Core Faculty Member
Hospital Medicine

I am strongly focused on medical education at multiple levels including the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, the internal medicine and pediatrics residency programs, as well as our Hospital Medicine Fellowship.

I was born and raised in Mexico in a family of doctors. I completed two residencies: Four years in an internal medicine residency in Mexico City and four years in a dual internal medicine and pediatrics (Med/Peds) residency in Cleveland, Ohio. I am board certified in both internal medicine and pediatrics.

I am an academic hospitalist and have dual appointments in both the Medicine Institute and Pediatric Institute. In internal medicine, I work on the inpatient teaching and non-teaching services and also in the outpatient perioperative clinic. In pediatrics, I work on the inpatient teaching service at the Children’s Hospital.

I am strongly focused on medical education at multiple levels including the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, the internal medicine and pediatrics residency programs, as well as our Hospital Medicine Fellowship.

I'm a core faculty member within the Internal Medicine Residency Program, and I'm very genuinely committed to ensure my residents obtain the best training as possible, emphasizing the use of Evidence-Based Medicine and I encourage the building of a strong knowledge base and the practice of genuinely compassionate and humanistic medicine.

I'm married; my wife is also Med/Peds and is a Pulmonary and Critical Care fellow. I am a big fan of Web 2.0 media resources for medical education purposes. In my free time I enjoy discovering new ethnic restaurants, personal training, martial arts, reading, listening to music, and traveling.

Associate Program Director, Internal Medicine Residency Program
Head, Section of Neurologic Infectious Diseases

I joined the Cleveland Clinic staff in 2009 in the department of Infectious Diseases. I did my fellowship in Infectious Diseases at the University of Pittsburgh and my residency at Drexel, Philadelphia. My clinical area of interest is neurologic-infectious disease, particularly nosocomial or device related neurological infections. Cleveland Clinic is probably one of the few places in the world which has a dedicated Department\section for neurologic infections. At the national level I am on the Infectious Diseases Society of America guidelines committee for nosocomial meningitis. My experience working at Cleveland Clinic has been amazing. I had the opportunity to work with great internists/primary care doctors and also with consultants who are highly specialized with national and international reputation in their fields. Cleveland Clinic is a well-integrated system where we all work together to provide world-class care. Given that it attracts patients from all over the world, there is great diversity in the patient population & pathology that we see. Cleveland Clinic is a great place to train for a good clinical and educational experience.

My other area of interest is evidence based medicine and resident education. I love working with residents and teaching. I am honored to be working with some of the most dedicated and brilliant clinical educators. We are constantly evaluating the residency teaching programs and introducing educational innovations like EBM skill building sessions and academic half days. Through the education institute at Cleveland Clinic, most of us (faculty) undergo training in teaching skills and performance evaluation. We strive hard to provide a great educational experience in the residency program.

Associate Program Director, Internal Medicine Residency Program
Staff, Internal Medicine

I think research is not only an essential component of a scholarly life but also an absolute requisite for the strength and success of an individual physician. Some might choose to follow an academic, research oriented career; others might find a clinical pathway more rewarding. Regardless, all should search for knowledge and learn where to find it.

I believe Cleveland Clinic provides a home for residents who are passionate about what they do and need the proper environment and support system to become better at what they do. This is the place where they have the opportunity of becoming members of a dynamic consortium of researchers, educators, and clinicians while fully expressing their own personalities. They have the privilege of learning new teaching tools and strategies, receiving support and mentoring and working in such a collaborative environment like our campus.

I know that my professional career in the last 13 years, while working for the Cleveland Clinic, has been influenced and shaped by working with residents and I can wholeheartedly say that it was the best time of my life.

Primary Care Track Program Director
Associate Program Director
Solon Family Health Center

I joined Cleveland Clinic in 2000 and I am currently a Staff member in the department of General Internal Medicine and the Center for Women’s Health. I have a primary focus in Chronic Pelvic Pain, Menopause and Cardiovascular Health.

I trained in Primary Care Internal Medicine at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. When I moved to Cleveland, I chose Cleveland Clinic because of the dedication to teaching, excellence in patient care and the opportunity to continue working with residents and students.

As the Program Director for the Primary Track Program and director of the Ambulatory Clinics, I have the opportunity to introduce residents the same principles that have fueled my passion for medicine, education and research. I feel that primary care physicians have a powerful role in health care because our intimate knowledge of our patients health, lives and community. In Primary Care internal medicine we are able to establish the long term relationships with patients that help to create change, promote health and a commitment to preventative practices. Extensive knowledge of internal medicine allows us to streamline and focus diagnostic testing and treatment plans to provide the best patient care. It is truly the front lines of care.

