THIRD YEAR RESIDENTS - CLASS OF 2009

Paola C. Batista, M.D., Tufts University School of Medicine
Chris Breuder, M.D., Boston University School of Medicine
Felicia A. Freilich, M.D., Boston University School of Medicine
Claudia L. Legere, M.D., University of California, Irvine School of Medicine
Lenard I. Lesser, M.D., University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
Brian P. Randall, M.D., Tufts University School of Medicine
Catherine A.E. Rea, M.D., Queen's University of Belfast - United Kingdom
Sarah Scott, M.D., M.P.H., Tufts University School of Medicine
Sanjay Upadhyay, M.D., Saint George's University School of Medicine

Paola C. Batista, M.D. - was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil. At the age of nine, Paola immigrated to the U.S., and her family soon settled in the Greater Boston community. As a teenager, she spent two years in Sydney, Australia assisting her family in missionary work. She enjoyed teaching Sunday school, singing in the church choir, and making new Aussie friends. Upon returning to Boston, Paola attended Tufts University, where she majored in Biology. She remained an active member of her local church, reaching out to the Brazilian immigrant community in Boston. After completing her undergraduate studies, she went to Tufts University School of Medicine, where she developed an interest in family medicine and a holistic approach to patient care. During her second year of medical school, she received the national Health Service Corps Scholarship, a program designed to improve healthcare for underserved populations throughout the country. Paola is interested in women’s health, cultural competency and minority populations. During her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two-year-old son, Caleb, singing, rooting for the New England Patriots, and traveling, visiting her relatives in Brazil.

Chris Breuder , M.D. - Chris grew up in a military family as the fifth of eventually nine children. Despite the frequent moves his family had strong ties to the New England region as many relatives live in and around Boston. After his father retired from the Air Force the family settled down in New Hampshire, where Chris attended the University of New Hampshire in Durham and received a BA in Political Science. After college he worked as a surgical and anesthesia assistant in an oral surgery office in New Hampshire before starting medical school. He attended Boston University School of Medicine on the Health Professions Scholarship Program through the United States Army and earned his MD in 2006. He subsequently entered into Active Duty with Army and began his post graduate training in Family Medicine at Tripler Army Medical Center. Early in his third year of residency Chris transferred his residency to Tufts due to the transfer of medical care of his infant daughter from Hawaii back to the mainland. Although he enjoyed his time in Hawaii and training at Tripler, he is thankful to be back in Boston for the continued medical care of his daughter, support of family and friends, and opportunity to complete his residency training in Family Medicine.

Felicia A. Freilich, M.D. - A strong family orientation and a dream of being a doctor have defined Felicia s long as she can remember. Her strong ties to her own family allow her to understand just how significant the role of the family is to a patient’s care and overall well-being. Her interest in medicine started early when as a five year old, she went on “rounds” with her pediatrician mother, whose example of compassion and dedication to excellent patient care she hopes to follow. Felicia’s passion for medicine and her commitment to helping others was solidified as pursued her undergraduate degree at Boston College. While at BC, she volunteered as part of a triage service for underserved children in Boston, did research on support groups for women with breast cancer, and volunteered at a camp for at-risk children with HIV/AIDS and their siblings. Following her graduation from Boston College, Felicia came back home to CT and spent two years working in a residential facility for children with severe psychiatric and behavior problems, where she further developed her interests in adolescent medicine, foster care, and the importance of psychosocial interventions in the primary care setting. During her time between college and medical school, Felicia was a proud participant in a 60-mile fundraiser walk for breast cancer, a cause that is very important to her. Since then, Felicia has completed her medical school training at Boston University School of Medicine, with a scholarship from the National Health Service Corps, which will allow her to continue her commitment to primary care in underserved areas.

Throughout the years, Felicia’s main focus has always been a loyalty and availability to an ever increasing group of friends and family. In addition to spending time with her wonderful family and friends, Felicia also loves singing in her gospel choir, Joyful Voices.

Claudia L. Legere, M.D. - hails from the great state of California where she received her undergraduate education as an Art History Major at UC Berkeley and studied the kinematics of gecko toe pads. She will tell you that geckos are not friendly little creatures. She completed her pre-medical work at Columbia University while her husband attended medical school at Columbia. She published research while working at St. Lukes Obesity Research Center. She started medical school at UC Irvine and feels that her greatest accomplishment is becoming a mom to two terrific little girls: Elyse 16 months and Chloe 2 1/2 yrs. She challenges you to find a Wiggles song she doesn’t know. While a medical student, she researched subgaleal hematomas after instrumented vaginal delivery in the department of neonatology. Outside of medicine she has worked on a patent and a book with her husband. Her husband will be starting his fellowship at Brigham and Women’s in Allergy and Immunology. They look forward to welcoming all four seasons, including celebrating a white Christmas with their young daughters.

