Pediatric Residents Class of 2021 | Hackensack University Medical Center   

Pediatric Residents Class of 2021

Class of 2021

Class of 2021

Jennifer Ciuchta, DO 

Jennifer Ciuchta, DO

Next Step: Pediatric Hospital Medicine Fellowship
Montefiore Medical Center, NYC
College: University of Pittsburgh
Medical School: Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine
Pediatric Interests: Hospital Medicine, International Medicine, Public Health, Antibiotic Stewardship
Hobbies: Hiking, kayaking, working out, golf, cooking
Bio: I was born and raised in a small town in central Pennsylvania. While there, I gained a fondness for the outdoors and took up such hobbies as hiking, kayaking and golf. For college, I moved to my first real city, Pittsburgh, PA, where I studied Neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh. After undergrad, I spent two years working at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD, conducting neuroscience research involving vision processing. After two years in research, I moved to southwest Virginia where I attended medical school and discovered my love for pediatrics. I chose pediatrics as my field of study in order to advocate for the well-being of children through their many stages of development. I’ve lived in both urban and rural settings and am excited to currently be at Hackensack University Medical Center for my pediatric residency training. With NYC being right next door, it is a great location to train, as there is a diversity in patient presentations, from the more common to rare cases. In my free time, I still love to get outdoors and enjoy running along the Hudson River.

Navid Djassemi, M.D.

Navid Djassemi, M.D.

Next Step: Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Fellowship
Rady Children’s Hospital, UCSD, San Diego
College: California Polytechnic State University
Medical School: Ross University School of Medicine
Pediatric Interests: Hematology/Oncology, Infectious Diseases, Community Advocacy
Hobbies: Beach days, anything in the water, hiking, musicianship, jazz, blues, live music, cooking, traveling, watching the Green Bay Packers
Bio: My early childhood memories are growing up in the cold winters of Wisconsin and large snowball fights, only later to live in the bluegrass state of Kentucky (go Racers) before making it out to wine country in San Luis Obispo, CA. I spent the last 14 years in SLO County with lots of adventures and great mentors along the way. Luckily with the Pediatric Residency program at HUMC, I was able to get the best of both worlds experiencing life on the east coast for the first time and pursue pediatrics in a very diverse community and growing academic institution. I feel the most rewarding aspect of being a pediatrician is providing hope for families and their loved ones with complex diseases and challenging social barriers and being there for them during treatment and after therapy, with the privilege of being able to provide comfort, education and transitions to the next stages of life.

Joseph Heinemann, M.D.

Joseph Heinemann, M.D.
Next Step:
Pediatric Endocrinology Fellowship
Johns Hopkins University Medical Center
College:Towson University
Medical School:Sackler School of Medicine
Pediatric Interests:Endocrinology and Ethics
Hobbies: Hiking/camping, photography, painting and building
Bio: I grew up in Rockland County, New York, along with my six brothers. As the first in my family to pursue a medical career, my schooling has led me to Baltimore, Maryland, then Israel for medical school and finally Hackensack University Medical Center for residency in pediatrics. Now in New Jersey, I enjoy spending time outdoors with my wife and kids and find time for scenery painting. I hope one day to find that perfect tree for my children’s treehouse.
 

Tamanna Jabeen, M.D.

Tamanna Jabeen, M.D.
Next Step:
Primary Care, Dallas, Texas
College:I attended medical school right after high school.
Medical School:Shadan Institute of Medical Sciences, NTR University, India
Pediatric Interests:General Pediatrics, EM and Global Health
Hobbies:Traveling, cooking, spending time with family and friends, technology
Bio:I have lived a third of my life growing up in the Middle East, a third nurturing my roots in India and now a third living in the very exciting and cosmopolitan Hackensack, NJ. Getting a medical graduate degree right after high school did not give me enough opportunity to know life otherwise – so I took a part-time hospitalist position in India and ventured into entrepreneurship, launching my own clothing label online. Working alongside the hardcore labor class put things into perspective as I found myself more engaged addressing the health challenges of this part of the community. Needless to say, I found my true passion in serving the underserved population and to do so beyond geographical boundaries. I believe that by empowering children with good health and habits today, we will ensure a healthier and beautiful tomorrow. I therefore chose to pursue pediatrics at the very diverse and philanthropic Hackensack University Medical Center, in my humble pursuit of getting closer to this goal.

