MALDEN-BASED RESIDENCY STAFF

Joseph W. Gravel, Jr., MD
Allen F. Shaughnessy, PharmD
Michael N. Doupe, MD
John Angelo Gnassi, MD
Andrea E. Gordon, MD
Sara Beth Karp, MD
Luis Palacio, MD
Judy Platt, MD
Greg Sawin, MD, MPH
Laura Sullivan, MD

Joseph W. Gravel, Jr., MD - Program Director, is a native of Norwich, Connecticut. He graduated magna cum laude from Tufts University and earned his medical degree from Tufts University School of Medicine in 1986 via the Health Professions Scholarship Program. After his internship at Dewitt Army Community Hospital in Fort Belvoir, VA, Dr. Gravel spent three years in the U.S. Army Medical Corps as the officer-in-charge of medical clinics in Uijongbu, South Korea and Fort Devens, MA. After his military commitment, he completed his residency training at Virginia Commonwealth University/ Fairfax Family Practice Center Residency in Fairfax, VA, where he served as chief resident. After residency he entered a busy private practice in Vienna, VA and was also a faculty member of the VCU/Fairfax FP Center Residency. He returned to the Boston area in 1994 to join the Tufts program. He has completed fellowships in Faculty Development at Duke University Medical Center and at the National Institute of Program Director Development / Association of Family Practice Residency Directors in Kansas City, MO.

Dr. Gravel has held numerous national, regional, and statewide leadership positions in family medicine. He currently is serving his second term on the national board of the Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors, is President- Elect of the Family Medicine Education Consortium (STFM Northeast Region) and is Treasurer on the Executive Committee of the Massachusetts Academy of Family Physicians. Dr. Gravel has been a contributing author in numerous textbooks and journals of Family Medicine and speaks at national and regional family medicine meetings on a variety of topics. He also served as Chairman of the Host Committee for the 2006 STFM Northeast Region Meeting. He has received numerous awards including the 2007 Association of Family Residency Directors (AFMRD) Gold Level Program Director Recognition Award for his "accomplishments in tenure, training, performance, and advocacy". Dr Gravel also received the 1993 Parke-Davis Award from the American Academy of Family Physicians for Excellence in Clinical Teaching, the Patricia Kelley Award for community service in 2003 and the Norwich Native Son/Daughter Award from his hometown in 2004. Clinically he has been named to "The Best Doctors in America" based on a national survey of 28,000 physicians, and listed twice as one of "Boston's Best Doctors" in Boston magazine. He also volunteers his time as Medical Director/Faculty Advisor to the Sharewood Project, Malden's free clinic run by Tufts medical students (www.sharewood.info). His professional interests include faculty development, behavioral medicine, medical ethics, and organizational medicine. He loves following the Boston sports teams, keeping up on current events, and travel. Most of all, he values time with his wife Barbara, daughter Elizabeth (age 11), son Teddy (age 8), daughter Caroline (age 7), friends, and family.

Allen F. Shaughnessy, PharmD - Associate Director and Professor of Family Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine. Dr. Shaughnessy joined the faculty in 2004, though he has been teaching in family medicine residency programs since 1986. He received his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the Medical University of South Carolina. He has completed a faculty development fellowship and the federal government's Department of Health and Human Services Primary Care Health Policy Fellowship. He is a Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist and is a Fellow of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy.

Dr. Shaughnessy has been active in research and evidence-based medicine. He has written over 120 papers in the areas of pharmacology, family practice education, prescription-writing, and medical information management that have been published in journals such as the Journal of Family Practice, JAMA, British Medical Journal, and American Family Physician. He is the series editor for the American Family Physician's STEPS series of new drug reviews of the Clinical Pharmacology series.

Along with Dr. David Slawson, he has developed the concepts of Information Mastery. They also developed the concept of "Patient-Oriented Evidence that Matters" (POEMs). A leader in medical information management, Dr. Shaughnessy conducts presentations and workshops across the United States and has also presented workshops in Spain, England, Saudi Arabia, and Wales. In 2002, he and Dr. Slawson were awarded the Innovative Program Award by the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine for their work on Information Mastery. He is married to fellow faculty member Andrea Gordon, MD.

Michael N. Doupe, MD - Director of Geriatrics and Medical Director, Glen Ridge Nursing Care Center; was raised in Denver, CO. Dr. Doupe graduated from the University of Colorado in Boulder and obtained his medical degree from the University of Colorado in Denver in 1973. After a rotating internship in Phoenix, AZ, he spent two years as a primary care physician with the Indian Health Service. Subsequently, he completed a family practice residency in Ventura, CA. in 1978. For the next thirteen years he engaged in a busy solo family practice in Roseburg, OR including obstetrical care. For five years he then worked in an HMO small group primary care practice with emphasis on geriatric care in Phoenix.

