Current Fellows

Academic Year: July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026

Katherine Ferguson, MD

Kate received her B.A. in Biological Sciences with a focus on International Health and a minor in German Studies from Dartmouth College. During her undergraduate studies, she worked on research and public health initiatives related to tuberculosis in India and Tanzania. On graduating, she was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to Heidelberg, Germany, where she taught English and directed the choir at a German high school. Upon returning to the U.S., Kate worked for Boston's Public Health Department, tutored students for a community outreach program, and coached rowing at CRI, a local rowing club. She attended medical school at Dartmouth's Geisel School of Medicine, during which time she participated in research on pain management at a teaching hospital in Rwanda. She completed her Internal Medicine residency at Oregon Health & Science University, where she had the opportunity to engage in additional clinical experiences including primary care at a Portland FQHC,rotations at Alaska Native Medical Center and at Scottish Livingstone Hospital, a district teaching hospital in Botswana. Following residency, Kate completed a Global Health Fellowship through Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in partnership with Scottish Livingstone Hospital, where she returned to work as a clinical educator supporting the Internal Medicine training program. Thereafter, she worked as a hospitalist at a tribal hospital on the Navajo Nation, caring for patients in both the medical and intensive care units. Kate has a long-standing interest in hospice and palliative care, particularly in how pain management, advanced care planning, and end-of-life care are approached across different cultures, how we can bridge gaps between the medical system and individual cultures, and in how we can expand the field to better serve groups experiencing disadvantages and historically marginalized populations.

Hannah McDermott, PharmD

Hannah McDermott is from Middletown, Rhode Island on the border of Newport. She received her PharmD from the University of Rhode Island. After university, she moved to New London, Connecticut and practiced as a per diem pharmacist focusing on operations, internal medicine, and transitions of care at Lawrence and Memorial Hospital. She went on to complete her general practice PGY-1 pharmacy residency at Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford, CT.
Her passion for palliative care started in the classroom and grew as she experienced a home hospice rotation, personal loss, and rounding with the palliative team at St. Francis. She was able to see from a personal and professional perspective how impactful the palliative team can be for patients, families and loved ones. Hannah’s hobbies include aerial arts, Top Chef (the TV show and dining at contestants' restaurants), and spending time with herhusband, Nick, and their pet dog, Koby, and kitten, Nova.

Catherine Mankiw, MD

Catherine Mankiw received her bachelor's degree in Economics from Princeton University, with a certificate in Values and Public Life. Before pursuing medical school, she spent two years as a research fellow at the National Institutes of Health in the Child Psychiatry group, investigating the intersection between genomics and brain development. She then earned a dual M.D./M.B.A from Harvard Medical School and Harvard Business School, where she cultivated a strong interest in healthcare innovation. During her time there, she advised early- and growth-stage healthcare companies on clinical strategy and collaborated with them to develop and launch new clinical products and service lines. Catherine completed her Internal Medicine training at Brigham and Women's Hospital in the HVMA Primary Care track. With a passion for advancing palliative care delivery, she aims to leverage her background in healthcare innovation to expand home-based palliative care solutions and integrate technology to enhance access to timely symptom management.

Anna Rayne, MD

Anna Rayne received her Bachelor's degree in Biology from Haverford College. Prior to pursuing her medical education, she worked for a public health NGO in Cape Town, South Africa providing public health education to underserved youth. She attended medical school at Georgetown University through the US Navy's Health Professions Scholarship Program. She completed military family medicine residency at Fort Belvoir Community Hospital where she served as chief resident. Since completion of her residency training, Anna has served as a staff Navy Family Medicine Physician in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and Camp Pendleton, CA and has completed a deployment aboard the USS Pearl Harbor in support of Pacific Partnership. Her professional interests include health equity and medical education in palliative medicine and end-of-life care to improve access to high quality care for vulnerable populations.

Fatimah Sajjad, MBBS

Fatimah earned her medical degree from the Aga Khan University in Pakistan in 2019. Throughout medical school, she combined her passion for service with leadership, volunteering at medical camps and later serving on the leadership committee of Humanity Initiative, a local non-profit organization. During her internal medicine residency training at the Washington University in St. Louis, she
joined the global health track, which provided her the opportunity to complete an elective rotation in palliative care at a tertiary care hospital in her hometown of Lahore, Pakistan. She envisions a future where, through education, every physician is equipped to provide basic, high-quality palliative care to their patients. Her goals include expanding access to palliative care in Pakistan and tailoring it to meet the unique needs of local communities.

Anjiya Sulaiman, MD, MPH

Anjiya received her medical degree from the Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan, in late 2019. She then moved to Toronto, Canada, and spent two years exploring the city while completing her Master of Public Health degree (virtually) from Johns Hopkins University. Her academic focus during her Masters program and while training as an internal medicine resident in Houston, Texas, was on the care of underserved populations and culturally sensitive, empathetic
communication. She hopes to spend her palliative care fellowship year honing the skills needed to be an exemplary clinician and communicator with the goal of eventually being able to teach others how to do the same.

Chadane Thompson, MD

Chadane Thompson is a graduate of The University of the West Indies (UWI),Jamaica, where he was awarded the distinguished UWI Open Scholarship in recognition of academic excellence. Early in his medical career, he played a pivotal role in community outreach and public health responses across vulnerable communities in Jamaica. He then pursued his internal medicine residency at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center in New Jersey, where he was selected as PGY-3 Chief Resident. Currently, Chadane collaborates as a Research Associate at the Harvard/MGH Center on Genomics, Vulnerable Populations, and Health Disparities. In this capacity, he engages in transdisciplinary research at the crossroads of genomics, epidemiology, and health equity, focusing on ensuring the inclusion of traditionally underrepresented Caribbean populations in genomic discovery datasets. Driven by a passion for global palliative care and oncology, Chadane is dedicated to advancing person-centered practices in the oncology setting, advocating for early integration of supportive care in the continuum of cancer-directed treatment, and expanding access to high-quality palliative care in low-resource settings. His work reflects a commitment to bridging gaps in healthcare delivery and ensuring that all patients-regardless of geography or sociodemographic background-receive evidence-based, comprehensive, and compassionate care.

Margaret "Meggie" Woodruff, NP

Meggie initially received her Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Bucknell University. She began her career as a Clinical Research Coordinator in Phase 1 Oncology trials at Massachusetts General Hospital, which inspired her to pursue nursing. She earned both her BSN and MSN from the University of Pennsylvania. While working as an inpatient oncology nurse at Penn, she completed her Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner MSN. Currently, Meggie works as a Medical Oncology Nurse Practitioner in the Sarcoma Center at Dana- Farber Cancer Institute, where she has been for over three years. Throughout her career, she has been particularly interested in palliative care, focusing on supporting individuals facing serious illness and end-of-life transitions. Outside of her clinical practice, Meggie has completed training through a death doula certificate program and additional coursework in ceremony and rites of passage,with a focus on death, dying, and grief work.

Bryan Zabatta, NP

Bryan Zabatta is the newest DFCI/BWH Nurse Practitioner Fellow. Originally from the Hudson Valley region of New York, He relocated to Boston in 2019 to be closer to family. While working in the Medical ICU at Brigham and Women's Hospital, he completed his studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston and is now an Adult-Gerontology Primary Care NP. He enjoys taking his son to find new playgrounds, bringing his dog on hikes, listening to live music, and traveling to new places. Bryan is looking forward to working with everyone!