Saber Ghiassi, MD

Dr. Saber Ghiassi is an Associate Professor of Surgery at Yale School of Medicine and the Director of Bariatric Surgery at Bridgeport Hospital. He is a general surgeon with special expertise in minimally invasive, robotic, and bariatric surgeries.  

He obtained his Medical Degree (MD) from Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University (2004) and completed his General Surgery Residency at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, where he served as administrative chief resident. He went on to the Minimally Invasive and Bariatric Surgery Fellowship at Stanford University School of Medicine.

Derek Kai Kong, MD

Dr. Derek Kong is board-certified in Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery. He graduated from Tufts University and earned his medical degree from Yale School of Medicine. He completed residency at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and further did a fellowship specializing in advanced endoscopic sinus and anterior skull base surgery at the University of Pittsburgh. He specializes in the medical and surgical treatment of sinonasal disorders, including allergy, rhinosinusitis, and sinonasal tumors. His research in head and neck surgery and pediatric otolaryngology has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals.

Shannon Kay, MD

Dr. Kay was born and raised in New York City. She attended Manhattan College, where she earned her bachelor's and master's in chemical engineering. She then went to Stony Brook University for medical school and then the University of Michigan for internal medicine residency, including a chief year. She went on to complete her fellowship in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Yale, where she completed an additional T32-sponsored research fellowship. During her time as a fellow, she was awarded the CHEST Foundation grant in Women's Lung Health and has since spent her research efforts on identifying the contributions to sex differences in asthma. Clinically, she spends her time caring for patients in the Yale Center for Asthma and Airways Disease as well as in the intensive care unit. She serves as an Associate Program Director for the Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellowship and is active in medical education across the School of Medicine.

Erin McKnight, MD

Erin McKnight, MD is a double board-certified internal and obesity medicine physician serving as Associate Director of the Hospitalist Service at Yale New Haven Hospital. She also serves as Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Medicine at Yale University School of Medicine. Dr. McKnight brings over a decade of clinical experience with a strong focus on hospital operations, transitions of care, and interdisciplinary collaboration. She leads the Hospitalist Post-Discharge Team and contributes to system-level initiatives as a member of the Yale New Haven Health System Readmission Steering and Pillar Committees. 

Wajahat Mehal, MD

Wajahat Mehal, MD, DPhil is a Professor of Medicine in Digestive Diseases at Yale University School of Medicine and Director of the Yale Fatty Liver Disease Program and Yale Metabolic Health and Weight Loss Program. He specializes in fatty liver disease (both non-alcoholic and alcoholic), obesity medicine, and endobariatrics, offering comprehensive weight loss interventions, and he conducts NIH-funded research on inflammation and fibrosis in liver disease. He received his MD from the University of Oxford, his DPhil from Oxford University in Immunogenetics, and completed his residency and fellowship at Yale-New Haven Hospital. 

Jensa Morris, MD

Jensa Morris completed her undergraduate at Princeton University, medical school at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Internal Medicine training at the Brigham and Women's Hospital. Dr. Morris specializes in the care of hospitalized patients. Over her career at Yale New Haven Hospital, she has been a leader in perioperative medical management of surgical patients, specifically orthopedic and neurosurgical patients. She was the medical lead for the Hip Fracture Co-management Service and the Arthroplasty Preoperative Optimization Program. Dr. Morris now leads the Smilow Hospitalist Service, dedicated to the care of hospitalized patients with cancer. Dr. Morris has a strong interest in quality improvement, education and team building on the inpatient medical services. 

Brandon Oto, PA-C

Brandon is a critical care PA in Connecticut. Formerly an EMT, he completed a generalist critical care residency at Johns Hopkins, and since has worked in multiple critical care environments across the Eastern US treating a spectrum of medical, surgical, cardiac, trauma, and neurocritical care populations. He is interested in medical education, mechanical ventilation, diagnostic reasoning, resuscitation, ICU liberation, vascular access, and point-of-care ultrasound. Elsewhere, he co-hosts the podcast Critical Care Scenarios and teaches at the online Intensive Care Academy. 

Samantha Panzica, PA-C

 Samantha Panzica is a Physician Associate specializing in burn care at the Connecticut Burn Center in Bridgeport Hospital. With experience in the acute and long-term management of burn patients, she is dedicated to advancing evidence-based practices that improve patient outcomes and quality of life. Samantha has a strong interest in multidisciplinary collaboration, patient education, and quality improvement initiatives within burn and critical care. She obtained her B.S. in Neuroscience from Binghamton University in 2011 and graduated with her Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies in 2014. 

Louis Rosen, APRN

Louis A. Rosen is an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) specializing in palliative care and pain management at NEMG/Bridgeport Hospital in Connecticut. He is a highly educated and experienced healthcare professional with a career spanning several decades and two different fields of work.  Rosen earned a Master's degree in Nursing with a focus on Family Nurse Practitioner from Sacred Heart University between 1999 and 2002. He was recognized at graduation with the Award for Most Outstanding Thesis and was a member of the Sigma Theta Tau honor society. He also holds a Master's degree in Social Work from the Columbia School of Social Work, which he completed between 1981 and 1983. 

