Meet the Team

Avash Kalra, M.D. (Creator, Founder & Host) is a first-year internal medicine resident physician at the University of Colorado in Denver, CO. He is a 2012 graduate of the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, where he created Radio Rounds in 2008, subsequently serving as co-host of the show for Seasons 1-6. Avash is also a 2005 graduate of Cornell University, where he majored in Psychology, served as a columnist for The Cornell Daily Sun, and learned to survive harsh winters. Before starting medical school, Avash spent time conducting research on lifespan extension at the National Institute on Aging in Baltimore, Maryland. In approximately 200 years, he promises to share what he learned.

Avash was born in England and lived there for 11 years. He loves to travel, especially in Europe, and he spends his free time either exploring new restaurants or working as a staff writer for College Hockey News. Over time, he has developed unhealthy obsessions with ice hockey, tart frozen yogurt, and television shows such as Mad Men, Dexter, and Breaking Bad.

Lakshman Swamy (Founder & Host) is a medical student at the Boonshoft School of Medicine at Wright State University. He is a 2005 graduate of the College of Wooster in Wooster, OH, where he self-designed the Neuroscience major. Before joining medical school, Lakshman worked for two years in the Trapp lab at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation as a lab technician working with multiple sclerosis.

Lakshman is a young gentleman in the MD/MBA program at Wright State, and accordingly, his favorite character on Scrubs is Dr. Kelso. He has an eclectic taste in music, loves audiobooks — especially mysteries — and loves outdated TV shows. He is currently on his MBA semester and is trying to catch up on everything he left hanging while studying for USMLE Step 1: reading Dr. Paul Farmer’s latest book, watching ER (for the first time!), Mad Men, and of course taking care of his amazing puppy, Topi the Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier. As for the future, he has no idea what he wants to do with his medical career, but he is definitely looking forward to working with patients instead of textbooks.

–

Shamie Das (Founder & Director) is an MD/MBA dual degree student at the Boonshoft School of Medicine at Wright State University. He graduated from Emory University in 2004 as a dual major in Biology and Sociology. He went on to earn his Masters Degree in Public Health (MPH) in 2007 from the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University. As a graduate student, he also performed bench research in Molecular and Cell Biology at the Emory University School of Medicine. In his free time during college, Shamie volunteered as an EMT-Intermediate and went on to become certified as a Paramedic.

Shamie was born in England and soon after moved to the US. In his free time he enjoys photography, traveling and fine cuisine. A few of his life goals are to visit every continent and climb Everest. An avid extremist, Shamie enjoys leaping out of perfectly good airplanes, white water rafting and jumping headfirst into gorges. Recently a father, he enjoys outdoor activities, traveling, and spending time with his wife and daughter. His favorite authors include Hemingway, Frost, and Crichton (and obviously, Robbins). Television is a thing of the past in his current life, but occasionally he still watches PBS (Curious George) and listens to NPR and (of course) Radio Rounds.

John Corker (Host & Director) is a medical student at the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine.  He is a 2003 graduate of St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati, Ohio and a 2007 graduate of the University of Notre Dame.  After earning his degree in Biological Sciences, John worked for two years traveling the country to recruit and evaluate undergraduate applications as an Admissions Counselor in Notre Dame’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions.  And for any pre-medical students out there who are laboring over the decision, John feels that taking time away between undergraduate studies and medical school was one of the best decisions he’s ever made.

In his free time (oxymoron?), John is an avid reader of the New York Times and the BBC news feeds in order to stay abreast of current events and the ways of the world.  In addition, he dabbles in the world of print journalism while serving as the Health Care Correspondent for the Next Generation Journal, which you can find online at www.NextGenJournal.com.  Thanks to the wonders of DVR, John is also able to catch abbreviated versions of Top Gear, Man vs. Food, Modern Family and Glee as he winds down before bed-time.  John loves to be active, exercise and, of course, cheer on his beloved Fighting Irish.  When he grows up, he wants to replace Kirk Herbstreit in his role at the ESPN/ABC family of networks.  In the meantime, he looks forward to pursuing a career in Emergency Medicine and Public Health Policy.

Yojan Patel (Executive Producer and Director) is a medical student at the Boonshoft School of Medicine at Wright State University. He is a 2010 graduate of The Ohio State University, where he majored in Biology. During his time at Ohio State, Yojan participated in a research project that allowed him to work with stroke patients and vitamin E wound healing analysis.

Yojan was born in India and immigrated to the US with his parents when he was 7. In his free time, Yojan likes to play a pick up game of basketball as well as “old school” Nintendo games such as Mario Kart. He loves watching sports, especially college football and the NBA. Yojan also does promotional and volunteer work for BAPS Charities, an international non-profit organization. Watching TV has also become a lazy habit of his, as he enjoys watching the food network and travel channel… at the same time.

 

Teresa Lee (Host) is a medical student at the Boonshoft School of Medicine at Wright State University. She is a 2008 graduate of Johns Hopkins University where she double-majored in Writing Seminars and Philosophy. She then received her Masters in Health Sciences from the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology department at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health in 2009. Before matriculating into medical school, she spent an additional year working in a glycobiology lab at Johns Hopkins University and also had an opportunity to travel to South Korea where she tutored elementary students in English.

Aside from studying, Teresa can be found watching anything that’s broadcasted by the Bravo network or reading (only classical literature though, with the exception of Harry Potter), and scribbling stories and ideas into a secret notebook. She has a current interest in Hematology and Oncology, although she anticipates that her mind will change numerous times in the coming years.

