Current Residents
PL3 Class of 2025
Richard Atallah, MD
Hometown: New York City
Undergraduate: New York University
Medical School: Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
Hobbies: Travelling, hiking, biking, weight lifting, playing golf, playing guitar, and live music.
Why I chose SUNY Downstate: I was drawn to SUNY Downstate for its reputation of training excellent ophthalmologists. I wanted a place that would promote autonomy and confidence, which Downstate definitely provides. Furthermore, there is tremendous value in working in a high volume/diverse patient population. I am excited to continue my training in NYC.
Adam Goldman, MD
Hometown: Danville, California
Undergraduate: U.C. Santa Barbara
Medical School: SUNY Downstate
Hobbies: Spending time outdoors hiking, walking around NYC/Brooklyn, watching/playing sports, travel, and soaking in everything New York City has to offer - especially its food scene!
Why I chose SUNY Downstate: As a student, I was exposed to the incredible clinical training our residents receive. The faculty is superb, and the diverse population we encounter throughout our clinical sites in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Staten Island will help prepare me for anything I encounter later in my career. Additionally, Brooklyn is an incredible place to live, and getting to spend 3 more years here makes me feel very lucky to be a resident at Downstate.
Ismini Koulouri, MD
Hometown: Athens, Greece
Undergraduate: University of Hamburg, Germany
Medical School: University of Hamburg, Germany
Hobbies: running, biking, working out, cooking Greek food and reading literature
Why I chose SUNY Downstate: Great variety in pathology seen and serving those in need, as well as great collegial environment and amazing mentors
Anapatricia Maldonado Cerda, MD
Hometown: San Juan, Puerto Rico (wepa!)
Undergraduate: Boston University
Medical School: University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine
Hobbies: Planning elaborate Halloween parties, expanding my tolerance to spicy foods and drinks, playing the piano, and attempting challenging yoga poses (i.e. crow pose) without hurting myself.
Why I chose SUNY Downstate: After speaking with the residents and faculty on interview day, SUNY Downstate left me with a “feels-right” type of gut feeling. Although difficult to put into words, this feeling told me Downstate was where I needed to go to grow as an ophthalmologist and person. I cannot imagine a more challenging, diverse, and exciting place to train than Brooklyn, NY.
Israel Ojalvo, MD
Hometown: Miami, FL
Undergraduate: University of Florida
Medical School: Thomas Jefferson University
Hobbies: Backpacking the world, trying and cooking exotic foods, weight lifting, volleyball, concerts/festivals, podcasts, skiing, supporting Florida Gator and Miami sports
Why I chose SUNY Downstate: SUNY Downstate is a program that has a reputation for amazing clinical training with early autonomy. The population around Brooklyn is global with a wide range of diseases to learn from. The residents and faculty seemed great during my interview day. Brooklyn is a fun place I always aspired to live in, and now I have my chance. Excited to try the best foods in the country.
Pratik Patel, MD
Hometown: Diamond Bar, CA
Undergraduate: UCLA
Medical School: SUNY Downstate
Hobbies: Basketball, Movies/Cinema, Jazz/Classical music, Hiking, Exploring the best restaurants in town and eating an obscene amount of food.
Why I chose SUNY Downstate: I wanted to continue living in NYC! Immensely diverse patient population and disease pathology. Supportive residents. The opportunity to learn clinical and surgical skills from an impressive group of attendings.
Christopher Schiefer, MD
Hometown: Baltimore, MD
Undergraduate: Rollins College
Medical School: University of Maryland School of Medicine
Hobbies: I enjoy cooking, playing golf, racquet sports, reading science fiction, and going on long walks with my beagle, Ollie.
Why I chose SUNY Downstate: Close residents, high volume, and lots of autonomy.
