SUMMER 2025

I recently read a book entitled, “Time Anxiety." Have you ever felt that time was passing you by? That you don't feel in control of your time? That there was something you should be doing, if only you could remember what it was (because you were so distracted)? If that sounds familiar to you, then we suffer from the same affliction. There are essentially two types of time anxiety: existential (time is running out in my life) and daily routine focused (there’s not enough time in the day). The book does a nice job of explaining both, and I particularly enjoyed some of the chapter titles: “Inbox of Shame” and “The Magical Thinking of Time Management." The subtitle of the book is also illustrative: “The Illusion of Urgency and a Better Way to Live.”

I share this author’s opinion that too much of our time in modern work life seems spent optimizing our time rather than investing that limited time wisely. The notion that we must use every minute well creates an unrealistic and even impossible goal; as well as potentially an endpoint that sets us up for repeated failures. We cannot have every task be urgent, be all things to all people all the time, and be productive for every waking minute of our day. That simply isn't possible. In the words of the author:

“You were once told you could be anyone, do anything, have it all – even though it sounded good, you always suspected that something was wrong with this idea. You suspected there wasn’t enough time for everything – and you were right. This knowledge can be your advantage, your secret strength. If you keep it close to your heart, honoring its truth, it can bring you peace in the midst of overwhelm. It can help you remember that’s it's okay to not do it all, because in fact such a goal is impossible. And trying to do everything is stressing you out. This cycle will not magically resolve itself, so you need to step in and put it to rest. But just as there is not time for everything, there is still time for so much… Truly, there is time for a life well-lived. If you’re reading this right now, there’s still time.”

How is this relevant for us in the Department? We have arrived together at the conclusion of another virtuous academic cycle. As we celebrate the outstanding accomplishments of our faculty and trainees and begin another cycle anew, I would invite each of us to contemplate how we can best invest our time in the service of each other. We are all called to be stewards of that time. It is my belief that in the context of the above, investments in enhancing our social capital, our connections, and furthering our relationships will increasingly hold currency and connect us to the deep meaning and purpose of our work. To that end, I would invite each of you to read the words that follow. After doing so, please commit to reaching out to someone to provide them congratulations or gratitude. That will certainly be time well spent. I wish everyone a safe and productive summer.

USF recognizes Lisa Patterson as a USF Boundless Bull

If not for her perseverance and ability to overcome self-doubt, Lisa Patterson might never have reached her goal of earning a college degree.

“I had a rough upbringing,” said Patterson, now an office manager at USF Health. “Four months before my high school graduation, I had to leave my home in Tampa and move to Virginia with my mother. So, I dropped out.”

That occurred in 1999.

“For a long time after that, I thought college was just a dream I would never obtain,” she said.

But this spring, the Tampa resident graduates from the University of South Florida with a Bachelor's of Science in Health Sciences, Health Care Administration degree.

“You live, you learn, you grow,” she said. “You never give up. You stay determined.”

It wasn’t easy.

“I realized pretty quickly that I needed a GED to at least have a stable job,” she said. “I earned it in 2001, but by that time, I also had my first son, so I held off on college.”

Patterson waited another 20 years to return to school.

First, she began her career at USF Health in 2010 as a patient service representative “and just kept climbing the ladder,” Patterson said. “I then realized that my continued growth depended on obtaining that college degree.”

So, in 2021, she enrolled at Hillsborough Community College.

“It was hard to go back to school after years away,” Patterson said. “I had to overcome dark thoughts. I was so scared I wouldn’t make it. I kept it quiet for two years. Only my close family knew I was back in school.”

After earning her associate degree, Patterson transferred to USF, again keeping her continuing education largely a secret.

“Other than my family, the only people who knew at first were my coworkers,” Patterson said. “I was in my head, letting the negative thoughts about being away from school for too long get to me. But I have exceeded my expectations.”

Her accolades include induction into the National Society of Leadership and Success, Golden Key International Honour Society and the Beta Phi Chapter of Tau Sigma, a national honor society for transfer students.

And she has done that while raising four children, including a son she adopted in December 2023.

“My journey is one of resilience, love and purpose,” she said. “Balancing motherhood and personal growth have pushed me to overachieve in the best ways, not for accolades, but for the legacy I'm building for my children. Every challenge I've faced has only deepened my capacity to lead with heart, strength and unwavering determination.”

