2024 Graduates

Jake Bennett, MD 

Hometown: Tampa, FL
Undergraduate Education: Pre-Medical Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton 
Medical School: USF Morsani College of Medicine

In His Own Words
"I was ecstatic when I found out that I matched at USF. I rotated here during my 4th year rotations and absolutely loved the people, facilities, and the sense of comradery. I liked that the program is unopposed and the facilities for both inpatient and outpatient are state of the art and offer service to a variety of different patient populations in every specialty. Lastly the access to and the close relationship with the Sport Medicine faculty is a rare opportunity that I am happy to take advantage of.”

About Dr. Bennett
Dr. Bennett was born in London, England. He then moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and from there to Tampa FL where he has lived ever since. He has always loved science and sports and knew he wanted to pursue medicine from a very young age. His decision to pursue Family Medicine was confirmed during his 3rd and 4th year rotations where he experienced the wide array of opportunities available in the field and grew to appreciate the unique opportunities offered to Family Medicine Physicians. In the future, Dr. Bennett plans to pursue a fellowship in sports medicine, and split his time between outpatient care and sports teams coverage.
In his free time, he enjoys playing guitar, exercising, and watching his favorite sports teams: Manchester United, The Tampa Bay Lightning and The Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Brad Bindas, MD

Hometown: Dr. Phillips Orlando, FL
Undergraduate Education: Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Physiology, Minor in Business, Florida State University
Medical School: University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine

In His Own Words
“It has been my goal ever since high school to be in primary care sports medicine. I have personally suffered and rehabbed through numerous sports injuries, and it was my goal to help others get through the same. I enjoyed all my rotations in medical school, but during my family medicine rotation, I immediately felt like part of the family. I have a passion for all realms of medicine, and not just sports medicine. I enjoy working with people of all races, ethnicities, gender characterizations, ages, and backgrounds. I take pride in being able to treat anyone for anything that walks through my door. I plan to use my business background to provide exceptional service for my patients in my own practice one day. With all these goals in mind there is nowhere else I would rather be than USF MPM FMR, well-equipped to teach me multiple disciplines of medicine, prepare me for fellowships, and to open a private practice.”

About Dr. Bindas
Dr. Bindas was born in Plymouth, Massachusetts. He spent most of his childhood in his hometown of Dr. Phillips Orlando, Florida. He then went to Florida State University where he got his B.S. in Exercise Physiology and a minor in Business. He worked as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and Certified Exercise Physiologist prior to getting into the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine. In medical school, Dr. Bindas found that his passion for helping patients through diverse social issues as well as medical issues combined with his goals in sports medicine made a perfect fit with family medicine.
During his free time Dr. Bindas enjoys boating, beaching, football, basketball, weightlifting, boxing, skim boarding, slaloming, wakeboarding, skurfing, and snowboarding. 

Leticia Cardoso do Nascimento, MD

Hometown: Almenara, MG, Brazil
Undergraduate Education: Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and Certificate in Gerontology at Armstrong State University/ Georgia Southern University, Savannah, GA
Medical School: Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, Augusta, GA

In Her Own Words
“From an early age I started interpreting for my Portuguese and Spanish speaking family members, friends, and even friends of friends. At age 15, I found myself going to the low-income clinic very often with different families to interpret during their office visit. Noticing the barriers to what is supposed to be a basic right and seeing the breadth of what one family physician can do is what heightened my interest in Family Medicine. Seeing the resilience that patients had to show to overcome those barriers, that is what made me fall in love with people and with medicine. In my search for a residency, I was looking for a place that would embrace their residents and help mold them into who they want to be, all while offering excellent care to their patients in a place that feels like home and that is exactly what I feel USF/MPM provides – the proximity to the beach, Disney, and good Brazilian food is just a plus. I am very excited to be part of the USF/MPM team!”

About Dr. Cardoso
Dr. Cardoso moved to the United States at age 12 from a very small town at her home state of Minas Gerais in Brazil. Since then, Savannah, Georgia became her home, where she finished middle school, high school and her undergraduate education. Savannah was also where she met her husband, Francisco, who was at the time stationed at Army Hunter Airfield. Dr. Cardoso is committed to her patients at all levels. She has served as a Board Member for the Georgia Academy of Family Physicians (GAFP) and as a student committee member for the GAFP Public Health Committee. At her medical school, she was President of the Geriatrics, Hospice and Palliative Care Interest Group and headed various COVID-19 initiatives in southeast Georgia in support of healthcare providers and in contact tracing with the Department of Public Health – initiatives that were recognized both locally and nationally. At a more personal level, she has been part of advocacy groups for children, Latinx and the elderly, making sure that their voice is heard as they navigate the world of healthcare. Dr. Cardoso hopes to connect with her patients and to make a difference in the way they care for themselves and in the way they view healthcare.
Dr. Cardoso currently lives in Clearwater with her husband and pug, Lilo. In her free time, she enjoys going to the beach, traveling, good food and spending time with her loved ones.

Marisol Gomez, MD

Hometown: Naples, Florida
Undergraduate Education: Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, Florida Gulf Coast University
Medical School: University of South Florida

In Her Own Words
“I am excited to be a part of the USF Family Medicine Residency program. This program allows me to be part of a large academic center and the opportunity to train in a community hospital. The faculty and staff are very welcoming and eager to teach. I look forward to working with the diverse patient population in the area.”

