Our Residents
Chief Residents
3rd Year Chief Residents
Luke Casals, MD
Simulation Chief
I was raised in Montgomery, AL, and attended the University of Alabama at Birmingham for both my undergraduate and medical school. Afterwards, my wife Meredith, and I couple's matched at USF. We have quickly fallen in love with the area and live near Hyde Park. On our days off, our favorite thing to do is take a stroll to Hyde Park and drink coffee from the CapitalOne Café. You can also find me on the golf course whenever I have free time, and the Florida weather has been conducive to my healthy addiction. In terms of my career, I am interested in pursuing a fellowship in cardiology. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at USF and love working with my co-residents. I am grateful to have been chosen as a chief for the upcoming year and look forward to serving you!
Gerry Samantha Eichelberger, MD
Tampa General Hospital Chief
My name is Sammy and I was born in Jackson, Mississippi. I then moved to Chicago before spending most of my life growing up in Tampa, Florida. I went away for college at the Florida State University for Biological Sciences. I loved it so much I decided to stay for medical school. From there, I was ecstatic to return home to continue my training for residency at USF. Tampa is a city full of life and things to do. Our residency is one big family and rich in educational opportunity. I am passionate about leadership, teaching/medical education, and patient safety. Outside of medicine, I love volleyball, spending time with friends/family, trying new restaurants, and traveling. I am incredibly excited to be the Tampa General Chief Resident where I have really enjoyed my time and have had many amazing experiences. After residency, I look forward to pursuing Cardiology Fellowship.
Jesse J Hubbard, MD
Moffitt Cancer Center Chief
I was born and raised in a small suburb of Seattle. I went on to study Biochemistry at Washington State University in the humble town of Pullman, WA. I then spent seven years working in various research roles and developing my love for hematology/oncology at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle. In a drastic change of scenery, I moved to Tampa for medical school at USF. Four years later, I was overjoyed to be staying at my #1 pick for residency! Our program's culture, mentorship, and opportunities for academic discovery ensure successful careers for our graduates. I am excited to be carrying forward these traditions as the Chief Resident at Moffitt Cancer Center this year. I am pursuing a fellowship and career in Heme/Onc after residency. Outside of work, I am an avid paddleboarder, salad aficionado, and adventurous traveler.
Brad Money, DO
VA Subspecialty Chief
My name is Brad, and I was born in the Midwest, where I spent most of my upbringing in Wisconsin. I realized a love to play sports in grade school while living in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and I played hockey and football throughout my childhood. I obtained a scholarship from high school to run track and field at Auburn University, where I competed in the 400m and 800m races. I finished my undergraduate studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, majoring in economics with a focus on applied microeconomics. I was grateful to move to Florida for my medical training at Nova Southeastern University and match at USF for my residency training. Outside of medicine, I enjoy fitness, golf, and traveling. This year, I am applying for cardiology fellowship with a specific interest in advanced cardiac imaging, procedures, and prevention. As the V.A. subspecialty clinics chief resident, I look forward to advocating for resident education and scholarly activity within our subspecialty clinics.
Rafael Rivera Sepúlveda, MD
Healthpark and Morsani Clinics Chief
Hola! My name is Rafael Rivera Sepúlveda and I was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico. I attended college at the University of Puerto Rico. Afterward, I completed medical school at Universidad Central del Caribe in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. I was very happy to match at USF Internal Medicine due to the exposure it provides to diverse patient populations, resident camaraderie, program flexibility, and its excellent learning environment. Additionally, Tampa has a lot to offer, including a beautiful downtown with its cruise port and our famous Riverwalk, and access to amusement parks and sporting events. Tampa also offers a diverse culture and a wide variety of cuisine options. I am thrilled to be the upcoming chief resident at Healthpark and Morsani clinics. I am interested in pursuing a career in Gastroenterology and medical education. Outside of medicine, I enjoy sports, traveling, cars, video games, and going out with friends and family.
Ellie Romes, MD
Outpatient VA Chief
I was born and raised in Northern Kentucky, right outside of Cincinnati, OH! For both undergrad and medical school, I attended the University of Louisville. Though I loved my time in Kentucky, I was ready for more sunshine and water! I was so excited to match at USF and have loved the city, my experience, and my peers so much here. I am thrilled to assume the role of Outpatient VA Chief Resident and add to the wonderful didactics that we have during our clinic blocks. I plan to pursue a career in Primary Care and have interests in weight loss and lifestyle medicine. Outside of work, I love to explore new restaurants with my husband, take our dogs to the beach, workout, cook and boat every free weekend that I have!