She has more aspirations to pursue.

Patterson was accepted into the Muma College of Business Master of Business Administration program as she pursues her new career goal of becoming a hospital administrator.

She hopes that her story inspires others.

“I’ve learned that it’s never too late to pursue your dreams,” Patterson said. “It’s never too late to live, learn and grow.”

Written by: Paul Guzzo

Read the full article here.

Dr. Perez-Colon was awarded a USF Health culture coin for her medical mission to Columbia.

Jesse Cassanova was awarded a USF Health culture coin for his leadership during international delegation.

Arjun Patel, Department Administrator of the Department of Internal Medicine, was selected as a member of the Leadership Tampa Bay Class of 2026.

Seong Cho, MD

Chief

Division of Allergy & Immunology

Jennifer Shiroky-Kochavi, MD

Chief

Division of General Internal Medicine

Loutfi Succari, MD, MPH

Chief

Division of Rheumatology

Recognizing Excellence - Recent Instructor Promotions

Amy Allspaw, MSN

Instructor II

Darlene Baysa, DNP

Instructor II

Ashley Johnson, DNP

Instructor II

Hazina Joseph, APRN

Instructor II

Thomas Keller, PhD

Instructor II

Kristen Zeitler, PharmD

Instructor II

Sally Alrabaa, MD

Thank you for your service

New members of the Appointment, Promotion & Tenure Committee

Ana Velez, MD

The Department of Internal Medicine celebrates its

2025 Graduates

Residents

Fellows

Recognition in the Education Mission

In recognition of his dedication and contributions to the field of endocrinology, Joaquin Gomez Daspet, MD received a certificate to honor the renaming of the Endocrine Grand Rounds to the Joaquin Gomez-Daspet Endocrinology Grand Rounds.

Joanne Valeriano-Marcet, MD was presented with a Certificate of Recognition for her exemplary leadership, unwavering dedication, and lasting contributions as the Program Director of the USF Rheumatology. Her commitment to excellence, passion, and mentorship has left a significant impact on the program and has set a standard of excellence and profoundly influenced future generations of rheumatologists. (Pictured with Drs. Lin, Succari and Brar)

Noor Bazerbashi, MD

Fellow Certificate of Scholarly Achievement

Rheumatology

John Bowman, MD

Outstanding Fellow Teaching Award

Adam Cohen, MD

Cardiovascular Disease Faculty of the Year

Jason Colizzo, MD

The Patrick Brady MD Gastroenterology Fellowship Teaching Award

Adiac Espinosa Hernandez, MD

Pulmonary and Critical Care Faculty Teacher of the Year

Elora Friar, MD

Outstanding PGY2

Noah Hackney, MD

Fellow of the Year

Cardiovascular Disease

Laurie Joughin, RN

Sleep Medicine Faculty Award

Nikesh Kapadia, MD

TGH Teaching Award

Harry Monestime, DO

Outstanding PGY3

Cilia Nazef, MD

Specialty Care Center Star Award

Alsayed Osman, MD

Fellow Certificate of Scholarly Achievement

Rheumatology

Mitchell Popovetsky, MD

Certificate of Recognition for Exemplary Dedication and Professionalism in the Endocrinology Fellowship Program

Alexander Reiss, MD

Roy H. Behnke MD Award

Esteban Rodriguez, DO

Wellness Champion

Lauren Rybolt, DO

Research Award for Outstanding Scholarly Activity

Infectious Disease

VA Outstanding Fellow Award

Jeffrey P. Nadler, MD, FACP Award for Research Excellence

Jacqueline Sherbuk, MD

Faculty Teacher of the Year

Infectious Disease

Nahomie Veguilla Rivera, MD

Fellow of the Year

Nephrology & Hypertension

Corbin Wright, MD

Outstanding PGY1

Seongseok Yun, MD, PhD

Moffitt Teaching Award

Not Pictured

Marina Antar-Shultz, DO

Nephrology & Hypertension Faculty Teacher of the Year

Jeffrey Kooper, MD

VA Teaching Award

Priya Satish, MD

Outpatient Clinics Teaching Award

Jeffrey Krischer, PhD, and Joe Lezama, MD, were presented with Certificates of Recognizion for their support of the USF Endocrinology Fellowship Program.

