Current Residents—The MedStar Health—Washington Hospital Center Residency Program in Obstetrics and Gynecology

Lauren Barrison, MD

Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
Medical School: Georgetown University School of Medicine
Undergraduate: Georgetown University
Major: International Health
Hobbies and Interests: Women's health, global health, travel, hiking, cooking, cheese, Latin dance, Broadway musicals

Olivia Casas-Diaz, MD

Hometown: Miami, FL
Medical School: West Virginia University School of Medicine-Charleston 
Undergraduate: University of Miami
Major: Microbiology and Immunology
Undergraduate: The Honors College at Miami Dade College
Major: Biology
Hobbies and Interests: For the past three years living in West Virginia, I have grown to love its incredible outdoor adventures including hiking and whitewater rafting. Hiking is especially a beloved past time of mine. It is not only a great exercise but also a good way to disconnect from my daily routine. I also enjoy dancing Latin dances during gatherings with family and friends. I particularly love a type of Cuban salsa dance called "Casino." During my undergraduate years, I was part of the student organization SalsaCraze.

Samantha Kodama, MD

Hometown: Lakewood, WA
Medical School: University of Hawaii, John A. Burns School of Medicine
Graduate School: University of Hawaii at Manoa
Major: Public Health
Undergraduate: University of Washington
Major: Physics
Undergraduate Study Abroad: Florence University of the Arts
Major: Art History
Undergraduate: University of San Diego
Major: Psychology
Hobbies: Jigsaw puzzles, visiting animals at the Humane Society, and listening to podcasts.

Dana Lewis, DO

Hometown: Brodhead, WI
Medical School: Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences College of Osteopathic Medicine
Graduate School: University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Major: Applied Sociology
Undergraduate: University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Major: Biological Sciences
Hobbies: Personally, I have a huge interest in travelling and going on adventures. My hobbies include almost any outdoor activity such as hiking, biking, swimming, kayaking, paddle boarding, etc. In addition to outdoor activities, I love to try new food; I guess I could be called a "foodie." I also can't forget to mention spending time with my dog (golden retriever) and my partner.

Cima Maliakal, MD

Medical School: University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine
Undergraduate: University of Miami
Major: Religious Studies
Undergraduate (Study Abroad): Chinese University of Hong Kong
Hobbies and Interests:

• Professional dancer: I began dancing at age three, learned various forms of dance, and completed a training course in India; I also performed on both a college dance team as well as a professional dance team.
• Avid artist: I continue to paint on a regular basis and have even drawn the illustrations in a professional surgical journal, Operative Techniques in Head and Neck Surgery.
• Traveling: 14 different mission trips, 30 countries visited. Learned five languages. Black Belt, Tae Kwon Do

Nishita Patel

Hometown: Winfield, IL
Medical School: Saint Louis University School of Medicine
Undergraduate: Saint Louis University
Major/Minor: Public Health and Minor in Biology
Hobbies and Interests:

• Dance: Bollywood dance has been a passion of mine since I was 5 years of age. I enjoy creating new choreography, dancing at various functions, including weddings and in multi-cultural shows.
• Hiking: I love hiking through different national parks around the country. I have camped under the stars in the Badlands, and hiked at national parks throughout Missouri including, Ha Ha Tonka State Park. I hope to travel to different cities in the near future and explore more of this country’s national beauties.

Valencia Quiett, MD

Hometown: Durham, NC
Medical School:  The Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University
Undergraduate: The Gillings School of Global Public Health at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Major/Minor: Environmental Health Sciences with minors in Chemistry and Spanish for the Medical Professions
Other: US Department of Health and Human Service Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality—Team STEPPS 2.0 Master Trainer-Quality Improvement
Hobbies and Interests: Writing, cooking, baking, singing, and music

Abbe Schickner, DO

Hometown: Norwich, VT
Medical School: University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine  
Undergraduate: University of Vermont
Major: Organic Chemistry and Microbiology
Undergraduate: University of Edinburg, Edinburg, Scotland
Major: Chemistry and Immunology
Undergraduate: Connecticut College, New London
Major: Biology and Mathematics
Hobbies and Interests: Each spring, I tap trees in my backyard and maple sugar with my neighbors. My favorite part is eating fresh maple syrup over vanilla ice cream. From competitive rowing to leisurely kayaking and sailing, I love being in all types of boats. Trail running or road running in sun, snow, or rain, I always enjoy trying to keep up with my speedy sister. When the snow falls, I am ready with my snowboard and cross-country skis. In the summer or fall, you can find me in my hiking boots.

Shobha Sridhar, MD

Medical School: Saint Louis University School of Medicine
Undergraduate: Saint Louis University
Major: Neuroscience
Hobbies and Interests: Traveling, hiking, and experiencing new places. I also love DIY projects/crafting, calligraphy, singing, music, and cooking/trying new restaurants.

