Residency Program Family Medicine
Alan R. Roth, DO, FAAFP
Chairman, Department of Family Medicine
Dr. Roth is a dually certified Diplomate of the American Board of Family Medicine. He is also Board Certified in Hospice and Palliative Medicine. He presently serves as Chairman of the Department of Family Medicine and Director of the Palliative Medicine Fellowship Program. Dr. Roth’s primary goal is to develop and enrich the training experiences of physicians interested in urban Family Medicine. He has completed a Residency Program Director Fellowship with the American Academy of Family Physicians and lectures nationally on urban Family Medicine Residency training and curriculum development. His special areas of interest include cultural competency training in graduate medical education, palliative medicine, disease prevention, health promotion and procedural skills. Dr. Roth is a community minded physician who regularly mentors many of our local youth interested in becoming family physicians.
Cameron Nienaber
Program Director, Family Medicine Residency Program
Medical Director, Family Medicine Center
Dr Nienaber is a graduate of the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. She completed her residency training at Brown University’s Family Medicine Program at Memorial Hospital in Pawtucket RI , where she served as Chair of their Recruitment Committee. Her areas of interest include Reproductive and Women’s Health and Humanism in Medicine. She is a co-coordinator of the women’s health curriculum.
Philip Cruz, DO
Director of Osteopathic Medicine
Dr. Cruz is a graduate of the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed his residency training at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center/Mount Sinai School of Medicine’s Family Medicine Residency Program, serving as Chief Resident in his final year. Subsequent to graduation, Dr. Cruz went on to complete a primary care Sports Medicine Fellowship at the University of Massachusetts. He is Board Certified in Family Medicine and Sports Medicine and co-coordinates the Sports Medicine curriculum. Dr. Cruz oversees all aspects of the department’s osteopathic training.
David Dovnarsky, MD
Associate Program Director
Dr. Dovnarsky is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He completed his residency training at the West Jersey-Memorial Family Medicine Residency Program (now Virtua) in New Jersey and stayed on as a faculty member at the residency, serving as Associate Program Director for many years. After moving to New York, he became a faculty member at SUNY Stony Brook’s Family Medicine Residency Program and served as Program Director there for two years. He joined our faculty in 2007. He is board certified in Family Medicine and has expertise in Geriatrics and coordinates our Geriatrics curriculum.
Gina M. Basello, DO
Institutional DIO
Faculty Attending
Dr. Basello is a graduate of the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine. She is Board Certified in Family Medicine and completed her residency training here at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center’s Family Medicine Residency Program. Passionate about education, she accepted a faculty position with the program after training and has stayed committed to the organization and the program, rising to the Program Director position in 2008 and subsequently also to Departmental Vice Chair. She also served as the Associate Director of Palliative Care and was one of the founders of that service. Her favorite part about being a Program Director was mentoring residents and providing the essential professional development and coaching that is so crucial in our complex healthcare environment. As a result of this passion and commitment to fostering growth, she has taken on a new challenge as the Network Medical Director of Graduate Medical Education & Designated Institutional Official. Some of her other professional areas of interest include ensuring Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Community Engagement, Integrative Health, Communication training and Well-being on an individual, team and system level.
Luigi Tullo, MD, FAAFP
Vice Chair, Ambulatory Care
Medical Director, Division of Population Health
Chairman of Performance Improvement Committee
Dr. Tullo is a graduate of Jamaica Hospital Medical Center/Mount Sinai School of Medicine’s Family Medicine Residency Program. He is the Vice Chairman of MediSys Health Network’s Department of Ambulatory Care, Medical Director of the network’s Division of Population Health and Lead for the Network’s Outpatient Antibiotic Stewardship Initiative. He was a recipient of the 2019 United Hospital Fund’s Tribute to Excellence in Health Care Award for his work in instituting an Outpatient Antibiotic Stewardship Initiative at MediSys. In 2019, Dr. Tullo was inducted into Albert Einstein College of Medicine’s Leo M. Davidoff Society for Outstanding Achievement in Teaching Medical Students. He was a member of the New York State Department of Health’s Antimicrobial Resistance and Prevention Control Task Force. He chairs the family medicine performance improvement committee, working to ensure efficient, high-quality patient care within the context of residency education.
Anubhav Agarwal, MD, CAQSM, FAAFP
Faculty Attending
Doctor Agarwal earned his medical degree from Kasturba Medical College, India, and completed his family medicine residency at Mount Sinai South Nassau. He is fellowship trained in primary care sports medicine from the University of Nevada, Reno. He is board certified in family medicine and holds subspecialty certification in primary care sports medicine. Doctor Agarwal’s experience includes serving as a sports medicine physician for the New York City Marathon, many collegial football, volleyball, and wrestling events, as well as covering several rodeos throughout United States. As a New York native, Dr. Agarwal prides himself in supporting his community as both a family and a sports medicine physician. He oversees the inpatient curriculum for the residency program.
As a family doctor, Dr. Agarwal believes that exercise and function are intricately related, and that regardless of age, every person deserves an active lifestyle that promotes physical and mental fitness.
“I was in your shoes in 2012, and encourage you to join us in our mission to provide compassionate patient care with seamless coordination, and to advance medicine through unrivaled education, and outreach within the many diverse communities we serve.” – Dr. Agarwal
Monica Bal, MD
Faculty Attending
Dr. Bal is a graduate of the American University of Antigua College of Medicine. She completed her residency training here at Jamaica hospital Family Medicine residency. Dr. Bal’s areas of interests include Integrative medicine, Preventative health, and Women’s health.
