Meet the Doctors at Dover Family Physicians




Joseph F. Rubacky, III, D.O., FAAFP 

Joseph F. Rubacky, III, DO, FAAFP was born and raised in northern New Jersey. He graduated from Drew University with honors in chemistry in 1978. He attended medical school at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey—School of Osteopathic Medicine and graduated with honors in 1982. Dr. Rubacky completed his internship at Metropolitan Hospital in Philadelphia, PA and a Family Practice residency at West Jersey Hospital (University of Pennsylvania affiliate program). He served as chief resident and graduated in 1985. He became certified in Family Medicine in 1985, and re-certified in 1991, 1997,2003, and 2012.  He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians, their highest honor.

Prior to joining Dover Family Physicians, Dr. Rubacky served in the United States Air Force where he achieved the rank of major. From 1985 to 1989, he was stationed at Homestead Air Force base in Florida, and he served as both chairman of the family practice department and emergency medicine. He was recognized for his achievements by the Surgeon General of the Tactical Air Command and received both the Air Force Commendation Medal and the TAC Surgeon General's Medal.

In 1989, Dr. Rubacky joined Dover Family Physicians in the practice of family medicine. He has remained active in both inpatient and outpatient medical care. He practices with his partners at Bayhealth Medical Center—Kent General Hospital in Dover, DE. Dr. Rubacky has been recognized by the magazine Delaware Today as one of the "Top Doctors in Delaware" on multiple occasions.

Dr. Rubacky continues to have a special interest in the treatment of diabetes, both in adult and juvenile, preventative cardiology, smoking cessation, and the treatment of HIV disease. He continues to maintain both an active outpatient and inpatient practice in these areas and many others with his partners.

Dr. Rubacky has been active in many roles at Bayhealth Medical Center. In addition to serving on many committees, he was chairman of the family practice department at Kent General Hospital from 1992 to 1995. He served as vice president of the medical staff from 1997 to 1998, and then president of the medical staff from 1998 to 2000. Dr. Rubacky was elected a member of the Board of Trustees of Bayhealth Medical Center in 1998 and served for more than 10 years. 

Dr. Rubacky has been active in organized medicine, and has served on the Board of Directors of The Medical Society of Delaware and DELPAC. He has served as treasurer, vice president, and president of the Kent County Medical Society. He has also served as Secretary of the Medical Society of Delaware and was a member of the board of trustees of the Medical Society of Delaware from 1993 to 1997. Dr. Rubacky retains active membership in the Kent County Medical Society, the Medical Society of Delaware, the Delaware Academy of Family Medicine, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the American Osteopathic Association. He routinely attends continuing medical education courses put on by these organizations and many others.

As managing partner and a member of Dover Family Physicians, Dr. Rubacky is passionate about our mission, which is to provide the highest quality of care to all of our patients.  As a team, Dover Family Physicians has been the leader in quality care in Delaware, and recognized by many organizations for our work.  We were the first in Delaware to achieve meaningful use (advanced use of computers in medicine) and one of the very first in the country, as featured on the United States Government’s website.  We also were the first, and still are, the only private practice in Delaware to achieve the highest level of recognition for quality for the NCQA, level III Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH).  This is the highest level of quality in outpatient care.

Our team approach provides the highest level of quality for all visits with all of our doctors by tracking dozens of indicators, screening tests, labs, specialist reports, medication usage, and immunizations, and many other important markers of your health.  Finally, we remain the rare practice that still cares for our patients as an inpatient (when you are sick in the hospital).  Yes, we come to the hospital every day, and lead the team of doctors (including all specialists), nurses, and others in your care, to ensure the highest quality of care by overseeing all aspects of it.

Dover Family Physicians and Dr. Rubacky are committed to providing the highest level of quality healthcare, both as an inpatient and as an outpatient, to you and your family.  They are honored that you entrust them with your care.

Sharad Patel, M.D. 

