February 2025
CA3: Srish Sharma - To the consistent fan favorite for CA-3 resident of the month, thank you for all your hard work. Your dedication to patient care, broad knowledge base, continued pursuit of improvement, excellence in teaching, and consistent positive attitude makes you a joy to work with. We appreciated all your hard work at midtown last month and know CHOA is lucky to have you next year!
CA2: Mandy Tate - Despite rotating at Grady during a rough month, she gets things done, stays positive, and maintains great relationships with everyone she works with. Thank you for all your hard work!
CA1: Carolyn Miller - “Carolyn has done well at Grady. She assisted with some critical trauma patients in January and excelled n resuscitation. We are happy to have her here!”
“Shout out to Dr. General Spud for going in on the snow day to relieve the overnight resident, staying all day to run PACU, help with blocks, and write ALL the preops for the next day. And also for staying late after a 24 to help me set up my room after a never-before-seen last minute neurosurgery case change.”
“Carolyn is making excellent progress as a CA-1 in all the things that aren't easy to measure. Hardworking, takes initiative on call, wants to own it all. Chief material right there. “
Intern: Dr. DeStefano did a fantastic job on his EM rotation. He was thoughtful, coordinated care well, and despite being sick for a few days, he had an amazing work ethic. We loved having him, and we hope to see him in the Grady ED soon.
January 2025
CA3: Charlie Baker - “Excellent rapport with patients ; always willing to help with whatever is needed to keep things flowing smoothly.”
CA2: Joe Nalbone - “Joe did an awesome job on OB this month, taking multiple 24-hour shifts over the holidays and maintaining a positive, can-do attitude the whole time. It's always a pleasure working with him and seeing him care for our patients!”
CA1: Kevin Flood - “Strong work at Grady over this past month on several busy call shifts! Thank you for your hard work and taking great care of our patients, including several very sick patients who came to the OR. Kevin always brings a positive attitude and is a joy to work with.”
Intern of the Month: Dr. Aksal Vashi ‘Dr. Vashi always has a smile on his face, and he keeps our spirits up with his attitude, jokes, and enthusiasm. He gave an amazing presentation on the use of VA ECMO in patients with pulmonary hypertension after his ICU month. Great job Dr. Vashi!'
December 2024
CA3: Pavani Vantipalli - “I wanted to pass along a shout-out from John Puskas, who commended your hard work and hustle taking care of dissection patients over what looks like a very long Thanksgiving holiday full of torn aortas. He especially noted how challenging the case yesterday was and was grateful for your strong management of a very sick patient.
Thanks for all you do for our patients and for making us look good!”
CA2: Jena Salem - “Gets the job done and learns every step of the way”
“Excellent job on APS. You not only quickly got up to speed but you also managed to do some great teaching with our medical student. It was a pleasure working with you!”
CA1: Taylor Patterson - “Excellent work from Taylor at EUH. We have very much enjoyed getting to know him and are appreciative of his hard work.”
Intern of the Month: Benjamin Schepergerdes - “He presented complex patients thoughtfully and comprehensively. He was always willing to stay late or help with other things that needed to be done.” Another says "He demonstrated maturity in his commitment to multidisciplinary team-based care and he was dedicated to learning and self-improvement. In addition to providing fantastic care for his own patients, he always seemed to appear when there was a crisis in any patient on the unit - prepared to contribute and learn. He effortlessly modeled excellent care in the ICU.”
November 2024
CA3: Brandon Hou: “I recently had the pleasure of working with Brandon while he was the PACU resident and supervising junior residents during the day. I will say that he is an absolute pleasure to work with and takes great charge and care of all of his patients. He was impressive supervising his juniors!”
CA2: Lauren Pomerantz: “Great attitude and work ethic trying to navigate a HUGE new hospital that we don’t know ourselves. Thank you!”
“We currently have Lauren at CHOA. Needless to say, it has been a really chaotic time while opening a new hospital. However, Lauren has been an excellent performer and I had to ask if she was a CA2 or a CA3. She is wonderfully organized, has a wonderful bedside manner and was an absolute pleasure to work with!”
