Resident Biographies:Emergency Medicine Department:SUNY Upstate Medical University

Resident Biographies


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2007 Resident Bio's (effective July 1, 2007)

To help you obtain a feel for the diversity of our residents, below are bio's of current residents in Emergency Medicine at Upstate. Included information is e-mail address, undergraduate degree, medical school, and hobies/interests for each resident. For faculty bio's, please visit the faculty biographies page.

Chief Residents
EM-1 Residents
EM-2 Residents
EM-3 Residents

Chief Residents

Lawrence H. Cresswell, III, DO

Medical School: New York College of Osteopathic Medicine of NY Institute of Technology, Old Westbury, New York
Undergraduate Degree: Xavier University of Louisiana, New Orleans, Louisiana
Hobbies & Interests: Lawrence's hobbies and interests include fishing, skiing, golfing, karate and traveling.

Timothy J. Fortuna, DO

Medical School: New York College of Osteopathic Medicine of NY Institute of Technology, Old Westbury, New York
Undergraduate Degree: Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York
Hobbies & Interests: Timothy's interests include aviation and expects soon to have his instrument pilot certification. He is also an avid downhill skier and enjoys many outdoor activities including camping, hiking and scuba diving. To stay physically fit he enjoys running, cycling, swimming and tennis.

EM-3

	Sonya Daria, MD Medical School: University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington Undergraduate Degree: University of Washington, Seattle, Washington Hobbies & Interests: Sonya enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter at various parks and museums. Her hobbies include playing Ultimate Frisbee, reading books of all genres (fiction and nonfiction), gourmet cooking - especially hors d'oeuvres and pastries.
	Spencer P. Ferrin, MD Medical School: Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Undergraduate Degree: University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah Hobbies & Interests: Spencer enjoys rock climbing, snowboarding and wake boarding. He plays hockey sometimes, mainly in informal pick-up games. He also likes to take his jeep off-road, ride horses, hike and fish. Spencer has been playing the piano since the age of eight and also plays guitar. He is also fluent in Tagalog.
	Chelsea Foster, MD E-mail Address: fosterc@upstate.edu Undergraduate Degree: UC San Diego La Jolla, California Medical School: Medical College of Wisconsin Milwaukee, Wisconsin Hobbies & Interests: Chelsea's hobbies include hiking, mountain biking, snow and water skiing, tennis, pottery, travel and running. She completed the Chicago marathon 2002.
	Gina F. Hayes, MD Medical School: SUNY at Buffalo School of Medicine, Buffalo, New York Undergraduate Degree: SUNY College at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York Hobbies & Interests: Gina's hobbies include botany/gardening (has extensive vegetable garden); building/construction (built 12'x12' outdoor deck and constructed an old English style path); needlepoint, embroidery, maintenance sewing and beaded flowers. She also enjoys collage/art using various materials (mirror, beads, twine, etc) to create landscapes. And she enjoys cooking anything, any style.
	Joseph R. Lauro, MD Medical School: St. George's University, Grenada Undergraduate Degree: SUNY College at Oneonta, Oneonta, New York Hobbies & Interests:Joseph's hobbies and interests include traveling, music, exercise, animals and food.
	Matthew J. Sarsfield, MD Medical School: SUNY at Syracuse College of Medicine, Syracuse, New York Undergraduate Degree: St. Lawrence University, Canton, New York Hobbies & Interests: Matthew has fun being with his wife and two children who keep him busy. However, over the past ten years he has been teaching himself to play the guitar. It has become one of his main hobbies. He also enjoys completing home improvement projects, reading novels, biking and running.
	Jonathan A. Schiller, MD Medical School: Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Undergraduate Degree: University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, Stevens Point, Wisconsin Hobbies & Interests: Jonathan's hobbies and interests include football, golf, fishing, fantasy football (and other sports), computers and card games.
	Katherine A. Schumacher, DO Medical School: Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine Of the Midwestern University, Glendale, Arizona Undergraduate Degree: Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona Hobbies & Interests: Katherine enjoys spending her free time with family and friends, running, swimming, reading and writing fiction. She also has an interest in traveling and experiencing different cultures. During the summer of 2003 she went to Antigua, Guatemala for 3 weeks for a Spanish immersion program with a medical volunteer component.
	Alexander Volkov, MD Medical School: St. George's University, Grenada Undergraduate Degree: Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York Hobbies & Interests: Alexander loves listening to music and just about anything he finds talent in. Lately the genre he listens to most is jazz, classic rock and blues. He also enjoys looking for something new, a sound he hasn't heard yet, or a tune he must share with his friends. Alex also enjoys sports, including football, diving and skiing. He believes in being healthy by eating right and exercising regularly. He is in the process of writing a book on that subject. Other hobbies include playing guitar, building computers and carpentry. Alex is also fluent in Russian.

