The Department of Internal Medicine is pleased to introduce some of the newest members who joined us between September and December 2024 (start dates in parentheses). We are happy to welcome them to the department.
Ola Abdelkarim, MBBCh, MSc (11/15/24)
Dr. Ola Abdelkarim has joined the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine after completing a fellowship in Advanced Cardiovascular Imaging at the Montefiore Medical Center in New York City. She earned her MBBCh degree from Alexandria University Faculty of Medicine in Egypt, followed by an internal medicine residency there. Dr. Abdelkarim also completed an MSc in Cardiology and Angiology at Alexandria University. She followed this with fellowships in Cardiovascular CT and Cardiovascular CMR at Houston Methodist Hospital in Texas.
Caitlyn Al-Ostaz, DNP, ARNP (10/21/24)
Dr. Caitlyn Al-Ostaz joined the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine as a Nurse Practitioner, where she will see patients at IRL and UI Health Care Medical Center. She received her BSN and DNP from the University of Iowa College of Nursing. In her spare time, she enjoys cheering on the Hawkeyes and Buffalo Bills, chasing around her two-year-old daughter, Nora, traveling, listening to podcasts, and watching a good documentary.
Kara Barnes, ARNP (10/14/21)
Kara Barnes joined the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism as a Nurse Practitioner, where she will see patients in the Diabetes Clinic in Cedar Rapids. She received a BSN from Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids, as well as an MSN from Briarcliff University in Sioux City. She has been a certified diabetes educator since 2016. Kara is passionate about delivering personalized diabetes care, with an emphasis on meeting each person where they are at in their diabetes journey and working together to find the right treatment plan to optimize health and wellness. Her clinical interests include patient education, insulin pumps, continuous glucose monitors, and diabetes distress. When not at work, she likes to spend time with her husband and daughter, travel, and go camping and kayaking.
Katie Buchheit, DNP, AGACNP-BC (12/2/24)
Dr. Katie Buchheit joined the Division of General Internal Medicine as a Nurse Practitioner, where she will care for patients as a hospitalist. She received her DNP from the University of Iowa College of Nursing, where she also serves as an Assistant Professor of Practice. Her hobbies include reading, cooking, and spending time outdoors.
Mark Burkard, MD, PhD (10/1/24)
Dr. Mark Burkard joined the Division of Hematology, Oncology, and Blood & Marrow Transplantation as a Professor, as well as assuming the role of director of University of Iowa Health Care Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center on October 1, 2024. Dr. Burkard came to Iowa from his position as the Mary and Rob Gooze Chair in Metastatic Breast Cancer and professor in the Division of Hematology, Medical Oncology, and Palliative Care in the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Dr. Burkard received his MD and PhD degrees at the University of Rochester, in Rochester, New York. He completed residency training in internal medicine at New York Presbyterian Hospital’s Cornell Campus in New York City, as well as a fellowship in medical oncology at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center there. His clinical interests include the treatment of breast cancer and precision oncology, while his research focuses on understanding the drivers of genomic changes in breast cancer and using this to develop predictive biomarkers for cancer therapy. He likes to bake, garden, and spend time with his 5 growing and grown children when he’s not at work.
Eugene Chu, MD, FHM (9/28/24)
Dr. Eugene Chu has joined the Division of General Internal Medicine as a Clinical Professor, from his recent faculty position at the UT Southwestern School of Medicine in Dallas. Dr. Chu earned his MD degree at Tufts University in Boston, followed by graduate medical education at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver. Dr. Chu’s clinical and research interests focus on process optimization, high performance teamwork, patient experience and sustainability. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family at home and abroad.
Luis Cuervo, MD (12/23/24)
Dr. Luis Cuervo joined the Division of Hematology, Oncology and Blood & Marrow Transplantation from a Medical Oncologist position at the Abben Cancer Center in Temple, Texas. He received his medical degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, followed by an internal medicine residency at Texas A&M University System Health Science Center in Galveston. Dr. Cuervo served as a field surgeon with the 129th Area Support Medical Company in Iraq, both at Camp Liberty and in Basrah. He subsequently completed an oncology fellowship at Texas A&M, followed by a position at Carteret Health Care in Morehead City, North Carolina, where he served as Chief of Staff in 2019.
Brittany Deb, ARNP, DNP (10/28/24)
Dr. Brittany Deb joined the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Occupational Medicine as a Nurse Practitioner, where she will care for patients in the MICU. She received her DNP degree from the University of Iowa College of Nursing and has worked as a staff nurse at UI Health Care since 2015.
Samantha Feddersen, ARNP (10/28/24)
Samantha Feddersen joined the Division of General Internal Medicine as a Nurse Practitioner, where she cares for patients as a hospitalist. She received an MSN from Maryville University in St. Louis, Missouri, and has worked as a staff nurse, charge nurse, and preceptor at UI Health Care since 2015. She likes to spend her free time reading and traveling with her husband. She has a passion for live music and tries to attend as many concerts as she can when time allows.
Gagan Flora, PhD (11/1/24)
Dr. Gagan Flora has been appointed as an Instructor within the Division of Hematology, Oncology, and Blood & Marrow Transplantation from his position as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow. He received an MTech in Biotechnology from Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya, India, followed by a PhD in Biological Sciences from University of Reading, United Kingdom. His research focuses on investigating the role of metabolic enzymes in regulating platelet functions and thrombosis. Dr. Flora enjoys reading books when not at work.
