Talia Campbell, MD
Pronouns: she/her

Undergraduate: Brown University
Medical School: University of Massachusetts T.H. Chan School of Medicine

Originally from Kingston, New York, Talia attended Brown for undergrad and majored in Neuroscience. After college, she worked for a nonprofit, Zeno Mountain Farm, that runs a community for friends with and without disabilities before attending medical school at UMass. During med school, she continued her work with the disability population and found that Med-Peds was the best fit for her goals to support this community. Outside of medicine, Talia enjoys hiking, climbing, aerial silks, reading, and growing her collection of house plants!

Morgan Johnson, MD
Pronouns: she/her

Undergraduate: California Polytechnic State University
Medical School: University of Minnesota Medical School

Morgan grew up splitting her time between California and New Hampshire with summers spent with family in Minnesota. She studied Psychology in college in California, served as a Health Peace Corps Volunteer in The Gambia, and worked in both mental and public health before starting medical school. She loves to explore new cuisines, hike, play board and video games, and spend time with family & friends.

Jacinta Lomba, MD
Pronouns: she/her

Undergraduate: Brown University
Medical School: Howard University College of Medicine

Jacinta was born and raised in central Connecticut. She has close family ties to the Cabo Verdean community in Providence and is the first in her family to earn a medical doctorate. She completed her undergraduate degree in Africana Studies at Brown in 2017 and went on to complete a Fulbright research fellowship in Salvador, Brazil, which explored the social consequences of the 2015 Zika epidemic. She has developed fluency in Spanish, Portuguese, and Cabo Verdean Kriolu, and looks forward to connecting with patients who speak these languages in Providence.

As a medical student at Howard, she cared for many patients with sickle cell disease and developed a strong interest in the clinical and socio-political aspects of healthcare delivery to sickle cell populations. Her interests have always existed at the intersection of human health, history, and social inequality. As a resident, she looks forward to developing practical skills for serving complex adult and pediatric patients while pursing scholarship in her areas of interest.

Chichi Onwubueke, MD MPH
Pronouns: she/her

Undergraduate: Northeastern University
Medical School: Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine

Originally from Boston, Chichi attended Northeastern University where she majored in biochemistry and minored in psychology. During the lock-down of 2020, she moved to Cleveland to begin medical school at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine and obtained a Master of Public Health at Case Western. While there, she grew in her capacity for community facing activities as she worked for the Christian non-profit New City Cleveland. Outside of medicine, she enjoys creating art – from poetry to piano melodies to Afrobeats choreography!

Leen Bakdash, MD
Pronouns: she/her

Undergraduate: University of Chicago
Medical School: Emory University

Originally from Wichita, Kansas, Leen completed college at the University of Chicago where she studied Biological Sciences and Health and Society. There, she grew fascinated by social determinants of health, especially as they pertain to refugee and immigrant communities, interests she pursued in medical school at Emory University. For fun, Leen enjoys baking, cooking, and exploring local coffee shops.

Reflections on Brown Med-Peds:

What were you looking for in a residency program? I was looking for a program with caring leadership and a strong primary care clinic. I was also excited about opportunities in refugee health.

What’s your favorite thing about living in Rhode Island? I really like being close to the ocean!

Ask me about: Moving to New England for the first time!

Gabrielle Montalbano, MD
Pronouns: she/her

Undergraduate: University of California, Los Angeles
Medical School: University of Colorado

Gabrielle is originally from Chicago and went to college at UCLA, where she studied Human Biology and Society and Public Health, then went on to medical school at University of Colorado. Some of her favorite past activities include researching neglected tropical diseases such as toxoplasma, working on a street medicine project for harm reduction, and working on a WASH project with a community in rural Uganda. She has also enjoyed engaging in activism as part of Students for a National Health Program and absolutely loved getting involved in medical education towards the end of medical school. Gabrielle is interested in global health and refugee/immigrant health, particularly infectious diseases and possibly being a dual med-peds hospitalist. Outside of work, she loves to spend time with family/friends, cooking, music, and traveling. She used to work in California as a backpacking guide, so she loves to spend her time off in the outdoors and is always happy to bring new friends along! 

Reflections on Brown Med-Peds: 

What is the biggest strength of the program in your eyes? The culture in terms of genuine support and kindness. There is a really strong community here which made it an easy transition coming here, especially not knowing anyone. There are also global health opportunities which are sustainable, impactful and ethical. I also love the population of patients we see.

