Austin Niu, MD, Mohamed Ramadan, MD, Yash Shah, MD
The Department of Medicine is thrilled to share the success of our hospitalists who have secured fellowships for the upcoming year.
Two of our hospitalists will be transitioning to fellowship right here at Barnes-Jewish Hospital- Dr. Elissa Arnold, who will be in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, and Dr. Justin Chen, who will be in Cardiology. On her approaching fellowship, Dr. Arnold said, “As I reflect on my time as a hospitalist and my upcoming transition to fellowship as a Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine fellow, I am so grateful for what my time in the division has given me. Working as a hospitalist has required me to really expand and put to use my knowledge of general medicine, allowing me to grow immensely as a clinician. Further, as this year has been my first time practicing independently, I have been forced to improve my decision making and confidence in real time. Throughout the daunting transition from resident to attending, my peers in the Division of Hospital Medicine have been incredibly helpful and welcoming. I have felt so supported when I’ve been unsure or overwhelmed. Even through interview season, when my schedule was hectic as could be, division administration and coworkers stepped up and helped me make it work. And we’ve had fun! It has been really important to me to go into fellowship feeling like a good generalist. The skills and experience I’ve gained while working as a hospitalist have helped me start to build that foundation, and I am sure that my time in this role will make me a better fellow and PCCM physician. Looking forward to taking consults from this great group in the coming years!”
Working as a hospitalist has required me to really expand and put to use my knowledge of general medicine, allowing me to grow immensely as a clinician.”
Elissa Arnold, MD
Others are going out of state for their upcoming fellowships. Dr. Kate Finneran will complete her fellowship at Oregon Health and Science University, where she will specialize in Infectious Diseases, while Dr. Kevin Li will be completing his fellowship in Hematology/Oncology at INOVA Fairfax in Virginia. Reflecting on his career journey and his upcoming fellowship, Dr. Li said, “When I arrived at Washington University in St. Louis, Barnes Jewish Hospital, and the Siteman Cancer Center as a newly minted attending physician, I felt excited. Years ago, I had walked the hallways as a medical student, filled with book knowledge and an unrealized passion for bedside care. My respect for our institution could not be understated.
Two years later, I have taken care of hundreds of patients, many of whom carry a diagnosis of cancer. I have seen the suffering my patients and families have endured and have worked in many teams to ease that suffering and provide healing with quality care. Watching the patients and their families leave the hospital with smiles and hope has been my greatest reward as a hospital physician.
As I prepare to depart from this city that I have called home for more than a decade for hematology oncology fellowship, I bring the wisdom and experience of working at a world class institution for cancer care. The relationships and memories I have made here are indelible. I eagerly await the chance to cure cancer for my patients with the latest advances that medicine can offer. Please accept my sincerest wishes for the most love, prosperity, and health for everyone! “
Dr. Austin Niu will be specializing in Cardiology at Baylor College of Medicine in Texas. Of his transition to fellowship, Dr. Niu said, “At this juncture in my career, I distinctly recall some words said to me during medical school: “in order to be a good cardiologist, one must first be a good internist.” It is with these words with which I took on this year as an academic hospitalist. My path through residency had been interrupted by a major illness which I felt had left some gaps in my knowledge and research compared to my peers, and I cannot say how grateful I am to have had the opportunity to work here with the hospitalist service alongside both new and old colleagues.
My time on the oncology unit allowed me to learn more about the varied medicine problems specifically affecting cancer patients in partnership with our world class medical and radiation oncology colleagues. I had the opportunity to continue to teach medical students as well as residents. My research work over just the last few months continued to be fruitful. All of this is tempered only by the fact that I know I will sorely miss the patients, learning, and camaraderie here as I move on to the next phase of my training.
I was fortunate to have many amazing mentors and colleagues here who supported me in numerous aspects of my personal and professional endeavors. I feel that a quote by George Matthew Adams is appropriate here: “There is no such thing as a ‘self-made man’. We are made up of thousands of others. Everyone who has ever done a kind deed for us, or spoken one word of encouragement to us, has entered into the makeup of our character and of our thoughts, as well as our success.” I owe so much to the amazing people not just in the Hospitalist Division, but the entire Division of Medicine and all its disciplines, at all levels. All I can say is, thank you all so much, and please look me up if ever I can do anything to pay back the innumerable kindnesses which have been given to me.”
My time on the oncology unit allowed me to learn more about the varied medicine problems specifically affecting cancer patients in partnership with our world class medical and radiation oncology colleagues.
Austin Niu, MD
Dr. Mohamed Ramadan will be heading to Huntington, West Virginia to complete a Pulmonary Critical Care Fellowship at Marshall University. Finally, Dr/ Yash Shah will be completing a fellowship in Hematology/Oncology at Ochsner Health System in New Orleans. When asked about his fellowship match, Dr. Shah said he was grateful to the department for providing him with an incredible opportunity to serve as a Bone Marrow Transplant and Oncology Hospitalist. This position proved valuable in his professional journey, offering invaluable experience to enhance his proficiency in these specialized fields.
The training at Ochsner promises a wealth of knowledge and practical insights that will undoubtedly contribute to his growth as a future physician in Hematology and Oncology. While bidding farewell to a thriving environment may be bittersweet, Dr. Shah finds solace in the anticipation of his wife enjoying the southern breeze once again.
While we are sad to see some of our hospitalists go, we are so proud of their hard work and wish them the best on their career journeys!