“Lauren helped us onboard during our pediatric rotation with so much patience. We unfortunately were not paired due to staffing so Lauren stepped up and showed up early to help us transition and was readily available for all questions we had. I don’t think we would’ve been successful in our transition without her!”
CA1: Ashley Kim: “Ashley recently moved over to EUH and did an absolutely fantastic job. She is unassuming but quickly grasped the essential elements to establish her situational awareness. Such an essential characteristic for Anesthesiologists! I look forward to seeing her grow over the next couple of years.”
Intern of the Month: "The intern resident of the month constantly brightens everyone's day with their smile and positive attitude. They were called a delight, dependable, and an asset to the team on their surgical rotation. Congratulations to Dr. Laura Merlano!"
October 2024
CA3: Mason Triay - Stellar job on PACU and particularly in supervising two CA1 residents. Mason performed this task with ease, provided excellent teaching and feedback throughout the day. There is no doubt that he will do great next year wherever he decides to take his talents!
CA2: Ajay Patel - “I wanted to send a quick note to express how appreciative we have all been for having Ajay this month. It has been an odd time with the move to the new hospital, and he has taken on the task impressively. He is clinically excellent while also being of the upmost professionalism. He is enthusiastic and even in the face of the constant changes of the move, he remains calm and dedicated to best patient care.” Furthermore, thank you for all your efforts in making the virtual map for us to help share with applicants and medical students interested in learning more about Atlanta and our program. We greatly appreciate all your hard work!!
CA1: Rachel Nyenhuis - “Exceeded all of my expectations during some challenging cases”; “She has come very far as a new CA-1, excellent clinical knowledge”. Thank you for always going above and beyond for your patients and co-residents!PGY-1/Intern: Emily Weeden - Residency (and especially intern year) will keep you on your feet with some unexpected twists and turns. But this intern keeps us all going with their humor and can-do attitude. They thrived on a busy inpatient service after a scheduling error left them as the sole intern on service. We're so proud!
Intern of the Month: "The intern resident of the month constantly brightens everyone's day with their smile and positive attitude. They were called a delight, dependable, and an asset to the team on their surgical rotation. Congratulations to Dr. Laura Merlano!"
September 2024
CA3: Vyshakh Shibu: Excellent performance during his second 5E rotation seamlessly stepping into the role as the senior resident on service! Vyshakh always brings a great attitude and cheerful spirit which is refreshing on the busy ICU service!
CA2: JD Howard: Outstanding attitude, enthusiastic, always willing to help, consistently prepared, excellent resident! Great energy on cardiac. Always excited to learn and improve. Joy to work with. JD is always a thoughtful and methodical Anesthesiologist for his patients. His performance on the cardiac rotation was outstanding!
CA1: Chi Ohanu: Chi has done an excellent job in the Grady ORs since starting in July. She always keeps a positive attitude, shows up to cases prepared, is a great team member to work with, and has handled some very challenging cases well since being here! Thank you for all your hard work and cheerful attitude!
Intern of the Month: Kamryn Lewis: "It's always nice when I get a call from another attending raving about our interns. Dr. Kamryn Lewis had a great attitude and demonstrated fantastic skills and knowledge on her cardiology rotation. She had a fund of knowledge that rivals or surpasses some of the medicine residents. Congrats on the great work Dr. Lewis!"
August 2024
Intern: John Crumpler was an excellent asset to the surgical team during his July rotation. One attending commented that he had to remind himself John wasn't a surgical resident. His upper-level resident commented that he was efficient and skilled for his first month of intern year on a busy service. We are proud of John's accomplishments and so happy to have him on our team.
RotM: CA3: Lindsay Sterling - Lindsay has done a great job encouraging the new CA 1s as we make the tough adjustment to the OR. It has made a huge difference knowing she’s been in our shoes, and that we can make it through like she did. Her cheerful spirit really spurs us along!
CA2: Jordan Samo - Jordan has functioned as a leader at Grady in the main ORs as one of the senior residents during the busy season when the new CA-1s get up to speed. Ever pleasant, capable...amazing attitude in addition to providing strong clinical care. A very proactive resident. Thank you for all your help and uplifting spirit at Grady in July!
