Faculty
Mount Carmel’s Internal Medicine Residency Program is led by a dedicated group of clinicians that encompasses full-time internal medicine faculty and subspecialists. All members are board certified.
Karen Avgush, MD
Program Director
- Dr. Avgush is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and completed her medical studies at the Saint James School of Medicine and her internal medicine residency at WellSpan York Hospital.
- She has held many roles in medical education including having served as an Associate Program Director, core faculty member and medical student clerkship director.
- She also served as an Assistant Professor of Medicine at several medical schools including Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University and SUNY Upstate Medical University.
- Her professional interests include resident education and mentorship, research and case report publication and point of care ultrasound. She is certified in multiple areas of point of care ultrasound including cardiac, renal, vascular, and abdominal ultrasound.
- In her free time, Dr. Avgush enjoys a variety of outdoor activities including hiking and snowboarding, travel, and spending quality time with friends and family.
Marielle Siebert, DO
Assistant Program Director
- Dr. Siebert is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and completed her medical degree at Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Iowa. She completed her residency in Internal Medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine, where she also served as the Chief Resident in Quality and Safety.
- She completed specialized training through the Veterans Health Administration in quality improvement and patient safety and brings this expertise to her work with residents.
- Her professional interests include resident education, mentorship, and fostering a culture of safety and continuous learning. She is passionate about empowering trainees to be agents of change within complex healthcare systems.
- In her free time, Dr. Siebert enjoys exploring local restaurants and coffee shops, practicing yoga, traveling, and spending time with her dogs, family, and friends.
Sumit Sharma, MD
Assistant Program Director
- Dr. Sharma trained in Public Health and Epidemiology at the University of South Carolina and completed his residency from Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Health and Sciences.
- Dr. Sharma is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine.
- Dr. Sharma believes in partnering with his patients to help them achieve their optimal goals of health and wellbeing in a holistic and integrative way.
- In his free time, Dr. Sharma enjoys farming, gardening, running, reading, hiking and the great outdoors!
Samuel Wagner, DO
Assistant Program Director
- Dr. Wagner earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Kent State University. He received his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine in Athens, Ohio with induction into Sigma Sigma Phi.
- Dr. Wagner completed Internal Medicine residency training and Chief Resident year at Mount Carmel Health System in 2023, where he was recognized as Resident Teacher of the Year and received the Beth Furbee Memorial Award for Compassionate Outpatient Care. Subsequently board certified by the ABIM.
- Dr. Wagner has interests in medical education at all levels, Infectious Disease, Holistic & High-value primary care, History of medicine.
- Outside of medicine, Dr. Wagner enjoys trivia, especially staying up to date with science and technological developments, playing tennis and watching professional events (last trip September 2023 to the US Open), and reading on various topics often in the sci-fi genre.
Karen Miller
Program Administrator
- Karen is the Program Administrator for the Internal Medicine Residency Program. She loves working with the residents and helping them navigate their way through residency.
- Karen is a Columbus native, and graduated from The Ohio State University. She enjoys spending time with her husband Scott and son Shawn, attending concerts, baseball games, and traveling.
- Email: ksmiller@mchs.com
Adjunct Faculty
Blase Hennessy, MD
- Dr. Hennessy received his Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Toledo, and his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Toledo College of Medicine. He completed his Internal Medicine Residency at The Ohio State University. He also spent an additional year at Ohio State University as Chief Resident.
- Dr. Hennessy is Board Certified in Internal Medicine.
- Dr. Hennessy believes that the best patient care is delivered in a team-based approach, and with that belief created the first Accountable Care Unit at Riverside Methodist Hospital.
- Since becoming a part of the Mount Carmel System, Dr. Hennessy has helped create three Accountable Care Units at Mt. Carmel St. Ann’s, including a Resident managed Academic Accountable Care Unit.
- Dr. Hennessy is currently serving an interim role as Chief Medical Officer of Mt. Carmel St. Ann’s and Mt. Carmel Dublin. He is the President of the Medical Staff at Mt. Carmel St. Ann’s. He also serves as the Co-Chair of the Mt. Carmel St. Ann’s Sepsis Committee, the Co-Chair of the Mt. Carmel System Sepsis Committee, and the Chair of the Credentialing Subcommittee of the Board.
- Outside of work, Dr. Hennessy enjoys spending time with family, gardening, and walking his bulldogs, Bear and Jax.
Jinal Patel, MD
- Dr. Jinal Patel is a dedicated primary care physician with a focus on preventive medicine and diabetes care.
- After completing his residency in Tampa, Florida, he has spent the past three years working at Mount Carmel Health System, where he provides outpatient care with an emphasis on preventive strategies and education to help manage and prevent the progression of chronic conditions.
- Dr. Patel is passionate about teaching residents and helping them grow both professionally and personally, while emphasizing shared decision-making, lifestyle changes, and proactive health management.
- Outside of medicine, he enjoys spending time with family, exploring new cuisines, and staying active.