Mid-Atlantic Regional Elections: Voting Now Open

Mid-Atlantic Regional Election: Cast Your Vote for Leadership Positions

Thank you for participating in the Mid-Atlantic Regional election process. We invite you to cast your vote for the positions of President-Elect, Secretary/Treasurer-Elect, and Membership Chair-Elect. Review the slate of candidates below, and then cast your vote using the link provided.

Deadline to Vote: Friday, November 29th. Voting is reserved for SGIM members only.

President-Elect

D. Rani Nandiwada, MD, MSEd
I am an Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine where, as a clinician educator, I serve as the Primary Care Residency Program Director. Prior to this, I was the Director of the Medical Education and Leadership Track. I completed medical school at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, followed by primary care residency and a chief year at New York University. I earned my master’s in medical education during my General Internal Medicine Academic Clinician Educators Scholars Fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh. Over the years, I have served nationally as a member and then the co-chair of the EBM subcommittee and as a member of the education committee for the past four years. I am currently part of the ACGLIM workgroup advocating for new ACGME guidelines to optimize residency primary care experiences. Regionally, I was the prior Secretary for the SGIM Mid-Atlantic region and have served as the chair for the teaching competition for the past two years. My research interests include coaching for excellence, growth mindset and master adaptive learners, and primary care workforce development.

Personal Statement
SGIM has been my home for the past 13 years and has shaped my career in so many ways. SGIM is a place where community and values matter. I have served on the EBM subcommittee, the education committee, the Mid-Atlantic Secretary, and Teaching Competition chair. My values center around community, equity, and mentorship all tied up with a strong love for my patients. I would love to take this role as an opportunity to give back to SGIM and continue to build a stronger generalist community with more opportunities to collaborate, communicate, and share ideas. I would love to harness the energy and enthusiasm that surrounds us at the regional conference and find creative ways to funnel that energy into action and visible changes. 

Sneha Shrivastava, MD, MSEd, MSCP
I am an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Zucker School of Medicine/Northwell, where I serve as the Associate Program Director for the Internal Medicine Residency and the Director of Women’s Health Education. In my role, I focus on curriculum development and mentorship, particularly in women’s health and primary care training. I earned my Doctor of Medicine from St. George’s University, completed my primary care internal medicine residency at Allegheny General Hospital, and pursued a fellowship in General Internal Medicine at Northwell Health, where I also received my MS in Health Professions Education from Hofstra University. Beyond my clinical and educational roles, I am actively engaged in leadership within the Society of General Internal Medicine. I currently lead the Parenting in Medicine Interest Group and serve on the Women and Medicine Commission, advocating for resources to support lactating parents at national meetings and organizing multiple parenting events. Regionally, I have held roles within the Mid-Atlantic SGIM, including Secretary/Treasurer-Elect and Workshop Chair. I have also contributed to curriculum innovation by drafting women’s health entrustable professional activities (EPAs), published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. My research interests focus on women’s health education, parenting and career integration for clinicians, and professional development for trainees.

Personal Statement  
I am seeking the position of President-elect for the Mid-Atlantic Regional SGIM Leadership Committee. 

I am currently a general internist/primary care provider at the Division of General Internal Medicine at Northwell Health, an associate program director at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell residency program in Internal Medicine at North Shore/Long Island Jewish Hospital, and the director of women’s health education. My research interests are focused on women’s health and medical education. I completed my GIM fellowship from Northwell Health and a master’s in health professions education from Hofstra University in 2021. My fellowship was focused on implementing a women’s cancer screening curriculum for internal medicine residents, investigating the attitudes of primary care providers toward women’s health, and improving post-partum depression. I have taught medical students, residents, women’s health/GIM fellows, and faculty during my fellowship and now as faculty.   

I have been an SGIM member since 2014. As an active member, I have regularly presented workshops and scientific abstracts, as a reviewer for workshops and abstracts, and as a poster judge for regional and national SGIM meetings. I am a member of SGIM’s Women and Medicine Commission where I lead the parenting workgroup and represent the parenting in medicine interest group which I established in 2021. The parenting workgroup collaborates with members of the New York chapter of the American College of Physicians and Society of Hospitalist Medicine intending to create a community of support of parents in medicine via “Nighttime Parenting in Medicine Cafes” talks, scholarship, and advocacy for improving equity for parents in medicine. The parenting interest group now has over 40 members who frequently collaborate on workshop proposals, special symposium proposals, and journal articles.  

Since the beginning of my SGIM journey, I have always belonged to the Mid-Atlantic region. While my initial efforts (2014-2019) were geared toward reviewing abstracts and workshops, I have been a part of the Mid-Atlantic SGIM Leadership Committee since 2020. I have served as the social media chair, workshop chair, organized pre-courses for trainees, and as a secretary/treasurer-elect. I would love to continue my commitment to the Mid-Atlantic region and its leadership group as a president-elect. I am passionate about building this community, promoting interest and participation in the regional meeting, and serving as a liaison with other regions and national SGIM. I have learned tremendously over the last few years from the leadership group and this position will provide me with the opportunity to give back to the Mid-Atlantic SGIM region. I believe my prior training and prior experiences with national and Mid-Atlantic SGIM will allow me to help assist as the president-elect.    

