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

Michelle Gillespie, MD 

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!

Third year fellows

Austin Herbst 

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 

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 

Sydney Higgins, DO

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 

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 

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 pulmonary complications of malignancy and chemotherapy. My hobbies include reading, cooking, cycling and taking care of my many plants.

Stephan Reyes 

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 

Alexandra Flannery, 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

Second year fellows

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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 

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 

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 

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 

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 

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.

 

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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!

 

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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 and interstitial lung disease. 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 traveling the world with my wife Cindy, playing golf, exploring the vast Columbus food scene, and playing board games.

 

First year fellows

Eric Carnivale 

Eric Carnivale, MD

Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA

Undergraduate: Virginia Tech
Medical School: St. Louis School of Medicine
Residency: Case Western Reserve University/University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center

About me: My interest include Critical Care Medicine, POCUS, General Outpatient Pulm, and Medical Education. Outside of work I enjoy playing golf, volleyball, spending time with my girlfriend and her golden (Stormie), and reading Brandon Sanderson books. I am also a diehard Pittsburgh Steelers fan and wear my lanyard proud at work!

 

Thomas Cerri 

Thomas Cerri, MD

Hometown: Chicago, IL

Undergraduate: Penn State University
Medical School: Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University 
Residency: Indiana University

About me: My clinical interests include critical care medicine, pulmonary hypertension, and palliative care medicine. I am also passionate about global health, social determinants of health, and healthcare disparities within our community. Outside of work, I enjoy watching sports, participating in fantasy football (and often losing), trying new restaurants, frequenting Waffle House, napping, cooking, taking care of my plants, and making sourdough bread.

 

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Michael Durda, MD

Hometown: North Ridgeville, OH

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

About me: My clinical interests are in critical care medicine, septic shock, ARDS, and ventilatory management. Outside of work, my wife and I spend time discovering new restaurants, brewing high quality espresso and powerlifting.

 

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Jonathan Henricks, MD

Hometown: Baltimore, MD

Undergraduate: University of Maryland College Park
Medical School: University of Toledo College of Medicine 
Residency: Ohio State University, Emergency and Internal Medicine

About me: I am a graduate of Ohio State’s combined Emergency and Internal Medicine residency and am excited to continue my training in Columbus for another three years. My clinical interests include critical care medicine, including resuscitation physiology, POCUS, and mechanical ventilation, pulmonary hypertension, and lung transplant. Outside of work, you can catch me at the gym, playing beach volleyball year-round, playing music (bass and guitar), or cozying up to my fiancé and watching terrible reality television.

 

Austin Kaboff 

Austin Kaboff, DO

Hometown: Vernon Hills, IL

Undergraduate: University of Illinois
Medical School: : Kansas City University 
Residency: Loyola University Medical Center

About me: I’m passionate about caring for patients with sarcoidosis, interstitial lung diseases (ILD), asthma, and those requiring ventilator support. I enjoy the complexity and collaboration involved in managing these conditions and strive to provide thoughtful, patient-centered care. Outside of work, I love spending time with my fiancée, our dog, and two cats, and I’m a big fan of watching hockey, golf, and college football.

 

Amanda Kaley 

Amanda Kaley, MD

Hometown: Camillus, NY

Undergraduate: Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Medical School: SUNY Upstate Medical University  
Residency: University of Rochester Medical Center

About me: I am embarking on a combined fellowship in adult pulmonary/critical care and pediatric pulmonology with the hopes of helping to improve care for patients with childhood onset, lifelong pulmonary disease with a specific research and clinical focus on individuals with chronic lung disease of prematurity/bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Outside of work, I enjoy collecting and restoring antique furniture, taking road trips, hiking with my fiancé Sam, collecting tea/mugs/tea sets, and playing with my cat, Smooth Gerald.

 

Athena Tran 

Athena Tran, MD

Hometown: Winfield/Crown Point, Indiana

Undergraduate: Indiana University – Bloomington
Medical School: Ohio State University College of Medicine 
Residency: University of Cincinnati

About me: My clinical interests include asthma, COPD, and pulmonary fibrosis. I am passionate about health equity and medical education/mentorship. In my free time, I enjoy hiking, trying out local coffee shops, and planning events/trips for my family and friends.

 

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Matthew Wilson, MD

Hometown: Iowa City, IA

Undergraduate: Washington University
Medical School: University of Iowa 
Residency: Ohio State University

About me: I am interested in critical care clinical trials, resuscitation, refractory shock, ARDS, pulmonary hypertension, health systems/operations, and procedural education. Outside of work I enjoy spending time with my wife, running, playing soccer, skiing/snowboarding, reading, and gardening.

 

Sleep Medicine Fellows

Nathan Nesbitt, MD 

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 

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 Jayaram 

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.

Interventional Pulmonary Fellow

Amir Reihani 

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.