Our Residents
A Letter from the Residents
Welcome to Child Neurology at the University of Rochester! We are so excited that you are considering our program. As current residents let us first say how happy we are to have chosen Rochester for our training. We love it here and hope you will too!
One of the most unique aspects of this residency program is the way it prioritizes resident education. In addition to the typical array of conferences, journal reviews, and patient of the week discussions, we are actively involved in teaching the medical school’s second year neuroscience course during our PGY-5 year. We also have opportunities throughout our training to teach abroad including in Poland, Ecuador, and Zambia.
The neurology faculty here are incredibly supportive and are tremendous teachers and mentors. We are lucky to work alongside nationally recognized leaders in a patient-friendly and family-centered atmosphere. We are exposed to a variety of specialties within pediatric neurology including epilepsy, headache, movement disorders, neuro-oncology, neuroimmunology, sleep medicine, neurogenetics, and neurodevelopmental disabilities. Many of our residents go on to complete fellowships in these specialties.
In addition to being an awesome place to work, Rochester is a wonderful place to live! There is affordable living
around the hospital and also within the surrounding suburbs. We have delicious food, great breweries, and we are close to the Finger Lakes region which has countless wineries. There are activities for all seasons. In the spring and summer, we enjoy going to Rochester’s many festivals and spending time at Lake Ontario. In the fall, there are tons of spots for hiking and apple picking. In the winter, we can go skiing, snowboarding, and snowshoeing. There are also museums, concerts, shows, and sports that we can enjoy all year round.
You will find that our program has residents who not only enjoy working together but also become life-long friends outside of the hospital. We encourage you to join our Child Neurology family at the University of Rochester.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We are excited to see you on the interview trail and look forward to teaching you more about our program, sharing our experiences with you, and showing you around our amazing city!
Sincerely,
Julissa Veras and Anji Vara
Current Residents
Class of 2025 (PGY-5)
Julissa Maria Veras, MD, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Julissa attended Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in Piscataway, NJ after completing her undergraduate degree in Neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD. She is originally from Edison, NJ. In her free time, you will usually find Julissa running, baking cupcakes, watching movies, crocheting or relaxing on the beach with her husband and her rescue pup Rosie! Julissa is primarily looking forward to taking advantage of the many outdoor activities Rochester has to offer, especially the festivals! rock climbing, buying too many houseplants for the amount of space there is in the house, and eating ice cream irrespective of the season.
Anjili S. Vara, MD, University of Sydney Medical School
Anji originally hails from Toronto, Ontario. She attended medical school at the University of Sydney in Australia after receiving her Master’s degree from the University of Toronto and her Bachelor’s degree from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. In her free time, Anji enjoys indoor rock climbing, baking cookies, travelling, and learning new dance styles. She is excited to explore Rochester’s hiking trails and discover the renowned live music scene!
Class of 2026 (PGY-4)
Catherine Gleed, DO, University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine
Katie attended medical school at University of New England after graduating with a bachelors degree in animal science from Cornell University. She is originally from Ithaca, New York and is looking forward to being able to go camping, fishing, and hiking in upstate NY again. In her free time she enjoys baking, cooking, exercising, and trying new foods with her husband.
Kayla Staub, MD, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University
Kayla grew up in a small town in south central Pennsylvania. She completed her Bachelor's degree in neuroscience at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA, and earned her MD from Temple University. Outside of the hospital, you can usually find her in the kitchen baking a new treat, reading fantasy novels on her couch, or exploring the beaches of Lake Ontario. She is so excited to explore the food scene in Rochester, especially the wineries of the Finger Lakes, the many unique restaurants, and, of course, all the ice cream she can find.
Catherine Nicholas, MD, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physcians and Surgeons
Cate grew up in Westchester, NY. She graduated from Fordham University with a degree in sociology and anthropology and then completed a premedical postbaccalaureate at Bryn Mawr College in Philadelphia, PA. She went back to New York to complete medical school at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. Cate enjoys spending time with her husband, friends and family and hanging out with her new puppy, Nyla, and two cats, Appa and Momo. She loves walking in nature, taking care of her house plants, perusing bookstores, making travel plans, eating pasta, and going to yoga.
Class of 2027 (PGY-3)
Laura Owlett, MD, PhD, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
Laura grew up in Clifton Park, New York and attended medical school at the University of Rochester. She was inspired to go into child neurology by many of the faculty here at Rochester and loved the focus on education and family-friendliness of the program. She is interested in genetic treatments for childhood neurologic diseases and hopes to do research in her child neurology career.
Yassir Selouani, MD – Universite Mohammed V Souissi Faculte de Medecine (Morocco)
Although Yassir was born in the small Moroccan city of Taza, he grew up in Rabat, where he attended and graduated from the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy at the Mohammed V University of Rabat. In his free time, Yassir enjoys drawing and graphic design, focusing most of his art time on Paleoart.
Class of 2028 (PGY-2)
Camille Corre, MD, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
Camille grew up in a small town in Massachusetts. She attended medical school at the University of Rochester and completed her undergraduate training at the University of Chicago. In her free time, she loves hosting board game nights, exploring the Finger Lakes wineries, and trying new recipes with whatever is in season at the Public Market. She is thrilled to be staying in Rochester for another five years!
Evan Huff, MD, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
Evan graduated from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in Newark. He is originally from Middletown, NJ. At medical school, he was involved in his student run clinic, and worked closely with the Spanish-speaking community of Newark. Outside of medicine, he loves spending time at the bookstore, whipping up new recipes in the kitchen, or lifting weights at the gym. Back home, he enjoys spending time with family at the Jersey shore. He is looking forward to exploring Rochester and finding outdoor activities to do.
Aditi Prabhu, MD, Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University
Aditi attended medical school at Stony Brook University after completing her undergraduate training in Biology and Psychology at Stony Brook as well. She originally grew up in the suburbs of Buffalo, NY and is excited to be returning back to upstate NY. In her free time, Aditi loves playing and hiking with her dog, baking, trying new foods, and listening to music. She is excited to try more outdoor activities in Rochester and find the best food places!
Class of 2029 (PGY-1)
Kevin Dillon, MD, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
Kevin grew up in Cranston, RI before receiving degrees in neuroscience and American Sign Language from the University of Rochester. He also went to the University of Rochester for medical school and is excited to stay here and visit all the festivals, parks, and breweries the area has to offer. In his free time, you can catch him running, lifting weights, trying out new coffee shops, and hanging on the couch with his wife and two dogs, Gimli & Mowgli.
Samantha Mussorfiti, MD, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
Samantha grew up in Massapequa, New York and attended medical school at the University of Rochester. Prior to medical school, she earned her Master’s in Medical Humanities from the University of Rochester. In her free time, she enjoys playing board games, exploring different restaurants in Rochester, and spending time with her fiancé & golden retriever puppy! She is excited to continue her training here in Rochester!
Samantha Myers, MD, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
Sammi grew up in Fairport, NY, and attended both college and medical school at the University of Rochester before staying on for Child Neurology residency. Outside of the hospital, she enjoys cooking, going out to live music or movies, and playing board games. She's excited to welcome two new kittens into her family at the start of residency!