Matt Adler completed med school as well as his
undergraduate studies at the University of Florida
(where the sun shines and the gator growls. There
he enjoyed volunteering at the free, student-run
Equal Access Clinic, going on medical mission trips
to Latin America and was elected to the Alpha
Omega Alpha medical honor society. Outside
of medicine, Matt has also been very active in the
Jewish student groups on campus and is a huge
Gator sports fan. He also enjoys hitting the gym,
outdoors activities (biking, kayaking, swimming, etc.)
and spending time with his lovely fiancée, Melinda.
Professionally, Matt is interested in the full spectrum
of family medicine, but does find sports medicine,
pediatrics, and serving the underserved to be some
of the most compelling areas.
After graduating from Amherst College, Doug
spent a year teaching in Northern Spain, where
he picked up a language, a wife and an abiding
love of three hour meals. Upon return to New
Jersey, Doug was fortunate to encounter
mentors who nurtured his longstanding but as
yet unarticulated desire to practice
comprehensive family and community centered
primary care. In his free time, he enjoys
napping, draining jump shots, reading National
Geographic and thinking.
After graduating from Penn State University, Katie
returned to her home state of Maryland for medical
school. The city of Baltimore eventually grew on
Katie. During medical school she enjoyed being involved
In Community outreach programs, such as organizing a
Thanksgiving Dinner for a homeless community.
As well as concentrating on her medical studies and
learning how to become a great family physician, Katie
also strove to continue the activities that were most
important to her: running, playing rugby, and going to
Penn State football games. Katie is happy to be in
Philadelphia for residency, as she is close to several
friends and family members in the area. In addition to
becoming a well rounded physician, Katie’s professional
interests include sports medicine. In her free time, Katie
hopes to continue her athletics as well as spend time
exploring Philadelphia.
Annie grew up in Warwick, Rhode Island and
has spent the majority of her life in New
England. She graduated from Bowdoin College
and afterwards moved to Boston where she did
clinical research at Massachusetts General
Hospital. She then completed a masters
program at Boston University School of Medicine
and was excited to come to Jefferson for medical
school to continue the family tradition, following
her grandfather JMC class of '42 and aunt JMC
class of ‘87. While at Jeff, Annie was one of the
leaders of Jeff Hope for Kids, an organization
that plans activities and holiday parties for kids at
the ACTS and Elisa Shirley shelters in
Philadelphia. She is interested in adolescent
health and enjoys participating in all sports
especially running.
Lauren grew up in Ithaca NY -- a small college
town that fostered a love for the wild outdoors, a
predilection for used bookstores, and an enduring
affection for the Moosewood restaurant. She pursued
an undergraduate degree in English at Haverford
College and subsequently moved to Washington, DC
where she worked in the legal field for a few years.
Ultimately choosing to pursue the dream of doctoring,
Lauren completed her post-bacc at Scripps College
and matriculated to Temple University School of
Medicine. Over the course of her education, Lauren
has remained deeply committed to providing care to
the underserved communities within her local and
global community. She is immensely excited to be
starting her residency at Jefferson and is both
inspired and motivated by her mentors and
colleagues alike. She hopes to pursue a career in
academic medicine and cultivate her interest in
international health. In her free time, Lauren enjoys
backpacking, reading, independent films, and taking
the road less traveled.
Kedron spent her four years at the University of
Delaware contemplating becoming an English
Professor, only to decide once and for all on a
trans-atlantic flight from DaVinci to Philly
International that medical school was the right
decision. Despite being entirely thrilled with the
choice to pursue family medicine, she still harbors a
delicious affection for novels. Kedron's time at
Jefferson was shaped by her work with the
adolescent population, particularly at Philadelphia's
Youth Emergency Service Shelter – she continues
to enjoy the sassiness that only teenagers have the
audacity to provide in the outpatient office. When
applying for residency Kedron contemplated a
geographic adventure, only to realize that Jefferson
had wholly become home (and was ideally located
near the family and friends whom she adores)! In
her free time Kedron enjoys exploring the city,
jogging *somewhat clumsily*, entertaining her
friends and getting a borderline unhealthy amount
of sun on her family's deck.
After graduating from Penn, Laura returned
home to New York to work at the March of
Dimes on their Folic Acid Campaign. After
working there for a year, she served in the
Peace Corps for two years in Belize. There she
did community outreach and education on issues
related to sexual and reproductive health,
particularly HIV/AIDS. While there she got the
crazy idea to go to medical school, and returned
to New York to finish a post-bac program, and
later stayed to attend Albert Einstein College of
Medicine. Her professional interests include
preventative medicine, racial and ethnic health
disparities, sexual and reproductive health, and
community outreach. When not working, she
enjoys shopping at flea markets, going to
restaurants, reading, and traveling outside the
country any chance she gets.