Core Faculty Member & Resident Adviser
Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine

“As a former Chief Medical Resident and Graduate of Cleveland Clinic's Residency Program and now as an Associate Program Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program I truly can not say enough regarding the positive aspects of this residency program. Over the last 10 years, the program has developed a broad inpatient and outpatient teaching program with dedicated didactic and bedside teaching conducted by leaders in the field.

As a teaching attending in Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine the daily teaching rounds with the house staff are the focal point of the day. The friendly culture of the residency program here has allowed for formal as well as many informal interactions among attendings and residents. I as well as many of my associates maintain an open door policy in regards to residents and have found this to a rewarding experience for both myself and my advisees.

A strong collaborative sense exists between house staff and attending physicians not only in regards to direct patient care but also in the area of research. I am proud of the national and international recognition that our internal medicine residents have received and credit the fundamental principles on which this program was founded upon as one of the key elements of their success.”

Associate Program Director
Infectious Disease

Our Internal Medicine Residency program is an exceptionally strong training program, which focuses on teaching physicians to deliver the best possible care for their patients in an environment of expert clinical medicine, academic and bedside teaching, as well as cutting-edge clinical and basic research. It is a competitive program, which attracts the best medical graduates. In turn, upon completion of the program, former residents find themselves in an excellent position to pursue positions in Internal Medicine or further training positions in subspecialties.

I joined Cleveland Clinic in 2007, and the presence of a strong Internal Medicine residency program was a big part of the reason. I did my Internal Medicine residency at Jacobi Hospital in the Bronx, NY, after graduating from medical school at the University of Amsterdam in The Netherlands, where I was born. Prior to coming to Cleveland, I had completed my Infectious Disease fellowship and PhD in Investigative Medicine at Yale University in New Haven, CT. The position at Cleveland Clinic was especially interesting to me, as it offered a chance to employ these skills in a unique, patient-oriented setting.

As a staff physician in the Infectious Disease Department, I experience first-hand that the Internal Medicine residents are essential to patient care. They are a great addition to the Infectious Disease inpatient consult team, and they also provide excellent care working with our outpatient physicians. In addition, many of the patients, whom we are asked to see, are being taken care of by Internal Medicine residents. These interactions show the value of the care that Internal Medical residents offer, coupling their inquisitiveness with passion for patient care.

As one of the Associate Program Directors, I am thrilled to work with the Internal Medicine Program on constantly re-evaluating and improving the program to make sure that we are meeting the changing demands of current medicine, and that we are delivering the best possible internists into the healthcare system. Clearly, investing in the doctors of the future will benefit all of us for many years to come.

Another strong feature of our program is a commitment to the research experience of each resident. This is one of my focus points as Associate Program Director, to work with the residents on their training in how to read medical articles through their Journal Club. Not only do the residents undergo rigorous training in the interpretation of medical literature, they also complete an original research project as part of the residency experience.

In summary, the Internal Medicine Residency at Cleveland Clinic is an exceptional program, of which I am proud to be a part.

Associate Program Director
The Robert and Suzanne Tomsich Department of Cardiovascular Medicine

I joined the staff at Cleveland Clinic in 2005 after completing eight years of Internal Medicine and Cardiology training at University Hospitals Case Medical Center. I made the short trip down Euclid Avenue because I felt Cleveland Clinic offered me the best opportunity to be a true "triple threat," combining the nation's best cardiovascular medical care with ample opportunity to teach, write and investigate. I haven't been disappointed.

I presently function as a full service general cardiologist and staff the cardiology inpatient resident service about three months of the year when I am no seeing patients in the office, reading echocardiograms or performing diagnostic heart catheterization. I am also keenly interested in housestaff education and as an associate program director for Internal Medicine I draw from my experience as a resident and chief resident to strengthen the training program through recruitment, advisership and contribution to the cardiology curriculum. My principal academic interest concerns the relationship between obstructive sleep apnea and heart disease, specifically using imaging and biomarker assays to help determine how sleep apnea independently contributes to cardiovascular disease risk. These endeavors have allowed me to maintain collaborative ties to Case Western Reserve University, though in time I would like to expand to collaborate with staff here on the main campus, involving fellows and residents in my research and writing.

When I'm not at work I enjoy spending time with my wife (a gastroenterologist) and two young, energetic sons (presently entertaining careers in professional basketball and stock car racing). We enjoy traveling, skiing and watching the Cavs play at the Q. I am a die-hard fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers, a fact that becomes self-evident upon entry into my office.

Associate Program Director
Hospital Medicine

I joined the Cleveland Clinic staff in 1999 in the Department of General Internal Medicine as a hospital based internist. My group has expanded to the Department of Hospital Medicine where I currently care for inpatients on the hospital teaching service, non-teaching service, inpatient medical consultation, and in the IMPACT center (pre-operative evaluation clinic).

