Southern
Regional
Elections

Jennifer Caputo-Seidler, MD

Bio-sketch

Jennifer Caputo-Seidler, M.D., is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of South Florida (USF) Morsani College of Medicine and a practicing hospitalist at Tampa General Hospital. Dr. Caputo-Seidler earned her Doctor of Medicine from the State University of New York Upstate Medical University in 2012 and completed her Internal Medicine Residency at USF in 2015. She has since expanded her expertise through a Certification in Narrative Medicine from Columbia University and a Graduate Certificate in Public Health Policy and Programs from USF. She further developed her advocacy leadership as a Vot-ER Civic Health Fellow and Society of General Internal Medicine Leadership in Health Policy Scholar.

At USF, Dr. Caputo-Seidler holds several key educational leadership roles, including Course Director for Introduction to Clerkships, Associate Course Director for Doctoring 3 (Advanced Communication Skills), and Faculty Lead for the Medical Humanities Scholarly Concentration. She is also a core member of the assessment and remediation teams. Beyond the classroom, she serves as the Geriatric Provider Liaison to the Emergency General Surgery and Trauma programs at Tampa General Hospital. A vocal advocate for community health, she is an advisor for Vot-ER at USF, an organization dedicated to promoting voter registration in healthcare spaces, and serves as a preceptor for Tampa Bay Street Medicine.

Dr. Caputo-Seidler has a robust history of service within the SGIM Southern Region as a longstanding member of the Southern Regional Meeting Planning Committee. She was instrumental in developing the Arts and Humanities session for the regional meeting and has served as Co-Chair of Arts and Humanities since its inception. She has also served as the Co-Chair of Networking/Roundtables and utilized her expertise in narrative medicine to lead the 2022 Pre-Course.

Personal Statement

The Society of General Internal Medicine and specifically, the Southern Region, is my professional home. My involvement with this community has not only shaped my career but has also provided a sense of belonging that is essential in the demanding landscape of academic medicine.

The professional benefits I have gained from SGIM are immense. Through the Southern Region, I have had the opportunity to translate my passions for the medical humanities and health policy into meaningful leadership. Serving as the Southern SGIM Co-Chair of Arts and Humanities for the regional meeting has allowed me to curate spaces where colleagues can explore the creativity and reflection that are core to our practice. Additionally, my time as Co-Chair of Networking and Roundtables allowed me to facilitate the very connections that make our region so vibrant. It was through the roundtables that I learned about the Leadership in Health Policy (LEAHP) program. This tremendous experience not only equipped me with the skills to advocate effectively and become a health policy leader at my home institution but also deepened my engagement with SGIM at the national level.

On a personal level, the Southern Region has offered a community of mentors and peers who have celebrated my successes, including receiving the Southern SGIM Award for Excellence in Clinician Education in 2025. While it’s not official as of this election, thanks to letters from members of this region, my biosketch will soon be updated to Associate Professor. The culture of the Southern Region is one of inclusivity, mutual support, and intellectual curiosity, which has been a vital source of resilience for me.

My motivation for pursuing this leadership role is rooted in deep gratitude for these experiences. I want to ensure that the Southern Region remains a place where every general internist, from student to seasoned faculty, can find their own professional home. I am committed to fostering an environment where members feel empowered to share their stories, advocate for their patients, and build the lasting professional relationships that have been the hallmark of my own journey in SGIM.

Kajal Patel, MD

Personal Statement

I am a primary care physician and academic internist with a longstanding commitment to advancing internal medicine through clinical care, teaching, mentorship, and leadership. Over the past two decades at Emory University, I have progressed through multiple stages of training and faculty development, from undergraduate and dual M.D./M.P.H. studies to residency and faculty appointments. The mentorship and opportunities I have received have been pivotal to my career, and I strive to pay this forward through service to patients, learners, and colleagues.

My clinical work is grounded in evidence-based, patient-centered care, and I actively seek opportunities to innovate and improve care delivery. While I dedicate the majority of my time to primary care and resident supervision across multiple sites at the Emory Clinic and Grady Hospital System, I am also able to contribute to inpatient care and specialized clinics for underserved populations. In 2024, I served as Medical Director and Chief Medical Officer of the Healing Community Center, a Federally Qualified Health Center, overseeing clinical operations and care delivery for an underserved population - an experience that strengthened my skills in organizational management, resource allocation, and strategic planning.

