The Department of Internal Medicine would like to introduce its newest members, joining in July and August. We are pleased to welcome them to the department.
Steven J. Rippentrop, MD, MPH, MA
Clinical Assistant Professor, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, & Occupational Medicine
Dr. Steven J. Rippentrop recently joined the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Occupational Medicine as a Clinical Assistant Professor, in which capacity he will have four half-day clinics per month in the Occupational Medicine Clinic at UIHC in addition to his work at UI Health Ventures. Dr. Rippentrop received both his M.D. and M.P.H. from the University of Iowa, where he also recently completed his M.H.A. He served as Chief Resident in Occupational and Environmental Medicine over the past year, and is currently finishing up a pilot grant for workforce-centered outcomes research, awarded through the University of Iowa Healthier Workforce Center for Excellence.
Sneha D. Phadke, DO
Clinical Assistant Professor, Division of Hematology, Oncology, and Blood & Marrow Transplantation
Dr. Sneha Phadke joins the Division of Hematology, Oncology, and Blood & Marrow Transplantation as a Clinical Assistant Professor, having just completed her fellowship at UIHC, where she was Chief Fellow this past year. She earned her DO from Kansas City University, and did her residency at University of Kansas Medical Center. Dr. Phadke will be specializing in breast oncology, and published a manuscript last year on extra-mammary findings in breast MRIs; more recently, she was involved in a publication on pathologic responses of patients with high BMI who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Dr. Phadke grew up outside of Kansas City, and is a big fan of all their sports teams—especially Royals baseball. In her spare time, she enjoys running, yoga, and traveling.
Deviprasad Venugopal, MBBS
Clinical Assistant Professor, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine
Dr. Dev Venugopal joins the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine from his previous position as an advanced fellow in Cardiac Electrophysiology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. He received his medical degree from the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research in Pondicherry, India. After completing his internship and residency at the University of Minnesota and the University of Washington, Spokane-affiliated programs, he did postdoctoral research at the University of Minnesota on non-invasive hemodynamic monitoring in animal and human models of syncope. He went on to complete a fellowship in Cardiology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, before returning to the University of Minnesota to complete a fellowship in Cardiac Electrophysiology.
Dr. Venugopal specializes in the diagnoses and management of complex arrhythmias including atrial fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia ablation, as well as device management including cardiac resynchronization therapy. He has an interest in translational research for the development of diagnostic and ablation modalities in arrhythmia management.
Dr. Venugopal was raised in Bangalore, India, after which his family moved to Tennessee. He and his wife, Roshni, who is an MIS surgeon, enjoy spending time with their two young daughters.
Dinesh Voruganti, MBBS
Associate, Division of General Internal Medicine
Dr. Dinesh Voruganti joins the Division of General Internal Medicine as an Associate from his residency at Bassett Medical Center in Cooperstown, New York. He received his MBBS from Osmania Medical College in India. While at Bassett, Dr. Voruganti investigated associations between cardiac risk factors and coronary calcium scoring, as well as associations between the protein podocan and pathway regulatory molecules in patients with various forms of coronary artery disease.
Yumi Imai, MD
Associate Professor, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism
Dr. Yumi Imai joins the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism as an Associate Professor from her previous position as Associate Professor at Eastern Virginia Medical School where she also served as Division Chief for Endocrinology and Metabolism. She received her MD from Tohoku University, and served as an Attending Physician at Sentara Hospital, Norfolk General, in Norfolk, Virginia. At EVMS she was a core lecturer in endocrinology and diabetes, and she currently serves on the Editorial board of the American Journal of Physiology, Endocrinology and Metabolism. Dr. Imai’s recent research focuses on the morphology of pancreatic islets and the regulation of lipids therein.
Samuel B. Stephens, PhD
Assistant Professor, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism
Dr. Samuel B. Stephens joins the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism as an Assistant Professor from his previous position as Senior Research Associate at the Duke University Medical Center’s Duke Molecular Physiology Institute where he was also a postdoctoral fellow. Dr. Stephens received his PhD in Cell Biology from Duke University, where his graduate research provided him with a background in mammalian cell biology. He hopes to approach diabetes research through an integration of his expertise with animal physiology.
Rebecca D. Dodd, PhD
Assistant Professor, Division of Hematology, Oncology, and Blood & Marrow Transplantation
Dr. Rebecca D. Dodd joins the Division of Hematology, Oncology, and Blood & Marrow Transplantation as an Assistant Professor, coming from her previous position as Senior Research Associate at Duke University Medical Center, Department of Radiation Oncology. She earned her Ph.D. in Cell Biology from Duke University, where she continued on as a Postdoctoral Fellow researching genetically-engineered mouse models of sarcomas to study tumor microenvironments. Dr. Dodd is currently working on a project testing current and developing novel therapies for mutated NF1 genes in genetically engineered mice.
