Christelle Samen Akinsiku, MD

Dr. Syed Zulfiqar Ali is a professor of pathology and an associate professor of radiology and radiological science at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He serves as director of the Division of Cytopathology and as director of the Cytopathology Fellowship Training Program. His research interests address diagnostic issues and prognostic factors of clinicopathologic analyses, primarily based on aspiration cytopathology of pancreas, thyroid and soft tissues.Dr. Ali holds an M.D. from Rawalpindi Medical College in Pakistan. He completed a residency in pediatrics at the Metropolitan Hospital Center of New York Medical College and a residency in pathology at Cornell University Medical Center. He also conducted a postdoctoral fellowship in pathology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, as well as a fellowship in cytopathology at The Johns Hopkins Hospital.Dr. Ali has authored or co-authored hundreds of peer-reviewed publications. He is the founding Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the American Society of Cytopathology and is co-editor of “The Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology.” Dr. Ali is an active member of the American Society of Cytopathology, where he has served as the chair of various committees and was on the executive board.

Dr. Alia Irshad is a dedicated physician specializing in Pediatric Hospital Medicine at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD. With a medical degree from the University of Texas Medical School at San Antonio and a residency in Pediatrics at MedStar Georgetown University Medical Center, she is board-certified in both Pediatrics and Pediatric Hospital Medicine. As an instructor in Pediatrics at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Dr. Irshad is committed to providing high-quality care to her patients. She is fluent in English and participates in various commercial health insurance plans, ensuring accessibility for a diverse patient population. Generated from the website

Dr. Lauren Berninger is an assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and associate program director for the Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship Program. Dr. Berninger received her undergraduate degree in political science from Bucknell University and her medical degree from the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine. She completed internal medicine residency training at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, where she also served as chief resident. Dr. Berninger is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship Training Program. Dr. Berninger's professional interests lie at the intersection of palliative medicine and clinical ethics. She holds a master's degree in bioethics from the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health and is an active member of the Johns Hopkins Hospital ethics committee. Dr. Berninger is committed to medical education with a focus on advanced communication skills and complex-symptom management for patients with serious and life-limiting illnesses. She co-directs the medical school's TIME Palliative Care and End-of-Life Course and is dedicated to the clinical teaching of learners at all levels of training. Dr. Berninger embraces a humanistic, patient, and family-centered approach to care and is the recipient of the 2023 Clinical Excellence Award for best consulting physician at Johns Hopkins Hospital.