Chief Residents

Hello and Welcome Applicants!

Thank you for taking the time to visit our website, we are excited to share a little bit about ourselves as well as our wonderful program!

For the 2024-2025 Academic year, we have four chief residents leading the program: Marina Buciuc, Cyril Lukianov, McKay Hanna, and Lissie Ertel.

Marina Buciuc comes to us from Moldova, a small but charming Eastern European country not to be confused with the idyllic Maldives. She completed her medical studies in Moldova which clearly was not enough for her inquisitive mind so she got Master Degree in Molecular Biology in the US afterwards. She spent several years doing fruitful clinical research focusing on neurodegenerative and autoimmune neurological disorders but could no longer resist the clinical practice calling which brought her to MUSC where she was impressed by the quality of clinical training, welcoming environment, and true camaraderie among the residents and faculty. As residency went on Marina was captivated and fascinated by every subspecialty, so she decided to pursue a career in the field that has it all. She will be pursuing Autoimmune Neurology fellowship at the mecca of antibody discovery also known as Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. After work, you can find her either strolling peacefully along historic streets of Charleston with a fresh croissant in hand or mercilessly assaulting her basil plants to get enough for homemade pesto to feed her residency friends as well as partake in other culinary endeavors.

Cyril Lukianov is originally from Belarus (another small but charming Eastern European country) but grew up in the Atlanta, GA area. He attended Georgia Tech for his undergraduate degree in Biomolecular Engineering and Medical College of Georgia for his medical degree. While in undergrad, Cyril participated in cutting-edge protein engineering research focused at bioengineering delivery molecules for monoclonal antibody-based therapeutics. Always fascinated by the human mind and spirit, Cyril was drawn to Neurology from his first neuroanatomy block as an MS1. Later in medical school, he became interested in stroke risk factors and was naturally drawn to MUSC Neurology Residency for its very strong vascular, neurocritical care, and inpatient general neurology. After residency, Cyril will work as a Neurohospitalist and provide much-needed care in underserved areas of the US Southeast. In his free time, Cyril enjoys riding his bike around the gorgeous Charleston area, going on road trips with his wife Kelly and golden retriever Charlie, volunteering at church, or cooking a new recipe from scratch.

McKay Hanna is from Poquoson, Virginia and received her degrees in Biochemistry and Spanish from Virginia Tech before attending Virginia Commonwealth University for medical school. McKay initially became interested in neurology after her grandfather was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, but she truly fell in love with the field on her vascular neurology rotation after seeing Gerstmann Syndrome for the first time. She was drawn to MUSC and Charleston for the amazing clinical training, friendly people and BEAUTIFUL location. After starting residency she developed a passion for acute neurology and quickly realized she belonged in the inpatient setting. She will be pursuing a career in neurocritical care and will be moving back home for a fellowship at the University of Virginia. When not in the ICU, McKay enjoys hanging out with her adorable dog River, going to the beach with her partner and friends, reading (not textbooks, we promise), and searching for the best espresso martini in town.

Lissie Ertel grew up in Princeton, NJ before moving to California and then back to the East Coast, spending a decade primarily in Philadelphia. She majored in psychology at the University of Pennsylvania and worked in clinical research for several years. Realizing she wanted to pursue a career in medicine, Lissie completed a post-baccalaureate program and attended medical school in Philadelphia at Temple University. She moved to Charleston for her residency at MUSC, drawn by the program’s clinical strength, collaborative environment, and ideal location. In her free time, she enjoys making jewelry and walking along the beach, searching for fossils. After residency Lissie plans to move north again to pursue a neurocritical care fellowship at NYU.

As you can see, we all come from different backgrounds with diverse interests and career paths. However, our reasons for choosing MUSC are remarkably similar. Each of us felt a connection to the residents and faculty during our interview day and fell in love with Charleston. Objectively, we felt that the program had the resources and vision to make us into strong and compassionate neurologists. Beyond what can be found in a brochure, we found an inclusive, caring, and brilliant group of residents that we consider family. We look forward to meeting our next group of applicants and continuing to lead our program to grow and create excellent neurologists!