Current Head and Neck Surgery Residents

David Bracken, MD (PGY-6 – Chief)
Hometown: Tullamore, County Offaly, Republic of Ireland
Undergrad: Sam Houston State University; Bachelor of Music: Vocal Performance. Studied Vocal Pedagogy and Choral Conducting.
Medical School:  University of Texas: Houston
Outside Interests:  Opera, Karaoke, Soccer, Racquetball
Research Interests: Non invasive monitoring methods of swallowing and phonatory function. (ex. High Density Surface Electromyography (HD sEMG), Multidisciplinary Education in care and treatment of Laryngectomees., Chromoendoscopy techniques in laryngoscopy, Performing Arts Medicine. Application of 3D printing for medical education.

Bharat Panuganti, MD (PGY-6 – Chief)
Hometown: San Jose, CA
Undergraduate: Saint Louis University; Health Information Management/Biology
Medical School: Saint Louis University
Outside Interests: Sports (spectator and player), working out, golf, food, politics, history, reading
Research Interests: Cancer genetics, social media

Andrey Finegersh, MD, PhD (PGY-5 – Chief)
Hometown: Mission Viejo, CA
Undergrad: UCLA; Psychobiology
Medical School:  University of Pittsburgh
Outside Interests: Family (married with 2 kids), exploring San Diego, traveling, golf, tennis, home remodeling projects
Research Interests: Epigenetic mechanisms of head and neck cancer, clinical research

Jesse Qualliotine, MD (PGY-5)
Hometown: Fairfax, VA
Undergrad: Columbia University; Biomedical Engineering
Medical School:  Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Outside Interests:  Dog beach, rock climbing, jogging, succulents, music
Research Interests: Nanoengineering applications in Head & Neck surgery, HPV-associated oropharynx cancer, translational research

Joshua Stramiello, MD (PGY-5)
Hometown: Tampa, FL
Undergrad: University of South Florida; Biomedical sciences, minors in Anthropology and Biophysics
Medical School: University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine
Outside Interests: Outdoor activities with my kids and playing guitar
Research Interests: Innovation in Otolaryngology, 3D printed pediatric airway stents, Tele-robotics

Emily Funk, MD (PGY-4)
Hometown: Lancaster, PA
Undergrad: Stetson University; Spanish
Medical School:  Penn State University College of Medicine
Outside Interests:  traveling, baseball, exploring San Diego, boating, music/concerts, local wines and beers, cooking, hiking, reading
Research Interests: robotic technology, innovative design, tumor virology and immunology

Omid Moshtaghi, MD (PGY-3)
Hometown: San Diego, CA
Undergrad: San Diego State University; Biology.
Medical School: University of California, Irvine.
Outside Interests: Surfing, hiking, camping, and spending time with family.
Research Interests: Hidden hearing loss, dizziness, tinnitus, patient decision making, and bioelectric technology.

Kayva Crawford, MD (RSCH/PGY-4)
Hometown: Portland, OR
Undergrad: University of Washington; Spanish, Bioethics and Humanities
Medical School: Tufts University School of Medicine
Outside Interests: marathon running, piano, reading, hiking, painting, baking
Research Interests: population-based research, head and neck oncology, pediatric otolaryngology

Farhoud Faraji, MD, PhD (RSCH/PGY-3)
Hometown: Sacramento, CA
Undergrad: University of California, Berkeley; Molecular & Cell Biology
Medical School: Saint Louis University
Outside Interests: Terrestrial and marine naturalism, scuba and freediving, climbing, hiking, yoga, travel, culinary arts, sailing, live music, horticulture and botany.
Research Interests: Head and neck oncology, metastasis biology, transcriptional biology, cell-mediated immunity, medical education.

Robert Saddawi-Konefka, MD, PhD (RSCH/PGY-3)
Hometown: South Bend, IN
Undergrad: University of Southern California, Neurosciences
Medical School:  UCSD
Outside Interests:  Surfing, Camping and Backpacking, Family Time
Research Interests: Immuno-Oncology, Immunotherapies and Mechanisms of Tumor-Immune Resistance

Morgan Davis, MD (PGY-2)
Hometown: Jackson, Mississippi
Undergrad: University of Mississippi (Ole Miss); Biochemistry, minors neuroscience and biology
Medical School: University of Mississippi School of Medicine
Outside Interests: working out, playing with my dog Cali, traveling, cooking, Netflix
Research Interests: Facial analysis, tissue regeneration and healing especially in minority populations, head and neck oncology, vestibular migraine

Benjamin Ostrander, MD (PGY-2)
Hometown: Kenwood, California 
Undergrad: University of California, San Diego - Bioengineering, Global Health 
Medical School: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine 
Outside Interests: Music (from playing guitar and piano to attending concerts), the great outdoors (cycling, hiking, camping, surfing...), art (museums, photography, painting), food & drink (discovering, appreciating, cooking, brewing…) 
Research Interests: Biodesign and surgical innovation, global surgery, facial reanimation, taste and olfaction 

Mena Said, MD (PGY-2)
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Undergrad: University of California, Los Angeles; Biology
Medical School: University of California, Davis
Outside Interests: Running, golf, cheering on the UCLA Bruins
Research Interests: Comparative effectiveness research, clinical informatics

Jeffrey Bernstein (PGY-1)
Hometown: Carmichael, CA 
Undergrad: UC Berkeley
Medical School: UC San Diego
Outside Interests: Running, Cycling, Birding, Outdoors, Live music
Research Interests: Vestibular schwannoma, invasive fungal sinusitis, sinusitis-related neurocognitive changes, functional/structural neuroimaging

Samuel Early, MD, MS (PGY-1)
Hometown: Vancouver, WA
Undergrad: Stanford University; BS Biomechanical Engineering 
Graduate School: Stanford University; MS Bioengineering
Medical School: University of California - San Diego
Outside Interests: Cycling, hiking, running, kayaking, baking, Taiwanese street food, sustainable seafood
Research Interests: Hearing loss, Vestibular Schwannoma, cholesteatoma, drug delivery to the middle and inner ear

Andrew Yousef (PGY-1)
Hometown: Glendora, CA
Undergrad:University of California, San Diego - Human Biology & Economics
Medical School: University of California, San Francisco
Outside Interests: Hiking, basketball (both playing and watching), working out, viola, attending concerts, traveling, crosswords
Research Interests: Surgical education, bettering care and outcomes in underserved populations