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PGY-4

PGY-4 Residents

Menal Bhandari, MD

Hometown: Chittorgarh, India
Undergraduate school: Central Academy School, Chittorgarh, India
Medical school: Mahatma Gandhi Medical College, Jaipur, India
Internship: Weiss Memorial Hospital, Uptown , Chicago
Why did you choose Radiation Oncology? I had an interest in physics during my school days along with medical science. Radiation Oncology is a combination of both. Also having an interest in physics help me understand Radiation Oncology better.
Why Loyola? Loyola is a very good academic center with internationally recognized faculty and friendly work environment. Also with the opportunity to live in the vibrant city of Chicago.
Hobbies and interests: Play Soccor and Tennis. Hanging out with friends.
Interesting fact: My name is unique. I haven't found anyone till now with my name and same pronunciation.
Favorite movie: Half Ticket
Favorite TV show: An Indian TV show called Office Office
Favorite Chicago restaurant: Naansense in Naperville
Favorite thing to do in Chicago: Biking in uptown area at the Michigan lake, hang out with friends, play cards, explore new Restaurants.

Isaac Lasko, MD

Hometown: Highland Park, Illinois

Undergraduate School: Tufts University School of Engineering

Medical School: Tufts University School of Medicine

Internship: Lemuel Shattuck Hospital, Boston

Why did you choose Radiation Oncology? Radiation Oncology is a unique specialty where I get to wear both my "people-person" hat (interdisciplinary collaboration, long conversations with amazing patients) as well as my "science dork" hat (big machines, complex physics, 3D problem-solving). The combination of the two makes every day dynamic and fascinating.

Hobbies and Interests: Basketball, Biking, Playing guitar and singing, Being outside

Interesting Fact: I'm making a board game for fun, called "Bad Hospital" haha

Favorite Movie: Amelie

Favorite TV Show: n/a

Favorite Chicago Restaurant: Daisies in Logan Square

Favorite Thing(s) to do in Chicago: Playing basketball at the rooftop park of the famous Old Post Office building

PGY-3

PGY-3 Residents

Samar Khan, MD

Hometown: Chicago
Undergraduate school: Loyola University Chicago
Medical school: University of Toledo COMLS
Internship: Advocate Lutheran General Hospital
Why did you choose Radiation Oncology? I had a strong background in physics and worked at Northwestern Proton center before medical school, which introduced me to the wonders of this field. After doing a rotation in medical school, I was hooked. We can design complex plans to cure many cancers as well as take away pain when used palliatively. It has the perfect intersection of patient care, discovery, and lifelong learning.
Why Loyola? The people. Wow. I did an away rotation here and found the Rad Onc department to be filled with brilliant and compassionate leaders who value teaching as well as your well being. The support staff was very kind and helpful. Overall, I felt like everyone is so genuine and I was at home. I am very thankful to be here!
Hobbies and interests: Relaxing with family, trying new restaurants, teaching, playing basketball, pickle ball, volleyball, and working out. Recently nominated and elected to RFS Executive Committee, ACR Radiation Oncology Representative
Interesting fact: I taught physics at Loyola University Chicago. It was a cool experience to be a colleague of professors I had once upon a time in undergrad.
Favorite movie: Ip Man, Disney/Pixar movies (always a kid at heart)
Favorite TV show: Naruto, House of Usher
Favorite Chicago restaurant: This is a hard one. I love good food! Kabobi is the best Persian food ever and Bundoo Khan will add some flavor in your life.
Favorite thing to do in Chicago: NA

Thomas Achilles Kotsonis, MD

Hometown: Brookfield, Wisconsin
Undergraduate School: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Medical School: Medical College of Wisconsin
Internship: Medical College of Wisconsin Affiliated Hospitals
Why did you choose Radiation Oncology?: What led me into Radiation Oncology were my personal experiences with the healthcare system, namely my own experiences with cancer. When I was 8, I was diagnosed with a rare blood cancer/autoimmune disorder called Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis Eosinophilic Granuloma (LCH for short) and was treated with radiation and chemotherapy. Thankfully, I did very well with treatment and recovered with minimal long term effects, however in 2020 my medical training was interrupted by a diagnosis of Hodgkin's Lympyhoma (which I happened to discover doing a lymph node exam on myself during a medical school clinical skills workshop). I was treated again with chemotherapy and radiation therapy, and it was actually my radiation oncologist who suggested I look into radiation oncology. I took her advice and instantly fell in love with everything Radiation Oncology has to offer--close collaboration with colleagues across many specialties, the physics and other detailed scientific knowledge needed, the rapid changes and advancements that are happening every day, and, most importantly to me, the long term doctor-patient relationships that Radiation Oncologists develop with their patients.
Why Loyola? Loyola has everything I could ask for in a training program! The Loyola University Medical Center is a major tertiary care center with access to numerous advanced treatments, plentiful opportunities for research to advance our understanding of cancer, and cares for people from all different walks of life, which were 3 key priorities for me when selecting a training program. Furthermore, I really enjoyed the collegiality of the department during my interview and during my continued discussions with members of the department, something that makes me excited to join the department myself!
Hobbies and Interests: My favorite hobbies are reading, exercising, and watching sports! I love to read science fiction, and I read a lot of the "classic" science fiction novels from the 1950's - 1990's because it's so fascinating to see how our world compares to what people believed it would be like decades ago. And, as a true Wisconsinite, I am a dedicated Brewers/Packers/Bucks fan and UW-Madison Badger football/basketball/hockey fan (my apologies in advance to any/all Chicago sports fans).
Interesting Fact: When I was very young I was initially left handed, but when my dad saw I could throw a baseball much harder with my right hand he switched me over. Ever since then I've been a righty!
Favorite Movie: Star Wars: A New Hope
Favorite TV Show: Silicon Valley
Favorite Chicago Restaurant: Greek Islands in Greektown--there are so many outstanding authentic Greek restaurants in Chicago, but Greek Islands is consistently top notch.
Favorite Thing(s) to do in Chicago: Explore the city! As you can see from my bio, I've spent most/all of my life in Wisconsin, so I've only had a handful of brief experiences in the big city that is Chicago. I'm really excited to get out and see how much more Chicago has to offer!

