School of Medicine Class Notes*
Calling all Jumbos! Have you recently gotten married? Welcomed a new baby? Celebrated a professional achievement? Find out what your classmates have been up to and share your own news as well!
*This page will be updated on a monthly basis.
January 2026
Kathryn Brinsfield, MD, M91 has been appointed by Draper, a biosecurity and public health leader, as vice president and general manager of biotechnology systems. Dr. Brinsfield oversees the business unit’s strategic direction and the company’s biodefense and biomedical research programs.
Catherine Chia, MD, M10 has been appointed Associate Chief Medical Officer for Operational Efficiency by UC Davis. Dr. Chia oversees the development and implementation of key strategies that enhance the efficiency, effectiveness, and quality of clinical operations across UC Davis Health. She is also an associate clinical professor specializing in hospital medicine.
Karen Smith, PhD, GBS03 has promoted to Director for the School of Biological Sciences in the Ray P. Authement College of Sciences at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Whitney Snider, MD, MBA, M12 has joined Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center as the inaugural Managing Partner of MSK Ventures, a dedicated investment pool that will raise and direct funds to high-growth, early-stage startups created and/or nurtured by MSK faculty and staff.
John Wigneswaran, MD, MBA, M95 has been elected to the board of the American Diabetes Association as Secretary/Treasurer. Dr. Wigneswaran is a health care executive and board member with more than two decades of experience leading clinical strategy and operations, transformation, and innovation across some of the nation's largest health care organizations spanning payer, provider, pharmaceutical, and retail sectors.
December 2025
Vito Sessa, MD, M76 has been inducted into the Westchester County Senior Hall of Fame for his volunteer work with the White Plains Youth Bureau. Following his retirement as a pediatrician, Dr. Sessa founded the program JumpStart for Dads, a free virtual skills and support group for fathers and soon-to-be fathers.
David Stanton, MD, M81 has won a Gold Medal at the UCI Masters Track World Championships hosted at the Stab Velodrome in Roubaix, France. Dr. Stanton has been a competitive cyclist for the past 12 years and previously won five national championships.
November 2025
Eliot Gagne, MD, M20 has joined the University of Alabama at Birmingham Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery as a clinical assistant professor. Dr. Gagne is also an active-duty surgeon with the United States Air Force Special Operations Surgical Team. Read more.
In January, Erica Pan, MD, MPH, M96, MG96 was appointed Director and State Public Health Officer of the California Department of Public Health. She brings more than 20 years of public health leadership experience to the role. Dr. Pan is also a clinical professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the University of California, San Francisco. Read more.
October 2025
Chandrasekh Basu, MD, MBA, MPH, FACS, M99, MG99 has been named president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), the world’s largest organization of board-certified plastic surgeons. Dr. Basu is the founder and managing director of Basu Aesthetics + Plastic Surgery, a Houston-based independent private practice specializing in aesthetic plastic surgery of the face, breast and body. Read more.
Melissa Campos, MD, M14 was recently featured by the American Academy of Family Physicians in a profile about her work as a Latina family medicine doctor. Dr. Campos practices in Chula Vista, California, where 61% of the population is Hispanic, and hopes to make an impact on this predominately underserved community. Read more.
Leah Forston, MD, A16, M21 has joined St. John’s Health in Jackson, Wyoming as the first adult psychiatrist. Dr. Forston brings both clinical expertise and a deep understanding of the lifestyle and challenges unique to the region. Read more.
In June 2024, John Thomas, MD, FACC, FACP, FACHE, M02 was appointed as the VA Puget Sound Health Care System Deputy Chief of Staff for Specialty Care. Dr. Thomas, retired U.S. Army colonel, is a practicing cardiologist who is board certified in both cardiovascular medicine and internal medicine. Read more.
September 2025
Paul Brunetta, MD, M90 has joined Hinge Bio as Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Brunetta was most recently at Sana Biotechnology as Senior Vice President of Clinical and Translational Science and remains Adjunct Associate Professor in the Pulmonary and Critical Care Division at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Read more.
Sean Doherty, MD, FACS, M00 has been named among “America’s Best Plastic Surgeons”, receiving recognition in the categories of breast augmentation and liposuction. Dr. Doherty is a board-certified plastic surgeon at the Boston Center for Plastic Surgery. Read more.
Gregory DuQuella, MD, M97 has recently published a book, The MCT Intern: Keep Breathing, a Chinese grader reader designed to enhance readers’ medical Chinese proficiency. Read more.
Dawn Gross, MD, PhD, M96, GBS96 has recently published a book, Heart Sounds: How a Stethoscope, a Magic Wand and a Fishing Pole Teach Us to Listen for What Matters Most, collection of stories taking readers through the walls of medical training and into the experiences of a doctor. Read more.