Elissa Trieu, MD

Hometown: Richmond, VA
Medical School: Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine
Undergraduate: University of Virginia
Major: Biology
Hobbies and Interests: Running: It's my favorite way to explore a new city! I've done numerous half marathons and two full marathons (one of which was the Rock 'n' Roll marathon in D.C.!). I'm always down to find a new running buddy. Hiking: Whether it’s the Incan ruins in Peru or the blue ridge mountains in our backyard, I love getting the chance to go hiking when I can. I just like being outdoors! Baking: I like adventurous new recipes and a challenge. Most recently I've been a fan of cake decorating and baking bread.

Lindsey Alpeter, MD

Hometown: Darien, CT
Medical School: Wake Forest School of Medicine Baptist Medical Center
Undergraduate: Wake Forest University
Major: Psychology
Hobbies and Interests: Tennis, cooking, baking, watering skiing, yoga and long walks on the beach with my pup

Maria Alzamora, MD

Medical School: Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia Facultad de Medicina Alberto Hurtado  
Hobbies and Interests: In my free time, I enjoy reading mostly classical novels and autobiographies.  I also try to be very consistent with spending 1 hour a day on sporting activities, mostly running, cycling or yoga.  Whenever I have the opportunity, I like to travel especially places I haven’t been before.  I like going to museums, as I’ve always had an interest in classical art.

Mariam Barseghyan, MD, MS

Previous Residency Program: Kern Medical Center, Bakersfield, CA
Internal Medicine Internship: Adventist Health White Memorial Medical Center
Medical School: University of California School of Medicine
Graduate: University of California
Major: Physiological Science
Undergraduate: University of California
Major: Physiological Science and Russian Language and Literature
Undergraduate: Los Angeles City College
Major: General Chemistry and Natural Sciences and Mathematics

Hobbies and Interests:
• Learning languages, traveling, exploring different cultures
• Playing chess and ping-pong
• Hiking and camping
• Baking bread and pastries

Andrew Braun, MD

Hometown: Dallas, TX
Medical School: The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine
Undergraduate: The Ohio State University  
Major: Microbiology and International Studies
Hobbies: Hiking (Texas, Maine, and PNW so far), skiing, Ohio State football, art history/museums, exercise (megaformer pilates, cycling, yoga, running, gym), traveling (favorite trips: AP art history trip to Spain, family trip to China where my dad was the first American referee in international Shuai Jiao Olympics, archaeological dig in Belize), reading, music/theatre/pop culture, podcasts (Who Weekly, Las Culturistas, Mystery Show, This American Life), and of course, tipping my local drag queens.

Julia Goldberg, MD

Hometown: New York, NY
Medical School: Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
Undergraduate: Tufts University
Major: Biochemistry
Hobbies and Interests: Reading, crossword and KenKen Puzzles, hiking and singing

Bethany Kette, MD

Medical School: Georgetown University School of Medicine
Undergraduate: New York University
Major: Psychology
Hobbies and Interests: Traveling and scouting for clothing as souvenirs

    Wish list: Japan, Galapagos Island, Antarctica, Iceland, Egypt, Morocco
    Literature:
    Favorites (general):
    The Opposite of Loneliness by Marina Keegan, The Interestings by Meg Molitzer, Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
    Favorites (medical):
    Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese, House of God by Samuel Shem, Being Mortal by Atul Gawande

    Fashion trend forecasting, and vintage shopping, Yoga and competitive beach volleyball

Karen Schirm, MD

Hometown: McLean, VA
Medical School: Georgetown University School of Medicine
Undergraduate: Princeton University
Major: Molecular Biology and Global Health
Hobbies and Interests: Travel, reading historical fiction, swimming, scuba diving, painting and drawing, cycling and baking

David Schlee, MD

Hometown: Kansas City, MO
Medical School: University of Kansas School of Medicine
Undergraduate: Pittsburgh State University  
Major: Exercise Science, Biology
Hobbies and Interests:

• Kansas City Chiefs football and Royals baseball. (How bout them Chiefsssssss)
• BBQ. Kansas City has the best bbq in the world. No question.
• Photography (architecture, landscape, portrait)

Stephanie Sun, MD

Medical School: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine
Undergraduate: North Carolina State University  
Major: Chemistry
Undergraduate: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 
Major: Bachelor of Science in Nursing 
Hobbies and Interests: 

• Baking-from scratch: rosemary bread, butternut squash galettes, crumb cake, carrot cake, hummingbird cake, Taiwanese pineapple cake, cheesecake brownie swirls, strawberry cheesecake brownies topped with a hardened chocolate ganache
• Running-Cooper River Bridge Run (10K), Tarheel 10-Miler, and annual participant of the DC Colorectal Cancer Alliance’s Scope It Out 5K.
• Ceramics-Wheel Throwing
• Reading-Book Club Member

Allison Ward, MD

Hometown: Potomac, MD
Medical School: Georgetown University School of Medicine
Undergraduate: Wake Forest University
Major: Biology
Hobbies and Interests:  Running, indoor cycling, college football and basketball, Wake Forest University sports, cooking, trying new restaurants, traveling, book club