Christine Rowland, PA-C

Christine Rowland is an experienced Physician Assistant with a diverse clinical background spanning over two decades. She earned her PA degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, a Master's degree from Pace University, and a Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) from the University of Lynchburg. She also holds a Certificate of Added Qualifications (CAQ) in Psychiatry through the NCCPA.

Christine's clinical experience includes pain management, internal medicine, and neurology. For the past 19 years, she has specialized in behavioral medicine, working across a variety of settings, including inpatient, outpatient, adult, geriatric, consultation-liaison, addiction, and emergency psychiatry.

Currently, she serves as a clinician at Recovery Network of Programs, a residential facility dedicated to supporting adults with mental health and substance use disorders. In addition to her clinical work, Christine is the Assistant Coordinator for Didactic and Clinical Education at the University of Bridgeport Physician Assistant Institute, where she plays a key role in training the next generation of physician assistants. 

Carly Smolick, RD, CDN, CHC

Carly Smolick is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Certified Health Coach through the National Society of Health Coaches with over 20 years of experience spanning acute care, long-term care, skilled nursing, school nutrition, public health, and employee wellbeing. She earned her degree in Nutrition with a minor in Kinesiology from Penn State University, followed by a Dietetic Internship at Hunter College in New York City. At Yale New Haven Health, Carly has designed and led impactful weight management and prediabetes programs, leveraging evidence-based nutrition and health coaching to achieve measurable improvements in health outcomes. She engages employees through one-on-one coaching, interactive group sessions, webinars, and cooking demonstrations, equipping them with the tools and confidence to sustain lifestyle change. Her philosophy centers on the belief that workforce wellness is a critical driver of healthcare quality. By empowering employees to prioritize their own health, Carly helps strengthen resilience and performance across the system, ultimately enhancing the care delivered to patients. 

Nanthiya Sujijantarat, MD

Dr. Nanthiya Sujijantarat is a fellowship-trained neurosurgeon specializing in endovascular treatment of cerebrovascular disorders. She completed her neurosurgery residency at Yale-New Haven Hospital, including a two-year enfolded neuroendovascular fellowship, and went on to complete a post-graduate neuroendovascular fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School. Her clinical expertise encompasses ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, brain aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) and dural arteriovenous fistulas (dAVFs) of the brain and spine, head and neck embolization, tumor embolization, embolization of chronic subdural hematomas, and carotid stenosis management through carotid endarterectomy (CEA), carotid stenting, and transcarotid artery revascularization (TCAR).

Dr. Sujijantarat is actively engaged in research and education. She has delivered multiple oral presentations at national and international conferences and contributed as both author and reviewer for several academic journals. Her scholarly achievements have been honored with the Dennis D. Spencer Award for Academic Achievement and the Residency Teaching Award at Yale. 
Born and raised in Bangkok, Thailand, Dr. Sujijantarat brings a global perspective to her work. Outside of medicine, she is passionate about animal welfare and serves as the president of the Sujijantarat Animal Sanctuary (SAS) which provides care for over 300 rescued animals in Kanchanaburi, Thailand.

Dr. Sujijantarat is committed to providing evidence-based care and advancing neurovascular science through research, education, and collaboration on both national and international levels. 

Kristen Turnbull, RD, CDN, CHC

Kristen Turnbull is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Certified Health Coach through the National Society of Health Coaches, originally from Nova Scotia, Canada. She joined Yale New Haven Health in 2022 and brings extensive experience from ambulatory care, hospital-based nutrition education, and community health. Her areas of expertise include women's health, prenatal nutrition, weight management and chronic disease prevention, sports and performance nutrition, and body image counseling. Currently pursuing a Master's in Nutrition and Human Performance, Kristen integrates advanced training in behavior change science with evidence-based nutrition practice. She is passionate about helping individuals unlearn restrictive or outdated approaches to health, replacing them with sustainable habits and mindset shifts that support long-term well-being. At YNHHS, Kristen focuses on employee wellness, providing health coaching and counseling that emphasize resilience, confidence, and sustainable change. She believes that when employees care for themselves, they are better equipped to thrive at work and deliver exceptional care to patients, making workforce wellbeing a cornerstone of patient outcomes.  

Brian Wojeck, MD

Dr. Brian Wojeck is an Assistant Professor at Yale University in the Section of Endocrinology. He received his Medical Degree from the University of Arizona and his Master of Public Health from Emory University. He completed his Internal Medicine residency at Mayo Clinic. He completed subspecialty fellowships in sleep medicine and endocrinology at Yale University. He has additional training in obesity medicine and is a weight management specialist. His clinical and research focus is the comprehensive management of the interrelated disease processes of diabetes, obesity, and sleep disorders. 

Dario Zagar, MD

Dario Zagar is a neurologist and Associate Professor of Neurology at Yale School of Medicine, with a special interest in headache and mind-body medicine. He is known for his empathetic approach, partly due to his own experiences with chronic pain and migraines. Dr. Zagar earned his medical degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in 1999. He completed his neurology residency at the Neurological Institute of New York at Columbia University Medical Center, serving as Chief Resident, and then a fellowship in Clinical Neurophysiology there. He joined Associated Neurologists of Southern Connecticut in 2004, eventually becoming a Managing Partner. He became a faculty member at Yale University in 2019 and is affiliated with Yale New Haven Hospital and Bridgeport Hospital.