Our Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine Fellows

Michelle Gillespie, MD

Hometown: Needham, MA

Undergraduate: College of William and Mary
Medical School: University of Massachusetts
Residency: Ohio State University and Nationwide Children's Hospital

About me: I am doing a combined fellowship in adult pulmonary/critical care and pediatric pulmonary medicine. My clinical and research interests are in transitions of care from pediatric to adult medicine, including pulmonary complications of sickle cell disease, cystic fibrosis, lung transplant, and rare lung diseases. I am also passionate about critical care medicine, medical education, and physician wellness. Outside of work, I enjoy playing soccer, running, baking, needlepointing, watching Disney movies, using tiny spoons to eat ice cream, reading, and supporting Boston sports teams - go Pats!

Austin Herbst, MD

Hometown: Easley, South Carolina

Undergraduate: Clemson University
Medical School: Harvard Medical School
Residency: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

About me: I enjoy running, playing and watching basketball (including supporting the San Antonio Spurs), and spending time with my wife and cat in my free time.

Katie Adib, MD

Hometown: Dayton, Ohio

Undergraduate: Ohio State University
Medical School: Wright State University, Boonshoft School of Medicine
Residency: Ohio State University

About me: My clinical interests are pulmonary hypertension, ILD, and sarcoid and I am excited to get to get experience in all these areas during fellowship. I also have a passion for medical education and  implementing new simulation sessions and further developing the IM residency curriculum. In my free time, I enjoy going on long walks with the cutest pup ever, Charlie, long bike rides to farmers markets, and going to new restaurants and breweries around town. I am also is an avid music lover and frequent the concert scene in Columbus and surrounding cities.

Sydney Higgins, MD

Hometown: Alliance, Ohio

Undergraduate: University of Toledo
Medical School: Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine
Residency: University of Cincinnati

About me: My clinical interests include critical care medicine, COPD, lung cancer and lung volume reduction. When I am not at work, I enjoy spending time with my husband and daughter. We are avid college football fans and playground explorers

Lauren Hipp, MD

Hometown: Overland Park, KS

Undergraduate: University of Kansas
Medical School: University of Kansas School of Medicine
Residency: Medical College of Wisconsin Affiliated Hospitals

About me: My clinical interests include septic shock, ARDS and ventilator management. In my spare time I enjoy reading, traveling, and piloting small boats.

Michelle Ploch, MD

Hometown: Caracas, Venezuela and Orlando, FL

Undergraduate: Johns Hopkins University
Medical School: University of Cincinnati
Residency: University of Texas, Houston

About me: My research and clinical interests include social determinants of health outcomes in the intensive care unit and pulmonary hypertension. My hobbies include reading, cooking, cycling and taking care of my many plants.

Stephan Reyes, MD

Hometown: Columbus, OH

Undergraduate: Ohio State University
Medical School: University of Cincinnati
Residency: University of Texas, Houston
Fellowship in sleep medicine: University of Texas, Houston

About me: My clinical interests include critical care, mechanical ventilation, and sleep medicine. Outside of work, I enjoy discovering new restaurants, college football, spending time with my wife and cats, and hiking.

Alexandra Wichmann, MD

Hometown: Houston, TX and Chicago, IL

Undergraduate: Rice University
Medical School: Texas Tech University
Residency: Texas Tech University

About me: My professional interests focus on describing and alleviating suffering in respiratory failure as well as medical education. Outside of the hospital, I am an avid cook and I enjoy indulging my dog in extra cuddle time

Matthew Barraza

Hometown: Alameda, CA

Undergraduate: UC Davis
Medical School: Tulane School of Medicine
Residency: Ohio State University

About me: My interests include critical care medicine, pulmonary hypertension, POCUS, and medical education. I completed combined Emergency Medicine/Internal Medicine Residency at OSU and am now lucky enough to be staying at OSU for PCCM Fellowship! In my free time I enjoy weightlifting, volleyball, video games, and binge-watching shows with my boyfriend.

Christine Doherty

Hometown: Duxbury, MA

Undergraduate: University of Connecticut
Medical School: Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western
Residency: Yale New Haven Hospital

About me: I am passionate about providing patient-centered care. Although my research interests have evolved over time, I have always been interested in projects focused on patient quality of life. During medical school, I developed a personalized risk prediction tool to determine which patients will develop new or worsening depression following temporal lobe epilepsy surgery, which is used to counsel pre-operative patients. Currently, I am most interested in the intersection of pulmonary-critical and palliative care and developing interventions to minimize suffering for our patients and their families. I am also passionate about supporting and advocating for women in medicine. In my free time, I love arts and crafts, yoga, sleeping in, and spending time with friends and family.

Angela Grassi

Hometown: Oceanside, NY

Undergraduate: Muhlenberg College
Medical School: Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (SUNY Buffalo)
Residency: Mayo Clinic

About me: I attended medical school in Buffalo, NY (Go Bills!) where I met my fiancé Jess, and then moved to Minnesota for residency. I am interested in both medical education and public health research focused on eliminating social determinants of health and health disparities. Outside of work, I enjoy watching RuPaul’s Drag Race, hiking, skiing, and playing video games with Jess and our dog Penny.

