Mentoring
Mentoring opportunities
I have mentored trainees in case reports, clinical case series, and big data/research methods.
I am open to mentoring trainees and faculty at other institutions who are interested in working with big data sets such as the USRDS or the SRTR and performing their own analyses in R. While a remote trainee would need to obtain their own copy of the data, we can collaborate via GitHub on the analysis.
See projects for active R projects. Message me via GitHub if you are interested in collaborating remotely.
Active Mentees
Hannah Rosenthal
Medical student
Mentorship role: Primary research mentor
Current position: MS4 at Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Years: 2025-2026
Hannah is applying her R programming skills to perform an analysis of the SRTR database, demonstrating that people living with HIV have equivalent outcomes to people without HIV after simultaneous liver-kidney transplant. She also took the lead to present these results and will lead manuscript preparation.
Projects
Abstracts
Nationwide UNOS Analysis of Mortality After Simultaneous Liver–Kidney Transplantation in Patients With HIV, 2005–2023.
NYC Center for AIDS Research Symposium 2026 · New York, NYGeographic Access to Liver Transplant Centers with HIV and HOPE Experience, 2017–2022.
IDWeek 2025 · Atlanta, GA
Morgan Marc
Medical student
Mentorship role: Primary research mentor
Current position: MS1 at Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Years: 2025-2026
Morgan is interested in thoracic transplant in people living with HIV and improving referral patterns for this vulnerable population.
Projects
Mayar Al Mohajer
Fellow, Faculty
Mentorship role: Primary research mentor, Career mentor
Current position: Professor, Infectious Diseases, Baylor College of Medicine
Years: 2013–present
Profile link
Collaboration on analyses demonstrating the benefit of eye shields in preventing COVID in hospital workers, and career mentoring.
Manuscripts
- Association between Universal Face Shield in a Quaternary Care Center and Reduction of SARS-COV2 Infections among Healthcare Personnel and Hospitalized Patients
- Utility of Whole-Genome Next-Generation Sequencing of Plasma in Identifying Opportunistic Infections in HIV/AIDS
Abstracts
Anagha Sreenivasan
High school, College
Mentorship role: Primary research mentor
Current position: College student, UT-Austin
Years: 2022–present
Anagha reviewed 100 published papers using the United States Renal Data System, demonstrating the low proportion of analyses utilizing claims or cost components of the database. Her work has been presented at American Transplant Congress.
Projects
Abstracts
- Utilization of the United States Renal Data System for Transplant-Related Research.
World Transplant Congress 2025 · San Francisco, CA
Laura Cheney
Faculty
Mentorship role: Career mentor
Current position: Assistant Professor
Years: 2021–present
Profile link
I collaborated with Dr. Cheney in supervising the research component of the ID fellowship.
Former Mentees
Miguel Cervera Hernandez
Fellow
Mentorship role: Primary research mentor
Current position: Attending at Sanford Health
Years: 2020-2021
Profile link
Dr. Cervera used STATA to analyze outcomes after the inpatient diagnosis of cryptococcal infection in kidney transplant recipients, utilizing the United States Renal Data System. He took the lead for the statistical analysis and poster presentation components of the project. His code was adapted into R for use in the usRds package.
Manuscripts
Jonathan Czeresnia
Fellow
Mentorship role: Primary research mentor
Current position: Attending at Rutgers Health
Years: 2021-2022
Profile link
During his senior year of the ID fellowship, Dr. Czeresnia learned R programming via a Coursera course. He used those skills to perform an analysis of the SRTR database, demonstrating that people living with HIV have equivalent outcomes to people without HIV after lung transplant. He also took the lead to present these results at American Transplant Congress.
Manuscripts
Abstracts
Lung Transplantation Outcomes in Recipients Living with HIV in the United States.
American Transplant Congress 2022 · Boston, MATransplantation of solid organs recovered from deceased donors recently infected by SARS-CoV-2 in the United States.
Infectious Diseases Society of New York Annual Symposium 2022 · New York, NYImplementation of a medical education intervention to improve acceptance of HIV-positive donors for transplant at a tertiary care hospital.
IDWeek 2022 · Washington, DC
Polina Trachuk
Fellow
Mentorship role: Statistical co-mentor
Current position: Critical Care attending, RWJ Barnabas
Years: 2018–2019
Profile link
I was the statistical co-mentor for a project analyzing the results of ID and CCM collaboration on antibiotic use in the CCU, leading to an oral at IDWeek and a publication.
Manuscripts
Abstracts
- Evaluation of antibiotic utilization after introduction of a dedicated infectious diseases-critical care medicine service in critical care units.
IDWeek 2019 · Washington, DC
Hyun Ah Yoon
Faculty
Mentorship role: Statistical co-mentor
Current position: Associate Professor, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Years: 2019–2022
Profile link
I have worked with Dr. Yoon on multiple projects related to cryptococcus in immunocompromised populations, with her graduating from mentee to co-equal collaborator.
Projects
Manuscripts
- High Mortality and Associated Risk Factors in Kidney Transplant Recipients With Cryptococcosis-A Nationwide Cohort Study Over a Decade Using USRDS Data
- Cryptococcal Antigen Screening and Missed Opportunities for Earlier Diagnosis Among People With HIV and Poor Virologic Control in the Bronx, NY
- Cryptococcus Neoformans-Specific and Non-Cryptococcus Neoformans-Specific Antibody Profiles in Organ Transplant Recipients With and Without Cryptococcosis
Neeraja Swaminathan
Fellow
Mentorship role: Primary research mentor
Current position: ID Attending, Assistant Professor, University of Utah
Years: 2022–2023
Profile link
Dr. Swaminathan worked on multiple projects as a fellow, focusing on the poster presentation and manuscript components of projects to study pancreas and kidney-pancreas transplant outcomes in people living with HIV and studying process interventions to improve the acceptance of donors with HIV.
