Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellows

Nicholas Ahern, MD

Medical School: University of Rochester SMD (Rochester, NY)

Residency: University of Arizona, Family Medicine (Tucson, AZ)

Why Tulane: Tulane was a top choice for me! I was excited to be able to work and learn in such a culturally rich place and care for a diverse group of people. I also was eager to be a part of the GPEC program and return to Navajo Nation and provide care for indigenous people. I also felt that there was a culture of compassion and genuine kindness amongst the program that I knew I wanted to be involved in. 

Palliative Interests: Coordinating compassionate end of life care, goals of care and advance care planning, severe symptom management

Other Interests: I love spending time with my wife and 2 children, whether that be movies, video games, painting or playing outdoor basketball. I also love to play guitar and eat delicious food. 

Cornelio Corrales

Medical School: Universidad Catolica de Honduras

Residency: Ochsner Clinic Foundation Internal Medicine

Why Tulane?

Tulane was truly my first choice, even among other excellent programs like Emory and Brown. I vividly remember telling my wife after my interview with Dr. Leigh that we were staying in New Orleans. The genuine connection I felt during my interview with Dr. Leigh, combined with the positive sense I got from the happy and engaged fellows and the faculty, made my decision clear. The significant opportunity to serve my Honduran people within the New Orleans community was also an important part of why I chose Tulane, made even more meaningful by the fact that my family and I have grown to love this city.

Palliative Interests: Inpatient hospice, with a focus on emotional support and facilitating peaceful transitions.

Other Interests: Spending time as a father, gardening, scuba diving, Microsoft Flight Simulator, and a philosophical curiosity about understanding the world through diverse viewpoints.

My-Huyen Mindy Ngo

Medical School: LSU Health Shreveport

Residency: LSU Health Shreveport - Internal Medicine

Why Tulane? As a New Orleans native, it’s always been the goal for me to make my way back home! Tulane offers the ability to rotate through the most diverse clinical settings in the state and even the option to participate in global medicine! The opportunity to serve our veterans at the VA Hospital in NOLA was also a huge selling point for me, as a first generation Vietnamese American. Most importantly, I wanted to be able to give back to the community that made me who I am today. 

Palliative or Geriatrics Interests: I am currently interested in inpatient hospice and end-of-life care, in particular, the effect that spirituality has on our understanding and experience of death and dying. 

Other Interests: I love spending time with my family, cooking (especially Vietnamese food), and various arts and crafts! 

David Anderson Pollet

Medical School: LSUHSC-NO

Residency: LSUHSC-NO Internal Medicine

Why Tulane? As someone who has lived in southeastern Louisiana for my entire life, I have been most impressed with Tulane's commitment to expanding the practice of palliative care and hospice in the region.  Everyone I have met has been committed to growing the field in our community which is in desperate need of better advanced illness management and end of life care.  Plus, I have been welcomed by many friendly and accommodating team members and faculty!  

Palliative or Geriatrics Interests: Inpatient palliative/supportive care and home hospice

Other Interests: Golf, baseball, the outdoors, New Orleans festivals, and spending time with my wife and 4 boys

Everett Engstrom, MD

Med school: University of South Carolina SOM

Residency: MAHEC Asheville - Family Medicine

Why Tulane: I felt that Tulane was one of the most well-balanced programs in terms of inpatient care, VA focused care, hospice, and outpatient palliative clinic. Fellowship at Tulane allows me to work alongside amazing and diverse faculty coming from different medical backgrounds and walks of life. Tulane also protects the health and wellness of fellows on a level I did not find elsewhere.

Palliative interests: Advance care planning, upstream palliative care

Other interests: Middle distance running, thrift shopping, amateur coffee roasting, cooking for family and friends.

Melisa Farias, DO

Med school: Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences (Yakima, WA)

Residency: Regional Medical Center at Bayonet Point (Hudson, FL)

Why Tulane:  The Program faculty and support for Fellows, diverse patient population, the chance to participate in GPEC, and discovering a new city with a new culture just to name a few! It felt like the perfect fit and I was hooked the moment I had my interview!

Palliative interests: Symptom management, end of life discussions with families, helping families and patients transitioning to end of life care, providing compassionate care.

Other interests:  Enjoying quality time with my husband, spending time with my dog at the local dog park, running, cooking (when there's time!), bonding with friends, traveling, and being grateful for every day we have on this beautiful planet! 

