Meet Our Team | Family Medicine Residency | St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital

Meet the Director and Team — Family Medicine Residency at St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital

Welcome from the Program Director

Welcome to the Mercy Health St. Elizabeth Youngstown Family Medicine Residency Program. I am proud to direct this program with a more than 40-year history of training excellent family physicians. We continue to add to that legacy every year, thanks to a dedicated faculty, a large and varied patient base, and a commitment to providing our residents with everything that they need to succeed in any area of family medicine.

We pride ourselves on developing well-rounded graduates who will be comfortable caring for patients of all ages, no matter their medical needs, in all settings. I am especially proud that our residents successfully graduate and begin practice in many different areas of focus within family medicine: inpatient, outpatient, traditional, urgent care, academics, fellowship, rural, international and more – and all have been successful in pursuing their professional goals.

Medicine should be fulfilling and exciting, and we support each other as we learn together. In this program you will find ample opportunities for learning and studying, as well as plenty of time for family and fun — picnics, group dinners, parties and other outside activities are integral to our strong sense of camaraderie and commitment to our team.

Please take some time to look through the details of our program. If our program sounds like it could be a good fit for you, we look forward to hearing from you!

Jessica Handel, DO, FAAFP | Program Director

Medical School: Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine

Residency: Mercy Health St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital
Fellowship: American Academy of Family Physicians, Northeast Ohio Medical University

Dr. Jessica Handel is the program director of the Mercy Health St. Elizabeth Youngstown Family Medicine Residency Program. She grew up on a farm in Columbiana, Ohio. She has participated in Mercy Health’s Leadership in Medicine program and holds faculty appointments at Northeast Ohio Medical University, Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine and Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Within the residency, she has been a clerkship site director, an ALSO certified instructor, medical director of the Youngstown State University Student Health Center and the associate program director of our residency program. She is the chair of the Continuing Medical Education Committee for Mercy Health Youngstown.

Her clinical interests include women's health, prenatal care, pediatrics, preventive care, and EKG interpretation. She is the proud mom of two amazing children and is passionate about providing care to underserved patients in the Mahoning Valley and teaching family medicine to the next generation of physicians. In her spare time, she loves horseback riding, traveling, hiking, reading and learning something new.

Assistant Program Directors

James Dombroski, MD, FAAFP | Assistant Program Director

Medical School: Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine
Internship: University of Wyoming-Casper, Family Medicine
Residency: Akron General Medical Center, Center for Family Medicine
Fellowship: Obstetrics at University of Alabama Birmingham School of Medicine, Huntsville

Dr. Dombroski chose to join the faculty as he spent part of his medical training at Youngstown Primary Care. The program has a long history of providing service to the residents of Youngstown and he felt that he could continue to the mission of helping patients in this area. He is also board-certified in obesity medicine. His personal interests include evidence-based medicine at the point-of-care, wilderness medicine and public health policy. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time outdoors with his wife sailing and skiing. He follows Ohio and western Pennsylvania sports teams.

	Ypapanti Meris, MD \| Assistant Program Director Medical School: Northeast Ohio Medical University Residency: Medstar Franklin Square Medical Center Dr. Meris was born at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Youngstown, so it was natural for her to return to her roots. She was chief resident during her residency, and her professional interests include pediatrics, HIV and preventive medicine. She enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, traveling and theater.
	Laura L. Miller, MD, MPH, FAAFP \| Assistant Program Director Medical School: Jefferson Medical College Residency: The Washington Hospital Fellowship: University of Pittsburgh Department of Family Medicine Faculty Development Dr. Miller’s professional interests include maternal/child health, global health and community medicine. In her spare time, she enjoys flower gardening, dancing, hiking, medical mission work, traveling and spending time with her husband and family.
	Asmau Misawa, MD \| Assistant Program Director Medical School: Meharry Medical College, School of Medicine Residency: University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Presbyterian-Shadyside Family Medicine Residency Fellowship: Advanced Obstetrics fellowship at Swedish First Hill Family Medicine Residency Dr. Misawa joined the faculty to teach obstetrics and women’s health and focus on further developing the obstetrics curriculum with both Mercy Health St. Elizabeth Youngstown and Boardman residencies. Her interests within family medicine include obstetrics, women’s health and underserved populations. In her spare time, she enjoys journaling.
	Kelly Tomasic \| Assistant Program Director Medical School: Northeast Ohio Universities College of Medicine Residency: Mercy Health St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital Dr. Tomasic is a graduate of the Mercy Health St. Elizabeth Youngstown Residency. After practicing outpatient and then hospitalist medicine, she joined the faculty to pursue her interest in teaching family medicine. Her areas of interest include women’s health and pediatrics. Outside of work, she enjoys singing, playing music, hiking, bicycling and traveling with her husband and four children.

