Please join us in welcoming the new faculty members who have joined the Department of Internal Medicine in the month of July.
Division of Cardiovascular Medicine
Troy Rhodes, M.D., Ph.D., FHRS, CCDS — Clinical Associate Professor
Dr. Troy Rhodes comes to the Division of Cardiology from his previous position as Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC). He received his M.D from Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) and his Ph.D. in Neuroscience from EVMS and Old Dominion University. He did an Internal Medicine Residency and Cardiovascular Medicine Fellowship at Vanderbilt University Medical Center followed by a Cardiac Electrophysiology Fellowship at The Ohio State University Medical Center. Following fellowship, he joined the OSUMC faculty as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine in 2010. Dr. Rhodes joined the UMMC faculty in January 2014 and served as Director of the EP Section and EP Fellowship Director. He is a Certified Cardiac Device Specialist (CCDS) and Fellow of the Heart Rhythm Society. His clinical interests include electrophysiologic testing, ablation of supraventricular and ventricular arrhythmias, device implantations and lead extractions, and the evaluation and management of syncope. He completed the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Patient Safety Executive Development Program in September 2013.His research interests include evaluating new cardiac devices and ablation therapies. In his spare time, he enjoys tennis and golf.
Ang Guo, PhD – Research Assistant Professor
Dr. Ang Guo has recently been appointed to the rank of Research Assistant Professor within the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, where he had been an Assistant Research Scientist. Dr. Guo received his doctorate in Physiology and Molecular Cardiology from the Shanghai Institute of Health Sciences at the Chinese Academy of Sciences before coming to the University of Iowa as a postdoctoral research scholar. His current research interests include the role of calcium ions as cell signaling messengers, and their role in relation to heart diseases. Dr. Guo has also developed software for image and signal analysis, and was recently awarded an American Heart Association Scientist Development Grant.
Division of Endocrinology & Metabolism
Marcelo Correia, MS, MD, PhD – Associate
Dr. Marcelo Correia joins the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism as an associate, having previously served as a fellow in endocrinology at UIHC. He received his MD and MSc (Cardiology) from State University of Rio de Janeiro, and did his first residency in Internal Medicine at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Dr. Correia was then a fellow in cardiovascular research at the University of Iowa before receiving his PhD in Translational Biomedicine from UI, after which he was a resident in Internal Medicine at UIHC. Throughout his education, Dr. Correia was also Assistant and Associate Professor at the College of Medicine, State University of Rio de Janeiro. Dr. Correia serves on the Editorial Board of the American Journal of Hypertension, and his current research interests include mitochondrial dynamics in metabolic syndrome. He has a clinical interest in diabetes obesity, and metabolic diseases. Outside of the lab and clinic, Dr. Correia enjoys history, languages, the arts (particularly opera), traveling, cooking, biking, and spending time with his family.
Roula S. Zahr, MD — Clinical Assistant Professor
Dr. Roula S. Zahr was promoted from Associate to Clinical Assistant Professor in the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, where she also served as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow. She received her MD from University of Damascus, School of Medicine, and before coming to Iowa worked as a served as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, followed by an Internal Medicine Residency at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s Mercy Hospital. She is currently working to earn her MS in Translational Biomedicine at the University of Iowa, ICTS. Her current research interests include the efficacy of biotechnologies in detecting and controlling hypertension, and monitoring activity in diabetes patients using accelerometers.
Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Benjamin R. Alsop, MD — Clinical Assistant Professor
Dr. Benjamin R. Alsop comes to the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology as a Clinical Assistant Professor, having previously served as faculty at the Kansas City VA Medical Center and as a clinical assistant professor at the University of Kansas Medical Center, where he did his residency and gastroenterology fellowship. Between his residency and fellowship he was a chief resident. He received his MD from the University of Kansas School of Medicine. Dr. Alsop has published several articles on the diagnosis and treatment of esophageal cancers and reflux disease. In his spare time he enjoys cooking and competition BBQ. Dr. Alsop grew up in central Kansas; his wife, Samantha, just started as a vascular surgery fellow at UI, and together they have a 9 ½ month old daughter, Grayson.
