Program directors
Stephanie Ann Call, M.D., M.S.P.H.
Director, Internal Medicine Training Program
Associate professor of medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine
Education
- B.S., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1989
- M.D., University of Maryland, 1993
- M.S.P.H., University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1999
Clinical training
- Internship and Residency, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1993-96
- Chief Medical Residency, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1996-97
- Fellowship, General Internal Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1997-99
Residency training experience
- Assistant program director, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1999-2000
- Associate program director,
University of Louisville, 2000-04
Program director, Virginia Commonwealth University, 2004-present
Dr. Call joined the Virginia Commonwealth University faculty
in fall of 2004 following positions at UAB and the
University of Louisville.
She arrived ready
to invigorate and challenge the VCU residents. She brings
with her
a research
background in outcomes research and decision analysis, and
an expertise in faculty development and medical education. She
has received
teaching awards
from all
three of the medical universities with which she has been
associated as well as from the American College of Physicians-American
Society of Internal
Medicine.
Her pursuit of excellence in teaching is infamous for leading
to frequent alterations in seating arrangements at conferences “in
order to get a more effective learning climate.”
Dr. Call is a wife and the mother of three daughters. She spends
her time away from the hospital hiking, running, camping
and kayaking.
Antonio Abbate, MD
Associate program director
Physician-scientist track
Assistant professor of medicine
Division of Cardiology
Education
- M.D., University Campus Bio-Medico, Rome, Italy, 1994-2000
Clinical training
-
Internship, Catholic University, Rome, Italy, 2000
-
Fellowship, Cardiovascular Medicine, Catholic University, Rome, Italy, 2000-2004
-
Internship and Residency, Virginia Commonwealth University, 2004-2007
Residency training experience
- Associate program director, Virginia Commonwealth University, 2007-present
Dr. Abbate came to Richmond in 2004 from Rome, Italy. His main clinical interests are general cardiology, acute cardiac care and heart failure. He is also an enthusiastic researcher in cardiovascular medicine. As an intern, resident and fellow Dr. Abbate received numerous Young Investigator Awards, including an award from the American College of Cardiology in 2003. His research focuses on acute myocardial infarction and post-infarction cardiac remodeling and has led to more than 100 publications and 100 presented abstracts. He divides his time between clinical and research duties in the Division of Cardiology.
Dr. Abbate's passion for teaching lead to his induction in the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society in 2005, as well as the Outstanding Physician Award and several other awards during residency. He also contributed to the establishment of the Physician-Scientist track for the Internal Medicine Residency Program.
Dr. Abbate enjoys cooking, watching movies and playing tennis, but most of all he enjoys his time with wife, Vera, and newborn baby, Gerardina.
J. Christian Barrett, M.D.
Associate program director
Assistant professor of medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology
Education
- B.S., University of Notre Dame, 1989
- M.D., University of Louisville, 1993
Clinical training
- Internship and residency, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1993-96
- Fellowship, hematology/oncology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1996-99
Residency training experience
- Assistant program director, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1999-2000
- Associate fellowship director, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1999-2000
- Associate program director, Virginia Commonwealth University, 2005-present
Dr. Barrett came to VCU in summer 2005 following one year on faculty at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and five years in a successful private hematology/oncology practice in Louisville, Ky. During his academic time, he was awarded the teaching award for the Division of Hematology Oncology. He feels that his private-practice experience affords him a unique perspective within the university training program, which he looks forward to sharing with residents. His academic and clinical interests are in benign and malignant hematology.
Dr. Barrett is a husband and the father of three daughters. He enjoys running, hiking, camping and kayaking. He also enjoys playing Shrek with his princess daughters (Fiona I, II and III) who often need to be rescued from their enchanted slumbers.
Alan Dow, M.D., M.S.H.A.
Associate program director
Assistant professor of medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine
Education
- B.A., University of Virginia, 1996
- M.D., Washington University, 2000
- M.S.H.A., Virginia Commonwealth University, 2005
Clinical training
- Internship and residency, Virginia Commonwealth University, 2000-03
- Chief medical resident,
Virginia Commonwealth University, 2003-04
Residency training experience
- Associate program director, Virginia Commonwealth University, 2006-present
After completing his chief residency at VCU, Dr. Dow joined the faculty as Director of the Academic Hospitalist Service. Under his leadership this group has more than doubled in size while creating new educational partnerships between the hospitalists and the residency program. Clinically, he interacts with residents during rotations on medicine ward services and medicine consults, and as the medical admitting resident. In 2006, he was honored with a housestaff award for his inpatient teaching. His teaching focuses on a thorough understanding of a patient’s disease processes and a safety-centered approach to transitions of care. He is actively involved in institutional patient safety efforts and currently has active research projects in patient throughput and teaching clinical empathy.
