Seventeen members of the Department began the academic year with a promotion in rank. Congratulations to all!
PROFESSOR OF MEDICINE
Dr. James “Ben” Brock
Dr. Ben Brock was promoted to Professor of Medicine. Dr. Brock earned his medical degree from the University of Mississippi School of Medicine, where he also completed a combined residency in internal medicine and pediatrics, followed by a fellowship in infectious diseases. Since joining the Division of Infectious Diseases at UMMC in 2009, Dr. Brock has held several leadership roles, including Medical Director of the Adult Special Care HIV Clinic and the Express Personal Health Clinic. He has served as both Associate Program Director and Program Director of the Infectious Diseases Fellowship and has been a recipient of the Trailblazer Teaching Award. He has served on Mississippi Medicaid P&T Committee and ACP Governor’s Advisory Board. Dr. Brock has authored more than 25 peer-reviewed publications, and has been involved in multiple research studies aimed at HIV prevention and treatment, STI screening, interventions on medication adherence, and retention in care.
Dr. Saurabh Chandra
Dr. Saurabh Chandra was promoted to Professor of Medicine. Dr. Chandra earned his MBBS from MLN Medical College at the University of Allahabad, India, followed by a PhD in Life Sciences from Indiana State University. He completed residency training in internal medicine and went on to pursue fellowship in critical care medicine. He joined the faculty at UMMC in 2020 as Chief Telehealth Officer. In this role, Dr. Chandra has led the nationally recognized Center for Telehealth, designated as one of only two HRSA Centers of Excellence. Under his leadership, UMMC has launched over 30 statewide telehealth programs, including remote monitoring for chronic disease, inpatient specialty consults, and one of the largest school-based telehealth networks in the country. He is a nationally recognized leader in digital health, presenting regularly at major forums, including a recent presentation at the U.S. Capitol for several White House policy advisors.
Dr. Amanda Clark
Dr. Amanda Clark was promoted to Professor of Medicine. Dr. Clark earned her medical degree from the University of Mississippi School of Medicine and completed residency and chief residency in internal medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Since joining the Division of General Medicine at UMMC in 2017, Dr. Clark has held several leadership roles, including Associate Program Director of the Internal Medicine residency program and Vice Chair of Faculty Affairs for the Department of Medicine. She serves as Co-Director of the Clinician Educator Track, which is a longitudinal curriculum designed for residents interested in academic medicine. She has received numerous awards, including Department of Medicine Teacher of the Year, Evers Hall of Fame, Trailblazer Teaching Award, Academy for Excellence in Education, and the Department of Medicine Outstanding Service Award.
Dr. Vishnu Garla
Dr. Vishnu Garla was promoted to Professor of Medicine. Dr. Garla completed medical school at JJM Medical College in India, internal medicine and pediatrics residency at Marshall University, and endocrinology fellowship at UMMC. He also obtained a Masters of Science in Clinical Investigation from UMMC’s School of Health Related Professions. Since joining the faculty at UMMC in 2015, Dr. Garla has held numerous leadership positions, including Associate Program Director for the Endocrinology fellowship program and as the Associate Medical Director of UMMC’s Clinical Research and Trials Unit. He currently serves as the Division Director for Endocrinology. Dr. Garla has established himself as a successful clinical investigator with a record of extramural grant funding and serving as Principal Investigator of several large clinical trials. He has published around 50 peer-reviewed publications, 26 abstracts, and has been awarded fellowship in the American College of Endocrinology.
Dr. Carter Milner
Dr. Carter Milner was promoted to Professor of Medicine. Dr. Milner earned her medical degree from the University of Mississippi School of Medicine and completed internal medicine residency and hematology and oncology fellowship at UMMC. Since joining the faculty in 2014, Dr. Milner has held numerous leadership roles directing Mississippi’s only Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) and CAR–T Cell Therapy Programs. She was instrumental in helping UMMC’s BMT program become a Center of Excellence in 2022. She has also served in several educational leadership roles, including Associate Program Director of the Hematology and Oncology fellowship program and the Internal Medicine Residency Program Clinical Competency Committee. Dr. Milner has served on several advisory boards and institutional committees. She has been actively involved in research and has served as Principal Investigator of multiple clinical trials involving multiple myeloma and CAR-T.
