From left: Andrew Moore, MD, Mita Hoppenfeld, MD, and Adrian Castillo, MD are the 2020-2021 Chief Residents

Chief Residents for 2020-2021 Announced


The list of Stanford chief residents has just gotten a little longer: Adrian Castillo, MD, Mita Hoppenfeld, MD, and Andrew Moore, MD were recently announced as chief residents for 2020-2021.

Ronald Witteles, MD, associate professor of cardiovascular medicine, shared the announcement with colleagues, adding that this year’s selection was a tremendous challenge, as it often is, because the candidates all came such a talented R2 class.

He added, “We couldn’t be more excited to work with Adrian, Mita, and Andrew as future Chief Residents.  The Chief Residents play a vital role for the residency program and for the Department, and we have the highest expectations for such an exceptionally talented group."

Meet the Chief Residents:


Adrian Castillo, MD

Adrian Castillo, MD, received a B.A. in Human Biology with a concentration in Public Health from Stanford, graduating in 2012.  He then stayed at Stanford for an additional year as a Course Associate in Stanford’s Program in Human Biology, prior to enrolling in medical school at UCLA. He was a standout medical student at UCLA, earning Letters of Distinction in almost all of his core clerkships.   We were Adrian delighted to recruit him back to Stanford in 2018 for his residency training.  Adrian’s clinical performance has been superb, and — as an active teacher ever since his undergraduate days — his education/communication skills are exceptional, and he is a natural leader.  Adrian has been selected by his peers to be a Class Representative for each of his two years as a resident, and he was a peer-selected winner of the prestigious Julian Wolfsohn Award this year, recognizing Outstanding Performance in Internal Medicine.  After his Chief Resident year, Adrian plans a career in Cardiology.


Mita Hoppenfeld, MD

Mita Hoppenfeld, MD, received a a B.A. with Honors in Neuroscience, graduating cum laude from Wellesley College in 2010.  As an undergraduate, she was an active researcher, working in basic science labs at both Brigham & Women’s Hospital and at Wellesley College.  She was also awarded a Service Learning Grant in 2009 by Wellesley College, to explore and work toward social change at Boston Health Care for the Homeless.  Continuing this service theme, she then spent 2 years from 2010-2012 working as a High School Teacher in San Antonio as part of the Teach for America program.  She subsequently enrolled at Boston University for medial school — where she distinguished herself as one of the very top medical students in her class, earning Honors on each and every clinical rotation, graduating magna cum laude and as a member of AOA.  Mita then matched in Anesthesiology at Stanford, with her Preliminary Medicine year at MGH.  Early in her intern year, she realized just how much she loved Internal Medicine, and she transferred into Stanford’s Medicine-Anesthesia program.  During her PGY-2 year, she realized even further how much she loved Internal Medicine, and she transferred into our Categorical Medicine training program.  During her residency, she has taken a leadership role in the GME-wide Women in Medicine group, and she has worked with Dr. Joe Hsu on developing anticoagulation protocols for patients on VA and VV ECMO.  Mita has distinguished herself as a resident by her outstanding clinical skills and her meticulous approach to patient care.  After her Chief Resident year, Mita plans a career in Cardiology.


Andrew Moore, MD

Andrew Moore, MD, received a B.S. in Neuroscience from the College of William and Mary in 2013, graduating summa cum laude.  While an undergraduate, Andrew spent multiple summers in a basic science lab, supported by 4 grants through the College of William and Mary.  He then enrolled at University of Viriginia for medical school, where he studied genetic drivers of non-small cell lung cancer, and spent time working with colleagues at the CDC studying the epidemiology of cat-scratch disease and Lyme disease.  He earned top clinical marks across his clerkships, and we were thrilled to recruit him to Stanford for his residency training.  At Stanford, Andrew has continued his research pursuits, working with Dr. Angela Rogers to validate the use of an mRNA expression profile for diagnosing sepsis and predicting mortality in critically ill patients.  He has been a leader of the Stanford Medicine Residency Research Interest Group, and has been lauded across all of his rotations for his clinical excellence and dedication to teaching.  Recognizing these achievements, Andrew was a recipient as an intern of the peer-nominated Julian Wolfsohn Award for Outstanding Performance in Internal Medicine.  After his Chief Resident year, Andrew plans a career as a physician-scientist in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine.