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Physicians & Staff

Alan R. Pollack, MD, FACCP
Ira Berger, MD, FACP, FACCP
Patricia D. Kellogg, MD, FACP
Kelly Joyce Cowen, MD
Asefa Mekonnen, MD
Shishir Khetan, MD
Le Le Luu, MD
William H. Silverman, MD
 Christopher Ko, MD
Lynda Goldberg, DO
Veronica DiFresco, MD
Terri Esterowitz, MD

William Steinberg, MD
S. Grace Woo, MD
Lawrence Schainker, MD
Rachel Glaser, MD
Amy Rogstad, MD
Sara Brooks, MD
Kathryn Hansen, MSN, CRNP
Melinda Miller, MSN, CRNP
Susan D. Pappas, MSN, CRNP
Karen Levin, MSN, CRNP
Lori Shell, MS, RD, LD
Dr. Alan R. Pollack, MD, FACCP

Alan R. Pollack, MD, FACCP

Specialty: Pulmonary Medicine

Certifications: Internal and Pulmonary Medicine

Board Eligible: Sleep Medicine

Senior Executive Partner
A native of Baltimore, Dr. Pollack earned both his undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Maryland, where he was a member of AOA, the medical school honor society. He then completed an internship and a residency in Internal Medicine and a two-year Fellowship in Pulmonary Medicine at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, DC. He joined RIMG in 1986 and has been its President since 2002. Dr. Pollack is board certified in Internal and Pulmonary Medicine and board eligible in Sleep Medicine. A fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians, Dr. Pollack specializes in Pulmonary Disease. He has served as Medical Director of the Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program as well as the Pulmonary Function Lab at Suburban Hospital. Dr. Pollack has been featured in the Washingtonian List of Top Doctors. In his spare time, Dr. Pollack enjoys reading, traveling, and avoiding household chores.
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Dr. Ira Berger, MD, FACP, FACCP

Ira Berger, MD, FACP, FACCP

Specialties: Pulmonary and Internal Medicine

Certifications: Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Medicine, Critical Care Medicine

Partner

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Dr. Berger grew up in New Jersey. He attended Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts and graduated from SUNY Health Science Center back in Brooklyn in 1987. He completed a three-year residency in Internal Medicine at the Medical College of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, then a three-year Fellowship in Pulmonary Diseases and Critical Care Medicine at Georgetown University. Dr. Berger is board certified in certified in Internal, Pulmonary, and Critical Care Medicine. With RIMG since 1993, Dr. Berger served as a member of the Suburban Hospital Medical Executive Committee from 2001-2003. He has been featured in the Washington List of Top Doctors. After hours, Dr. Berger enjoys participating in sports, playing with his three children, romping with his two Boston Terriers and collecting old baseball and football cards.

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Dr. Patricia D. Kellogg, MD, FACP

Patricia D. Kellogg, MD, FACP

Specialty: Internal Medicine

Certifications: Internal Medicine

Partner
Dr. Kellogg was born in New Haven, Connecticut but grew up in Venezuela. She received her BA from Wellesley College in Boston, then graduated with honors from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in 1976. Dr. Kellogg completed her residency in Internal Medicine at the George Washington University Hospital in Washington, DC. She is board certified in Internal Medicine and joined RIMG in 1979. Dr. Kellogg served on the Board of Trustees at Suburban Hospital from 1987-1996 and was the Chairman of the Department of Medicine from 1995-1997. In 1998 she was elected a fellow in the American College of Physicians and has been featured in the Washingtonian List of Top Doctors. Her many contributions to RIMG include the vast art collection exhibited in the halls and exam rooms. In her spare time she enjoys traveling around the world, scuba diving, and reading fiction.
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Dr. Kelly Joyce Cowen, MD

Kelly Joyce Cowen, MD

Specialty: Family Medicine

Certifications: Family Medicine

Partner
Dr. Cowen was born in Reading, Pennsylvania and grew up in the Arlington, Virginia area. She attended the University of Virginia as an undergraduate. Dr. Cowen earned her medical degree from Pennsylvania State University in Hershey and completed her residency in Rochester, New York. Her training and board certification is in Family Medicine, with special interests in primary care and preventative medicine. She joined RIMG in 2002 and has been featured in Consumer Checkbook Top Rated Primary Care Physicians.
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Dr. Asefa Mekonnen, MD

Asefa Mekonnen, MD, FACP

Specialties: Sleep and Pulmonary Medicine

Certifications: Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Medicine, Critical Care Medicine, Sleep Medicine