Dr. Patel was born and raised in Kingston, New York. He graduated with honors from State University of New York at Stony Brook with a B.S. in Biochemistry in 1995. He then went on to attend Ross University School of Medicine. After graduating in May 1999, he completed his family practice residency training at JFK Medical Center in Edison, New Jersey. Dr. Patel was named Chief Resident during his training and was given the “Resident Teacher of the Year” award at graduation. He became Board Certified in Family Medicine in 2002.

Since graduating, Dr. Patel worked as a clinical faculty member at JFK Family Practice Center, where he had a busy practice ranging from newborns to elderly patients. He has enjoyed working in this outpatient setting, which has allowed him to manage common ambulatory problems as well as take care of his patients when hospitalized. He took an active role in teaching resident physicians about the skills needed to take care of a wide variety of patient care issues, including common office procedures. Dr. Patel also has experience in taking care of the elderly population. He used to manage patients at three busy nursing homes near his office. Dr. Patel’s professional interests include hypertension, diabetes, women’s health, sports medicine and pediatric care. He also has experience in performing many minor office procedures such as skin biopsy, mole and cyst removal, joint injections and IUD insertions.

Since moving to Dover in 2004, Dr. Patel has developed a busy practice with Dover Family Physicians. He has active privileges at Kent General Hospital where he and his fellow associates take care of hospitalized patients. Dr. Patel serves as Vice Chairman for the Board of Directors at Bayhealth Medical Center, and the chairperson of the health system's Credentialing Committee. Dr. Patel was named Physician of the year 2018 for Bayhealth Medical Center. He is a current member of the American Medical Association, Medical Society of Delaware and the American Academy of Family Physicians. Dr. O



Shalini Shah, M.D.M.P.H. 

Dr.Shah graduated from Pennsylvania State University in 1998 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nutrition and a Minor in Kinesiology. She obtained a Masters Degree in Public Health, with Concentration in Health Policy Management and Nutrition from the University of California in Berkeley CA in May 2000. She went on to graduate from Drexel University College of Medicine in May 2005. Dr.Shah completed a 3 year residency in Family Medicine at York Hospital in Pennsylvania in 2008.  After residency, she worked for 3 years at a Community Health Center in York. She came to Dover Family Physicians in 2011 and is now a partner with the practice. Dr. Shah has a special interest in preventative medicine along with diabetes.

She resides in Middletown, DE with her husband and two boys. She enjoys traveling, reading, dancing, photography and most important caring for her patients.

Dr. Tatsiana Peters, M.D. 

Dr.Peters was born and raised in Viebsk, Belarus. Her parents and her brother still live there. Dr. Peters went to a six year medical school program after graduating high school. She graduated from Vitebsk State Medical University in 2007. Dr. Peters completed her medical training at St. Francis Family Medicine Residency program after which she joined Dover Family Physicians.She started with the practice in September 2013. She is board certified in Family Medicine and is a member of the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Family Physicians. Her special interests are preventive medicine, women's health and pediatric care. She enjoys these parts of medicine however is pleased to treat all of our patient's here. Dr. Peters moved to Delaware after graduating from medical school. She lives in Dover Delaware with her husband and sons.

James Fletcher D.O. M.S. 

James Fletcher  was born in Baltimore, Maryland and raised in Dover, Delaware when he moved with his family at 12,  attending Central Middle School and Dover High School where he excelled academically and on the tennis court.  He graduated with a degree in Biology from Brown University in 2005 where he developed a passion for research. This passion lead him Downers Grove, Illinois where he received a masters degree in Bio-Medicine from Midwestern University in 2011 investigating the protective nature of obesity in the setting of organophosphate poisoning. He met his wife, Dr. Maria Fletcher DMD while she too was studying for her masters degree in Bio-Medicine. He attended the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine, graduating in 2015 with a dream to one day move home to Delaware to take care of the community that raised him. He completed his residency at York Hospital in York, Pennsylvania where he was chief resident and Penn State Hershey Medical School resident teacher of the year for 2018 in Family Medicine. He and his wife have been on several medical missions to rural Guatemala where they practice pro-bono medicine and dentistry respectively. He has presented several research projects and papers on the development of sustainable preventative care programs in the remote villages of Guatemala. Specifically his work includes: anti-parasite protocols for pediatric patients, protocols for low cost cervical cancer surveillance and ethical prescribing protocols for antihypertensive and antiglycemic medications on short trips with limited follow up.  Outside of the hospital he loves shore fishing at Henlopen State park and playing USTA amatuer men's tennis    .

