Leadership Dr. Grace Kajita Program Director Grace Kajita, MD graduated from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and completed her residency in Internal Medicine-Primary Care at New York University. She stayed on in the system as a clinician-educator based at the Manhattan Veterans Affairs Medical Center and was an Associate Program Director in the Internal Medicine Residency. She joined Wakefield as the Program Director in 2014. Samantha Lawson-Butler, BA, C-TAGME Program Administrator Samantha Lawson-Butler graduated from Montclair State University with a degree in English. She started her career as a grants coordinator for a non-profit agency and came to Wakefield in 2004. Her experience includes grants and coordination of medical student and medical fellow training. She became Program Administrator in 2018. Dr. Joseph Hong Associate Program Director Dr. Joseph Hong graduated from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in 2013 and completed his residency in Internal Medicine at Montefiore Medical Center. He joined the Wakefield program in 2016 as an academic hospitalist; besides his commitment to patient care and house staff training, he is also an enthusiastic supporter of point-of-care ultrasound and has worked on developing a POCUS curriculum for both internal medicine residents and hospitalists at Wakefield. Dr Hong became an associate program director in 2020. Dr. Eva Metalios Associate Program Director Eva Metalios, MD, Medical Director for Internal Medicine at Wakefield Ambulatory Care Center, Medical Director of Bronx Human Rights Clinic, Associate Program Director for Wakefield Internal Medicine Residency, Associate Professor of Medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, is a clinician educator and primary care physician. She has spent almost three decades at Montefiore providing care, developing programs, and conducting research focused on marginalized populations, specifically torture survivors and asylum seekers in the United States. Prior to becoming faculty at Einstein, Dr. Metalios received her undergraduate degree in philosophy from Barnard College, and medical degree from New York Medical College. She completed her Primary Care Internal Medicine residency and Chief Residency at Montefiore. Her academic interests include human rights, musculoskeletal medicine, and women's health. Dr. Olena Slinchenkova Associate Program Director Dr. Olena Slinchenkova completed her medical degree at Dnipropetrovsk State Medical Academy in 2001. After completing her Internal Medicine Residency at Wakefield in 2014 she served as Chief Resident and then was recruited as one of the first teaching hospitalists at Wakefield. Dr. Slinchenkova has taken on increasing levels of responsibility including serving as sub-internship site director and clerkship site director. Most recently, Dr. Slinchenkova became the Director of Medicine services and APD for Internal Medicine Residency at Wakefield. Dr. Kristin Swedish Associate Program Director Kristin Swedish, MD, MPH is a clinician educator at the Wakefield Ambulatory Care Center. She graduated from Mount Sinai School of Medicine, where she also completed residency in General Preventive Medicine and obtained her MPH. She came to Montefiore for Social Internal Medicine/Primary Care residency and upon its completion in 2014, started at Wakefield. Dr. Swedish joined program leadership in 2016 as the Director for Scholarly Activity and Research and became an APD in 2020. Dr. Azka Zergham Chief Medical Resident 2024-2025 I was born in Bahawalpur, Pakistan, into a family of doctors and educators. As a child, with so many role models around me, I learned early on that there is nothing more sacred than human life. I graduated from Quaid e Azam Medical College Bahawalpur, Pakistan, and completed my house job in Medicine and Surgery at Bahawal Victoria Hospital. During my early days as a doctor in Pakistan, I worked with an underserved population with limited resources and learned to work under pressure in adverse circumstances.Three years ago, I joined Montefiore Medical Center, Wakefield Campus, to train as a physician in the United States. I love working at Wakefield because of the collegial and welcoming atmosphere and the diverse patient population. Montefiore Wakefield has not only made me a better physician, but has also given me the opportunity to collaborate with my peers on research projects. I am very excited and honored to have been selected as the Chief Medical Resident for the 2024-25 academic year. I look forward to a great year of supporting my incredible colleagues and learning from them. When I am not at the hospital, I love spending time with my beautiful family, watching movies, going out to restaurants, and traveling Dr. Tito Zerpa Chief Medical Resident 2024-2025 I was born and raised in the beautiful city of Valencia, Venezuela, where I had the privilege of attending medical school at the University of Carabobo. I was fortunate to come from a family that instilled in me a deep appreciation for education, science, honesty and hard work, values that have guided me throughout my life and my practice of medicine. After graduation, during my time at the Dr. Rafael Gonzalez Plaza Hospital, I had the opportunity to work with patients suffering from tuberculosis, a disease that strikes the poorest. This experience led me to discover my passion for internal medicine and medical education. It was both enriching and eye - opening, giving me the opportunity to apply my medical training to a population with significant health care needs. A few years later, I arrived at Montefiore Medical Center, a defining moment in my life. I was immediately struck by the remarkable culture, diversity , and human talent of the institution. I spent three wonderful years at Montefiore Wakefield. I am grateful for the training I received and the amazing people I met. I was able to hone my medical skills in a nurturing environment that gave me many opportunities to teach and learn. Working with the students at Albert Einstein College of Medicine was a p articularly enriching experience that allowed me to win the Leo M. Davidoff Award as an outstanding medical educator. Serving as Chief Resident is a great honor. It gives me the opportunity to continue to serve the Bronx community, and this role allows me to do so in a more comprehensive way. I look forward to contributing to the advancement of healthcare by mentoring and supporting new and aspiring physicians as they pursue their professional goals. I am also interested in QI research, making processes mor e efficient, and making the hospital more humane and comfortable for our patients. When I'm not in the hospital, I enjoy watching classic movies, traveling with my wife Bea, reading, and playing golf.