Over the last 4 years, I have seen the Mid-Atlantic region grow and I witnessed first-hand all the successful efforts of the regional meeting planning committee. One of my unique leadership skills is bringing people together from diverse backgrounds which was instrumental in establishing a successful parenting in medicine network for national SGIM (that involved over 12 national parenting cafes in collaboration with NY-ACP and SHM, parenting handbook, workshops, and invited talks) and organizing high-quality pre-courses for trainees for Mid-Atlantic SGIM 2022 and 2023. Before working in an academic setting, I worked in a community clinic where I witnessed the importance and need for community-based practices to be involved in regional SGIM. As president-elect, I would like to continue our regional efforts to diversify our meeting participants and further our efforts in DEI and trainee support. I am encouraged to apply by both the incoming and outgoing presidents, Dr. Hadeel Alkhairw and Sheetal Patel. I am humbled by their support and confidence in me and would love to have the opportunity to follow in their footsteps and support the Mid-Atlantic SGIM region.  

Secretary/Treasurer-Elect

Patrick Sayre, MD, MPH
I am a clinician-educator and Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. I grew up in Columbia, Maryland, and completed my undergraduate studies at the University of Maryland, which resulted in a lifelong connection to the state. I then obtained my medical degree from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. During medical school, I completed a Master of Public Health with a concentration in epidemiology and biostatistics. I completed my residency in the Penn Internal Medicine Primary Care Residency Program, served as a Chief Medical Resident, and then joined the faculty. I am a primary care physician at Penn Medicine’s Edward S. Cooper practice and attend on the general medicine teaching service at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. As Associate Program Director for Ambulatory Education for the Penn Internal Medicine Residency Program, I teach in various courses at the Perelman School of Medicine. My academic interests are in curriculum design, intervisit care, and leveraging telehealth and EMR tools for medical education.

Personal Statement
I would be thrilled to serve in the position of Secretary/Treasurer for the SGIM Mid-Atlantic Region. Since 2021, I have served on the regional planning committee as Clinical Vignettes Co-Chair, and would be excited to take on a larger leadership role for our region. I consider attention to detail as one of my strengths. As Secretary/Treasurer, I look forward to ensuring that our leadership team has accurate records and accounting of our finances in order plan the best possible programming for the members of our region.    

Membership Chair-Elect

Nabeel Akhtar, MD
Dr. Nabeel Akhtar is an Assistant Professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, where he completed medical school, residency, and a fellowship in medical education. His career interests include undergraduate medical education, the Internal Medicine sub-internship (IM sub-I), and curricular development; he aims to transition his institution’s rotation to a competency-based model. During residency, he completed Penn State’s Hippocrates Scholars program and the Harvard Macy Institute’s program for post-graduate trainees. In fellowship, he completed SGIM’s TEACH program and earned his Master’s in Education. He is a course director for multiple courses at the medical school, including the IM sub-I, and is the IM sub-I interest group leader for SGIM. His work has led to multiple presentations and workshops at SGIM’s meetings, and he has received recognition as an Exceptional Teacher and the Dean’s Excellence Award for Teaching.

Personal Statement
SGIM has been my professional home. During fellowship, I was informed about the benefits of an SGIM membership. This led me to participate in TEACH, lead an interest group, present at the regional and annual meetings, and network with peers – all made possible by the organization’s scholarships.  

As junior faculty, I would like to recruit trainees to SGIM. As membership chair-elect, I would uphold the position’s responsibilities. I would create a newsletter highlighting the benefits of an SGIM membership. This would be distributed to fellows and chief residents who work closely with residents, recruiting future SGIM members.  

Athina Vassilakis, MD, MPH
Dr. Vassilakis is an Associate Professor, hospitalist, and clinician educator at Columbia University Medical Center’s community hospital, focusing on clinical skills development in UME, faculty development, and the integration of AI in teaching. She teaches in the foundational clinical skills courses at the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and serves as the medicine clerkship site director. She is a member of the Learning Metrics Committee, developing programmatic assessment tools for medical education objectives. She is also a new member of the SGIM Education Committee and serves as faculty for the SGIM TEACH certificate program. Her enthusiasm and dedication underscore her commitment to patient care, education, and professional development.

Personal Statement
SGIM is my consistent professional home. I am grateful for the learning opportunities, connections, and mentorship I have found through this organization. Without the multiple offerings SGIM has provided for me, I would not have been able to progress as I have in my career. As the membership chair, I aim to give back to the organization that has helped me succeed. Through this service opportunity, I look forward to helping brainstorm and capitalize on the key elements that draw interest to SGIM, support members in their professional development, and present SGIM membership as the invaluable career asset it is. 

VOTE HERE