Partner
Dr. Mekonnen is a native of Ethiopia where he attended Addis Ababa University. In 1995 he moved to the United States where he completed his internship and residency training at the University of Illinois College of Medicine as well as a Fellowship in Pulmonary and Critical Care medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago. He then pursued post-doctoral studies in clinical and Behavioral Sleep Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine. He is board certified in Internal, Pulmonary, Critical Care Medicine, and Sleep Medicine. He is a fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians and recipient of the young investigators award for outstanding research. Dr. Mekonnen joined RIMG in 2003 where he is Director of the Sleep Center. Currently he is serving as chief of the Pulmonary Department at Suburban Hospital.
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Dr. Shishir Khetan, MD

Shishir Khetan, MD

Specialty: Internal Medicine

Certifications: Internal Medicine

Partner
Dr. Khetan emigrated from his native India to the United States when he was five years old and grew up in Maryland. He received his BS from the University of Maryland and graduated from the University of West Indies Medical School. His residency training, which included a year as Chief Resident, was in Primary Care / Internal Medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine at Elmhurst Hospital Center in New York. Board certified in Internal Medicine. Dr. Khetan joined RIMG in 2004.
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Dr. Le Le Luu, MD

Le Le Luu, MD

Specialty: Internal Medicine

Certifications: Internal Medicine

Partner
Dr. Luu grew up in Northern Virginia. She majored in Chemistry and graduated Magnum Cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Boston University. She went on to pursue her medical degree from Boston University School of Medicine. She finished her Internal Medicine residence at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in 2002. Dr. Luu is board certified in Internal Medicine, and she has served as Treasurer for the Chinese American Medical Society. Dr. Luu was a staff physician with Kaiser Permanente prior to joining RIMG in 2003. She holds a membership with the American College of Physicians. In addition to speaking English she is fluent in Cantonese.
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Dr. William H. Silverman, MD

William H. Silverman, MD

Specialty: Internal Medicine

Certifications: Internal Medicine
Born and raised in Washington, DC, Dr. Silverman received his BA degree from Haverford College in Pennsylvania and graduated from Tufts University School of Medicine in 1977. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine at the Washington Hospital Center in Washington, DC, and then served two years in the National Health Service Corps at Mercy Family Health Center in Detroit, Michigan. Before joining RIMG in 1995, he was a staff physician with Group Health Association in Rockville. Board certified in Internal Medicine, Dr. Silverman has been featured in the Washingtonian List of Top Doctors and has been a pioneer in the development of electronic prescriptions. In his spare time Dr. Silverman enjoys photography and reading.
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Christopher Ko, MD

Christopher Ko, MD

Specialty: Internal Medicine

Certifications: Internal Medicine

Dr. Ko joined Rockville Internal Medicine Group in September 2011.

Dr. Christopher Ko grew up in Bethesda, MD.  He was one of the valedictorians of his class at Winston Churchill High School.  He participated in the Honors Program in Medical Education (an accelerated combined undergraduate and medical school program) and graduated Cum Laude from Northwestern University.  He then went on to train at Emory University where he completed a residency in Internal Medicine with a focus in Primary Care.  Prior to joining Rockville Internal Medicine Group, Dr. Ko practiced Internal Medicine for a large private practice in New Jersey for five years.  His wife had a beautiful baby boy in January 2011.  He is excited to move back to his hometown and looking forward to taking care of patients at Rockville Internal Medicine Group.  Dr. Ko is board certified in Internal Medicine.  He enjoys playing tennis and singing to his son. 
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Lynda Goldberg, DO

Lynda Goldberg, DO

Specialty: Family Practice

Certifications: Family Practice

Dr. Goldberg joined Rockville Internal Medicine Group in September 2011.

Dr. Lynda Goldberg was raised in Rockville, MD. She graduated Cum Laude from the University of Maryland, College Park. Dr. Goldberg attended medical school at Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine where she graduated first in her class. She completed her internship and family medicine residency at Christiana Care. Her special interest is women's health. In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her family, doing gymnastics, skiing, and decorating cakes.

