Residents

Ignacio Quintana, M.D., was chosen by his peers as the November 2025 Resident of the Month! Dr. Quintana’s nominations praise his proactive personality. A co-resident said, “Ignacio has done a great job in the ICU. He takes initiative, seeks learning opportunities, and takes ownership of his patients.” Another co-resident acknowledged…

Jonah Whiteside, M.D., was chosen by his peers as the October 2025 Resident of the Month! Dr. Whiteside’s nominations say that it is easy to work with him due to his positive attitude and great humor. A co-resident said he is “clinically strong and always a well-prepared resident with a…

Melanie Vargas, M.D., was chosen by her peers as the September 2025 Resident of the Month! Dr. Vargas’ nominations praise her helpfulness and pleasant attitude. “Melanie is an outstanding resident who is always not only willing but happy to help the team. She brings an enjoyable attitude to both work…

Steven Ayala, M.D., was chosen by his peers as the August 2025 Resident of the Month! Dr. Ayala’s nominations highlight his helpfulness and flexibility. “He really went out of the way to make my paired experience better,” One of his co-residents said. “He taught well and allowed me to make…

Dimitri Kampouris, M.D., was chosen by his peers as the July 2025 Resident of the Month! Dr. Kampouris’ nominations highlight his reliability and hard work. One nomination said he “performed at a high level during an overnight case involving an intraop code.” He also “reliably completed any task asked of…

Casey Taylor, D.O., was chosen by his peers as the June 2025 Resident of the Month! Dr. Taylor’s nominations point out that he helps and motivates other residents. One nomination said, “He not only made us feel confident tackling subspecialty cases but a lot of times ended up staying later…

Sayoni Saha, M.D., was chosen by her peers as the May Resident of the Month! Dr. Saha’s nominations praise her for being a great leader and team player. Her peers appreciate that they can rely on her in times of need: “I just had a tough Saturday call with Dr.

Mid-April marked the end of the University of Florida College of Medicine’s Transition to Residency course led by Amanda Frantz, M.D., and organized by the UF Department of Anesthesiology. This three-week course is designed to prepare medical students for their next steps as residents and is the capstone to…

David Jablonski, Jr., M.D., was chosen by his peers as April’s resident of the month! Jablonski’s nominations praise him for staying cool under pressure, maintaining a positive attitude, and consistently pushing himself out of his comfort zone to learn and become a better physician. “Each time [he felt beyond his…

The 2025 Gulf Atlantic Anesthesia Residents’ Research Conference (GAARRC) was hosted by the University of Florida (UF) from May 2-4 in St. Pete Beach, Florida. UF Department of Anesthesiology faculty Lauren Berkow, M.D., FASA, professor of anesthesiology, and Tim Feldheim, M.D., assistant professor of anesthesiology and assistant program director of…

Congratulations to Alisha Shah, M.D., who was chosen by her colleagues as the January Resident of the Month! Dr. Shah’s nominations praise her for being an exceptional Mole Team leader and for her mentorship and support of her teammates. As Mole Team leader, Dr. Shah’s peers said that she “flawlessly…

For four weeks at the beginning of each calendar year, first-year residents in the University of Florida Department of Anesthesiology participate in Intern Education Month. This rotation is filled with lectures, simulations, test prep, and shadowing. The month leads up to the In-Training Exam (ITE) that all anesthesiology residents take…

Congratulations to Andrew Burchak, M.D., who has been chosen by his colleagues as our Resident of the Month! Dr. Burchak’s nominations praise him for being an excellent team player who is easy to work with and who consistently strives to learn and improve. They also speak to his strong…

The Department of Anesthesiology’s 2024 paired period team has successfully piloted a new model for the important work of helping anesthesiology interns transition into the operating room. The paired period is an essential way that the department provides mentorship, guidance, and support to interns during a challenging period of…

Congratulations to third-year resident Allyson Tragesser, M.D., for her outstanding performance in June’s American Board of Anesthesiology BASIC Exam! Dr. Tragesser, who was the recipient of the 2022 J.S. Gravenstein Award, scored in the top 10% of all residents who took the exam nationwide. This excellent result is…

As the new academic year begins in earnest, we’re thrilled to welcome our incoming cohort of residents! Each year, our department conducts hundreds of interviews to ensure our incoming residents are among the most remarkable in the nation. We’re more than confident we’ve succeeded; the 25 physicians joining us…