Farnaz Tabatabaian, MD, secured a grant in the amount of $20k from the Robert Miles Memorial Education Fund, supported by The Southeastern Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology Society (SEAAIS). The grant will be used to support educational initiatives and training programs in the DIvision of Allergy & Immunology.

Elimarys Perez-Colon, MD, was presented the MPPDA Brendan P. Kelly, MD, Award for demonstrating teaching excellence, collaborative leadership, and compassionate patient care.

Shreya Narayanan, MD, and René Gomez, MD, were selected by the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) to represent the World Gastroenterology Organisation at the Train the Trainer (TTT) Workshop in Morocco and Mexico, respectively.

GIM faculty members presented several workshops at the Society of General Internal Medicine's (SGIM) Annual Meeting in Hollywood, FL, in May

Workshops led by Dr. Jennifer Shiroky-Kochavi

• "Keeping Pace with Cardiac Devices" with future GIM Faculty, Dr Anna Shah, and future Cardiology, USF IM PGY-3, Dr Zachary Wettenstein
• "Into the Thick of It: Teaching Effective Intervisit Care to Internal Medicine Residents" with Dr Shah, and colleagues from Johns Hopkins and Stony Brook Medicine
• And facilitated the "Ambulatory Care Education of Residents" Interest Group

Workshops led by Dr. Christopher Jackson

• "Effective Mentoring Across Differences: Building Bridges in Academic Medicine" with colleagues from the University of Miami, University of Texas Health Science Center, Duke University, and Washington University
• "Marie Kondo Your Life: Pearls to Optimize Work-Life Integration and Fulfillment in Academic Medicine" with colleagues from Johns Hopkins, Emory, and Washington University
• "PICO de EBM: Bite Size EBM Teaching for Everyday Clinical Encounters" with a colleagues from Yale.
• And facilitated the "Minorities in Medicine" Interest Group

The Roy H. Behnke MD Grand Rounds returns Thursday, September 4, 2025.

Our preliminary schedule is below. More details will be shared in August.

Watch previous Grand Rounds on the department’s

YouTube channel.

Seong Cho, MD

Division Chief

NIH-Funded Studies

Dr. Michael Teng's Multi-PI NIH R01: R01 entitled "Peptibodies as novel therapies in atrial fibrillation" is a grant to study the feasibility of treating atrial fibrillation using a novel therapeutic that inhibits the acetylcholine-activated potassium current (IKAch). This grant is a collaboration between Dr. Teng and the lab of Sami Noujaim, a faculty member in the Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology. The project aims to solve the problem of detecting the GIRK1/4 ion channel that mediates IKAch on the cell surface. They developed the idea of attaching a potent bee venom peptide inhibitor of GIRK1/4 (tertiapin Q) to the Fc fragment of IgG1 as both a probe and a therapeutic. This idea led to an R21 award, a patent, a PNAS paper, and now this R01.

Dr. Seong Cho's NIH U01: Role of Soy isoflavones in the prevention of asthma and allergic/type 2 endotypes in infants with high-risk asthma and high PAI-1 producing genotype. Lurie Children's Hospital, Northwestern University, is the clinical site, and Dr. Cho's lab is the mechanistic site. 

Other research activities: Investigating the role of aging and innate immune dysfunction in chronic rhinosinusitis using the Sinus Biobank in collaboration with the USF Otolaryngology department. Recently submitted a new NIH R21 grant with Dr. Kolluputi.

Dr. Cardet's NIH R21: "Social Determinants of Health, Asthma-Related Morbidity and Therapeutic Optimization for Black and Latinx Adults with Asthma". Black and Latinx adults suffer a disproportionate burden of asthma, yet efforts to reduce this disparity have failed mainly due to a limited understanding of social determinants of health (SDOH). In the PREPARE trial, our PARTICS strategy reduced asthma attacks in 1,201 Black and Latinx adults. The resulting rich dataset, including demographic, clinical, phenotypic, and geocoded information, offers a unique opportunity to identify Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) patterns and implement targeted interventions to reduce morbidity in these underserved populations.

Recognition in the Research Mission

Hongshuo Song, PhD, will participate as a reviewer of the July NIH Vaccine Development Program Project Applications (P01 and U19) Study Section.