I trained in Internal Medicine at Emory University in Atlanta, GA which was a very clinically based program. My main joy during residency and until this day, are the interactions with others in the hospital clinical care setting. Learning from others and teaching about care for patients in the hospital is always interesting, exciting, challenging, and rewarding for me. After residency, I came back to my home state of Ohio. At Cleveland Clinic, I found a place that is focused on providing excellent patient care, a robust educational environment, a strong research climate, and most of all people who are caring and dedicated to patients.

I feel very privileged to be a part of Cleveland Clinic's Internal Medicine Residency program. I think Cleveland Clinic is an exceptional place for training in Internal Medicine due to its richness of resources, faculty, and residents. I am excited to work with the program to continually adapt to the challenges of Internal Medicine training and continue to prepare our residents for fellowship training and clinical practice.

Core Faculty Member
Infectious Disease

Co-Director, Resident Ambulatory Clinic
Strongsville Family Health Center

After training at Case Western Reserve University / University Hospitals Medical Center, I was on faculty at University of Michigan. I was drawn back to Cleveland in 2004 and chose Cleveland Clinic because of its dedication to excellence in education and patient care throughout the community in Northeast Ohio.

As Co-Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program Longitudinal Clinic, I have been able to interact closely with the residents and be able to facilitate their real-life outpatient practice experiences. This setting of general practice allows high quality primary care with the availability of highly specialized tertiary care for patients in the regional community. I believe this is what makes Cleveland Clinic unique. I hope to continue to encourage residents to consider primary care as a career path, all the while supporting a well-rounded Internal Medicine academic teaching program.

Associate Program Director
Professor and acting Chairman, Department of Medicine
Editor-in-Chief, Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine
Staff, Department of Rheumatic & Immunologic Disease

I am one of the associate program directors, and my primary responsibility within the residency program is director of the scholarly activity and CLINSCHOP programs. I am also the Professor and acting Chairman, Department of Medicine and the Editor in Chief of the Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine.

I am the former education program director for the Department of Rheumatic and Immunologic Diseases. My clinical interests are multisystem inflammatory diseases and crystal induced arthritis. At a national level I am involved in several educational venues including the American College of Physicians and American College of Rheumatology national meeting planning committees, and I am editor of the MKSAP 14 Rheumatology book.

I have been at Cleveland Clinic for 15 years; previously I was on faculty in rheumatology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where I firmly acquired a taste for the music of Bruce Springsteen. I am available at anytime to provide consultation on matters relating to sushi.

Core Faculty Member & Resident Advisor
Hospital Medicine

Dr. Michota is Director of Academic Affairs in the Department of Hospital Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. Dr. Michota graduated from The Ohio State University College of Medicine and completed his postgraduate work at the Cleveland Clinic. Upon completion of his Chief resident year he established and developed the Hospital Medicine Program at the Cleveland Clinic. For eleven years, Dr. Michota was the Section Head of Hospital Medicine in the Department of General Internal Medicine. He has extensive clinical experience in both acute and subacute patient settings.

Dr. Michota has been an active teacher for colleagues, fellows, residents, and students and he is currently an Associate Professor of Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University and a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and the Society of Hospital Medicine. He has worked closely with the National Board of Medical Examiners, participating as well as Chairing test material development and review committees. Dr. Michota was a Charter Member of the Society of Hospital Medicine, and has served on both the national Education and Research Committees. He participated in the development of the Hospitalist Core-Competencies position paper and he has spoken frequently at the annual Society of Hospital Medicine national meeting. He has directed and co-directed multiple symposia and CME courses, including the annual Cleveland Clinic Intensive Review of Internal Medicine and annual Perioperative Summit. He is a former Associate Program Director of Internal Medicine as well as Director of the Cleveland Clinic Hospital Medicine Fellowship Program.

Dr. Michota has also been very active in local as well as national Quality Improvement Initiatives. Dr. Michota is a member of the Coalition to Prevent Deep Vein Thrombosis, helping to establish March as DVT Awareness Month. He has worked with the American Public Health Association, the Centers for Disease Control, and the U.S. Surgeon General’s Office to make DVT prophylaxis a national health priority. Dr. Michota is a past member of the TJC/NQF Technical Advisory Panel for the development of national voluntary consensus standards for the prevention and care of venous thromboembolism.

Dr. Michota is a Section Editor for a new reference text for hospitalists – Comprehensive Hospital Medicine, and remains a co-editor of the Cleveland Clinic Intensive Review of Internal Medicine textbook, now in its 5th Edition. He is medical editor-in-chief of Hospitalist News. In summary, Dr. Michota has authored or co-authored over 30 articles and book chapters, and has given over 300 CME presentations across the United States, on the topics of venous thromboembolism, congestive heart failure, laboratory testing, preoperative evaluation and perioperative care.

