The Department of Internal Medicine would like to introduce our newest members who joined us in the second half of 2019 (start dates in parentheses). We are pleased to welcome them to the department.
Bani Preet Kaur, MBBS – Clinical Assistant Professor (10-21-19)
Dr. Bani Preet Kaur joins the Division of Immunology as a Clinical Assistant Professor. Dr. Kaur received her MBBS from Dayanand Medical College & Hospital in Punjab, India, followed by Internal Medicine Residency at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. She received fellowship training in Allergy & Immunology at Wayne State University and the University of Iowa. Her clinical and academic interests include drug allergy testing. Outside of work, Dr. Kaur likes to read, spend time with her family, and do yoga.
Aleksander Lenert, MD, MS, FRCP – Clinical Associate Professor (10-31-19)
Dr. Aleksander Lenert joined the Division of Immunology as a Clinical Associate Professor from his position as Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. Dr. Lenert received his MD from the University of Ottawa in Canada and went on to complete his Internal Medicine Residency and Rheumatology Fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic. He also received an MS in Clinical and Translational Science from the University of Kentucky. His clinical and research interests focus on clinical outcomes and translational research in autoinflammatory syndromes including adult-onset Still’s disease (AOSD), chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis (CRMO) and SAPHO. Dr. Lenert is interested in leveraging “big data” from large EMRs and administrative databases and applying novel methods such as natural-language processing for cohort building of autoinflammatory syndromes in order to characterize multi-morbidity, lung disease, and cardiovascular outcomes, and conducting comparative effectiveness research of traditional immunosuppression to IL-1 inhibitors in autoinflammatory syndromes. In his free time, Dr. Lenert enjoys spending time with his family, especially his two-year-old son, Niko, with whom he exercises and swims at the UI Rec Center.
Rajeshwari Nair, PhD, MBBS, MPH – Associate (7-1-19)
Dr. Rajeshwari Nair comes to the Division of General Internal Medicine as an Associate from her position as a Postdoctoral Research Scholar in the Department of Internal Medicine here. She received her MBBS at the Dr. D.Y. Patil Medical College in Kolhapur, India, followed by two years of work experience at Joint Commission Accredited hospitals in Mumbai. Dr. Nair also earned an MPH degree from Northern Illinois University, followed by a PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Iowa. Her current research interests focus on conducting comparative effectiveness research on prevention and treatment of healthcare associated infections. In her spare time, Dr. Nair likes to do fun activities with her boys – a five-month-old, a three-year-old, and a forty-year-old!
Dhivya Prabhakar, MBBS – Clinical Assistant Professor (7/15/19)
Dr. Dhivya Prabhakar has joined the Division of Hematology, Oncology, and Blood & Marrow Transplantation as a Clinical Assistant Professor. Dr. Prabhakar graduated from the PES Institute of Medical Science and Research in India. She completed her Internal Medicine residency at Case Western University Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, and a Hematology and Oncology Fellowship at The Ohio State University in Columbus. Dr. Prabhakar’s clinical and research interests are cancer care delivery, healthcare quality, patient safety, and process improvement with a particular focus on the application of these principles to thoracic oncology. When not at work, she enjoys traveling and spending time with her two-year-old twins.
Susan Roeder, DO, MS – Clinical Associate Professor (8-19-19)
Dr. Susan Roeder returns to the Division of Hematology, Oncology, and Blood & Marrow Transplantation as a Clinical Associate Professor, after serving as a staff physician at the June Nylen Cancer Center in Sioux City, Iowa. Dr. Roeder received her DO from the University of Osteopathic Medicine and Health Sciences in Des Moines, Iowa, as well as an MS in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, from the Iowa State University in Ames. She completed her Medicine Residency at Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Illinois (an affiliated program with the University of Chicago), and a Fellowship in Hematology/Oncology at the University of Colorado in Denver. Dr. Roeder held a faculty position in Internal Medicine for many years, including a term as Clinical Outreach Director for the Division of Hematology, Oncology, and Blood & Marrow Transplantation. Dr. Roeder’s clinical focus is the treatment of women with breast cancer. Her interests outside of the clinic include primarily spending time with her twin ten-year-old boys who love to swim and are actively involved in orchestra, acting, and dance.
Hiroyuki Suzuki, MD – Associate (12-1-19)
Dr. Hiroyuki Suzuki joins the Division of Infectious Diseases as an Associate after completing his fellowships in Infectious Diseases here. Dr. Suzuki earned his MD degree at Mie University in Tsu, Japan, followed by residencies in Emergency Medicine at the Kobe City Medical Center and Internal Medicine at Sakai Municipal Hospital, both in Japan. In addition to his fellowships here, he also received fellowship training at Kameda Medical Center in Japan. His clinical interests include tropical medicine and antimicrobial stewardship, and his research also focuses on antimicrobial stewardship. In his spare time, Dr. Suzuki enjoys reading books, especially comics, listening to music, and playing video games with his kids.
Ian Thornell, PhD – Research Assistant Professor (9/1/19)
Dr. Ian Thornell has joined the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Occupational Medicine as a Research Assistant Professor from his position as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Internal Medicine/Howard Hughes Medical Institute here. Dr. Thornell received his PhD in Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Dr. Thornell’s research focuses on epithelial ion transport. Outside of work, he likes to cook and spend time outdoors with his wife and their dogs.
Masaaki Yamada, MD – Clinical Assistant Professor (9-16-19)
Dr. Masaaki Yamada has joined the Division of Nephrology as a Clinical Assistant Professor. Dr. Yamada graduated from the Kanazawa University School of Medicine in Ishikawa, Japan. After an Internship at the US Naval Hospital in Okinawa, Japan, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and General Nephrology fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Ohio. He went on to complete his Transplant Nephrology fellowship at the University of Cincinnati in Ohio. Dr. Yamada’s clinical and research interests include outcome research in kidney disease and transplantation. He enjoys playing with his two little kids in his free time.
William Zeitler, MD, MPH – Associate (8/30/19)
Dr. William Zeitler joined the Division of Hematology, Oncology and Blood & Marrow Transplantation as an Associate after his Hem-Onc fellowship here. Dr. Zeitler completed his MD and MPH degrees at the University of Iowa, as well as his Internal Medicine Residency training. Dr. Zeitler’s clinical and research interests include lung cancer, working with Veterans, and medical education. Outside of work, Dr. Zeitler likes cooking/baking (and then eating the meal), watching Hawkeye sports, and exercising, including teaching yoga.