Madankumar Ghatge, PhD (9/30/24)
Dr. Madankumar Ghatge has been appointed as an Instructor within the Division of Hematology, Oncology, and Blood & Marrow Transplantation from his position as a Postdoctoral Research Scholar. He received an MSc in applied genetics from Karnatak University in Dharwad, India, followed by a PhD in coronary artery disease from the Manipal Academy of Higher Education in Karnataka, India. His research focuses on exploring the role of metabolic pathways in regulating platelet function, particularly in pro-thrombotic states such as obesity and myeloproliferative neoplasms, with the goal of identifying safer therapeutic strategies to manage thrombotic risks. Outside of the lab, he enjoys reading about history and science.
Gustavo Godoy Almeida, MD, PhD (10/31/24)
Dr. Gustavo Godoy Almeida has joined the Division of Hematology, Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplantation from a recent position as a Medical Oncologist at Hospital Santa Joana Recife, Brazil. Dr. Godoy Almeida received his MD and post-doc degrees from Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil. He completed an internal medicine residency at Hospital Getulio Vargas in Recife, a hematology and oncology fellowship at the Hospital das Clinicas of Sao Paulo, and his PhD degree at University of Sao Paulo. Dr. Godoy Almeida’s clinical and research interests include sarcoma and neuroncology. In his spare time, he enjoys meeting friends, listening to music, and watching American football.
Sara Naimimohasses, MD, PhD (12/9/24)
Dr. Sara Naimimohasses joined the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology as a clinical assistant professor after completing a fellowship in transplant hepatology at the University of Toronto, in Canada. She received her MD from Trinity College Dublin in Ireland, after which she completed her higher specialist training with dual certification in Gastroenterology and Internal Medicine at the Royal College of Physicians in Ireland. During her training she worked as a lecturer in clinical medicine and completed a PhD in Inflammaging and Immune Dysfunction in Metabolic Dysfunction Associated Steatotic Liver disease (MASLD), from Trinity College Dublin. Dr Naimimohasses’ clinical and research interests include metabolic liver disease, principally, MASLD. In her free time, she enjoys painting and is eager to explore Iowa’s literary landscape.
Hossein Ouranos, MD, MS (9/30/24)
Dr. Hossein (Bo) Ouranos joined the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine from his position as an Interventional Cardiologist at Hamilton Cardiology Associates in New Jersey. Dr. Ouranos received his MD from Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis in 2013. He completed residency (2016), cardiology fellowship (2020), and interventional fellowship (2021) at Indiana University. He completed structural fellowship (2022) at Hartford HealthCare in Connecticut. As a member of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Dr. Ouranos’s duties will include inpatient consult service, outpatient clinic, procedures in the catheterization lab, teaching, reading echocardiograms and nuclear studies, performing transesophageal echocardiograms, and a share of on-call responsibilities at the Downtown Campus. In his spare time, Dr. Ouranos enjoys spending time with his wife, traveling, and hiking.
Yehia Saleh, MBBCh, MSc (11/15/24)
Dr. Yehia Saleh has joined the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine as a Clinical Assistant Professor, following the completion of his fellowship in Interventional Cardiology at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City. He earned his medical degree from Alexandria University Faculty of Medicine in Egypt, where he also completed his cardiology residency and obtained an MSc in Cardiology. He followed this with an internal medicine residency at Michigan State University in East Lansing and a cardiology fellowship at Methodist DeBakey Heart Center in Houston, Texas. His research interests focus on the management of left ventricular thrombi. He has authored more than 80 peer-reviewed publications and serves as the Cardiology Associate Editor for BMJ Case Reports. Outside of medicine, he enjoys swimming and traveling.
Emily Vittetoe, DNP, ARNP (11/18/24)
Dr. Emily Vittetoe joined the Cardiovascular Medicine division as a Nurse Practitioner, where she will care for patients as a hospitalist. She received her BSN in 2019 from Mount Mercy University, followed by her MSN in 2021 and DNP in 2024. She also received a BA in Spanish from the University of Iowa. Dr. Vittetoe has worked as a staff nurse at UI Health Care since 2019 in different areas including the Cardiothoracic Step-down Unit (4RC) and the Invasive Cardiovascular Procedure Lab. She has also held a position as Adjunct Nursing Faculty at Mount Mercy University. As a member of the Electrophysiology Section of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Dr. Vittetoe will support the section by assisting with inpatient duties, assisting with electrophysiology procedures, and providing pre/post procedural care for patients in the CPRU and minor procedure areas. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling abroad, trying new recipes with her significant other, bike riding, and reading.
Wenjie Yu, PhD (10/11/24)
Dr. Wenjie Yu has been appointed as a Research Assistant Professor within the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Occupational Medicine from his position as a postdoctoral associate in Dr. Michael Welsh’s lab. Dr. Yu received a PhD in Anatomy and Cell Biology from the University of Iowa. His research interests focus on the biology and pathophysiology of airway mucous glands in pigs. In his free time, Dr. Yu enjoys basketball, fishing, and exploring the natural beauty of eastern Iowa.