Susan Pandya, MD, M03 has been appointed Chief Medical Officer at Atavistik Bio, biotechnology company discovering the next generation of precision allosteric therapeutics. Dr. Pandya brings 20 years of drug development experience including successful regulatory approvals and will lead clinical development strategy and execution. Read more.
Libby Stidham, MG22 is engaged to her fiancé, Peter, who proposed earlier this month.
July 2025
Ankit Shah, MD, M10, MG10 has been named one of the Top Doctors 2025 by Bethesda Magazine and is featured on the cover of the July/August issue. Shah is a sports cardiologist and appears on the list among over 400 other physicians in Maryland. Read more.
In August 2024, Matthew Weissman, MD/MBA, M01 was appointed the Chair of Medicine at Maimonides Medical Center in Brookly, NY. Weissman is a primary care physician and also oversees the clinical, academic, and research activities of over 90 employed faculty, 150 trainees, and hundreds of voluntary physicians.
June 2025
Harry Agress A68, M72 has recently published a book titled Next Years Best Years: Taking Your Retirement to the Next Level, a guide to help those entering retirement live their “best years.” Dr. Agress, a retired radiologist, is now also a photographer. Read more.
Karin Cole, MD, M04 has been named Caregiver of the Year by the Maine Hospital Association. Dr. Cole is recognized for her outstanding commitment to patient care. She is a surgeon at Northen Light Mercy Hospital in Portland, Maine. Read more.
Multiple faculty members, also alums, at the School of Medicine have been recognized for their excellence in research and teaching. The following were presented with awards:
Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Awards Presented by The Arnold P. Gold Foundation
- Marc Kimball, MD, M16, clinical assistant professor of family medicine
Outstanding Teaching in the Clerkship Years
- Eliza Bullis, MD, M11, clinical assistant professor of medicine
Faculty selected to Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) National Honor Medical Society
- Eliza Bullis, MD, M11, clinical assistant professor of medicine
- Taimur Dad, MD, MS, GSBS18, assistant professor of medicine
- Andrea Zuckerman, MD, M89, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology
Faculty Awards for Excellence in Teaching
- Laurence Bailen, MD, M93, clinical associate professor of medicine
- James Kubilus, PhD, GSBS09, associate professor of medical education
- Anita Mathews, MD, M17, MG17, clinical assistant professor of family medicine
House Staff/Fellow Awards for Excellence in Teaching
- Jordan Santiago, MD, M22
May 2025
Rose Glynne, MD, M88 has accepted a new position at Mercy Clinic Women’s Health in St. Louis as obstetrician-gynecologist. Dr. Glynne will provide pregnancy, childbirth and other women’s health care to women across southeast Missouri. Read more.
Rahul Kakkar, MD, A97, M02 has joined the bio platform innovation company Flagship Pioneering as CEO-Partner and Quotient Therapeutics as Chief Executive Officer. Dr. Kakkar is a biotech entrepreneur and physician-scientist with nearly 20 years of professional experience founding and building biotechnology companies and practicing medicine. Read more.
Ron Riesenburger, MD, MMM, A97, M01 has been appointed Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at Tufts University School of Medicine and Tufts Medical Center. Dr. Riesenburger will provide leadership across the department’s mission areas with subspecialty clinical expertise in areas including spine, vascular, cancer, epilepsy, and trauma neurosurgery. He has held these positions on an interim basis since October 2024.
Rahul Sharma, MD, M01 has been awarded the 2025 Roger Schenke Award by the American Association for Physician Leadership (AAPL). This award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to leadership education, management training, and professional development in healthcare. Dr. Sharma was recognized for his work in telemedicine and virtual care. Read more.
Maximillian Martinez, MG10 has joined Tennova Medical Group’s Orthopedics and Sports Medicine team in Clarksville, TN. Dr. Martinez, an orthopedic surgeon, will focus on performing knee replacements and improving athletes’ physical health.
Michael Tung, M01 has joined vTv Therapeutics as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Dr. Tung joins the biopharmaceutical company with over 20 years of experience in finance, corporate strategy, investor relations, and business development in the life sciences industry.
April 2025
Emily S. Levine, MD, MTA, M21 has been awarded the Ophthalmic Genetics Specialty Fellowship Award by the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine. Dr. Levine will begin a clinical fellowship in ophthalmic genetics at the Casey Eye Institute of Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, OR this summer. Read more.
March 2025
Erica Bisson, MD, MPH, M00 has been named Chair of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves. Dr. Bisson is a Professor of Neurosurgery and Adjunct Professor of Orthopedics at the University of Utah, where she also serves as Vice Dean for Clinical Affairs and Executive Medical Officer for the faculty practice. Read more.
Colleen Fant, MD, MPH, M13, MG13 has been appointed co-director of the Center for Global Pediatric Health, a part of the Robert J. Havey, MD Institute for Global Health. Dr. Fant is currently an attending physician in emergency medicine at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. Read more.