After graduating from Wheaton College (Norton
MA) in 2001, Julia spent two years conducting
Orthopaedic Clinical Research at The Children's
Hospital of Philadelphia before entering
Jefferson Medical College. At Jefferson, Julia
developed a strong interest in working with
underserved communities and had the
opportunity to mentor an adolescent from a
North Philadelphia neighborhood. Jefferson's
Family and Community Medicine Residency
Program was an easy choice given the
Department's dedication to the Philadelphia
community not to mention the fantastic people
within the Department. When she's not busy
fighting disease and pestilence, Julia can be
found on the lacrosse field with her team of
Philadelphia ruffians or on her snowboard
waging the continuing battle against the icefields
of the Poconos. She also enjoys running along
the Schuykill, traveling, reading, and eating ice
cream though not necessarily in that order.
Raised in South Florida, Leah has been gradually
making her way up north. After graduating from
Davidson College in 2002, Leah spent a year in
Virginia working as a nanny, planning a wedding, and
enjoying the outdoors. She came to Philadelphia
for medical school and fell in love with family medicine
and Jefferson's program. Leah's professional interests
include integrative medicine, maternal-child-health,
and rural medicine. In her free time, Leah can be
found hiking, gardening, and spending time with her
Siberian husky and husband.
Jenny was born in Syracuse, NY. She enjoys traveling and visited Thailand, Fiji, Taiwan and Australia, and India. When abroad she especially likes to go to the supermarkets and grocery stores – there are so many different foods! Many of her interest involve food, but she also loved going to the museums, theater and the orchestra. She also likes to wheel-throw pottery. She finds working with clay is very therapeutic.
After spending half of her childhood in Martinez, CA and half in Germantown, MD, Katye headed off to college bound to become a veterinarian. While a student at Cornell University, she spent much of her free time volunteering with a pet therapy program, visiting hospital and nursing home patients with a Great Dane. It was during these visits that she discovered how much she enjoyed talking to patients and helping them cope with their illnesses, thus bringing her to the decision to apply to medical school. Prior to matriculating at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, she spent a year at the National Cancer Institute working as a Patient Care Coordinator for the Brain Tumor Clinic. Katye was drawn to Family Medicine for its emphasis on community outreach and patient advocacy. She fell in love with Jefferson for its prime location in Center City Philadelphia, diverse patient population and clinic settings, and passionate, well-rounded residents and faculty. In her free time, Katye enjoys running, swimming, eating frozen yogurt, discovering new restaurants, bonding with her wonderful fellow residents, and spending time at her family's home on the Chesapeake Bay.
Kris grew up in the small town of Bloomsburg in Northeastern PA and then went to Wilkes University. After college, he moved to Philadelphia and went right into medical school at Jefferson. He quickly became involved with the family medicine department and decided it was the right program for him. His interests within family medicine include sports medicine and international health. In his spare time, he enjoys playing basketball, trying new restaurants, and working on his golf game.
Stephanie grew up on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and living above the funeral home her parents run there, Stephenie had little exposure to medicine early on. Stephenie got off the ‘Shore to go to college at Immaculata University where she was pre-med, but also studied music and philosophy. She went to University of Maryland for medical school and had a fun time living in Baltimore. She was involved in a community psychiatry program, the Family Medicine Interest Group, and the Catholic Medical Student group. Stephenie loves playing the piano, running, eating, being outside, going to the beach, and hanging out with friends. She has enjoyed city-life but when the time comes the country air might just call her back to practice rural medicine.
Sudha grew up in Atlanta and trekked all the way to Albany, NY for college and medical school - she did a combined BA/MD program focused on community service. Although she was frozen for nine months every year for eight years, she spent time on volunteering, running a marathon, traveling to Mexico and India, and giving skiing and snowboarding a whirl. After thawing out, Sudha realized that the journey back south needed to begin, and here she is at Jefferson today! Her interests include spending time with her husband and family, traveling, sports, learning languages, cooking, and an obsession over decorating her condo. Professional interests include behavioral health, healthcare disparities, and one day becoming involved in health policy and public health on a governmental level.