Dr. Doupe's strong interest in medical education led him to leave full-time clinical practice to join the Tufts residency's faculty. Along with an interest in geriatric care, he particularly enjoys teaching minor dermatologic procedures and demonstrates no-scalpel vasectomy. He also has an interest in musculoskeletal medicine, instructing frequently on use of steroid injections, splinting and performance of joint exams.

Since 12/97 he has been serving as Medical Director of Glen Ridge Nursing Care Center, a position that has helped greatly expand the residents' geriatric experience. Along with Dr. Gravel, he has taken a lead role in developing and implementing the geriatric curriculum. This has included participation in seminars on "Improving Residency Training on End-of-Life Care." Pain management along with recognition and treatment of the entire spectrum of symptoms in terminal illness are now areas of emphasis in the curriculum. In 2004 he earned the title of Certified Medical Director under the auspices of the American Medical Director Association. In 2006, Dr. Doupé coshared the Sidney Zeitler Award with Dr. Karp for his significant contribution to the education of future family physicians at the Tufts residency program. This year he coauthored a topic on MRSA and skin infections for Essential Evidence Plus.

His wife Beth, a graduate from Lesley College with a master's degree in clinical mental health counseling, works at a community counseling center. His daughter Lori, obtained her master's degree in integrative marketing at Emerson College. She presently holds the position of marketing communications manager for the Appalachian Mountain Club. While old favorites of tennis and hiking still kindle his interest, a new passion has consumed his fall seasons, fantasy football league play.

John Angelo Gnassi, MD - Director of Inpatient Teaching Service, Director of Medical Informatics; grew up in East Brunswick and Loch Arbour, New Jersey. Dr. Gnassi graduated from Brown University, Rutgers Medical School, and did his Family Practice internship at the University of Minnesota Hospital in Minneapolis. He completed his residency training in Philadelphia at Northeastern Hospital and Chestnut Hill Hospital. Dr. Gnassi then broke new ground for family physicians at the Massachusetts General Hospital by completing a three year Medical Informatics fellowship. Dr. Gnassi joined the Family Practice Residency Program faculty in July 1994. At The 1996 residency graduation he was awarded the Sidney Zeitler Memorial Award for Excellence in Clinical Teaching.

In recent years he has helped set up and maintain a lecture video-conferencing system, a text page ID system, and a phone message system. He is currently involved in setting up the Electronic Health Record for the new Family Medicine Center.

Dr. Gnassi's curricular interests include critical analysis, ICU medicine, emergency medicine, and clinical computing. He is a member of the AAFP, Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, American Medical Informatics Association, and the American String Teachers' Association.

Dr. Gnassi is a passable violinist and baritone horn player. He is learning how to construct a bathroom and also enjoys 35 mm, Polaroid, and video photography, computer programming, studying Dutch, German, and etymology, cycling, and generally tinkering with things. Last year he and his spouse took up scuba diving and motorcycling to help equalize stress between work and personal life. His family includes his 5 year old daughter Karin Citroen, 14 year-old son Alexander, his spouse Mieke Citroen, and their cats Tijgetje and Weasley.

Andrea E. Gordon, MD - practices the entire range of family care, including obstetrics. Originally from New York City, she graduated from Vassar College and received medical degree from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. During residency training at the University of Connecticut, Dr. Gordon developed an interest in Complementary and Alternative Medicine. To pursue this new and exciting area of medicine she completed the St. Margaret Memorial Hospital/ University of Pittsburgh faculty development fellowship. She has also completed the Associated Fellowship in Integrative Medicine lead by Dr. Andrew Weil at the University of Arizona, the first such fellowship in the country.

Dr. Gordon is actively involved in teaching and scholarship activities. She has co-authored a model curriculum for teaching integrative medicine that was published in Family Medicine. Her research on the usefulness of Therapeutic Touch in the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee has been presented at national conferences and published in the Journal of Family Practice.
Dr. Gordon has served on the faculty of the University of Washington, was Assistant Residency director of the Stamford, Connecticut program, and was a faculty member of the Harrisburg Family Practice Residency and Assistant Professor at the Penn State College of Medicine. She participated in the Samueli Institute Symposium to create research protocols and methodologies for studying healing energy, which was subsequently published as a supplement of the journal Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine.