Huy Tran, MD, PhD – Associate
Dr. Huy Tran joins the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology as an associate faculty member, having served as a Gastroenterology Fellow at UIHC since 2013. Dr. Tran earned his M.D. from the University of Medicine & Pharmacy in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam before completing his Internal Medicine Residency there, then moving on to the University of Tokyo where he received a Ph.D. in International Health, followed by a residency at St. Elizabeth Health Center in Youngstown, Ohio. His current research, mentored by Dr. Warren N. Schmidt, looks at the effects of Hepatitis C non-structural protein on telomerase function and hepatocellular carcinoma. Outside of the clinic and lab, Dr. Tran enjoys working with computer hardware, and has an interest in nature photography.
Division of General Internal Medicine
Priyanka Iyer, MBBS, MPH – Associate
Dr. Priyanka Iyer joins the Division of General Internal Medicine having just completed her residency at Jacobi Medical Center/ Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, New York. She received her MBBS from Seth G.S. Medical College and K.E.M. Hospital at Maharashtra University of Health Science before moving on to get her Master of Public Health, Global Health and Population at the Harvard School of Public Health. One of her current exploratory interests is in researching healthcare disparities and care of under served populations in the future.
Nusrat Jahan, MBBS – Associate
Dr. Nusrat Jahan comes to the Division of General Internal Medicine from her residency at Hurley Medical Center at Michigan State University. She received her MBBS from Dhaka Medical College, University of Dhaka in Bangladesh. Dr. Jahan’s ongoing research and clinical interests are in the field of hematology/oncology. Outside medicine, Dr. Jahan enjoys running, traveling, and watching films.
Aneet Kaur, MBBS – Associate
Dr. Aneet Kaur joins the Division of General Internal Medicine from her residency at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). She received her MBBS from Government Medical College in Patiala. She plans to pursue a fellowship in Rheumatology and her research at UAMS involved studying the determinants and impact of early initiation of DMARDS in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. In her spare time Dr. Kaur enjoys reading, swimming, hiking, indoor rock climbing and spending time with her family.
Rashi Khanna, MD – Associate
Dr. Rashi Khanna joins the Division of General Internal Medicine as an associate, having completed her residency at Fairview Hospital – Cleveland Clinic Health System, where she served as Chief Resident during her PGY3 and was awarded Best Chief Resident Team. She received her MBBS from Armed Forces Medical College in Pune, India, and afterwards worked at a variety of hospitals in India and Singapore before Ohio. Dr. Khanna’s recent research involved the cost effectiveness of G-CSF treatments in cancer patients at the Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center. Her research on the prophylactic use of G-CSF and adherence to NCCN guidelines received first prize at her residency’s annual showcase of graduate’s research. In addition, a paper to which she contributed on biotechnology comparable to epidural analgesia was published in PLoS One in April. In her free time she enjoys socializing and exploring new cuisines, as well as swimming and dancing.
Prerna Kumar, MD – Associate
Dr. Prerna Kumar joins the Division of General Internal Medicine from her residency at Albert Einstein College of Medicine / Montefiore Medical Center (Wakefield) in Bronx, New York. Dr. Kumar received her MBBS from Sri Devaraj Urs Medical College in Karnataka, India, before her junior residency at Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in New Delhi. During her residency at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, she was involved in performance improvement projects in the hospital. Her hobbies include swimming, traveling, biking, and hiking.
Ala Mohsen, MBBS – Associate
Dr. Ala Mohsen joins the Division of General Internal Medicine having just finished a residency with UIHC. He received his MBBS from Jordan University of Science and Technology before going on for a post-graduate internship at King Hussein Hospital, Jordan Ministry of Health. Dr. Mohsen has also worked as a general practitioner at Al Istishari Hospital in Jordan before his first residency in Internal Medicine. His recent research involves heart rate variation in singers and athletes, as well as the distinctions between types of cardiomyopathy.
Phanicharan Sistla, MD – Associate
Dr. Phanicharan Sistla joins the Division of General Internal Medicine having just completed his residency at Tufts Medical Center. He received his MD from University of Massachusetts Medical School. Dr. Sistla’s recent research at Tufts involves a retrospective analysis of patients readmitted to the Medical Center with the goal of readmission prevention. One of his hobbies is Bollywood film dance; he was the choreographer and member of a dance performance team for a medical school class show.