Dr. Elizabeth Paine
Dr. Elizabeth Paine was promoted to Professor of Medicine. Dr. Paine earned her medical degree from the University of Mississippi School of Medicine and completed internal medicine residency and gastroenterology fellowship at UMMC. After completing fellowship in 2013, she joined G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery VA Medical Center as a gastroenterologist. She has held numerous leadership positions at the VA, including Deputy Associate and Acting Associate Chief of Staff for Specialty Care, GI Division Chief, and Chair of the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee. She is intimately involved in education at all levels and has served as the Program Director for the Digestive Diseases fellowship and is the current Chair of the Internal Medicine Residency Program Clinical Competency Committee. Dr. Paine is dedicated to quality improvement and has served as Chair of the National VA GI Field Advisory Board and member of the VA IBD and Section Chief Sub-Boards.
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
Dr. James Bensler
Dr. James Bensler was promoted to Associate Professor of Medicine. He earned his medical degree from the University of Washington, where he also completed internal medicine residency. He completed fellowships in cardiology and cardiac electrophysiology at Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Bensler joined the faculty at UMMC in 2019 in the Division of Cardiovascular Diseases. A gifted proceduralist, he has been the “first” in Mississippi to complete several techniques. Dr. Bensler is actively involved in teaching cardiology fellows and participates in several clinical trials related to electrophysiology devices.
Dr. Joydeep Chakraborty
Dr. Joydeep Chakraborty was promoted to Associate Professor of Medicine. Dr. Chakraborty earned his medical degree from Kasturba Medical College in India. He completed internal medicine residency and gastroenterology and hepatology fellowships at the University of Florida. Since joining UMMC in 2020, he has been instrumental to the liver transplant program, where he is a member of the Liver transplant Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement (QAPI) committee, Liver transplant Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee, and the Hepatopancreatobiliary tumor board. An esteemed teacher, he also serves on the gastroenterology fellowship Clinical Competency Committee and Program Evaluation Committee.
Dr. Bradley Deere
Dr. Bradley Deere was promoted to Associate Professor of Medicine. Dr. Deere earned his medical degree from UMMC and completed internal medicine residency and cardiology fellowship at Tulane University. He joined the faculty at UMMC in 2020 in the Division of Cardiovascular Diseases as well as the Department of Preventive Medicine. He has established himself as a leader in quality improvement within cardiology and has implemented clinical pathways that have improved cardiovascular mortality rates at UMMC. A gifted educator, he spends time teaching students, residents, and fellows. Nationally, he serves on the American Society of Preventive Cardiology CVD Health Disparities Working Group, chairing and collaborating with experts to address health disparities in cardiovascular disease.
Dr. Elizabeth Fryoux
Dr. Elizabeth Fryoux was promoted to Associate Professor of Medicine. Dr. Fryoux earned her medical degree from LSU Shreveport. She completed her internal medicine and chief residency at UMMC. Dr. Fryoux practices inpatient and outpatient medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine. Certified in obesity medicine, she is the Medical Director of the Weight Management clinic at UMMC and serves on the Mississippi Obesity Society Board of Directors. She has served on the Faculty Senate and Medical Executive Committee and is the current Vice Chair of the Internal Medicine Residency Program Clinical Competency Committee.
Dr. Zerelda Esquer Garrigos
Dr. Zerelda Esquer Garrigos was promoted to Associate Professor on Tenure Track. Dr. Esquer Garrigos earned her medical degree from San Luis Potosi Medical School and completed internal medicine residency at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She then completed fellowships in infectious diseases and transplant infectious diseases at Mayo Clinic. Since joining the faculty in 2020, she has served as Co-Director of UMMC’s first Transplant ID Program. She serves on several institutional transplant committees and has received several research grants, including MCCTR Pilot Project Program. She has co-authored three AHA statement guidelines, serving as vice chair for one of them. She has published over 40 peer-reviewed articles and is a contributing author to UpToDate.
