Our Leadership:
Karen Hamad, MD
Program Director
Specialty: Internal Medicine & Pediatrics (Primary Care)
Dr. Hamad is a double boarded Internist and Pediatrician who has practiced with First Physicians Group in Sarasota, Florida for the last 20 years. She was the Founding Associate Program Director for the FSU/ SMHCS Internal Medicine Residency Program which began in 2017. She has previously served as Chief of Staff for SMHCS and is the GME representative on the Medical Executive Council. Dr. Hamad served as a member of the AAIM Collaborative on Optimization of the Clinical Learning and Working Environment. She is currently a member of the FL ACP Wellness Committee. She enjoys mentoring young people interested in medicine and has been widely recognized for her work in this area, recently receiving the Outstanding Contribution in Advancing the Careers of Women in Medicine award from the Florida Chapter of the ACP.
Joel Baker, DO
Associate Program Director
Specialty: Internal Medicine (Hospitalist)
Dr. Baker is the Daytime Lead Hospitalist with First Physicians Group, Hospitalists and the Associate Program Director of the FSU Internal Medicine Residency Program at Sarasota Memorial Hospital. After earning his undergraduate degree at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, FL, he completed his medical degree at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, Bradenton campus. He continued in the Bradenton, FL area and completed his residency training in Internal Medicine at Manatee Memorial Hospital. Dr. Baker is passionate about Education and Academics as well as Health and Wellness and serves on both the Education and Wellness committees at Sarasota Memorial Hospital.
Core Faculty:
Marc Bernstein, MD Specialty: Gastroenterology
Residency: Internal Medicine - Montefiore Medical Center, New York City, NY
Fellowship: Gastroenterology - Temple University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA
Vida Farhangi, MD Medical Director, Newtown Internal Medicine Practice
Specialty: Internal Medicine (Primary Care)
Dr. Farhangi completed her Internal Medicine Residency training at Kettering Medical Center at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. Her vast experience caring for diabetic patients makes her a great asset to our team. She is fluent in English, Farsi and French.
Joshua Gross, MD Specialty: Hospice and Palliative Medicine
Joshua Gross earned his M.D. at St. George's University School of Medicine in Grenada, West Indies. He completed his Internal Medicine residency at Florida Atlantic University Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine in Boca Raton, Florida where he also served as one of the Chief Residents during his PGY-3 year. After Residency, he completed Fellowship in Hospice and Palliative Medicine at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine in Tampa, Florida.
Richard Heibel, MD Specialty: Cardiology
Current Professional Activities & Areas of Interest:
- Dr. Heibel currently serves as a Professor of Clinical Medicine, Subspecialty Education Coordinator Didactics and Academics.
Kenneth Hurwitz, MD Specialties: Pulmonology, Critical Care
Residency: Internal Medicine - Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D.C.
Fellowship: Critical Care Medicine & Pulmonary Disease - Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D.C.
Current Professional Activities & Areas of Interest:
- Dr. Hurwitz currently serves as Medical Director of Critical Care at Sarasota Memorial Healthcare System.
Samantha Kalakurthy, MD Specialties: Nephrology
Bradd Kaplan, MD, FACP Specialty: Internal Medicine (Hospitalist)
Residency: Internal Medicine - Norwalk Hospital/Yale University, Norwalk, CT
Current Professional Activities & Areas of Interest:
- Dr. Kaplan's areas of interest include: Quality Improvement, Utilization Review, Leadership/Administration
Fadi Kayali, MD
Specialty: Oncology & Hematology
Dr. Kayali earned his MD degree at St. Petersburg Medical State University in Russia. He completed his residency at St. Joseph’s Oakland Hospital in Pontiac, Michigan. Dr. Kayali completed his fellowship at the University of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky.
Recent Publication:
- Kayali F, Janjua MA, Laber DA, Miller DM, Kloecker GH: Phase II Trial of Second Line Erlotinib and Digoxin in Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer; Open Access Journal of Clinical Trials; 2011:3, 9-13
Faisal Keen, MD
Specialty: Internal Medicine (Hospitalist)
Alan King, DO, PhD
Specialties: Internal Medicine, Pediatrics (Primary Care)
Dr. King earned his D.O. at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in Philadelphia, PA. He completed his internship at Community Hospital of Lancaster in Lancaster, PA. Dr. King completed his residency at Bridgeport Hospital in Bridgeport, PA.