Ross Stuber, MD
Hometown: Oceanside, NY
Undergraduate: Binghamton, NY
Medical School: Donald & Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell
Hobbies: Watching sports, playing with my dog, working out
Why I chose SUNY Downstate: I love working with the diverse population of Brooklyn and I wanted opportunity to train at a place with VA.
PL2 Class of 2026
Wenyu Deng, MD
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Undergraduate: New York University
Medical School: SUNY Downstate
Hobbies: Traditional and digital illustration, animation, photography, and karaoke
Why I chose SUNY Downstate: High surgical and clinical volume with plenty of hands-on experience, strong sense of collegiality among residents, excellent and devoted faculty, and the opportunity to care for Brooklyn’s diverse and underserved patient population
Rebecca Friedes, MD
Hometown: East Hampton, NY
Undergraduate: New York University
Medical School: SUNY Downstate
Hobbies: Baking, eating (especially new foods!), longboarding, kickball, hiking, dancing, traveling
Why I chose SUNY Downstate: The huge diversity in patient populations and pathologies. The residents and faculty are so warm and welcoming. Downstate and Brooklyn truly feel like my home, and I’m lucky to be able to stay here!
Allen Ganjei, MD
Hometown: Brookline, Massachusetts
Undergraduate: Brandeis University
Medical School: Drexel University College of Medicine
Hobbies: Cooking, hosting dinners with friends, photography, art history, weight lifting
Why I chose SUNY Downstate: High procedural/surgical volume, a broad patient population, and camaraderie amongst residents.
Aram Singh Garewal, MD
Hometown: Hawthorne, NJ
Undergraduate: College of the Holy Cross
Medical School: The Robert Larner, M.D., College of Medicine at the University of Vermont
Hobbies: Weight Lifting, Cooking, Golf, Traveling
Why I chose SUNY Downstate: This program enables me to work with an incredibly diverse patient population and provides me with a strong hands-on clinical experience. Additionally, I get to live in New York City and explore the amazing food options, music scene, and nightlife. I also get to live close to my friends and family.
John Petrie, MD
Hometown: Setauket, New York
Undergraduate: Johns Hopkins University
Medical School: SUNY at Buffalo, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biological Sciences
Hobbies: Fencing, biking, working out, traveling, reading fiction novels
Why I chose SUNY Downstate: Diverse patient population, unique pathology, supportive faculty and a collaborative resident family.
Koosha Ramezani, MD
Hometown: Gorgan, Iran
Medical School: Beheshti University of Medical Sciences
Hobbies: Running, Hiking, Playing Soccer; Anything Outdoors, Photography, Playing Tombak (Traditional Persian Percussion), Listening to Podcasts, Adding movies to my Letterboxd list!
Why I chose SUNY Downstate: SUNY Downstate ophthalmology residency program will expose me to a diverse patient population as well as a wide range of ocular pathologies. Our department has a long history of excellence and the faculty are so passionate about and dedicated to resident teaching. Residents are extremely supportive and collegial which makes training enjoyable. I am excited to be a part of this department and work and live in Brooklyn, one of the most vibrant and diverse communities of New York City!
Matthew Wilneff, MD
Hometown: Highland Park, IL
Undergraduate: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Medical School: Florida Atlantic University
Hobbies: I enjoy boxing, weightlifting, and video games. Going on hikes with my wife Shannon, and relaxing at home with our two cats, Mimi and Osi
Why I chose SUNY Downstate: Strong comradery among residents. Training within a population that will allow me to handle any pathology I encounter in the future.
Brian Wollocko, MD
Hometown: Monroe, NY
Undergraduate: Skidmore College
Medical School: The Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University (Stony Brook Medical School)
Hobbies: Hiking, Running, Camping, Cooking, Spending time with loved ones
Why I chose SUNY Downstate: I wanted to train at a program that allowed me to have supervised autonomy, to let me practically develop my skills, and to be exposed to high volume and diverse pathology. I wanted to be able to leave residency being prepared to approach and handle anything that my career will throw at me.