I currently serve on the Primary Care Compensation Committee at Emory University, where I contribute to decisions regarding equitable and sustainable faculty compensation. This role, combined with my administrative and operational responsibilities, has provided me with experience in financial oversight, budgeting, and stewardship skills directly relevant to serving as treasurer. I have also been recognized by my institution with honors, including Senior Physician and Rollins Distinguished Clinician, reflecting my sustained commitment to excellence in patient care and academic medicine.

As an educator, I mentor and teach residents and students across multiple clinical sites, earning recognition for outstanding teaching, including perfect learner ratings and the High Five Award. My engagement in faculty advocacy and leadership includes service on the Emory University Faculty Senate and nationally on SGIM committees, including the Clinical Practice Committee and Women in Medicine Commission. I also collaborate with colleagues to develop innovative educational programs, such as integrating artificial intelligence into medical education. I was recently honored with Emory’s 40 Under 40 Award.

I am committed to advancing the goals of the Southern Regional Meeting: to Connect, Collaborate, and Advance General Internal Medicine. As treasurer, I would bring a combination of clinical, academic, and operational experience, along with a commitment to transparency, accountability, and thoughtful resource management, to support the ongoing success of our professional community.

Alex Galloway, MD

Bio-sketch

Dr. Alex Galloway is an Assistant Professor of General Internal Medicine at Emory University School of Medicine and Associate Medical Director at Grady Memorial Hospital Primary Care Clinic. A long-standing member of SGIM since medical school, Dr. Galloway is a graduate of the SGIM TEACH Certificate Program and an active contributor to both national and regional SGIM meetings as a moderator, judge, reviewer, and presenter. In the Southern Region specifically, he has served as a judge for the teaching competition. His academic work focuses on ambulatory education, mentorship, and health informatics, with a strong commitment to fostering inclusive professional communities. Through leadership roles in medical education, clinical innovation, and mentorship at Emory and Grady, Dr. Galloway has built a reputation for connecting people, supporting early-career clinicians, and strengthening collaborative networks—values he is eager to bring to advancing membership engagement within the Southern SGIM region.

Personal Statement

SGIM has been my professional home since medical school. It has been a place where I found mentorship, inspiration, and a vibrant community of clinicians and educators committed to improving general internal medicine. Through participation in the TEACH program and active involvement in regional and national SGIM meetings as a judge, moderator, and contributor, I have experienced firsthand how meaningful SGIM connections can shape careers and energize our work. I am running for Southern Region Membership Chair because I want to help others discover and deepen that same sense of belonging. My goal is to strengthen recruitment, engagement, and retention by creating welcoming pathways for students, trainees, and faculty to connect, collaborate, and grow within SGIM.

As Membership Chair, I will focus on building intentional community through expanding mentorship opportunities, supporting early-career members, and amplifying the diverse voices that make our region unique. I bring experience in educational leadership, program development, and community building, along with a deep enthusiasm for networking and collaboration. I am committed to working with regional leaders to develop innovative strategies that make SGIM membership more visible, accessible, and rewarding. Together, we can continue to grow a Southern SGIM community where every member feels connected, supported, and inspired to engage.

TaRessa Wills, MD

Bio-sketch

Dr. TaRessa Wills earned her Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia, and her Doctor of Medicine degree from Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, DC. She is a board-certified Internal Medicine physician and joined the Emory University School of Medicine faculty in 2019 as an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine at Grady Memorial Hospital.

Dr. Wills currently serves as the Southern Region Chair of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM), where she has worked to expand the organization’s regional presence and strengthen engagement across institutions. In this role, she has advanced initiatives focused on inclusive membership growth and is leading the development of a collaborative, multi-institutional virtual mentorship program.

From 2022 to 2024, Dr. Wills served as Associate Site Director of Hospital Medicine at Grady Memorial Hospital, helping lead a team of more than 50 providers in delivering high-quality, compassionate care to Atlanta’s most vulnerable populations. She currently serves as Co-Unit Medical Director of a medical-surgical unit at Grady, with a strong focus on education, systems improvement, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Dr. Wills is deeply engaged in professional society leadership and mentorship. She is an active member of SGIM and has been recognized as a Fellow of both the American College of Physicians and the Society of Hospital Medicine. Her professional interests include workforce development, mentorship, equity in academic medicine, and building meaningful professional communities.