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Dr. Veronica DiFresco, MD

Veronica DiFresco, MD

Specialty: Internal Medicine

Certifications: Internal Medicine
Dr. Veronica Di Fresco was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. She graduated magna cum laude from SUNY at Stony Brook, and thereafter attended Georgetown University School of Medicine. She completed her residency at Tufts University New England Medical Center in Boston. Dr. DiFresco served as an attending in Boston, Massachusetts and New Haven, Connecticut where she enjoyed teaching students from Yale University and Tufts medical schools. She is board certified in Internal Medicine and joined RIMG in 2004. In her spare time, Dr. Di Fresco enjoys spending quality time with her son and daughter.
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Terri Esterowitz, MD

Terri Esterowitz, MD

Specialty: Internal Medicine

Certifications: Internal Medicine
Dr. Esterowitz grew up in Springfield, VA. She graduated from Brown University with a degree in Biology. She received her medical degree from Eastern Virginia Medical School. While there she was elected to AOA, the medical school honor society. She completed her residency in Internal Medicine at University of Maryland and then became an Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School from 2000-2006. While on faculty there she enjoyed teaching and training medical students and residents in addition to seeing patients in the school's Internal Medicine private practice. She is board certified in Internal Medicine and joined RIMG in November 2006. After hours she enjoys spending time with her husband and three children and playing tennis.
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Dr. William Steinberg, MD

William Steinberg, MD

Specialty: Gastroenterology

Certifications: Internal Medicine, Gastroenterology
Born in Queens, NY, Dr. Steinberg graduated from Columbia College and then NYU Medical School. He completed residencies in Internal Medicine at Kings County / Downstate, Boston University and University of Connecticut and a Gastroenterology Fellowship at the University of Florida. Dr. Steinberg served two years in the US Air Force as a general medical officer in Okinawa, Japan and Grand Forks, North Dakota. He was on the full time faculty at George Washington University in the Division of Gastroenterology for 20 years, retiring in 1999 as Professor of Medicine to enter private practice at Washington Gastroenterology. He is board certified in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology. With RIMG since March 2005, Dr. Steinberg is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and the American College of Gastroenterology and was President of the American Pancreatic Association. In his spare time he enjoys traveling with his family and playing tennis.
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S. Grace Woo, MD

S. Grace Woo, MD

Specialty: Gastroenterology

Certifications: Internal Medicine, Gastroenterology

Dr. S. Grace Woo received her BA at The Johns Hopkins University and MD at the University of Maryland. She did her internship at SUNY-Long Island and finished internal medicine residency at Johns Hopkins Bayview medical center. She completed her gastroenterology fellowship at the George Washington Hospital where she also received her MPH.

She is board certified in both Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology. Dr. Woo has been featured in Washingtonian List of Top Doctors. In her spare time, she enjoys drawing, playing tennis and spending time with her two children.

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Dr. Lawrence Schainker, MD

Lawrence Schainker, MD

Specialty: Rheumatology

Certifications: Rheumatology
Dr. Schainker was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. He received his BA from Washington University and his medical degree from St. Louis University of Medicine. Dr. Schainker completed his residency at the Boston VA Hospital and Rheumatology Fellowship at the Peter Bent and Robert Brigham Hospitals, also in Boston. He fulfilled a two-year military commitment at Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, D.C. where he was Chief of the Department of Rheumatology. Dr. Schainker joined RIMG in 2003 following a 30-year rheumatology practice with the Washington Clinic Medical Center. He is board certified in both Internal Medicine and Rheumatology and was featured in Washingtonian Top Doctors for 2005. Learn more about Dr. Schainker's work with Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy at RIMG. In his spare time he enjoys spending time with his family and especially his grandchild.
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Rachel Glaser, MD

Rachel Glaser, MD

Specialty: Rheumatology

Certifications: Internal Medicine, Rheumatology
Dr. Rachel Glaser was born and raised in Baltimore, MD. She received her undergraduate degree from The Johns Hopkins University and her medical degree from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She went on to complete her internship and residency in internal medicine at the New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical College. Following residency, Dr. Glaser was an instructor in medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College where she taught ambulatory medicine to residents and developed physician documentation for an electronic medical record. Subsequently, she completed a rheumatology fellowship at the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Glaser is a member of the American College of Rheumatology and the DC Rheumatism Society. She has special interests in lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. She spends much of her free time chasing after her young daughter.
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Amy Rogstad, MD

Amy Rogstad, MD

Specialty: Endocrinology

Certifications: Internal Medicine, Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism
Dr. Amy Rogstad, a native of Ellicott City , MD , received her BA in Interdisciplinary Studies, with a concentration in American Studies, from the University of Virginia. She went on to receive her medical degree at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. She remained in Baltimore to complete her internship and residency training in Internal Medicine at the University of Maryland Medical Center. She then completed two years of fellowship training in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, also at the University of Maryland . Dr. Rogstad is a member of the Endocrine Society and the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists. She has made presentations at the annual meetings of the Endocrine Society and the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research and has publications in press for The Endocrinologist and "Medicine: A Competency-Based Companion." Dr. Rogstad enjoys managing a wide variety of endocrine disorders with special interests in diabetes, thyroid disease and metabolic bone/calcium disorders. In her spare time, she enjoys exploring the Washington , DC area and trying to keep up with her 8 month old son.
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Sara Brooks, MD

Sara Brooks, MD

Specialty: Dermatology

Certifications: Dermatology

Dr. Brooks joined Rockville Internal Medicine Group in November 2011.

