PGY 5s

Brian Brajcich, MD

• Medical School: Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
• Undergraduate: Gonzaga University
• Clinical Interest: General Surgery
• Research Interest: Clinical outcomes & health services, implementation science
• Lab Mentor & Research: Karl Bilimoria, MD - Surgical outcomes & quality improvement
• Home Town: Seattle, WA
• Hobbies: Cooking, trying interesting restaurants, watching sports & biking

Dan Dolan, MD

• Medical School: University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
• Graduate School: Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
• Undergraduate School: Miami University of Ohio
• Clinical Interests: General thoracic surgery, lung cancer, esophageal cancer
• Research Interests: Surgical techniques, oncology, long-term outcomes, education
• Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio
• Hobbies: Travel, Skiing, Broadway

Ben Many, MD

• Medical School: University of Illinois at Chicago
• Graduate School: Northwestern University; Health Services and Outcomes Research (M.S.)
• Undergraduate School: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• Clinical Interests: General Pediatric Surgery including Urologic Procedures
• Research Interests: Postoperative Recovery, Wearable Devices​, Implementation Science, Surgical Outcomes
• Hometown: Mount Prospect, IL
• Hobbies: Travel, Cooking, Golf, Tennis

 

Vivek Pamulapati, MD

• Medical School: Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
• Undergraduate: Princeton University
• Clinical Interest: General Surgery
• Research Interest: Translational & outcomes research
• Home Town: Cedar Falls, IA
• Hobbies: Playing cello & software development

Matt Snyder, MD

• Medical School: Marshall University School of Medicine
• Graduate School: Marshall University
• Undergraduate: Vanderbilt University
• Clinical Interest: Cardiothoracic Surgery 
• Research Interest: Esophageal dysmotility disorders, simulation-based surgical education, and GME leadership 
• Hometown: Granville, OH
• Hobbies: Spending time outdoors with my family and dog, avid golfer, & lifelong Chicago Cubs fan

PGY 4s

Andrew Hu, MD

• Medical School: University of Sheffield Medical School
• Clinical Interest: Pediatric Surgery
• Research Interest: Clinical Outcomes
• Home Town:  Toronto, Ontario
• Hobbies: Traveling, Rock Climbing, Running, Reading

Rachel Joung, MD

• Medical School: New York University
• Undergraduate: University of Western Ontario
• Clinical Interest: Surgical Oncology
• Research Interest: Outcomes in complex surgical oncology
• Home Town: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
• Hobbies: Traveling, biking, hiking & musicals

Andy Lee, MD

• Hometown: Taipei, Taiwan
• Undergrad: UCLA
• Med school: University of Virginia
• Hobbies: Baseball, softball, spending quality time with my family
• Career plans: Thoracic surgery
• Fun fact: My wife and I are expecting our second child in 2023! 

Sam Linton, MD

• Hometown: Nashville, TN
• Undergrad: Vanderbilt University
• Med school: University of Kentucky College of Medicine
• Hobbies: Parks with Kids, Reading, Traveling, Fishing, Ultimate Frisbee
• Career plans: Pediatric Surgery Fellowship
• Fun fact: My wife (Mariel) and I have been together since we were 14

Kate Ott, MD

• Medical School: Washington University in Saint Louis
• Undergraduate: University of Pennsylvania
• Clinical Interest: Pediatric Surgery
• Research Interest: Neural tube defects
• Lab Mentor & Research: Aimen Shaaban, MD - Immunology, NK cells
• Home Town: Buhler, KS
• Hobbies: Going rogue, gold, 1734-36, puppies

PGY 3s

Ryan Jacobs, MD

• Medical School: Baylor College of Medicine
• Undergraduate School: Washington University in St. Louis
• Research Interests: Health services research, outcomes research, quality improvement
• Clinical Interests: Surgical Oncology, Thoracic Surgery
• Hometown: Fort Worth, TX
• Hobbies: Volleyball, guitar, basketball, hiking

Whitney Jones, MD

• Medical School: Howard University College of Medicine
• Graduate School: Bellevue University
• Undergraduate School: University of Missouri - St. Louis
• Research Interests: Medical Education, Surgical Outcomes
• Clinical Interests: Trauma, Surgical Oncology  
• Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri
• Hobbies​: Working out, traveling, having new experiences 

