OUR TEAM

PHYSICIANS

Stanley Cohen, M.D.

Dallas, Irving

BIO

Stanley Cohen, M.D.

Sharad Lakhanpal, M.D.

Dallas, Irving

BIO

Sharad Lakhanpal, M.D.

Jack Vine, M.D.

Dallas, Plano

BIO

Jack Vine, M.D.

Robert Jenkins, M.D., Ph.D

Dallas, Duncanville, Rockwall

BIO

Robert Jenkins, M.D., Ph.D

Yi-Chun Michelle Chou, M.D.

Irving

BIO

Yi-Chun Michelle Chou, M.D.

Talat Kheshgi, M.D.-M.S.

Dallas, Plano

BIO

Talat Kheshgi, M.D.-M.S.

Imran Iqbal, M.D.

Dallas, Duncanville, Frisco

BIO

Imran Iqbal, M.D.

Richard Stern, M.D.

Dallas, Grapevine

BIO

Richard Stern, M.D.

Zoran Kurepa, M.D., Ph.D

Dallas, Flower Mound

BIO

Zoran Kurepa, M.D., Ph.D

Catalina Orozco, M.D.

Dallas

BIO

Catalina Orozco, M.D.

Virginia Reddy, M.D.

Dallas, Grapevine

BIO

Virginia Reddy, M.D.

Margarita Fallena M.D.

Dallas, Grapevine

BIO

Margarita Fallena M.D.

Giovanni Geslani, D.O.

Arlington

BIO

Giovanni Geslani, D.O.

Joanna Geslani, D.O.

Arlington

BIO

Joanna Geslani, D.O.

Padmapriya Sivaraman, M.D.

North Richland Hills

BIO

Padmapriya Sivaraman, M.D.

M. Scott Hogenmiller, M.D.

Flower Mound

BIO

M. Scott Hogenmiller, M.D.

Li Jiang, M.D.

Frisco

BIO

Li Jiang, M.D.

Stephanie Hennigan, M.D.

Rockwall

BIO

Stephanie Hennigan, M.D.

NURSE PRACTITIONERS

Susan Chrostowski, DNP, APRN, ANP-C

Duncanville

BIO

Susan Chrostowski, DNP, APRN, ANP-C

Rachel Tiu, FNP-C

Irving

BIO

Rachel Tiu, FNP-C

Neena Mathews, MSN, APRN, FNP-C

Dallas, Frisco

BIO

Neena Mathews, MSN, APRN, FNP-C

Cathy Fernandez, MS, FNP-C

Grapevine

BIO

Cathy Fernandez, MS, FNP-C

PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS

Janine Shinn, MPAS, PA-C

Dallas

BIO

Janine Shinn, MPAS, PA-C

RHEUMATIC DISEASES

ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION

METROPLEX CLINICAL RESEARCH CENTER

NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE

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Dr. Cohen is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center and Co-Director of the Division of Rheumatology at Presbyterian Hospital, Dallas. He also is Co-Medical Director of Metroplex Clinical Research Center.

He is a past president of the American College of Rheumatology and was honored in 2016 with the designation of Master by the American College of Rheumatology.

Dr. Cohen completed a degree in biology from the University of Virginia and received his Doctor of Medicine with honors, from the University of Alabama School of Medicine in Birmingham. He completed an internship and residency in Internal Medicine at Parkland Memorial Hospital, Dallas, Texas, and a fellowship in Rheumatology at UT Southwestern/St. Paul University Hospital.

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Dr. Lakhanpal is a Clinical Professor of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center and an investigator at Metroplex Clinical Research Center in Dallas where he has participated in hundreds of clinical trials. A sought-after speaker, Dr. Lakhanpal has been invited to give medical and other lectures across the world. He serves as the 2017 President of the American College of Rheumatology.

Dr. Lakhanpal received his medical education at King George’s Medical College, University of Lucknow, India, where he was awarded several gold medals and book prizes for excellence.

He completed a residency in Internal Medicine at the Memorial Hospital, University of Massachusetts Medical School and did Rheumatology training at the Mayo Clinic and Mayo Medical School in Minnesota.

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Dr. Vine received his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio. He then completed his residency in Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center/St. Paul University Hospital. He completed his fellowship in Rheumatology at UT Southwestern.

He has been a member of the American College of Rheumatology since 1986. His greatest focus within rheumatology is rheumatoid arthritis.

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Dr. Jenkins received his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine. During medical school, he received a Ph.D. in Immunology. Dr. Jenkins completed internship and residency training at Vanderbilt University, followed by fellowship training at the University of Texas Southwestern. He was named a Senior Rheumatology Scholar by the American College of Rheumatology. He published several studies on immunologic processes in rheumatic diseases while an Assistant Professor at UT Southwestern.

Dr. Jenkins joined Rheumatology Associates in 1996 and is on the teaching faculty at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital. He has participated in numerous clinical trials that have been instrumental in developing new therapies for arthritis at the Metroplex Clinical Research Center. Dr. Jenkins devotes much of his time to patient care.

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Dr. Chou is a board-certified rheumatologist and internist who joined Rheumatology Associates in 2021. She is an active member of the American College of Rheumatology.

Dr. Chou received her medical education at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, GA. She completed internship and residency training in Internal Medicine at University of Alabama at Birmingham. During her residency training, she enjoyed the long-term relationship with her patients and developed a passion for rheumatology. She was also involved in a research project on macrophage activation syndrome. She then completed fellowship training at UT-Houston Health and Science Center. During her fellowship training, she participated in research focused on systemic sclerosis. She also received additional training in musculoskeletal ultrasound to assist in the diagnosis and management of arthritis and musculoskeletal disorders.

After completing her fellowship training, she joined Baylor Scott and White and practiced adult rheumatology in Round Rock, Texas for 6 years before moving to the Dallas area.

Dr. Chou believes in caring for her patients with patient-centered approach and in empowering her patients to take part in their treatment plans.

She is fluent in English and Mandarin Chinese, and she also speaks Taiwanese.

In her free time, Dr. Chou enjoys spending time with her family, reading, exercising, and delighting in the outdoors with her kids.

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She is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumatic Diseases, at UT Southwestern Medical Center. She practiced Internal Medicine at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Pontiac, Michigan, prior to moving to Dallas.

Dr. Kheshgi received her Doctor of Medicine from Rawalpindi Medical College and then completed her internship in Internal Medicine and surgery at Holy Family Hospital, Rawalpindi. She served as an instructor of anatomy at Rawalpindi Medical College. Dr. Kheshgi earned a Master in Pharmacology from the University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, and finished basic requirements for her Ph.D.

She completed an internship and residency in Internal Medicine at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, Pontiac, Michigan. She did a fellowship in Rheumatology at UT Southwestern. She received first place honors for basic research on endometriosis during residency.

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Dr. lmran Iqbal is a board-certified rheumatologist and internist who joined Rheumatology Associates in 2002.

Dr. Iqbal is on the teaching faculty at Presbyterian Hospital’s Internal Medicine program. He received his Doctor of Medicine from Sindh Medical College and then completed his internship at Long Island Jewish Medical Center and residency in Internal Medicine at Mount Sinai services at Queens Hospital Center in New York. He practiced Internal Medicine for three years before doing a fellowship in Rheumatology at UT Southwestern Medical Center. He also took part in basic and clinical research focused on inflammatory arthritis while at UT Southwestern.

Dr. Iqbal teaches medical students and residents during their clinical rotations in the office, as well as fellows at UT Southwestern. He is actively involved in clinical trials and has co-authored several articles.

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Dr. Richard Stern is a board-certified rheumatologist who joined Rheumatology Associates in 2003. He is a Clinical Associate Professor of Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumatic Diseases at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

Dr. Stern has undergraduate degrees in psychology, biochemistry and biology from the University of North Texas. Upon graduating from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, he practiced as a Physician Assistant in the field of orthopedics.

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Dr. Zoran Kurepa is a board-certified rheumatologist who joined Rheumatology Associates in 2007.

Dr. Kurepa received his Doctor of Medicine in Europe from University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia, where he subsequently obtained his Master’s Degree in Immunology at the Institute for Immunology in Zagreb. He received his Doctor of Philosophy in immunology at the UT Southwestern Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. He then completed his internship and residency in Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern/St. Paul University Hospital.

Before joining Rheumatology Associates, Dr. Kurepa completed a fellowship in Rheumatology at UT Southwestern.

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Dr. Catalina Orozco is a board-certified rheumatologist and internist who joined Rheumatology Associates in 2010. She has a special interest in patients with early inflammatory arthritis, osteoporosis and systemic lupus erythematosus.

Dr. Orozco has published articles about early arthritis and participated in the Clinical Immunology Society (CIS) School in Systematic Autoimmune Diseases. Dr. Orozco graduated from the lnstituto de Ciencias de la Salud CES, Medellin, Colombia, as the best medical student of her class. She completed her internship and residency in Internal Medicine as well as a two-year fellowship in Rheumatology at UT Southwestern Medical Center. During her fellowship, she was involved in both clinical and basic science research of patients with early arthritis.