Family and friends of our anesthesiology residents got a glimpse of the day-to-day life of a resident at the third annual Family Anesthesiology Day. Residency program director Tim Martin, M.D., MBA, and assistant program director Michael Fowler, M.D., MBA, led some introductory discussion with the help of a panel of…

Interview season for residency programs is coming up, and members of our Resident Recruitment Committee were kind enough to share their insight about preparing for the experience. Read on for their tips, as well as an excerpt from an upcoming Q&A with Tim Martin, M.D., professor of anesthesiology…

We’re excited to officially announce our resident committees for the 2023-24 academic year. Our talented residents form these committees to help ensure that everyone in our residency program is getting the very best possible experience. This is also the first year that we have a resident Anesthesia Performance Improvement Committee…

In June, twenty-two of our residents took the American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA) BASIC Examination for the first time and all twenty-two of them passed, giving us a 100% pass rate!   BASIC is the first written exam of the ABA board certification process and is administered to approximately 1,600…

More than twenty faculty, residents, and staff from the Department of Anesthesiology had a great weekend at the Florida Society of Anesthesiologists’ annual meeting held June 9-11 at The Breakers in West Palm Beach, Florida. Hayden Dohnalek, M.D., who graduated from residency this month and is…

Please help us congratulate our April 2023 Resident of the Month: Daniel Aine, D.O.! Dr. Aine was nominated by his fellow residents and faculty for consistently and selflessly supporting his colleagues. Below are some quotes from his nominations. “Always has a positive attitude, always steps up to the plate.

We are thrilled to announce the results of the 2023 NRMP Match!  We successfully matched with 20 categorical (4-year) residents, including five from the University of Florida College of Medicine. Additionally, we matched with four “reserved for physician” (3-year) residents and one “advanced” physician who will begin training at…

We are pleased to announce our four new chief anesthesiology residents for the upcoming academic year. Tony Barrios, M.D., Jennifer Bromwell, D.O., Paul Campbell, M.D., and Tatsiana Kryvitskaya, M.D., will serve from April 1, 2023, through March 31, 2024. “We are very fortunate to have this group of very talented…

Every year our anesthesiology interns go through a four-week rotation that is focused solely on didactics and simulations called Intern Education Month. The rotation also introduces the residents to available resources that can help them clinically and academically. Sprinkled throughout are wellness activities so that classmates can form closer relationships…

Please help us congratulate our January 2023 Resident of the Month: Georgeanna Tsoumas, D.O., CA-1! Dr. Tsoumas was nominated by her fellow residents and faculty for her hard work and motivation and for going above and beyond in her duties. Below are some of the quotes from her nominations.

Protecting academic time for residents has been an important concern in the University of Florida Department of Anesthesiology. The numerous administrative tasks, duty logs and surveys, as well as training related to compliance, insurance billing, HIPAA and other areas require time that can be challenging to find while residents take…

Please help us congratulate our December 2022 Resident of the Month: Gabriella Williams, M.D., CA-1! Dr. Williams was nominated by her fellow residents and faculty for her hard work and motivation and for going above and beyond in her duties. Below are some of the quotes from her nominations.

Please help us congratulate our November 2022 Resident of the Month: EJ Collins, M.D., CA-2! Dr. Collins was nominated by his fellow residents and faculty for his hard work and motivation and for going above and beyond in his duties. Below are some of the quotes from his nominations.

Please help us congratulate our October 2022 Resident of the Month: Paul Campbell, M.D., CA-2! Dr. Campbell was nominated by his fellow residents and faculty for his hard work and motivation and for going above and beyond in his duties. Below are some of the quotes from his nominations.

Please help us congratulate our September 2022 Resident of the Month: Matthew Frakes, D.O., CA-3! Dr. Frakes was nominated by his fellow residents and faculty for his hard work and motivation and for going above and beyond in his duties. Below are some of the quotes from his nominations.

Congratulations to Rene Przkora, M.D., professor of anesthesiology and chief of our Pain Medicine Division, and his co-authors for their abstract being selected as a highlighted President’s Choice abstract for the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine (ASRA) Annual Meeting! The abstract titled “Longitudinal Outcomes of Repeated…

Three of our residents have been selected to represent Florida and the University of Florida Department of Anesthesiology at the 2022 American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Resident Component House of Delegates! Paul Campbell, M.D., Alex Horowitz, D.O., and Andy Neff, D.O., have been chosen to fill three of the Florida…

Basma Mohamed, MBChB Basma Mohamed, MBChB, assistant professor of anesthesiology and assistant program director for resident wellness, has been accepted into the Stanford Medicine WellMD & WellPhD Physician Well-Being Director Course. This virtual, six-week course endeavors to empower participants to catalyze meaningful local change, employ best practices, and help improve…

Please help us congratulate our July 2022 Resident of the Month: Hadia Maqsood, M.B.B.S., CA-2! Dr. Maqsood was nominated by her fellow residents and faculty for her hard work and motivation and for going above and beyond in her duties. Below are some of the quotes from her nominations.