PL1 Class of 2027
Evan Afshin, MD
Hometown: Plainview, New York
Undergraduate: Macaulay Honors College at Queens College
Medical School: New York Medical College
Hobbies: Hiking, traveling, tennis, anything outdoors/nature, photography, creating GIFs/memes, DIY projects, and spending time with family and friends
Why I chose SUNY Downstate: I wanted to continue training in NYC! Downstate offers robust clinical training with its diverse population, extensive pathology exposure, and high clinical volume. I wanted a place that would promote autonomy and I was drawn by the fact that so many faculty members also trained at Downstate and either stayed or returned after fellowship. Lastly, you could feel the comradery and support amongst the residents.
Palaiologos Alexopoulos, MD
Hometown: Athens, Greece
Undergraduate: University of Athens Medical School
Medical School: University of Athens Medical School
Hobbies: Film, soccer & tennis, hosting radio shows / podcasts, attending music festivals & listening to albums, finding hidden gems in the city
Why I chose SUNY Downstate: Wonderful people to work with & supportive environment, optimal balance between supervision and autonomy, extensive volume and diversity in cases (especially surgical); and, of course, its location in the best city in the world.
Gabriel Kabarriti, MD
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Undergraduate: Johns Hopkins University
Medical School: SUNY Downstate
Hobbies: Traveling, biking, trying new coffee shops
Why I chose SUNY Downstate: The training at Downstate through its diverse patient population and hands-on experience provides a truly comprehensive training. The Faculty and residents are supportive, dedicated, and devoted to caring for your development as an ophthalmologist. As a medical student, I saw first-hand the great clinical experience residents get and I am lucky to be able to continue my training here!
Jasmine Mahajan, MD
Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA
Undergraduate: The College of New Jerseye
Medical School: Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
Hobbies: teaching and learning dance, exploring NYC (particularly cute cafes), collecting snow globes, drinking lots of coffee, and cardio kickboxing
Why I chose SUNY Downstate: diverse patient population, camaraderie amongst residents and faculty, unique cases and pathology, and being in Brooklyn!
Nairi Rostomian, DO
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Undergraduate: University of California Santa Barbara
Medical School: Kansas City University
Hobbies: Armenian music & dance, pilates, anything outdoors including hiking, climbing, and camping, traveling & learning about different cultures, enjoying all forms of live music, and quality time with my amazingly supportive family and friends
Why I chose SUNY Downstate: Seeing how confidently the seniors in this program navigate Ophthalmology from the clinic to the OR, all I could think was I hope I am that clinically sound and comfortable coming out of residency. Besides the high volume and broad disease pathology that comes with serving the population of Brooklyn, New York provides a diverse and lively atmosphere, with a large Armenian community and incredible co-residents that make it feel like a second home.
Omar Siddique, MD
Hometown: Queens, NY
Undergraduate: Macaulay Honors College at Hunter College
Medical School: SUNY Downstate
Hobbies: Basketball, weightlifting, videogames, science fiction
Why I chose SUNY Downstate: Growing up in New York City, there is nowhere else I consider home. Having the opportunity to train at such a storied program, care for the diverse patient population, and encounter every pathology under the sun while still being so close to friends and family was a no brainer. On top of that, the great camaraderie between residents and excellent fellowship match results make SUNY Downstate second to none.
Jose Sinon, MD
Hometown: Ithaca, NY
Undergraduate: Binghamton University
Medical School: SUNY Downstate
Hobbies: Exploring nature, playing and watching sports, gardening
Why I chose SUNY Downstate: great training with diverse pathology and supportive faculty
Sapna Syal, MD
Hometown: Brick, NJ
Undergraduate: Princeton University
Medical School: Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Hobbies: working out, historical fiction, traveling, and eating donuts
Why I chose SUNY Downstate: high volume program with the gamut of pathology, diverse patient population, camaraderie among residents, mentorship from attendings, and living in Brooklyn!