Lenard I. Lesser - Chief Resident, grew up on Long Island, NY, but has spent most of the last few years in upstate NY. He studied nutrition at Cornell University and then continued to medical school at the University of Rochester. After spending a year during medical school doing research at Children’s Hospital Boston, he is happy to be back in his favorite city. Lenny’s academic interests are research and policy in the areas of nutrition and prevention. As the Obesity Policy Coordinator for the American Medical Student Association, he ran projects raising awareness about the dangers of soda and fast food. He has authored several abstracts and papers on prevention, nutrition, and public health policy. He is a Pisacano Leadership Scholar, as awarded by the American Board of Family Medicine Foundation. He chose family medicine because of the diversity of experiences it offers and the continuity he can have with his patients. Outside of medicine, he enjoys traveling around the country and world. When time and money do not allow for far away travels, he is very happy playing his drums, skiing, biking, hiking, or rollerblading.

Brian P. Randall, M.D. was born in Northern California and grew up in the town of Sonora, CA. Brian spent his first 18 years of life there, where he played football, baseball, and dabbled in some theatre. He then attended the University of California at Davis where he got a B.S. in Psychology with a minor in music. In Davis, Brian spent much of his time singing with different choirs and playing intramural sports. Brian also became an Emergency Medical Technician and spent six years working as a lifeguard. After college, he spent two years working for an ambulance company in Sacramento. Brian then moved to New England to study medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine. The move from the West to the East coast has allowed him to visit 47 states during his cross-country drives. Only three more to go! Brian hopes to further his interests in Pediatrics, Sports Medicine, and Complimentary and Alternative Medicine during his Family Medicine Residency. He is happy to have found a place that he enjoys so much and is very excited about staying in the area for a few more years.

Catherine A.E. Rea, M.D. - grew up in Belfast in the North of Ireland the eldest of four sisters. She attended Cambridge University in England for her undergraduate studies and majored in History. While at Cambridge she met her husband Charles and enjoyed many a misty morning on the river Cam as she coached and rowed intramural crew. After Cambridge Catherine completed her premedical requirements while working as a care assistant at a residential home for the elderly and spent a summer teaching English to local children in Nigeria. Catherine then returned to her Belfast roots to attend medical school at The Queen’s University of Belfast (QUB). While at AUB she represented her year on several curriculum development committees which solidified her passion for medical education. Her other professional interests include geriatrics and continuity of care. Catherine was drawn to the United States by her husband Charles, who moved to Boston for work while she was at medical school. After three years of transatlantic travel and a couple of third year clerkships at Harvard Medical School she moved to Boston to join Charles and is delighted to be here. She is excited about TUFMR and serving the community in which she now lives. Outside of medicine Catherine loves to travel, cook and go hiking with her husband Charles and 2 1/2 year old daughter Amy.

Sarah Scott, M.D., M.P.H. - Chief Resident, is originally from Port Washington, New York, where she went to high school with Dr. Upadhyay. She went to college at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, where she met her future husband and was introduced to the Red Sox. She studied dance and classical civilizations before turning her attentions to medicine. Before medical school at Tufts, Sarah worked at Children's Hospital doing research and training residents to be better advocates for their patients, and also trained and practiced as a doula, or labor and birth assistant. Sarah is proud to have coached all kinds of women through successful childbirth. In addition to her medical training, Sarah also has a Masters in Public Health. She welcomed her first child, a daughter named Phoebe, in December 2006. When not practicing medicine, Sarah loves to spend time with her husband and daughter, watching the Red Sox and cooking big meals.

Sanjay Upadhyay, M.D. - was born and raised in Port Washington, NY. He completed most of his undergraduate education at Brandeis University and New York University, but also spent six months abroad at the University of Queensland in Australia. After graduating from NYU with a degree in Anthropology, Sanjay landscaped, cleaned gutters and baby-sat until he was accepted to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Niger, West Aftrica. In Niger, Sanjay lived in a small village and worked on several projects in areas such as agriculture, education, natural resource management, health and hygiene. After leaving Niger, he spent five months traveling around and ended up in Laos where he joined up with the Aloha Medical Mission to serve as a surgical assistant. Finally, coming home after two and a half years, Sanjay decided to go to medical school with the intentions of returning to underserved communities as a physician. In 2002, he started his medical education at St. George’s University and completed his training in Grenada, New York and England. He was drawn to the field of Family Medicine because of the potential to work with almost any population in diverse settings. Sanjay is excited to be back to the Boston area and stay in one place for awhile. In his spare time, he is enthusiastic about traveling, movies, music, photography, running, eating contests and playing pranks on his friends.