PGY-2

PGY-2 Residents

Veronia Fahmy, DO

Hometown: East Brunswick, NJ
Undergraduate School: Rutgers University
Medical School: New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine
Internship: Hackensack Meridian Ocean University Medical Center
Why did you choose Radiation Oncology?: I became interested in radiation oncology during college while shadowing a radiation oncologist and conducting research on BRCA1 mutations in breast cancer. I was drawn to the field’s blend of molecular biology, technology, and meaningful patient care. I enjoy the procedural aspect, especially brachytherapy, and the opportunity to support patients through challenging times.
Why Loyola?: My college mentor, now a Loyola faculty member, inspired my journey into radiation oncology. From my interview, it was clear Loyola offers a supportive, collegial training environment that felt like the right fit.
Hobbies and Interests: Playing piano, singing, reading true story novels, working out, traveling
Interesting Fact: I speak 3 languages
Favorite Movie: Elf
Favorite TV Show: Suits
Favorite Chicago Restaurant: Lou Malnati's
Favorite Thing(s) to do in Chicago: Walking along the Riverwalk

Pavithra Ramanathan, MD

Hometown: Chennai, India
Undergraduate School: Sri Jayendra Saraswathi Ayurveda College
Medical School: Chicago Medical School
Internship: Advocate Lutheran General Hospital
Why did you choose Radiation Oncology?: In my fourth year of medical school, I did an elective in radiation oncology wanting to explore this field of “Radiology” (which was my assumption). During the elective, I was truly fascinated by the extent of technology being used to treat cancer and other diseases. It was intellectually motivating for me to understand physics, cancer biology, anatomy, radiology and using cutting edge technology. Working with a multidisciplinary team involving physicists, medical oncologists, surgeons, and pathologists in patient care was meaningful work experience to me. The meaningful patient relationship I could have in their journey toward cancer care was equally stimulating. I felt this field had all the components for a fulfilling career for me.
Why Loyola?: The excellent faculty and wonderful residents that I met during my away rotation made me feel this is the place that I need to get my training. I was able to learn and grow without the fear of being judged. And to live in Chicago.
Hobbies and Interests: Loves knowing about history of people and places; Learning to sing various genre of music; I love visiting farms and connecting with the animals there
Interesting Fact: I did Ayurveda medicine in India, worked as ayurveda physician before restarting my journey in western medicine
Favorite Movie: Bajirao Mastani
Favorite Chicago Restaurant: A2B
Favorite Thing(s) to do in Chicago: Visiting lake front, museums

Alumni

Radiation Oncology Residency Alumni

Lamiaa Abdallah, MD, Brachytherapy Fellowship, Memorial Sloan Kettering, New York, NY
Nader Darwish, MD, Physician, Carle Health, Urbana, IL
Anjali Saripalli, MD, Physician, Collaborative Radiation Oncology, Flint, MI
Bhanu Prasad, MD, Physician, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA
Brian Chou, MD, Physician, CA Proton Center, San Diego, CA
Dennis Chan, MD, Physician, Northwest Community Healthcare, Arlington Heights, IL
Grant Harmon, MD, Physician, Asante, Medford, OR
Adam Gliniewicz, MD, Attending Physician, MercyOne, Des Moines, IA
Alec Harris, MD, Attending Physician, Radiation Oncology Consultants, Oak Brook, IL
Kyle Stang, MD, Attending Physician, OSF Healthcare, Bloomington, IL
Basel Altoos, MD, Attending Physician, Norton Healthcare, Louisville, KY
Chelsea Miller, MD, Attending Physician, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI
Courtney Hentz, MD, Attending Physician, Loyola Medicine, Maywood, IL
Issra Rashed, MD, Community Healthcare System, Munster, IN
Scott Silva, MD, PhD, Attending Physician, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY
Alec Block, MD, Attending Physician, Loyola Medicine, Maywood, IL
Maya Mathew, MD, Attending Physician, Roswell Park Univeristy, Buffalo, NY
Fiori Alite, MD, Attending Physician, Geisinger Hospital, Lewisburg, PA
Karan Shah, MD, Attending Physician, Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Chicago, IL
Parvez Shaikh, MD, Attending Physician, West Virginia University, Morgantown WV