4th Year Chief Residents
Jenna Bilodeau-Gandre, MD
Inpatient VA CRQPS
My name is Jenna and I was born in a small town in Maine and moved to Jacksonville, FL when I was 9. I went to college at the University of Florida for Microbiology and Neurobiology. I then came to USF for my Master's degree, and from there moved to Miami where I attended FIU for medical school. I am passionate about leadership, learning and teaching point of care ultrasound, and quality improvement and patient safety. Outside of medicine, I enjoy spending time with my husband, hanging out with the phenomenal friends that I met through our program, and trying out new restaurants around Tampa (and anywhere I travel.) I will be applying to Cardiology for fellowship and developed a love for treating our heart failure population while rotating through our CCU. I am very excited to be one of the inpatient CQRS chiefs for the upcoming year and meeting some of you as we rotate on VA wards together.
Juan Enciso, MD
VA Quality and Safety Chief
Hello everyone! My name is Juan, I was born and raised in Bogota, Colombia. When I was 12 years old, I moved to the United States with the hope of becoming a physician. I stayed in sunny South Florida and attended the University of South Florida and completed my major in Biomedical Sciences and minor in Physics. Shortly after, I decided to complete a master’s in medical science also here at USF. I went to medical school at LECOM-Bradenton campus before making my way back home to USF for residency. Clearly, I was not ready to leave the Tampa Bay Area and the place where I grew up calling my second home! I am honored to have the opportunity to continue my time here at USF and serve as the Chief Resident for Quality and Safety at JAHVA where I hope to further my training and involvement in lean six sigma as well as involvement in medical student and resident education. After chief year, I plan to purse a fellowship and career in Cardiology. Tampa is an amazing and up-and-coming city! Outside of work I like to hang out with friends around the new downtown areas and go to the new restaurants & bars, take a short drive to explore the great food and scene across the bay in St. Petersburg, and take some time exercising or being outside in this incredible South Florida weather!
Christopher Millis, MD
Research Chief
Hello everyone! My name is Chris Millis and I am honored to serve you all as one of the 4th year Chiefs! I am originally from Knoxville, Tennessee, and completed my undergraduate studies at the University of Tennessee (Go Vols!), medical school at Lincoln Memorial University (Go Rail-splitters), before escaping to Florida for residency at USF (Go Bulls!). I am married to my beautiful wife, Chantal, who is a resident in psychiatry, and we are looking forward to having our first little one, Charlotte, very soon. We also have two dogs, Dolly and Bourbon, who hopefully have well prepared us for her arrival. In our free time, we enjoy all UT college sports, walking or running on the River Walk or Upper Tampa Bay Trail, relaxing at Indian Rocks Beach, or attempting to be a smokehouse chef on the Big Green Egg. Please feel free to reach out for help regarding any academic interests, research topics, or general advice. I look forward to watching you achieve your goal of becoming excellent IM residents.
Vanden Patel, DO
Outpatient QI Chief
I was born and raised in the United Kingdom, and in 2000, my family moved to DeLand, Florida for business. After living in DeLand, we moved to Dundee in the heart of old citrus Florida soon after high school graduation. I attended the Florida State University, completed my Bachelor’s Degree in Biology, and celebrated their 2013 national championship. In 2015, I completed my Master of Science in Medical Science at the University of South Florida. Witnessing the four seasons and mountains of eastern Kentucky, I was compelled towards the opportunity to attend the University of Pikeville Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed medical school in 2020. The USF faculty, fellow residents, and program dynamics made the choice easy to come back to USF for training in Internal Medicine. It was here that I discovered a newfound passion for quality improvement and patient safety through didactic’ s while on the continuity clinic rotation. Working on projects to increase patient continuity, statin use amongst diabetics, optimizing the process of a medication reconciliation, and decreasing uncontrolled hypertension revealed a new frontier to me. I look forward to my experience as a 4th year chief and the ability to invest in additional training. My next step will be cardiology fellowship with a subspeciality interest in preventative cardiology, where I hope to apply the lessons learned to benefit patients. Outside of medicine, I enjoy chasing sunsets, watching the Seminoles win, cooking Indian food, hiking, and photography.