Manuscripts
Abstracts
Outcome of HIV Positive Pancreas And Kidney-Pancreas Transplants: An Analysis Of The UNOS Database.
American Transplant Congress 2023 · San Diego, CAImplementation of a medical education intervention to improve acceptance of HIV-positive donors for transplant at a tertiary care hospital.
IDWeek 2022 · Washington, DC
Giuseppe Fiorica
Medical student
Mentorship role: Primary research mentor
Current position: Internal Medicine resident, Mount Sinai
Years: 2022–2023
Profile link
As part of a senior five-month elective, Dr. Fiorica led the manuscript preparation phase of a study analyzing outcomes after the inpatient diagnosis of cryptococcal infection in kidney transplant recipients.
Manuscripts
Jill Teitelbaum
Medical student
Mentorship role: Primary research mentor
Current position: Internal Medicine resident, Mount Sinai
Years: 2022–2023
Profile link
I was the primary mentor for a case report of Chagas CNS disease diagnosed by next generation sequencing, and a secondary mentor for an SRTR analysis of outcomes after heart transplant for Chagas cardiomyopathy.
Manuscripts
- Trends in Use and Early Outcomes of Ex Vivo Machine Perfusion in Heart Transplantation From Donation After Brain Death Donors.
- Increasing Multiorgan Heart Transplantations From Donation After Circulatory Death Donors in the United States
- Chagas Meningoencephalitis Diagnosed in Heart Transplant Patient Using Metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing of Cerebrospinal Fluid
Athena Hobbs
PharmD
Mentorship role: Statistical co-mentor
I was statistical co-mentor for several stewardship-related projects conducted by Athena Hobbs, PharmD.
Manuscripts
- Rise of the Beta-Lactams: A Retrospective, Comparative Cohort of Oral Beta-Lactam Antibiotics as Step-down Therapy for Hospitalized Adults with Acute Pyelonephritis
- Are First-Generation Cephalosporins Obsolete? A Retrospective, Non-Inferiority, Cohort Study Comparing Empirical Therapy with Cefazolin versus Ceftriaxone for Acute Pyelonephritis in Hospitalized Patients
Abstracts
- The efficacy of oral beta-lactam antibiotics as step-down therapy for acute pyelonephritis.
IDWeek 2019 · Washington, DC
Kathryn Bolles
Medical student
Mentorship role: Primary research mentor
Current position: Assistant Professor, University of Washington
Profile link
Dr. Bolles, as a senior medical student at Baylor College of Medicine, led all aspects of a diagnostic stewardship project. She conducted the chart review, helped prepare the conference poster, and led the manuscript preparation on a project studying diagnostic testing in people living with HIV admitted to a county hospital.
Manuscripts
Abstracts
- Opportunities to Educate Trainees and Hospitalists Regarding Appropriate Use of Specialized Testing in Hospitalized Inpatients with HIV at a County Hospital.
IDWeek 2015 · San Diego, CA
Hanine El Haddad
Fellow
Mentorship role: Secondary research mentor
Current position: Assistant Professor, UTSW
Profile link
I was a secondary mentor on several case reports and case series related to infections after solid organ transplantation.
Manuscripts
Abstracts
- Strongyloides Infection in Solid Organ Transplant Recipients: A Single Center Experience and Review of the Literature.
American Transplant Congress 2017 · Chicago, IL
Reuben Arasaratnam
Fellow
Mentorship role: Career mentor
Current position: Associate Professor, UTSW
Profile link
Career mentorship in the care of solid organ transplant patients.
Eva Clark
Fellow
Mentorship role: Secondary research mentor
Current position: Assistant Professor, Baylor College of Medicine
Profile link
I was a secondary mentor on a prospective study of Chagas disease before and after solid organ transplantation.
Manuscripts
Haley Pritchard
Fellow
Mentorship role: Secondary research mentor
Current position: Assistant Professor, University of Indiana
Profile link
I was a secondary mentor on a prospective study of Chagas disease before and after solid organ transplantation. Dr. Pritchard worked with Rojelio Mejia to perform the laboratory analyses for the study.
Manuscripts
Abstracts
- Diagnosis and prevalence of Strongyloides in solid organ transplant patients.
American Transplant Congress 2018 · Seattle, WA
Orlando Quintero Cardona
Fellow
Mentorship role: Statistical co-mentor
Current position: Assistant Professor, Stanford University
Profile link
I was a statistical co-mentor for a chart review retrospective study on the use of methenamine to prevent recurrent UTIs after kidney transplantation.
Manuscripts
Abstracts
- Assessment of methenamine hippurate for the prevention of recurrent urinary tract infections in adult renal transplant recipients.
American Transplant Congress 2019 · Boston, MA
Priti Dangayach
Resident, Attending
Mentorship role: Primary mentor
Current position: Associate Professor, Baylor College of Medicine
Profile link
Dr. Dangayach and I wrote a book chapter on the topic of prostatitis targeted to hospitalists.
Dima Dandachi
Fellow
Mentorship role: Primary mentor
Current position: Associate Professor, University of Missouri-Columbia
Profile link
Dr. Dandachi and I wrote two case-based book chapters for The Infectious Disease Diagnosis: A Case Approach.
Manuscripts