Dr. Dow’s wife, Tara Casey, is an Assistant United States Attorney. Together, they enjoy travel, the outdoors, restaurant hopping, and the occasional quiet day.
Frank Fulco, M.D.
Associate program director
Assistant professor of medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine
Education
- R.Ph., West Virginia University School of Pharmacy, 1993
- M.D., West Virginia University, 1997
Clinical training
- Internship and residency, medicine/pediatrics, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1997-2001
- Chief medical resident, medicine/pediatrics, Virginia Commonwealth University, 2000-01
Residency training experience
- Assistant program director, Virginia Commonwealth University, 2003-04
- Associate program director, Virginia Commonwealth University, 2004-present
Dr. Fulco graduated from the training program at VCU and joined
the faculty as a McGuire VA Medical Center-based hospitalist.
In this position he
interacts with the housestaff daily as a ward and general medicine
consult attending.
He
also is actively involved in performance and quality improvement
projects and research at the medical center. His current research
includes studying
extended
VTE prophylaxis in acutely ill medical patients and anticoagulation
strategies in stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation patients.
Dr. Fulco is the associate program director responsible for the
oversight of the training program activities at the VA Medical
Center. He sees
himself as
an advocate for the residents and a role model for high teaching
standards. He is well-known for his supportive and comfortable
teaching style and
has been
recently recognized for these teaching skills by the housestaff
by being awarded the Outstanding Ward Attending Award.
His thoughts on the residency … an exceptional group of dedicated, hard
working professionals working in an environment that fosters education and provides
incredible exposure to the gamut of medical pathology … I can still remember
coming here as an intern and hearing “if you can read about it in Harrison’s,
you’ll see it in this training program.”
Jeff Kushinka, M.D.
Associate program director
Assistant professor of medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine
Education
-
B.S., University of Richmond, 1997
-
M.D., Virginia Commonwealth University, 2002
Clinical training
- Internship and residency, Virginia Commonwealth University, 2002-05
- Chief medical resident, Virginia Commonwealth University, 2005-06
Residency training experience
- Associate program director, Virginia Commonwealth University, 2006-present
Dr. Kushinka came to Richmond from Bucks County, Pa. He brings to VCU an interest in graduate medical education, seeking to contribute to innovations in education techniques. He has been active in the development of the program’s proposal for the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education pilot accreditation program and is currently pursuing a patient safety leadership fellowship through the Department of Health Administration, School of Allied Health Professions.
Dr. Kushinka stayed at VCU because he values the program’s unrivalled clinical experience and its outstanding residents. He enjoys riding his bike around Richmond and the surrounding counties and welcomes anyone to join him.
Bennett Lee, M.D., M.P.H.
Associate program director
Assistant professor of medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine
Education
- B.A., Williams College, 1988
- M.D., Virginia Commonwealth University, 1994
- M.P.H., Boston University, 2000
Clinical training
- Internship and residency, University of Cincinnati, 1994-97
- Fellowship, general/preventive medicine, Boston University, 1998-01
Residency training experience
- Associate program director, Virginia Commonwealth University, 2006-present
Dr. Bennett Lee was born and raised in Richmond. His wife is a PhD researcher in transplant immunology. They met in Boston, and she is a big Red Sox fan. Their sons are also a budding baseball fans.
Dr. Lee's research interests include Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) and how minority populations utilize various CAM modalities. Dr. Lee was on faculty at Emory University from 2001-2006 and is thrilled to be returning to Richmond and VCU.
Kelsey E.S. Salley, M.D.
Associate program director,
women's health track
Fellow, women’s health endocrinology and metabolism
Education
-
B.A., University of Virginia, 1998
-
M.D., Virginia Commonwealth University, 2003
Clinical training
- Internship and residency, Virginia Commonwealth University, 2003-2006
- Chief medical resident, Virginia Commonwealth University, 2006-07
- Fellow, Women’s Health Endocrinology and Metabolism, Virginia Commonwealth University, 2007-present
Residency training experience
- Associate program director, Virginia Commonwealth University, 2007-present
Dr. Salley grew up in Virginia Beach. After finishing her undergraduate degree in Biology, she worked for LifeNet Transplant Services before beginning medical school. She completed the Women’s Health Track in Internal Medicine as well as a Chief Resident year where she focused on improving ambulatory education by designing additional ambulatory training electives and founding a weekly Ambulatory Morning Report.
Dr. Salley was mentored by Dr. Wendy Klein, the founder of the Women’s Health track at VCU. Her interests are in Women’s Health Graduate Medical Education and Women’s Health Endocrinology, especially Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. She is excited to continue to develop the outstanding training in Women’s Health at VCU and particularly enjoys the camaraderie amongst the Women’s Health residents.
Dr. Salley is married to Dave, an otolaryngologist. They are expecting their first child in September 2007. She enjoys snowboarding, party-planning, and yoga.