Please help us congratulate our June 2022 Resident of the Month: Lida Esfandiary, M.D., CA-3! Dr. Esfandiary was nominated by her fellow residents and faculty for her hard work and motivation and for going above and beyond in her duties. Below are some of the quotes from her nominations. “Lida…

We are so proud of all of our 2022 graduates! We caught up with Joseph AbuRahma, M.D., to hear about his time with us and what is next for him. Q: Where are you headed to next? A: I will be staying at UF for my cardiothoracic anesthesia…

Please help us congratulate our May 2022 Resident of the Month: Scott Smith, M.D., CA-2! Dr. Smith was nominated by his fellow residents and faculty for his hard work and motivation and for going above and beyond in his duties. Below are some of the quotes from his nominations. “Super…

The Department of Anesthesiology sent nine posters and had two podium presentations at the Florida Society of Anesthesiologists (FSA) Annual Meeting held June 10-12 at The Breakers in West Palm Beach, Florida. The FSA Annual Meeting is the largest gathering of anesthesiologists in the southeastern United States. Also at the…

The 2022 Basic Skills Boot Camp prepared our intern class for the challenges of their first clinical year of residency through a dedicated week of lectures and simulation training. Over five days from June 6-10, residents received instruction on topics such as anesthesiology measurements and checks, emergency medicine, airway management…

Congratulations to second-year residents Harmeet Bawa, M.D., and Mundeep Bawa, M.D., who have been inducted into UF’s Resident Chapter of the national Gold Humanism Honor Society (GHHS). They were nominated by their peers for induction into the organization, which comprises medical students, residents, faculty, and other leaders who serve…

Please help us congratulate our April 2022 Resident of the Month: Nicole Premo, M.D., CA-3! Dr. Premo was nominated by her fellow residents and faculty for her hard work and motivation and for going above and beyond in her duties. Below are some of the quotes from her nominations. “She…

We are excited to announce that Allyson Tragesser, M.D., is the recipient of the 2022 J.S. Gravenstein Award for Excellence in Anesthesiology. This award is presented each year to an outstanding University of Florida College of Medicine graduate who intends to pursue anesthesiology. Tragesser, who will join the Department…

Anesthesiology residents take the American Board of Anesthesiology BASIC Exam at the end of their first clinical year (CA-1) in June. It is the first of three staged examinations required for certification (the others are the Advanced and Applied). How We Prepare Our Residents Residents experience a steep…

At the end of March, our 2021-22 chief residents, David Hutchinson, M.D., Nicole Premo, M.D., and Bill Mallett, M.D., passed the torch to the next group of leaders. These residents provided exemplary leadership and enthusiasm during a challenging year. We caught up with them to ask how they reflect…

Please help us congratulate our March 2022 Resident of the Month: Matthew McGee, M.D., CA-2! Dr. McGee was nominated by his fellow residents and faculty for his hard work and motivation and for going above and beyond in his duties. Below are some of the quotes from his nominations. “He…

Our residents took home four out of six total awards at the 46th annual Gulf Atlantic Anesthesia Residents’ Research Conference (GAARRC) hosted by the Mayo Clinic from April 8-10. The department sent six residents to the conference and took home first place in the original research category and first, second,…

Residents, fellows, medical students, and faculty mentors from the Department of Anesthesiology had the opportunity to showcase their research to a large audience of their peers at the UF College of Medicine Research Day on Wednesday, April 6. The Department of Anesthesiology sent 32 posters to the event in the…

Please help us congratulate our February 2022 Resident of the Month: Muna Oli, M.D., CA-1! Dr. Oli was nominated by her fellow residents and faculty for her hard work and motivation and for going above and beyond in her duties. Below are some of the quotes from her nominations.

