Faculty

Mahesh Krishnamurthy, MD
Program Director

Dr. Mahesh Krishnamurthy is board-certified in Internal Medicine, Geriatric Medicine, and Obesity Medicine and has spent more than two decades caring for patients and teaching residents in the Lehigh Valley. He completed his Internal Medicine residency at New York Methodist Hospital/Wyckoff Heights and his Geriatric Medicine fellowship at NYU.

A longtime leader in medical education, his prior roles included serving as Program Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program at St. Luke’s Easton Campus (formerly Easton Hospital). What he enjoys most about medicine is getting to know his patients and residents as people. He loves teaching at the bedside, working through challenging cases, and helping residents develop confidence in their own approach to medicine. He believes some of the best learning happens through conversation, curiosity, and the experiences shared between patients, residents, and teachers. He enjoys traveling the world with his wife Manju, and is a passionate fan of Philadelphia sports teams, especially the Eagles.

Steven Cardio, MD, MBA
Associate Program Director
Hospitalist & Internal Medicine – Primary Care Dr. Steven Cardio is board certified in Internal Medicine. After finishing medical school, Dr. Cardio completed his residency at St. Luke’s University Hospital–Bethlehem, where he was Chief Resident. Dr. Cardio has completed an MBA with a focus in healthcare management. In the residency program, he will see patients and precept residents in inpatient and outpatient settings. He will see patients at St. Luke’s Internal Medicine in Easton in the collaborative resident/faculty practices. Areas of interest include clinical research, medical stimulation and quality improvement. In his spare time, Dr. Cardio enjoys traveling.

Andreea Davis, MD
Associate Program Director
Internal Medicine – Primary Care
Internal Medicine Residency Program Health and Wellness Dr. Andreea Davis is board certified in Internal Medicine. After receiving her medical degree, she did her post-graduate training in dermatology. She is a graduate of the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Easton Hospital, where she was also Chief Resident in her final year. She is joining the residency program as a faculty member with a focus on Ambulatory Internal Medicine. She will be seeing patients and precepting residents at St Luke’s Internal Medicine – Easton in the collaborative resident/faculty practice. Areas of professional interest include preventive health and wellness and personalized medicine. When not working, she enjoys exploring different cultures through art, food and traveling, as well as spending time with her family and her 4 pets.

Mathai Chalunkal, MD
Hospitalist & Internal Medicine – Primary Care
Internal Medicine Residency Program Education and Health Technology Dr. Mathai “Mat” Chalunkal is a board-certified in Internal Medicine and has worked as an Internist, rheumatologist and hospitalist in India, UK and The Sultanate of Oman prior to joining St. Luke’s. He is also a graduate of the Internal Medicine Residency at St. Luke’s University Health Network. He recently completed the Certification for Physician Leadership from the American College of Physicians. The subject of his thesis/capstone project was physician burnout and he presented his findings in a podium presentation at the National ACP Conference in May 2018. In the residency program, he will be seeing patients and precepting residents both in the inpatient and will be seeing patients at St Luke’s Internal Medicine – Easton in the collaborative resident/faculty practice . He loves teaching, trivia, traveling, trying out various cuisines, reading, and is a strong proponent of lifelong learning. He also enjoys walking his Welsh Corgi’s.

Rich Garwood, DO
Hospitalist
Internal Medicine Residency Program Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Dr. Garwood is board-certified in Internal Medicine and is a member of the hospitalist staff at Anderson Campus. After receiving his medical degree, he completed his residency at Wilson Memorial Regional Medical Center where he served at Chief Resident in his final year. He has been an integral member of various performance improvement committees in the network since joining St. Luke’s in 2009. He also has been the director of the student clerkship for the hospitalist rotation. He will be the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Officer for the Internal Medicine Residency Program. His interests include performance improvement and resident and student education. Outside of the hospital, he is an automobile enthusiast, who also loves the outdoors, including kayaking and hiking. He is an avid escape room artist and has also just started learning to ski. Dr. Garwood is very happy to be a long time member of the St. Luke’s ever-growing family.

Jyothi Kudakandira, MD Dr. Jyothi Kudakandira is a board-certified Internal Medicine hospitalist physician at St. Luke’s University Health Network. She completed her Internal Medicine residency at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center in New York.

A Senior Fellow of the Society of Hospital Medicine, Dr. Kudakandira enjoys working alongside residents and students, sharing the practical lessons that come from years of clinical experience, and helping them grow into thoughtful, confident, and compassionate physicians.

Naitik Patel, MD Dr. Patel is board-certified in Internal Medicine and a member of the hospitalist staff at St. Luke’s Anderson Campus. After receiving his medical degree, he completed his residency at Drexel University College of Medicine at Hannemann Hospital, where he served as Chief Resident and core faculty. Dr. Patel joined St. Luke’s in March 2022 as the PD. Previously, he has worked as a hospitalist and held several leadership positions in both UME and GME at various institutions. Dr. Patel has won several teaching awards and is passionate about enhancing the educational experience for residents. Outside of the hospital, he is an avid traveler, who also loves outdoor activities such as hiking, playing Kenjam with friends and long walks with his goldendoodle.

Susannah Stair, MD Dr. Susannah Stair is a graduate of MCP Hahnemann (now Drexel University College of Medicine), and completed her combined Internal Medicine-Pediatrics residency at Christiana Health System. She is board-certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics and practices in the Easton Area as part of St. Luke's Physician Group. A former Associate Program Director at St. Luke’s Easton IM Residency Program, Dr. Stair enjoys teaching and mentoring residents while getting to know the diverse backgrounds and cultures they bring to medicine. Her approach combines evidence-based care with real-world experience and a “Sherlock Holmes” curiosity for challenging cases, always emphasizing compassionate bedside care. Outside of medicine, she enjoys spending time with her husband Jay and their four children, horseback riding, hobby farming, gardening, hiking, reading, and caring for their rescued animals.