Internal Medicine Residency Program

Welcome New and Prospective Residents

I would like to personally welcome you to the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Desert Regional Medical Center. We are a three-year American Osteopathic Association (AOA) and Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accredited program located in sunny Palm Springs, California and have the pleasure of serving the Coachella Valley. We provide care to a large demographic population and manage the most difficult cases presented to us.

During your three years at DRMC you will see a wide range of pathology and build the knowledge of how to co-manage and collaborate with many different specialties. Your exposure will be as broad as the care of the critical patient to the out-patient clinic primary care and the whole spectrum in between. You will have rotations through multiple sub-specialties of Internal Medicine to increase your range of knowledge.

We accept twelve residents per year and our inaugural class started July 1, 2016. I am very excited to be a part of the education of our future Internists and believe that Desert Regional Medical Center will provide the best learning environment needed to become a well-seasoned Internist.

Katrina Platt, DO, FACOI
Program Director

First Year Residents

Second Year Residents

Anna Arakelyan, MD

Ross University School of Medicine
Class of 2019

Hamoudi Farraji, DO

Arizona COM of Midwestern University
Class of 2019

Saad Karamat, MD

St. George's University School of Medicine, Grenada
Class of 2019

Khang Lam, DO

Touro University COM
Class of 2019

Shawn Mo, DO

Liberty University COM
Class of 2019

India Pleasant, DO

Edward Via COM, Carolinas Campus
Class of 2019

Vatche Satamian, DO

Western University Health Sciences, COM
Class of 2019

Mubashir Sheikh, MD

American University of Antigua, COM
Class of 2019

Randoplh Tingle, DO

A.T. Still University, School of Osteopathic Medicine
Class of 2019

Phuong Pham Tran, DO

Arizona COM of Midwestern University
Class of 2019

Third Year Residents

Dina Albaree, DO

University of Pikeville Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine
Class of 2018

Samir Bajwa, DO

Pikeville Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine
Class of 2018

Rosine Bekarian, DO

Western University
Class of 2018

Chase Blackford, DO

Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Class of 2018

Robert Elliot, DO

Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine – Midwestern
Class of 2018

Anastasia Kozyleva, DO

Kansas City University
Class of 2018

Leeda Mathew, DO

Touro University, Nevada
Class of 2018

Arabhi Nagasunder, DO

UNTHSC Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine
Class of 2018

Robert DaVee, DO

West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine
Class of 2018

Joshua Napial, DO

Western University of Health Sciences
Class of 2018

Nicole Nazemi, DO

Western University
Class of 2018

Megan Sidana, DO

Western University of Health Sciences
Class of 2018

INTERVIEWS

The Department of Internal Medicine participates exclusively with the American Osteopathic Association National Matching Service and can be found on the Electronic Residency Application Service. You may apply through the dean’s office at your medical school, or through the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates.

Scheduled for October through December, interviews are offered to applicants who have submitted an application through ERAS. (Applications sent by fax or email will not be reviewed.)

The interview day itinerary includes*:

• Welcome and Introductions
• Morning Report
• Interviews with Senior Residents
• Interviews with Program Leadership and Faculty
• Tour of the Hospital and the IM Clinic
• Lunch and Q&A with Current Residents

*Subject to change

CURRICULUM

The curriculum for Desert Regional Medical Center has been designed to meet AOA accreditation standards and utilize the clinical strengths of the hospital faculty to produce quality trained physicians. The hospital has elected to use 13 block arrangement for rotations.

Internal Medicine Board Eligibility

* ABIM Board Certification (DO & MD’s): https://www.abim.org/certification/policies/internal-medicine-subspecialty-policies/internal-medicine.aspx . The program director will provide a form of “attestation” for the residents that wish to take the ABIM Board exam, via the ABIM’s FasTrack online platform, at the end of the academic year.

* AOBIM Board Certification (D.O.’s only) : https://certification.osteopathic.org/internal-medicine/certification-process-overview/internal-medicine/ . Resident must obtain a completed AOBIM PD Report from the Program Director at the end of residency, residents cannot register for the AOBIM Board Exam without this report.

Program Director

Katrina Platt, DO, FACOI

Current Positions: Internal Medicine Program Director, Desert Regional Medical Center

Board Certification: Internal Medicine

Residency: Internal Medicine, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center- Colton, CA

Medical Degree: Western University of Health Sciences - Pomona, CA

Faculty Appointments: Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine, Western University of Health Sciences - Pomona, CA

Associate Program Director

Xolani Mdluli, MD

Current Position: Internal Medicine Associate Program Director, Desert Regional Medical Center

Board Certification: Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease

Residency: Mount Sanai School of Medicine - Jersey City, NJ

Medical Degree: St. George's University - Grenada, West Indies

Faculty Appointments: Assistant Professor of Infectious Disease, University of California, Riverside, CA