Gabriel Heiderich, MD

Med school: The Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

Residency: Brown University Emergency Medicine Residency

Why Tulane: Tulane was my top choice! The focus on global health and social justice at this program is one of the main aspects that drew me here, and it is clear that Tulane's values align with mine.  This is evident through their international rotations, VA rotations, and overall care for the diverse population of New Orleans in it's entirety, including care and advocacy for particularly marginalized populations such as the incarcerated. I felt like I really connected with everyone in the HPM program, and it is clear that everyone loves it here and helps to foster a happy, healthy, and fun learning and working environment. And living in New Orleans is a huge plus!

Elliot Ordoyne, MD

Med School:  LSUHSC Shreveport

Residency:  LSUHSC New Orleans Family Medicine

Why Tulane: I wanted to continue caring for the diverse and underserved population in my hometown of New Orleans while receiving a world-renowned education.

Palliative Interests:  Minimizing healthcare disparities and helping patients and families transition to end of life care.

Other interests:  Spending time with my family and friends, exploring New Orleans, and reading under the chime tree in City Park with my dog Olive.

Danielle Collons, MD

Med School: Tulane School of Medicine

Residency: University of Illinois at Chicago

Palliative Interests: Supportive oncology, health care disparities, teaching and mentorship

Other Interests: Cooking, reading and yoga.  She can't wait to head back home to The Big Easy!

Carlee Fountaine, MD

Medical School: University of Washington Montana

Residency: University of Washington Boise

Palliative Interests: Teaching, narrative medicine, interplay between addiction medicine and palliative care

Other Interests: running, reading, knitting and cuddling with  her chihuahua Peach.

Colette Stanley, MD

Medical School: Trinity School of Medicine

Residency: Central Maine Medical Center

Palliative Interests: Palliative medicine in underserved populations and global health

Other Interests: Improving her sewing skills, painting, spending time outdoors with her husband, or watching a documentary.

Rebecca "Rebi" Ramm, MD

Medical School: University of Nebraska College of Medicine

Residency: Tulane University

Palliative Interests: Pscychotropic medications in end-of-life care

Other Interests: Gardening, pottery, aeriel fitness, last minute costume designing, Dungeons & Dragons, video games, good food and coffee.

Jess Anderson, MD

Med school: LSUHSC New Orleans

Residency: LSUHSC New Orleans

Why Tulane: diverse program, in New Orleans, strong faculty

Palliative interest: inpatient hospice and transitioning, social support for families during palliative and hospice discussions

Other interests: being a great mom and wife

Dewitt Harrison, MD

Med school: Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Residency: Ochsner Clinic Foundation Internal Medicine

Why Tulane: I wanted training that allowed me some exposure to the VA system, outpatient hospice, and a large multispecialty center so that I would be able to decide what area of HPM I wanted to practice. Additionally, I have strong ties to Southern Louisiana, so being able to complete training near family was ideal.

Palliative interests: Recognizing and counseling End of Life Patients, symptom management

Other interests:  Yoga, Home improvement, Tech/gadgets, Video Games, Camping

Abby L'Heureux, MD

Med school: Mayo Clinic

Residency: Family Medicine at Dartmouth in Concord, NH

Why Tulane: Because Teena and Drs. Glass, Leigh, and Morvant were, by far, the most lovely, engaging people I met on the interview trail. They expressed enthusiasm for my interests, and I felt like I had their immediate support to achieve my academic goals. Also, the diversity of cases, patients, and experiences that Tulane has to offer.

Palliative interests: Complex symptom management

Other interests: Family, friends, pets, anything outside

Monica Romanko, MD

Med School:  University of Vermont College of Medicine

Residency:  University of Vermont Family Medicine Residency Program

 -Then I stayed on as an Associate Residency Program Director, where I saw patients in the family medicine clinic and in the inpatient hospitalist service for 5 years, until-

Fellowship:  Emergency Medicine, University of Tennessee in Jackson TN.

- Then, I moved to Washington State and worked for nearly 10 years as an emergency physician in a busy critical access hospital, until-  Tulane!

Why Tulane: So many reasons!  

-Dynamic program-  learning platforms in multiple environments, the opportunity to participate in the GPEC, prison advocacy and social justice oriented work.  

- The opportunity to serve a diverse patient population,  both in the city and in the underserved surrounding rural areas.

-  New Orleans culture-  no explanation needed!

Palliative Interests:

-  Expanding palliative care access

-  Incorporating sound/music and multimodal therapies in to palliative care delivery

-  Health justice and palliative care

-  Mindfulness and Compassion practices

Other interests:

Spending time with my husband Rob and our 3 formerly stray cats; Travel; farmers markets and museums; Buddhist philosophy and meditation; hiking and trail running; music history and DJ’ing; multimedia art; gardening; natural history, biophilia and nature watching; indigenous healing practices; reading fiction and about all of the above; sumo