Meet Our Residency FacultyMary Jo Welker, MD
Dr. Welker graduated from the Ohio State University College of Medicine and completed her residency at Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus. She has been with the department since 1995, serving as department chair since 1999. She is past President of the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians and currently sits on the Board of Trustees for the American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation.
Fred Miser, MD
Dr. Miser graduated from The Ohio State University College of Medicine in 1982 and completed his residency at the Eisenhower Army Medical Center in Ft. Gordon, Georgia. He has been with the department since 1999. In 2007 Dr. Miser was named one of America's Best Doctors. Dr Miser is particularly interested in diabetes mellitus, travel medicine, and women's and men's health issues
Rupal Oza, MD
Dr Oza graduated from Dr D.Y. Patil Medical College in Bombay, India and completed her Family Medicine Residency at The Ohio State University in 2005. She has since been with the department and has served as the Assistant Program Director for the Family Medicine Residency Program for the past 2 ½ years. She is the recipient of the Pfizer Teacher Development Award in 2008 and the Family Physician Teacher of the Year for 2010 – 2011. Dr Oza’s primary interests include student and resident teaching, women’s health, cardiovascular medicine and hospital medicine. She has led the FM Inpatient team at the OSU East hospital since 2008. She is now taking on a new role as the Program Director for the Urban Residency Program and is looking forward to leading the program in it's pursuit of excellence in teaching in an urban setting and also to empower residents towards achieving their learning goals.
Scott Merryman, MD
Dr. Merryman graduated from the Ohio State College of Medicine in 1977 and subsequently completed his family medicine residency training at St. Joseph Hospital in Denver, CO in 1980. Dr. Merryman pursued solo practice from 1980 through 1995 in two sites, Marion and Worthington, and then was in two group practices from 1995 through 2000, both in Worthington, Ohio. In January 2001, Dr. Merryman joined the Ohio State Department of Family Medicine as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Family Medicine with a primary assignment at the OSU Family Medicine -Worthington site. From July 2005 to the present, Dr. Merryman has served as Co-Director of Behavioral Medicine in the Ohio State Family Medicine Residency Program. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Clinical Lipidology. Beginning January 2006, Dr. Merryman became the Co-Director of the OSU/Ross Lipid Clinic.
Glen F. Aukerman, MD
Dr. Aukerman joined the Ohio State faculty in 1995 as Professor and Chair after serving as Chair of the Department of Family Medicine at West Virginia University. Dr. Aukerman is past president of the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians and the American Academy of Family Physicians. His teaching focus includes managed care, alternative medicine, and handheld technology at the point of care.
Patrick J. Fahey, MD
Dr. Fahey graduated from the University of Illinois, Chicago, and completed his family medicine residency at The Ohio State University. He then joined the department faculty in 1979. His teaching focus is in outpatient medicine and has been recognized as the Family Physician Educator of the Year by the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians. He is instrumental in philanthropic and endowment activities for the organization.
John R. McConaghy, MD
Dr. McConaghy graduated from the University of Pittsburgh College of Medicine and completed his residency at David Grant USAF Medical Center in California and served seven years in the US Air Force. He joined The Ohio State University in 2002, coming from Toledo where he was Vice Chair of the Department of Family Medicine and Associate Director of the Family Practice Residency. He also serves as Chair of the Quality Committee and Physician Executive Committee for University Hospitals East.
Milisa Rizer, MD, MPH
Dr. Rizer graduated with her BSN in nursing from The Ohio State University. She graduated from medical school at the University of Cincinnati and completed her residency in Family Medicine at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, NC. She also has a Masters in Public Health in Health Policy and Administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She precepts residents in the Family Practice Center and teaches maternity care in the residency.
Randy Wexler, MD
Dr. Wexler received his medical degree from the Wright State University School of Medicine, and his master's in Public Health from The Ohio State University. His primary area of research is cardiovascular outcomes in primary care focusing on hypertension and heart failure. He is also active in health care policy serving as an advisor for both State and Federal elected officials.
William Buoni, MD
After 20 years of private practice, Dr. Buoni decided to join The Department of Family Medicine to work in an academic setting. He enjoys his position as Assistant Director of the residency program. Dr. Buoni is currently managing Practice Management curriculum for our residents. His hard work and dedication are definitely helping achieve his personal goal "to improve the health of Ohio State students and employees as well as patients throughout central Ohio".
Don Mack, MD
Dr. Mack joined The Department of Family Medicine after over 23 years of practicing Family Medicine in a rural setting. His patient panel includes patients of all ages, but his interest and focus within the Residency is Geriatrics. He has taken over the Departments Resident geriatric training with a goal to increase interest and knowledge among medical students and family medicine residents in the areas of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, with the ultimate goal of improving the care of Senior Citizens.
Joan Simon, PhD
Dr. Simon holds a doctorate in Clinical Psychology, a doctorate in Sociology, and a Masters in Educational Research and Evaluation from Ohio State. Her professional interests and expertise focus on curriculum development and the treatment of mood and anxiety disorders. She is currently the Behavioral Science Director in the Department of Family Medicine and maintains a clinical practice in the Department. She also maintains a consulting practice educating and advising companies and groups in employee evaluation, organizational development, and behavioral change.
Rob Crane, MD
Allison Macerollo, MD
Leon McDougle, MD
Angela Tucker, MD
Sarah Germak
Sarah received a Bachelor of Arts in Russian Linguistics and Sociology from The Ohio State University in 2008. Before accepting a position as Residency Coordinator in June 2010, Sarah worked as support staff at Rardin Family Practice. She enjoys working with Family Medicine Residents and Faculty and looks forward to contributing to the excellence of The Department of Family Medicine at The Ohio State University.
Contact Information: Sarah.Germak@osumc.edu
Tara Wagner
Before joining The Ohio State University-Oakhill Rural Family Practice Residency Program, Mrs. Wagner spent her time on the judicial side, working as a court reporter. She currently is the Residency Coordinator where she assists Dr. Longenecker in running and coordinating the Rural Residency.