After finishing her training in rheumatology, Dr. Orozco joined Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas where she served as a Staff Rheumatologist. Dr. Orozco is fluent in Spanish and English.

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Dr. Virginia Reddy is a board-certified rheumatologist and internist who joined Rheumatology Associates in May of 2013.

Dr. Reddy earned her undergraduate degree at Yale University, graduating Summa Cum Laude in 1996 with a B.A. in English. She graduated in 2001 from Baylor College of Medicine, where she earned a Doctor of Medicine with honors and was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha honor society. She completed her internship and residency in Internal Medicine at Washington University in St. Louis in 2004. During her residency training, she received the Knowlton Award for Excellence as an Internal Medicine resident.

Dr. Reddy then stayed at Washington University to complete a fellowship in Rheumatology.After finishing her rheumatology training, Dr. Reddy moved to Dallas, where she held a position on the rheumatology faculty at UT Southwestern Medical Center prior to joining Rheumatology Associates.

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Dr. Margarita Fallena is a board-certified rheumatologist and internist who joined Rheumatology Associates in May of 2014.

Dr. Fallena received her medical degree, with honors, from the Universidad Anahuac Mexico. She completed her internship at UT Southwestern/St. Paul University Hospital, her residency in Internal Medicine, and a fellowship in Rheumatology at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

Prior to her residency and during her fellowship, she participated in basic science research investigating the immune system function and response in organ transplantation and in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. She has co-authored articles in peer-reviewed journals.

After completing her fellowship, she worked at a federally-funded community health center providing rheumatologic care for patients with limited access to health services. She is fluent in Spanish and English.

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Dr. Giovanni Geslani is a board-certified rheumatologist and internist who joined Rheumatology Associates in 2015. He is a member of the American College of Rheumatology and American College of Physicians.

Dr. Geslani received his undergraduate degree from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, and was awarded his medical degree at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine – Bradenton, FL He completed his internship and residency training in Internal Medicine at University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. He was awarded Resident of the Year, all three years of his internship and residency training. He spent an additional year as chief resident and assistant professor of the department of Internal Medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston.

Dr. Geslani received his Rheumatology fellowship training at University of California in Irvine, California. He took part in clinical research while at UTMB and UCI. He received additional training in musculoskeletal ultrasound and participated in the Ultrasound School of North American Rheumatologists (USSONAR) course to assist in the diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of arthritis and musculoskeletal disorders

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Dr. Joanna Geslani is a board-certified rheumatologist and internist who joined Rheumatology Associates in 2015. She is a member of the American College of Rheumatology and American College of Physicians.

Dr. Geslani received her undergraduate degree from Rollins College in Winter Park, FL, and her medical degree from Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine – Bradenton, FL. She completed a fellowship in Rheumatology at the University of California, Irvine. During her fellowship, she served as a House Staff Safety Officer where she worked to improve patient safety and health care quality. She also received additional training in musculoskeletal ultrasonography through her participation in the Ultrasound School of North American Rheumatologists (USSONAR) course. In addition, Dr. Geslani participated in clinical research focused on scleroderma and the management of rheumatologic diseases during pregnancy.

She was elected as the Arthritis Foundation North Texas 2016 Medical Honoree at the Walk to Cure Arthritis event in Arlington in May 2016. She is fluent in Cantonese Chinese.

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Dr. Padmapriya Sivaraman is a board-certified rheumatologist and internist who joined Rheumatology Associates in March of 2016. She is an active member of American College of Rheumatology.

Dr. Sivaraman earned her undergraduate degree at Kasturba Medical College. She completed both her residency and rheumatology fellowship at Case Western Reserve University, where she received the Peter Morgan Award in recognition of outstanding performance. Upon completion of her fellowship, she held a position on the rheumatology faculty at Case Western University. During her tenure there, she was invited to give lectures and received an outstanding clinical teaching award during her first year.

Dr. Sivaraman strives to provide excellent patient care through a patient centered approach of listening, teaching, dedication and compassion.

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Dr. M. Scott Hogenmiller is a board certified rheumatologist and internist who joined Dallas Rheumatology Associates in 2019. He earned his undergraduate degree in biology at the University of Dallas and attended medical school at the University of Texas at Houston on a Health Professions Scholarship with the United States Navy. He completed a general surgery internship at Portsmouth Naval Hospital and subsequently served as general medical officer over the next three years seeing duty in mainland Japan, Okinawa and Camp Pendleton. After completing a residency in internal medicine and pediatrics at the University of Texas at Houston he then went on to fellowship training in rheumatology at the University of Miami. Before moving to Dallas he was in rheumatology practice for twelve years in Fishersville, Virginia.

