Medical Staff

PLUS Diagnostics Pathologists' Training and Experience

Albany Medical College
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
Bringham Hospital
Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center
Cairo University
Case Western Reserve University
Jefferson Medical Collegev
Johns Hopkins University
Lenox Hill Hospital
Magee Womens Hospital University of Pittsburgh
Metro Health Center
Monmouth Medical Center
Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Muhlenberg Hospital
New York University Medical Center
North Shore University Hospital
Rhode Island Hospital
St. Barnabus Health Care System
University of Michigan
University of Nevada
University of Purkinje
University of Texas Health Science Center
University of Texas, Galveston
Yale University

Medical Staff

Ali Riba, MD
Medical Director
Dr. Riba came to PLUS Diagnostics as Associate Medical Director in October 2007. He served the last 6 years at Yale University in the capacity of Assistant Professor and Attending Pathologist, with his first year focused in completion of a fellowship in surgical pathology. He completed his residency at St. Barnabas Health Care System with rotations at Saint Barnabas, Monmouth Medical Center and Newark Beth Israel Medical Center. Dr. Riba received his medical degree from Tishreen University, Lattakia, Syria graduating in the top 25 of his class. He has authored or co-authored multiple papers focusing on his areas of interest including Gastrointestinal Pathology, Genitourinary Pathology, Dermatopathology and Breast Pathology.

Michael McGinnis, MD
Medical Director
Dr. McGinnis joined PLUS Diagnostics as Medical Director in December 2007. He received his medical degree from the University of Nevada School of Medicine. His residency in Anatomical and Clinical Pathology was at The Institute of Pathology at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland and a one year Cytopathology fellowship followed at Metro Health Center. Throughout his career, he has held numerous university teaching roles, CAP committees positions, and served as Chairman on a variety of cancer committee and review boards including but not limited to Chairman of the ASCP Laboratory Management and Safety Committee.

Mohamed Abdulla, MD
Staff Pathologist
Dr. Abdulla joined PLUS Diagnostics in September 2007 as a part-time Associate Pathologist and Cytopathologist. He completed his Cytopathology fellowship at Magee Women's Hospital, University of Pittsburgh and his Anatomical and Clinical Pathology residency at Albany Medical College. Dr. Abdulla received his medical degree from Cairo University. He holds active memberships in the International Academy of Pathology, United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology, New Jersey Society of Pathologists, College of American Pathologists and American Society of Clinical Pathology, as well as Friends and Alumni of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology. His areas of research include but are not limited to Cytopathology, Genitourinary and Breast Pathology.

Kanta Davessar, MD
Staff Pathologist
Bringing more than 25 years of Gastrointestinal Pathology experience, Dr. Davessar joined PLUS Diagnostics in December 2004. Throughout her career she has served as Medical Director in a variety of hospital appointments and trained GI Fellows in Pathology at Rhode Island Hospital. She was appointed an Adjunct Assistant Professor at UMD-NJ School of Health, and has publications and presentations focused in her select areas of interest such as Barrett's Esophagus and Gastric Adenocarcinoma. Dr. Davessar completed her medical degree at Punjab University in India and her postgraduate training at Monmouth Medical Center in NJ.

Ludmila Engelbach, MD
Staff Pathologist
Dr. Engelbach joined PLUS Diagnostics in November of 2007 and also serves as an Associate Director of Pathology at Ocean County Medical Laboratories. She received her Medical Degree while living in the Czech Republic at the University of Purkinje and went on to complete her residency at Monmouth Medical Center and fellowship specialization in Hematopathology at Muhlenberg Hospital. Her areas of interest include Genitourinary Pathology and Hematopathology, having received the Howard Strauss Prize for research in Giant Cell Arteritis.

Frank Fromowitz, MD
Staff Pathologist
Dr. Fromowitz brings to PLUS Diagnostics a wealth of experience in surgical pathology having practiced in the northeastern corridor for the past 25 years at a variety of academic, hospital and private pathology settings. After completing his BA at Cornell, he went on to obtain his MD at Jefferson Medical College. Dr. Fromowitz did his residency training at Yale and went on for additional training at New York University Medical Center. He has held full-time academic appointments at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of NJ, State University of New York at Stony Brook and Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Given his focused interest in Genitourinary Pathology, he has a number of peer-reviewed publications in the field.

Yijun Guo, MD, PhD
Staff Pathologist
Dr. Guo came to PLUS Diagnostics in November of 2006 after spending the past few years in anatomical and clinical pathology positions at a variety of area hospitals. With a focused interest in Genitourinary and Gastrointestinal Pathology, he completed a Nephropathology/Genitourinary fellowship at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, after completing his surgical pathology fellowship at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Guo is Board certified in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology by the American Board of Pathology and a fellow of the College of American Pathologists, he received his MD at Beijing University in China and completed his residency training at Drexel University. In addition, Dr. Guo received his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. He has also received awards from the American Gastroenterological Association and National Institutes of Health for his research.

