Dr. Cristina Averhoff-Meena is a rare Atlanta native who traveled out west to Stanford for her undergraduate education, where she majored in Religious Studies and Biology. She came back to Emory for her medical school training, at which time she also obtained a master's degree in Bioethics. Cristina stayed at Emory to complete her internal medicine residency. She is excited to start her fellowship in Hospice and Palliative Medicine. She is passionate about medical education, global health, and treating the poor and underserved in our community. In her free time, she enjoys cooking Italian meals, traveling (ideally to Italy), taking hikes with her dog, and watching movies with her husband.
Dr. Zikran Fatema Choudhury
Dr. Zikran Fatema Choudhury is a people person, which is a good thing because she’s always lived in big, crowded cities. She was born and raised in Sylhet, Bangladesh, and moved to Queens, New York, at age 10. She studied biology at the City University of New York Macaulay Honors College at Lehman College before attending medical school at Saint Louis University. She then returned home for internal medicine residency at New-York Presbyterian Queens where she discovered her passion for palliative care. She is excited to join the Emory Palliative Care team and learn more about the field. In her spare time, she enjoys exploring Atlanta, binge watching shows (The Office), reading and cooking (or attempting to).
Dr. Olga Epstein
Dr. Olga Epstein grew up in Atlanta and completed both college and medical school at Emory. After finishing her internal medicine residency at UCLA, she spent a year with Doctors Without Borders in Nukus, Uzbekistan, working on a multi-drug resistant tuberculosis treatment project. Most recently, she worked as a hospitalist at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center before returning to Emory for Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship. Dr. Epstein is passionate about global health, serving our veterans, and medical education. In her spare time, she loves gardening, camping, and hanging out with her son.
Dr. Denise Gococo-Benore
Dr. Denise Gococo-Benore is from Greenville, SC, where she received her medical degree from the University of South Carolina – Greenville after spending her undergraduate years at Notre Dame. She completed her internal medicine residency at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, and is excited to be back in Atlanta where she is closer to family, mountains, and an abundance of authentic Asian cuisine. When not at the hospital, she can be found walking or running on Atlanta’s many trials with her family, reading, cooking international cuisine, or watching Korean dramas. She’s excited to be part of Emory’s Palliative Medicine team and looks forward to a lifetime of listening to patients share their stories.
Dr. Bhamini Patel
Dr. Bhamini Patel grew up in Canfield, Ohio. She completed a BS/MD program at Northeast Ohio Medical University before moving to Atlanta for her internal medicine residency at Emory. She is excited to continue at Emory for her hospice and palliative medicine fellowship. She enjoys eating out, playing board games (highly competitive), and going for runs.
Dr. Alexandra Lozano San Miguel
Dr. Alexandra Lozano San Miguel was born and raised in Puerto Rico. She grew up in Bayamón which is “El pueblo del Chicharrón” or in English, “the town of the pork rind.” She majored in chemistry at the University of Puerto Rico and then attended San Juan Bautista School of Medicine to obtain her medical degree. Her medical school training was followed by completing a residency in Family Medicine at the University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus. It has been a dream for her to become a palliative care physician, and she is excited to be joining our Emory team. Dr. Lozano San Miguel describes herself as a happy and passionate person. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her dog, Aly, watching lots of Marvel movies, dancing, and cooking.
Dr. Nitya Shah
Dr. Nitya Shah is an Alpharetta, Georgia, native who completed her undergraduate education at the University of Georgia, her medical degree at Medical College of Georgia in Athens, and her pediatric residency at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. After working for two years as a neonatal hospitalist in Cincinnati, she moved back home to complete her neonatal-perinatal medicine fellowship here at Emory and is continuing on as a hospice and palliative medicine fellow on the pediatric track this year. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling internationally, spending time with friends and family, and working on home improvement projects.
