Our Residents

2023-2024 Department of Pathology and Lab Medicine Trainees

PGY-1 Residents

David Afework, MD

David Afework, MD

  • Medical School: Ross University School of Medicine
  • Interests: Multiple areas of pathology including but not limited to Forensics, Hematopathology, and GI. I enjoy creating medical education content with anime related learning points. 
  • Favorite spot in Portland: Portland Japanese Garden
  • Fun Fact: I have played tennis since kindergarten!
Ricardo Ferral, MD

Ricardo Ferral, MD

  • Medical School: Universidad Autonoma de Tamaulipas Facultad de Medicina de Tampico Dr. Alberto Romo Caballero, Mexico
  • Interests: biking, hiking, long walks, soccer, listening to podcasts. I like reading and learning new things, especially about popular science and philosophy, but also other topics. I am passionate about film and my free time is often spent watching Youtube videos on movie analysis. My fellowships of interest are still in development, but so far GI, neuropathology, and GYN are my top contenders.
  • Favorite spot in Portland: Up to this point, I've ventured to Council Crest, a fantastic spot where you have an incredible 360-degree view of Portland and the neighboring mountains. The hike to reach it is near OHSU, so you don't even have to travel that far to be surrounded by nature and beautiful scenery. However, my exploration has just started and I can't wait to seek out more adventures!
  • Fun Fact: When I was four or five years old, a lion cub bit my right buttock! Also, born out of a local legend, my hometown of Tampico is known in Mexico for being a hide-out place for UFOs. The conspiracy theory gets crazier the more you dig into it, to the point where aliens control the local weather! Most people (including myself) take this jokingly, but many fellow "Tampicoans" are very serious about this!
Graham Stoddard, DO

Graham Stoddard, DO

  • Medical School: Pacific Northwest University of Heath Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • Interests: piano, skiing, hiking, strategy games, reading
  • Favorite spot in Portland: the forested trails on Marquam Hill, right next to OHSU!
  • Fun fact: I've flown an airplane solo!
Chloe Young, MD

Chloe Young, MD

  • Medical School: University of Massachusetts T.H. Chan School of Medicine
  • Interests: Cycling, cooking and baking, anything to do with plants (indoor or outdoor), cats
  • Favorite spot in Portland: Coopers Hall Winery & Taproom
  • Fun fact: The dye hematoxylin is extracted from the tree Haematoxylum campechianum, also known as the Logwood tree. I was gifted one upon starting pathology residency here at OHSU!

PGY-2 Residents

Anam Hamid, MD

Anam Hamid, MD

  • Medical School: Dow Medical College, Pakistan 
  • Interests: Hematopathology and blood banking; I enjoy cooking, sketching, hiking, traveling (especially road trips), and spending time with my family and friends. 
  • Favorite spot in Portland: Mount Hood and Multnomah Falls
  • Fun fact: I used to do theatre performance in my school and arranging/ participating in quiz and debate competitions. In my free time I love cooking and of course I like pathology.
Genevieve “Vivi” Parecki, MD

Genevieve “Vivi” Parecki, MD

  • Medical School: Loyola University of Chicago, Stritch School of Medicine 
  • Interests: Performing arts, aerial silks, cheese making, board games/game design, electric mobility, gardening, improving my Wordle game, cheering on the Portland Thorns!
  • Favorite spot in Portland: Sellwood. Or the ride on the aerial tram.
  • Fun fact: I spent 5 years dancing ballet professionally with Ballet Nebraska (now American Midwest Ballet) and Ballet Vero Beach where my roles included the infamous Black Swan.
Connor Thellman, MD

Connor Thellman, MD

  • Medical School: University of Kansas School of Medicine
  • Interests: Climbing, skiing, playing percussion, and cooking 
  • Favorite spot in Portland: Mt. Tabor
  • Fun fact: I grew up on a farm in Kansas that has turned into a "pizza farm," which uses as many ingredients as possible from the surrounding fields.