CA1: Katie Jackson - Dr. Jackson has been challenged with some significantly complicated patients recently. Although she is only a CA1, she has calmly responded and taken excellent care of her patients. A wonderful team player with a great attitude we’re excited to have in the ORs with us!
May 2024
CA1: Dr. Matt Potter “Matt did a great job on a busy cardiac rotation. He was consistently a team player who did well learning and taking great care of his patients. Additionally, his help in orienting his co-residents to a new a rotation and covering a call when a co-resident was out sick were just further examples of him continuing to go above and beyond!”
CA2: Dr. Brandon Hou “Brandon did a great job at Grady on his neuro month! His hard work and help for his co-residents was greatly appreciated. He consistently showed up for the team and crushed pre-ops to help folks get out earlier. Brandon is always reliable and fun to work with and we’re thankful for him!
CA3: Dr. Dabin Ji “Dabin has been an incredible co-resident throughout the year and has continued to serve as a great peer mentor to his co-residents even after transitioning out of his chief role. His advice and perspective he shares is invaluable and greatly appreciated. His presence will surely be missed once he moves on to fellowship!”
April 2024
CA1: Dr. Mandy Tate “I wanted to put in some feedback regarding one of our CA1 residents, Dr. Mandy Tate, who was in a liver transplant with me over this past weekend. She was phenomenal! This liver was truly one of the most difficult livers that I have done recently (including having a possible venous air embolism in the middle of the case after the IVC tore), and Dr. Tate was amazing. She was prepared, took charge when she needed to, and thought ahead to what the next steps should be. I enjoyed working with her and believe she was performing at a level much higher than a CA1. While it was an exhausting case, I believe Dr. Tate learned a lot and experienced several situations in the transplant which she had not ever seen (and that we don't often get a chance to see-- aortic cross clamping for a jump graft, severe vasoplegia requiring cyanokit, the VAE above, clamping of the portal vein in someone without much portal hypertension and no collaterals with a resultant hemodynamic crash, and more). And the best part – the patient is extubated and doing well, already on the floor!!! Thank you, Dr. Tate, for being an awesome doctor and for your help!”
CA2: Dr. Charlie Baker “ Charlie did an incredible job at Grady this past month. He worked diligently each and every day. He is a great team player, wonderful to work with in the operating room, and has great clinical skills. Charlie did more than his fair share of pre-ops during the month, and his co-residents all benefited from his above and beyond work!”
CA3: Dr. Tye Chang “ We were delighted to have Chief Chang with us at CHOA last month. Tye consistently exhibits sharp clinical judgment and remains composed even in high-pressure situations. His commitment to teaching was evident as he mentored multiple medical students, who spoke highly of his enthusiasm. His departure will leave a void in the residency program, and he will be greatly missed. As he embarks on a cardiac fellowship, we extend to him our best wishes. Nevertheless, we can't help but hope he considers reassessing his path, as his talents and demeanor seem well-suited for peds. Additionally, congratulations on a successful match cycle and a thank you for your hard work throughout the year on recruitment! “
March 2024
CA1: Dr. Jena Salem “Our resident tackled her first subspecialty of NeuroAnesthesia with grace. Everyone knows she is the queen of Grady and now she is ready to conquer her 2am OR14 strokes when she goes back!”
CA2: Dr. David Reehl “David is the All-American resident. He’s always got a great attitude and we appreciate how he’s willing to roll with the punches. While juggling all his clinical duties, advocacy work, and leadership experiences, it has also been said he’s a great husband and father 😉. He is a fantastic clinician and it is without a doubt he will do a great job as a chief. Lastly, there are numerous medical students (including some from the newly matched intern class) who greatly appreciate all his mentorship he’s provided this past year!”
CA3: Dr. Vats Ambai “Shout out to the Grady chief who had an impossible task to undertake this past year. He ranked #1 as the quietest chief in person, but loudest on the WhatsApp. We appreciate his calm demeanor in handling the stresses of the chief year, the transition to fellowship year, and becoming the de facto pediatrician at home. He did a great job this past year and we all feel for all pain clinic he will be doing for the rest of his life. God speed!”
