About Our Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellows
The Ohio State Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine is committed to training the next generation of clinicians and investigators. We offer several fellowship programs that help students strengthen their knowledge and clinical skills.
Pulmonary Critical Care Fellows
Fifth year fellow
Sarah Cohen, MD
Hometown: Roanoke, VA
Undergraduate: Roanoke College
Medical School: University of Pittsburgh
Residency: Duke University
About me: I moved to Columbus in 2019 to start a combined fellowship in Adult Pulmonary & Critical Care and Pediatric Pulmonary at The Ohio State University and Nationwide Children's Hospital. My interests are in pulmonary conditions that affect patients across the lifespan, including but not limited to adolescents & young adults in their transition from pediatric to adult care. I am spending my final year of fellowship focusing on pulmonary hypertension. My fellowship research is in mechanisms, causes, and treatment of alveolar hemorrhage. During fellowship, I completed a Masters in Medical Science through Ohio State University. When not at work, I enjoy checking out local restaurants with friends, and exploring the Columbus metro parks with my dog.
Third year fellows
Ian Bentley, MD
Hometown: Cincinnati, OH
Undergraduate: Xavier University
Medical School: University of Cincinnati
Residency: Vanderbilt University
About me: My research and clinical interests are largely within the ICU, and I am doing research on ventilator induced lung injury and mechanisms of surfactant dysfunction following injurious ventilation. In my free time, I love to play and watch basketball, eat and drink, hike, spend time with my wife, and play with my cat.
Michelle Gillespie, MD
Hometown: Needham, MA
Undergraduate: College of William and Mary
Medical School: University of Massachusetts
Residency: The 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!
Josh Gordon, MD
Hometown: Scottsdale, AZ
Undergraduate: University of Arizona in Tucson
Medical School: University of Arizona in Phoenix
Residency: The Ohio State University
About me: My clinical interests include ILD, COPD, and pulmonary hypertension. My past research interests include ARDS in the ICU and assessing the role that malignancy has on development of this syndrome. Outside of work, I love spending time with my family, girlfriend, and cat, Cricket. I enjoy cooking, football, and playing gin rummy.
Kashika Goyal, MD
Hometown: Duluth, MN
Undergraduate: Miami University
Medical School: The Ohio State University
Residency: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
About me: Prior to applying for fellowship, I worked as a hospitalist and teaching attending. It was during this time I developed both a clinical and research interests in communication strategies in the ICU, how these strategies are taught and the role of palliative care in advanced pulmonary disease. I am passionate about graduate medical education and looking forward to expanding my role as a clinician teacher. I will be one of the Chief Fellows for the 2023-2024 academic year. Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my husband and daughter, Anika. Most weekends include enjoying the Ohio outdoors and eating cookies with my daughter (mostly chocolate chip).
Laura Leuenberger, MD
Hometown: Hershey, PA
Undergraduate: Columbia University
Medical School: Penn State
Residency: University of Michigan
About me: My research interests include sterol metabolism in ARDS, investigating how cholesterol affects the immune response in lung disease. My clinical interests include critical care, sarcoidosis, and post ICU care. Outside work, I enjoy spending time with my husband and our pets, being outdoors (especially running and hiking), and baking. I'm excited for the opportunity to be one of the Chief Fellows for the 2023-2024 academic year.
Geoff Newcomb, MD
Hometown: Columbus, OH
Undergraduate: Georgetown University
Medical School: University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Residency: University of Rochester
About me: My research and clinical interests include advanced management and outcomes of patients with submassive PE. I am also interested pulmonary hypertension and CTEPH. Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my wife, hiking, golfing, exercising, watching sports and attempting new cooking recipes.
Second year fellows
Tyler Haddad, DO
Hometown: Longmeadow, MA
Undergraduate: Wake Forest University
Medical School: University of New England
Residency: The Ohio State University
About me: My research and clinical interests include pulmonary toxicities of cancer treatments, hyperoxia in the intensive care unit, interstitial lung disease, and global health. I am an avid traveler and has enjoyed time in over 20 countries. I love exploring new places and foods with my wife, sailing, hiking, live music, and Boston sports teams.
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.
Patrick Kramer, MD
Hometown: Akron, OH
Undergraduate: University of Notre Dame
Medical School: Loyola University Chicago
Residency: Case Western Reserve University
About me: I have spent time as an academic hospitalist at the Cleveland VA Medical Center and previously completed a Fulbright research grant in Singapore. Career interests include diagnostic reasoning, sarcoidosis, and adult learning strategies within medical education. I love cheering on the Buckeyes, and I also enjoy brewing coffee and playing disc golf. You can find me exploring the outdoors or findings new restaurants with my wife in my free time.