Dr. Sara Brooks, a Board Certified Dermatologist, is a Maryland native originally from St. Mary's County. She attended the Honors college at University of Maryland, College Park, obtaining both a Bachelors in Cell Biology and a Masters in Management and Organization. She went on to medical school at Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA, where she was inducted into AOA, the prestigious medical honor society. After graduation, she performed a medical internship at Thomas Jefferson University, also in Philadelphia.  Her path led her back to the DC area as a resident in both Internal Medicine and Dermatology at Georgetown University and Washington Hospital Center, where she served as Chief Resident of Dermatology. She also completed a Melanoma Fellowship at the Washington Cancer Institute, focusing on the expert identification and treatment of pigmented lesions and cutaneous malignancies. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology, member of the American College of Physicians, American Medical Association, and American Society of Dermatologic Surgeons. In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her children, reading, and generally trying to have a good time.
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Kathryn Hansen, MSN, CRNP

Kathryn Hansen, MSN, CRNP

Originally from New Hampshire, Ms. Hansen graduated from University of NH with a BSN. She moved to Maryland in 1992 and attended University of Maryland, where she graduated with a Masters in Nursing. She joined RIMG in 2002 as a board certified Adult Nurse Practitioner. Ms. Hansen's areas of expertise at RIMG include Internal Medicine, the Protime Clinic, the Infusion Center and the Travel clinic program. In her spare time she enjoys the beach and boating with friends and family.

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Melinda F. Miller, MSN, CRNP

Melinda F. Miller, MSN, CRNP

Melinda F. Miller, MSN, CRNP is a Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner. She was born in Washington, DC, and grew up in Huntsville, Alabama. Her educational background includes a BA in Biology from Hiram College and a BSN degree from Cornell University-New York Hospital School of Nursing. She obtained her Family Nurse Practitioner training and MSN degree from Marymount University. Ms Miller has over 25 years of nursing experience, including Pediatrics, adult, and geriatrics. As a Family Nurse Practitioner, she has managed patients in an Allergy & Asthma office, provided pre-operative testing and clearance for patients at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital, and provided urgent care at Minute Clinic. She also works as an adjunct faculty at Marymount University educating graduate level nursing students. Ms Miller is a member of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, and the Nurse Practitioner Association of the District of Columbia. Ms Miller also enjoys painting, quilting, biking, and accompanying her husband as co-pilot in his Cessna.

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Susan Pappas, MSN, CRNP

Susan D. Pappas, MSN, CRNP

Ms. Pappas obtained a BSN from Wayne State University; MSN from The Catholic University and a post-graduate Certification as a Nurse Practitioner Family Nurse from The University of Alabama. Her career has included critical care, management, teaching, home infusion therapy and legislative affairs. Prior to joining RIMG, she served as Director of Legislative Affiars for a national health care company focusing on Medicare D Legislation. Susan focuses on sleep medicine and preventative care at RIMG. She is pursing a Doctor of Nursing Practice and volunteers with Mobile Medical. She enjoys running, tennis, cooking and spending time with her children and grandchildren.
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Karen Levin, MSN, CRNP

Karen Levin, MSN, CRNP

Ms. Levin grew up in Buffalo, New York. She attended the University of Vermont as an undergraduate, receiving her degree in Nursing and her license as a Registered Nurse. Her post-graduate studies at Georgetown University were in the specialty areas of neurology and cardiology. Ms. Levin joined RIMG in 1997 as a board certified Family Nurse Practitioner. In her spare time she enjoys participating in sports and spending quality time with her son.

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Lori Shell, MS, RD, LD

Lori Shell, MS, RD, LD

Ms. Shell received her undergraduate degree in clinical dietetics at Syracuse University and her Masters in Exercise Science from George Washington University. She has many years of experience working in clinical dietetics, including the acute care setting, long term care and outpatient counseling. A native Washingtonian, Ms. Shell currently lives in Gaithersburg with her husband, 2 daughters and 1 son. She enjoys counseling one-on-one, as well as in a group setting, and specializes in Weight Management, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease, and Renal Disease.

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