Callie Kilpatrick, M.D.

Callie Kilpatrick, M.D.
Next Step:
Pediatric Academic Medicine
Michigan State University
College: University of Michigan (Go Blue!)
Medical School: Trinity School of Medicine
Pediatric Interests: Primary care
Hobbies: Charcuterie boards, hiking, exploring new places
Bio: Born and raised in Michigan, then ventured to St. Vincent and the Grenadines for Medical School, Chicago for clinicals, then to Hackensack. Excited to be at an amazing children’s hospital and to be exploring the east coast/NYC! Why did I come to HUMC? The people. I love primary care because I love getting to know the whole person and helping empower kids in all aspects of their lives. I’m passionate about incorporating an integrative behavioral health model into my practice because of the high prevalence of mental illnesses.

Zuzanna Michalak, M.D.

Zuzanna Michalak, M.D.
Next Step:
Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship
Cohen Children’s Medical Center, Northwell Health
College: Iona College
Medical School: Jagiellonian University Medical College
Pediatric Interests: Global Health, children with special needs, travel medicine
Hobbies: Travel, cooking and baking, swimming, running
Bio: I am Polish-American, raised in Queens, NY. I got my B.S. degree in Chemistry at Iona College, where I also competed as a Division I swimmer (Go Gaels!). After undergrad, I had the opportunity to live in Peru and Bolivia. There, I volunteered in a medical home for children and taught mathematics, and it is where my passion for pediatric medicine took off. Medical school took me back to my Polish roots, where I attended Jagiellonian University Medical College in Krakow, Poland. It was incredible living in the heart of Europe and I often took advantage of weekends to visit neighboring countries. I continue to make travel a priority while in residency and plan to keep adding to my list of 28 countries I’ve visited to date. In my free time, you’ll find me experimenting with flavors and new recipes or out on a run. It is this work-life balance that attracted me to the residency program at Hackensack; I have time for myself and my interests, while training to become a physician and health educator. As Hackensack residents, we have the privilege of caring for patients with a wide range of socioeconomic and racial backgrounds. I am very lucky to be a part of an incredible group of pioneering trainees of the HUMC pediatric program; my co-residents are funny, smart, kind, and amazing at charades, which makes work that much more enjoyable.

Cole Turner, DO

Cole Turner, DO
Next Step:
Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship
New York University Langone Medical Center
College: Marietta College
Medical School: Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine
Pediatric Interests: Neonatology, Pediatric Emergency Medicine, and Pediatric Hospital Medicine
Hobbies: Crossfit, running, Marvel movies, and sunshine
Bio: I was born in a small town in Ohio and attended Marietta College where I majored in Biochemistry. Next, I had an amazing four years of medical school in Columbus, OH which will forever hold a special place in my heart. I’m now ecstatic to be in the NYC/NJ area for my residency training. Pediatrics became an obvious choice for my specialty training, as I quickly realized that I could always stay motivated and excited to help the little humans.

Sumaiya Ullah,

Sumaiya Ullah,
Next Step:
Chief Resident, Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital
College: Wayne State University
Medical School: Wayne State University School of Medicine
Pediatric Interests: General Pediatrics
Hobbies: Travelling, Henna designing, attempts at painting
Bio: I initially started off my undergraduate studies wanting to become a Kindergarten teacher, and ended up becoming a Pediatrician. Working with children was always my goal, and while volunteering at Children’s Hospital of Detroit in Michigan during undergraduate, it was a gravitational pull that has now brought me to Hackensack University Medical Center’s pediatric program. It has been a very exciting and enlightening experience thus far, and I am looking forward to the rest of my time here on the east coast.

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