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St. Matthew's University Alumni Spotlights
Dr. Dunia Carralero Haddad “I strongly believe St. Matthew’s offers a wonderful platform for a successful future in any field of Medicine because of the personalized education one could receive in its small family-like environment.” Before graduating with honors from St. Matthew’s this last May, I came to SMU with backgrounds in Biochemistry, Chemistry, and Medical Sciences from The University of Texas-DBH, University of Houston, and Miami Dade Community College. Along with a strong academic background, I also brought the experience of a successful research career at M.D. Anderson’s Cancer Center under the tutelage of Dr. Garth Nicholson (father of The Fluid-Mosaic Model). At St. Matthew’s I was a Basic Sciences Senior Tutor and created a series of clinical lectures related to Cancer topics which I delivered as part of the Histology curriculum, during the week, along with Pathology and Genetics tutoring lectures every Saturday. I was a member of AMSA and SGA, becoming class representative for fifth semester. For my commitment to helping my fellow students, academic excellence and community involvement, I was awarded the St. Matthew’s University Academic Scholarship in first semester, The Dean’s Award at the White Coat Ceremony, the Jha Family Scholarship, and became an appointed member of the Disciplinary Committee. I also developed a Lyme’s Disease experimental protocol for SMU’s Research Department which was filed as a grant application to the Society of Hyperbaric Medicine. I strongly believe St. Matthew’s offers a wonderful platform for a successful future in any field of medicine because of the personalized education one could receive in its small family-like environment. In my opinion, The Cayman Islands lead to a unique medical school experience due to the fact that time can be easily managed between studying, community activism and outdoor activities. “I had waited fifteen years to return to my medical school path, and it took me fifteen seconds to realize that I had chosen the right school the day I sat on my first SMU class,” I commented to Cayman Net News when interviewed by the paper for a profile as “Cayman’s Person of the Day”. With that uplifting spirit I currently plan to continue my graduate medical education intertwining the fields of Genetics, Surgical Dermatology, and Preventive Medicine. I also have committed to taking on an active role in Latin American health issues at the World Health Organization. I was recently elected Alumni Association President by my peers and, I currently live in Texas with my husband and teenage boys.
Alissa C. Andolino, M.D., M.H.S.A. “We have been given the gift to both help and to heal.” What follows was presented as the Alumni Association Address at the May 2009 Commencement Exercises. Eight years ago, I was just starting my journey into medicine. I left New Jersey and landed on Ambergris Caye in Belize. I remember the journey well, mainly, because one of the tires on the small prop plane, that flew me from the mainland to the island, was flat and the wing was slightly crooked. What had I gotten myself into? Did I want to be a doctor that much that I would be able to deal with living so far away and in an environment that was not like anything I had ever experienced before? That question was tested over and over again over these past eight years. The first week of classes was not too bad; however, the first test came sooner than I thought. I’m a Jersey girl, and luckily I had satellite television that came in from NY. I awoke on Sept. 11, 2001 and turned on The Today Show. I sat down to eat my cereal, and I saw smoke billowing from one of the twin towers. I remember thinking, it’s a crystal clear day, and how could a plane hit the towers? Then I saw the second plane come in. I stood there for a second and then I took off at a run to get to the school. What was going on? Here I was in a country I didn’t know, and literally, my home was under attack. I couldn’t even get through to my family, the phone lines were down. What I hadn’t realized then, was this was the first of many tests. Four weeks after that, Hurricane Iris started to bear down on Belize. A mandatory evacuation of the outer islands was called for. We all fled to the mainland, and from there we branched off. Some of us headed back to the states, and others headed farther inland. We all wondered if we would have a school to come back to. Luckily, the hurricane veered one degree to the south and missed Ambergris Cayce, but took its wrath out on the capital of Belmopan. Now, seriously, if this all happened to you in the first 5 weeks of medical school, while you were trying to learn all the muscles and bones and what nerves innervated which structures, wouldn’t