Meet Our Residents
PGY-1 Class
Pascale Carrel, MD
University of Connecticut School of Medicine
Dr. Carrel grew up in Cos Cob, CT before attending Northwestern University for her undergraduate studies, where she completed a B.A. in English literature and the pre-medical track. After graduating, she returned home to Connecticut and worked as a tutor for two years, teaching and supporting high school students across a variety of subjects. She went on to receive her medical degree from University of Connecticut School of Medicine, where she was involved in the OBGYN interest group, mentoring other medical students, and research. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, spending time with family and friends, long walks, and tending to her (many) houseplants.
Sandra Kumwong, DO
Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine
Dr. Kumwong is a born and raised New Yorker and a proud daughter of Thai immigrants. She attended Macaulay Honors College at Hunter College, receiving a Bachelor's in Sociology and Minors in Asian American Studies and Biology. She received her medical degree from Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in Harlem, New York. As a former doula and a sexual health educator, she hopes to use these experiences to provide compassionate, comprehensive care to her patients. In her free time, she enjoys exploring different cuisines, "cozy" gaming, and reading.
Jake Schneider, DO
Kansas City University
Dr. Schneider grew up on Long Island in Lynbrook, NY. He received his undergraduate degree in Chemistry from the University of Delaware and a Master’s degree in biomedical sciences at Tufts University. He then received his medical degree from Kansas City University. He is now looking forward to being back in New York for residency. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with family and friends, going to the beach, and trying new restaurants.
Monica Spafford, MD
St. George's University
Dr. Spafford grew up in northern Virginia and attended New York University where she received a Bachelor of Science in Applied Psychology. She completed Columbia University’s post-baccalaureate pre-medical program and worked as a research intern in the emergency department at Columbia University Medical Center. She received her medical degree from St. George’s University and completed her third-year clerkships at Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn. She is excited to be back in NY and to continue caring for the Brooklyn community as a resident physician. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, traveling, trying new restaurants, and being active whether its running, pilates, cycling, or playing soccer.
Kayman Strickland-Beach, MD
University of South Alabama College of Medicine
Dr. Beach grew up in Birmingham, Alabama. She received her undergraduate degree in Biomedical Science at the University of South Alabama. She continued her education at the University of South Alabama Whiddon College of Medicine where she was commissioned into the United States Air Force through their HPSP scholarship program. Dr. Beach enjoys spending time with family, movie nights, coffee dates, and running. She is happily married and is the mother of four wonderful children.
PGY-2 Class
Ololade Afolayan, DO
Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine
Dr. Afolayan is a first-generation Nigerian-American born and raised in Queens, NY. She received her Bachelor’s in Biology and Society with a minor in Infectious Disease Biology at Cornell University. She received a Master’s in Interdisciplinary Studies in Biological and Physical Sciences and her medical degree from Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine. During medical school, she enjoyed giving back to her community through volunteer work and mentoring/tutoring medical and high school students. In her free time, she loves to spend time with her family and friends, travel across the world, eat at various restaurants, and try new experiences!
Miranda Duster, MD
New York University
Dr. Duster is a proud New Yorker, having grown up in the Upper West Side neighborhood of Manhattan. She attended Yale University, receiving a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience. In college, she developed a passion for women's health after working on OBGYN and UN representative, Dr. Deqo Mohamed's "Hope Village" project, a safe haven and maternity clinic for. women in Somalia. She received her medical degree from New York University Long Island School of Medicine, where she was the co-president of the OBGYN-Specialty Interest Group, the Students for National American Medical Association NYU LISOM chapter, and Students for a National Health Program NYU LISOM chapter. She hopes to practice as a general OBGYN in the NYC community, while also leading global health initiatives. In her free time, she enjoys Pilates, going dancing with friends, and hanging out with her cat.
Emily Hand, MD
St. George's University
Dr. Hand grew up in Vancouver, Canada and attended the University of British Columba, where she received a degree in Genetics and Immunology. Prior to medical school, she worked at STEMCELL Technologies researching the gene editing applications of umbilical cord blood stem cells. She attended St. George's University where she conducted research on opioid use in pregnancy, and she hopes to pursue Maternal-Fetal Medicine fellowship after residency. Outside of medicine, she enjoys running, yoga, sailing, and skiing (a true PNWer!) with her husband.