Marjorie Liggett, MD

• Medical School: Michigan State University College of Human Medicine 
• Undergraduate School: College of the Holy Cross
• Research Interests: Global surgical systems development, Health Disparities Research, Surgical Education
• Clinical Interests: Critical Care/Trauma, Global Surgery, Colorectal Surgery
• Hometown: Detroit, MI
• Hobbies​: Finding the best Chili Cheese Fries in Chicago (open to recs), running, and whispering "sweet nothings" to my Basset Hound

Juan Noda, MD

• Medical School: University of Michigan Medical School
• Graduate School: University of Michigan Ross School of Business (MBA)
• Undergraduate School: United States Military Academy
• Clinical Interests: Trauma and Acute Care Surgery
• Research Interests: Medical device development
• Hometown: Troy, MI and Miami, FL
• Hobbies: Woodworking, exercise, learning languages

Joseph Sanchez, MD

• Medical School: Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons
• Undergraduate School: The University of Georgia
• Research Interests: Outcomes and Translational Research
• Clinical Interests: Pediatric Surgery and Clinical Education
• Hometown: Atlanta, GA
• Hobbies: Baking, Rock Climbing, Scrolling through memes on Instagram, Lifting, Karaoke, and Archery

Dominic Vitello, MD

• Medical School: Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
• Undergraduate School: Purdue University
• Research Interests: Hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery, pancreatic cancer, surgical outcomes
• Clinical Interests: Hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery
• Hometown: Naperville, IL
• Hobbies: aeronautics and astronautics, aviation, cooking, film, strategy games, memetics

Norah Zaza, MD

• Medical School: Case Western Reserve University SOM
• Undergraduate School: Case Western Reserve University
• Research Interests: Surgical outcomes and disparities
• Clinical Interests: Surgical Oncology, Colorectal surgery, Endocrine surgery
• Hometown: Libertyville, IL​
• Hobbies: Traveling, hiking, watching movies, being a plant mom

PGY 2s

Paola Barrios Martinez, MD

• Medical School: Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve
• Graduate School: Case Western Reserve School of Medicine
• Undergraduate School: University of Miami
• Clinical Interests: MIS, Thoracic, Surgical Oncology
• Research Interests: Health Disparities, Surgical Education
• Hometown: Mexico City / Miami, FL
• Hobbies: Playing soccer, painting, playing with my dog, Nala 

Raheem Bell, MD

• Medical School: Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
• Graduate School: Tufts University (Master of Science in Biomedical Science)
• Undergraduate School: Boston College
• Clinical Interests: Pediatric Surgery, Global Health
• Research Interests: Oncology
• Hometown: Born and raised in Jamaica before moving to West Orange, New Jersey
• Hobbies: Basketball, soccer, running, biking

Daniel Liesman, MD

• Medical School: University of Michigan Medical School
• Undergraduate School: University of Michigan
• Clinical Interests: CT surgery, pediatric surgery
• Research Interests: Telehealth, quality improvement
• Hometown: Okemos, Michigan
• Hobbies: Watching the Lions, roasting and drinking coffee, going to breweries

Nicole Ontiveros, MD

• Medical School: Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California
• Undergraduate: Princeton University
• Clinical Interests: Trauma and Critical Care, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Minimally Invasive Surgery
• Research Interests: Quality improvement, post-oncologic reconstruction, lymphedema, health disparities
• Hometown: Laguna Niguel, CA
• Hobbies: Running, Peloton, eating my way through Chicago's amazing food scene, baking and sharing my creations, traveling, doing my best impression of an interior designer, napping on the beach, Costco runs

Saieesh Rao, MD

• Medical School: University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine
• Undergraduate School: University of Chicago
• Clinical Interests: Surgical Oncology, HPB, GI/MIS
• Research Interests: Health Policy and Economics, Computational Modeling, Statistical Methods
• Hometown: Buffalo Grove, IL
• Hobbies: Cooking, exercise, Settlers of Catan, houseplant gardening, reading about etymology and philosophy

John Rode, MD

• Medical School: Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
• Undergraduate School: Connecticut College
• Clinical Interests: Pediatric Surgery, Trauma/Surgical Critical Care
• Research Interests: Clinical Outcomes, Quality Improvement, Health Equity
• Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
• Hobbies: Hiking, snorkeling, museums, comedy clubs, die-hard Philly sports fan 