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Dr. Li Jiang is a board-certified rheumatologist and internist who joined Rheumatology Associates in 2017. She is an active member of American College of Rheumatology. Dr. Jiang was selected as a Best Doctor in Collin County 2022.

Dr. Jiang received her medical education at Xiangya School of Medicine (formerly known as Hunan Medical University, founded by Yale-China Association), where she was ranked top 1 percent, and was awarded Outstanding University Graduate of Hunan Province. She spent her early post-graduate years in residency training and clinical research in Ophthalmology, and received a Master’s Degree. She subsequently developed a passion for rheumatology, for its all organ-systems involvement and for the long-term relationships built with patients. She completed internship and residency training in Internal Medicine at Saint Barnabas Medical Center, Livingston, New Jersey, and fellowship training at UT Southwestern Medical Center. During her residency and fellowship training, Dr. Jiang actively took part in clinical research and presented at the American College of Physician Internal Medicine and American College of Rheumatology Annual Meetings. She received additional training in musculoskeletal ultrasound and participated in the RhMSUS (Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Certification in Rheumatology) course by American College of Rheumatology to assist in the diagnosis and management of arthritis and musculoskeletal disorders. Dr. Jiang is fluent in English and Mandarin Chinese.

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Dr. Hennigan has extensive expertise in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and other disorders of the joints, bones and muscles. She joined Dallas Rheumatology Associates in 2018. She attended medical school at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans and completed her residency in internal medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, SC. She completed her fellowship at the University of California at San Diego. A member of the Arthritis Foundation and American College of Rheumatology, Dr. Hennigan has published many articles and received a number of awards from her colleagues. These include the Travel Award from the American College of Rheumatology Research and Education Foundation for the organization’s 2006 – 2008 ACR Scientific meetings. Very committed to individual needs, Dr. Hennigan focuses on solutions that work best for each patient.

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Susan Chrostowski, DNP, APRN, ANP-C is an adult health nurse practitioner who has been working exclusively in rheumatology since 2005. She holds both master’s and doctorate degrees in nursing from Texas Woman’s University where she teaches in the graduate nursing program. For her doctoral program, Susan conducted a clinical research study on assessment instruments for fibromyalgia disease activity and presented those results at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in 2015.

Dr. Chrostowski is currently serving as a board member on the American Board of Internal Medicine Rheumatology Board. She has served on several national committees with the Association of Rheumatology Professionals organization. In addition to podium and poster presentations at local and national conferences on rheumatology, she has had articles published on rheumatology practice issues. She has been with Rheumatology Associates since 2010.

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Rachel Tiu is a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner. She obtained her master’s degree at University of Nevada Las Vegas. She joined Rheumatology Associates in July 2022 but has been in the field of Rheumatology since 2011.

She has joined several clinical trials in the past evaluating new therapies for arthritis as joint assessor.

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Neena Mathews is a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner who joined Rheumatology Associates in 2018. Neena came to RA with a great amount of nursing experience which she incorporates into her daily life taking care of our patients.

Neena graduated with her BSN from Manipal Academy of Higher Education, India in 2001, with gold medal, ranking first in the University. She worked in different hospitals in New England and Texas as a critical care RN. She graduated with Masters in Nursing from UT Arlington in 2017.

Neena believes in treating and respecting her patients as a whole individual and considers each one of them unique. Outside work she enjoys spending time with her family, reading, listening to music, watching movies, and traveling. Neena is fluent in English, Malayalam, Hindi and understands Tamil and Kannada well.

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Cathy Fernandez, MSN, FNP-C, is a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner. She received an associate degree in nursing from Brookhaven Community College in 1988, a bachelor's degree in nursing in 1992, and a Master of Science in nursing at Texas Women's University in 2000. Cathy has a wide range of experience as a nurse in surgery and cardiac care. She has worked as a nurse practitioner in family practice, interventional radiology, and rheumatology. She completed the nurse practitioner postgraduate rheumatology training program in 2010. She has over ten years of experience working with rheumatologists. Cathy Fernandez is a member of Texas Nurse Practitioners, the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, and the Association of Rheumatology Professionals. Cathy joined Rheumatology Associates in January 2020.

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Janine Shinn is a board-certified physician assistant who joined Rheumatology Associates in January of 2014. Janine earned her master’s degree in Physician Assistant Studies at UT Southwestern Medical Center in 2013. She has participated in over 100 clinical trials as a joint assessor in collaboration with Metroplex Clinical Research Center evaluating new medications for Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, Scleroderma, Psoriatic Arthritis, and Ankylosing Spondylitis. Janine is a member of Rheumatology Advanced Practice Providers (RhAPP) professional society.

OUR TEAM

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