Our Team

Dr. McDonald graduated from New York University with a bachelor’s degree in biology. He received his medical degree from the New York University School of Medicine. Dr. McDonald remained at NYU after graduating from medical school to complete his internal medicine residency training there. He then completed fellowships in cardiovascular disease and advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology at New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. Presently, Dr. McDonald is a heart failure cardiologist at NYP/Weill Cornell Medical Center. He is interested in all aspects of advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology including caring for patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fractions, cardiac amyloid, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy..

Christina Ramasami graduated from Molloy College with her BSN in 2014 and received her Adult/Geriatric Nurse Practitioner certification from Hunter College. Christina has worked as a cardiac specialized nurse for several years, including working as a critical care nurse at New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell.

Dr. Kaitlyn Pinkos is a board certified cardiology pharmacist. She attended The University of Maryland School of Pharmacy and completed her residency at UChicago Medicine. Dr. Pinkos works at New York Presbyterian as a CTICU Clinical Pharmacy specialist, and supports the HFpEF and Cardiac Amyloidosis Program through working with patients on medication management.

Musarrat Nahid is a Senior Research Data Analyst in the Division of General Internal Medicine at WCM, providing data analytic support to various faculty members including Dr. Goyal. She has an MSc degree in an interdisciplinary field and a BSc degree in engineering, and has a broad range of knowledge and experience in data analysis. Her passion lies in learning new statistical methods and software.

Kristi Chau is a Research Data Analyst for the Division of General Medicine. Utilizing her M.P.H. in Epidemiology and experience in academic and medical research, she supports GIM researchers with data visualization and analysis. Her interests lie in research focusing on chronic disease, aging, and underserved populations.

Dr. Ashkan Hashemi is a Research Fellow in Cardiovascular Medicine at New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell with a focus on Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction (HFpEF) and Cardiac Amyloidosis. With a background in Internal Medicine from Rutgers, New Jersey, he brings experience in caring for underserved communities and a passion for inclusive and holistic care. He is excited to collaborate with Dr. Goyal’s team to improve patient outcomes. His role involves contributing clinical expertise to research design and execution, overseeing the clinical aspects of ongoing trials, implementing risk mitigation strategies, and developing comprehensive patient education materials. By combining clinical knowledge with research, he aims to advance the prevention, diagnosis, and management of HFpEF and Cardiac Amyloidosis. 

Ro-Jay Reid, MD MSc is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine (WCM) who is dedicated to advancing healthcare equity. Dr. Reid began his academic journey with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from Oakwood University and earned his medical degree from Ross University School of Medicine. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine at St. Joseph’s University Medical Center. Since joining WCM in 2021, Dr. Reid has completed the Cornell-Hunter Health Equity Research Fellowship, earning a Master of Science in Clinical Epidemiology and Health Services Research. He has remained at WCM as a junior faculty member; and holds the position of Associate Director for Community Mentoring in the Cornell-Hunter Health Equity Research Fellowship Program. Dr. Reid’s research interests are deeply rooted in his humanitarian work in underserved regions, including Haiti and Mozambique. His focus centers on addressing health disparities and promoting healthy aging. He currently serves as the principal investigator on several projects and grants, supported by organizations such as the American Heart Association, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), and the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD).

Sarah Young, PhD, MSW is an Associate Professor of Social Work Research in Medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine (GIM) at Weill Cornell Medicine (WCM). Additionally, Dr. Young is the Director of the Qualitative Research Unit within GIM, a full-service qualitative research unit that supports the enhancement of and training in qualitative research methods. As a social work scholar and researcher with over 15 years of practice experience, she collaborates with physicians and other health care scholars to utilize high-quality qualitative methods to enhance implementation science. Dr. Young earned her Bachelor of Science in Social Work (BSSW) from Syracuse University, her Master’s Degree in Social Work (MSW) from the University of Michigan, and her PhD in Social Work from The University of Alabama. She currently partners with Dr. Goyal and his team to design and execute a variety of qualitative research projects related to this lab.  

Srikar Savaram graduated from University of Florida in 2022 with a B.S. in Biochemistry and Behavioral Cognitive Neuroscience. Srikar joined the lab in March 2025 where he manages our N-of-1 Pre Informed trial and contributes to multiple other ongoing studies related to HFpEF and Cardiac Amyloidosis. Srikar has a strong interest in going to medical school and becoming a physician scientist. 

Assem Jabri graduated from Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar in 2019 with an MD. Assem joined the lab in May 2025 where he contributes to the CHAT (Conversations Helpful for Awareness of Illness Trajectory) study and other ongoing studies related to HFpEF and Cardiac Amyloidosis. Assem plans to seek a career in the field of Internal Medicine in the future.

Leah Shafran Topaz joined Dr. Goyal’s team in 2025. She brings over a decade of experience in clinical research, with a strong focus on aging, cardiovascular health, and digital health interventions. Dr. Shafran Topaz also has years of clinical experience as a physical therapist in a variety of healthcare settings. She holds a PhD in the neurophysiology of pain and is committed to improving outcomes for older adults through pragmatic, patient-centered research.

Kate Yao Berg graduated from the University of Michigan in 2022 with a B.A. in Biology, Health, and Society and American Culture with a minor in Gender and Health. She also graduated from Columbia University in 2024 with an M.P.H. in Health Policy and Management and a certificate in Health Policy Analysis. Kate joined the lab in July 2025 where she manages our HFpEF & Cardiac Amyloidosis Registry and contributes to multiple other ongoing studies related to HFpEF and Cardiac Amyloidosis. Kate has a keen interest in a future career in academia and health services research. 

Dr. Kate Zarzuela is the Research Program Manager for the Program for the Care and Study of the Aging Heart at Weill Cornell Medicine. She earned her Medical Degree from Universidad Católica Nordestana in the Dominican Republic. Following this, she has held positions to manage clinical trials in both the academic and industry setting. Since 2019, Dr. Zarzuela has leveraged her prior training and experience toward managing multiple clinical research studies in Dr. Parag Goyal’s clinical research lab, including observational cohort studies, prospective registries, and clinical trials. Over the coming years, Dr. Zarzuela seeks to continue to help Dr. Goyal with programmatic growth of a broader Geriatric Cardiology program that includes clinical, research, and educational arms—with the overarching objective of improving outcomes and the wellbeing in older adults with cardiovascular diseases.