PGY-3 Residents

Maxwell Knapp, MD

Max Knapp, MD

  • Undergraduate: Yale University
  • Medical School: Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont
  • Interests: Hiking, crochet, gaming, cooking
  • Favorite Spot in Portland: Anywhere you can see Mount Hood (so, most of Portland)
  • Fun fact: If you bring up Thanksgiving traditions with me around you’ll usually get a twenty minute lecture on why all turkeys must be butterflied.
Zhengchun Lu, MD, MSc, PhD

Zhengchun Lu, MD, MSc, PhD

  • Undergraduate: n/a
  • Medical School: Jiangsu University School of Medicine, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, China
  • Interests: Molecular Pathology, Hematopathology, GI pathology and Clinical Microbiology
  • Favorite spot in Portland: Hoyt Arboretum
  • Fun fact: My hometown (Zhenjiang, China) is famous for making black rice vinegar. The Zhenjiang Vinegar (aka Chinkiang Vinegar) is the most well-known and recognized product in Chinese cuisine. No matter which continent you live on, any authentic Asian grocery store will carry this product.
Douglas Preston, MD

Douglas (Doug) Preston, MD, PhD

  • Undergraduate: B.S. Chemical Engineering, New Mexico State University
  • Medical School: Oregon Health & Science University
  • Interests: Playing almost any sport, BBQ with friends, trying to learn a bit of Russian, and machine learning
  • Favorite spot in Portland: The Bartini, Urban Fondue, Silver Dollar triangle. 
  • Fun fact: My cat leapt out of a 8th floor apartment window, fully recovered, and lived to meow the tale.

PGY-4 Residents

Paula Babb, DO

Paula J. Babb, DO

  • Undergraduate: B.S. in Molecular Biology and Minor in Chemistry, Eastern Oregon University
  • Medical School: Western University of Health Sciences of the Pacific Northwest, Oregon
  • Interests: Regarding Pathology: Cytology, Gynecologic and GI Pathology. Regarding everything else and life in general: I enjoy hiking, skiing, biking, backpacking, art and spending time with my wonderful friends and loving family!
  • Favorite spot in Portland: Hoyt Arboretum, Tryon Creek park or anywhere else with a trail, some water and lots of trees!
  • Fun fact: I used to fight Wildland Fire for the US Forest Service before going to medical school. I eventually become a Helicopter Rappeller, which was an absolutely amazing way to get to some really remote places in the woods. These were very formative years for me and the stories I have are plentiful. My personal path to finding a love for Pathology was winding, and as I have learned, this is not an uncommon phenomena. Also, there are 1,400 species of bats, the largest of them is the golden-crowned flying fox (Acerodon jubatus) found only in the Philippines. These bats have a wingspan of 5 feet 6 inches!
Eric Nomura, MD

Eric Nomura, MD

  • Undergraduate: Colorado College
  • Medical School:  Oregon Health & Science University
  • Interests: Within pathology I have an interest in hematopathology. In my home life my main interest is spending time with my wife and our dog, and together we enjoy many of the delights Oregon has to offer: I love to forage wild edible mushrooms in the spring and fall, explore different cultures through travel and food, identify and photograph plants and animals while hiking and backpacking. More recently, I’ve taken up growing tropical ferns from spores I’ve collected on past travels and propagating my own tropical house plants. Each fall I usually buy 500lbs of apples, press and ferment them, and make hard cider. This year I am going to try my hand at making wine and mead. Then there is the obligatory Oregon outdoor scene; I love to resort and backcountry ski, climb mountains, go for long runs, surf, skateboard, and rock climb. 
  • Favorite spot in Portland: Wildwood Trail, Forest Park
  • Fun fact: Before medical school I ran a screen printing and design company with a friend and together we created the “Philosoraptor” as a t-shirt design which became one of the earlier internet memes and has spawned statues, tattoos, knockoffs, and very nearly a Taco Bell Super Bowl ad.
Benjamin F. Smith, MD

Benjamin F. Smith, MD

  • Undergraduate: Tufts University, majored in Community Health & American Studies
  • Medical School: The Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine at the University of Vermont
  • Interests: Riding my bike, hiking, reading, wordplay, fermentation
  • Favorite spot in Portland: Kenilworth Park
  • Fun fact: I’m a certified yoga teacher