Name: Julianna Betbeze, MD

Medical School: University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine

Home: Saint Johns, FL

Career Goals: Still not sure, but I'm thinking about a fellowship in NICU, PICU, or emergency and hope to include academic medicine and advocacy in my career.

Hobbies: Travel, cooking, reading, watching SEC football, exploring the area around my new home!

Why you chose Inova and program pluses: I immediately felt like I meshed well with the other residents during my interview. They all were funny and honest about their experiences. I also felt like the program was working hard to create a diverse and healthy learning environment for their residents. Big program pluses were location (I love Northern Virginia and DC), diverse patient population, FREE covered parking attached to the hospital, plenty of elective choices, and a dedicated academic half day.

Name: Margaret Chi, DO

Medical School: LUCOM (Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine)

Home: Midlothian, VA

Career Goals: Primary care.

Hobbies: Hiking (love a good rock scramble!), spending quality time with family and friends, and catching up with the MCU (movies + shows).

Why you chose Inova and program pluses: It pretty much had all the qualities I was looking for in a residency program: proximity to family, medium sized, diverse patient population, and a supportive environment that would train me to become a competent and compassionate general pediatrician. The closeness to Washington, DC, is a plus too!

Name: Rhiya Dave, MD

Medical School: West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine

Home: Marriottsville, MD

Career Goals: Undecided – maybe a fellowship.

Hobbies: Cooking, dancing, fitness, finding new restaurants to try.

Why you chose Inova and program pluses: There are so many reasons why I chose Inova! I felt very comfortable as an AI and everyone was so welcoming and willing to teach. The hospital is beautiful and we receive a large volume of diverse patients with a variety of pathologies. Northern Virginia/DC is a great place to live with a lot of activities to enjoy outside of the hospital. My decision was easy and I am very happy with my choice!

Name: Ainee De Guzman, DO

Medical School: Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine

Home: Richmond, VA

Career Goals: Primary care pediatrics.

Hobbies: Hiking, tennis, piano, painting.

Why you chose Inova and program pluses: I did a rotation as a fourth-year medical student at Inova and had an incredible experience. I saw how supportive the residents and faculty were and how much they cared for each patient. Inova also has dedicated time for teaching, ensuring there is protected learning time to talk with specialists and dive deeper into specific topics. The opportunity to care for children from various parts of the world was also something unique that I loved about Inova.

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Name: Lorin Ferris, MD

Medical School: University of Washington School of Medicine

Home: Bellvue, WA

Career Goals: Undecided, but thinking seriously about hospitalist medicine and neonatology.

Hobbies: Running (shooting for my second Walt Disney World marathon in January 2023), trying new restaurants, traveling on a budget, playing with my cat, watching documentaries, attempting to learn to speak Korean (emphasis on attempting).

Why you chose Inova and program pluses: Inova stood out for a couple reasons. I liked that it was on the medium size, few enough people that we can all fit at a brunch table together, but enough to easily get shifts covered/swapped. Academic half day was unique as well, providing time for the whole residency to hang out and learn for an afternoon without anyone being pulled away by pages/calls/patient care. The hospital itself has a large census with a high turnover, so you get bread-and-butter but also work with subspecialists to figure out some zebras here and there. Plus because of its location in Northern Virginia, we draw patients from Virginia, DC, West Virginia, and Maryland so you get this super interesting mix of different patient populations. But what I love most is that you get the pluses (food, drinks, entertainment, tons of young people, etc.) of being near a big city without actually have to live in the heart of it (less traffic, more green spaces, good running trails).

Name: Fariha Hasham-Mufti, MD

Medical School: Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine

Home: Miramar, FL

Career Goals: NICU or Newborn Nursery (anything to do with babies!)

Hobbies: Trying new restaurants, cooking/baking, party planning.

Why you chose Inova and program pluses: I was impressed by how close the residents were with each other and the support from program leadership to respond to resident feedback and foster diversity initiatives, wellness activities, and education. I also love the DMV area and felt like it was the right fit!

Name: Sahithi Konuri, DO 

Medical School: Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine - Virginia

Home: Ashburn, VA

Career Goals: Primary care pediatrics.

