Tara Stern Borghard, MD
Brown Medical School
I grew up in Pennsylvania just outside of Philadelphia, although I have spent the past eight years in Rhode Island for college and medical school. So I am very excited to be closer to home and family once again! I love living near the water (if you can call the Hudson river "water") and have been thrilled to explore a big city like New York. My major in college was biomedical ethics, so I have felt drawn to Family Medicine for its compassionate and reflective approach to medicine, as well as its community-mindedness. I am interested in adolescent health and want to do OB in my practice. And not only is that possible in NY, but it is almost easy! I chose to come to Columbia's program because of its incredible community of providers and patients and the unbelievable opportunities that are available to the FM residents here! And of course, I get to practice my Spanish skills daily. When we have time off, I love to cook dinners and go for walks with my husband. And the residents get together from time to time to catch up and chat about what we are all doing. This is a strong, passionate group of people and if you are interested in urban Family Medicine, consider joining our family!

Rebecca Collins, DO
Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine
Born a New Yorker, I spent most of my life in the Midwest (grew up in Cleveland, went to undergrad at Xavier University in Cincinnati, med school at Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine in Missouri). My family is from the city and it's great to be back amongst all my relatives. In my free time, I run. During medical school I picked up the strange habit of running marathons, and am currently training for my fourth. I love to travel and experience different cultures; my favorite places are South America and East Africa. I enjoy playing around in the city and trying to do as much as I can on a low budget. I got my MPH online during medical school and my current interests are adolescent medicine, homeless medicine and working with the HIV/AIDS population.

Raymond Lau, DO
New York College of Osteopathic Medicine
Hi everyone! My name is Raymond Lau and I am a native New Yorker. I just can't get enough of New York! Perhaps it's the sport venues, the Broadway shows, the endless variety of food, I mean, where can you go sing Karaoke and listen to Shakespeare in the Park just down the block? Anyway, I went to high school right here in Manhattan (Stuyvesant), undergrad at SUNY Stony Brook, and finally medical school at the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine. Things that I enjoy include watching the Mets sweep the Yankees this past year at Shea, kayaking, mountain biking, golf, and once in a while, a good challenge at Dance Dance Revolution. I feel our Family Medicine program is strong, lively and very supportive. Excellent academics are combined with psychosocial aspects of patient care, as we preserve continuity of care for our clinic patients in the Allen Pavilion. Our attendings are easily approachable and all are dedicated to teaching and reinforcing our medical skills and knowledge. Community activism is also another aspect of our program that makes us unique. Ranging from home care visits to public wellness projects to celebrating various Latin American cultures and history in our Minority Caucus, we are dedicated to promoting and embracing the many cultures of our community. You will never feel alone in this program as you are surrounded by not just co-workers, but what I consider an extended family.

Melanie Rausche, MD
Ohio State University
In New York, one of my more notable characteristics has become that I was raised in Ohio, actually in a village just outside of Cleveland. But don't let that fool you. My mother is from Argentina and my father is from Germany, and I was actually born in Germany. I went to college at the University of Michigan, after having been raised in "maize and blue" diapers by my mother. After a hiatus in Washington D.C., I then moved back to Ohio and went to Ohio State for medical school, but stood proud as a Michigan Wolverine. In med school I became very involved in Family Medicine and looked to my half-Latina roots in helping take care of a growing Latino population in Ohio. I was also very much involved in issues of women's reproductive health and pediatric preventive care, which drew me to family medicine. Tired of the Midwest, and yearning for diversity and urban culture, I came to New York, but hope to bring a bit of Midwestern enthusiasm for Family Medicine to the City.

Jeremy Stoepker, MD
Georgetown University School of Medicine
The basics: Small town Michigan boy comes to East Coast, loves the big cities, ends up at Georgetown Med, loves family medicine and shocks himself by enjoying residency -- even intern year. Interests: complementary and alternative medicine, lazy afternoons in the park, giving my all to a community that appreciates me, snowboarding, connecting with people, food, and travel. If you're reading this you're probably thinking about residency at Columbia. To be honest, I really love it here. I'm nurtured, challenged, entertained, appreciated, and truly cared for here. I was scared to death of residency, but I've rarely felt overwhelmed, and never unsupported. All that, and I'm getting phenomenal training. If you're looking for a highly academic, fun, urban residency, this is the place for you& especially if you speak, or want to speak Spanish.

Diana Carvajal, MD
Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Camden NJ
I've been steadily moving my way up the East Coast since high school with NYC being the furthest north I've ever gotten. I'm not a big fan of the cold weather, so I think I'll stop here. I'm originally from various locations in sunny Florida, which I do miss quite often but somehow seem to be adapting to the big city. After completing undergrad at Georgetown University in Washington DC, I made my way to Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Jersey of all places! My interest in underserved Latino communities led me to complete my last two clinical years in Camden NJ, an extremely poor city with little resources and the highest homicide rate in the country. My medical interests also lie in Public Health, International Medicine, and Obstetrics. Since all of these interests are quite well represented at Columbia, I chose to come here and feel quite confident that I will be able to fully explore them. My non-medical (and perhaps most important) interests include dancing, cooking, traveling, and sports. Now, THESE are my true loves...