Petronela Iorga, MD
Staff Pathologist
Dr. Iorga joined PLUS Diagnostics in July 2005. She has served as an integral part of our Urology focused team throughout her time with PLUSDX. In 2006 she had an opportunity to further perfect her Genitourinary Pathology skills in a mini-fellowship at Johns Hopkins University with Dr. Epstein. She received her medical degree at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Iasi, Romania. Her residency in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology was completed at Lenox Hill Hospital and she went on to Albany Medical College to do a Hematopathology fellowship. To date, Dr. Iorga's areas of interest as well as research and publications have been in Hematopathology, Breast and Genitourinary Pathology. She is board certified in Anatomical and Clinical Pathology as well as Hematopathology.

Gunawan Kartika, MD
Staff Pathologist
Dr. Gunawan Kartika came to PLUS Diagnostics in June of 2008 after spending the past 18 years honing his Surgical Pathology and Cytopathology skills in dynamic hospital settings throughout the Northeast region. Dr. Kartika maintains active professional affiliations with the College of American Pathologists, United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology, as well as the American Society of Cytopathology. He completed his medical degree at the University of Liege in Belgium and went on to complete residency at University of Medicine and Dentistry in New Jersey. In addition, Dr. Kartika did fellowship study in Hematopathology at the Veterans Administration Medical Center of the State University of NY in Buffalo. He is Board Certified in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology as well as Cytopathology.

Usha Pai, MD
Staff Pathologist
Dr. Usha Pai came to PLUS Diagnostics in May of 2008. Having spent more than thirteen years most recently in a busy outpatient pathology setting servicing Jersey City Regional Medical Center as well as two other small hospitals, she has a strong yet diverse focus in cytology as well as in surgical cases in the specialties of Genitourinary, Gastrointestinal, and Gynecologic Pathology. Dr. Pai is an Assistant Professor of Pathology at Mount Sinai Medical Center in NY and has also participated actively in pathology quality improvement teaching with medical residents and students at Jersey City Medical Center. Dr. Pai completed her medical degree from the Institute of Medical Sciences in Varanasi, India and went on to complete her residency in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology at University of Medicine & Dentistry in Newark, NJ and Metro Health Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH. Her Cytopathology fellowship was completed at Detroit Medical Center, Wayne State University in Detroit, MI. Dr. Pai is Board Certified in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology as well as Cytopathology.

Gloria Romerocaces, MD
Staff Pathologist
Dr. Gloria Romerocaces joined PLUS Diagnostics in January of 2007. After having served for the past 15 years in a variety of hospitals and out patient reference laboratories throughout Northern NJ and NYC, including Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center, Overlook Hospital, St Mary's Hospital, New York Hospital and Labcorp. We are excited to have her focused area of expertise in bladder cancer with integrated cytology and FISH reporting. Dr. Romerocaces received her medical degree from the University of St. Tomas in the Philippines and completed her residency training including chief residency at Saint Barnabas Medical Center. Her Cytopathology and Surgical Pathology fellowships were completed at North Shore University Hospital. She is Board Certified in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology as well as Cytopathology.

Marilou Rustia-Villa, MD
Staff Pathologist
Dr. Marilou Rustia-Villa joined PLUS Diagnostics in May 2008. She has served in a variety of hospital and outpatient laboratory settings in roles ranging from Pathologist to Associate Director over the past 19 years. Among her many accomplishments during her most recent hospital employment, she developed the tumor pathology reporting format which received commendation by the inspectors for the Approvals Committee of the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons and by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations. Dr. Rustia-Villa completed her medical degree at the University of Santo Tomas, Manila, Philippines. She went on to Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital, teaching hospital of the Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH and College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital in New York, NY to complete her residency training. She completed her fellowship in Anatomic Pathology with emphasis on Surgical Pathology and Cytology, combined with research at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital, Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Englewood Hospital. She is board certified in Anatomic Pathology.

Mona Sharaan, MD
Staff Pathologist
Dr. Sharaan came to PLUS Diagnostics in October 2007 after most recently completing fellowship and research at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in Molecular Pathology. Her fellowship in Cytopathology is from Albert Einstein School of Medicine and she completed her residency at University of Medicine and Dentistry in New Jersey, holding chief resident distinction her fourth year. She received her B.S. degree from Cairo University in Egypt. Bringing to PLUSDX her focused knowledge base in Molecular Pathology, Anatomical Pathology, and Cytopathology, as well as prostate cancer, Dr. Sharaan has published several articles, co-written a book, and performed research in the aforementioned fields. She has been a unique and welcome addition to our Uropathology focused team.

Dean Alan Troyer, MD
Staff Pathologist
Dr. Dean Troyer joined PLUS Diagnostics in November of 2007. He received his medical degree from Indiana University, completing internship and residency in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. He continued his training at the University of Texas, Galveston and at Brigham Hospital in Boston completing Renal Fellowships. He served as a Professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio since 1999. He holds active professional affiliations with the Genitourinary Task Force, American Joint Committee on Cancer, Early Detection Research Network, and Editorial Board for Cancer Biomarkers and Advisory Editorial Board for Cancer. Dr. Troyer also belongs to the American Association for Cancer Research and The American Society for Investigative Pathology. His areas of interest include, Genitourinary, Renal and Gastrointestinal Pathology with more than 60 peer reviewed journal publications.