First Year Fellows

Padraig Hawkins, MD, PhD

Medical School: National University of Ireland, Galway
Residency Program: Royal College of Physicians, Ireland
Pulmonary fellowship: Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
Research interests: cystic fibrosis, bronchiectasis, rare lung diseases, mucus biology
padraig.hawkins2@unchealth.unc.edu

Aaron Lerner, MD

Undergraduate: University of California, Berkeley
Medical School: Loma Linda University School of Medicine
Residency Program: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Research Interest: Palliative care in the ICU
aaron.lerner@unchealth.unc.edu

Divyesh Mehta, MD

Undergraduate: Brigham Young University
Medical School: The Ohio State University College of Medicine
Residency Program: The Ohio State University, Combined Emergency Medicine/Internal Medicine Program
Research Interests: COPD, Medical Education, Vasculitis, Pulmonary Hypertension
divyesh.mehta@unchealth.unc.edu

Ryan Threadgill, MD

Undergraduate: Abilene Christian University
Medical school: University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio School of Medicine
Residency program: Oregon Health & Science University, Internal Medicine
Research Interest: Non-tuberculous mycobacteria
ryan.threadgill@unchealth.unc.edu

Tai “Mary” Wang, MD

Undergraduate: University of Washington
Medical school: Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Residency program: Baylor College of Medicine
Research Interest: Lung transplantation, Medical Education
tai.wang@unchealth.unc.edu

Danielle Witt, MD

Undergraduate: Truman State University
Medical School: University of Missouri-Kansas City
Residency: University of Alabama
Research Interest: COPD, medical education
danielle.witt@unchealth.unc.edu

Second Year Fellows

Benjamin DeMarco, MD

Undergraduate: Duke University
Medical School: University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville
Residency: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Research Interest: Critical Care Outcomes, Lung Cancer, Ethics
Benjamin.demarco@unchealth.unc.edu

Katherine (Alex) Despotes, MD

Undergraduate: University of Notre Dame
Medical school: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Residency program: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Internal Medicine and Pediatrics
Research Interest: Cystic Fibrosis, Bronchiectasis, Transition from Pediatric to Adult Care
katherine.despotes@unchealth.unc.edu

Maxwell Diddams, MD

Undergraduate: Carleton College
Medical School: Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo
Residency: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Research Interest: Point -of-care ultrasound and medical education
maxwell.diddams@unchealth.unc.edu 

Scott Vasher, MD

Undergraduate: Boston University
Medical School: New York University
Residency Program: Brown University
Research Interest: Improving communication in the ICU setting
scott.vasher@unchealth.unc.edu

Third Year Fellows

Kunal Jakharia, MD

Medical School: Topiwala National Medical College, B.Y.L. Nair CH Hospital, Mumbai, India
Internal Medicine Residency: Medstar Washington Hospital Center/Georgetown University, Washington, DC
Research Interest: Quality Improvements in ICU outcomes, Infections in the ICU
kunal.jakharia@unchealth.unc.edu

Cedric Munoz, MD

Medical School: Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
Internal Medicine Residency: McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University
Research Interest: ARDS, Respiratory virology, pulmonary hypertension
cedric.munoz@unchealth.unc.edu

Hitesh (Heath) Patel, MD

Medical School: Eastern Virginia Medical School
Internal Medicine Residency: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Research Interest: ICU outcomes, end-of-life decision making, acute lung injury, medical education, quality improvement
hitesh.patel2@unchealth.unc.edu

Benjamin Sines, MD

Medical School: University of Iowa
Internal Medicine Residency: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Research Interest: Prognostic modeling and outcomes in ARDS, Health equity in ICU outcomes, management of acute respiratory distress syndrome
benjamin.sines@unchealth.unc.edu

Fourth Year Fellow

Amanda Kovacich, MD

Undergraduate: University of Florida
Medical School: Florida State University College of Medicine
Internal Medicine Residency: Johns Hopkins Bayview
Research Interest: ICU outcomes, quality improvement and organization of critical care services
Amanda.Kovacich@unchealth.unc.edu