you wonder about the path you had chosen? Things finally settled down for a bit. I made it through the first trimester and started the second…and then, the move to Cayman was announced. Yeah, an island where the water and electricity both work at the same time! Now I was on cruise control...right up until Step 1. Ok, I could do this. St. Matthew’s had prepared me well. “Yes”, I screamed when my mother called and read me my Step 1 scores. I was so happy I started crying. Third and fourth year was a whirlwind. Illinois, Maryland, Florida, New York, and Vermont. I was a nomad, roaming from one rotation to the next. St. Matthew’s gave me the tools and I used them to my full advantage. I fell in love with obstetrics and gynecology. Well, I survived so far, why not try. I got into Danbury Hospital in Danbury, CT. Yale associated, not bad for an IMG. Still, I had my sights set high from day one. Why not try for chief resident. It was February 2008, half way through my third year. I was called into the program director’s office. He told me that the staff and administration wanted to offer me the position of Administrative Chief resident for the following year. Now, I really did have everything. I received a wonderful medical education, I was nearing the end of my residency, I was getting married the following year, and a practice in my hometown wanted me to come and work for them? Then in one instance I felt like it was all being taken away. I woke one morning in early March 2008 to an awful pain in my neck and shoulder on my right side. I thought maybe I fell asleep on my neck wrong or something. So, like any doctor, I ignored it…or at least tried. However, over the next week, it didn’t go away. In fact, it intensified, and then my arm started to tingle, and then it went numb. I rushed from work to my family practitioner. She sent me for and MRI. One hour of banging and clanging, while I lay in a tight space. That night I received a phone call. It was Dr. Whitcombe, a friend, and one of the OB/GYN attendings. She said to me, “Alissa, it’s not a pinched nerve. I talked with the radiologist. The reports read several areas of dymelination in the upper right cervical spine.” Oh, my God…this can’t be, I thought. I broke out in tears. How could I have multiple sclerosis…why me? After more MRIs and visits to two neurologists, it was confirmed. The questions in my mind were overwhelming. Would I still be able to continue in this field? What was going to happen to me? What would I do if I couldn’t do what I loved?” Finally, I realized, I had to look backward to look forward. I looked at how I got to where I am today and thought about how trying, and at times, comical, my life had been and still is. I could get through this too. I’m ending my residency, and graduating as Administrative Chief Resident, on April 25th I married the most wonderful, caring man I have ever met, and I have joined that practice in my hometown of Oak Ridge, NJ. I’m looking forward to being a small town doctor, a wife, and a future mother. I have St. Matthew’s to thank for making the dream possible, and teaching me that whatever God puts in front of you, if you want it bad enough, it will all work out. Always remember why you chose medicine. Continue to learn; continue to want to be better. Soon you will be on your own, take what you have learned here and build on it. I can’t promise you that there will not be days that you think about quitting. Believe me, those days will come, but I can also assure you that those days will pass. My mother has always told me “that when God closes a door, he opens a window.” Remember to look for that open window. The field of medicine entrusts us with the lives of other. We have been given the gift to both help and to heal. It is an honor and a privilege; we must always respect that. As the Hippocratic Oath states, “if I keep this oath faithfully, may I enjoy my life and practice my art, respected by all men and in all times.”
Dr. John Bas A 2001 graduate from St. Matthew's University, Dr. John Bas first learned about the application of medicine while caring for a family member. He pursued additional clerkships in Family Medicine while completing his MHSA at St. Joseph's College. Soon after his ECFMG certification, he began his residency training at the Brown University Family Medicine Program. In his intern year, he was commissioned as a Captain in the United States Army Medical Corps. After residency he started his own private practice and soon married his wife Amy. Most recently, Dr. Bas completed his Officer's Leadership Course and was appointed Company Commander of over 200 officers in the Army Healthcare field. Although Dr. Bas admits the road he chose was one less traveled, he is looking forward to the challenges and remains thankful for where he is today.