 

Adam S. Deardorff (Host and Producer) studies both neuroscience and medicine as an MD/PhD student at the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine. After earning his Baccalaureate in Zoology and Environmental Science, he spent a year working in wastewater management before earning his Master’s in Human Anatomy, a degree that has given him a great appreciation for the marvel of the human form. He is excited not only continue to learn about its structure and function but also to use this knowledge to practice medicine with skill and empathy.

Adam is a native of Cincinnati, Ohio. He is currently working on his PhD dissertation, studying both activity-dependant and injury-induced alterations in neuronal excitability and synaptic integration in spinal cord and brainstem circuits involved in motor control and auditory processing, respectively. In his free time, he enjoys being active and spending time with is girlfriend Beth, a recent graduate of the Boonshoft School of Medicine, a local psychiatry resident, and a champion for the homeless and mentally ill.

Casey McCluskey (Host) is a medical student at the Wright University Boonshoft School of Medicine.  She received her undergraduate and Master’s degree from the University of Notre Dame and was an elementary school teacher for seven years before changing her path completely and entering medical school.

At the end of her first year of medical school, Casey had the unique situation of experiencing life on the other side medicine, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.   Her first experience with Radio Rounds came as a guest when Avash Kalra and Lakshman Swamy interviewed her about her experience with cancer and how it changed her perspective of medicine and being a medical student. In her spare time Casey enjoys: talking turkey, killing time, making cents, sitting pretty, riding shotgun, running amok, shakin’ what her mamma gave her,  holding court, making her bed and lying in it, spinning in infinity,  flying off the handle, and making it happen.  She thinks whoever invented the DVR should be given the Nobel Prize.  She loves playing tag, but hates being ‘It.’  She has been called many a things, but Survivor is the title she will champion above all.

Sam Roberto (Host) is a medical student at the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine and is originally from Springfield, Ohio. He graduated with honors from Cedarville University, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Bible. During this time, Sam conducted research on the cognitive effects of glucose on learning and memory, as well as research on brain physiology implicated in schizophrenia. Before entering medical school at Wright State, Sam also pursued rigorous studies abroad at The University of Oxford, in England. His work there has included medical psychology, English literature, and philosophy. With a master’s degree forthcoming in Philosophy alongside the M.D., Sam hopes to tackle ethical and social dilemmas in medicine from a different perspective.

Away from the medical textbooks, Sam likes to enjoy a good read by C.S. Lewis, Ravi Zacharias, and other challenging writers. Sam also enjoys working on his car, spending time at the gym, and writing and playing music on the guitar. He has recorded with Rock & Roll hall of fame guitarist Phil Keaggy, as well as served with OneVoice Gospel Choir — both nationally and internationally — during his time at Cedarville. A quote that he’d like to leave you with is: “There are a thousand thoughts lying within a man that he does not know till he takes up a pen to write” – William Thackeray.

John Mark Mclain (Host) is a medical student at the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine. Hailing from east Texas, John Mark completed his Bachelor of Science degree in 2008 from Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. While attending undergrad, he received a research internship at the University of Florida, studying phototropic effects of various light wavelengths on Arabdopsis thaliana. As a collegiate swimmer, John Mark received first team All-American honors, as well as academic All-American honors in 2006 and 2007. John Mark completed his Masters of Science degree in Anatomy from Wright State University in 2010.

In his free time, John Mark is a musician who has done studio guitar work and songwriting for several local artists. In the summer of 2010, he was able to perform in venues such as the Icthus Music Festival in Kentucky and the Exit/Inn in Nashville, Tennessee. He also enjoys snowboarding, traveling, and watching countless hours of ESPN. John Mark has recently applied for the military HPSP scholarship and hopes to be a trauma surgeon for either the Navy or the Marines.

Dr. Matthew DiPaola (Special Correspondent) is an Assistant Professor of Orthopedics and Sports Medicine at Wright State University. He completed Undergraduate work in Neurobiology and Behavior at Cornell University, where he was also an All Ivy and Academic All Ivy Varsity Football Player.  He graduated with Honors in Research from The Cornell University Medical College and went on to complete residency in Orthopedic Surgery at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.  He then finished a fellowship in reconstructive shoulder and elbow surgery at the NYU- Hospital for Joint Diseases.

In addition to maintaining a busy orthopedic practice he is also the founder of a software start-up company called Touch Consult (www.touchconsult.com, www.thelist.md), that focuses on building software solutions to aid clinicians in improving patient information hand off and signout.  He is married to a lovely Reproductive Endocrinologist Krystene DiPaola who works at the University of Cincinnati and has one little boy.  Besides working out, bicycling, and blogging at www.matthewdipaolamd.com, he gladly occupies the remainder of his time with his family.

Becky Brown (Staff Writer) is a Graduate Anatomy student at Wright State University. She also attended Wright State during her undergraduate career and graduated in 2009 with a B.S. in Biological Sciences, emphasis in Exercise Biology.  She is currently beginning research with Dr. Dawn Wooley in Fall 2011.  Becky’s research will focus on the biosafety of HIV and Adenovirus in experimentally infected animals.  She hopes that this research will be a strong beginning for her future career goals, which likely includes recurrent mission trips to Swaziland, a country in Africa whose population has been drastically affected by HIV and AIDS.

In her spare time, Becky enjoys playing with barbies, watching Dora the Explorer, dancing around the living room and skillfully evading the hundreds of monsters that hide in the nooks and crannies of her house (all of these activities, of course, with her beautiful 4-year-old daughter, Lila).  In her own spare time, Becky plays the piano and violin and enjoys listening to music as well.  She also enjoys being outdoors and watching movies, her favorites being fantasies such as Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings.