Meet Our Residents

PGY 3

Minh La, Chief Resident

Hometown: Orange County, California
Undergraduate: California State University, Long Beach – B.S. in Chemical Engineering
Medical School: Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine
Languages: English and Vietnamese
Other profession/background: Chemical Engineering
Hobbies: Running, working out, traveling, eating good food and spending time with family
Favorite thing about St. Mary: The supportive and close-knit environment, along with the opportunity to care for a diverse patient population and work with great residents, faculty, and staff.

Shahed Chowdhury, Chief Resident

Hometown: Ottawa, Ontario
Undergraduate: University of Ottawa, Bachelor of Science
Medical School: All Saints University
Languages (other professions): English
Hobbies: cooking, home improvement projects, running
Favorite thing about St. Mary: Specialists are always eager and willing to teach. Every door in the hospital is open to residents, you just have to walk through them.

Yuvelia Pather, Chief Resident

Hometown: South Africa
Undergraduate: University of Pretoria, South Africa
Medical School: St. George’s University School of Medicine, Grenada
Languages: English, Afrikaans, and Zulu
Hobbies: Traveling, exploring new cuisines, running, reading, and spending time with my golden retriever.
Favorite thing about St. Mary: The welcoming and supportive culture. St. Mary fosters a strong sense of community and belonging.

Mirna Abdelmalak

Hometown: Egypt
Undergraduate: Ain Shams University
Medical school: Ain Shams University
Language: English, Arabic
Hobbies: drawing, painting, playing music, gardening and cooking
Favorite about St. Mary: I like the culture, people and nursing staff. I love the view and the Healing Garden

Faiqa Hanif

Hometown: Lahore, Pakistan
Medical School: Lahore University and College of Medicine and Dentistry
Languages: English, Urdu, Punjabi
Hobbies: Traveling, exploring new places and different cuisines, enjoying adventure rides
Favorite thing about program: Welcoming environment and Cultural Diversity

Harminder Pal Kailey

Hometown: Ludhiana, Punjab
Medical School: MGM Medical College & LSK Hospital, India
Languages (other professions): Punjabi, Hindi, English
Hobbies: Photography, soccer, music, vibe coding
Favorite thing about St. Mary: The People

Aishwarya Kamble

Hometown: Gadag and Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Postgraduate training: MD in Internal Medicine, Vijayanagar Institute of Medical Sciences, Karnataka, India
Medical School: Belagavi Institute of Medical Sciences, Belagavi, Karnataka, India
Languages: Kannada, English, Hindi
Hobbies: Traveling and exploring new places- there’s always another destination on my wish list!
Favorite thing about St. Mary: The people - supportive attendings and wonderful colleagues who make every day better.

Heng-Tien Aaron Lee

Hometown: Vancouver, Canada
Undergraduate: University of British Columbia
Medical School: St. George’s University
Languages (other professions): Chinese
Hobbies: Basketball, stock investing, travelling 
Favorite thing about St. Mary: The people here

Joanna Lee

Hometown: Korea, Georgia
Medical School: AIETI Medical School
Languages: English, Korean, conversational Russian
Hobbies: Christopher Nolan movies, Trying new Asian food spots and bubble tea
Favorite thing about St. Mary: My third year co-residents, they are the best! Enjoying the Healing garden on a nice day.

Pankti Maniyar

Hometown: Gujarat, India
Medical School: GMERS Medical College, Gotri, INDIA
Languages (other professions): English, Hindi, Gujarati
Hobbies: Board games, painting and binge-watching

Anna Maria

Hometown: Tanjung Batu, Riau Islands, Indonesia
Undergraduate: Universitas Kristen Krida Wacana (UKRIDA)
Medical School: Universitas Kristen Krida Wacana (UKRIDA)
Languages: English, Indonesian, Mandarin, Teochew
Hobbies: Traveling, trying new restaurants and cuisines, and spending time with family
Favorite thing about St. Mary: The people, especially the supportive leadership and the close-knit environment of our program.