Dr. Rola Karam
Dr. Rola Abi Saleh Karam was promoted to Associate Professor of Medicine. She earned her medical degree from Saint Joseph University in Beirut, Lebanon, and completed her internal medicine residency at Hôtel-Dieu de France. She then completed an internal medicine residency and fellowships in geriatrics and hospice and palliative medicine at UMMC. Since joining the faculty in 2020, Dr. Karam has provided care in the Memory Impairment and Neurodegenerative Dementia (MIND) Center clinic and on the inpatient geriatrics service. Her clinical and research work focuses on improving outcomes for older adults with cognitive impairment. She currently serves as a co-investigator and cognitive status adjudicator in the PREVENTABLE study, one of the largest clinical research studies in older adults and uses her expertise to adjudicate cognitive status in two large cohorts: the MarkVCID Consortium and the UMMC MIND Center–Mayo Clinic Study of Aging.
Dr. Zackary Knott
Dr. Zackary Knott was promoted to Associate Professor. He earned his medical degree from LSU – Shreveport and completed a combined residency in internal medicine and pediatrics at UMMC. He joined the faculty in 2020 in the Division of Hospital Medicine. He works closely with the EPIC analysts and serves on several institutional committees related to documentation and EPIC use as well as the Department of Medicine Morbidity and Mortality Committee. He practices hospital medicine and attends on the internal medicine Procedure Service. Dr. Knott serves as Education Coordinator for the Division of Hospital Medicine and sits on the House Officer Selection Committee.
Dr. Jessie Lavender
Dr. Jessie Lavender was promoted to Associate Professor. Dr. Lavender earned her medical degree from the University of Mississippi School of Medicine followed by internal medicine residency and chief residency at UMMC. She practices both inpatient and outpatient general medicine and serves as the Director of the Primary Care Track for the internal medicine residency program. She also is an Associate Program Director for the program and serves on the Medicine-Pediatrics program Clinical Competency Committee. She has held leadership positions in the Mississippi Chapter of American College of Physicians, has received a Trailblazer Teaching Award, and has been inducted into the Academy of Excellence in Medical Education at UMMC.
Dr. Laura Smart
Dr. Laura Smart was promoted to Associate Professor. Dr. Smart earned her medical degree from the University of Louisville and completed internal medicine residency at Ohio State University. She then completed gastroenterology fellowship at University of Louisville followed by transplant hepatology fellowship at Ohio State University. Since joining the UMMC faculty in 2019, she has been instrumental to the liver transplant program, where she has served as the Medical Director of Liver Transplantation and helped to lead the program to become a top three program in the country for outcomes and access to transplant. She also serves on the gastroenterology fellowship Clinical Competency Committee and Program Evaluation Committee.
Dr. Prakhar Vijayvargiya
Dr. Prakhar Vijayvargiya was promoted to Associate Professor. Dr. Vijayvargiya earned his medical degree from Grant Medical College and Sir JJ Group of Hospitals in India followed by internal medicine residency at the University of Miami/JFK Palm Beach Campus. He then completed fellowships in infectious diseases and transplant infectious diseases at Mayo Clinic. Since joining the faculty in 2020, he has served as Co-Director of UMMC’s first Transplant ID Program. He has served as both Associate Program Director and Program Director of the infectious diseases fellowship program. He has received the Department of Medicine Teacher of the Year award and serves on several educational committees.
Dr. Yousaf Zafar
Dr. Yousaf Zafar was promoted to Associate Professor. Dr. Zafar completed medical school at CMH Lahore Medical College of Medicine in Pakistan followed by internal medicine residency at the University of Missouri-Kansas City followed by chief residency at Naples Community Healthcare in Naples, Florida. Dr. Zafar joined the faculty at UMMC in 2020 in the Division of Hospital Medicine. He serves on several School of Medicine committees and on the internal medicine residency program House Officer Selection Committee. He is involved in medical student and resident education as a preceptor and research mentor. An active researcher, he has published 29 peer-reviewed articles and has presented at 50 national conferences.
Progress Notes 