Neha Sanghvi, MD
Creighton University School of Medicine
For a formal introduction, I went to school both undergrad and medical school in the beef capital of America otherwise known as Omaha, NE. How fitting for a vegetarian! I am originally from Troy, Michigan and I somehow luckily ended up in NYC. As you can tell I've had a chance to experience a few different cities and their different backgrounds which brings me to the informal part. I love to learn about a variety of cultures and experience them firsthand through my addiction of traveling. In my short life, I have been fortunate enough to have spent a few weeks in Peru, the Dominican Republic, and India just to name a few destinations. When I am not traveling I am usually exploring the museums or enjoying the parks and live jazz places which is why NYC is a much better fit than good ol' Omaha. I am also trying to get back into my routine of yoga and aerobics. I just hope this residency thing I signed up for won't take up too much of my recreational time. But from what I've been told, this is one place where you'll be able to fit it all in.

Jennifer Jurcsak, DO
New York College of Osteopathic Medicine
Originally from upstate New York, I now call the Bronx my home. I grew up in a small town just outside of Saratoga Springs and then moved to Massachusetts to attend Mount Holyoke College. Not yet ready to attend medical school, I decided to move to New York City and work as a research assistant at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. After four years of fruit flies and a paycheck, I started medical school at NYCOM. Now I am an intern at Columbia, still living in the Bronx, and enjoy working at a community hospital (within Columbia s tertiary care system) with an amazing group of fellow residents and attendings. My current interests within Family Medicine include women's health and LGBT health care, but the possibilities are infinite as I have so many resources available through this program. As an intern, I have limited free time, but when I'm not working, eating or sleeping, I like to cook and enjoy all that New York City has to offer with my partner.

Gloria Kim, MD
State University of New York, Downstate Medical School
Home is where the parents are, so that would be Seoul Korea where I spent the last 9 years of my adolescent years living on a sterile, suburban US army base. Life, however, began for me in Long Island NY where I was born, and it wasn't until after college that I finally made my way back to NY. After 4 (long!) years at Downstate med school in Brooklyn, I am ecstatic to be starting my intern year at Columbia- it was love at first sight and I have not been disappointed! I was first exposed to the inner city while going to college in W. Philly and after 4 more years in Brooklyn, I am more convinced that this (inner city) is where I want to practice medicine. I have a random passion for working with homeless men in drug and alcohol rehab programs (namely at the NYC Rescue Mission) and if guaranteed success in anything, it would be to work in a health clinic that provided holistic services to the poor and socially outcast and to see life return to them. Hard to imagine having life outside of medicine right now, but when I'm not working or sleeping, absolute bliss for me is being outdoors on a sunny day, ideally 60 degrees with blue skies, white fluffy clouds and a cool breeze, and I'm either sitting by a lake with a good book or sweating profusely from chasing after a soccer ball or frisbee, or rollerblading my way around CP.

Anna Saporito
Mount Sinai School of Medicine
I grew up in Boulder, Colorado and went to college at Stanford, where I wrote a thesis on British women scientists in the 16th century, researched babies and worked with homeless teens. I took a year off and spent it tutoring, temping and moving to North Carolina where I became a hospice volunteer. I ended up at Mount Sinai School of Medicine where I fell in love with the beautiful chaos of New York City. I especially enjoyed my time at Elmhurst hospital in Queens, the most diverse hospital in the world. Working at a federally qualified community health center in Colorado confirmed my interests in preventative medicine, international health, palliative care, women's health and community activism. My dream is to work in an urban community health center for the uninsured. I am in love with our clinic and practicaring my Spanglish with the beautiful community of Northern Manhattan. For fun, I love walking the streets of my East Village neighborhood, listening to live music, watching cooking shows and playing with my two new kittens, El Chupacabra and Dog.

Andrea Speedie, MD
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
My name is Andrea Speedie, and I moved here from Baltimore, my home town. I spent the last year attending a myriad of weddings (none my own) and taking advantage of "away" electives in Oregon, Honduras and London. I'm enjoying becoming a New Yorker or at least a Washington Heightster and take every opportunity to explore the city. I was originally worried about moving to a city where I didn't really know anyone but soon found out that everyone I know "has a friend in New York" and that it's a place your nearest and dearest are eager to visit, so quiet weekends at home are not the standard.

Tina Chen, MD
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
My fellow interns always laugh when I try to use the "English is not my first language" excuse during our intern medical Spanish classes. Lucky for me, most of our patients are not English speakers anyway and I am quickly becoming fluent in yet another language! I grew up in Taiwan but have been residing in the US to attend school since age 13. I have lived on both coasts and, although I cannot stand the cold weather of the east coast, decided to tough it out and stay on in NY for my residency. The city offers such a unique clinical experience with its diverse population and ample underserved areas; it allows me to serve while still learning. Although internship is not exactly a walk in the park, I am happy to finally be a doctor. And, believe it or not, I still have time for the world's cutest dog, Pong Pong, who accompanies me on long walks all around the city as well as day hikes in nearby Nyack and the Gunks.