Remote Monitoring Center: Physician Bios
Heidi Abdelhady, MD
Dr. Heidi Abdelhady is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and is also on staff at St. Agnes Hospital, both in Baltimore, Md. She previously served as Medical Director of the cardiac surgery intensive care unit (CSICU) at the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC).
Abdelhady created and implemented the VTE Prophylaxis protocol for the University of Maryland Medical System and is currently implementing the Therapeutic Hypothermia Protocol, which she also created, at St. Agnes Hospital.
Abdelhady attended Boston University School of Medicine in Boston, Mass., where she completed her internship and residency. She spent her Pulmonary and Critical Care fellowship at UMMC. Abdelhady is board certified in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Diseases and Critical Care Medicine. She is an active member of the Society of Critical Care Medicine and the secretary of the Baltimore Area Critical Care Society.
Pamela J. Amelung, MD, FCCP
Dr. Pamela J. Amelung is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSM) in Baltimore, Md., where she has been on the faculty in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care since 1994. She served as Program Director for the Pulmonary and Critical Care fellowship program for seven years and also conducted both general and clinical research on asthma.
Continuing her clinical activities at UMSM part time, Amelung also serves as a physician liaison with Philips VISICU, helping physicians at health systems implement and operate eICU programs, such as Maryland eCare.
Amelung graduated from UMSM and completed both her Internal Medicine residency and Pulmonary and Critical Care fellowship at the University of Maryland Medical Center and Baltimore VA Medical Center, both in Baltimore, Md. She is board certified in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Diseases and Critical Care Medicine. Amelung has served as a board member to the American Lung Association of Maryland and is a past president of the Maryland Thoracic Society.
Michael G. Benninghoff, MS, DO
Dr. Michael G. Benninghoff attended Philadelphia College Osteopathic Medicine Medical School in Philadelphia, Pa. He completed his Internal Medicine residency at Abington Memorial Hospital in Abington, Pa., where he served as Chief Resident. He completed his fellowship in Pulmonary and Critical Care at Penn State College of Medicine and Milton Hershey Medical Center both in Hershey, Pa. He is board certified in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine.
A college athlete, Benninghoff continues to enjoy basketball and watching his three daughters grow up.
Donald S. Collins, MD
Dr. Donald S. Collins attended the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond, Va., and completed both his Internal Medicine residency and his Pulmonary and Critical Care fellowship at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, Pa.
He is board certified in Internal Medicine as well as Pulmonary Diseases and Critical Care Medicine. Collins is a Fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians.
Mark J. Cowan, MD, FCCP
Dr. Mark J. Cowan is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, Md., a position he has held since 2002. For the past seven years, he has served as the Director of the Medical ICU at Baltimore VA Medical Center where he is also Chief of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine.
Cowan graduated from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver, Colo., and completed his internship and residency at The George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C., where he was Chief Resident. He spent his Clinical Critical Care fellowship and also completed a Research fellowship at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md. Additionally, Cowan was a Clinical Pulmonary Fellow at the University of Michigan School of Medicine in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Cowan is board certified in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Diseases and Critical Care Medicine. He is a member of the American Medical Association, American Thoracic Society, Maryland Thoracic Society, Society of Critical Care Medicine, American Association for the Advancement of Science and is a Fellow with the American College of Chest Physicians.
Michael R. DePietro, MD
Dr. Michael R. DePietro is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, Pa., where he as taught in some capacity since 1993. He is currently the unit-based Medical Director of the Medical Intensive Care Unit at Christiana Care Health System in Wilmington, Del., and Co-Director of its Nutritional Support Team. Previously, DePietro was a Senior Fellow at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center’s Department of Critical Care Medicine from 1996-1999 and concurrently a Fellow in Pulmonary Medicine at George Washington University Hospital in Washington, D.C. DePietro was also a Lieutenant Commander, United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps for three years.
DePietro graduated from Hahnemann University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, Pa., and completed a rotating internship at Mercy Catholic Medical Center in Darby, Pa., an Internal Medicine residency at Hahnemann University Hospital, and completed his residency at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C., where he also spent two years as a Neurology Resident. DePietro completed his fellowship in Critical Care Medicine at Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore, Md.
He is board certified in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Diseases and Critical Care Medicine. Professional affiliations include the American College of Chest Physicians, American Thoracic Society, Society of Critical Care Medicine, Catholic Medical Association, Medical Society of Delaware and the American Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition.
Vinay Maheshwari, MD
Dr. Vinay Maheshwari is the Medical Director of Respiratory Therapy for Christiana Care Health System in Wilmington, Del. In addition, he serves as the Education Coordinator for Pulmonary and Critical Care for Christiana Care’s Medicine Department.
Prior to working at Christiana Care, Maheshwari was a Clinical Instructor at the Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, Mass., and later an Instructor in Medicine with Harvard University School of Medicine, also in Boston. Maheshwari also served as Medical Director of the Intensive Care Unit for Boston’s Cambridge Hospital.