Program Director

After I completed my medical school training at The University of Vermont, I made the decision that I wanted to move to a larger urban setting for training. I looked mainly on the East Coast and the Midwest, focusing on cities such as Chicago and New York. I also visited Cleveland on my interview tour, and specifically Cleveland Clinic. I was immediately impressed with not only the facilities, but the quality of people I met and the realization that this would be a place to pursue whatever career interests I chose, whether primary care, subspecialty medicine or the research arena. After choosing Cleveland Clinic for my residency, I was not disappointed. It provided me with a broad scope of learning opportunities. The quality of people that I interact with continues to be top-notch.

As program director, I am obviously biased, but I regard our training environment as excellent. In my opinion, our program is a non-limiting program that will help to provide you with the various skills and opportunities to advance your career to the next level.

Associate Program Director, Internal Medicine Residency Program
Staff Physician, Hospital Medicine

Trained as an infectious diseases specialist as well as a general internist, I primarily practice as a hospitalist, with a secondary focus on infectious diseases. I attended medical school at The Ohio State University College of Medicine and Public Health, followed by completion of an internal medicine residency at University Hospitals of Cleveland and an ID fellowship at the National Naval Medical Center. I had the privilege of serving on the medical staff at the Cleveland Clinic from 1999-2005, and then returned in 2012. My particular interests include the considerable interface between infectious diseases and hospital medicine, medical editing (I’m a former editor of The Hospitalist, and a current deputy editor of the Journal of Hospital Medicine), perioperative/consultative general medicine, and medical education.

Since returning to the Clinic and having the opportunity to serve as an associate program director, I’ve been impressed by the robust nature and very thoughtful direction of the IM residency program. The breadth and depth of our patients’ pathology is almost breathtaking, leading to a clinical training experience that is unsurpassed at any other institution in the country. The residency program’s commitment to scholarship has clearly grown deeper since my last tour of duty here, and the opportunities to become a well- rounded internist grounded in scholarship and evidence-based practice are superb, and virtually limitless. I believe that even deeper involvement at a programmatic level in quality improvement and patient safety represents our next significant opportunity. This is a terrific place to train in internal medicine, and we are committed to making it even better.

Co-Director, Resident Ambulatory Clinic
Internal Medicine

I joined the Department of General Internal Medicine in 1997 after I completed my internal medicine residency training at Cleveland Clinic. I graduated from Fudan University Medical School in Shanghai, China and received my PhD degree from Georgetown University. Prior to my residency training at Cleveland Clinic, I also completed postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School.

Currently, I have the privilege to interact with residents both in ambulatory clinic and hospital teaching service. The teaching experience has been very rewarding for me.

As a former resident and having been on staff for the past 12 years, I have the first hand personal experience of what a world class internal medicine residency training program can offer. Cleveland Clinic is indeed an exceptional place for training in internal medicine. The diverse pathology of clinical cases, dedicated teaching faculty, and excellent clinical skills of master physicians have made it possible for an outstanding training experience. The appropriate level of acuity and complexity of ambulatory clinic patients offers our trainee an excellent learning environment and provide them a solid foundation for future career in either primary care or subspecialties. Our graduates are accepted by renowned medical centers throughout the country for both faculty position in internal medicine or subspecialty fellowship training.

I am excited to be part of the core faculties working closely with residents throughout their training and looking forward to working with the very best medical graduates.

Core Faculty Member
Hospital Medicine

I joined Cleveland Clinic's staff as a hospitalist in 2001 after 2 years as a hospitalist with a private group practice in the Frankford Hospital System in Philadelphia. I currently am a member of the Department of Hospital Medicine. My clinical roles include inpatient care on both teaching and non-teaching services, inpatient consult services, and outpatient preoperative assessments in our IMPACT center.

I trained in Internal Medicine at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia, PA; this was both rewarding and challenging as it is a very busy tertiary care center. This time developed and solidified my clinical care skills, and imbued in me the desire and skills to teach and to facilitate understanding in learners. One of the greatest rewards I get to this day is to see a learner (student, resident, or fellow) finally understand a topic or concept, and their eyes light up with delight.

In addition to being a core faculty member for the residency program, I currently direct our Hospital Medicine Fellowship Program, and I serve as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine in Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine (CCLCM). I also direct the CCLCM Acute Care Preceptorship for second year medical students, which is the first opportunity for students to experience, and understand, the hospital environment and systems of care.

Cleveland Clinic Internal Medicine Residency Program graduates traverse a rich and rewarding training experience founded on excellence in patient care, development of focused and organized teaching skills, diverse research opportunities, and the tenets of humanism and collegiality. I am honored to be able to participate in such an exciting program with learners filled with promise, and to contribute to the training of future colleagues and caregivers.