Recent Graduates
Alexandra Bender, MD, PhD (Chief Resident)
Hometown: Sartell, MN
Medical School: Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Undergraduate School: Johns Hopkins University
Interests In Dermatology: Medical dermatology, Research
Hobbies: Running, cycling, hanging out with my husband, son & daughter, cooking, gardening
Favorite Activities To Do In Rochester: biking to dinner, weekend trips to the Finger Lakes and Adirondacks, hiking on the nearby trails.
Irina Lerman, MD, PhD (Chief Resident)
Hometown: Rochester, NY
Undergraduate School: University of Rochester
Medical School: University of Rochester
Interests in Dermatology: Medical Dermatology, Dermatopathology, Rheum-Derm
Hobbies: Cooking and eating diverse cuisines, traveling, hiking local parks with my husband and our 2 dogs, fishing, escape rooms, watching the X-Files
Favorite Activities To Do In Rochester: Exploring new restaurants and frequenting old favorites (Ox and Stone is #1), strolling along Erie Canal while enjoying Pittsford Farms Dairy ice cream, watching our dogs play at Spring Lake Park, wine tasting in the Finger Lakes, finding new escape rooms to try, hanging out with good company.
Eric Kowalski, MD
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Medical School: University of Illinois at Chicago
Undergraduate School: Loyola University Chicago
Interests In Dermatology: Medical dermatology, cutaneous oncology
Hobbies: Exploring our national & local state parks, hiking, skydiving, vegetarian cooking, sashiko style clothing repairs, summiting all 46 Adirondack tall peaks, board games
Favorite Activities To Do In Rochester: Farmer's markets, kayaking, the local music scene.
Brendon Verhave, MD
Hometown: North Salem, NY
Medical School: SUNY Upstate Medical University
Undergraduate School: Cornell University
Interests In Dermatology: General Dermatology, Dermatopathology, Procedural Dermatology
Hobbies: Weightlifting, Reading/Golf, Watching/Following Sports, Movies/Television
Favorite Activities To Do In Rochester: Anything outdoors, going to breweries, restaurants, spending times with friends, and co-residents.
Benjamin Williams, MD
Hometown: Bridgeport, WV
Medical School: Marshall Joan C. Edward’s SOM
Undergraduate School: Marshall University
Interests In Dermatology: Surgical & Cosmetic dermatology
Hobbies: Watching football, baseball, weightlifting
Favorite Activities To Do In Rochester: Wegmans, exploring local restaurants, downtown life.
Partik Singh, MD/MBA (Chief Resident)
Hometown: Cleveland, OH
Medical School: Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Undergraduate School: Case Western Reserve University
Interests In Dermatology: General Dermatology, Inflammatory skin disease, Epidemiology, Health Services research
Hobbies: Resistance band workouts, experimenting with cocktail recipes, Pittsburgh Steelers football
Favorite Activities To Do In Rochester: Exploring coffee shops, restaurants, breweries, and Wegmans!
Molly Marous, MD (Chief Resident)
Hometown / Pitts Burgh, PA
Medical School / Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medi-cine
Undergraduate School / University of Notre Dame
Interests In Dermatology / Medical and Procedural Dermatology, Cutaneous Oncology
Hobbies / running, hiking, spending time with family and friends, Pittsburgh Steelers football
Favorite Activities To Do In Rochester / exploring local breweries and farmers markets
Abigail Franco, MD
Hometown / White Plains, NY
Medical school / SUNY Upstate Medical University
Undergrad / Quinnipiac University
Interests in Derm / General derm, surgical derm, acne, atopic dermatitis, dermoscopy, integrative derm
Hobbies / hiking, yoga, group games/board games, spending time with friends, eating/cooking, arts & crafts
Favorite activités in ROC / Hikes with my dog, the countless Summer festivals, live music at 'Party in the Park', exploring new restaurants, weekend farmers markets, various breweries
Simon Hernandez, MD
Hometown: Bronx, NY
Medical School: SUNY Upstate Medical University
Undergraduate School: Dickinson College
Interests In Dermatology: Complex Medical Dermatology, Skin of Color
Hobbies: Running, indoor climbing, hiking, doing "do-it-yourself" projects, listening to podcasts and music
Favorite Activities To Do In Rochester: Walking down Park Avenue and exploring local parks, trying new breweries and restaurants, going to the Public Market, cooking with friends.
Chief Resident
Elizabeth Cusick, M.D.
Hometown: Staten Island, NY
Medical School: SUNY Stony Brook
Undergraduate School: Brooklyn College
Interests In Dermatology: Medical Dermatology, Integrative Dermatology
Hobbies: Painting watercolors, hiking, cooking with friends and family, gardening, running, square dancing, storm tracking
Favorite Activities To Do In Rochester: Exploring the beautiful parks and lakes with my puppy Blue, buying fresh milk from Pittsford Dairy, enjoying all of the fresh produce at local farmers markets, and smelling lilacs
Jeanette Zambito, MD (Chief Resident)
Hometown: Elba, NY
Medical School: University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
Undergraduate School: Cornell University
Interests In Dermatology: Pediatric Dermatology, Global Health Dermatology, working with underserved populations, Medical Education
Hobbies: Cooking, baking, hiking, traveling
Favorite Activities To Do In Rochester: Rock climbing at Red Barn, shopping at the public market, wine tours in the Finger Lakes
Deborah Paul, MD
Hometown / Boston ,MA
Medical School / University of Rochester
Undergrad / University of Massachusetts-Lowell
Interests in Dermatology / Cutaneous Oncology, Skin of Color, Nail disorders, Medical Education
Hobbies / Traveling, reality tv, brunch, following the NBA-Go Celtics!