Maheshwari graduated from the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond, Va., where he also completed his Internal Medicine internship and residency. He served his fellowship in the Department of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine at New England Medical Center, part of Tufts University Hospital in Boston.
Maheshwari is board certified in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Diseases and Critical Care Medicine. He is a Fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians as well as a member of the Society of Critical Care Medicine, Massachusetts Medical Society and the American Thoracic Society.
Michael T. McCurdy, MD
Dr. Michael T. McCurdy is an Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, and an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, Md. He works in the Medical ICU and serves as Director of the Critical Care & Procedure Consult service.
McCurdy graduated from the University of Texas Medical School at San Antonio. He completed his postgraduate training in Internal Medicine and Emergency Medicine at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, Md., where he served as Chief Resident, and continued there for fellowship training in Critical Care Medicine.
He is board-certified in Internal Medicine, Critical Care Medicine and Emergency Medicine.
Farid M. Moosavy, MD
Dr. Farid M. Moosavy graduated from Tehran Medical School and worked as a general practitioner and emergency room physician for five years before moving to the United States. Once stateside, he completed his specialty and subspecialty training in Washington, D.C. and New York City.
Moosavy was recognized for his research in Respiratory Symptoms and Spirometry in Emergency Services Police Officers at the World Trade Center Disaster Site. He is board certified in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Medicine, Critical Care Medicine and Sleep Medicine.
Abigail Orenstein, MD, MPH, FCCP
Dr. Abigail Orenstein is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, Md. She graduated with honors from The George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C., with a joint degree in Medicine and Public Health.
She completed her residency training at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, Md., and received additional subspecialty training through a unique National Institutes of Health (NIH) program in which she completed fellowships in both Infectious Diseases at Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans and Critical Care medicine at the NIH Clinical Center in
Washington, D.C. She is board certified in Internal Medicine, Infectious Disease and Critical Care Medicine.
Orenstein is a member of the American College of Physicians, Society of Critical Care Medicine, American College of Chest Physicians (Fellow), Infectious Disease Society of America, the International Society for Infectious Diseases, American Academy of HIV Medicine and HIV Medicine Association.
Tuhina Raman, MD
Dr. Raman completed her medical degree at Christian Medical College in Vellore, TN, India, where she also held instructor positions in the area of neurology and clinical biochemistry.
She completed her Internal Medicine residency at the Hospital of St. Raphael in New Haven, Conn., and her Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine fellowships at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, Pa., where she continues working toward a master’s degree in Public Health
Raman also completed several mini rotations, one at Royal Brompton Hospital in London, UK, focusing on Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) and managing patients in the clinic and on the floor with rare ILD; and another in Interventional Radiology at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pa. She is board certified in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine.
Professional affiliations include the American College of Chest Physicians, Society of Critical Care Medicine, American Thoracic Society Affiliate/Critical Care Website Advisory Board Member and the American Public Health Association where she is a Member and Liaison for the Section on Alcohol, Tobacco and Drugs.
Albert A. Rizzo MD, FACP, FCCP
Dr. Albert A. Rizzo is Chief of the Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the Christiana Care Health Systems in Newark, Del., and is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Medical School (TJUMS) in Philadelphia. Pa. Rizzo is also Medical Director of the Lung Health and Sleep Enhancement Center, which performs clinical research in pulmonary, critical care and sleep disorders, and is managing partner in a 14-physician pulmonary/critical care/sleep medicine group.
Rizzo graduated and completed his Internal Medicine residency from TJUMS. He received his specialty training at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C. Rizzo is a member of the American Thoracic Society, a Fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians and a Diplomate of the American Board of Sleep Medicine. He is board certified in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary, and Sleep Medicine.
Rizzo has been a volunteer with the American Lung Association since 1987 and is currently Speaker of the Nationwide Assembly of the American Lung Association (ALA), the governing body responsible for delivery of the ALA mission of research, advocacy, and education to promote lung health and prevent lung disease. Prior to serving as Speaker, he chaired the ALA National Advocacy Committee and helped establish the ALA Day on the Hill in 2007.
Nirav G. Shah, MD
Dr. Nirav G. Shah is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) in Baltimore, Md., for the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine and has received multiple teaching awards. Active in research, his interest lies in the field of thermal molecular biology, particularly the effect of febrile range hyperthermia on pulmonary vascular endothelial cells and its affects on acute lung injury.
Shah graduated with honors from St. George’s University School of Medicine in Grenada, West Indies. He completed his Internal Medicine internship and residency at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C. He completed his Critical Care Medicine fellowship at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., and his Pulmonary Diseases fellowship at UMMC. Shah is board certified in Internal Medicine and Pulmonary Medicine.
Daniel L. Shinners, MD, MPH
Dr. Daniel L. Shinners graduated from Hahnemann University Medical School in Philadelphia. Pa. He completed his Internal Medicine residency at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond, Va., and fulfilled two fellowships at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C., one in Pulmonary Medicine and a second in Critical Care Medicine.
Shinners is board certified in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Diseases and Critical Care Medicine. He is affiliated with the American College of Chest Physicians, American College of Physicians and Global Public Health Council. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Global Public Health.