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Wende Kozlow, MD
Speciaity: Endocrinology
Dr. Kozlow earned her M.D. degree at Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She completed her residency and fellowship at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Dr. Kozlow completed a residency at University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Natan Kraitman, MD Specialty: Infectious Diseases
Residency: Internal Medicine - University of Kentucky
Fellowship: Infectious Diseases - University of South Florida
Current Professional Activities & Areas of Interest:
- Medical Education
Recent Publications:
- Motie, Ian & Sia, John & Burns, Katherine & Kraitman, Natan & Mercado, Roberto. (2022). Leishmania (Viannia) guyanensis Causing Localized Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in a Traveler. Cureus. 14. 10.7759/cureus.27055.
- Villasmil R J, Sia J, Motie I, et al. (May 12, 2022) Not Your Usual Case of Culture-Negative Endocarditis: A Case Report of Bartonella Endocarditis. Cureus 14(5): e24947. doi:10.7759/cureus.24947
- Lee W, Kraitman N, Sarriera-Lazaro C J, et al. (March 19, 2022) Rosacea Granulomatosis in a Neutropenic Leukemic Patient. Cureus 14(3): e23308. doi:10.7759/cureus.23308
- Alkayali T, Bell S, Bass C, et al. (July 08, 2020) Not Your Average Seizure: A Case of N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptor Encephalitis and Review of Literature. Cureus 12(7): e9068. doi:10.7759/cureus.9068
- Lattanzio, Natalia & Bell, Stephen & Campdesuner, Victoria & George, Justin & Alkayali, Talal & Rodriguez, Yorlenis & Wiese-Rometsch, Wilhelmine & Kraitman, Natan. (2020). Mycobacterium fortuitum ventriculoperitoneal shunt infection in an immunocompromised patient: A case report. IDCases. 22. e00995. 10.1016/j.idcr.2020.e00995.
Stephen Kucera, MD Specialty: Gastroenterology
Residency: Internal Medicine - Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH
Fellowship: Gastroenterology - University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
Fellowship: Interventional Endoscopy and Endoscopic Oncology - The Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL
Current Professional Activities & Areas of Interest:
- Dr. Kucera currently serves as Medical Director of Gastroenterology and Interventional Endoscopy for First Physicians Group and Sarasota Memorial Hospital.
- He is passionate about endoscopic innovation and utilizing advanced endoscopic techniques in the management of pre-malignant and malignant conditions of the GI tract.
Yosvan Lam, MD Specialty: Internal Medicine, Geriatrics (Hospitalist)
Rabih Loutfi, MD
Specialties: Pulmonology, Critical Care, Internal Medicine, Sleep Medicine
Dr. Loutfi earned his M.D. degree at the American University of Beirut in New York, New York. He completed his internship and residency at SUMMA Health System in Akron, Ohio. Dr. Loutfi completed his fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas.
Michael Mollod, MD
Specialties: Cardiovascular Disease, Internal Medicine
Dr. Mollod earned his M.D. at Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts. He completed his internship and residency at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Dr. Mollod completed his fellowship at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.
Recent Publications:
- Robinson JG, Farnier M, Krempf M, Bergeron J, Luc G, Averna M, Stroes ES, Langslet G, Raal FJ, El Shahawy M, Koren MJ, Lepor NE, Lorenzato C, Pordy R, Chaudhari U, Kastelein JJ; ODYSSEY LONG TERM Investigators. "Efficacy and safety of alirocumab in reducing lipids and cardiovascular events". N Engl J Med. 2015 Apr 16;372(16):1489-99. PMID:25773378
- Rosenthal LS, Mester S, Rakovec P, Penaranda JB, Sherman JR, Sheldon TJ, Zeng C, Wang P; CAPTURE Trial Investigators. "Factors influencing pacemaker generator longevity: results from the complete automatic pacing threshold utilization recorded in the CAPTURE Trial." Pacing Clin Electrophysiol. 2010 Aug;33(8):1020-30. PMID: 20545869
Hakim Morsli, MD Specialty: Cardiology
Jesus Perez, MD Specialties: Internal Medicine and Endocrinology
Dr. Perez earned his M.D. degree at Universidad Nacional Pedro Henriquez Urena in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He completed his internship at Cornell University at New York Methodist Hospital. He completed his residency at Yale University at Danbury Hospital in Danbury, Connecticut. Dr. Perez completed an Endocrinology Fellpwship. Year One of the Fellowship was at Tufts University at the Lahey Medical Clinic in Burlington, Massachusetts. Year Two of the Fellowship was completed at Harvard University at Joslin Diabetes Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Brigham Women and Children’s Hospital in Boston.