Lekhya Raavi

Hometown: Hyderabad, India
Medical School: Nanjing Medical University, China
Languages: Telugu, Hindi, English
Hobbies: Hiking, power lifting, Carnatic music
Favorite thing about St. Mary: People

PGY 2

Mouhammad Ayoubi

Hometown: South Brunswick, N.J.
Undergraduate: Rutgers
Medical School: AUIS
Languages (other professions): English, Arabic, Spanish
Hobbies: Family life, cars, soccer

Vatsa Bhavsar

Hometown: Ahmedabad, India
Medical School: B.J. Medical College, Ahmedabad, India
Languages: English, Hindi, Gujarati
Hobbies: Hiking, traveling, relaxing by the beach and window shopping
Favorite thing about St. Mary: The supportive and welcoming environment and the opportunity to learn from approachable faculty.

Anushka Chokshi

Hometown: Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
Medical School/Undergrad: Narendra Modi Medical College, Ahmedabad, India
Languages: English, Gujarati, Hindi
Hobbies: Traveling, exploring new places and restaurants, swimming, painting, and spending time with family and friends.
Favorite thing about St. Mary: My favorite thing about St. Mary is the people and how close-knit the community is. I believe it’s the people who make a place special, and that holds especially true for this program, as it truly feels like a family away from home. I love how St. Mary creates an environment where you are supported, encouraged to learn, and given the opportunity to grow every day.

Meseker Fentie

Hometown: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Medical School: Black Lion Medical School, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Languages (other than English): Amharic
Hobbies: Playing soccer (proper football, of course!), cooking, and trying out new recipes
Favorite thing about St. Mary: The people

Matthew Gottlieb

Hometown: Greenwood, S.C.
Undergraduate: Clemson University
Medical School: USC SOM
Languages (other professions): English
Hobbies: Cooking, tennis/basketball, travelling, gambling
Favorite thing about St. Mary: My favorite thing about SMMC is the residents and how we act like family.

Harjeevan Kalra

Hometown: Jalandhar, India / Brampton, Canada
Medical School: Government Medical College, Amritsar
Languages: English, Punjabi, Hindi
Favorite thing about St. Mary: My favorite thing about St. Mary is the close-knit community. The residents genuinely support one another, and the faculty are approachable, supportive, and invested in our growth. It creates a welcoming environment where you feel like you are part of a team and community, both inside and outside the hospital.

Abhay Kapoor

Hometown: Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
Undergraduate / Medical School: B.J. Medical College & Civil Hospital, Gujarat University
Languages: English, Hindi, Gujarati, Punjabi
Hobbies: reading manga and manhwa, watching anime, and cooking
Favorite thing about St. Mary: The tight-knit, supportive community across the multidisciplinary team, approachable faculty, and the collaborative learning environment that makes caring for our patient population deeply rewarding.

Sukhdeep Sahi

Hometown: Punjab, India
Undergraduate: Government Medical College and Hospital, Chandigarh, India
Medical School: Government Medical College and Hospital, Chandigarh, India
Languages (other professions): English, Punjabi, Hindi
Hobbies: I enjoy watching cricket, F1 and soccer, exploring new places, trying different cuisines, and spending time with family and friends.
Favorite thing about St. Mary: My favorite thing about St. Mary Medical Center is that you’re surrounded by people who genuinely want you to learn, and challenge you to become a better physician

Akashdeep Sandhu

Hometown: Abbotsford, BC, Canada
Undergraduate: University of the Fraser Valley
Medical School: XUSOM Aruba
Languages (other professions): Punjabi
Hobbies: Basketball, music, weightlifting, sports
Favorite thing about St. Mary: Critical care rotations and diversity of cases

Vraj Shah, MD

Hometown: Nadiad, Gujarat, India
Medical School: Government Medical College, Baroda
Languages: English, Gujarati, Hindi, and Urdu
Hobbies & Interests: Sports, fitness, and finance
Favorite thing about St. Mary: The mentorship of Program Director Dr. Patel and being able to train close to family

Ashwinikumar Shandilya

Hometown: Loni, Maharashtra, India
Undergraduate/Medical School: Rural Medical College, PMT, Maharashtra.
Languages (other professions): English, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi.
Hobbies: Cooking, motorcycling, karate & bo-staffing (Shito-ryu-muay-thai).
Favorite thing about St. Mary: How supportive, understanding and helpful everyone is.

