Program Leadership

Jonathan “JT” Tolentino, MD, MS-HPE, FACP, FAAP

Program Director, Internal Medicine and pediatrics Residency Program
Associate Professor of INTERNAL Medicine and Pediatrics
DIRECTOR, MED-PEDS CONTINUITY CLINIC
Director, Transition Medicine Track
Director, PATH Transition Program

Graduate School: MGH Institute of Health Professions
Medical School: Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University
Residency:  Med-Peds, University of Cincinnati/Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
Chief Residency: Med-Peds, University of Cincinnati/Cincinnati Children’s Hospital

Dr. Tolentino joined the UM/JMH Med-Peds Program in March 2020, as the Program Director, and is Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at the University of Miami. He has over 15 years of experience in graduate medical education in Med-Peds program leadership. Upon completion of his chief year, he was Associate Program Director for the Internal Medicine Residency Program and Assistant Program Director for the Internal Medicine-Pediatrics Residency program at the University of Cincinnati.  He was then recruited to Stony Brook University, where he served as Med-Peds Program Director from 2015 - 2020. 

Dr. Tolentino brings his past clinical experiences in care for young adults with special health care needs, cystic fibrosis, and adult survivors of childhood cancers to UM/JMH.  He is passionate about working with the underserved and vulnerable, LGBTQ+ community, and working to reduce health care disparities affecting Latine and Asian communities.  He is active nationally and has served in national leadership roles in the Med-Peds Program Directors Association (MPPDA), Society for General Internal Medicine, and APDIM, and currently serves as the Past-Past President for the MPPDA.  He considers himself big “M” and big “P,” and believes that Med-Peds physicians truly are the “mighty generalists.” He works clinically as a primary care physician, a transition medicine specialist, and as an adult and pediatric hospitalist. His interests include resident medical education, primary care, adult survivorship of pediatric cancer, transition from childhood to adulthood care, quality improvement, vulnerable populations and health disparities, and medical education research.  He is honored to work with such a talented and passionate Med-Peds family here at UM/JMH. 

Christina DeBenedictus, MD, MBA

ASSOCIATE PROGRAM DIRECTOR, INTERNAL MEDICINE and PEDIATRICS RESIDENCY PROGRAM
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF INTERNAL MEDICINE AND PEDIATRICS

Graduate School: University of Michigan
Medical School: University of Michigan School of Medicine
Residency: Med-Peds, University of Miami/Jackson Health System
Chief Residency: Med-Peds, University of Miami/Jackson Health System

Christina DeBenedictus is a former graduate and chief of our UM/JMH Med-Peds Class of 2023.  Prior to residency she did her undergraduate education at Brown University. She then worked as a research coordinator in cardiovascular research prior to starting medical school at the University of Michigan where she obtained a combined MD and MBA degree. During her residency she completed the Medical Education pathway and upon graduating decided to stay at the University of Miami as a Faculty hospitalist.  She initially joined as Med-Peds core faculty where she championed revamping our CHS teaching program and worked to further develop the noon conference curriculum for our residents. She is now continuing these efforts as the associate program director of the Med Peds program starting in June 2026.  She has interests in medical education and quality improvement, especially as it relates to the role of Artificial Intelligence in medicine and medical education.