The Medical Society of Northern Virginia is a not-for-profit association founded in 1884 serving physicians who live, practice and have hospital privileges in the Northern Virginia area.

MSNVA’s mission is to advocate for the physician community through: education, business resources and access to up to date information affecting their practices.

Defend | Represent | Advocate | Network

Who we are

Alvaro Puig, MD

MSNVA 2024 President

Alvaro Puig, MD is a board-certified physician and has been a member of the MSNVA board since 2019. He attended the prestigious medical school at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, graduated with high honors in 2001, completed his residency and fellowship in Internal Medicine specializing in endocrinology in 2012 at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, FL. Dr. Puig and his wife Claudia Ardila, DDS have independent practices in Falls Church, they have a passion for giving back to their community by providing affordable and high-quality medical care to the Hispanic community. Dr. Puig also volunteers at the Culmore Clinic, a subsidized community clinic, where he provides medical care to patients afflicted with diabetes, dyslipidemia, osteoporosis, thyroid and adrenal conditions.

When Dr. Puig is not practicing medicine; he is practicing piano! As a classical trained professional pianist, he has seen the way music can heal. Dr. Puig is currently working on a pilot program to connect the healing power of piano to the healing power of medicine. The MSNVA board is looking forward to his leadership in 2024.

William Hutchens, MD

MSNVAF 2024 President

Dr. William Hutchens, MD is a pulmonologist in Norfolk, VA and has been practicing for 16 years. He graduated from Albany Medical College in 1995 and specializes in pulmonary disease and critical care medicine.

Soheila Rostami, MD

Foundation President 2023

Soheila Rostami, MD practices medicine at Rostami Oculo-Facial Plastic Consultants in Reston, VA. Dr. Rostami attended Howard University School of Medicine in Washington DC, where she was chief resident of ophthalmology.

Nancy Tanchel, MD

Secretary-Treasurer

Nancy Tanchel, MD practices and serves as Medical Director at Liberty Laser Eye Center in Vienna, VA. Dr. Tanchel attended medical school at Emory University and completed her Ophthalmology residency at the University of South Florida.

Russell Libby, MD

MSNVA Physician Foundation Representative

Russell Libby, MD practices at the Virginia Pediatric Group in Fairfax, VA. Dr. Libby attended medical school at George Washington University and completed his residency at Georgetown University in Washington, DC.

Richard Mendelsohn, DPM

Board Member at Large

Dr. Richard Mendelsohn enjoys working with patients of all ages on a multitude of foot and ankle conditions. Widely recognized as a specialist in the treatment of sports and dance injuries, he is a Fellow of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons, and is certified by the American Board of Podiatric Surgery. In addition, he is a Fellow of the American Society of Podiatric Dermatology and a member of the American Podiatric Medical Association.

Frequently consulted by other physicians for his expertise in the area of sports- and dance-related injuries, he is a clinical advisor and columnist for the American Running and Fitness Association. He was named by the Consumers’ Research Council of America as one of “America’s Top Podiatrists.” Dr. Mendelsohn serves as a consulting podiatrist for numerous professional and amateur sports teams, and appeared on ABC, CBS and NBC news where he spoke about new advances in podiatry.

Dr. Mendelsohn received his undergraduate degree from Emory University in Atlanta and earned his Doctor of Podiatric Medicine from Philadelphia’s Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine in 1985. He completed his residency in the medical and surgical treatment of the foot and ankle at Cambridge Hospital in Cambridge, Massachusetts, (an affiliate of the Harvard Medical School).

Married with five children, Dr. Mendelsohn is a passionate hockey fan who enjoys watching and participating in a variety of other sports as well.

Roy Heron, MD

Board Member at Large

For the past 34 years Dr. Heron has prescribed his moderate carbohydrate diet for weight loss and improved the health of thousands of patients in Northern Virginia and Southern Maryland. In 2005, Dr. Heron trained and became one of the first Bariatric Specialists in the country to master the laser procedure for the removal of cellulite utilizing a non-invasive laser.

Jack Ayoub, MD

Board Member at Large

Amir Shahlaee, MD

Board Member at Large

Dr. Amir Shahlaee is a graduate of the University of Georgia and the Medical College of Georgia. He trained in Pediatrics at UAB followed by training in Pediatric Hematology-Oncology at the Johns Hopkins-NIH Joint Program and Allergy-Immunology at the Medical College of Georgia. He is board-certified in Allergy-Immunology, Pediatric Hematology-Oncology and General Pediatrics.

Dr. Shahlaee’s clinical interests involve the care of adult and pediatric patients with allergic and immunologic disorders including asthma. Additionally, Dr. Shahlaee has an extensive academic background and has previously served on the staff at the University of Florida School of Medicine and at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He also has an interest in drug development and clinical trial design and works as a consultant with the pharmaceutical industry.

Andrew Goldberg, MD

Board Member at Large

Claudia Téllez

Executive Director

Claudia began her career with MSNVA as Director of Foundation Programs. During her tenure, she was responsible for the planning and development of Project Access of Northern Virginia, a program that delivers pro-bono specialty health care services to low-income, uninsured patients in Fairfax County and Alexandria City. In addition, Claudia serves on a number of boards and committees. In 2008, she was appointed by Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine as trustee of the Virginia Tobacco Settlement Foundation (currently The Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth) and Board Trustee for the Physicians Foundation. She has a BA in International Relations from DePaul University and certification on Disaster Preparedness and Readiness from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Susana Martins

Operations Manager

Susana is a George Mason University graduate with a degree in Health Administration and Policy. She is currently enrolled in her Master's program at George Mason for Health Administration. She enjoys finding new delicious restaurants, baking, learning about other cultures, and comedy shows. Email: Susana@msnva.org

Brigid Randolph

Membership Relations Associate

Brigid is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University, with a Bachelor of Arts and a minor in General Business. Brigid enjoys arts administrative work with previous theatrical employers, such as the Wolf Trap Foundation for Performing Arts. Brigid also enjoys acting, reading, and baking in her free time.

Grace Tamaro

Marketing Intern

Grace is a senior at George Mason University pursing a bachelor’s degree in Health Administration with a concentration in Health Systems Management. A native to the Northern Virginia area, Grace enjoys exploring the nature and rich culture the area has to offer. In her free time, Grace also enjoys movies, cooking, and working out.

Rubab Sajid

Membership Relations Intern

Vacant

Project Manager

Stakeholders:

MSNVA works with societies around the area to help the medical profession with advocacy and public health efforts.