                                                                               

Neil Whaley III, PA-C 

  PA Neil was raised in Reinholds, PA and graduated from Cocalico High School in 2009. From here, he went on to Allegheny College in Meadville, PA where he received his Bachelor of Science Degree majoring in biology and minoring in psychology. In the year between finishing college and attending PA school, Neil became a certified nursing assistant in Wilmington, DE and worked as a pharmacy associate at Rite Aid in Bear, DE. He then received his Master of Medical Science Degree in Physician Assistant Studies at Arcadia University in 2016.  

   

  Neil is certified by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA), effective 2016 and must re-certify every 10 years. He joined Dover Family Physicians upon passing the Physician Assistant National Certification Exam (PANCE). He is a Fellow member of the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) as well as a Fellow member of the Delaware Academy of Physician Assistants (DAPA).  




  Mushmoom Khan, MD

Dr Khan recently finished her residency training in family medicine in New York at The Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell Health. She has completed her board certification in Family Medicine. During her training Dr Khan saw patients of all ages and gained special expertise in taking care of elderly patients at the hospital. She dedicated extra time during her training in Women’s Health and Global health with missions to the Dominican Republic and Pakistan. Dr Khan was actively involved in research for women’s health and conducted as well as presented quality improvement research projects in the hospital. She presented her research on Deprescribing PPIs at a national conference Philadelphia in 2019 and has presented at regional conferences too. Her clinical interests include women’s health, adolescent health as well as hypertension, diabetes and weight loss. She also is able to provide minor office procedures such as joint injections and IUD insertions/removals When she is not taking care of patients in the clinic or hospital she enjoys travelling, reading and recently exploring Delaware. 




Conor Burke, PA-C, ATC

 Conor Burke was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA, and graduated from Shaler High School in 2011. Throughout his childhood, he played for the Vipers Hockey Organization where he excelled on the ice and developed a passion for sports and medicine. His passion led him to receive a bachelor’s degree in Athletic Training from Duquesne University (Class of 2015). He is a board-certified Athletic Trainer. Following graduation, Conor wanted to further his education and knowledge of medicine. He moved to Ohio to complete the Physician’s Assistant graduate program at the University of Dayton (Class of 2019). During his time at the University of Dayton, he fell in love with family medicine and delivering person-centered care throughout the lifespan. Upon graduation, he moved to Delaware to follow his passion for family medicine and work at Dover Family Physicians. Conor is certified by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistant (NCCPA). In his spare time, he enjoys exploring Delaware, traveling, spending time with his family, and watching hockey.


 

Jessica A. Magdeburger, MD, MHS

Washington College, BS

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, MHS

Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, MD

Lancaster General Hospital, Family Medicine Residency 


I grew up in Baltimore but spent every summer on the Delaware shore. I have always felt a strong allegiance to Delaware and am excited to finally call it my official home. I completed my undergraduate degree in biology and chemistry at Washington College along the Eastern Shore and it was there that I fell in love with the complexity of medicine. After college, I returned to Baltimore to complete a Masters in immunology and microbiology at Johns Hopkins which solidified my desire to pursue a career that allowed me to interact with patients. I completed my medical education at Penn State Hershey where my amazing mentors introduced me to the field of Family Medicine. I fell in love with the meaningful relationships I formed with my patients and the opportunity to be a lifelong learner that is unique to the specialty. While my clinical interests remain broad, I am particularly interested in women’s health, adolescent health, and teaching. Outside of medicine, you can usually find me with my family and dog, Roland, at the beach where I enjoy crabbing, clamming, and boating. I also enjoy taking in the beautiful nature Delmarva has to offer with camping, hiking, and biking. I am very excited to begin my next journey with Dover Family Physicians and to serve my new community.