EM-2

	Ella K. Cameron, MD Medical School: Saint George's University, Grenada Graduate Degree: Saint George's University, Grenada Undergraduate Degree: University of Washington, Seattle, Washington Hobbies & Interests: Ella's hobbies and interests include scuba diving, traveling, reading, hiking, camping and mountain biking.
	Jeremy D. Joslin, MD Medical School: Saint George's University, Grenada Undergraduate Degree: Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan Hobbies & Interests: Jeremy's hobbies and interests include high altitude physiology, envenomations, backpacking, peakbagging, judo, gourmet coffee brewing and entrepreneurship.
	Jawad Kassem, MD Medical School: Saint George's University, Grenada Graduate Degree: University of Med and Dentistry of NJ, School of Public Health, Newark, New Jersey Undergraduate Degree: Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Hobbies & Interests: Jawad's hobbies and interests include travel (particularly international), backgammon, map collecting, driving, politics, clinical research, military service, online stock research/trading. He is also fluent in Arabic.
	Jeff M. Lapoint, DO Medical School: Western University of Health Sciences Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific, Pomona, California Undergraduate Degree: Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, California Hobbies & Interests: Jeff's hobbies and interests include surfing, hiking, rock climbing and kayaking. He is very involved in outdoor photography and interested in using digital darkroom techniques to process his work. Recently he has started to explore skeet and sporting clay shooting. He also enjoys travel and culture and has begun to learn both American Sign language and Japanese.
	Kiah Marshall, MD Medical Education: Howard University College of Medicine, Washington, DC Undergraduate Education: University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland Interests: Kiah's interests include swimming and skiing.
	John A. Owens, MD Medical School: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Little Rock, Arkansas Undergraduate Degree: Harding University, Searcy, Arkansas Hobbies & Interests: John's hobbies and interests include golf, racquetball, poker, reading (especially science fiction) and video games.
	Kenneth J. Perry, MD Medical School: SUNY at Syracuse College of Medicine, Syracuse, NY Undergraduate Degree: Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island Hobbies & Interests: Ken's hobbies and interests are basketball, surfing, running, travel, learning Spanish, chess, cards, movies, fiction, volunteer work, cooking and the NFL.
	John S. Rajkumar, MD Medical School: SUNY at Syracuse College of Medicine, Syracuse, New York Undergraduate Degree: SUNY Binghamton, Binghamton, New York Hobbies & Interests: John's hobbies and interests include computers and technology, movies, Christian contemporary music, stamp collecting, visiting new places, bicycling, chess and card games. He is also fluent in Tamil.
	Christopher R. Scianna, DO Medical School: University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine, Biddeford, Maine Undergraduate Degree: Cornell University, Ithaca, New York Hobbies & Interests: Christopher's hobbies and interests include cycling, skiing, kayaking, swimming, hiking, camping, drawing, painting, reading, playing chess and guitar. He is also environmentally conscientious.
	Joshua M. Vistacion, MD Medical School: University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah Undergraduate Degree: Connecticut College, New London, Connecticut Hobbies & Interests: Joshua's hobbies and interests include multi-sport endurance athletics, long distance running, mountaineering (climbs in South America, Europe, Africa, Antarctica and throughout the United States), international travel, wilderness medicine, photography, fiction and the contrasts of water in the desert.
	Thomas K. Weidman, MD Medical School: Albany Medical College, Albany, New York Undergraduate Degree: Siena College, Loudonville, New York Hobbies & Interests: Tom's interests include spending time with family, friends and his dog. His hobbies include soccer, basketball, weightlifting, tennis, golf and poker

EM-1

	Carl Eben Barus, MD Medical Education: University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, Vermont Undergraduate Education: Hampshire College, Amherst, Massachusetts Interests: Eben's (his preferred name) hobbies and interests include foreign travel, camping, hiking, mountain biking, stitch and glue boat construction, metal fabrication, carpentry and fine woodworking (furniture).
	Elizabeth Buckalew Crowell, DO Medical Education: West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, Lewisburg, West Virginia Undergraduate Education: University of Washington, Seattle, Washington Interests: Elizabeth recently married and will be changing her last name to Crowell. She enjoys hiking, backpacking, fishing, running, playing soccer and also likes to sew.
	Kevin Crowley, MD Medical Education: Albany Medical College, Albany, New York Graduate Education: Graduate College of Union University, Schenectady, New York Undergraduate Education: Union College, Schenectady, New York Interests: Kevin's hobbies and interests include politics, history, music and writing.
	Duane M. Eisaman, MD Medical Education: Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, Pennsylvania Graduate Education: Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania Undergraduate Education: University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Interests: Duane's hobbies and interests include running marathons, cooking and baking.
	Risa L. Farber, DO Medical Education: Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Graduate Education: Drexel University College of Medicine Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Undergraduate Education: Ithaca College Ithaca, New York Interests: Risa's hobbies and interests include hiking, kayaking, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, jogging, swimming, crafts, home improvement and cooking.
	Landon A. Jones, MD Medical Education: University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, Kentucky Undergraduate Education: Centre College, Danville, Kentucky Interests: Landon enjoys reading Robert Ludlum and Harry Potter books, Cubs baseball, good coffee and playing every imaginable sport under the sun.
	Brian Kloss, DO Medical Education: University of Medicine & Dentistry of NJ School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, New Jersey Graduate Education: University at Buffalo School of Law, Buffalo, New York Undergraduate Education: Gannon University, Erie, Pennsylvania County College of Morris, Randolph, New Jersey Interests: Brian enjoys leisure reading, hiking, camping, fishing, traveling, visiting aquariums and zoological parks. He also has an extensive collection of movies and enjoys renting films from NETFlix.
	Chad R. Stadheim, DO Medical Education: Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Midwestern University, Glendale, Arizona Undergraduate Education: University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona Interests: Chad enjoys spending quality time with his wife and nine month old daughter. His hobbies and interests include hiking, golf, running, exercising, watching movies and listening to music.
	Ross W. Sullivan, MD Medical Education: SUNY at Syracuse College of Medicine, Syracuse, New York Undergraduate Education: College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, Massachusetts Interests: Ross's hobbies and interests include saxophone, hiking, camping, white water rafting and athletics.
	Harry J. Wallus, DO Medical Education: University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine, Biddeford, Maine Graduate Education: University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine, Biddeford, Maine Undergraduate Education: College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, Massachusetts Interests: Harry's hobbies and interests include fresh and salt water fishing, running, hiking, theoretical physics, cosmology, sci-fi books and movies.

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