Ayal Levi, MD
Hometown: Victoria, BC, Canada
Undergraduate: University of Victoria
Medical School: Ben-Gurion University, Israel
Residency: National Jewish-Saint Joseph Hospital, Denver
About me: My clinical interests are in ARDs, hypoxia-induced lung injury, and outpatient monitoring with biosensors. I am also passionate about education (not only my own). When not in the hospital, I love spending time with my wife, two children, and occasionally lifting a weight or two.
Sarah MacDowell, MD
Hometown: Cincinnati, OH
Undergraduate: Knox College
Medical School: George Washington University
Residency: The Ohio State University and Nationwide Children's Hospital
About me: From a medical education perspective, I am interested in curriculum development, assessment methods, and learning technology. From a clinical and research perspective I am interested in caregiver burden, post-ICU care, respiratory failure in neuromuscular conditions, and transitions of care from pediatric to adult care. Outside of work I enjoy exploring the Columbus park system with my husband and our dog Wanda, swimming, making coffee, and going to breweries.
Nate Nesbitt, MD
Hometown: Phoenix, Arizona
Undergraduate: University of Arizona
Medical School: The 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.
Andrew Wodarcyk, MD
Hometown: Columbus, OH
Undergraduate: The Ohio State University
Medical School: University of Toledo
Residency: The Ohio State University
About me: My clinical research interests include vasculitis, pulmonary hypertension, and prediction and prevention of post-intensive care syndromes. When not at work, I enjoy weightlifting, running, golf, crosswords, DIY home projects and spending time with my dog, Eddie, and my expanding family.
First year fellows
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: The Ohio State University
Medical School: Wright State University, Boonshoft School of Medicine
Residency: The 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 DEI implementing new simulation sessions and further developing the IM residency DEI 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: The 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
Interventional Pulmonology Fellows
Tejas Sinha, MD
Hometown: Columbus, OH
Undergraduate: The Ohio State University
Medical School: The Ohio State University
Residency: The Ohio State University
About me: I travelled east to Philadelphia for my general pulmonary and critical care training at Temple University Hospital. While at Temple, my interests in advanced bronchoscopy and interventional pulmonary grew as I was exposed to a robust lung transplant and bronchoscopic lung volume reduction program. I returned to Ohio State to train with world class faculty and gain expertise in diagnostic and therapeutic interventional pulmonary procedures for benign and malignant processes. In my free time, I like to watch football (Go Bucks! Go Birds!) and explore the outdoors with my wife, son and german shepherd.
Past Interventional Pulmonology Fellows
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Ronaldo Ortiz, MD 2022-2023 Fellow
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Enam Josan, MD 2021-2022 Fellow
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Karthik Vijayan, MD 2020-2021 Fellow
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Virgil Secasanu, MD 2018-2019 Fellow
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Prarthna Chandar, MD 2018-2019 Fellow
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Larry Ladi, MD 2014-2015 fellow
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Alejandro Sardi, MD 2015-2016 fellow
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Muralidhar Kondapaneni, MD 2013-2014 fellow
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Abdulgadir Adam, MD 2012-2013 fellow
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Umair Gauhar, MD 2011-2012 fellow
Sleep Medicine Fellows
Sarah Knapp
Hometown: Orlando, FL
Undergraduate: University of Florida
Medical School: West Virginia University School of Medicine
Residency: Medical University of South Carolina
About me: I completed my Pulmonary & Critical Care Fellowship at the Medical University of South Carolina and I am completing my Sleep Medicine Fellowship with OSUMC. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my husband, son, and dog. I also enjoy cooking, reading and cheering on the Florida Gators.
Kimberly Van Dongen
Hometown: Martinsburg, WV
Medical School: Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine
Residency: MetroHealth
About me: I grew up in Martinsburg, West Virginia. I completed my B.S. in Biochemistry at Virginia Tech and then stayed in Blacksburg, VA for medical school at the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine. I went on to complete my residency in Internal Medicine at MetroHealth in Cleveland, OH before coming down to Columbus for sleep medicine fellowship at OSU. In my free time, I enjoy exploring the city with my husband on our eBikes, going on culinary adventures, cooking, kayaking, and traveling to new places.
Lung Transplant Fellows
No current fellows.