PGY 1

Zainab Abbas

Hometown: Lahore, Pakistan
Undergraduate: Punjab College
Medical School: Rahbar Medical & Dental College, Lahore, Pakistan
Languages: English, Urdu, Punjabi
Hobbies: Reading, traveling, cooking, and playing basketball
Favorite thing about St. Mary: the location, approachable faculty, and the Healing Gardens

Abdulla Aboushaira

Hometown: Alexandria, Egypt
Medical School: Alexandria Faculty of Medicine, Egypt.
Languages: Arabic, English
Hobbies: Spending time with family, cars and automotive technology, basketball, Latin dancing and attending Latin dance events, learning about the economy and real estate, and watching documentaries about historical civilizations
Favorite thing about St. Mary: The residents. Everyone has been incredibly supportive, welcoming, and friendly

Kristen George

Hometown: Queens, N.Y.
Undergraduate: SUNY, Binghamton
Medical School: LECOM
Languages: English
Hobbies: gardening, painting & listening to music
Favorite thing about St. Mary: The Healing Garden

Rachita Gupta

Hometown: Woodbridge, Conn.
Undergraduate: Vanderbilt University
Medical School: Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine - Louisiana
Languages: English and a little bit of Hindi and Spanish
Hobbies: I love traveling, exploring new countries, and trying different foods. I also enjoy baking, especially during the holiday season, and spending time with family and friends.
Favorite thing about St. Mary: My favorite thing about St. Mary is how close-knit the residents are. I’ve already made some great friendships since joining the program, and it’s nice to work with people you genuinely enjoy being around. I also love the hospital’s location and how easy it is to visit nearby cities and explore on our days off.

Gayathri Gururamalingam

Hometown: Hyderabad
Medical school: Karnataka institute of medical sciences
Languages: Telugu, Hindi, Kannada, Tamil
Hobbies: painting, artistry, script writing
Favorite thing about St. Mary: Bond with faculty and colleagues.

Garrett Jenkins

Hometown: Mertztown, Pennsylvania
Undergrad: Temple University
Medical School: Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine
Languages: English
Hobbies: Watching sports, skateboarding, snowboarding, reading, astronomy
Favorite thing about St. Mary: Friendliness of staff and the strength of our interdisciplinary approach to patient care

Danish Ali Khan

Hometown: Dir, Pakistan
Medical school: Khyber Medical College, Pakistan
Languages: English, Urdu, Pashto
Hobbies: Swimming, singing, poetry
Favorite thing about St. Mary: It has just been 4 months here and St. Mary already feels like home!

Ashvi Ashish Nanavati

Hometown: Ahmedabad
Medical School: Smt NHL Municipal Medical college, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
Languages: English, Gujarati, Hindi
Hobbies: Binge-watching sitcoms, Swimming, scuba diving
Favorite thing about St. Mary: I really love the community of residents at St. Mary, and the place looks absolutely beautiful during the fall.

Samar Patankar

Hometown: Dubai, UAE
Undergraduate: St George’s University
Medical School: St George’s University
Languages (other professions): Hindi, Marathi
Hobbies: Reading books
Favorite thing about St. Mary: The healing garden outside the hospital!

Vatsal Patel

Hometown: Ahmedabad, India
Undergraduate: N.R. High School, Ahmedabad, India
Medical School: Smt. NHL Municipal Medical College, Ahmedabad, India 
Languages (other professions): English, Hindi, Gujarati
Hobbies: Off the clock, you can find me on the cricket ground, working out, or somewhere with my camera. If I’m missing from all three, I’m probably recovering from one of them.
Favorite thing about St. Mary: The amazing people, peaceful location, and easy access to Philly, N.Y.C, and major airports.

Sai Swetha Pavuluri

Hometown: Visakhapatnam, India
Undergraduate: All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneswar
Medical School: All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneswar
Languages (other professions): English, Telugu, Hindi, Odiya
Hobbies: Well, I am a polyglot and enjoy learning new languages, love playing sports, travelling, and doodling
Favorite thing about St. Mary: The people, the place, and the diversity! One hallway chat and I’ve got a new friend, a new snack obsession, and a hot take I didn’t see coming.