Our Residents
PGY3
Victor Acosta-Rivera, MD
Victor grew up in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, and obtained his undergraduate studies in Natural Sciences at Sacred Heart University (Universidad del Sagrado Corazón) in San Juan. During his time in college, he was a teaching assistant to the STEMmED program director and helped design an online course for his university. Furthermore, he was working as an administrative assistant in a primary care office in his hometown which fueled his interest in primary care medicine and patient care. He then moved to Ponce where he obtained his master’s degree in Medical Sciences from Ponce Health Sciences University where he later attended medical school and obtained his medical degree. As a medical student, he joined the TUNA music group, where he played traditional Spanish folklore music and partook in community and volunteer work, especially after the events of Hurricane Maria, the earthquakes of 2020, and helped in the administration of COVID-19 vaccines. In his free time, Victor likes to relax at home with his wife and dog, watch TV or play guitar.
Elizabeth Douglas, DO, MPH
Undergrad: Texas A&M University
Medical School: University of North Texas Health Science
Center- Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine
Liz grew up right outside of San Antonio, Texas. She completed her undergraduate degree at Texas A&M University then moved to Fort Worth, TX after graduation. She attended medical school at the University of North Texas Health Science Center where she completed her MS, DO, and MPH. She then later focused on social determinants of health in primary care. During her career at UNTHSC, she stayed busy leading the medical student government, volunteering in various community gardens, and working on QI projects at the institution's COVID testing site.
While Liz loves the variety and acuity of inpatient medicine and taking care of patients on the wards, she also wants to prevent hospitalizations with high-quality evidence-based primary care. She is excited to be a part of the best primary care track in New England and is settling in well at UMass Chan. In her free time, she gardens, lifts weights, and takes her dog's hiking.
Eric Nielsen, MD
Eric is from central Connecticut. He attended the University of Rochester for his undergraduate and medical school, graduating with a BS in Neuroscience, a BA in Chemistry, and his MD. During medical school, he helped start and run the Rochester chapter of Primary Care Progress and was in the Latino Health Pathway, a specially designed track for developing medical Spanish. Following medical school, he was commissioned in the US Navy, and completed an IM internship at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego where he also completed Navy dive school in Panama City, FL. Here he trained in dive/hyperbaric medicine. Eric completed a tour as an Undersea Medical Officer, practicing primary care at a submarine squadron in Norfolk, VA. Ultimately, Eric hopes to pursue a career in academic internal medicine and primary care. Additional interests include Clinical Outcomes Research, Ultrasound in Primary Care, Headache, and Obesity Medicine. In his spare time, Eric enjoys running and hiking with his wife Lauren, and dog Sadie. He and Lauren also have a boy, Sammy who fills them with joy!
Patrick Teebagy, DO, MS
Hometown: Shrewsbury, MA
Undergrad: College of the Holy Cross
Medical School: University of New England College of
Osteopathic Medicine
Patrick was born in Worcester and grew up in Shrewsbury, MA. He earned a degree in History with a concentration in Peace & Conflict Studies at the College of the Holy Cross. While a college student, he participated in volunteer and outreach efforts in the community and was honored with a Key to the City of Worcester. After college, he worked in research, utilizing microRNA and exosomes in urologic cancer screening and nerve regeneration. He participated in wound healing and adipose-derived stem cell research then later earned his Master’s in Physiology from Georgetown University and attended medical school at UNECOM.
In medical school, he continued to participate in community service and discovered an interest in wellness programming, mindfulness, and reflective writing in medicine. Patrick’s experiences and exposure to primary and rural medicine developed in Maine and from there his interest in Primary Care Medicine grew. He is currently taking advantage of every learning opportunity residency offers, allowing him to formulate his career path. He loves the outdoors, playing sports, cheering for Boston sports teams, spending time with his family, friends, and pets, brewing beer, and traveling. He promotes Worcester whenever he can and is thrilled to be going through residency in his home city.
PGY2
Trisha Arora, MD
Hometown: Cheshire, CT
Undergrad: University of Rochester
Medical School: University of Rochester School of Medicine
Trisha grew up in Connecticut but grew to love upstate New York during her time in Rochester, NY, where she graduated with BS in Neuroscience and her MD. In between college and medical school, she worked in a lab developing educational video games for adolescents that promoted health education. While in medical school, she completed the Medical Humanities Pathway, where she developed her interest in narrative medicine and helped organize the annual SNMA Pre-Medical conference, to encourage students in under-represented minorities in medicine to pursue the field. Her career interests within primary care are focused on women's health and the prevention of metabolic disease. In her free time, she likes to read, spend time outside, and spend time with her friends and family.
Joseph Daniel, DO
Hometown: Longmeadow, MA
Undergrad: UMass Amherst
Medical School: University of New England
Joe grew up in Massachusetts and attended UMass Amherst for undergraduate education and then the University of New England for medical school. Professionally, he wants to pursue preventive cardiology after residency, and after fellowship, he hopes to work at an academic institution so that he can have the opportunity to teach students and residents on top of practicing clinically. Another one of his professional interests is working on quality improvement projects, as he helped develop several projects while he was a student and continued this work during residency. Personally, some of his hobbies include attending concerts, live sporting events, trying new craft beers, and being a huge foodie as well.
