PROGRAM DIRECTOR
Ahmed Mahmoud, MD, FRCS, FACS
Ahmed Mahmoud, MD, started as the program director for the General Surgery Residency Program in the fall of 2024. Prior to joining MVHS, he founded the General Surgery Residency Program at Park View Community Hospital in Riverside, California.
Dr. Mahmoud received his Doctor of Medicine from Ain-Shams University in Cairo, Egypt. He completed his internship in Surgery at Nassau County Medical Center in East Meadow, New York, and his surgical residency at Providence Hospital in Southfield, Michigan. He was a fellow in Trauma/Surgical Critical Care at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland.
Dr. Mahmoud is certified by the American Board of Surgery, American Board of Surgical Critical Care (Trauma), American Board of Thoracic Surgery and American Board of Vascular Medicine.
CORE SURGICAL RESIDENCY FACULTY
Paul Davidson, MD, FACS
Dr. Davidson is serving as our interim Program Director until Dr. Mahmoud is on site full time in January 2025. He received his Doctor of Medicine from The Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, New York, and a Bachelor of Arts from Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. He is certified by the American Board of Surgery. Dr. Davidson is MVHS’s Chief Medical Officer, Chairman of the Medical Records Committee, is a member of the Medical Staff Advisory Committee and specializes in trauma / critical care.”
Jonathan Stahl, DO
Dr. Jonathan Stahl received his medical degree from Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine. He specializes in colon & rectal surgery, trauma surgery & surgical critical care, and minimally invasive surgery and is experienced in trauma and surgical critical care and robotic surgery.
Jacob Miguel, DO
Dr. Miguel earned his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine in Old Westbury, N.Y., where he also completed the Academic Medicine Scholars Program and earned a Master of Science in Neuromusculoskeletal Sciences. He completed his internship in general surgery at Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, N.Y., and his residency in General Surgery at Larkin Community Hospital in Miami, FL.
GENERAL SURGICAL RESIDENCY FACULTY
Fayez Chahfe, MD
Dr. Chahfe received his medical degree from the University of Sherbrook (Quebec, Canada) and McGill University (Montreal, Canada). He completed a fellowship at the Anderson Cancer Center (Houston, TX). He is board certified in Otolaryngology by the American Board of Otolaryngology.
William A. Graber, MD, FACS
Dr. Graber founded the bariatric program at Faxton St. Luke’s Healthcare in 2002. He has more than 20 years of experience in laparoscopic surgery and has performed thousands of weight loss procedures.
Jason T. Heckman, MD, FACS
Dr. Heckman is the Hepatobiliary, Pancreatic and General surgery site director of the MVHS General Surgery Residency Program at St. Peter’s Hospital. He also serves as a clinical assistant professor for Albany Medical College.
Nicholas Qandah, DO, FACOS
Dr. Qandah earned his medical degree from Midwestern University AZCOM in Glendale, Arizona. After completing Neurosurgical Residency training at the Virginia Tech Carilion Clinic in Roanoke, Virginia, Dr. Qandah was awarded the AO Complex Spine Fellowship in Orthopedics and Neurosurgery at the University of Washington-Harborview in Seattle, Washington.
Dr. Qandah served as the director of the Complex Spine Program for Neurosurgery and assistant professor of Neurosurgery for the Residency Program at the Virginia Tech Carilion Clinic. Dr. Qandah is a Fellow of the American College of Osteopathic Surgeons. Dr. Qandah treats patients with back and neck pain, spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease and herniated discs.
Nandita Rao, MD
Dr. Rao attended East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine for her medical degree, and then moved to East Tennessee State University for general surgery residency.
She was very involved in both medical student and resident education and was awarded for her efforts every year of residency, including recognition by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation for Humanism and Excellence in Teaching three years in a row.
She was additionally involved in clinical research related to global surgery and the establishment of medical care in internationally underserved areas. Dr. Rao was inaugurated into Alpha Omega Alpha prior to graduation, which is considered the highest honor awarded in medical training based upon compassion, servant leadership, and academic achievement. Following residency, she completed a 1-year fellowship program in metabolic and bariatric surgery at the University of Missouri.
Following residency, she completed a one-year fellowship program in metabolic and bariatric surgery at the University of Missouri.
Dr. Nandita Rao, a board-certified metabolic and bariatric surgeon, is a part of the Medical Staff of MVHS and the MVHS Bariatric Group.
Danielle Thesier, MD
Danielle Thesier, MD, has joined the MVHS Vascular Surgery Group. She specializes in the treatment of conditions of the blood vessels and lymph system (vascular diseases) as well as Vascular Procedures.
Dr. Thesier earned her medical degree, performed her residency in General Surgery and received fellowship training in Vascular Surgery at the State University of New York, University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences in Buffalo, New York. Dr. Thesier also completed fellowship training in Thoracic Surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.
Leo P. Sullivan
Leo P. Sullivan, MD, FACS, received his bachelor’s degree from New York University (NYU), majoring in Latin and ancient Greek. He was accepted to NYU School of Medicine early decision. Dr. Sullivan was an intern and resident at NYU and was chief resident at Staten Island University Hospital. After completing his residency he was trauma surgeon and director of the surgical ICU at Coney Island Hospital in Brooklyn, New York. Dr. Sullivan is board certified in general surgery as well as Trauma/Critical care. He has published over a dozen articles in major referred journals and is a member of the American Venous Forum which includes the top 800 experts of treating venous pathology in the world. He has been a member of the guidelines committee of the American Venous Forum for the last three years and has been on the faculty of the University of New England College of Medicine for over 20 years.
ADMINISTRATIVE FACULTY
Michele Rabideau
Program Coordinator