This summer has witnessed the successful execution of collegial international cooperation. Paul Shapshak, PhD, was appointed to the American Physics Society and commenced working with Jean Schneider, PhD, a leader in the study of exoplanetary atmospheres at the University of Pari, its Observatory, and the European Space Agency.

Juan Carlos Cardet, MD, MPH, was selected as an awardee of a Proposal Enhancement Grant (PEG) for his application on the "Impact of genetic variation in the RGS pathway on airway epithelial cell function in asthma."

Dr. Jacques Durr was recognized by Scholar GPS as Top Scholar which recognizes those whose scholarly contributions rank them within the top 0.5% of all scholars worldwide.

Kartik Rachakonda, a medical student studying in Dr. Narasaiah Kolliputi's lab in the Division of Allergy & Immunology was awarded the 2025 AΩA Carolyn L. Kuckein Student Research Fellowship for his project titled "Role of Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) on Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) Mortality."

Dr. Seong Cho was a featured expert at the KAAACI Seoul International Congress 2025 meeting in May. He spoke on his experience as an allergy doctor and scientist in America.

Spotlight on Rheumatology

The Division of Rheumatology is dedicated to advancing the understanding and treatment of rheumatic diseases through excellence in patient care, education, and research.

We strive to:

• Provide Comprehensive Patient Care: Deliver compassionate, evidence-based, and individualized care to patients with rheumatic diseases, ensuring optimal management and improved quality of life. Over the past year, we have recruited four outstanding faculty members to our division (some of them didn’t physically start yet), significantly enhancing access to Rheumatology for both external referrals and our own in-house patients.
• Advance Medical Education: Foster an environment of learning and mentorship for medical students, residents, and fellows, equipping the next generation of healthcare professionals with the knowledge and skills necessary for excellence in rheumatology.

We are excited to announce that we are working to expand our fellowship program to be the largest in Florida once we secure the final funding approvals.

We are also thrilled to announce the recent publication of Dr. Joanne Valeriano’s book “Interdisciplinary Rheumatology: Rheumatology and Ophthalmology, 1st Edition."

• Promote Innovative Research: We are actively engaging in cutting-edge research and working on participating in pivotal clinical trials about CAR-T cellular therapy, providing much-needed promising treatment options to our patients.

We look forward to future collaborations with community partners and other divisions to increase awareness and understanding of rheumatic diseases, providing resources and support to patients and their families.

The Division of Rheumatology is committed to excellence in patient care, the education and mentorship of future healthcare leaders, and pioneering innovative approaches to treating rheumatic diseases.

Warm regards,

Loutfi Succari, MD, MPH

Chief of Rheumatology

Division of Rheumatology

Recognition in the Clinical Mission

USF Health and Tampa General Hospital Complete First TricValve® Procedure in Florida in FDA Early Feasibility Study

Alison Burt, MD

Assistant Professor

Hospice & Palliative Medicine

Satish Chandrashekaran, MD

Associate Professor

Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine

Grace Chong

Research Support Specialist

Michelle Lyman, MD

Assistant Professor

Hospice & Palliative Medicine

Anna Nordhagen

Senior Medical Education Program Specialist

We have a significant need for philanthropy to be able to support many of the events of our trainees, including graduation ceremonies of our residencies and fellowships in the Department of Internal Medicine. State funding for such events has been severely limited in recent years, such that we need your help in order to be able to help our residents and fellows celebrate graduation the way that you ended your journeys in residency or fellowship (or both for lifetime graduate medical education MD Bulls!). Other needs for which we ask for alumni help include the ability to support residents to attend conferences to present their scholarly work, the ability to provide wellness events and activities to help decrease physician burnout and other networking events that help build the camaraderie that this department has always featured as a hallmark of its training.

It is the incredible nature of our training programs and the tradition of a “championship medical team” that we set that makes those bonds between all of us timeless. We are asking for your help to help keep that mentality and environment of a champion intact through your donation to our fund listed below. We will recognize all alumni who give $1000 or more throughout the year at numerous events so that your legacy here at USF Internal Medicine will continue. Thank you for your commitment to maintaining the level of resident and fellow excellence that you came to know during your time with us in the USF Department of Internal Medicine.

Joe Lezama, MD, MACP

Vice Chair of Education