February 2024
CA1: Dr. Joe Nalbone “ Absolutely adored and appreciated by all during a tough, busy month on 5TS ICU. Always willing to help and listen to concerns of staff and colleagues. His disposition and demeanor with family members and patients is exceptional and he provided much comfort during their challenging times at the hospital. Incredibly collegial and cerebral. Unsurprisingly, noted to be “one of the best residents” to have gone through 5TS.”
CA2: Dr. Brandon Hou “Always has a wonderful attitude about everything. We appreciate you always going the extra mile to not only help colleagues but also take the best care of your patients. We are thankful for all that you do. Any peds program will be lucky to have you as a future fellow.
CA3: Dr. Adnan Raslan “Liver King” Raslan. He provided joy and relief to the junior residents during a busy liver month. His circadian rhythm may never be the same but the liver transplant team will miss his presence. He also tackled a case of MH recently at CHOA with great poise. An excellent colleague but an even better friend to many.”
January 2024
CA1: Dr. Tiana Hudson-Jerman “ Tiana is an amazing team player - she possesses a great attitude and we are always appreciative of her flexibility. Recently, Tiana was super helpful in assisting with the transport of a very sick 5E patient. Outside of her clinical work, we are incredibly impressed with her participation on panels for medical students, including one for Morehouse medical students this month!”
CA-2 Dr. Jimmy Chen “ Jimmy was a fantastic co resident on Ob. No matter how busy his shift, I could always count on everything being up to date at sign out and often had to push him out the door at the end of his shift because he would keep trying to do things to help on busy days. Jimmy always does the right thing even when no one is watching and does not expect acknowledgement or any favors in return. 10/10 co-resident.
CA-3 Dr. Shukan Patel “ We are so appreciative of Shukan’ s contribution during a busy month. He is always ready to step and cover for his colleagues and rolls with the punches. Grady is super lucky to have join the family.
December 2023
CA1: Dr Adam Kvinta “ A superstar from the start. He’s down to earth, collegial, positive demeanor is contagious and he’s a joy to work alongside as a colleague. He goes above and beyond to take care of his patients. Don’t think we’ll ever see him without a smile. Emory to lucky to have him him (even though he’s a longhorn)”
CA2: Dr. Jordan Moraczewski “ Jordan is absolutely brilliant. His strength is his knowledge and his flaw if it can be considered one is that he is too smart. We appreciate his meticulousness and dedication to all patients he cares for. He continues to show amazing growth and will flourish as an anesthesiologist. Emory is very lucky to have him!”
CA3: Dr. Sarah Dunseath “ Sarah is truly one of the best. Always professional and diligent when it comes to her work. We have seen her mature into an excellent doctor these last few years. She is a phenomenal and reliable anesthesiologist and she will be a huge asset to any hospital that is lucky to have her!
November 2023
CA1: Dr. Mandy Tate "Mandy truly exemplifies selflessness and kindness. She always pays it forward by helping residents coming on after her get aquatinted with the rotation. She even made a pain cheat sheet at Grady to help everyone else after her be prepared for their pain days. She stays late to make sure her preop evaluations are thorough and she makes patient safety her top priority.”
CA2: Dr. Srish Sharma "Srish dedicates his time to helping others and truly made the transition into anesthesia smooth due to the plethora of shared knowledge, skill set, and warm personality that made it so easy to approach and feel safe with. His dedication carries over to his patients and on numerous occasions we have seen him pour through paper charts to get to clarify complex medical history.”
CA3: Dr. Jarrett Davis “Jarrett has been the most liked person in his class since the first grade. He continues to hold that title. Always easy going and without question one of the funniest people in the Emory family, Jarrett brings light to the dark times of residency training. He’s set an example with his interactions with patients and goes above and beyond in lending an ear to his co-residents. We appreciate all that he’s done for our program with his kindness, clinical acumen, and devilishly handsome looks.”
October 2023
CA1: Dr. Ajay Patel “Ajay did an exceptional job during a very busy week of nights. He handled complex PACU patients with care. He did neuro crani’s and IR cases from start to finish like an upper-level resident. He was also a good team player by offering breaks to anesthetists in cases and setting up for liver transplants scheduled to go in the AM.”