What should every applicant should know about Brown Med-Peds? It’s the BEST Med-Peds program! It is a very supportive environment in which differences and diversity are appreciated.

What’s your favorite thing about living in Rhode Island? I love the people here. They are kind and I enjoy the diversity of the city. Providence is so cute, it has easy access to mountains and beaches, it has all forms of nature and nothing is far away.

Kiarra Mouzon, MD
Pronouns: she/her

Undergraduate: State University of New York, Binghamton
Medical School: Drexel University

Kiarra is originally from Long Island, New York. She attended undergrad at SUNY Binghamton in upstate New York (Go Bearcats!) where she received a B.S in Integrative Neuroscience. She took a few gap years afterwards, and received a Masters Degree through the Drexel Pathway to Medical School post-baccalaureate program. She  continued on at Drexel for medical school, held leadership positions within the Student National Medical Association and was selected as a member of GHHS. Outside of work, she loves to travel, try new restaurants (she is a major foodie), and partake in various workouts such as pilates, barre and kickboxing. 

Reflections on Brown Med-Peds:

What is your favorite thing about living in Rhode Island? I really enjoy being close to the ocean, and all of the outdoor spaces. Not to mention the number of delicious, diverse restaurants in close proximity here in Providence! 

What were you looking for in a residency program? I was looking for a program that would provide me with rigorous inpatient and outpatient training across all ages, and a program that provides exposure to numerous medical specialties, supporting my career goals. Brown has provided the space for me to stay true to myself, satisfying my curiosity. Our program has a nurturing faculty and co-residents that allow me to blossom throughout residency.

Katya Skaritanov, MD
Pronouns: she/her

Undergraduate: University of Connecticut
Medical School: University of Massachusetts

Katya grew up in Needham, Massachusetts, and went on to study Physiology & Neurobiology at UConn (Go Huskies!). She completed medical school at UMass in Worcester. She is excited to move to Providence with her partner, Jordan, who currently flies for a private charter company. Outside of work she enjoys cooking, live music, reading, and discovering new breweries and restaurants. The love of her life is her parents’ dachshund named ‘Watson’.

Reflections on Brown Med-Peds:

What were you looking for in a residency program? I was looking for a program that would give me both great primary care training as well as great inpatient training. A program that would foster my career ambitions in whatever I chose to go into. I feel like this is exactly what I found at Brown: supportive faculty, fun co-residents, and rigorous training that has helped me shine in residency.

Ask me about: Having a significant other not in medicine!

Katherine Hobbs, MD
Pronouns: she/her

Undergraduate: Middlebury College
Medical School: Brown University

Katherine grew up in Menlo Park, California, but has been in New England for the past decade. She went to undergrad at Middlebury College in Vermont where she played soccer and majored in history. Before landing at Brown for medical school, she spent two years as a research assistant coordinating Alzheimer’s drug trials. Prior to residency, she caught the RI bug (and met her partner, a neurosurgery resident at Brown), so she was thrilled to match at Brown for residency.

During residency, Katherine looks forward to continue playing in her women’s soccer league, jumping in the ocean year-round, and spending as much of her free time outside and with friends as possible.

Reflections on Brown Med-Peds:

What has surprised you most about the program? I was surprised how easy it is to establish close connections with faculty. 

What’s a hidden gem in Rhode Island? Swimming at Lincoln Woods!

Ask me about: The outdoors in Rhode Island!

Nora Jean-Baptiste, MD MSc
Pronouns: she/her

Undergraduate: University of South Florida
Medical School: Morehouse School of Medicine

Nora is originally from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and later grew up in Florida. She studied Biomedical Sciences and Psychology at the University of South Florida, then attended medical school at Morehouse. She is devoted to serving others through medicine and looks forward to supporting the patient population in Rhode Island. Nora enjoys hiking, visiting botanical gardens, reading, painting, Kdramas, writing, and seeking new teas and health tonics.

Reflections on Brown Med-Peds: 

What’s your favorite thing about living in Rhode Island? The pedestrian bridge! I love to go and decompress, and there’s also Tizzy-K ice cream and Plant City (a vegan food hall). There’s nothing else like it. Nice and peaceful, with yoga, chess boards, and live music. It’s so unique.

What has surprised you most about the program? The people. People here are so welcoming, friendly and warm.

How have you kept up with your hobbies/interests since moving to Rhode Island? My main hobby outside of medicine is traveling! My goal is three new countries every year. I’ve been to Dubai and Italy so far!

