Get to know our fellows
Our fellows are a diverse group from a variety of backgrounds with unique experiences and interests. We look forward to getting to know you as well!
Class of 2026
M. Umar Ahmed, MD
Hometown: Farmington Hills, MI
Residency: Spectrum Health/Michigan State University
What excites you about your residency/fellowship at Corewell Health: The opportunity to work with and learn from brilliant and supportive attendings and co-fellows at an institution that exposes me to complex and critically ill patients and their management.
Clinical interests: Advanced heart failure, cardiogenic shock, infiltrative cardiomyopathies
Hobbies: Reading, hiking, trying new restaurants
Anthony Dils, MD
Hometown: Saginaw, Michigan
Residency: University of Michigan
What excites you about your residency/fellowship at Corewell Health? Being from Michigan, I was looking for a program close to home that would provide me with the opportunity to take care of very ill patients with a broad range of pathologies. On my interview day, and every day since joining the Corewell Health in West Michigan team, I have found the physicians, advanced practice providers, and nurses to be kind, supportive, and dedicated to providing outstanding care to patients. It's an excellent place to be!
Clinical interests: I am particularly interested in general cardiology, preventive cardiology, and cardiac imaging.
Hobbies: I enjoy spending time with my wife and son. We like to do outdoor activities including hiking, playing sports, and exploring West Michigan. We are first time homeowners and enjoy doing DIY house renovations in our spare time.
Ibrahim M. Khaleel, MD
Hometown: Oak Brook, IL
Residency: University of Michigan
What excites you about your residency/fellowship at Corewell Health? While I am very excited to experience the breadth and depth of medical care Corewell Health in West Michigan is able to provide, I am most excited to be training in an environment of outstanding, compassionate and driven individuals who will make this experience invaluable.
Clinical interests: Within cardiovascular disease, I am particularly interested in multi-modality cardiac imaging and structural/interventional cardiology.
Hobbies: I am very excited to experience the west side of Michigan with trips to the lake, walking through the various parks and getting to know the Grand Rapids downtown area.
Scott Winsor, MD
Hometown: Milford, MI
Residency: Wake Forest University
What excites you about your residency/fellowship at Corewell Health? I am excited to work with the incredible cardiovascular teams at Corewell Health in West Michigan. The amazing support staff, nurses, advanced practitioners and doctors that I have interacted with have all been so kind and supportive, starting from the interview day all the way to orientation week. The people here at Corewell Health in West Michigan really have created a fantastic environment to learn and grow as a fellow. I am also so excited to be back in Grand Rapids and enjoy all of the great things the city has to offer.
Clinical Interests: My clinical interests include preventative cardiology, interventional cardiology and cardiogenic shock.
Hobbies: I love spending time with my wife and our three kids. We enjoy going out together as a family trying new restaurants or breweries and having fun outdoors by playing sports, hiking or exploring new parks. We also love to find a great new movie or TV show. In my spare time I also love to play the guitar, get in some video game time with friends and listen to podcasts.
Class of 2025
Mahrukh Akram, MBBS
Hometown: Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Residency: Spectrum Health/Michigan State University
Why did you choose Spectrum Health for your residency/fellowship? I completed my Internal Medicine Residency here at Spectrum Health and was able to work with the Cardiology faculty and fellows in a number of different settings - the broad range of clinical pathologies we see here and the friendly environment meant I didn't want to go anywhere else for fellowship!
What are your clinical interests? I am currently keeping an open mind and exploring the various sub-specialties Cardiology has to offer, including interventional, imaging and electrophysiology.
Hobbies: In my free time I enjoy cooking and reading. There is also a lot of natural beauty to explore and appreciate around Grand Rapids.
Mazin Habhab, MD
Hometown: Dearborn, MI
Residency: Indiana University
Why did you choose Spectrum Health for your residency/fellowship? I chose Spectrum Health because of the incredible training and friendly faculty. The emphasis on fellow education and hands on training is unmatched and truly makes this place unique. In addition, Grand Rapids is a fun and easy to live in city, with many amenities and delicious restaurants.
What are your clinical interests? I am interested in cardiovascular imaging and interventional cardiology.
Hobbies: My hobbies include working out, reading, hanging out with friends and watching sports.
Patrick Kurecka, MD
Hometown: Saginaw, MI
Residency: University of Wisconsin-Madison
What excites you about your residency/fellowship at Corewell Health? Corewell Health in West Michigan was a perfect match for my personal and career goals. Most important to me was a good culture that promoted learning and a supportive environment. Even though I interviewed virtually, I felt that the Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship was still able to make its culture shine. It was obvious to me that this was a place where people are both passionate about cardiology and patient care, but also genuinely support each other, have mutual respect, and enjoy their relationships together even outside of the hospital. Corewell Health is on the cutting edge of cardiology and training here would allow me to get experience in all aspects of cardiology, from advanced imaging to transplant. In addition, moving back from Wisconsin to my home state of Michigan allowed me to be closer to family, and the city of Grand Rapids is a fantastic place to live.
What are your clinical interests? Advanced cardiac imaging
Hobbies: Computers, technology, video games, podcasts and reading.