CA2: Dr. Vyshakh Shibu “Vyshakh was the ultimate team player and mom-whisperer during his month of OB anesthesia. We really appreciated his enthusiasm and display of professionalism taking care of very sick laboring mothers. He went above and beyond in coordinating care with the OB residents and on numerous occasions provided his expertise in reading 3 AM EKGs. We will miss him when he leaves us but still hopeful he has an OB fellowship in back pocket”
CA3: Dr. Neelam Mehta “Neelam is the quintessential team player. Always ready to gear up and go into combat. She is always there for her co-residents and carries out both the glamorous and unglamorous work required of resident physicians with grace and without complaints. Combined with her positive attitude, her clinical competence as a senior resident will undoubtedly make her transition to attending hood facile. Emory is super lucky to have her!”
September 2023
CA1 Dr. Uma Vaidyanathan “Always very positive even after long night shifts. She’s shown huge growth over the first few months. Really appreciate her desire to improve and proactive-ness in obtaining feedback! Did a fantastic job on a complicated bypass with major vessels as a CA1!”
CA2 Dr. Mason Triay “Two words - team player. He always found the opportunity to help his colleagues. His fantastic work ethic and charismatic personality make him a truly valuable team member, setting a positive example for everyone. He went above and beyond to provide the best care for his patients”
CA3 Dr. Lee Whitton “ “Did a standup job in being a great mentor. Appreciate his hard work and dedication to patients. Reliable and willing to help out his co-residents”
August 2023
CA1:Dr. Jordan Samo “Jordan is truly exceptional. He possesses all the qualities I would want in my anesthesiologist. Attentive to detail, hardworking, and above all, being a mensch. The transition to CA1 year is no easy feat, and Jordan’s commitment and outstanding dedication to his patients is very much appreciated. Lastly, there are rumors that Jordan has been hailed “the Pre-op King” - a distinction that is deserving of all the praise AND all future pre-ops.”
CA2: Dr. Lindsay Sterling “She did great, epidural skills were on point, always happy brought a lot of cheer. Also navigated the ‘culture’ of Grady OB with grace and class” “Lindsay is someone who can easily brighten up any room. She is easily the life and soul of the Emory residency program. All and any patients who are lucky enough to be cared for her will get the absolute best”
CA3: Dr. Chase Elkin “If you could ever rely on someone to hold it down, it’s this guy. Through thick or thin he’s here to keep the program afloat and for the past month, he and the other upper levels at Grady have kept things moving. He’s fun to work with and his work ethic is exemplary, which will be huge assets to wherever he decides to become an attending”
July 2023
CA1: Dr. Tawanna Charlton “ She definitely goes above and beyond. She stayed late on a Friday to preop a complicated burn patient and appropriately called me with her concerns about the case. Other faculty have been raving about her!
CA2: Dr. Madelinn Rice “ She's both exceptionally knowledgeable and reliable, and she's been a delight to work with!”
CA3: Dr. Nadine Naguib “ Nadine is very pleasant and kind. She is great and very patient with our Grady patients. Just a pleasure to work with ! She is an outstanding patient advocate and is sure to be a leader in our Anesthesiology world!”
May 2024
CA1: Dr. Matt Potter “Matt did a great job on a busy cardiac rotation. He was consistently a team player who did well learning and taking great care of his patients. Additionally, his help in orienting his co-residents to a new a rotation and covering a call when a co-resident was out sick were just further examples of him continuing to go above and beyond!”
CA2: Dr. Brandon Hou “Brandon did a great job at Grady on his neuro month! His hard work and help for his co-residents was greatly appreciated. He consistently showed up for the team and crushed pre-ops to help folks get out earlier. Brandon is always reliable and fun to work with and we’re thankful for him!
CA3: Dr. Dabin Ji “Dabin has been an incredible co-resident throughout the year and has continued to serve as a great peer mentor to his co-residents even after transitioning out of his chief role. His advice and perspective he shares is invaluable and greatly appreciated. His presence will surely be missed once he moves on to fellowship!”