PGY 1s

Johanna Borst, MD

• Undergrad: University of California, Davis
• Med school: University of California, San Diego
• Hobbies: Triathlons, running, and biking, skiing and playing piano, attending live performances

Alyssa Brown, MD, PhD

• Hometown: Chattanooga, TN
• Undergrad: Centre College
• Med school: University of Louisville
• PhD:  Mayo Clinic in Biomedical Engineering and Physiology
• Hobbies: Baking, embroidering, going to concerts, finding new restaurants and breweries!
• What are you most interested for in intern year: I'm excited to make new friends! I'm also excited to learn how to be a useful part of the team! 
• Career plans: Pediatric Surgery (fingers crossed)
• Fun fact: I've been to over 50 concerts, and I skydived and bungee jumped on the same day in New Zealand.

Jessica Colin Escobar, MD

• Hometown: Modesto, California
• Undergrad: University of California, Irvine 
• Med school: University of California, Irvine 
• Hobbies: I love going to the dog park with my dogs, I like going to concerts (I am trying to catch Bad Bunny in Chicago), and most of all I love binge-watching stuff on Netflix and Disney+  
• What are you most interested for in intern year: I am excited to explore Chicago with my co-residents and be able to participate in URM panels as a Latina Surgical Intern. 
• Career plans: I am interested in Colorectal Surgery but am keeping an open mind! 
• Fun fact: I have two derpy dogs (a pug and a husky) 

Teja Devarakonda, MD

• Hometown: Warangal, India
• Undergrad: Saint Louis University, Saint Louis
• Med School: Virginia Commonwealth University
• Hobbies: Guitar, rock climbing, listening to podcasts and watching reality TV (sometimes)
• What are you most interested for in intern year: Figuring out how the hospital works, and the best places for a quick bite
• Career Plans: Still deciding, but interested in cardiothoracic, trauma, surgical critical care
• Fun fact: I try to check out the local bouldering gym in every city I visit!

Caitlin Jacobs, MD

• Hometown: Greenbrae, CA
• Undergrad: Boston University
• Med school: Feinberg
• Hobbies: taking my cats on walks, eating my way around cities, travel, hiking, binging TV, caretaking plants
• Most interested for intern year: post-call brunch 
• Career plans: My goal is to help and uplift Native communities in medicine, but specialty is still very undecided!

Rachel Van Doorn, MD

• Hometown: Crystal Lake, IL
• Undergrad: University of Wisconsin-Madison GO BADGERS
• Med school: University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health 
• Hobbies: Cooking, trying new restaurants, spending time with family and friends, golfing, being outside (when it's warm!), crossword and jigsaw puzzles.
• What are you most interested for in intern year: Working AND playing hard with my new co-residents!! 
• Career plans: HPB (surg onc or transplant)
• Fun fact: My sister and cousin will both be working at NW in their first jobs as a PA and a nurse! 

PGY 1s Prelim

Elise DeBruyn, MD

• Undergrad: University of Illinois at Chicago
• Med school: University of Illinois at Chicago
• Hobbies: Kathak dance, piano, learning guitar, running, learning Russian Drawing, hiking, traveling internationally

Patrick Dinh, MD

• Hometown: Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania
• Undergrad: University of Pennsylvania
• Med school: Northwestern
• Hobbies: Yelp Elite Gold food reviewer, Cooking (Asian fusion and BBQ), Classical and romantic piano, Weightlifting

Gabriel Knight, MD

• Hometown: Evanston, IL
• Undergrad: Stanford University
• Med school: Northwestern University
• Hobbies: Spending time with my family/significant other/friends, cocktail making, Chicago Bulls, fitness, Netflix
• What are you most interested for in intern year: The camaraderie, taking care of patients
• Career plans: Interventional Radiology, Interventional Oncology

Rohan Savoor, MD

• Hometown: Walnut Creek, CA
• Undergrad: Northwestern University
• Med school: Northwestern University
• Hobbies: I am a coffee afficionado- I enjoy trying different brewing methods (pour-over, Aeropress, espresso, V60) and always examine my beans' origins, processing (washed vs. natural), altitude, and tasting notes. My favorite beans currently are the washed Nicaragua farmed by Guadalupe Herrera in Jinotega, with delicious maple notes and a sweet hazelnut chocolaty finish. I also love playing guitar and dancing Bhangra, a North Indian fusion style that my college team and I took to the national level in 2018.

