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.
May 2026
Yanik Bababekov, MD, MPH, M13, MG13 has won the 2025 Rising Star Award for transplant care, which was presented at the World Transplant Congress in San Francisco. Dr. Bababekov is an assistant professor of surgery and assistant professor of public health and a member of the Division of Transplant and Hepatobiliary Surgery and Director of Quality for the Department of Surgery at Tufts Medical Center.
Laurence Bailen, MD, M93 has won the Tufts University Alumni Association’s Distinguished Service Award. Dr. Bailen is a gastroenterologist at Boston Endoscopy Center and former Tufts Medical Alumni Association President.
Seda Babroudi, MD, MS, M18, GBS24 has become a Fellow of the American Society of Nephrology (FASN). This is a designation that honors members of the Society who have distinguished themselves through excellence in practice or research.
Richard Berger, MD, M89 has celebrated his 25th anniversary of performing outpatient joint replacement surgery. Dr. Berger is world-renowned for his minimally invasive approach to hip and knee replacement surgeries.
Jennifer Bradford, MD, J98, M10 has been appointed medical director for the city of Worcester, MA. Dr. Bradford’s work focuses on addiction medicine, homelessness, and expanding access to care.
Cameron Donaldson, MD, M05 has joined Pacific Permanente Group in Maui, HI as an interventional cardiologist and vascular medicine specialist.
David Drew, MD, MS, GBS13 received the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) Bridge Grant Pilot Program for his research "Hemodialysis and Cognitive Decline: A Longitudinal Study Examining Key Clinical Outcomes and Modifiable Risk Factors."
Kelly Henning, MD, M85 has won the Tufts University Alumni Association’s Distinguished Achievement Award. Dr. Henning is the public health program lead at Bloomberg Philanthropies.
Sandra Hernandez, MD, M84 has won the Tufts University Alumni Association’s Distinguished Achievement Award. Dr. Hernandez is the President and CEO of the California Health Care Foundation.
Brigham Hyde, PhD, GBS09 has won the Tufts University Alumni Association’s Distinguished Achievement Award. Dr. Hyde is the co-founder and CEO of Atropos Health.
Dana Mikulin, MD, MS, GBS01 has been approved for participation in the Novartis Clinical Trial in ADPKD, with Tufts Medical Center selected as one of the sites.
Michael Mulligan, MD, M80 has published a nonfiction called “Skeletons Are Everywhere - In Artifacts and Artforms through the Ages,” a collection of images of the skeleton or parts of the skeleton as they appear in various art forms and artifacts.
Erica Pan, MD, MPH, M96, MG96 has won the Tufts University Alumni Association’s Distinguished Achievement Award. Dr. Pan currently serves as the director and state public health officer for the California Department of Public Health.
Lee Rubin, MD, M04 has been appointed as the inaugural Kristaps J. Keggi Professor of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation at Yale School of Medicine, effective March 3, 2026. He has been a faculty member since 2017 and is also the founding program director of the Yale Hip and Knee Arthroplasty Fellowship.
Daniel Wener, MD, MS, A94, M98, GBS04, A27P has been selected to co-chair the National Kidney Foundation’s Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative Hemodialysis Adequacy Guideline Workgroup, which will update the guidelines around provision of hemodialysis in the United States.
John Wigneswaran, MD, MBA, M95 has been appointed by the American Medical Association (AMA) as Chief Operating Officer. Dr. Wigneswaran began his role on June 1, 2026.
Vanessa Yu, MD, A17, M22 and Robert Plummer, MD, A15, M22 were married over Memorial Day weekend in Meredith, New Hampshire.
Kathryn Zioto, MD, MPH, M12, MG12 successfully completed the “Boston Double”, an ultramarathon which takes place during the Boston Marathon where participants run the course twice.
April 2026
Deborah Jessiman (née Lindsay), MD, M87 has been appointed by the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association as Vice Regent for the state of Maryland. Dr. Jessiman, a retired pediatrician, will support the Association’s mission to preserve and protect George Washington’s Mount Vernon and to advance its educational and historic preservation initiatives.
Andre Panossian, MD, M00 was honored by Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger at the Board of Supervisors public hearing with a commemorative scroll of commendation for his 2015 work in Haiti performing the country’s first conjoined twin separation. Dr. Panossian also helped launch the nonprofit Mending Kids’ first surgical mission to Armenia. Recognition for his achievements coincides with Armenian American Heritage Month (April).
Marshall Posner, MD, M75 has been appointed as associate director of Clinical Investigations at Tampa General Hospital Cancer Institute. In addition to his new role, Dr. Posner will continue serving as medical director of the Clinical Research Trial Office at the Cancer Center of South Florida.
Kacey Sabourin, MPH, MG21, married her fiancé on February 18, 2026, and shortly after gave birth to their daughter, Carly, on February 28, 2026. Additionally, Sabourin started a new role as Program Coordinator at the MaineHealth Department of Medical Education.
Louis Tramontozzi, MD, M07 was recently named a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology (FAAN) and appointed Director of Medical Education for Beth Israel Lahey Health Beverly and Addison Gilbert Hospitals.
March 2026
Sean Doherty, MD, M00 has been named a recipient of the Boston Magazine Top Doctors 2026 - Plastic Surgery award, marking his tenth consecutive year of recognition by Boston Magazine. Dr. Doherty is a board-certified plastic surgeon serving the Greater Boston area.
Audra Williams, MD/MPH, M15, MG15 has been named medical director of Riverbend, an addiction recovery center in Haverhill, MA. Dr. Williams joins Riverbend with experience in addiction medicine, primary care and hospital-based treatment for individuals affected by substance use disorder.
February 2026
Pubali Banerjee, PhD, GBS11 has been named Woman of the Year 2026 by India New England News. Dr. Banerjee is being honored for the exceptional industry and community impact she has made in her roles as a biomedical engineer at Takeda and president of the nonprofit Prabasi of New England, respectively.
Luke Daley, MD, M87 has joined Southcoast Health Heart and Vascular. Dr. Daley’s expertise includes non-invasive cardiology, electrocardiography, ambulatory rhythm monitoring, and other cardiovascular specialties.
Samuel Giles, MD, M15 has been appointed to the Federal Alzheimer’s Advisory Council at the Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Giles will support work to update the National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease as well as accelerate research, improve care, and strengthen long-term services for individuals with Alzheimer’s and related dementias.
Alison Kole, MD, MPH, M04, MG04 has launched the podcast Sleep Is My Waking Passion. Dr. Kole, in conversation with a variety of guest experts, trainees, and patients, discusses how disease, pregnancy, disability, and other medical and non-medical factors affect sleep health.
Rishi Manchanda, MD, MPH, M03 has been named by Fierce Life Sciences on the “Fierce 50” list, which honors individuals who are driving advancements in medicine, fostering innovation, and shaping the future of biopharma and healthcare. Dr. Manchanda is the founder and CEO of HealthBegins.
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.