Meet the Director and Team

Meet the Program Director and Team

Thank you for your interest in the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Mercy Fairfield Hospital. As program director, I am delighted to introduce you to the opportunities available for those who train at our institution. Our program combines a rich and diverse set of clinical experiences that will prepare graduates to step into any internal medicine career – hospital medicine, primary care or fellowship – with a faculty that values and supports you as an individual. Mercy Health – Fairfield Hospital has delivered high performing care to a diverse and underserved population with complex pathology since our opening in 1978. We are a full-service hospital, and nearly all training will take place within the hospital or it’s nearby in-network outpatient clinics.

As a community-based program, we strive to reflect the community that we serve. We are a program that is diverse, resilient and determined to improve day by day. We seek prospective residents who are team-oriented with a growth-focused mindset and a passion for delivering high-value care to our community. 

Program Director

Robert Battisti, MD, MS, FACP | Program Director Medical School: Eastern Virginia Medical School Residency: Carolinas Medical Center   Dr. Battisti joined Mercy Health in 2023, initially joining the busy Fairfield internal medicine practice before transitioning into the residency clinic. He has been involved in graduate medical education since 2016, when he became a core faculty member with Mount Carmel, and then becoming associate program director at Central Michigan University in 2020. Dr. Battisti has had leadership roles in quality improvement, simulation, curriculum design, patient safety and more. Dr. Battisti has maintained a traditional internal medicine career, leading teaching teams and working independently in both the inpatient and outpatient settings. As a medical educator, Dr. Battisti was honored with the Faculty Teacher of the Year Award (2019-2020) with Mount Carmel and Outstanding Clinical Teaching Award (2021-2022) with Central Michigan University.

 Associate Program Directors

Sudhindra Pydimarri, MD, MPH | Ambulatory Associate Program Director Medical School: Rangaraya Medical College Residency: Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center   Dr. Pydimarri serves as the ambulatory associate program director and director of the Mercy Health – Fairfield Internal Medicine Residency Clinic. He previously worked as an ambulatory physician/faculty at Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia since his residency graduation in 2015, where he was a preceptor and managed his own patient panel. Being a PCP, his mantra is simple: "Prevention over cure." His special interests include chronic disease management, value-based care, billing and coding, abstracts, teaching, resident wellness and patient satisfaction. In his spare time, he enjoys cooking, traveling, biking and swimming. He lives with his wife and daughter.

Thomas Terlep, DO | Inpatient Associate Program Director Medical School: Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences – College of Osteopathic Medicine Residency: Grandview Medical Center   Dr. Terlep serves as the inpatient associate program director and inpatient director of the Mercy Health Fairfield Internal Medicine Hospital Teams. He has been working at Mercy Health – Fairfield Hospital as a member of the hospitalist team since 2022 and has a special interest in procedures and critical care hospital medicine. Additionally, Dr. Terlep has an interest in medical ethics as he served on his hospital's ethics committee from 2019 to 2022. He lives with his wife and loves to watch the Chicago Cubs on his off days.

Core Faculty

Tara Adhikari, MD
Deepinder Grewal, MD
Amita Singh, MD
Nadia Yaqub, MD

Contact Us

Program manager: Jordan Garrison
Email: mhfimresidency@mercy.com