Hobbies: Spending more money and time than I should on new foods and watching TV, moderately good dancing.

Why you chose Inova and program pluses: I loved the diversity that I observed – not only within the program with the residents and the faculty, but also with the patient population that it serves. Growing up in Northern Virginia, it is also very nice to be back home close to family and friends once again after many years.

Name: Alex Kreis, MD

Medical School: Rocky Vista University COM - CO Campus

Home: Los Angeles, CA

Career Goals: Subspecialty — great mix of clinic time, longitudinal relationships with patients and families, and hospital time!

Hobbies: Hiking, cycling, watching movies/TV shows, going on home/garden tours (yes, I'm old), traveling to places far away, and exploring places nearby. Favorite spots I've explored around here thus far? Going to Shenandoah National Park for a hike followed by visiting a winery for some wine tasting.

Why you chose Inova and program pluses: The Inova pediatrics program is truly a gem. It's small enough that it feels very close-knit, but it's large enough that you have access to outstanding learning opportunities and training. Some adjectives I would use to describe my co-residents and chiefs: nice, fun, smart, hardworking, helpful, dependable. The faculty all love to teach. And to top it off, we have the BEST program director and APDs who are all very invested in our training and making residency the best experience it can be for everyone!

Name: Sarah Neale, DO

Medical School: Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine- Harlem

Home: New Hartford, CT

Career Goals: NICU

Hobbies: Video games, cooking, foraging.

Why you chose Inova and program pluses: I was planning on staying closer to home initially, but Inova really drew me in during interviews. Everyone was very genuine and welcoming, and it seemed like the leadership was very invested in resident well-being. Inova is a great place to learn, and I have been very well-supported. It has been a ton of work but I would pick this place again in a heartbeat!

Name: Izzat Shbeeb, MD

Medical School: LSUHSC New Orleans

Home: Alexandria, LA

Career Goals: Undecided but interested in neonatology, rheumatology, gastroenterology, nephrology and primary care.

Hobbies: Coin collecting, trying all the food the DMV area has to offer.

Why you chose Inova and program pluses: I chose Inova because I really wanted to be in the Northern Virginia area, but after starting here I truly came to appreciate how close-knit the residents are in the program, how incredibly supportive the faculty and administration are, and just how much there is to do here and in the surrounding areas.

Name: Talisa Tait, MD

Medical School: Loma Linda University School of Medicine

Home: Beltsville, MD

Career Goals: General pediatrics.

Hobbies: Succulent gardening, FaceTime sessions friends, binging hallmark movies – especially during Christmas, trying to get back into gymnastics.

Why you chose Inova and program pluses: Inova truly surprised me. During the Zoom social hour and interview day everyone was welcoming and I felt that both residents and attendings were generally happy to be here. I saw the importance of resident feedback and that residents had lots of autonomy. I also knew I wanted to be at a medium-sized program that was close to my hometown.

Name: Emily Williams, DO

Medical School: Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine

Home: Charlottesville, VA

Career Goals: Primary care.

Hobbies: I love going to the beach, exploring nature, and just spending quality time with my family and friends. I also love to cook and love trying new recipes!

Why you chose Inova and program pluses: I chose Inova because of its great location in proximity to Washington DC, and because I love that it is a mid-sized program at an academics focused, large hospital center – the best of both worlds! I knew I would be challenged with the level of acuity, diversity, and volume of patients seen here, but well supported by the depth and breadth of subspecialists and experienced providers. Program pluses: Close-knit residents, diverse patient population and high acuity care.

Name: Kiet Zhou, MD

Medical School: New York Medical College

Home: Clarksburg, MD

Career Goals: Undecided, but considering fellowship.

Hobbies: Painting, reading, exploring new restaurants, hanging out with friends and family.

Why you chose Inova and program pluses: There are many reasons why I chose Inova! One reason is that I wanted to train at a medium-sized program with few fellows because I wanted to be able to see and do as much as possible. Another reason is the supportive and warm environment here. Lastly, I am from Maryland so I knew I wanted to come back to the DMV area, and I am excited to be able to explore the Northern Virginia food scene :)