Diane B. Wayne, MD
Program Director

Dr. Wayne is a graduate of Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine.  As a faculty member in the division of General Internal Medicine, her interest in resident education led to the development of new rotations and curricula for Internal Medicine residents.  Dr. Wayne believes the Northwestern Residency Program offers outstanding clinical training for the future general internist or subspecialist.  In addition, the Department is committed to excellence in postgraduate education and provides opportunities for residents to teach students and other residents and to participate in research projects.

Elizabeth Apolonio, MD

Dr. Apolonio is a graduate of the Medical College of Ohio. She undertook both her internal medicine residency and fellowship training in infectious diseases at Northwestern. As Section Chief of General Internal Medicine at Lakeside VA, her primary role is Director of the VA General Medicine Clinics and Life Support Unit. She also serves on numerous committees and carries a variety of clinical and administrative responsibilities. She is currently helping spearhead the implementation of Advanced Clinic Access at the Lakeside in order to improve patient access to their provider. Dr. Apolonio believes strongly in the benefits of practicing evidence-based medicine and is involved in the monitoring of several quality of care indicators within the VA's computerized patient record system. She values her daily interactions with Northwestern residents and medical students and considers overseeing their education as the most rewarding aspect of her job.

John Butter, MD
Associate Program Director

Dr. Butter graduated from Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, completed his residency at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston, and worked on the faculty at Dartmouth Medical School before returning to Northwestern in 1997. In addition to overseeing the ambulatory education for the residents, John is the Medical Director of the Clinical Education Center. John loves clinical medicine and considers it a privilege to work with Northwestern students and housestaff. He enjoys teaching at the bedside, working to enhance physical diagnosis skills and caring for challenging patients.

Dr. Burman is a faculty member in the Division of General Internal Medicine, and she greatly enjoys her role as a full-time inpatient physician. After graduating from Indiana University School of Medicine, she completed her internal medicine residency at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. She served 7 years in the United States Army as an internist and medical educator, and then joined the faculty at Northwestern in 2003. Since her chief resident year, she has remained dedicated to the education of housestaff and medical students. She is also a course director for the Clinical Skills Course for second year medical students.

Vinky Chadha, MD

Dr. Chadha is a graduate of Northwestern's Honors Program in Medical Education and also completed his residency in Internal Medicine at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. He lends his considerable knowledge and experience to his dual roles as Subinternship Director of the fourth year medical students and as Assistant Firm Chief. He appreciates the variety of challenges general medicine has to offer. His enthusiasm, knowledge and humor have made a popular mentor and a valuable resource for the residents.

Angelo Costas, MD

After completing residency and Chief Residency at Northwestern, Dr. Costas was asked to serve as one of our earliest Firm Chiefs. He currently practices general internal medicine. Dr. Costas spends each morning rounding with housestaff teams, and says that this is the best part of his job. Highly regarded for his broad knowledge base and exemplary rapport with patients and residents, he is a role model and mentor for our residents, especially those interested in careers in general internal medicine. Dr. Costas in an outstanding contributor to the educational mission of the Department of Medicine.

Aashish Didwania, MD
Associate Program Director

Dr. Didwania graduated from the University of Michigan medical school and from Northwestern's residency in 2005.  He served as a chief medical resident during the academic year 2005-2006.  Dr. Didwania is currently a faculty member in the Division of General Internal Medicine.  He has been involved in several quality improvement projects as well as a chart review looking at the effects of our training programs in medical simulation.  Dr. Didwania brings his enthusiasm and energy to the residency program where he is known as a thoughtful leader and excellent teacher.

Robert Hirschtick, MD

Dr. Hirschtick is a faculty member in the division of Infectious Disease and the Director of the Third Year clerkship in Medicine at the VA hospital.  His area of clinical interest is HIV medicine.  Dr. Hirschtick is an astute clinician and a wonderful teacher and mentor to both students and residents.

David Liebovitz, MD
Associate Program Director

Dr. Liebovitz was a 1990 graduate of the University of Illinois College of Medicine and completed his residency training at the University of Chicago where he worked as a clinician educator until 2002. Dr. Liebovitz is currently the Medical Director for Clinical Information Systems at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and serves as the informatics liaison for the Department of Medicine working to streamline operations for housestaff and maximize their learning opportunities. He supervises and teaches residents and students on the general medicine wards and in the outpatient clinics. Dr. Liebovitz also directs a monthly informatics rotation in which residents interact with hospital and university information technology services.

Stevie Mazyck, MD
Associate Director, Hospitalist Track

Dr. Mazyck is a full time faculty member in the Division of General Internal Medicine.  He graduated from the Medical University of South Carolina.  He tremendously enjoys his role as a Hospitalist.  Since his chief resident year, he has been actively involved in the education of medical residents and students.  He serves as a course director for the Clinical Skills Course for second year medical students and associate director of the Residency Program Hospitalist Track.  Dr. Mazyck enjoys working with students and residents at all levels of training; he volunteers his time working with students in a community free health clinic.

Jamya Pittman, MD

Since completing her residency in Internal Medicine at Northwestern, Dr. Pittman has enthusiastically embraced her role as teacher and supervisor of students and residents at the VA Hospitals. Her clinical interests include an emphasis on the importance of patient education within the clinical encounter and a dedication to the practice of culturally sensitive medicine. In addition to serving as a faculty member and mentor for the residents, she is also the chair of the Department of Medicine's Diversity and Cultural Awareness Council.

Arvydas Vanagunas, MD

Dr. Vanagunas is a graduate of the University of Illinois College of Medicine and served his residency and fellowship in gastroenterology at Northwestern. As an active subspecialist within the division of Gastroenterology, he maintains his roots in internal medicine and believes that the principles of general medicine remain the bedrock of the clinical experience. He strives to involve residents in all aspects of their education and strongly believes that open and stimulating intellectual exchange among residents, attendings, and nursing staff in the firm provides the key to the superb clinical care that patients receive at Northwestern.