Amy Rechenberg, MD
Hometown: Hebron, IL
Residency: Spectrum Health/Michigan State University
Why did you choose Spectrum Health for your residency/fellowship? Initially, friends drew me to Grand Rapids with its big-city benefits, yet small-town feel and being surrounded by nature. What helped seal the deal of me choosing Spectrum for IM residency was the inviting people, impressive hospital and offered fellowships. During my residency, I was blown away by the support and encouraging mentors I gained within medicine and unintentionally in cardiology. Even during the many surges of COVID, the cardiology department consistently displayed their passion and emphasis on teaching. Curiosity was welcomed and I always felt comfortable asking questions. There was no doubt that if I trained as a cardiology fellow at Spectrum, I would graduate with the ability and confidence to address any case sent my way. Now as a fellow, I'm realizing the importance of the outstanding volume of cases and hands on experience we gain as well as the program's unwavering collegial environment. I love where I'm at and honestly do not believe there is a better program.
What are your clinical interests? I have a long list of interests within cardiology. Areas that currently come to the forefront are Advanced Imaging, Interventional, Clinical Cards, EP, Critical Care and Preventative.
Hobbies: I enjoy kayaking with my puppy and husband, attempting new winter activities with my sister (ex-luge in Muskegon), bonfires with friends, trying new foods and drinks and going on adventures!
Class of 2024
Joseph Banno, MD
Hometown: Detroit, MI
Residency: University of Pennsylvania
Why did you choose Spectrum Health for your residency/fellowship? I chose Spectrum Health to continue my training because of the people. Every other aspect of the program provides a complete general cardiology training and doing it with such great people will make the journey that much more special.
What are your clinical interests? My main clinical interest include electrophysiology, sarcoidosis and sudden death. I would like to be a proceduralist in the future. I also like cardiology critical care and management of shock with particular interest in mechanical support.
Hobbies: My hobbies include basketball, yoga, running, cooking and playing video games.
Ryan Ber, MD
Hometown: Toronto, Canada
Residency: Temple University Hospitals
Why did you choose Spectrum Health for your residency/fellowship? Choosing Spectrum Health for cardiology fellowship was a no-brainer! The largest academic network in West Michigan, world-class facilities, an up-and-coming expanding small city and the welcoming faculty with a passion for teaching made it an easy choice.
What are your clinical interests? My current clinical interests are in the field of interventional cardiology; using CDT for the management of Lower-extremity DVTs as well as PEs.
Hobbies: In my free time, I enjoy running (before moving to Grand Rapids, along the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia), climbing, a good swim and new local places to enjoy coffee.
Trisha Gomez, MD
Hometown: Manila, Philippines
Residency: Cook County Health and Hospitals System
Why did you choose Spectrum Health for your residency/fellowship? I chose Spectrum Health because all subspecialties of cardiology are well-represented throughout the training. During the interview, everyone was very friendly and they felt like family to me. Since matching, the support we have been getting from the program has been great and the resources available to us are more than adequate to prepare us for training.
What are your clinical interests? I am still undecided but I'm leaning towards advanced heart failure.
Hobbies: I love traveling and exploring countries I have never visited. I also like trying out new restaurants and discovering new recipes to cook. And sometimes, I just enjoy binge watching TV series at home.
Hassan Saleh, MD
Hometown: Toledo, OH
Residency: University of Cincinnati Medical Center
Why did you choose Spectrum Health for your residency/fellowship? I choose Spectrum Health because of the facilities, the volume and content of cases and the faculty. I knew I wanted to be at a program with high volume and advanced cases and given the volume of patients on advanced cardiac support I knew I would get a great scope of practice here.
What are your clinical interests? My clinical interests include cardiology, heart failure and critical care
Hobbies: I enjoy wood working, biking, music, traveling, NBA and NFL.
Graduates
Class of 2023
Rajus Chopra:
- Interventional Cardiologist - Corewell Health in West Michigan
Eesha Purohit:
- Advanced Heart Failure & Transplant Cardiology Fellowship - Corewell Health- Grand Rapids/MSU
Marvin Kajy:
- Interventional Cardiology Fellowship - Spectrum Health/MSU, Grand Rapids, MI
Class of 2022
Malav Parikh:
- Interventional Cardiology Fellowship, Spectrum Health/Michigan State University
- Interventional Cardiologist - Academic Cardiology Associates - Rochester Hills, MI
Lahdan Refahiyat:
- Interventional Cardiology Fellowship - Spectrum Health/Michigan State University
- Interventional Cardiologist - Carson Tahoe Medical Group - Nevada
Christopher Madison:
- Advanced Imaging Fellowship - Spectrum Health/Michigan State University
Class of 2021
Stephen Wilkinson:
- Interventional Cardiology Fellowship - Spectrum Health/Michigan State University
- Interventional Cardiologist - Intermountain Health, Provo, UT
David Bryska:
- Interventional Cardiology Fellowship - University of Illinois - Chicago, IL
- Interventional Cardiologist – University of Michigan Health-West, Grand Rapids, MI
Jose Rios Salcido:
- Interventional Cardiology Fellowship - Spectrum Health/Michigan State University
- Interventional Cardiologist - West Michigan Cardiology, Grand Rapids, MI
Class of 2020
Adnan "Alex" Kassier:
- Interventional Cardiology Fellowship - Ascension Borgess, Kalamazoo, MI
- Structural Heart Fellowship - Ascension Borgess, Kalamazoo, MI
- Interventional & Structural Heart Cardiologist - Mercy Hospital, Springfield, MO
Jose "Joe" Tan:
- Advanced Imaging Fellowship - Spectrum Health, Grand Rapids, MI
- Advanced Imager - Corewell Health in West Michigan
Manivannan Veerasamy:
Cardiologist - The Heart Center of Northeast Georgia Medical Center, Gainesville, GA