Jennifer Lamanna, PhD | Assistant Program Director

Doctoral Degree: Virginia Commonwealth University in counseling psychology
Internship: Eastern Virginia Medical School
Fellowship: Akron Children’s Hospital in pediatric psychology

Dr. Lamanna was born and raised in the Mahoning Valley. After completing her training, she worked in the community and is thrilled to be a part of the faculty as an experienced licensed clinical psychologist. Her professional interests include integrated primary care, chronic pain management, adherence to medical treatment and coping with chronic illness. She enjoys spending time with her husband and two children.

Adjunct Faculty

Rudolph Krafft, MD, FAAFP | Associate Program Director

Medical School: Jefferson Medical College
Residency: St. Vincent Health Center

Dr. Krafft is certified by the American Board of Family Medicine and takes a special interest in sports medicine and dermatology. Dr. Krafft's personal interests include college football, golf and reading.

Ronald Scott, MD | Associate Program Director

Medical School: Loyola University Medical Center
Residency: Mercy Health St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital

Dr. Scott joined the faculty at St. Elizabeth Youngstown after completing his residency here. His professional interests include geriatrics. He enjoys discussions on theology, anthropology and zoology.

Clinical Faculty Preceptors

Kristen Evan-Hymes, DO
Harriet Lemberger-Schor, MD
Robert McClusky, MD (Obstetrics and Gynecology)
Christian Yeasted, MD
Vasiliki Vamvakis, MD

Contact Us

Program Coordinator/Academic Specialist: Lauren Pasquine
Email address: lauren_pasquine@mercy.com
Phone: 330-480-3631

	Ypapanti Meris, MD \| Assistant Program Director Medical School: Northeast Ohio Medical University Residency: Medstar Franklin Square Medical Center Dr. Meris was born at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Youngstown, so it was natural for her to return to her roots. She was chief resident during her residency, and her professional interests include pediatrics, HIV and preventive medicine. She enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, traveling and theater.
	Laura L. Miller, MD, MPH, FAAFP \| Assistant Program Director Medical School: Jefferson Medical College Residency: The Washington Hospital Fellowship: University of Pittsburgh Department of Family Medicine Faculty Development Dr. Miller’s professional interests include maternal/child health, global health and community medicine. In her spare time, she enjoys flower gardening, dancing, hiking, medical mission work, traveling and spending time with her husband and family.
	Asmau Misawa, MD \| Assistant Program Director Medical School: Meharry Medical College, School of Medicine Residency: University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Presbyterian-Shadyside Family Medicine Residency Fellowship: Advanced Obstetrics fellowship at Swedish First Hill Family Medicine Residency Dr. Misawa joined the faculty to teach obstetrics and women’s health and focus on further developing the obstetrics curriculum with both Mercy Health St. Elizabeth Youngstown and Boardman residencies. Her interests within family medicine include obstetrics, women’s health and underserved populations. In her spare time, she enjoys journaling.
	Kelly Tomasic \| Assistant Program Director Medical School: Northeast Ohio Universities College of Medicine Residency: Mercy Health St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital Dr. Tomasic is a graduate of the Mercy Health St. Elizabeth Youngstown Residency. After practicing outpatient and then hospitalist medicine, she joined the faculty to pursue her interest in teaching family medicine. Her areas of interest include women’s health and pediatrics. Outside of work, she enjoys singing, playing music, hiking, bicycling and traveling with her husband and four children.

Meet the Director and Team