Allergy and Immunology

Name: Nneoma Obiejemba, MD
Medical School: College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Abia State University, Abia, Nigeria
Residency: Pediatrics, BronxCare Health Systems

Name: Sairaman Nagarajan, MD, MPH
Medical School: SRM Medical College, Hospital and Research Center, India
Residency: Pediatrics, SUNY Health Center, Brooklyn
MPH: Epidemiology, Rutgers University School of Public Health

Name: Niloofar Anooshiravani, MD (Chief Fellow)
Medical School: Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland
Residency: Internal Medicine, St. Luke's Hospital Center, Mount Sinai West/Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Name: Lara Farhat, DO
Medical School: Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine
Residency: Pediatrics, St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center
Fellowship: Pediatric Pulmonology, Montefiore Medical Center

Name: Shumaila Khan, MD, FACP
Medical School: Fatima Jinnah Medical College, Lahore, Pakistan
Residency/Chief Residency: Internal Medicine, Long Island College Hospital/SUNY Health Science Center

Affiliated Faculty

Rauno Joks, MD, FAAAI
Maria-Anna Vastardi, MD, FAAAI
Smita Kumar, MD, FAAAI
Rose Karanicolas, MD, FAAAI

Adjunct Faculty

Maja Nowakowski PhD, Department of Pathology
Helen G. Durkin PhD, Department of Pathology
Tamar Smith-Norowitz, MD, Division of Infectious Diseases, Internal Medicine

Academia

Downstate Allergy & Immunology graduates have obtained faculty positions at:
Columbia NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, NY
Massachusetts General Hospital, NY
Yale University, CT
National Jewish Hospital, CO
University of Virginia at Richmond, VA
Case Western University Hospital, OH
Mt Sinai Medical Center, CA
Hofstra – Northwell University Hospital, NY
SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, NY
Newark Beth-Israel Hospital, NY

Private Practice

Downstate graduates have also been successful in finding employment in private practice across the country. States they have practiced in include: California, Colorado, Washington, Florida, Virginia, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, and New York.
Finally, graduates from our program have successfully patented and marketed their allergy-related innovations.

Division research projects (completed and ongoing)

1. Association of prescription opiate use for chronic pain syndromes with asthma and allergy; Naik R, Goodrich G, Manian D, Goyal A, Rotella K, Joks R
2. Prevalence of Asthma in Chronic Opioid Users Receiving Acute Care in an Inner City, Municipal New York Hospital Serving an Ethnic Minority Patient Population; Lee A, Naik R, Joks R
3. Expression of iNOS by CD33+ monocytes in PBMC correlate with asthma severity and control scores in adults with allergy and asthma; Nowakowski M, Kwesiga E, El Sehamy A, Goodman B, McCormick S, Chice S, Durkin HG, Joks R.
4. Association of global trends of national tobacco smoking rates with prevalence of pediatric asthma and allergy; Khan, S, Joks, R.
5. Clinical Predictors of Obesity and Allergic Rhinitis Seasonality in an Inner-city Pediatric Cohort; Manian D; Nagarajan S, Vastardi M
6. Factors influencing on Adiposity and Skin Prick Test Positivity in an Inner City Pediatric Cohort, 2013-2016, Manian D, Nagarajan S, Vastardi M
7. Determining the occurrence of asthma with lowback pain in persons presenting to a tertiary institution in New York; Obijiemba N, Obijiemba D, Nagarajan S, Naik R, Joks R
8. Relation of Family history of cancer to prevalence of asthma and allergy in pediatric patients (ongoing)
9. The Association between Hay-Fever and Cancer Diagnoses in the National Health Interview Survey 2015; N Anooshiravani, S Nagarajan, H G Durkin, R Joks
10. The Association between Asthma and Cancer Diagnoses in the National Health Interview Survey 2015; N Anooshiravani, S Nagarajan, M Vastardi, H G Durkin, R Joks
11. The Protective Effects of Eosinophilia and High IgE on Cancer Diagnoses in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (2005-2016); Nagarajan S, Hoepner L, Joks R
12. In-hospital Mortality of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation among Children with Non-malignancies: A nationwide study in the United States from 2000 to 2012 Takahashi T, Pereda MA, Bala N, Nagarajan S

All prospective applicants are required to have completed an accredited three-year residency program in Internal Medicine or Pediatrics. The Allergy/Immunology Fellowship Program at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University participates in the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP) and accepts application through the Electronic Residency Application System (ERAS). Applicants are encouraged to visit the ERAS website for further information and program requirements.

Our program begins reviewing applications in early September. Most interviews are sent out after Labor Day, and interviews are scheduled in late September, October and November.
The following documents are required with the application:

• Dean's letter
• Minimum requirement: 3 letters of reference - one from Program Director
• Medical School Diploma
• Medical School Transcripts
• USMLE transcripts
• ECFMG certificate (if applicable)
• ERAS Curriculum Vitae
• Board certification (if available at the time of application)

Applicants scheduled to be interviewed will meet with the Program Director and be interviewed by faculty and meet with fellows in the division of Allergy and Immunology. Each applicant will be evaluated on his/her medical knowledge, training background, participation in research, personality, motivation and letters of recommendation. Our program offers J-1 visa sponsorship through the ECFMG.

For further information, you may contact:

Vaneisha Smith
Division Administrator and Program Coordinator
Division of Allergy & Immunology
Department of Medicine

Phone: (718) 270-2929
Fax: (718) 270-3289