Podiatric Residency Program

The Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedics (RIAO) of Sinai Hospital of Baltimore is a proud partner and co-sponsor with the VA Maryland Health Care System of the Podiatric Medicine and Surgery Residency (PMSR) program with the added credential in Reconstructive Rearfoot/Ankle Surgery (RRA). The 36-month PMSR-RRA program’s emphasis is on the complete care of patients, and it is dedicated to providing high quality, compassionate and accessible care and service to Maryland veterans, the citizens of Maryland and members of the Department of Defense. The residency offers training in the full scope of podiatric medicine and surgery. Residents spend time in both the clinic and the operating room, developing skills for pre-operative planning and peri-operative management of patients. Surgical skills are developed and matured through a “hands-on” teaching model in the operating room under the supervision of the attending surgeons.

During the first year, each resident spends three months at the RIAO focusing on pediatric and adult orthopedics and rotates through vascular surgery, general surgery, internal medicine and Washington DC podiatry. During the second and third years, each resident rotates through the RIAO, the University of Maryland, the Walter Reed National Medical Center and both the Baltimore and Washington DC VA Medical Centers, where s/he is exposed to a variety of musculoskeletal pathology. The medical centers and outpatient clinics all work together to form a comprehensive residency training program.

The program emphasizes hands-on training. There is also a special focus on deformity planning and correction, diabetic limb salvage/preservation and reconstructive orthopedic and plastic lower extremity surgery. In addition to weekly teaching lectures, journal clubs, and board preparation sessions, there are monthly cadaveric dissection labs.

The facilities provide state of the art electronic medical record systems as well as digital and 3D Standing Foot Computed Tomography imaging and printing. There are abundant research opportunities available, complemented by a full-time research team and professional illustrator at the RIAO. The residency program gives the opportunity to collaborate with faculty to publish research in a peer-reviewed journal. Residents are an integral part of the research process and are actively involved in performing a literature review on the research topic, designing the study, generating hypotheses, collecting data and writing the research manuscript.

The residency program is approved by the Council on Podiatric Medical Education (CPME) as a Podiatric Medicine and Surgery Residency with added credential in Reconstructive Rearfoot/Ankle. Satisfactory completion of the program offers the resident opportunities for board certification by the American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery (ABFAS) and the American Board of Podiatric Medicine (ABPM).

Program Leadership

• Dr. Hummira Abawi
  Program Director
• Dr. Noman Siddiqui
  Program Assistant Director; Division Chief of Podiatry, Northwest Hospital; Foot and Ankle Deformity Correction Surgeon, International Center for Limb Lengthening (ICLL)

Curriculum and Faculty

• Year One

  • Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedics
    • Pediatric deformity management and correction:
      • Dr. Philip McClure, Director of ICLL
    • Prosthetic joint infections:
      • Dr. Janet Conway, Head of Bone and Joint Infection, ICLL
  • Vascular Surgery
  • General Surgery
  • Pathology
  • Internal Medicine
  • General Podiatry, DC VA
    • Diabetic limb salvage, elective forefoot and rearfoot surgery:
      • Dr. Janette Thompson, Chief of Podiatry, D.C. VA
      • Dr. Michael Egertsen
      • Dr. Tanya Judd
      • Dr. Toni Lam
  • Podiatric Medicine and Surgery, Walter Reed / University of Maryland Medical System

• Year Two

  • Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedics
    • Adult and pediatric foot and ankle surgery, orthoplastics, deformity correction, diabetic limb preservation:
      • Dr. Christopher Bibbo, Head of Foot and Ankle Surgery, ICLL
      • Dr. Noman Siddiqui, Division Chief of Podiatry, Northwest Hospital; Foot and Ankle Deformity Correction Surgeon, ICLL
  • University of Maryland
    • Adult and pediatric deformity correction and limb preservation:
      • Dr. Hummira Abawi
      • Dr. Emily Durrance
      • Dr. Jacob Wynes
  • Baltimore VA Podiatry
    • Diabetic limb salvage, elective forefoot and rearfoot surgery:
      • Dr. David Gottlieb
      • Dr. Kiana Trent
  • Infectious Disease
  • Emergency Medicine

• Year Three

  • Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedics
  • University of Maryland
  • Baltimore VA Podiatry
  • DC VA Podiatry

• Additional Faculty

  • Dr. John Aker
  • Dr. Tracy Bramble
  • Dr. Monique Gourdine-Shaw
  • Dr. Richard Noble
  • Dr. Andrew Puckett

2024-2025 Residents

• Postgraduate Year 3

  • Dr. Gregory Aubertin
  • Dr. Nabih Masri
  • Dr. Hiba Mohiuddin

• Postgraduate Year 2

  • Dr. Madeira J. Curry
  • Dr. Yehonadav Kadosh
  • Dr. Nichole C. Mgboji

• Postgraduate Year 1

  • Dr. Ashley Thai
  • Dr. Azariya McClendon
  • Dr. Ame Anteyi

2023-2024 Alumni

• Dr. Asma Jappar
• Dr. Shehryar Raja

2022-2023 Alumni

• Dr. Fritz-Andre Duterlien
• Dr. Yumna Siddiqui
• Dr. Ian Vandergulik
• Dr. Stephanie Wu

2021-2022 Alumni

• Dr. Cassandre Charles
• Dr. Bilal Khan
• Dr. Sheryse Mobley
• Dr. Jones Thomas

2020-2021 Alumni

• Dr. Anam Ali
• Dr. Vineela Ayyagari
• Dr. Rene Juridico
• Dr. Andrew Wilson

2019-2020 Alumni

• Dr. Emily Chau
• Dr. Sara Mahmood
• Dr. Laura Michetti
• Dr. John Miller

2018-2019 Alumni

• Dr. Jack Guan
• Dr. Brittany Mayer
• Dr. Ali Mumtaz
• Dr. Jake Powers

2017-2018 Alumni

• Dr. Areeba Ahmed
• Dr. David Chuang
• Dr. Jessica Fink
• Dr. Amanda Walsh

Apply to the Baltimore VA/Sinai (RIAO) Program

The program participates in the Central Application Service for Podiatric Residencies (CASPR) – a national, centralized application process and computerized matching service for the placement of podiatric medical school graduates into podiatric medical and surgical residencies. It is listed as “DVA-Maryland Health Care System.” For more information, please contact Program Director Hummira Abawi, DPM, at: Hummira.abawi@va.gov.