Meet Our Team

Current Team Members

Joaquin Calderon Clinical Research Coordinator George Washington University Hospital I graduated with a medical degree from Universidad del Norte in Barranquilla, Colombia. After graduating I worked as a general physician and surgical assistant at the Ob/Gyn department at a tertiary care level hospital in my hometown. Currently working as Research Coordinator managing different studies. I plan to pursue a career in Obstetrics and Gynecology and I am interested in maternal-fetal medicine and underserved women's health.

Sophia Cordes Medical Student The George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences I graduated from University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2019 with a major in Zoology and minor in Global Health, and am currently a medical student. I plan to pursue a career in Obstetrics and Gynecology and am interested in a variety of related topics including contraception, maternal mortality and postpartum hemorrhage.

Mina Felfeli Clinical Research Coordinator George Washington University Hospital I graduated with medical degree from Tehran University of Medical Sciences and completed OBGYN at SSU in Iran. I am passionate about maternal fetal medicine and women's health. I am currently a research coordinator at GWU.

Sonya Gelfand Undergraduate Student George Washington University I am currently an undergraduate student at George Washington University studying Neuroscience and minoring in Biology and STEM Education. As an aspiring physician, being a member of the OB-HCT team has given me an opportunity to engage with my interests in women's health, medicine, and health equity while continuing to learn about the OB/GYN field through research.

Samita Islam Medical Student George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences I graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2023 with a degree in Biology, and am currently a medical student. My research interests include maternal-fetal medicine, health disparities in women's health, and reproductive health.

Jamil Kazma Resident Physician George Washington University Hospital I am currently a resident in the GW OBGYN Department interested in research exploring maternal mortality and morbidity, placental abnormalities and obstetric pharmacology

Alexandra Nesson Medical Student The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences I majored in Neuroscience at Wesleyan University and worked in cancer research at Columbia University before coming to George Washington SMHS for medical school. I'm interested in a range of topics across women's health including postpartum hemorrhage.

Jaclyn Phillips MFM Faculty  George Washington University Hospital I completed my OB/GYN residency at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences and my fellowship in MFM at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

Emma Sterling Medical Student The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences I graduated from Vanderbilt University in 2019 with a Bachelor of Engineering in Biomedical Engineering, and am currently a medical student. My research interests include global maternal health and postpartum hemorrhage.

Meghan Tveit Medical Student The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences I graduated from Harvard University in 2020 where I studied Neuroscience and played on Women’s Soccer team. I am currently a medical student planning to apply into OB/Gyn in the 2025 residency match cycle. I am particularly interested in pregnancy-related maternal and fetal complications as well as the hormonal shifts that occur across the life cycle.

Former Team Members

Tarek Araji

I graduated from the American University of Beirut Medical Center in 2021. I was a clinical research coordinator at MFA for a year where I managed the different studies in the department. During this period, I had the privilege to learn how clinical trials are run. I am currently a research postdoc at UPenn.

Julia Barsoum

I graduated from the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences in 2023, and am now working as an internal medicine resident physician at NYU Langone Health. I work with patients from all over the world, specifically those with significant health barriers, and I am passionate about social determinants of health and public health.

Elisabeth Davis

I graduated from the University of Chicago in 2017 and then spent two years doing clinical research in pediatric obesity. I'm interested broadly in topics of health equity, particularly as they intersect with nutrition and women's health.

Wayde Dazelle

I graduated from the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University with a Master of Science in Global Health Policy and Management in 2019. Prior to coming to GW and joining Dr. Ahmadzia's research team, I worked as a health economist and epidemiologist in collaboration with the World Bank and the Ministries of Health in Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia to assess the impact of tuberculosis control programs in the Southern African Development Community. I'm interested in the intersection of women's health and social policy and how we can leverage economic development to support health equity and reduce adverse maternal outcomes.Wayde graduated from GW SMHS in 2023 and is currently completing his residency in Pediatric Medicine at Ohio State University Medical Center. 

Alexa Dzienny

I graduated from the University of Virginia where I received a B.S. in Biology. I have recently graduated from George Washington SMHS, and I am currently an OBGYN resident at Yale. My research interests include global health, postpartum hemorrhage, and reproductive access and health equity.

Megan Ebner

I graduated from Boston College in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and plan to graduate from the George Washington MD program in 2023. I have previous research experience in behavioral neuroscience, global public health, and clinical trails for Alzheimer’s disease. I am interested in learning more about global maternal health through the lens of clinical medicine and public health. Megan graduated from GW SMHS in 2023 and is currently completing her OB/Gyn residency at SUNY HSC in Brooklyn, NY. 

Ahmed Ebeid

Clinical Research Coordinator
George Washington University Hospital

I graduated from Alexandria faculty of medicine in Egypt in 2020, and then started to build up my career in OB/GYN by working as a resident trainee at Alexandria University Main Hospital and as an assistant in OB/GYN private clinics. I got a great opportunity having this position at MFA because it enhanced my research and clinical experience. I am ECFMG Certified and my ultimate plan is to get a residency in the U.S. I am interested in both maternal-fetal medicine and reproductive biology.

Andrea Gesteira

From Cuban/Spanish background I moved from Spain to Miami, Florida in 2013. After graduating from the University of Florida in 2018, I worked for a non-profit women's health initiative, where I became passionate about women's preventive care and underserved community health. As a future OBGYN physician I hope to contribute to these areas of our field through advocacy work, research and community engagement. Andrea graduated from GW SMHS in 2023 and is currently completing her OB/Gyn residency at Ochsner Clinic Foundation in New Orleans, LA. 

Meher Kaur

I completed my medical degree at VCU in Richmond, VA and my OB/GYN residency at GW. I'm interested in both maternal fetal medicine and global health.

Diane Polyakov

I graduated from UC Berkeley in 2015 with a Bachelor of Arts in Public Health. Recently, I graduated from George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. I intend to pursue a career in Obstetrics and Gynecology. My interests include social determinants of health and underserved women's health. 

Joyceling Queirolo

I graduated from the University of Tampa in May 2022 with a degree in Allied Health with a concentration in Medical Science and a minor in Spanish. I was a research coordinator managing different studies on the OB-HCT Team. I am pursuing a career in Obstetrics and Gynecology as a physician assistant.

Julia Whitley

I completed my OB/GYN residency at George Washington University Hospital. My research interests include health disparities, postpartum hemorrhage and venous thromboembolism, and infectious diseases in pregnancy. Julia is currently an MFM Fellow at Washington University in St. Louis.