Meghana Moodabagil

Hometown: Lake Forest, IL

Undergraduate: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Medical School: Chicago Medical School at Rosaline Franklin University
Residency: Ohio State University

About me: My clinical interests include emergency and critical care medicine. My other involvements are within research and leadership education in academic medicine. When I am not at work, I love to spend as much time with my husband, our daughter, and our two dogs.

Karan Rai

Hometown: Columbus, OH

Undergraduate: Ohio State University
Medical School: Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
Residency: University of Colorado

About me: My clinical interests are in critical care medicine, including resuscitation, shock, and mechanical ventilation. My non-clinical interests include health services research, quality improvement, and healthcare delivery innovation. When not at work, I enjoy spending time with my wife traveling and exploring local restaurants, hiking, and watching football.

Laura Saldivar

Hometown: Bellbrook, OH

Undergraduate: Ohio State University
Medical School: Ohio State University
Residency: University of Rochester Medical Center

About me: My clinical interests include Cystic Fibrosis, Pulmonary Hypertension, and Bioethics. With my Internal Medicine-Pediatrics background, I am hoping to pursue some combination of these interests in the future. When I am not at work, I enjoy swimming, shopping (especially at Target), and spending time with my husband, Daniel.

Shilpa Sridhar

Hometown: Buffalo, NY

Undergraduate: Duke University
Medical School: Ohio State University
Residency: Ohio State University/Nationwide Children’s Hospital

About me: Within medicine my interests include asthma, pulmonary vasculitis, and
critical care medicine. My other passions include global health and medical education,
and finding ways to fuse together. Outside of work I love spending time with my
husband, drinking a good cup of tea, being outdoors, and exploring new restaurants
around Columbus!

Alexander Wong

Hometown: Cincinnati, OH

Undergraduate: Xavier University
Medical School: Ohio State University
Residency: Ohio State University

About me: My clinical interests include critical care medicine, interstitial lung disease, and pulmonary hypertension. I am also passionate about medical education and have an interest in curricular development as well as simulation training. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my dog, playing golf, exploring the vast Columbus food scene, and playing board games.

Nate Nesbitt, MD

Hometown: Phoenix, Arizona

Undergraduate: University of Arizona
Medical School: Ohio State University
Residency: Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN

About me: My medical interests include critical care, mechanical ventilation, medical education, and optimizing both physical and psychological outcomes in the ICU. Outside of medicine my interests include spending time with my partner, exercising, reading, and traveling.

Michael Koenig, MD

Hometown: Charlottesville, VA

Undergraduate: University of Virginia
Medical School: University of Kentucky
Residency: Vanderbilt University

About me: I have played the drums since I was five years old and in college I was a member of the Percussion Ensemble, Wind Ensemble, and University of Virginia Drumline, where I was Quad Section Leader. Before I graduated from college, my parents moved to Morehead, Kentucky, where they currently reside. I attended the University of Kentucky College of Medicine where I realized a lifelong dream of working with and being taught by my father, a Pulmonary and Critical Care physician. I moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to complete a residency in Internal Medicine at Vanderbilt University. While a resident, I performed a secondary analysis of The Isotonic Solutions and Major Adverse Renal Events Trial, which compared Lactated Ringer’s versus saline among critically ill adults with cirrhosis. My other interests include playing tennis, golf, UVA basketball and traveling. I am excited to start fellowship training and get to know Ohio State and the city of Columbus better.

Swati Jarayam, MD

Hometown: Bangalore, India

Medical School: M.S.Ramaiah Medical College, Bangalore, India
Residency: The Metrohealth System/Case Western Reserve University
Fellowship: Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine/Nationwide Children’s Hospital

About me: My clinical passions lie in pediatric pulmonary and sleep medicine, and my current research explores movement disorders in children with chronic lung disease.

When I am off the clock, I am usually chasing after my lively toddler and equally spirited dog, but I also love putting paint to canvas, discovering new restaurants, and plotting our family’s next travel adventure.

Amir Reihani, MD, MPH

Hometown: Palm Desert, CA

Graduate: George Washington University
Medical School: Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences
Residency: Yale-Affiliated Griffin Hospital, CT
Fellowship, Pulmonary: Eisenhower Hospital, CA(Chief Fellow)
Fellowship, Critical Care: Stony Brook University, NY

About me: I’m drawn to interventional pulmonology for its mix of precision, innovation, and human connection—especially through advanced bronchoscopy and thoracic oncology. Prior to IP, I trained in pulmonary and critical care on both coasts, gaining diverse experience with outstanding mentors. I enjoy teaching at all levels and had the opportunity to teach undergrads at Stony Brook. I come from a multicultural, service-driven family and strive to treat every patient like family.

Outside of work, I enjoy running, cooking, traveling, and chasing after our two toddlers with my wife.