Dr. Ronald Billips Dr. Ronald Billips received a BS in Psychology/Sociology at Bluefield College. He went on to obtain his graduate degree at West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV. After working 13 years in the mental health field, he chose St. Matthew's University to further his medical career. He said he felt the clinical rotation sites offered at SMU were superior to the other schools he had considered. Having worked in the medical field for several years he realized the importance of strong clinical opportunities. Dr. Billips is currently an active member with The AMA, The American Academy of Family Physicians, current member of the Bi-laws Committee and Radiation Safety Committee, Bon Secours St. Francis Medical Center, Richmond, Virginia, and Pandemic Flu Advisory Group Committee member of the Virginia Department of Health, Richmond, VA. His awards and honors include the Southwest Virginia Graduate Medical Education Consortium Report to the Virginia General Assembly, January, 2006. p2 http://www.wise.virginia.edu/gmec/annualreport06.pdf He graduated from Bon Secours Family Medicine Residency where he worked as a senior resident in the Family Medicine Residency Program St. Francis Hospital, Richmond Health Systems, Richmond, Virginia. (http://www.sffm.net) He is currently employed in a rural, primary health care facility, Prudich Medical Center, in Montcalm, West Virginia. Having started SMU as a nontraditional student with a dream I now have a very realistic view of what type of physician I want to become. My future plans are to work in an under-served, rural area to provide the medical care so desperately needed. St. Matthew's was, and continues to be, instrumental in my realization of that dream. Publications: The Journal of Urgent Care Medicine - News: Derm Diagnoses - A graphic case report on herpes zoster from Drs. John Philip Sherrod, David Boyd, and Ronald Billips. Abstracts in Urgent Care. 2008-Jan http://jucm.com/2008-jan/insights1.shtml
Dr. W. Christopher Croley After graduating from St. Matthew's University in 2000, Dr. W. Christopher Croley completed his residency in Anesthesiology at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois where he served as Chief Resident. He received the Robert D. Dripps Memorial Award for outstanding academic performance. Dr. Croley was a Critical Care Fellow at Northwestern University in Chicago where he was very active and involved in many projects, including the development of a critical care clerkship for fourth year medical students. He actively participated on the RUSL Steering Committee, developing new simulation curricula for the anesthesia residency program and helping other programs to do the same. As the medical director of Simulation for the American College of Chest Physicians, Dr. Croley provided representation for Rush on a national level. Dr. Croley is also an active member in the American Society of Anesthesiologists and has participated in numerous meetings with legislators in Washington, DC to discuss issues important to the specialty of Anesthesiology as well as medical education. While completing his fellowship, Dr. Croley worked in a part-time capacity as an Attending Anesthesiologist and Instructor at Rush University Medical Center. Most recently, Dr. Croley was appointed as the Associate Director of Residency Education for the Rush Department of Anesthesiology. He is also Co-Medical Director of the Rush University Simulation Laboratory (RUSL) where he is accountable for overall simulation management through University Affairs and was appointed to the Department of Anesthesiology as Medical Director of the Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU). Dr. Croley has published multiple manuscripts and abstracts related to critical care and medical education. In February 2006, he received recognition from the American College of Chest Physicians for his role as Co-Director of an International Medical Simulation Workshop in Montreal.
Dr. Valerie M. Gironda Prior to St. Matthew's University Dr. Valerie M. Gironda spent eight years in the Air Force Reserve Air National Guard while attending the University of Florida. She has successfully completed Aerospace Medicine training and is certified as a Flight Surgeon. After graduating from St. Matthew's University in 2005 she was offered and accepted a research fellowship in cardiology at the University of South Florida. Dr. Gironda has specialized training to care for Air Crew including Pilots, Navigators, Loadmasters, Aerospace Medical Technicians and their families. She is currently participating in cardiology research and completing her military training which includes Airborne School.
Dr Kristen Kupeyan Dr Kristen Kupeyan graduated from Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee. She was very dedicated to her studies and was able to find a balance between school and personal life. She met her husband at St. Matthew's University on the first day of class and they were married three days after graduation. She began her Family Medicine residency in Spartanburg, South Carolina. In April 2006 she was selected as Chief Resident and was responsible for overseeing 42 other residents of which 85% were U.S. Medical Graduates. Attending St. Matthew's University and completing her MHSA at St. Joseph's was very beneficial and helped enhance her role as Chief Resident. After completing residency Kristen began working as a Hospitalist at Hotel-Dieu Hospital in Windsor, Canada. |
This Page Last Updated 2010-09-06