Recent Publications:
- Effects of Initiating Insulin and Metformin on Glycemic Control and Inflammatory Biomarkers Among Patients with Type 2 Diabetes. Pradhan AD, et al. The Lancet Ramdomized Trial Investigators. JAMA, Vol. 302, No. 11, 1186-1194, September 16, 2009.
- Clomiphene Increases Free Testosterone Levels in Men with Both Secondary Hypogonadism and Erectile Dysfunction: Who does and Does Not Benefit? Guay AT, Jacobson J, Perez JB, Hodge MB, Velazquez E. International Journal of Impotence Research. V. 15, 156-165, 2003.
Jill Scarpellini Huber, PH.D.
Specialties: Director of Wellness and Professional Development
Jill Scarpellini Huber, Ph.D. is a Licensed Psychologist who, since 2017, has been the Director of Wellness for Florida State University College of Medicine Internal Medicine Residency Program at Sarasota Memorial Health Care System. Dr. Scarpellini earned her PH.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Maryland, College Park, MD in 1996.
She has over 30 years of clinical experience and has maintained practices in Mexico, the Dominican Republic and, since 2003, in Venice, Florida where she provides individual and marital psychotherapy, consulting and public speaking. Although a generalist, she specializes in treating emotional trauma, relationship issues, again, personality disorders, depression and anxiety disorders. Her areas of expertise include physician wellness, racial identity development, and the treatment of the psychological effects of movement related disorders.
Robert Smith, Ph.D.
Dr. Smith leads design, development and implementation of the Internal Medicine Residency Program research curriculum. He will mentor residents on the design of research projects. He earned his Ph.D. degree at the University of Florida and is a Fellow in the College of Critical Medicine. Dr. Smith directed clinical research in anesthesiology, critical care medicine and pain medicine at Tulane University (4Y), University of Florida-Jacksonville Health Education Program (8Y) and University of South Florida (15Y). He retired from the National Institutes of Health after 10Y as a Program Director at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. He currently serves as Consulting Scientist for the F.A.R. Institute in Sarasota, Florida.
Recent Publications:
- Levy BD, Noel PJ, Freemer MM, . . ., Smith RA, Erzurum SC. Future Research Directions in Asthma: An NHLBI Working Group Report. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2015;192:1366-72
- Finlay GD, Rothman MJ, Smith RA: Measuring the Modified Early Warning Score and the Rothman Index: Advantages of utilizing the electronicmedical record in an early warning system. J Hosp Med 2014;9:116-9
- Akinbami LJ, Sullivan SD, Campbell JD, Grundmeier RW, Hartert TV, Lee TA, Smith RA: Asthma outcomes: healthcare utilization and costs. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2012;129:S49-64
- Antó JM, Pinart M, Akdis M, Auffray C, . . . , Smith RA, . . . and WHO Collaborating Centre on Asthma and Rhinitis: Understanding the complexity of IgE-related phenotypes from childhood to young adulthood: a Mechanisms of the Development of Allergy (MeDALL). J Allergy Clin Immunol 2012;129:943-54
Dean Sutherland, MD, PhD
Specialty: Neurology
Dr. Sutherland is a Neurologist in Sarasota, Florida. He earned his Ph.D. in Neuroscience at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida, followed by his M.D. degree at the University of Florida in Gainesville. He completed his internship and residency at the University of Florida, where he served as Chief Resident in Neurology. He specializes in Movement Disorders, especially Parkinson Disease, and is the Medical Director for Neurochallenge Foundation for Parkinson Disease.
Sarah Temple, MD Specialty: Emergency Medicine
Bradley Weitzner, MD Specialty: Rheumatology