Our Fellows


Fellow Group Photo Lab Coats
2023 -2024 Fellows for University of Florida Infectious Disease

1st Year Fellows

Apeksha Headshoot

Apeksha Kakkar, MD

Medical School: Grant Govt. Medical College, Mumbai, India

Residency: The Wright Center for GME, PA

Hometown: Mumbai (you can win me over with ‘cutting’ chai)

Academic/Clinical Interest: Tropical medicine, Global health, One health, Travel medicine

General Interests: Writing (@lodestarpoetry – insta handle), Reading – fiction, Traveling, Swimming

Why UF? One of the best places in the United States to gain exposure in Tropical medicine. In addition to Global health, UF is one of the few premier institutes to offer a Planetary health track.

Email: kakkar.a@ufl.edu


Chilsia Headshot

Chilsia Shafi, MD

Medical School: K. S Hegde Medical Academy, NITTE University 

Residency: The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education 

Hometown: Kochi, India 

Academic/Clinical Interest: Traditional ID, Tropical medicine, Epidemiology (tough to choose!)

General Interests: I am trained in Indian classical dance, and I venture to try out other forms of dance when I get the time. I also love baking! 

Why UF?  The people, especially the leadership and the vibrant atmosphere at the University of Florida really drew me in. With its extensive resources and unparalleled learning opportunities, UF was easily my top choice for ID training.

Email: cshafi@ufl.edu


Celin Headshot

Celin Rajan, MD

Medical School: Christian Medical College (Ludhiana), Punjab, India

Residency: University of Texas Rio Grande Valley- Knapp

Hometown: Houston, Texas

Academic/Clinical Interest: General infectious disease, Epidemiology, Infection control

General Interests: Outdoor activities, baking, tennis, volleyball

Why UF? I heard great things about the program from a prior fellow which led me to apply to the program. But I chose this program because of the diverse cases it offers and the welcoming environment I experienced on the interview day.

Email: crajan@ufl.edu

2nd Year Fellows

Isha Shrimanker, MD

Medical School: Rural Medical College of Pravara Med Trust, India

Residency: Cayuga Medical Center

Hometown: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Academic/Clinical Interest: General Infectious Diseases, Transplant and Tropical Infectious Diseases

General Interests: Dancing and Traveling

Why UF? Seeing how happy everyone was on the interview day including faculty and fellows. It felt like a very vibrant and healthy learning environment. UF gives me the opportunity to be exposed to a diverse set of patients and help enhance my knowledge. The ID Fellowship at UF trains us to be strong clinical physicians and this is where I saw myself as a fellow.

Email: ishrimanker@ufl.edu


Liliana Franco Moreira, MD

Medical School: Universidad de Autonoma de Guadalajara, Mexico

Residency: UCF

Hometown: Caguas, Puerto Rico

Academic/Clinical Interest: Global Health, Tropical Medicine, Epidemiology

General Interest: Walking or biking trails and tennis

Why UF? The exposure to a broad spectrum and complexity of ID patients. The engagement and support from faculty to the fellow’s education.

Email: lfrancomoreira@ufl.edu


Minu Headshot

Minu Abraham, MD

Medical School: Medical College Thiruvananthapuram, India

Residency: BronxCare Health System

Hometown: Trivandrum, India

Academic/Clinical Interest: All fields in ID, Tropical Medicine

General Interests: Plants

Why UF? The People of UFID and the enormous variety of cases that grace the doors of UF

Email: m.abraham@ufl.edu


Veronika Kholodovych, MD

Medical School: University of Toledo

Residency: Ohio Health Riverside Methodist Hospital

Hometown: Kyiv,Ukraine

Academic/Clinical Interest: HIV ad Global Medicine

General Interests: Reading, movies and spending time outdoors

Why UF? The range of clinical exposure is unparalleled.

Email: kholodovychv@ufl.edu