served on several advisory boards and workgroups focused on hospice and palliative care and chronic-pain management.
"One of my best memories of fellowship was my elective week with the Spiritual Care team. I didn't realize how much I had to learn about hospital chaplains, their beliefs, scope of practice and expertise. I now ask every patient about their spirituality and consult the hospital chaplains regularly."
2017-2018 Fellow Biographies
Zachary Sager, MD
2017-2018 Fellow
Residency
University of Kentucky, Louisville, KY
Medical School
University of Kentucky, Louisville, KY
Bio:
Zachary found his calling in palliative care as a third-year medical student on a required palliative rotation during his medicine clerkship. Since then, he has continually sought to bring his psychiatric training to palliative medicine to improve the lives of seriously ill individuals. As the inaugural palliative medicine fellow at BIDMC, Zachary found a community excited to integrate clinicians with varied clinical backgrounds. Following clinical fellowship, he remained connected to the BIDMC/VA program, completing a two-year research fellowship at the VA developing additional research and writing skills. His work sits at the intersection of geriatrics, palliative care and psychiatry, focusing on understanding the experience of older adults with PTSD at end of life and developing novel psychotherapeutic treatments. His clinical work focuses on the management of pain and substance use disorders in the context of palliative care. He currently maintains an outpatient palliative care clinic at the Boston VA merging his psychiatric and palliative care skills. Outside of work he enjoys day trips around New England with his partner as well as mountain biking and bike-packing.