Research

Emily Cerier, MD

• Medical School: The Ohio State University College of Medicine
• Undergraduate: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• Clinical Interest: Cardiothoracic Surgery, Vascular Surgery
• Research Interest: Surgical outcomes, cardiothoracic surgery, surgical ergonomics, bioengineering
• Home Town: Schaumburg, IL
• Hobbies: Marathoning, figure skating, traveling & forever searching for the best rooftop bar

Brooke Golisch, MD

• Medical School: University of Arizona - Tucson
• Undergraduate: University of Arizona
• Clinical Interest: Surgical Oncology, Global Surgery
• Research Interest: Medical education, outcomes research, health disparities
• Home Town: Buffalo Grove, IL/ Phoenix, AZ
• Hobbies: Yoga, travel, hiking, deep dish pizza, Amazon Prime

Jessie Ho, MD

• Medical School: Texas A&M College of Medicine
• Undergraduate: The University of Texas at Dallas
• Clinical Interest: Vascular Surgery
• Research Interest: Clinical outcomes in vascular surgery, translational research in septic and hemorrhagic shock
• Home Town: Plano, TX
• Hobbies: Rock climbing, fantasy football, cooking & outdoor activities

Lauren Janczewski, MD

• Medical School: Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University
• Undergraduate: Saint Joseph's University
• Clinical Interest: Surgical oncology, colorectal surgery 
• Research Interest: Health services research, surgical ethics
• Home Town: Endwell, NY
• Hobbies: playing with my Corgi named Chuck, taste-testing Chicago's best donuts, dedicated 76ers fan

Charles Logan, MD

• Medical School: University of Washington
• Undergraduate: University of Alaska
• Clinical Interest: Trauma & Critical Care Surgery, Thoracic Surgery & Minimally Invasive Surgery
• Research Interest: Outcomes & education 
• Home Town: Seward, AK
• Hobbies: Traveling & hiking with llamas

Steven Papastefan, MD

• Medical School: University of Illinois College of Medicine
• Undergraduate: Vanderbilt University
• Clinical Interest: Pediatric Surgery
• Research Interest:  In utero stem cell transplant, fetal immunology
• Home Town: Lake Forest, IL
• Hobbies: Traveling, exercise, hiking, tennis and golf

Audra Reiter, MD

• Medical School: University of North Carolina School of Medicine
• Graduate School: UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health
• Undergraduate: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Clinical Interest: Pediatric Surgery, Global Surgery
• Research Interest: Global health, outcomes/health services research
• Home Town: Cary, NC
• Hobbies: Running, yoga, working out, baking, trying new restaurants, exploring this awesome city

Jes Sanders, MD

• Medical School: Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
• Undergraduate: University of Arkansas
• Clinical Interest: Surgical Oncology, Pediatric Surgery, Critical Care
• Research Interest: Basic science, cancer immunology, ulcerative colitis
• Home Town: Rogers, AR
• Hobbies: Whipping up a batch of dark chocolate protein pancakes, not skipping leg day, golf, fishing, Netflix, hanging out with friends

Catherine Valukas, MD

• Medical School: VCU School of Medicine
• Undergraduate: University of Iowa
• Clinical Interest: Vascular surgery, trauma/ acute care surgery, pediatric surgery
• Research Interest: Global surgical systems development, public health & surgical outcome disparities, surgical outcome improvement in limited/low resource settings
• Home Town: Evanston, IL
• Hobbies: Adventuring around the world, cooking, finding the perfect pairing of popcorn and red wine, pad thai eating

Samantha Warwar, MD

• Medical School: The Ohio State University College of Medicine
• Undergraduate: The Ohio State University
• Clinical Interest: Surgical Oncology, GI/MIS/Bariatric
• Research Interest: Global health, health disparities
• Home Town: Dayton, OH
• Hobbies: Cleveland Browns football, the Real Housewives of New York, the perfect chilled glass of wine, candy connoisseur with a special interest in sour watermelons