Message from our Program Director
The International Trauma Research Fellowship provides an opportunity for qualified, highly motivated individuals to work intimately with nationally recognized academic surgeons at the Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, NY. The goals of this program, in addition to conducting high-level clinical and basic science research, include establishing international relationships and opportunities for fellows to observe the trauma and acute care surgery systems in the United States so that they can share their experience with their home countries. The mentors have a track record of running numerous international trauma research fellowships to support success and positive outcomes of the fellows’ time spent.
Westchester Medical Center is located in the beautiful Hudson Valley region of New York, just 20 minutes from New York City. The medical center is an American College of Surgeons (ACS) and New York State-designated Level I Trauma Center, serving the entire Hudson Valley (north of the Bronx, up to Albany, NY) with over 50 ICU beds, a state-of-the-art Telehealth Center, and 24-hour e-ICU coverage of all ICU beds. As the only ACS Level I Trauma Center in the Hudson Valley region, we take care of patients with a high degree of complexity and acuity. With both an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited General Surgery residency program and a Surgical Critical Care fellowship program, Westchester Medical Center, in partnership with New York Medical College, is a leading academic institution in New York.
Fellows will be an integral part of the Section of Trauma and General Surgery, participating in all weekly conferences, meetings and didactic education. Fellows are expected to develop, and be actively engaged in, basic and clinical research studies through all phases of the research process including literature review, obtaining approval from the Institutional Review Board, data collection and analysis, and abstract/manuscript preparation and submission. The Section of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery targets several large meetings each year, including the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST), the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma (EAST), the American Surgical Association (ASA), the Academic Surgical Congress (ASC), the Western Trauma Association (WTA), the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM), and the American College of Surgeons (ACS).
Trauma Research Fellows will be expected to be competent in statistical analysis and software, to work with the Department of Surgery Clinical Research Unit (DSCRU), and to publish manuscripts under the guidance of faculty.
Thank you for choosing our International Trauma Research Fellowship program. Sincerely Yours,
Bardiya Zangbar, MD
Director, International Trauma Research Fellowship, Westchester Medical Center
Assistant Professor of Surgery, New York Medical College
Program Overview
Fellows benefit from a robust research ecosystem support by the DSCRU, enabling full-cycle project development from concept to publication.
The 2 year program emphasizes:
- Evidence-based medicine and critical appraisal (Journal Club participation)
- Multidisciplinary collaboration
- High-impact dissemination through conferences and journals
- Specialties focusing within Trauma, Surgical Critical Care and General Surgery Focused Research
- Research Mentorship
- 4 Weeks of Vacation
- Self Funded
View program for full overview of research initiatives and resources.
Accepting Applications for 2026-27 academic year
Application requirements:
- Letter of interest (including career goals, current level of education and experience and post-fellowship plans)
- Current CV (in English)
- Medical school diploma and letter from school
- Minimum of two letters of recommendation
- Full comprehension of the English language
- Eligibility for U.S. visa
- Passport-sized photo
- Commitment to a minimum of 24-month fellowship
Application process:
- Submit materials via email to Dr. Bardiya Zangbar: [email protected]
- Interview will be scheduled upon review
- Accepted applications receive an official letter of invitation
Important: Applicants should inquire in advance to confirm eligibility and requirements.
Additional information can be found in the International Trauma Research Fellowship Program.
Fellowship Program Information
Gloria Gjelaj
Administrator of Surgery
New York Medical College
Phone: (914) 594-2052
[email protected]
Rebecca Bates
Trauma Program Coordinator
Phone: (914) 493-6826
[email protected]
Section of Trauma, General Surgery, and Surgical Critical Care
Department of Surgery
Westchester Medical Center
100 Woods Road
Suite D-368, Taylor Pavilion
Valhalla, NY 10595
Kartik Prabhakaran, MD, MHS, FACS
Chair, Department of Surgery
Vice Chair of Research
Professor of Surgery
Department of Surgery
Westchester Medical Center
New York Medical College
Matthew Bronstein, MD, FACS
Interim Chief, Trauma, General Surgery, and Surgical Critical Care
Medical Director, TICU
Associate Professor of Surgery
Department of Surgery
Westchester Medical Center
New York Medical College
Jordan Kirsch, DO
Trauma Medical Director
Medical Director and Vice Chair of Quality Section of Trauma, General Surgery, and Surgical Critical Care
Associate Professor of Surgery
Westchester Medical Center
New York Medical College
Bardiya Zangbar, MD
Medical Director of Research
Director, International Trauma Research Fellowship
Assistant Professor of Surgery
Westchester Medical Center
New York Medical College
Ilya Shnaydman, MD, FACS
Program Director, SCC Fellowship
Medical Director, SICU
Associate Professor of Surgery
Department of Surgery
Westchester Medical Center
New York Medical College
Joshua Klein, DO
Medical Director, Emergency General Surgery
Assistant Professor of Surgery
Department of Surgery
Westchester Medical Center
New York Medical College
Amanda Carlson, MD
Associate Program Director, SCC Fellowship
Associate Director, General Surgery Program
Assistant Professor of Surgery
Department of Surgery
Westchester Medical Center
New York Medical College
Gabriel Froula, DO
Associate Trauma Medical Director, MidHudson Regional Hospital
Assistant Professor of Surgery
Department of Surgery
Westchester Medical Center
New York Medical College
Aaron Zuckerman, MD
Assistant Professor of Surgery
Department of Surgery
Westchester Medical Center
New York Medical College
Julia Arena, MD
Assistant Professor of Surgery
Department of Surgery
Westchester Medical Center
New York Medical College
Thoi Ngo, MD
Assistant Professor of Surgery
Department of Surgery
Westchester Medical Center
New York Medical College
Fellows
Samyuktha Harikrishnan, MD
Vishmita Kannichamy, MD
Riddhi Mehta, MD
Maral Peisepar, MD
Aryan Rafieezadeh, MD (2023-2025)
Anna Mary Jose, MD (2023-2025)
Rishwanth Vetri, MD (2024-2025)
Our Clinical Location
Westchester Medical Center
Westchester Medical Center shares its leafy campus with New York Medical College in Valhalla, NY, approximately 20 miles north of New York City. It is a Level 1 Trauma and Burn Center and a major hub for specialized care referrals. Here, we take care of patients from a very large catchment area stretching from the northern border of New York City to the Catskill Mountains.
Westchester Medical Center has a pediatric hospital (Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital) with eight dedicated pediatric operating rooms as well as many other non-operating room anesthetizing sites, including MRI, radiation and nuclear medicine, and endoscopy. The Ambulatory Care Pavilion, which opened in July 2019, added many anesthetizing locations, both OR and Non-OR.
Construction is underway on the 128-bed state-of-the-art Critical Care Tower, a $220 million project that when completed will span 162,000 square feet over five floors. Our caseload includes a full profile of cardiac, interventional pulmonary and thoracic, complex orthopedic, neurosurgical and solid organ transplant interventions, to name the busiest services. We have a large heart failure and ECMO referral program. Trauma orthopedics and surgery provide our residents a great variety of “open” cases. Residents participate in minimally invasive and robotic interventions in gynecologic-oncology, urology, colorectal, endocrine and thoracic surgery, as well as complex cardiac and neurological endovascular interventions, both pediatric and adult. The Acute and Chronic Pain Management care rotations cover both the pediatric and adult inpatients and outpatients, including complex consultations for patients in the Burn ICU.