Geriatric Medicine Fellowship Faculty

Faculty 

Brief Bio

Nimit Agarwal, MD
Nimit Agarwal, MD
 

Program Director, Internal Medicine Geriatric Medicine Fellowship

Medical School: Maulana Azad Medical College, University of Delhi, India
Internal Medicine​ Residency: Harlem Hospital Center, Columbia University
Geriatric Medicine Fellowship: Loyola University
Board Certifications: ABIM Internal Medicine, 2008 (recertification, 2018) and ABIM Geriatric Medicine, 2009
Areas of Interest: Innovative ways to provide geriatric care and utilizing technology to improve health care outcomes

Walter Nieri, MD
Walter Nieri, MD

Associate Program Director, Internal Medicine Geriatric Medicine Fellowship

Medical School: Loyola Stritch School of Medicine
Internship: Conemaugh Valley Memorial Hospital
Residency: Mercy Hospital
Board Certification: Internal Medicine/Geriatrics/Certified Medical Director for Long Term Care; Hospice Medical Director
Areas of Interest: As the associate program director, Dr. Nieri has a general interest in promoting the principles of geriatric medicine by training physicians that will provide quality geriatric care in our communities. His specific interest is healthy aging and in developing innovative models of care for long term care and dementia patients to ensure the best quality of life in later years and at the end of life.

From its inception at Banner Boswell in 1997 to 2020, Dr. Walter Nieri served as the program director for the Family Medicine Geriatrics Program. Dr. Nieri has now become the associate program director for the combined Geriatrics Fellowship Program — ensuring his leadership, foundation and knowledge remain a part of our programs overall. 

Paul E. Stander, MD
Paul E. Stander, MD

Associate Chief of Staff, Geriatrics and Extended Care, Phoenix Veterans Affairs Health Care System (PVAHS)
Director, Outpatient Palliative Care, PVAHS
Medical Director, Hospice of the Valley
Clinical Professor of Medicine, U of A College of Medicine – Phoenix

Medical School: Thomas Jefferson University, Jefferson Medical College
Residency: College of Wisconsin, Internal Medicine
Residency: University of Arizona, Preventative Medicine

Kristina Balangue, MD
Kristina Balangue, MD

Medical School: University of the Philippines College of Medicine; Manila, Philippines
Internal Medicine Internship: Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons at Harlem Hospital Center
Internal Medicine Residency: Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons at Harlem Hospital Center
Geriatrics Fellowship: U of A College of Medicine – Phoenix
Board Certifications: Internal Medicine, Geriatrics, and Hospice and Palliative Medicine (board-eligible)
Areas of Interest: Practical and conceptual applications of the Age Friendly Health System’s 4M’s Paradigm of Care, care transitions within the hospital system for older adults, managing multicomplexity in older adults, in-hospital delirium management, prevention and mitigation, navigating directions and goals of care in all stages of the disease process and not just at end of life

Amruta Vadnerkar, MD
Amruta Vadnerkar, MD

Faculty Member

Medical School: Dr. D. Y. Patil medical College, New Mumbai, India
Residency: Sound Shore Medical Center, NY Medical College
Fellowship: Winthrop University Hospital
Board Certifications: Internal medicine, geriatrics and palliative care

Ganesh Gopalakrishna, MD​
Ganesh Gopalakrishna, MD​

Faculty Member – Geriatric Psychiatry Attending

Medical School: Bangalore Medical College
Residency: Psychiatry, University of Missouri-Columbia
Fellowship: Geriatric Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University 
Areas of Interest: Dementia, use of technology in mental health

Sandhya Reddy
Sandhya Reddy, MD

Medical School: Mysore University.
Residency: Banner University Medical Center (Formerly called Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center).
Board certified – Internal Medicine, Geriatric Medicine.
Areas of Interest: Dementia care, focus on improving function and improving quality of life in geriatric population
Personal Interests: Reading, travelling, cooking

JiaXi Dong (JD), DO
JiaXi Dong (JD), DO

Medical School: Midwestern University - AZCOM
Residency/Fellowship: Banner University Medical Center – University of Arizona Phoenix
Areas of interest: geriatric medicine, general internal medicine and hospital medicine
Personal interest: cooking, guitar, archery

Roshni Kundranda
Roshni Kundranda, MD

Medical School: Mysore University.
Residency: Banner University Medical Center (Formerly called Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center).
Board certified – Internal Medicine, Geriatric Medicine.
Areas of Interest: Dementia Care, focus on improving function and improving quality of life in geriatric population.
Personal Interests: Reading, travelling, cooking.

Navaid Khan, MD
Navaid Khan, MD

 

Brandon Gardner, MD
Brandon Gardner, MD

 

Anita Rasheed, MD
Anita Rasheed, MD

Faculty Member

Medical School: Dow Medical College, Pakistan
Residency: Internal Medicine, Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix
Chief Resident: Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix/Phoenix VA Healthcare System
Fellowship: Geriatrics, Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix
Areas of Interest: Process and quality improvement, patient safety and geriatrics-orthopedics co-management

Pooja Rangan, MBBS, MPH
Pooja Rangan, MBBS, MPH

Data Scientist, Department of Medicine, UA College of Medicine – Phoenix

Medical School: Kasturba Medical College, Manipal University
Graduate: Drexel School of Public Health
Areas of Interest: Epidemiology and biostatistics

Allison Perrin, MD
Allison Perrin, MD​

Physician Dementia Specialist, Memory Disorders Clinic

Medical School: Wayne State University
Residency: Maricopa Integrated Health System (now Valleywise Health)
Fellowships: Faculty Development at MIHS, Geriatrics at BGSMC
Board Certifications: Internal medicine, geriatrics, hospice and palliative medicine
Areas of Interest: Dementia, end of life

Kartik Boddapalli
Kartik Boddupalli, DO

Medical School: Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine – Midwestern University
Residency: Maricopa integrated health system (Now Valleywise) – Maricopa medical center, Phoenix
Areas of interest: Internal medicine, geriatrics 
Personal interest: Computers, gadgetry, cars

Other faculty members include Banner Alzheimer’s Institute physicians, Banner Sun Health Research Institute physicians and neuropsychologists, neurologists, hospitalists, PM&R physicians, wound care physicians, psychiatrists, dermatologists and urologists.