Current PGY-4 General Surgery Residents

Our PGY4 Residents

Categorical

Huma Baig, MD
Harvard Medical School

Huma's hometown is Glenview, Illinois. She received her BS in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and her BA in Latin American Studies from Yale University. At Yale, she volunteered with refugee populations and mentored incarcerated women. Between college and medical school, she pursued a fellowship with the Yale School of Public Health, investigating transmission of the Zika virus in urban Brazilian populations with publications in Neuron and PNAS. Huma received her MD from Harvard Medical School, where she served as a leader of Mission Crimson, a tutoring and mentoring program for minority and low-income elementary students in Boston. Huma is interested in surgical oncology. She is fluent in five languages and enjoys yoga, traveling, reading, writing, and spending time with loved ones.

Ritah Chumdermpadetsuk, MD
Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

Ritah's hometown is Bangkok, Thailand. She received her BS in Biochemistry, summa cum laude, from Tufts University. During college, Ritah participated in theater and worked professionally in musical theater, both in the US and abroad. She was also a member of the Tufts University all-female a cappella group and was first soprano and soloist with the Thai Youth Choir, representing Thailand at the World Choir Games. Ritah received her MD from Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, where she served in leadership roles focused on student mentoring and advising. She served as Co-President of Columbia's Chapter of Medical Students for Choice and Co-President of the Bard Hall Players, a student-run theater organization. Ritah is interested in pediatric surgery and enjoys singing, acting, piano, reading, writing, playing Scrabble, tennis and speed math.

Nicholas DeStefino, MD, PhD
Harvard Medical School

Nick's hometown is Scottsdale, Arizona. He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh, Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude, with degrees in both neuroscience and history. He then matriculated to the MD/PhD program at Harvard Medical School, earning his PhD in Neurobiology and serving as an Editor of the Journal of Emerging Investigators. Nick is interested in education, participating as both an undergraduate and graduate teaching assistant, and volunteered as a junior clinician in the Crimson Care Collaborative, an interdisciplinary student-faculty run medical clinic. Nick co-led the pediatric clinic as a staffing director, senior director, and program-wide medical education chair and volunteered to provide patient outreach for patients discharged after hospitalization for COVID-19. Nick is interested in surgical oncology and GI surgery and enjoys running and reading.

Stephanie Cohen, MD

Tufts University School of Medicine

Stephanie comes from Illinois. She completed her undergraduate studies at Tufts University in the combined program with the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, graduating Phi Beta Kappa, with a BS in Biochemistry and a BFA in Studio Art. During college, Stephanie worked as an EMT and also served as a teaching assistant in ceramics at Harvard. She received her MD from Tufts University School of Medicine, where she has worked as a research assistant, medical illustrator, and served as an officer on the Student Council. Stephanie is an accomplished artist, working as a free-lance illustrator. She has published and exhibited multiple works of art and was selected as a participant in the National Academy of Medicine Art Show. Stephanie's hobbies include art, drawing, design, painting, and marathon running.

Peterson Maina, MD, PhD

Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Peterson hails from Mombasa, Kenya. He attended St. Lawrence University, graduating with a degree in Biochemistry, magna cum laude. He went on to earn his PhD from University of Iowa in Anatomy and Cell Biology, before matriculating into Albert Einstein College of Medicine. At Einstein, he assumed various leadership roles, including being the Student Representative to the Office of Medical Education, above Senator in charge of Alumni Relations. He also was the Educational Coordinator of the Homeless Outreach Program and Co-president of Einstein's Christian Fellowship. He pursued a post-doctoral research project after winning an NIH Research Fellowship, during which time he volunteered with Einstein's Project Kindness, a program that saw students visit with hospital patients for conversation. Peterson was elected to AOA and was a member of SNMA. His interests include travel, singing and choreography. He hopes to pursue a career in surgical oncology.

Josephine Nwokedi, MD, MBA
Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California

Josephine's hometowns are Los Angeles, California and Arlington, Virginia. Josephine received her BS in Psychobiology, with honors, from the University of California, Los Angeles. She matriculated at the MD/MBA program at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, participating in multiple international social entrepreneurial projects impacting health and quality of life. While at Keck, Josephine served as Community Service Co-Chair of the Student National Medical Association, Program Chair of the Tom Bradley Outreach Program, a teaching and mentoring program for underserved communities, and a Care-Team Coordinator in Keck's Student-Run Clinic. Josephine also pursued several clinical research projects in the field of trauma surgery. Her interests include cooking, especially Sierra Leonean and Italian cuisines, cycling, and travel.

Jennifer Pan, MD

University of Illinois College of Medicine

Jennifer's hometown is Chicago and she completed her undergraduate studies at MIT with a BS in Materials Science and Engineering (Course 3), working in the Langer Lab, and also studied at Oxford. While at MIT, Jennifer volunteered in a program to encourage STEM careers for girls. Jennifer received her MD from the University of Illinois College of Medicine, where she was active on the Student Wellness and Resilience Committee of the Student Council, serving as Chair of this committee. Her research has ranged from biomaterials science to clinical research. Jennifer's hobbies include yoga and traveling.

Jemin Park, MD
University of Michigan Medical School

Jemin's hometown is Knoxville, Tennessee. He received his BA in Neuroscience from Dartmouth College and his MD from the University of Michigan Medical School, with election to AOA. He was engaged in various research projects throughout college and medical school, resulting in multiple publications. As a medical student, Jemin served as a Surgery Clerkship Curriculum Developer and Social Services Coordinator for the University of Michigan Student-Run Free Clinic, where he assisted patients applying for Medicaid. Jemin's interests include violin, orchestra, volleyball, and soccer. He is an accomplished violinist and was a member of both the Dartmouth Symphony Orchestra and the Life Sciences Orchestra at the University of Michigan.

Thomas Xu, MD
University of Virginia School of Medicine

Thomas's hometowns are Glastonbury, Connecticut and Gainesville, Florida. He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Connecticut with a BS in Chemistry. He received his MD from the University of Virginia School of Medicine, where he was elected to AOA and pursued a variety of research projects leading to multiple publications, particularly in pediatric and colorectal surgery. He served as a teaching assistant for pre-clinical anatomy, created comprehensive pre-clinical question banks for his classmates, and organized online teaching sessions for students interested in general surgery. Thomas helped form a medical school soccer team to compete in the Charlottesville co-ed adult league and was active in UVA's basketball, football, and volleyball leagues. Thomas enjoys hiking and rock climbing.

Integrated Vascular Surgery

Jeremy Darling, MD
Tufts University School of Medicine

Jeremy's hometown is Albany, New York. He received his BA in Psychology from Boston University and his MD from Tufts University. Between college and medical school, Jeremy spent several years working as a research assistant in the Division of Vascular Surgery at BIDMC. His outstanding work led to over 30 peer-reviewed publications (including six first author publications) and eleven presentations at national meetings. Deciding on a career in medicine, Jeremy obtained his MS in Medical Sciences from Boston University before matriculating at Tufts University School of Medicine. During this time, the focus of his research work at BIDMC was maintaining and evaluating institutional databases on patients undergoing lower extremity revascularization. He utilized this data for his master's thesis, which focused on mid- and long-term outcomes in patients with diabetes who underwent both open and minimally invasive lower extremity procedures. Jeremy's interests include film and film criticism, ultimate Frisbee, disc golf, the Beatles, squash, and spending time with his wife and their Shetland sheepdog named Butter.