About Dr. Gómez
Dr. Marisol Gomez was born in Guanajuato, Mexico. She immigrated to sunny Florida at the age of 8 along with her mother and 5 siblings to join their father who was a farm worker. Dr. Gómez is a first-generation college graduate and the first doctor in her family. Dr. Gómez values preventative and lifestyle medicine to prevent, treat and reverse chronic disease. On her free time, she enjoys being outdoors exploring nature, running, spending time with her family and traveling.

Michelle Ly, MD

Hometown: Middleburg, FL
Undergraduate Education: Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Science, Florida State University
Medical School: University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine

In Her Own Words
“I was able to rotate through USF Morton Plant for my sub-internship and I loved it there. The residents and faculty were all warm, knowledgeable, and willing to teach. The culture of the program was positive and welcoming. I knew right away that this program would help me nurture my strengths and explore the aspects of medicine that I am particularly interested in. Being a few minutes away from the beach was also a nice plus!”

About Dr. Ly
Dr. Ly is a native Floridian and has been interested in science and medicine since childhood. She was first drawn to family medicine during her time as a volunteer at a free clinic in high school and her decision was finalized during her third-year rotations as a medical student. She is interested in the role of nutrition in health as well as integrative medicine. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, rock climbing, running, exploring state parks, and listening to live music.

Candace Fogliatti, MD 

Hometown: Chicago, IL                 
Undergraduate Education: Bachelor of Science degrees in Biology and Psychology, University of Missouri, Columbia
Medical School: University of Missouri School of Medicine 

In Her Own Words
"I was so thrilled to find that I matched at my top choice, USF. When considering residencies, I was looking for a well-rounded program that would place a focus on holistic, patient-centered care while balancing resident wellness. I am confident that I have found that at this program. Though COVID made for a unique application cycle, I was welcomed by the faculty and residents and could sense the close-knit nature of the program. I am very excited and honored to be part of USF family medicine residency."

About Dr. Fogliatti
Dr. Fogliatti was born in Hong Kong and grew up in a suburb of Chicago. She then moved to Columbia, Missouri where she completed her undergraduate and medical school training. Her interest in preventative healthcare stemmed from a family history of chronic disease and was solidified as she worked with underserved populations throughout her time in Missouri. She looks forward to serving patients of all ages while working with them on their paths to wellbeing.   

In her free time she enjoys spending time with her significant other and dog. In their time off you can find them hiking or biking the beautiful trails of the Tampa Bay area or watching Nigel run around at a dog park. 

Harris (Harry) G. Tsamolias, MD

Hometown: Atchison, Kansas
Undergraduate Education: Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS
Graduate Education: Master’s degree of Sociology, University College Cork. Cork, Ireland
Medical School: University of Kansas School of Medicine. Kansas City, KS

In His Own Words
"After finding out I matched at USF, I began to see the countless ways that this would be a perfect fit. I was hoping for a program which had a strong curriculum for training while simultaneously allowing flexibility in individual learning and I believe that is what this program offers! Apart from the training, I was very excited to move to an area with a depth of social and cultural diversity. I am honored to be a part of the team and eager to meet the new USF family.”

About Dr. Tsamolias
Dr. Tsamolias was born in a rural town of Atchison, Kansas where his parents operate a small family restaurant to this day. During his childhood he spent time between Tripoli, Greece and Atchison, Kansas as his family recently had immigrated to the U.S.A. Being the first in his family to attend higher education, Dr. Tsamolias was encouraged by community members, professors, and mentors to pursue medicine. During medical school he found those “family-style” attributes of a tight-knit relationships and the community of a family-owned restaurant in the daily practice of a family medicine physician. In the future he hopes to engage his local community to not only improve health but design projects and interventions which get to the social basis of physical/mental pathologies. 
In his free time, he enjoys sharing a meal with friends, family, or strangers, playing soccer, listening to music, a hot cup of coffee, and exploring his new home in Clearwater. 

Yushi Yeap, MD

Hometown: Yangon, Myanmar (Burma)
Undergraduate Education: Bachelor of Science in Biology, Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Bachelor of Arts in International Studies, University of New Mexico
Medical School: University of New Mexico School of Medicine

In Her Own Words
“I’m excited to become part of USF-MPM Family Medicine Team. I chose this program because it is a university-affiliated program, which will allow me to experience both large-academic and local community training. Although I was not able to interview in person due to COVID-19 pandemic, I could see that the program has a supportive and collegial learning environment that encourages residents to explore different areas of interest in medicine. All in all, I enjoyed interacting with all the residents and staffs I interacted with and had a great “gut” feeling about the program.”

About Dr. Yeap
Dr. Yeap was born and raised in Burma. She moved to the United States with her family when she was twelve years old and lived most of her life in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She did not let cultural, language, or financial barriers stop her from pursing higher education, and she became the first person in her family to graduate from high school and attend college. Dr. Yeap worked at Office of Medical Investigator (OMI) before she was accepted into University of New Mexico School of Medicine, where she discovered her interest in medicine went beyond that of hands-on procedures. One of many reasons Dr. Yeap loves family medicine is the comprehensive and continuity of patient care from “cradle to grave” that family medicine offers. She has a great interest in preventative medicine and global health and hopes to work with underserved patient population in the future.

During her free time, Dr. Yeap enjoys traveling and spending time with her family and friends. She is an art and food enthusiast and likes visiting museums and trying new cuisines.