Alumni

Christopher Inserra, MD

Undergraduate: Boston College
Medical school: Creighton University School of Medicine
Residency: Creighton University Medical Center
Employment: Colorado Arthritis & Osteoporosis Center, Colorado Spring, Colorado

Dr. Inserra's interest in rheumatology was born out of a background in physical medicine & rehabilitation as well as passionate mentorship that he received during his time at Creighton, where he learned that the field combines extensive knowledge of the musculoskeletal system with the many complexities of internal medicine.

Outside of medicine, he enjoys playing ice hockey and is thus happy to be spending his fellowship in northern New England. He also enjoys spending time with family, road trips and sampling new restaurants

Aakanksha Khanna, MD

Undergraduate: University of Toronto - Mississauga
Medical school: Ross University School of Medicine
Residency: State University of New York – Buffalo (or University at Buffalo)
Employment: Dartmouth Hitchcock Clinics, Manchester, New Hampshire

Dr. Khanna’s interest in rheumatology was born out of her interest towards the art of problem-solving. The challenges posed by complex cases, such as the ones typically seen in the field of Rheumatology, offer a diagnostic dilemma that she enjoys solving. Her interest in building long-lasting patient relationships as well as love for history taking and physical exam skills further solidified her interest in this field. She has been enjoying her clinical experience thus far. Furthermore, given her immense interest in medical education, she has been thrilled to be in a mentoring and teaching role.

Her passion outside of medicine is dance; to fuse her prior dance training and ongoing medical training she aims to teach her patients with Rheumatologic diseases the importance of exercise in improving overall quality of life. She also enjoys traveling, trying new outdoor activities, and learning new cultures.

Amandeep Rakhra, DO

Undergrad: University of Missouri – Columbia
Medical School: Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine
Residency: Creighton University Medical Center
Employment: Creighton University Medical Center, Omaha, NE

Originally born in Canada, Dr. Rakhra grew up in a rural town in northwest Missouri. After completing internal medicine residency, she had the opportunity to complete a chief year focusing on quality and patient safety at the VA in Omaha, Nebraska. Her interest in rheumatology stemmed from the complexity and upcoming advancements in the field.

In her free time she enjoys doing yoga, cooking, and exploring New England food and culture.

Vivekanand Tiwari, MD

Medical School: Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India
Residency: St Joseph Hospital affiliated with University of Illinois at Chicago
Employment: Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH
Research interests: Rheumatoid arthritis, interstitial diseases in rheumatic diseases, Burnout in Medicine

Dr Tiwari worked as a Hospitalist for a few years after completion of his internal medicine residency, during which time he developed a strong interest in rheumatology. Prior to joining the fellowship in rheumatology at D-H, he did research projects related to diverse topics including burnout in rheumatology, periodontitis association with rheumatic diseases and disease activity indices in Rheumatoid arthritis. He has a strong interest in teaching and he enjoys his time with the residents and the medical students on the rheumatology service.

When not at work he loves to spend time with his family and values the personal and professional balance rheumatology provides.

Vishnuteja Devalla, MD

Undergraduate: University of Rhone Island
Medical School: Trinity School of Medicine
Residency: Good Samaritan College of Nursing and Health Science
Employment: Essentia Health, Duluth, Minnesota

Manpreet “Nikki” Parmar, MD

Undergraduate: Schreyer Honors College at Pennsylvania State University
Medical School: New Jersey Medical School
Residency: Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
Employment: Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY

During residency, Dr. Parmar developed a special passion for rheumatology, with a focus on scleroderma. She conducted research with Dr. Vivien Hsu at the Rutgers Health Scleroderma Program, exploring the relationship between the upper gastrointestinal disease and scleroderma. She has also been researching the significance of skin biomarkers in scleroderma with Dr. Michael Whitfield and Dr. Robert Simms at Dartmouth. To gain more insight into patients’ perspectives’ on their illnesses, Dr. Parmar volunteered in patient support group meetings with the New England Chapter of the Scleroderma Foundation; she presents monthly educational sessions about scleroderma and leads an exercise initiative among the patients. She continues to place her efforts in patient advocacy as a member of the American College of Rheumatology Quality Measures Subcommittee.

