John Brach, MD
Michael Beecher, MD
Romel Bertulfo, MD
Jennifer Czechowski
John Fitzgerald, MD
Peter Janes, MD
Michael Merrill, MD, MS, MJ
John Patti, MD
Abdallah Rimawi, MD
Alan Smith, MD
John Brach, MD
President & CEO
“In our professional lifetimes, hospital medicine is the most profound change that we will experience in the way we deliver hospital-based care.”
Buffalo, NY native John Brach, MD has been a hospital-based physician for more than 20 years, originally as the chief of Emergency Medicine at Sisters of Charity Hospital in Buffalo, NY. He also co-founded a large Emergency Medicine group to staff the Catholic Health System of Western New York, before founding Aurora Hospitalist in 2002. Since then, Dr. Brach has added Genesee Hospitalist, Endion Hospitalist of Williamsville, Endion North at DeGraff, Endion Hopistalist of Western New York at Sister's Hospital - St. Joseph Campus, and Endion SeniorCare to the group. Today, as Endion Hospitalist Systems, this group oversees the largest and most comprehensive Hospitalist system in Western New York under the direction of Dr. Brach. A graduate of the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Medicine, Dr. Brach also holds a B.A. degree in Fine Arts from Buffalo State College. He is a member of the Society of Hospital Medicine and sits on the board of the Mercy Hospital Foundation.
Michael Beecher, MD
Site Director
Michael Beecher, MD is the Site Director of Endion Hospitalist Williamsville at Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital. A graduate of SUNY Buffalo’s School of Medical and Biomedical Sciences, Dr. Beecher is board certified in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. Dr. Beecher also served as Chief of the Department of Medicine at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center.
Dr. Beecher is a clinical instructor with the Department of Family Medicine at the UB School of Medical and Biomedical Sciences.
Romel Bertulfo, MD
Site Director
Romel Bertulfo, MD is the Site Director for Endion Hospitalist of Western New York. Born in the Philippines, Dr. Bertulfo’s career in medicine began with his board certification with the Philippines Medical Licensure Exam in 1994. Throughout his academic career he won several awards and became a recipient of the Dr. Gamez Scholarship for Academic Excellence at the University of Santo Tomas, Philippines.
In 2002, Dr. Bertulfo started his medical career in the United States as a clinical assistant with Cardiac Specialists of Brooklyn, NY and, beginning in 2003, as a voluntary extern with Kings County Hospital Cardiology Clinic, also based in Brooklyn, NY, becoming board certified in August 2007. Dr. Bertulfo moved to Buffalo in 2007 when he began to work as a hospitalist at Mercy Hospital.
Jennifer Czechowski
Director of Practice Management
Jennifer Czechowski joined Endion Hospitalist Systems as the Director of Practice Management in 2006. Since then, she has been instrumental in managing virtually every aspect of operations among Endion’s network of Hospitalist groups. Jennifer, a native of Worcester, NY, earned her Bachelor's degree in Business and Public Management from SUNY Utica.
John Fitzgerald, MD
Medical Director
John Fitzgerald, MD is a Medical Director with Endion SeniorCare. Dr. Fitzgerald earned his MD with honors from the University at Buffalo Medical School. After completing his medical degree, Dr. Fitzgerald participated in a general surgery internship at Millard Fillmore Hospital and then completed a family practice residency with Hamot Medical Center in Erie, Pennsylvania. Following his residency, Dr. Fitzgerald returned to Western New York where he has practiced medicine since 1988, having joined Endion SeniorCare in 2008.
Peter Janes, MD
Site Director
Peter Janes, MD is the Site Director of Aurora Hospitalist, PC. A Western New York native and graduate of the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Medicine, Dr. Janes is board certified in internal medicine and pediatrics. He also received a B.S. degree in Biochemistry from SUNY Geneseo. He is currently the associate chairman of the Department of Medicine at Mercy Hospital of Buffalo, NY, where he is also the site director for Aurora Hospitalist, PC, an Endion Hospitalist Systems company. Dr. Janes is a member of the Society of Hospital Medicine and is a diplomate for the American Board of Internal Medicine.
Michael Merrill, MD, MS, MJ
Site Director
As the Site Director of Genesee Hospitalist, Michael Merrill, MD, MS actively works with the administration to identify quality and cost-saving opportunities. He is also Vice President of Medical Affais for United Memorial Medical Center. A native of Western New York and a graduate of the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Medicine, Dr. Merrill is board certified in internal and preventive medicine.
He also holds a Master’s Degree in epidemiology from SUNY Buffalo and a Master’s Degree in journalism from Columbia University. Dr. Merrill currently is a clinical assistant instructor at SUNY Buffalo. He is a diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine, a member of the New York State Board of Professional Medical Conduct, and is chair of the Health Information Management Committee of the Catholic Health System in Buffalo, NY. Dr. Merrill is also the recipient of the Bernard and Sophie Gottlieb Award and the Klocke Award. He is the author of the book Vitamin D: Antidote to Winter and the Darkness.
John Patti, MD
Site Director
John Patti, MD is the Site Director for Endion Hospitalist North at DeGraff Memorial Hospital. He earned his BA in biology from Canisius College and his MD from the University at Buffalo. Dr. Patti’s residency program had a combined focus on internal medicine and pediatrics and is a diplomate of both the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Pediatrics. He is also a member of the American Medical Association and the Society of Hospitalist Medicine.
Abdallah Rimawi, MD
Medical Director
Abdallah Rimawi, MD is a Medical Director with Endion SeniorCare. Prior to joining Endion, Dr. Rimawi completed his residency in internal medicine and geriatrics at St. Vincent’s Catholic Medical Center in New York, NY and was a longtime resident of the city. He is board certified in internal medicine.
Alan Smith, MD
Medical Director
Alan Smith, MD is a Medical Director with Endion SeniorCare. A graduate of the University at Buffalo Medical School, Dr. Smith is board certified in geriatrics, family practice and emergency medicine. He was previously medical director of the emergency department at Mercy Hospital and Our Lady of Victory Hospital.