Personal Statement

My professional journey in academic medicine has been shaped by a deep commitment to service, mentorship, and community-building, which are values that align closely with the mission of the Society of General Internal Medicine. I am eager to serve as Membership Chair for the Southern Region of SGIM, a role that would allow me to build upon my longstanding engagement with the organization while advancing inclusive growth, meaningful connection, and sustained member engagement across our region.

I currently serve as an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine at Emory University School of Medicine, based at Grady Memorial Hospital. Since joining Emory faculty in 2019, my clinical and academic work has centered on delivering compassionate care to vulnerable populations while fostering supportive, collaborative learning environments for trainees and colleagues. These experiences have reinforced my belief that strong professional communities are essential to provider well-being, career development, and excellence in patient care.

My leadership experience within SGIM has provided valuable insight into the needs and opportunities unique to our Southern Region. As the current Southern Region Chair of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, I have worked to expand SGIM’s footprint by strengthening cross-institutional collaboration and creating pathways for engagement among faculty, trainees, and students. One of my primary initiatives has been the development of a virtual mentorship program designed to connect members across institutions, career stages, and geographic boundaries. This effort is rooted in the understanding that intentional connection is critical to recruitment, retention, and long-term engagement.

As Membership Chair, my vision is to strengthen Southern SGIM membership by fostering a sense of belonging, relevance, and value for members at every career stage. I am particularly interested in strategies that engage early-career faculty, trainees, and those at institutions with limited prior SGIM involvement. Leveraging virtual platforms, intentional outreach, and collaboration with regional and national SGIM leadership, I hope to support sustainable membership growth while deepening members’ connection to the organization.

SGIM has played a formative role in my own professional development, offering mentorship, leadership opportunities, and a community grounded in shared purpose. Serving as Membership Chair would be a meaningful opportunity to give back to an organization that has shaped my career while helping ensure that SGIM continues to thrive as an inclusive, supportive, and dynamic professional home for general internists across the Southern Region.

Sarah Koumtouzoua, MD

Bio-sketch

Personal Statement

As an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Emory University School of Medicine (EUSOM), Division of General Internal Medicine at Grady and full-time clinician educator, providing both direct patient care at Grady Memorial Hospital and supervisory teaching, recruitment, and mentorship in the EUSOM J. Willis Hurst Internal Medicine Residency program, I am honored to seek your support in fulfilling the DEI Chair-Elect position at Southern SGIM. My current clinical appointments include participation in direct patient care in the Grady Primary Care Center, (PCC) with a longitudinal primary care faculty practice; Women’s Health Clinic; Emory High Risk Assessment/Pre-Operative Clinic; Grady Hepatitis C Liver Clinic and MASLD Clinic; and creation of a Refugee, Immigrant and Migrant (RIM) faculty practice clinic in the Grady PCC that serves as a regional referral base for community based RIM clinics and resettlement agencies in Dekalb County, GA to link communities to expanded healthcare access.

In addition to my academic and clinical appointments, a significant portion of my time is dedicated to community outreach and advocacy in improving equitable and accessible healthcare to our local refugee and immigrant communities. I have a strong interest and dedication to health equity initiatives and coordination of care within the refugee and immigrant population in Dekalb County/Clarkston, GA. I have partnered with Grace Village Medical Clinic, Dekalb County Board of Health, Ethne Clinic, Mosaic Health Center and Clarkson community stakeholders within the Clarkston Resource and Wellness Hub to develop clinical care pathways for the coordination of care of medically complex refugee and immigrant patients in Dekalb County. This new referral pathway creates more coordinated support of their medical specialty care and social determinants through referral to the newly established faculty practice within the Grady PCC in which I serve as the medical director and lead practitioner.

My commitment in creating diversity and equity extends beyond my clinical commitments and community outreach to my involvement in recruitment efforts in both the Division of General Internal Medicine at Grady and the J Willis Hurst Internal Medicine Residency Program. With my perspective as a first-generation undergraduate and medical student from a rural, federally designated medically underserved area, creating equitable opportunities for students and faculty and a diverse healthcare workforce is something that I am personally committed to. I am indebted to faculty mentors and advocates who have inspired and supported my medical career. Continuing to create a strong mentorship network that supports and advocates for a diverse membership of student and faculty members and leaders in Southern SGIM and SGIM is integral to my application for this position.

I am strongly interested in and enthusiastic about holding the DEI Chair Elect position in Southern SGIM over the next two years and would welcome the opportunity to further my regional commitment to efforts that support diversity, equity and inclusion for our patients, members and community.