Favorite things to do in Rochester / Visiting the memorial art gallery, riding 4 wheelers in Webster, local restaurants, the public market
Kelly Mueller, MD
Hometown / Deerfield, IL
Medical school / Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University
Undergrad / DePaul University
Interests in Dermatology / general, complex medical, genodermatoses
Hobbies / climbing, hiking, traveling to new places, craft beer, taking care of my plants
Favorite Activities To Do in Rochester / going to farmer's markets and local coffee shops, exploring Finger Lakes area, biking when the weather is nice climbing, biking, hiking and traveling.
Gabrielle Willey, MD
Hometown: Washington, DC
Medical School: University of Michigan
Undergraduate School: University of Maryland
Interests In Dermatology: General Dermatology/Surgery
Hobbies: Yoga, healthy eating/cooking, floral arranging, relaxing with my husband and baby, interior design and old houses
Favorite Activities To Do In Rochester: Breathe Yoga studio in Pittsford and Wegman's!
Chief Resident
Gina Kuehn, M.D.
Hometown: Mentor, OH
Medical School: Ohio State University College of Medicine
Undergraduate School: Case Western Reserve University
Interests In Dermatology: Pediatric Dermatology, Rheum-derm, Cutaneous malignancies
Hobbies: Chasing after my daughter, cooking and baking, yoga, patiently waiting for the next Game of Thrones book to come out
Favorite Activities To Do In Rochester: Exploring nearby parks and beaches with my family, hanging out with friends, trying new foods & restaurants, and of course going to Wegman's
James Prezzano, M.D.
Hometown: Rochester, New York
Medical School: SUNY Upstate Medical University
Undergraduate School: University of Florida
Interests In Dermatology: Medical Dermatology, Cutaneous Oncology
Hobbies: Traveling, pending time with friends and family, squash, skiing, and watching football
Favorite Activities To Do In Rochester: Eating at the local restaurants, Pittsford Dairy Ice Cream, attending the summer festivals, and visiting the nearby Finger Lakes
Zachary Skabelund, M.D.
Hometown: Santa Rosa, CA
Medical School: University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in Rochester, NY
Undergraduate School: Brigham Young University in Provo, UT
Interests In Dermatology: Medical Dermatology
Hobbies: Hiking, camping, playing board games, doing jigsaw puzzles, going to parks, zoos, and museums with my wife and children
Favorite Activities To Do In Rochester: Hiking and camping at nearby state parks, biking/walking the Eerie Canal, attending concerts, going to local festivals
Dermatopathology Fellow
Mona Deerwester, MD
Hometown: Seattle, WA
Medical School: Vanderbilt University (Surgical Pathology Fellowship) and NYU Long Island School of Medicine (Residency), University of British Columbia (Master’s Degree)
Undergraduate School: University of British Columbia
Interests In Dermatology: My interests in dermatopathology developed over the course of my residency training. The skin is a complex organ which often manifests the first signs of underlying internal disease. The nuances of skin pathology can be challenging, which is why receiving further training in this subspecialty is so important for patient care.
Hobbies: Painting, Wikipedia editing and Scuba diving
Favorite Activities To Do In Rochester: I'm a foodie and a wino so I love exploring the culinary scene in Rochester.
Mohs Fellow
Molly Marous, MD
Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Medical School: Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine
Undergraduate School: University of Notre Dame
Interests In Dermatology: Medical and Procedural Dermatology, Cutaneous Oncology
Hobbies: Running, hiking, spending time with family and friends, Pittsburgh Steelers Football
Favorite Activities To Do In Rochester: Exploring local breweries and farmer's markets.
Dermatology Research Fellows
Brendon Verhave, MD
Hometown: North Salem, NY
Medical School: SUNY Upstate Medical University
Undergraduate School: Cornell University
Interests In Dermatology: General Dermatology, Procedural Dermatology
Hobbies: Reading, weightlifting/exercising, watching/following sports, television/movies, spending time with my cat
Favorite Activities To Do In Rochester: Exploring local restaurants, wineries/breweries, parks, and other outdoor activities
Julia Stiegler, M.D.
Hometown: Birmingham, Alabama
Medical School: University of Alabama at Birmingham
Undergraduate School: Amherst College, MA
Interests In Dermatology: I like it all- General, Surgical and Cosmetic Dermatology, so probably General Dermatology
Hobbies: Workout classes, running, vinyasa yoga, outdoor activities, exploring new recipes and restaurants, socializing, traveling abroad, art, Broadway, working with my hands, and interior design.
Favorite Activities To Do In Rochester: Jogging on Park Ave, all the summer festivals with friends, Ugly Duck coffee, Saturday farmers markets at Rochester Public Market, Rochester Philharmonic orchestra shows, Revelry for cocktails, the Waffle factory for (what else) waffles, Wegmans for snacks, Costco for samples, kickball for fun.