Internal Medicine Residency Faculty
Our varied and caring faculty are ready to help you reach your career goals, whether it is primary care, subspecialty training, or hospitalist medicine in a clinical practice or in academic medicine. Residents work with both the employed FAU faculty as well as affiliate faculty and fellows across many subspecialties, so there is broad exposure to different teaching and practice styles.
Leadership
Allison Ferris, M.D.
Program Director of Internal Medicine Residency
Chair of the Medicine Department and Professor of Medicine
Medical School: Drexel University College of Medicine
Residency: Hahnemann University Hospital/Drexel University College of Medicine
Chief Residency: Hahnemann University Hospital/Drexel University College of Medicine
Board certification: ABIM—Internal Medicine
Interests: medical education, simulation training, mentoring
Touqir Zahra, M.D.
Associate Program Director
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Medical School: Allama Iqbal Medical College, Pakistan
Residency: Newton Wellesley Hospital
Board certification: ABIM—Internal Medicine
Interests: teaching, quality improvement and patient safety
Cornelia P. Charles, M.D.
Associate Program Director
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Co-Medical Director, FAU Internal Medicine Resident Clinic
Medical School: Howard University College of Medicine
Residency: University of Miami
Board Certification: ABIM - Internal Medicine
Interests: Primary Care, Medical Education
Rachel Pyngolil, M.D., M.P.H.
Associate Program Director
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Medical School: University of South Florida
Residency: Brown University/Alpert Medical School Internal Medicine Residency
Board Certification: ABIM—Internal Medicine
Interests: Primary Care, Medical Education, Health Disparities, Global Health Practice
Daena Flaxman-Erlich, M.D.
Associate Program Director
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Medical School: State University of New York Downstate Medical Center
Residency: Thomas Jefferson University
Board Certification: ABIM—Internal Medicine
Interests: Hospital Medicine, didactics and assessment, and our beautiful Florida beaches
Core Faculty
Stephan Buteau, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Medical School: Meharry Medical College
Residency: University of Texas Southwestern
Board Certification: ABIM - Internal Medicine
Interests: Medical Education, Hospital Medicine, Chronic Kidney Disease
Jacqueline Cortizo, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Geriatric Medicine
Medical School: Florida Atlantic University Schmidt College of Medicine
Residency: Cleveland Clinic Florida
Fellowship: Geriatric Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Florida
Board Certification: ABIM—Internal Medicine, Geriatric Medicine
Interests: Dementia, delirium, subacute care, and long-term nursing home care
Daniel Gutman, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Medical School: University of Florida College of Medicine
Residency: University of Illinois at Chicago
Board certification: ABIM—Internal Medicine
Interests: podcasts, medical education
Associate Professor of Medicine
Medicine Clerkship Director
Medical School: University of Miami
Residency: University of Virginia
Board Certification: ABIM - Internal Medicine
Interests: Medical education, preventive medicine, improving access to healhcare, womens health
Ralph Palumbo, M.D.
Program Director, Pulmonary Critical Care Medicine Fellowship
Clinical Affiliate Professor
Medical School: Medical College of Pennsylvania
Residency: Winthrop University Hospital
Fellowship: Pulmonary / Critical Care Fellowship at Winthrop University Hospital
Board Certification: ABIM - Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Disease, Critical Care Medicine, Sleep Disorders Medicine, Neurocritical Care Medicine
Interests: Critical Care Medicine as I established and have led the intensivist programs at both Boca Regional and Bethesda. Practicing and teaching all aspects of Pulmonary Medicine.
James Parkkonen, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Family Medicine
Medical School: Michigan State University College of Human Medicine
Residency: Central Michigan University
Board Certification: ABFM—Family Medicine
Interests: Academic hospital medicine, Resource Stewardship, Reading fiction, spending time with wife and cat.
Roozbeh Nazarian Rostami, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Medical School: Ross University School of Medicine
Residency: Florida Atlantic University
Board Certification: ABIM - Internal Medicine
Interests: Internal Medicine Hospitalist
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Foundations of Medicine Course Director
Medical School: University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Residency: University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital
Board Certification: ABIM—Internal Medicine
Interests: Women's health, mentoring, clinical and communication skills
Associate Professor of Medicine
Medical School: Topiwala National College & B.Y.L Nair Hospital University of Mumbai, India
Residency: New York Medical College at Westchester Medical Center
Board Certification: ABIM - Internal Medicine
Interests: Reading fiction novels, traveling with friends and family
Jeffrey Wilson, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Medical School: Florida Atlantic Univesity
Residency: Florida Atlantic University
Interests: Hospitalist, Medical Education