Athena Manatis-Lornell, MD
Pronouns: she/her

Undergraduate: Tulane University
Medical School: Rush Medical College (AOA, GHHS)

Originally from Cape Cod, Athena is excited to be back in the northeast for med-peds residency. She attended medical school at Rush Medical College in Chicago, where she was selected for GHHS and AOA. Before going to medical school, she majored in English at Tulane University in New Orleans and then lived abroad in London for several years working in corporate communications.

Athena looks forward to getting back into skiing and spending time exploring the Rhode Island coast this summer with her husband, Tom, and daughter, Mia.

Reflections on Brown Med-Peds: 

What’s your favorite thing about living in Rhode Island? I love the proximity to beautiful beaches! Rhode Island is the Ocean State for a reason.

Ask me about: Having a baby in residency!

Anita Gandhi, MD
Pronouns: she/her

Undergraduate: University of North Carolina
Medical School: East Carolina University (AOA, GHHS)

Anita received her BSPH from the University of North Carolina, with an honors thesis on molecular mechanisms of alcoholic steatohepatitis. She worked as a biology teacher in an under resourced high school and as a medical scribe before enrolling in medical school. Her medical school projects reflected her interests in education, quality improvement, and health disparities. She completed projects assessing educational interventions promoting use of POCUS in the NICU, access to long-acting reversible contraceptives in the OB resident clinic, and QI projects on diabetic foot exams in the Med-Peds resident clinic. She was inducted into AOA and GHHS and founded an IHI student interest group. She enjoys event planning, design and baking, interval training, karaoke, and cultural immersion opportunities. She considers her hometowns to be Essex Junction, VT, Jersey City, NJ, and Sanford, NC.

Residency highlights:

• Participant in the Research Track (BRIAR)
• Received a 2023 AAP CATCH Grant for a project entitled “Equipping Schools to Stop the Bleed”

Reflections on Brown Med-Peds: 

Where do you live, and what are your thoughts on housing and the cost of living in Rhode Island? I live in Warwick with my husband and two dogs! I like that buying here is more feasible than other housing markets in the northeast.

What’s your favorite thing about living in Rhode Island? I like how close things are in Rhode Island, you’re able to get around fast. I also love the culinary scene here, a diverse repertoire of foods and cuisines.

Tabitha Ndung’u, MD
Pronouns: she/her

Undergraduate: Warren Wilson College
Medical School: Louisiana State University

Tabitha is from Kijabe, Kenya. She attended Warren Wilson College where she was a biochemistry major. Following graduation, she received an MPH from Tulane. She attended LSU for medical school, where she was a rural scholar. In medical school she was a facilitator for Critical Consciousness in Medicine course and held leadership positions in Wilderness Medicine SIG as well as the Christian Medical and Dental Association. After her rural service commitment in Louisiana, Tabitha hopes to return to Kenya with the goal of establishing chronic disease management clinics. Tabitha enjoys cooking Kenyan cuisine, trail running, and visiting zoos, aquariums, and museums.

Residency highlights:

• Participant in the Arts & Medicine Track
• Positive Champion of the Learning Environment, 2024

Cecilia Paasche, MD
Pronouns: she/her

Undergraduate: Swarthmore College
Medical School: Tel Aviv University

Cecilia attended Swarthmore College, graduating with a degree in Neuroscience with honors in 2016. She attended Sackler School of Medicine at Tel Aviv University, where she was awarded Outstanding Student in the Internal Medicine Clerkship and Outstanding Student in the Pediatrics Clerkship. At Sackler, she published research on the impact of virtual physician disclosures of personal struggle on medical students as well as research on substance use disorders. She also served as managing editor of the Sackler Journal of Medicine chapter, co-president of the American Medical Women’s Association, and led workshops on Racism in Medicine, Maternal Mortality, and the Impact of COVID-19 on Women. Cecilia enjoys writing and reading fiction and poetry, watercolor painting, playing Scrabble and solving crossword puzzles, yoga, and playing piano and percussion instruments.

Residency highlights:

• Participant in the Arts & Medicine Track and Women’s Health Track

Reflections on Brown Med-Peds: 

What do you like about the faculty? I trust our faculty, and feel like it is a very supportive environment where everyone is trying to learn together and take great care of our patients

What’s your favorite thing about living in Rhode Island? How easy it is to get out on the water!