As a resident at Inova, you will benefit from the large national network of resources and contacts established through close interaction with our diversely trained subspecialists and general internists, intensivists and hospitalists.
Department leadership
Inova Fairfax Hospital, which is the flagship hospital for Inova and a major referral center for Northern Virginia and the Washington, DC, metro area, is extremely proud of the depth and diversity of its nearly 800 member and 13-section Department of Medicine. The physicians who form the foundation for this medical community are comprised of experts from our nation's top institutions. These clinicians – with today's cutting-edge technology – treat all patients from around the corner to around the world.
In addition to the sections of cardiology, oncology, pulmonology, critical care, endocrinology, rheumatology, dermatology, allergy and immunology, nephrology, gerontology, gastroenterology, infectious diseases and general internal medicine, the Inova Fairfax Hospital Department of Medicine maintains centers of excellence in cardiovascular disease, chronic lung disease, liver disease and cancer care management.
The educational program within the department is home to an award-winning faculty, as well as one of the nation's most well known faculty development programs, the Stanford Faculty Development Program in clinical teaching. Programs like these enable faculty to stay abreast of the latest technical, clinical and teaching programs.
Teaching Service Faculty
Inova Fairfax Hospitalist Group is board-certified internal medicine physicians who admit and care for patients at Inova Fairfax Hospital. In addition to being excellent clinicians, they also excel in teaching residents and medical students. The group has admitting privileges to the teaching service and also participates in noon conferences, morning report conferences and teaching didactic sessions.
Hospitalists work in conjunction with private practice primary care physicians to provide medical care to hospitalized patients. While the hospitalist program does not replace specialty physicians such as cardiologists and gastroenterologists, it ensures a physician is present in the hospital to see patients throughout the day, meet with families and assist with prescriptions and discharge planning.
Once patients are discharged, the hospitalist sends documentation to the primary care physician about the patient's hospitalization.
Teaching Service Leadership
Alita Mishra, MD, FACP
Director of Education and Program Director for Internal Medicine Residency Program
Dr. Mishra, along with the Department of Medicine, established the first Inova-based Internal Medicine Residency Program in 2013 and she has been the program director since its inception. In her role as director of education for the department, she is responsible for curriculum development and overseeing the interns and residents in the Department of Medicine’s inpatient units at Inova Fairfax Medical Campus.
Dr. Mishra graduated from the Medical College of Wisconsin in 2000 and completed her Internal Medicine residency at Georgetown University Hospital in 2003. She is a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical society, is board certified in internal medicine and a fellow of the American College of Physicians. Her areas of interest include medical education, preventive medicine and chronic hepatitis C. She holds faculty appointments at Georgetown University, George Washington University and Virginia Commonwealth University schools of medicine. She received the "Golden Apple Award" for the 2006-07 academic year as the top clinical educator across all clerkships from the VCU School of Medicine Inova Campus. Previously, Dr. Mishra served as the clerkship director for third and fourth year medical students for about seven years and was involved in the initial accreditation and establishment of VCU School of Medicine’s branch campus at Inova.
Ivan Garci
a, MD, FACP, FASAM, MBA
Associate Program Director, Inova Internal Medicine Residency Program
Dr. Garcia completed his residency training at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. He has experience in both internal medicine and addiction medicine. He is deeply committed to resident education and providing the highest quality of patient care. Dr. Garcia has directed and supervised physician residents and medical students from Georgetown University, George Washington University and Virginia Commonwealth University. He is delighted to work with the internal medicine residents as associate program director.
Z Chris, MD
Medical Director, Primary Care, Ambulatory Course Director
Dr. Chris is a primary care physician board certified in internal medicine. He has more than 20 years of clinical experience and was in private practice in Washington, DC, prior to joining Inova Medical Group. He has also served as clinical faculty at Georgetown University, Duke University, and Emory University.
Homan Wai, MD, FACP
Clerkship Director, 3rd and 4th Year Students
Dr. Wai received his medical degree from the University of California, San Diego Medical School in 2006. He completed his residency in internal medicine at George Washington University where he was honored as both intern (2007) and resident (2009) of the year. He joined the department in 2009, was appointed to associate clerkship director in 2010, and clerkship director in 2015. Dr. Wai received the “Golden Apple Award” in the 2013-14 academic year as the top clinical educator across all clerkships from the VCU School of Medicine-Inova Campus. Dr. Wai holds faculty appointments with Georgetown University, George Washington University and Virginia Commonwealth University schools of medicine.
Zehra Gaudiano, MD
Associate Clerkship Director, 3rd and 4th Year Students
Chief Medical Residents
Nibras C
howdhury, MD
Chief Medical Resident, Dept of Medicine
Logan Rhea, MD
Chief Medical Resident, Dept of Medicine
Logan is a native of DMV, born and raised in Burke, Virginia. He majored in chemistry at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, then traded beach for the mountains and pursued his medical degree at the Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine in Blacksburg, Virginia. It was an easy choice to return to Northern Virginia for residency at Inova Fairfax Hospital and he was honored to stay on for a "victory lap" and Chief Resident year. Logan is currently applying and interviewing for fellowship in hematology and oncology, and looks forward to where life takes him next. Additional medical areas of interest include resident education, high-value care and advocacy. Outside of medicine, Logan loves to travel, watch (read: stress over) local Washington-area sports teams, play tennis and some would say he listens to too much NPR.