Fourth-year resident Joseph AbuRahma, M.D., has been elected into the Alpha Omega Alpha (AΩA) Honor Medical Society. AΩA, which was founded in 1902, is the only allopathic medical honor society in the United States. Election into the society is a lifelong honor that represents a commitment to professionalism, leadership,…

Please help us congratulate our January 2022 Resident of the Month: Andrew Bennett, M.D., CA-3! Dr. Bennett was nominated by his fellow residents and faculty for his hard work and motivation and for going above and beyond in his duties. Below are some of the quotes from his nominations.

Anesthesiology residency is a stressful time, especially when it comes to exams. Residents take their In-Training Exam in early February and devote numerous hours to detailed preparation and studying. Some residents may have family or clinical responsibilities to attend to immediately after the exam that prevent lengthy relaxation after…

Please help us congratulate our November 2021 Resident of the Month: Nick Rahn, M.D., CA-2! Dr. Rahn was nominated by his fellow residents and faculty for his hard work and motivation and for going above and beyond in his duties. Below are some of the quotes from his nominations.

Please help us congratulate our October 2021 Resident of the Month: Miguel Rovira, M.D.! Dr. Rovira was nominated by his fellow residents and faculty for his hard work and motivation and for going above and beyond in his duties. Below are some of the quotes from his nominations. “Team player,…

Second-year resident, Muna Oli, M.D., has been appointed as one of two resident representatives to the University of Florida Graduate Medical Education Clinical Learning Environment Review (CLER) Council. Timothy Martin, M.D., Professor of Anesthesiology and Associate Chair for Education, recommended Oli to the council which seeks housestaff perspectives on the…

Blessing Ogbemudia, M.D., earned his undergraduate degree at Ohio State University and attended Indiana University for medical school. This past spring, he was honored by the UF Health nursing staff with the LEAD Resident Award for his outstanding performance in promoting high-quality patient care. He is now in his…

Congratulations to third-year resident Andrew Neff, D.O., and second-year resident Alicia McLeod, M.D., who have been elected to serve as the anesthesiology representatives on the 2021-22 University of Florida College of Medicine Housestaff Council! Neff will serve as hospital relations chair as part of the council’s…

Congratulations to third-year residents Nick Rahn, M.D., and Matt Reed, M.D., who scored in the top 10% of the American Board of Anesthesiology BASIC Exam in June 2021! Scoring in the top 10% nationally is a testament to these residents’ hard work and dedication. “Mastering the…

Please help us congratulate our Resident of the Month! June 2021 Resident of the Month: Krupesh Dave, M.D. “Dr. Dave is a silent hero. He constantly offers to help co-residents or anesthetists without complaint. He always offers to stay late. He never complains and is consistently a team player.

Congratulations to fourth-year resident, David Hutchinson, M.D., and recent graduate Milu Thakkar, M.D., who were inducted into UF’s Resident Chapter of the national Gold Humanism Honor Society (GHHS). Hutchinson and Thakkar were nominated by their peers for induction into the organization, which comprises medical students, residents, faculty, and other…

The Anesthesiology Education Office and the Department of Anesthesiology Leadership are pleased to announce the selection of our three new chief residents for the upcoming academic year. David Hutchinson, M.D., Bill Mallett, M.D., and Nicole Premo, M.D. will serve from April 1, 2021 through March 31, 2022. To be selected,…

Please join us in congratulating Bryan Ray, MD, and Maggie Green, CAA! Residents and anesthetists are nominated by residents and faculty for their hard work, motivation, and for going above and beyond in their duties. Dr. Ray was chosen as November resident of the month for his endurance and…

Lauren Smajdor, MD, earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Florida before attending UF’s College of Medicine. Now a fourth-year resident, Dr. Smajdor received the CA2 Division of Acute Pain Award at our 2020 graduation ceremony. She also…

Congratulations to Alicia McLeod, MD, for being elected to the University of Florida College of Medicine Housestaff Council Executive Committee! The Housestaff Council provides input to the Graduate Medical Education office on many issues and the Executive Committee guides some of the financial decisions for money used for housestaff. Dr.

Congratulations to our 24 graduating residents of the Class of 2020, who were honored during two virtual celebrations this year, and our 16 graduating fellows, who received sendoffs in small groups.

The Department of Anesthesiology had a dominant showing at the 45th annual Gulf Atlantic Anesthesia Residents’ Research Conference (GAARRC) hosted by UF in early May, taking home first and second place overall as well as winning top honors in all research categories. Fourth-year resident Dalya Elhady, MD, won first place…