Hallie was raised in Cleveland, OH and studied Neurobiology and Behavior at Cornell University. After college she moved to NYC, where she pursued a career as a consultant helping to define the unmet needs for new medical technologies. Hallie’s passion for health promotion and the patient-focused side of physiology and medicine drew her back to school to earn a master’s degree in Nutrition and Applied Physiology at Columbia, and a medical degree at New York University. An avid distance runner and competitive triathlete, in medical school Hallie developed an interest in primary care sports medicine. When she’s not at work, Hallie enjoys exploring Philadelphia’s BYOB restaurants, training for triathlons, cooking, sketching, and relaxing at home with her husband and two cats.
Chidinma went to University of Maryland (Fear the Terrapin!) where she earned her undergraduate degree in Neurobiology Physiology. After spending a year teaching 6th and 7th grade science in Baltimore, she attended Howard University for medical school. Chidinma was very active in FMIG as president for two years, as well as SNMA. She is interested in underinsured/uninsured communities, obstetrics, women’s health and pediatrics. She is the first of five children and is enjoying her new home Philadelphia. During her spare time she enjoys eating out, sleeping, and spending time with family friends.
Aimee left California for the first time after graduating undergrad from UC Berkeley to attend Jefferson for medical school. She grew up in Los Angeles and always thought she'd return promptly after graduating medical school. Her love for Jefferson and a new Philadelphia born and bred husband convinced her otherwise. She still enjoys California traditions like tofu and yoga and is slowly converting her in-laws. Aimee enjoyed all of the community outreach that Jefferson offered as a medical student including Move for Health and Jeff Hope. She also shares an interest in international medicine with her husband and hopes to use this shared passion to provide medical need in the future. Aimee's excited to stay at Jefferson for residency because of all the opportunities it will provide and all of the excellent mentors. In her free time, she and her husband enjoy running together, playing tennis, practicing yoga, cooking and hanging out with her family (west and east!!)
Raina grew up in Morristown, NJ in a fun and eclectic bi-cultural family. She headed to the University of Virginia for her first 2 years of college, and while she enjoyed it and made some great friends there, she missed city life so finished her final 2 years at NYU. She majored in English and minored in Russian Literature but was always drawn to medicine. Since she had never excelled at math and high level sciences, Raina thought she would not be cut out for pre-med. However, by the time her senior year of college rolled around, the idea of working a 9-to-5 job and staring at a computer all day made her very nauseated, so she decided to take the plunge and do a post-baccalaureate pre-med program at Rutgers. She ended up at Drexel for medical school and was very excited to match at Jefferson. Her career interests include public health and behavioral health. In her spare time, Raina likes eating at many of the great restaurants Philly has to offer, hanging out with friends and family, window shopping (and occasional real shopping when her budget allows), and spending time with her boyfriend Greg and their pit-bull Ziggy.
Jenny was born in Syracuse, NY. She enjoys traveling and visited Thailand, Fiji, Taiwan and Australia, and India. When abroad she especially likes to go to the supermarkets and grocery stores – there are so many different foods! Many of her interest involve food, but she also loved going to the museums, theater and the orchestra. She also likes to wheel-throw pottery. She finds working with clay is very therapeutic.
Beth grew up in a small farming community in rural Pennsylvania, where she spent her summers harvesting strawberries and tomatoes. During her years at Lehigh University, she studied agriculture in Costa Rica but ultimately decided to pursue a career in medicine. Early on in her medical school career, she became involved in Move4Health, a student-run diabetes exercise and education class, and quickly fell in love with primary care. Her professional interests include chronic disease management and palliative care. In her free time, Beth enjoys running, cooking, hosting dinner parties, and spending time with friends, family, and her pet turtle Franklin.
Emilia was born in Cincinnati, OH, but was raised in St. Paul, MN. She attended the University of Minnesota with dual interests of medicine and theater arts. However, after a long and torturous route (which involved traveling in Ireland, Scotland and Spain, working in the real world and assisting single women and young families in the birthing process as a Doula) she finally earned her BA in Theater Arts. Despite her enduring love of theater, she never lost sight of wanting to be an MD so she packed up her bags into a minivan and drove out east to attend a post-baccalaureate pre-med program at Drexel. After successful completion of the program, she was accepted at Drexel Med. While at Drexel, she fell in love with various extracurricular activities such as Medical Students for Choice, the Streetside clinic (which caters to IV drug users/homeless) and being on the admissions committee. All of this shaped her professional interests of women’s health (with an OB focus) HIV medicine (for all sexualities) and adolescent medicine. When she isn’t pouring over her books, Emilia enjoys reading for fun, exploring her new-found love of gardening, spending time with friends, going to the theater, biking, traveling, shoe shopping and of course spending time with her sweetie Arvin and their kitten named Monte.
