Residents

PGY-1

Zachary R. Strecker, MD

Medical school: University of Massachusetts T.H. Chan School of Medicine
Undergraduate education: Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Bio: I grew up in Cohasset, Massachusetts, a small town on the South Shore of Boston. At Harvard, I researched telehealth systems in rural Madagascar and played lock/flanker on the rugby team. In medical school, I took an early interest in rural primary care, but ultimately discovered my love for vascular surgery during clinical rotations. For me, vascular offers the perfect combination of exciting procedures, creative operative problem-solving, and continuity of care with my patients. My primary research interests are complex limb salvage, rural outcome disparities, and optimizing telehealth-based follow up. In my free time, I enjoy cooking for family and friends, fly fishing, skiing, and exploring the beautiful state and national parks in northern New England!

PGY-2

Thomas W. Cheng, MD, MS

Medical school: Boston University School of Medicine
Undergraduate/graduate education:
BS: Johns Hopkins University
MS: Boston University
Bio: I grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia before coming to the US where I attended Johns Hopkins University for undergraduate education. Afterwards, I went to Boston University for a Master's in medical sciences. I then worked as a clinical research coordinator, primarily in vascular surgery, prior to matriculating into Boston University School of Medicine. During my free time, I enjoy playing tennis, skiing/snowboarding, and watching movies.

PGY-3

Dominic N. Facciponte, MD

Medical School: SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY
Undergraduate Education:
BS: Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Bio: I was born and raised in Syracuse, NY where I ultimately attended medical school. Prior to this I played division-one lacrosse as a goaltender for Hobart. I was first exposed to vascular surgery at the end of MS1 year and have never looked back since. My main interest at this point is endovascular aneurysm repair however I am in the process of identifying in which direction to take my research and professional development. My hobbies include music (I have been a drummer since age 7 and big fan of the Dave Matthew Band), sports (retired college athlete and golf enthusiast), as well as cooking and spending time with family and friends. In particular, I really enjoy firing up the smoker for some BBQ to share with guests.

PGY-4

Aravind S. Ponukumati, MD

Medical School: Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH
Undergraduate Education:
BS: Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA
Bio: My hometown is Chantilly, Virginia, and I enjoyed exploring the D.C. and Philadelphia metropolitan areas as a student. I ultimately hope to become an academic vascular surgeon with an early surgical interest in critical limb-threatening ischemia and limb preservation. Having tackled both bench-top and clinical/outcomes research in medical school, I am interested in the application of engineering approaches to modeling and device design in vascular surgery. I enjoy hiking, squash, competitive chess, traveling, and wildlife photography.

PGY-5

Brianna M. Krafcik, MD

Medical School: University of Toledo College of Medicine, Toledo, OH
Undergraduate Education:
BS: University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN
MS: Georgetown University, Washington D.C.
Bio: I grew up outside of Cleveland, Ohio, and went to college at the University of Notre Dame, where I was on the rowing team and double majored in biology and studio art. I went to Georgetown University for graduate school, where I got my Master’s degree in physiology. My interest in vascular surgery began when I worked as a clinical research coordinator at Boston Medical Center in the Department of Surgery prior to attending medical school at the University of Toledo. My interests include running, skiing, crossword puzzles, live music, lattes, and spending time with my pup Mulligan. I am planning to pursue a career in academia and hope to design clinical trials.

Research

Kirthi S. Bellamkonda, MD, MSc

Medical School: Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
Undergraduate Education:
BS: University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
MSc: University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
Bio: I grew up in Naperville, IL, and first was exposed to vascular surgery through research during my master's degree at the University of Oxford. I ultimately hope to work in academic medicine, joining my experience in the ultrasound technology industry at Butterfly Network with my work on large datasets in clinical outcomes to drive improvements in the early diagnosis and monitoring of vascular disease. Outside of work, I enjoy cooking, foraging, hiking.