Christopher Strouse, MD – Associate
Dr. Christopher Strouse joins the Division of General Internal Medicine having just completed his residency at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He received his MD from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. Before medical school, Dr. Strouse served for two years with the Peace Corps in South Africa, and helped to develop a non-profit organization there to provide nutrition for orphans and children of poor backgrounds. He also coordinated a Salvation Army Dental Clinic in Madison, Wisconsin during his time in medical school. Dr. Strouse’s hobbies include watching and playing basketball, following the Chicago Bulls and Bears, group bike rides, and cross country skiing.
Division of Hematology, Oncology and Blood & Marrow Transplantaton
Vidya Kollu, MBBS – Associate
Dr. Vidya Kollu joins the Division of Hematology & Oncology as an Associate, having completed her residency at Trinitas Regional Medical Center in Elizabeth, New Jersey. She received her MBBS from Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences and Prathima Institute of Medical Sciences in Karimnagar, Andhra Pradesh, India. Dr. Kollu is interested in general hematology and oncology research and hopes to pick up more specific topics as she gains experience. In her free time, Dr. Kollu enjoys reading, writing, singing, yoga, cooking, and DIY projects.
Varun Monga, MBBS — Clinical Assistant Professor
Dr. Varun Monga joins the Division of Hematology & Oncology as a Clinical Assistant Professor after recently finishing a Hematology & Oncology fellowship with UIHC, where he previously served as a hospitalist. He received his MBBS from Rajiv Gandhi Medical College in Thane, India, and did his residency at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, rotating at Mt. Sinai Hospital, Chicago and North Chicago VA Hospital. He gained neuro-oncology experience at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston and University of California, San Francisco. His research focuses on novel approaches in the treatment of sarcoma. He is pursuing an MS in Clinical Investigation through the UI College of Public Health and has ongoing research projects looking at the financial impact of oral chemotherapy wastage and discrepancies in the understanding of treatment goals among cancer patients. In his free time, Dr. Monga enjoys listening to music, biking and traveling.
Dr. Rafiullah – Associate
Dr. Rafiullah joins the Division of Hematology & Oncology as an Associate, having previously worked as a Clinical Adjunct Assistant Professor at both University of Wisconsin-Madison and Marquette University, as well as a hospitalist at Saint Clare Hospital in Weston, Wisconsin. He received his MBBS from Khyber Medical College, Pakistan, where he was named Best Graduate, and completed a residency in Internal Medicine at the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan before holding a Gastroenterology Fellowship there. He also completed a residency at Mount Sinai School of Medicine (Bronx) in New York. Dr. Rafiullah’s current research interest is in gastrointestinal malignancies (particularly liver and colon cancer) and hematology. His interests outside of the clinic include watching hockey and football, and both English and Indian movies.
Ehsan Shabbir, MBBS – Associate
Dr. Ehsan Shabbir joins the Division of Hematology & Oncology as an Associate, having just finished his residency at Providence Hospital, Washington, DC. He received his MBBS from Rawalpindi Medical College affiliated with University of Health Sciences in Lahore, Pakistan, He was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Hematology & Oncology at New York Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell University, where his field of interest was platelet disorders, and especially refractory immune thrombocytopenia. His hobbies include biking and hiking.
Division of Infectious Diseases
Alpheus (Ben) Appenheimer, MD – Associate
Dr. Ben Appenheimer joins the Division of Infectious Diseases as an Associate, having just completed his fellowship here this June. He received his MD from the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria (UICOMP) before moving on for a residency in Internal Medicine at University of North Carolina Hospitals (Chapel Hill, NC), where he received awards for both inpatient and outpatient care. Dr. Appenheimer currently is awaiting publication of a chapter on HIV/AIDS for an examination and board review textbook for family medicine physicians, which he co-authored. In the upcoming year he will be rotating on the infectious diseases clinical services, providing outpatient HIV care, pursuing a certificate in medical education, and working on completing his current research projects.
