Third Years
Gabriela Espinoza-Candelaria, MD
Hometown: Born in Cleveland Heights, Ohio -> moved to Nicaragua -> and then lived in San Antonio, Texas for 13 years before going off to college in Boston
Medical School: Baylor College of Medicine (Houston, Texas)
Residency: Texas Children’s Hospital (Baylor College of Medicine)
Areas of Interest in Pediatric ID: Transplant Pedi ID/ Care of the Immunocompromised Host
Personal Interests: Weight training (especially kettlebells!), Ballet, Art (watercolor, colored pencils, & charcoal), learning languages (MSA/Fusha, Egyptian dialect, Italian, Portuguese, & French), Traveling
What is your favorite thing about Pittsburgh? Pittsburgh Ballet Theater - they are one of the top ballet companies in the USA, with amazing shows at the Benedum Theater! Furthermore, they have wonderful community classes (from Ballet 101 to advanced) with live pianists for EVERY class!
What is your favorite microorganism? Hmm, I can’t say I have a favorite organism! But you know what I do have – a favorite antibiotic… doxycycline!! Now that is a cool antimicrobial! It can potentially be used for malaria, Lyme, anthrax, MRSA, Actinomyces, tularemia, the plague, and so much more!!!
Sharon Karunakaran, MD
Hometown: From Chennai (India) but my chosen hometown is Singapore where I lived for a few years ❤️
Medical School: Christian Medical College, Vellore, India
Residency: BronxCare Health System, NY
Areas of Interest in Pediatric ID: Infection Prevention
Personal Interests: Going on hikes, bike rides, camping and traveling. My personal goal is to drive from Darwin to Adelaide, through the outback and camp my way through.
What is your favorite thing about Pittsburgh? So many state parks that are 1-2 hrs drive away! Abundance of breweries within city limits!
What is your favorite microorganism? Don't think I have a favorite, but I absolutely love the smell of Streptococcus milleri group and always end up craving desserts after catching a whiff of it in micro lab.
Second Year
Ruby Sangha, MD
Hometown: Fairfax, Va
Medical School: American University of Antigua
Residency: Upstate Medical Center
Areas of Interest in Pediatric ID: It is so hard to choose! You can do anything; the field of infectious diseases is so versatile which is why I love it! Maybe ASP, vaccine advocacy, or Transplant ID!
Personal Interests: Reading, traveling, outdoor walks, I love food, Orange Theory workouts. I also like to watch trash tv to relax!
What is your favorite thing about Pittsburgh? The strip district (walkable shopping/cafes), love walking the river trail, and it's a fun sport city! It's also mellow and yellow!
What is your favorite microorganism? Penicilllium, it gave us antibiotics!
First Year
Genevieve Donahey, MD
Hometown: Yardley, PA
Medical School: The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences
Residency: Ascension St. John Children’s Hospital in Detroit, MI
Areas of Interest in Pediatric ID: I haven’t decided officially, but I’m leaning towards antimicrobial stewardship. I love playing around with antibiotics and figuring out how to repurpose them for optimal use. It’s always great to Marie Kondo a medication list.
Personal Interests: Stress baking, cross stitching, and, of course, my cat, Nori (pictures available upon request). Also, painting my nails. I don’t own too much nail polish. 300 bottles are a totally reasonable number.
What is your favorite thing about Pittsburgh? I’m new to the city, but already I love the eats and the outdoor spaces. I’m always down for museums, botanic gardens, and events so I am so excited to check out all of the things to do, and I will absolutely be getting a museum pass soon.
What is your favorite microorganism? I stan E. coli. I will always love this little Gram negative, ever since doing my senior thesis in college on it while playing with antibiotic synergy. This little guy isn’t always bad, sometimes just misunderstood since it likes to be in our GI tract but sometimes gets lost. It’s not the microbe’s fault, it’s just trying to make a home for itself.