Rida Javaid, DO, MPH
Faculty Attending
Dr. Javaid graduated from University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine located in San Antonio, Texas. She completed her family medicine residency at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell at Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead, NY. Dr. Javaid’s primary interests in family medicine consist of women’s health and obstetrics. Dr. Javaid also completed her master’s in public health with a concentration in healthcare policy and management at SUNY Downstate prior to attending medical school. She is very passionate about urban health disparities in relation to her areas of interest given her public health background. She is proud to be able to serve the community she grew up.
Kristina Kelvy, MD
Faculty Attending
Dr. Kelvy is a graduate of Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and completed her family medicine residency training at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center including a year as Chief Resident. Originally, a native of New Jersey, Dr. Kelvy studied history and humanities at Johns Hopkins University and lived in England for a few years while completing her Masters at King’s College London before settling in Queens. Dr. Kelvy is Board Certified in Family Medicine and serves as the primary care physician for patients at Jamaica Hospital’s Mental Health Clinic, working regularly to provide high quality, whole-person health care for our vulnerable and disadvantaged populations. Having completed a certification in Integrative Medicine from the Andrew Weil Center of Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona during her residency, Dr. Kelvy practices an integrative approach with a focus on the mind-body connection and how physical and mental health interact with each other, community and society to effect health and wellbeing.
Gretchen Boeskool, DO
Faculty Attending
Dr. Boeskool received her medical degree from New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine. She completed her family medicine residency at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where she developed a deep connection to Queens. Her residency training focused on comprehensive, patient-centered primary care, including preventive and integrative medicine. With specialized training in osteopathic manipulative medicine, Dr. Boeskool treats her patients’ musculoskeletal complaints that cause everyday pain. A native to Grand Rapids, MI, Dr. Boeskool spent seven years working in social services in New York City, helping individuals with housing and food insecurity prior to her medical career. She remains deeply committed to community health. Dr. Boeskool also enjoys her role as faculty for the Family Medicine Residency Program at Jamaica Hospital, preparing the next generation of doctors to address diverse needs across all stages of life.
Karen Birgit Pols, MD, FAAFP
Faculty Attending
Dr. Pols is a graduate of Brown University’s Program in Medicine. She is board certified in Family Medicine and certified in Alcoholism and Other Drug Dependencies through examination by the American Society of Addiction Medicine. She completed her residency training at the Medical University of South Carolina’s Family Medicine Residency Program in Charleston, South Carolina, where she was the Volunteer Medical Consultant to the American Red Cross for Hurricane Hugo. She was the first Medical Director of the Callen-Lorde Community Health Center at NYC’s LGBT Center. She helped design two additional health centers, including the Student Health Center at NYU’s Abu Dhabi campus. What Dr. Pols enjoys most about family medicine is the diverse interests it has allowed her to pursue, from LGBT health to dive medicine to college health.
Kamica Lewis, DO
Faculty Attending
James E. Villavicencio
Assistant Vice President
Administrator, Department of Family Medicine, Ambulatory Care Network and Obstetrics & Gynecology
James Villavicencio serves as the Assistant Vice President for the Departments of Family Medicine and Obstetrics/ Gynecology at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where he also oversees a comprehensive Ambulatory Care Network. He graduated from Binghamton University and later earned his Master of Public Administration with a focus on healthcare from Long Island University.
In his current role, Mr. Villavicencio is responsible for the administration of ten primary care centers located throughout Brooklyn and Queens, in addition to the Family Medicine and OB/GYN Departments. Under his leadership, the network has experienced notable advancements in access to care, patient satisfaction, and overall patient volume. He also plays a key role in managing budgets from various grants, ensuring effective resource distribution to enhance departmental initiatives.
Mr. Villavicencio’s dedication to the community is central to his work. He prioritizes health equity and accessibility, collaborating with local organizations and community leaders to tackle the specific health challenges faced by diverse populations. His outreach efforts include providing vital services such as health screenings, educational programs, and preventive care, all aimed at addressing the needs of underserved communities.
Since joining the executive team at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center in 1994 as an Administrative Fellow—an achievement highlighted by the Greater New York Hospital Association Minority Fellowship Award—Mr. Villavicencio has become a crucial resource for resident education, imparting his extensive knowledge of healthcare administration. His steadfast commitment to community health not only enhances patient outcomes but also strengthens the bond between the medical center and the communities it serves.
Elizabeth Brondolo, PhD
Director, Collaborative Health Integration Research Program (CHIRP)
President - Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research
Dr. Brondolo is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at St. John’s University in Queens, NY and the Director of the Collaborative Health Integration Research Program (CHIRP). CHIRP provides research training and consultation for faculty, medical residents, and psychology students in health and health care disparities research. The CHIRP training program is supported by grants from Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, Flushing Hospital Medical Center and New York Presbyterian Queens Hospital. Dr. Brondolo’s research on stress and health has been funded by the National Institutes of Mental Health, National Heart Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, the American Heart Association and other organizations. She is currently President of the Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research. Dr. Brondolo is also a working clinician, specializing in the treatment of post-traumatic stress and bipolar disorder, and the author of Break the Bipolar Cycle: A Day-to-Day Guide to Living with Bipolar Disorder (McGraw Hill) as well as Psychology Research Methods: A Writing Intensive Approach, published by Academic Press.
Karen Codd, DAT, MPS, LCAT, ATR-BC
Assistant Director, Team Wellness
Creative Arts Psychotherapist
Dr. Codd is a licensed and board-certified creative arts psychotherapist and Assistant Director of Team Wellness at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center. Her research explores resident perspectives on the use of art therapy for preventing burnout and supporting holistic well-being. She is a faculty member for the Psychiatry, Internal Medicine, and Family Medicine residency programs at Jamaica Hospital and she regularly provides group and individual support to all hospital employees and learners. Dr. Codd also facilitates an elective rotation on Clinician Well-being.