With roots in Western Pennsylvania, Sarah still has a soft spot in her heart for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the smell of freshly cut grass. She ventured to Michigan to attend Hope College, earning her degree in French and Dance and learning the true meaning of the word “blizzard.” At Jefferson, Sarah fell in love with Philadelphia in all of its glory and grit. She was involved with the Jefferson FMIG, acted as a patient advocate at a student run clinic, and had the chance to be a marathon coach for West Philadelphia high school students. Sarah was drawn to family medicine because of its emphasis on disease prevention and community outreach. She loves exploring the city with her husband Eric and spending time with their family, friends, and church community. Some of her professional interests include preventative medicine, women’s health, integrative medicine, and serving the underserved.
Anna grew up among the cows and corn of central Pennsylvania with her four siblings. After high school in Massachusetts and college outside Philadelphia, she set out to teach science and art and coach soccer in England. After coming to Jefferson for medical school, she found her passion for family medicine and hasn’t looked back since. Her medical interests include adolescent medicine, sports medicine, and international medicine. Outside of the hospital Anna enjoys spending time in the ceramics studio, playing soccer, traveling, and eating with family and friends.
Neena Ghose, MD
Jefferson Medical College, 2009
Johns Hopkins University, 2002
University of Pennsylvania, 1999 neena.ghose@jeffersonhospital.org
Neena grew up in the Philadelphia suburbs and attended the University of Pennsylvania for undergrad where she studied Anthropology and South Asian studies. After college she moved to Washington DC and worked at a policy consulting firm on issues such as health care reform, domestic violence and reproductive rights. She then worked at the Bureau of Primary Health Care where she focused on expanding the community health center program. She received a Masters in Public Health from Hopkins where she focused on health policy. After 4 years in policy, she desired to pursue her true dream of being a physician. She enrolled in a post-bacc program at Bryn Mawr College and matriculated to Jefferson. She credits Jefferson with introducing her to family medicine and she fell in love with the program and its strong ties to public health and the community. Outside of medicine you'll find her enjoying all the parks, playgrounds and good eats that Philly offers with her two amazing young children and wonderful husband.
Sarah is a brand new, Midwestern transplant to Philadelphia. She grew up in St. Louis, which cultivated her love of professional sports teams that could win championships! After attending college at Miami University and medical school at University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, she decided that between Thomas Jefferson University and the great sports fans, Philadelphia was the ideal place for residency! Within Family Medicine, Sarah’s professional interests include adolescent health, reproductive health advocacy, and integrative medicine. She dedicated much of her undergraduate and medical school careers to domestic violence and sexual assault victims’ health advocacy, and plans to continue this during her career at Jefferson. In her free time, Sarah enjoys running (a new marathon addict), cheering for the St. Louis Cardinals, browsing farmers’ markets, soft-serve ice cream, and obsessing over her dog, Robert.
Steve grew up in Charleroi, PA, a small steel town south of Pittsburgh, PA. At a young age Steve developed a love for sports, and started playing football at age 7. After high school, Steve continued his football career and his education at The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD. After graduating, Steve moved to Philadelphia in 2003 and began working in medical research at the University of Pennsylvania, first in breast cancer research and then in sleep disorder research. During his time at Penn, Steve developed a sincere appreciation for the city of Philadelphia and he was very pleased when he was accepted to medical school at Jefferson Medical College, allowing him to stay in Philadelphia. While at Jefferson, Steve chose Family Medicine as a career, with primary care sports medicine as his main area of interest. The unique opportunities in the Jefferson Department of Family and Community Medicine to be involved in the community of Philadelphia as well as in sports medicine led Steve to want to stay at Jefferson. In his free time Steve can be found in the gym weight-training, out on the streets running or cycling, in the kitchen cooking, on the couch (or in the stands) watching football, baseball and hockey, or out trying one of Philly’s many fantastic BYOBs.
Jen was born and raised in northern New Jersey, but called New Haven, Connecticut home for the last nine years while earning her undergraduate and medical degrees from Yale University. Through her major in History of Science/History of Medicine, Jen learned to think critically about the culture of medicine, and interactions between medicine and society, long before entering the field herself. During her five years at Yale School of Medicine, Jen was able to expand her thoughts on an international level, traveling to El Salvador, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Uganda, and England for various public health, research, and clinical experiences. All of this has culminated in a deep commitment to providing and improving access to quality primary care, particularly for the geriatric population, and to reforming our nation’s broken health care system. When not trying to save the world, Jen enjoys playing sports—soccer, basketball, lacrosse, tennis and (though less so) running. She also can be found doodling in her sketch book, singing along to Beatles tunes, and catching up with family and friends.
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