Tara Savannah Lowery, DO
New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine
Savannah was born in Florida and grew up in NYC. She received her undergraduate degree from Fordham University in Mathematics. She danced professionally with the NYC Ballet before attending medical school at NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine. In her free time, she enjoys dancing, cooking and spending time with family and friends.
Anjan Ghosh, MD
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Dr. Ghosh grew up in Chicago, IL (aka best city in the world) before going to Northwestern University where he majored in Neuroscience and minored in Music Composition. During his time at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, he earned his medical degree and founded the Antifragility Initiative Music Program (AMP), a hospital-based violence intervention program designed to provide music production education to youth who had previously been hospitalized for traumatic injuries. In his free time Anjan loves to go dancing at clubs/raves, going to concerts, and having lively philosophical debates with friends such as “Does orange work better as a color or as a fruit?”
PGY-3 Class
Sahar Gowani, MD
Albany Medical College
Dr. Gowani was born and raised outside Chicago, IL. She attended the University of Michigan, where she studied Public Health. She then worked as a community doula serving pregnant teens in underserved areas of Chicago. She received her medical degree from Albany Medical College and worked closely with the New York State Department of Health on their Birth Equity Improvement Project. In her free time, she enjoys (free!) workout classes, picnicking in NYC parks, and snack shopping at Trader Joe's.
Cherita Moore, DO
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
Dr. Moore is a first generation Caribbean American originally from Boston, MA. She has a degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology with a minor in Spanish Language from UMass Amherst. She holds an osteopathic degree from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in Suwannee, Georgia where she served on the Osteopathic Committee of the Student National Medical Association. In her free time, she enjoys yoga, meditation, and occasionally participates in choreography and semi-professional dance performances.
Sara Tomerak, MD
Weill Cornell Medicine
Dr Tomerak was born in Cairo, Egypt and raised in the UK. She later moved to Qatar where she finished high school and completed a six-year MD program at Weill Cornell Medicine in Qatar. During medical school, she enjoyed tutoring other medical students. After residency, she is hoping to complete an MFM fellowship and then take on an academic position. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, taking long walks, and trying out new coffee shops.
PGY-4 Class
Rohitha Baskar, MD
Medical College of Georgia
Dr. Baskar was born in India and raised in Atlanta, GA. She completed a seven-year BS/MD program at the Medical College of Georgia. During medical school, she served as the Curriculum Vice President of her class where she fought to bring important changes to grading policies, curriculum schedules, and much more. After completing residency, she hopes to move back to the South and take on an academic role in her hometown. In her free time, she likes to plan her next trip, eat at new restaurants, hang out with her friends, and watch a lot of crime docu-series.
Samantha Cronin, MD
Weill Cornell Medical College
Dr. Cronin grew up in West Orange, NJ and Brewster, NY before going to Vassar College and majoring in Anthropology. She received her medical degree at Weill Cornell Medical College where she was actively involved with the Weill Cornell Center for Human Rights. In her free time, she enjoys dancing, reading, trying new cuisines, and going to the theater with friends.
Mariem del Rio, MD
St. George’s University
Dr. Del Rio was born in Cuba and raised in Tampa, FL. She completed a BS in Biology and a Master of Public Health at the University of Florida. She worked as a clinical research coordinator before pursuing her medical degree at St. George’s University School of Medicine. She mentors and tutors medical students at First Step that are studying for their USMLE boards. During her free time, she enjoys traveling, exploring NYC hot spots, and spending time with friends, family, and her husky Max.
Dvora Kluwgant, MD
Medical School for International Health at Ben Gurion University
Dvora was born in Johannesburg, South Africa and grew up in Florida. She completed her undergrad at Stern College in NYC, after which she moved to Israel to attend medical school at the Medical School for International Health at Ben Gurion University. After medical school, she completed a Masters in Public at the University of Melbourne. She is excited to have returned to NYC to pursue her residency training at Brooklyn Methodist. Dvora hopes to specialize in Maternal Fetal Medicine after finishing residency.
Michael Kim, MD
Albany Medical College
Dr. Kim was born in Maryland, and grew up in South Korea and Los Angeles. He obtained his undergraduate degree at UCLA and his medical degree at Albany Medical College. He loves to both teach and learn new things, having also completed a year serving with AmeriCorps. His favorite season is winter, and can be found skiing the slopes throughout the world.