Kanav Gupta, MD
Hometown: Acton, MA
Undergrad: Saint Louis University
Medical School: Saint Louis University
Kanav was born in Jammu, India where he spent half of his childhood and the remainder half in Acton, MA. During his education at Saint Louis University, Kanav took part in multiple service organizations for local communities and teaching roles for undergraduate students. After graduation, he took a gap year which consisted of doing an internship at New England Biolabs and becoming a medical scribe at an outpatient clinic in Burlington, MA. As a scribe, Kanav witnessed the importance and diversity of primary care, fueling his desire to pursue internal medicine as a specialty in medical school. During medical school, he continued his passions for teaching and community service. He was consistently involved in leadership roles throughout medical school and taking opportunities to lead small group sessions for second year medical students. Ultimately, Kanav hopes to pursue a career in academic internal medicine, rotating through clinic and inpatient services. In his spare time, Kanav likes to cook Southeast Asian cuisine, read Japanese manga, watch Formula 1, and play video games such as Overwatch.
Hillary Meeker, DO
Hometown: Potomac, MD
Undergrad: University of Virginia
Medical School: Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine – Virginia Campus
Hillary is excited to be a part of the UMass Internal Medicine Residency program. She hopes to pursue a career in primary care or hematology-oncology. In her spare time, Hillary enjoys being outdoors, playing sports, and spending time with her friends and family. She spent the summer out west, hiking through Olympic National Park and making her way down the Oregon coast.
Jacob Paulson, MD
Hometown: Lexington, MA
Undergrad:University of Rochester
Medical School: UMass Chan Medical School
Jacob is a Massachusetts native. He went to Medical School at UMass where he worked on projects examining therapies for Seasonal Affective Disorder and medical cannabis in Parkinson’s Disease populations. He is interested in health policy and improving healthcare disparities, as well as medical technology. Jacob spends his time outside of the hospital making furniture for his small woodworking business and playing piano and trombone. He’s trying to learn Spanish this year.
PGY1
Michael Falcone, DO
Hometown: Hudson, NH
Undergrad: Keene State College
Medical School: University of New England
Michael Falcone is a primary care internal medicine intern here at UMass. He is originally from southern NH and graduated from Keene State College with a bachelor’s degree in athletic training. He worked as an associate business development executive at a medical staffing company before attending The University of Vermont to complete a postbaccalaureate pre-medical program. There, he worked on sports medicine research to further our understanding of rehabilitation techniques post-ACL reconstruction. For medical school, he attended the University of New England where he developed interests in Primary Care and Gastroenterology. Professionally, he hopes to practice Internal Medicine or Gastroenterology in both an inpatient and outpatient capacity. In his free time, Michael likes to fly fish, hike, travel, and find new places to eat.
Rima Patel, DO, MEd
Hometown: Lowell, MA
Undergrad: Massachusetts College of Pharmacy
Medical School: Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine
Rima is a Massachusetts native who was born and raised in Lowell, MA, and then later moved to Burlington, MA. She went to medical school at LECOM, where she discovered her passion for academic medicine and received her master's in medical education alongside. She also completed a couple rotations with Boston healthcare for the homeless during her medical school journey. She had numerous meaningful encounters at multiple homeless shelter clinics in the Boston area and has enjoyed working with this population so much that she hopes to continue expanding her knowledge and experience out here in Worcester. She hopes to pursue a career in primary care and be involved in academia. During her free time, Rima enjoys skiing, spending time with her family and friends, cooking, and traveling.
Ryan Sullivan, MD
Hometown: Coventry, CT
Undergrad: University of Connecticut
Medical School: University of Connecticut
Ryan grew up in Coventry, CT, and went to UConn for undergrad, where he majored in Molecular and Cell Biology. After graduating, he worked as an EMT for three years and joined the Peace Corps, serving as a Public Health Volunteer in Guinea. He then went back to UConn for medical school, and is excited to join UMass! In his free time, he likes to play video games, especially Legend of Zelda, spend time outside with his dog Pyro, and visit local breweries!
Sherry Yan, DO
Hometown: North Attleboro, MA
Undergrad: Boston University
Medical School: University of New England
Sherry is a native of southeastern Massachusetts. She earned her undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering at Boston University, providing a foundation to explore the connection between technology and biological systems. During college, she volunteered in a clinical biomechanics lab where she investigated non-operative treatments for hip pain in young adults based on their movement patterns. After graduation, Sherry continued her research there while working as a lab manager before attending medical school at the University of New England. Sherry firmly believes in a proactive, rather than reactive, approach to healthcare. She aspires toward an outpatient-focused practice and is excited to see where residency takes her. Her current interests include preventative medicine and education; cardiovascular disease prevention; and sports medicine. She commits herself to an active lifestyle as a testament to her philosophy of healthcare and wellness. In her spare time, Sherry enjoys long walks with friends, discovering new music, and sampling local cuisines. She is proud to join the UMass Primary Care Residency program and grateful to care for a community close to home.