In addition to her work in Integrative Medicine, Dr. Gordon has trained and served as a Balint Group leader, an ALSO instructor and has co-lead the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine annual poetry and prose reading for many years. She has published articles on herbal products, eating disorders and currently serves as Assistant Editor for the Clinical Pharmacology series in American Family Physician. She has received Excellence in Teaching awards from the residents at both the Stamford and Harrisburg programs. She also recently received Certificates of Recognition from Penn State medical students for being both an Exceptional Teacher and an Exceptional Role Model.

She is married to Dr. Allen Shaughnessy, who is also on the faculty. They have 2 cats and a beautiful 6 month old son. She enjoys getting outside and reading novels and mysteries - but has not done as much reading over the last 6 months!

Sara Beth Karp, MD - is originally from New York. Dr. Karp was University Honors Scholar as an undergraduate at New York University where she graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in Psychobiology. Her academic success continued at the University of California at Davis School of Medicine where she was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha. Dr. Karp completed her training at Lancaster General Hospital Family Practice Residency in Lancaster, PA before working in private practice in North Chelmsford, MA for six years.

Dr. Karp is the course director for our NRP courses. She is the Director of Predoctoral Education for the residency, and coordinates third year clerkships in the office and a 4th year subinternship at the hospital.

Dr. Karp has a working knowledge of Spanish and American Sign Language. She is particularly interested in Women's Health, colposcopy, patient education and preventative medicine. She enjoys cooking, reading, and spending time with her husband, Bruce Sands (a gastroenterologist at Mass General) and sons Noah (age 15) and Eli (age 13). She occasionally gets to sleep in after 7:00 AM which makes her happy.

Luis E. Palacio, MD - Director of Primary Care Sports Medicine services, was born and raised in Chicago. He obtained his medical degree from the University of the East in the Dominican Republic, and upon completion of his training, he provided a year of healthcare service to an underserved town on the island of Hispañola. He later served as resort physician at numerous hotels throughout the island, providing care to people from around the world. He returned to Chicago to complete his residency at St. Elizabeth Hospital where he served as associate chief resident. He went on to complete a fellowship in Primary Care Sports Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.

Dr. Palacio has served as team physician for various athletes at the high school, collegiate and professional levels, including the Philadelphia Phillies. He has served as medical director and has volunteered in medical services for multiple mass participation events. He is lead author of a chapter on viscosupplementation in Informa Healthcare's "Minimally Invasive Musculosekeletal Pain Medicine". He has presented cases at national Sports Medicine meetings, and is primary author of "Lumbar Disk Injuries in Athletes" on Emedicine's website.

Dr. Palacio is fluent in Spanish, and he is devoted to working with the Latin community. During his free time he enjoys hitting the slopes or taking a stroll along the beach with his wife Rachel.

Judy Platt, MD - is originally from Northeastern Pennsylvania. Dr. Platt completed medical school at Thomas Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia and moved north to do her residency training in Family and Community Medicine at Albany Medical College. After residency, she stayed on as a faculty member concentrating on Women's Health, Obstetrics, and Colposcopy. She is an ALSO instructor and regularly meets with the medical students and residents to lecture on topics involving care of the female patient. She and her husband Michael, who will be doing his fellowship in Rhinology at Mass Eye & Ear, enjoy hiking, camping, and sailing.

Gregory L. Sawin, MD, MPH - Director of Information Mastery, Director of Quality Improvement, Faculty Physician. Dr. Sawin joined the Tufts FMRP in August of 2007. He completed his residency, fellowship in faculty development and MPH at the University of Virginia. He graduated medical school Magna Cum Laude from Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia. He practices full spectrum family medicine including obstetrics.

Dr. Sawin's scholarship interests include information mastery, quality improvement and diabetes. Having been a web-master prior to medical school he's also a self proclaimed techno-geek and is interested in pushing information technology to include better clinical decision support, research tools and better human interface for both medical providers and patients. He also has interests in community medicine and working to alleviate health disparities.

Personal interests include playing guitar, travel, cooking, snowboarding, hiking and camping. His wife Jennifer is wicked awesome and works in Restorative Justice and Conflict Transformation.

Laura Sullivan, MD - is the Medical Director for the CHA-Malden Family Medicine Center. She attended Brown University, enjoyed some time in San Francisco, and graduated from Chicago Medical School before coming to the east coast and completing her training at the UMass Worcester Family Medicine Residency. She joined CHA because she liked the mix of the patient population and the mission to serve the underserved. Each day there are opportunities to make a difference in someone's life. She speaks some Spanish. Her clinical interests include full spectrum family medicine - including OB! She enjoys biking to work, staying active and spending time with her nieces and nephews.