One of our goals for this newsletter is to connect GWIMRes alumni with current residents. Each newsletter will shine a spotlight on the story of one current resident. In this issue, we introduce you to Dr. Jony Czeresnia. Jony Czeresnia, MD is a current PGY3 resident. Dr. Czeresnia joins us at GWIMRes from São Paulo, Brazil. He received his medical degree from Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo (UNIFESP) Faculdade de Medicina. After medical school, Dr. Czeresnia was recruited to serve as a General Medical Officer in the Brazilian Army, where his experiences led him to pursue his current career path. At GWIMRes, Dr. Czeresnia is part of the first class of our HIV in Internal Medicine Pathway (HIP), through which he sees patients longitudinally over two years at Whitman-Walker Health in addition to his Medical Faculty Associates continuity clinic. His preceptors at Whitman-Walker Health have been Dr. Raymond Martins (Res’03) and Dr. Ravi Ajmera. The HIP program, co-created by Dr. Chad Henson Martins (Res’14) and Dr. Chavon Onumah, and currently directed by Dr. Onumah, also consists of evening seminars and self-study assignments. The goal of the HIP program is to prepare residents for the independent and comprehensive care of people with HIV and at the end of the program, residents may sit for the American Academy of HIV Medicine certification examination.
We sat down for an interview with Dr. Czeresnia.
Q: What has been your favorite part of residency training at GW? A: GW transformed me into a Physician. While I certainly learned a lot in medical school, it was when patient care responsibilities actually fell on my shoulders that I really felt the need to step up my game. Throughout this process, I always had people there to hold my hand when I needed it, or to nudge me into doing what was best. Be that co-residents, seniors or attendings. On the other hand, I also had enough autonomy to develop my own way of practicing.
Q: What are you looking forward to about your future career in medicine? A: It was after giving a talk to co-residents on HIV that I realized that a career in infectious diseases was really my path. Being currently on the interview trail, I can’t wait to gain more knowledge in this amazing field and to continue spreading it around.
Q: Tell us about your experiences in the HIV in Internal Medicine Pathway (HIP). A: HIP gave me several amazing opportunities. First, I was able to follow HIV patients longitudinally throughout my residency. Second, I rotated periodically at Whitman Walker, which is a large clinic in DC that serves mostly the LGBTQ community. The program also covered the AAHIVM (American Association of HIV Medicine) membership fees, which gave me access to all sorts of resources to build on my knowledge base and connect with other HIV providers. In addition, it was through HIP that I started my research work with the DC Cohort, a large observational study with over 9000 persons living with HIV in the District.