Our Fellows
Lucas Schmitz, MD
First-Year Fellow
Hometown: Curitiba, Brazil
Medical School: Universidade Federal do Paraná
Residency: Ascension Saint Agnes
Clinical interests: hyponatremia, fluid and electrolyte disturbances, academic medicine
Hobbies: gaming, film and theater, travel, music festivals, amusement parks, chasing novel experiences
Favorite part of kidney: the loop of Henle (a masterpiece in functionality and design!)
Hariharasudan Natarajan, MD
First-Year Fellow
Hometown: Chennai, India
Medical school: Chengalpattu Medical College
Residency: OU Health - University of Oklahoma Medical Center
Clinical Interests: Transplant, Acute kidney injury, and Electrolyte imbalances
Hobbies: Traveling, spending time in nature, exploring culinary delights, and catching the latest movies with friends and family. Want a favor? An anime collectible will do the trick!
Favorite part of the kidney - The Proximal Convoluted Tubule (PCT) – Admire the hard work of the nephron's workhorse. Aren’t you a flozinator too?
Priyal Sakhuja, MD
First-Year Fellow
Hometown: Merrick, Long Island
Medical School: New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine
Residency: Stony Brook University Hospital
Clinical interests: Critical care, Acid-base disorders, Transplant
Hobbies: Hiking/outdoor walks, traveling, hanging out with family/friends, binge-watching Netflix, listening to podcasts
Favorite part of kidney: Loop of Henle
Pujitha Sonti, MD
First-Year Fellow
Hometown: Richmond, TX
Medical School: St. George's University School of Medicine
Residency: Skagit Regional Health
Clinical interests: Acid-Base and Hyponatremia
Hobbies: Writing, pottery painting, fashion and eating all kinds of food
Favorite part of kidney: The ever so cute Bowman’s capsule.
Kishan Rao, MD
First-Year Fellow
Hometown: Bengaluru, India
Medical School: St. George’s University, Grenada
Residency: NYU Langone Long Island Hospital
Clinical interests: Acid base disorders, Glomerulonephritis, Transplant Medicine
Hobbies: Cricket, find great places to eat in NYC, Pub Trivia (not very good at it but love the idea)
Favorite part of kidney: Gradient between cortex and medulla (very cool stuff imo)
Dharni Patel, MD
First-Year Fellow
Hometown: Union, NJ
Medical School: Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
Residency: Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
Clinical Interests: Acute Kidney Injury, Electrolyte Disorders, Acid-Base Disorders. Academic Medicine, Health Disparities/Inequity
Hobbies: Reading, Baking, Hiking
Favorite Part of the Kidney: Proximal Tubule
Sebastian Gandarillas, MD
Second-Year Fellow
Hometown: Quito, Ecuador Medical School: Universidad Central del Ecuador Residency: Lincoln Medical Center, NY Clinical interests: Acute kidney injury, acid base disorders, electrolyte imbalances Hobbies: Fitness, running, watching soccer, electronic music Favorite part of kidney: Macula densa (the brains behind fluid and bytes hemeostasis)
Sungsoo Kim, MD
Second-Year Fellow
Hometown: San Jose, CA Medical School: SUNY Downstate Residency: Westchester Medical Center Clinical interests: Electrolyte Disturbances, Acid-Base Disorders, CKD Hobbies: Trying new food places in NYC Favorite part of kidney: Proximal tubule
Melissa Notis, MD
Second-Year Fellow
Hometown: Tenafly, NJ Medical School: Rutgers-New Jersey Medical School Residency: George Washington University Clinical interests: General nephrology, academic medicine, home dialysis Hobbies: Dance, drawing, watching hockey (let's go Rangers) Favorite part of kidney: Juxtaglomerular apparatus
Noor Shahin, MD
Second-Year Fellow
Hometown: Haledon, NJ Medical School: St. George's University Residency: ISSM at Elmhurst Hospital Center Clinical interests: Glomerular disease, electrolyte balance Hobbies: Photography, woodworking, car modification Favorite part of kidney: Juxtaglomerular apparatus
Phoenix Xu, MD
Second-Year Fellow
Hometown: Fuzhou, China Medical School: Rutgers New Jersey Medical School Residency: Rutgers New Jersey Medical School Clinical interests: Home dialysis Hobbies: Traveling. I have been to all 7 continents Favorite part of kidney: Cortex
Beatriz Zayas, MD
Second-Year Fellow
Hometown: Guaynabo, PR Medical School: University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus Residency: Temple University Hospital Clinical interests: MedEd, health policy and patient advocacy, health literacy, resistant hypertension, transplant, home dialysis Hobbies: Dancing, traveling, eating, spending quality time with friends and family Favorite part of kidney: The renal medulla (it's the only hyperosmolar part in the body!)
Douglas Farrell, MD
Third-Year Fellow
Hometown: Lincroft, NJ Medical School: Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Residency: The Mount Sinai Hospital Clinical interests: Diabetic kidney disease, complex hypertension, volume status assessment, POCUS Hobbies: New York City history, baseball, frisbee with my dog, dining around New York City Favorite part of kidney: Proximal tubule
Madhumita Rajagopal, MD, PhD
Second-Year Fellow
Hometown: Lagos, Nigeria Medical School: Albert Einstein College of Medicine Residency: The Mount Sinai Hospital Clinical interests: Hyponatremia, fluid-electrolyte disturbances, Diabetic kidney disease, CKD, RRT Hobbies: Cooking, traveling, gardening Favorite part of kidney: Collecting duct
Justina Ray, MD
Third-Year Fellow
Hometown: New York, NY Medical School: SUNY Downstate Residency: The Mount Sinai Hospital Clinical interests: CKD, Glomerular Disease Hobbies: Traveling, reading, jogging, writing, trying new restaurants in NYC, seeing friends Favorite part of kidney: I'm impressed by the PCT - it's so productive and efficient. However, I'm partial to the glomerulus.
Abhinaya Sridhar, MD
Third-Year Fellow
Hometown: Chennai, India Medical School: Kasturba Medical College - Mangalore, Manipal University, India Residency: Westchester Medical Center Clinical interests: Electrolytes, acid base disorders, nephrotic-nephritic syndromes Hobbies: You say Broadway, I say when?, travel Favorite part of kidney: I can't seem to choose. They all work together and so hard to maintain homeostasis!
Ian Da Silva-Lugo, MD
Third-Year Fellow
Hometown: Aguadilla, Puerto Rico Medical School: University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus Residency: University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus Clinical interests: Patient education, CKD prevention, Electrolytes, Home dialysis Hobbies: Swimming, Traveling, Food, Plants Favorite part of kidney: Collecting duct
Our fellows work hard in the hospital and clinics, but also find time to participate in many activities outside of their clinical responsibilities. Some events highlighted below include our Welcome Social, Annual Holiday Party, Fellows' Graduation Night, New York Society of Nephrology Fellows' Night, American Society of Nephrology's Kidney Week, National Kidney Foundation's Annual Kidney Walk, #NephJC Tweet Up, NephMadness, and Bi-Annual Nephrology Karaoke Night.
1 Gustave L. Levy Place Box 1243 New York, NY 10029 (212) 241-0693