Outside of the medicine, Dr. Parmar is an avid endurance athlete and has participated in the NYC Century Bike Tour and numerous half marathons to advocate for causes such as scleroderma.

Aparna Padmaraju, MD

Medical School: Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College
Residency: Spokane Teaching Health Center
Employment: Elliot Hospital, Manchester, NH

Andres Ponce, MD

Medical School: Virginia Commonwealth School of Medicine
Residency: Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
Employment: Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA

Luke Barre, MD, MPH, RhMSUS

Undergraduate: University of Ottawa, Honors Chemistry and Physics
Medical School: Saba University School of Medicine
Residency: Roger Williams Medical Center, affiliate of Boston University School of Medicine
Employment: Hawthorn Medical Associates, Dartmouth, MA
Research Interests: Opioid prescribing and public health

Dr. Barré initially set out to become an Immunologist, based on his expectation that understanding the complex role of our immune system is crucial to the future of medical treatments. His interest in rheumatology was born out of rotations in clinical immunology, during which the most fascinating diseases, and also the most satisfied patients, were treated by Rheumatologists. His experience in rheumatology was enriched during his training in Preventive Medicine, which has helped give him a global view of Public Health. His current role incorporates both his clinical Rheumatology training and his Preventive Medicine training: working at a private Rheumatology practice within a multi-specialty group, teaching medical students from Brown and Boston University and working with the Rhode Island Department of Health.

In his free time he enjoys swimming, running, cycling and snowboarding with his wife and two daughters.

Jack Chen, DO

Undergraduate: Carnegie Mellon University
Medical school: Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
Residency: Lehigh Valley Health Network
Employment: Multicare Rheumatology Specialists, Pulyallup, Washington

Dr. Chen wanted to become a doctor to help patients live a healthier life. He treats inflammatory conditions that affect the musculoskeletal system and other organ systems. He values open-mindedness and understanding.

Away from the office, he enjoys traveling, cooking and trying new cuisine, and watching movies with family and friends.

Courtney Corbeil, DO, MPH

Undergraduate: University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL
Medical School: West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, Lewisburg, WV
Residency: Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, PA
Employment: St. Joseph Hospital, Bangor, ME
Research Interests: Quality Improvement, Epidemiology and Public Health

While Dr. Corbeil’s interest in rheumatology began in medical school, it took off during residency when she fell in love with the complexities of internal medicine; the field of rheumatology allows her to diagnose and treat the most interesting pathologies, while maintaining her expertise as an internist. Given her passion for QI, after completing the Rheumatology Fellowship at D-H she pursued additional training in the Leadership Preventive Medicine program. Through this she obtained her MPH, deepened her knowledge in QI, and developed a passion for public health. She enjoyed implementing the principles of QI in real-time in our department through her practicum project where she aimed to improve the clinic’s methotrexate prescribing and safety monitoring.

Outside of doctoring she enjoys canoeing with her husband and exploring their new home in Maine with their 3 year-old daughter and two dogs.

Eva Kovacs, MD

Undergraduate: McMaster University
Medical School: Semmelweis University
Residency: Lankenau Medical Center
Employment: Private Practice, Ontario, Canada

William Monaco, MD, RhMSUS

Undergraduate: Duke University
Medical School: Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
Residency: Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
Employment: Maine General, Agusta, ME
Research Interests: Late onset neutropenia with Rituximab

Dr. Monaco spent 9 years at Dartmouth-Hitchcock, from medical school through fellowship. He is currently practicing rheumatology in Augusta, Maine. He enjoys outpatient clinical rheumatology and opportunities to teach family medicine residents and osteopathic manipulation therapy fellows.

He and his wife have two young daughters who keep them busy at home. He enjoys spending time with his family at the beach and hopes to take his kids hiking in Maine's mountains once they are older.