Agarwal, Neena
Vanderbilt

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Morgantown, WV
Case Western University
Women's Health, Cardiology
Neena was born in Mt. Carmel, IL to first generation Indian immigrants.  Her family moved to Morgantown, WV where she attended high school.  She went to Case Western University for undergrad where she studied biology and classical literature before coming to Nashville for medical school at Vanderbilt.  She is really excited to be staying at Vanderbilt for her residency training.  Neena loves to travel and to read.  Most recently, Neena and her mom went on a 3 week Eastern Mediterranean Cruise that included Italy, Greece, and Turkey.  It was awesome!  Her favorite books are Secret Life of Bees, Kite Runner, and Pride and Prejudice.  Her most favorite pastime though, is dancing.  She loves choreographing and performing all styles of dance.  Now, she is looking forward to meeting all her fellow interns this coming summer!

Arneson, Kyle
Vanderbilt

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Fairdale, ND
University of North Dakota
Academic Radiation Oncology
Kyle grew up near a small Norwegian farming community in northeast ND the oldest of four kids.  The Arneson farm grew wheat, barley, canola, etc., basically whatever they thought would survive and produce a yield at harvest, as well as raising beef cattle.   To actually pay bills, his father Keith was also teacher and school superintendent and now sells insurance and his mom, Sue, was a home health care nurse.  Deciding that spending hundreds of thousands of dollars and hoping for the exact right amount of rain and avoiding insect swarms, fungi, or new invasive plant life was not in his future, Kyle went to the University of North Dakota and studied chemistry prior to being accepted to Vanderbilt's MD/PhD program.  He received his PhD from the department of Pharmacology where he studied oxidative damage focusing on its effects on the CNS and is going to apply his training to studying the effects of radiation on both normal and tumor cells while training in radiation oncology.  Kyle is married to Francine, also from ND but from several hundred miles west ensuring divergent heritages, who is a neurology resident.  They have a home in west Nashville that they enjoy with their pets.  Common activities include playing or watching baseball, home improvement projects, grilling, and other sports including curling, bocce, and wii.  Member of AOA.

Barfield, Cole
Vanderbilt

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Nashville, TN
Princeton University
Cardiology, Pulm/Critical Care, Internal Medicine/Health Policy
Cole was born and raised in Nashville, TN as the youngest of four with three older sisters.  He went to Princeton University for undergraduate studies where he majored in politics.  While researching for his senior thesis, Cole spent two months in Sudan in a small mission hospital where he discovered his true passion for medicine.  After graduation, he did a year of clinical research on anterior cruciate ligament surgeries and completed course work for some medical school prerequisites. He graduated from Vanderbilt Medical School in May 2009.  He is married to his wife of four years, Christen Barfield, and they have a two year old daughter named Cate. While he played varsity football and baseball in high school, he now loves to play golf and tennis and enjoys snow skiing, bike riding, photography, and going to the park with Christen and Cate.  Cole also is interested in domestic health policy and remains interested in Africa, specifically Sudan.

Brannigan, Margaret
Temple

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Pittsburgh, PA
Univ. of Pittsburgh
Hem/Onc but will probably change her mind tomorrow
Maggie went to the University of Pittsburgh for college.  Until now, she has never lived outside of Pennsylvania and is excited about being in Nashville.  Maggie has only one younger sister who is currently trying to decide between joining her in Nashville or fleeing the country to teach English in Spain.  Her parents are still married and support her medical career by sending her coffee money.  She appreciates all types of music; she likes country acoustic sets in small venues and dancing the stress away at secret rock-n-roll spots.  She is a compulsive list-maker and self-admitted junk food junkie.  Especially gummi bears.  She visits bookstores with the good intention of reading "the classics" but never seems to make it past the "New Fiction" table.  She believes that the task of grading heart murmurs is arbitrary and hard, and that we should all just agree to disagree.  She loves her life, her friends, and is sad to see her 8 solid hours of sleep go.  But she is thrilled to be at Vanderbilt and sees this bio as one "long walk on the beach at sunset" short of a date-wanted ad.  Member of AOA.

Burke, Burke
LSU - New Orleans

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New Orleans, LA
Louisiana State University
Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine or Infectious Diseases
 Victoria has moved at least ten times in her life, but this move to Nashville marks her first significant venture outside of the New Orleans area that was not in response to a natural disaster.  As a medical student, she was a member of the "Katrina Class" and survived part of a one-year forced exile to Baton Rouge as a resident on a Finnish cruise ship.   She brings with her to Nashville an unwavering and somewhat frightening devotion to LSU athletics that was forged during college when she played tuba in the LSU Golden Band from Tigerland.  In her spare time, Victoria previously enjoyed going to hear live music, playing the piano in her church choir, eating seafood, sailing, and attending as many Saints and Hornets games as humanly possible.  Although she will greatly miss the food, family, and fun at home, she is looking forward to moving to Nashville this summer and to finally having a job.  Member of AOA.

Carlucci, James
Vanderbilt

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Los Banos, CA
Santa Clara University
Global Health and Infectious Diseases
Jimmy Carlucci grew up in Los Banos, CA -- the agricultural heart of the San Joaquin Valley. He Graduated from Santa Clara University then spent a year with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in Baltimore, MD where he worked with an assisted living facility for people with AIDS. While a medical student at Vanderbilt, Jimmy studied adherence to antiretroviral therapy in rural Zambia and was able to carry his project to publication. He also spent time in a Vanderbilt affiliated clinic in Guatemala. He continues to be interested in Global Health and Infectious Diseases. In his free time, Jimmy enjoys all things musical; he's the drummer for a local garage band and is infatuated with the Nashville independent rock scene.

Castellanos, Emily
Vanderbilt

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Huntsville, AL
Stanford University
 Undecided. 
After going to college on the west coast, Emily decided to return to the South for medical school and is happy to be staying in Nashville for residency.  She and her husband Jason, a general surgery intern at Vanderbilt, were married after her third year of medical school.  She ran the Country Music Marathon while in medical school, an experience she highly recommends but does not plan to repeat!  In her spare time she also enjoys cooking, reading, and hiking.  She and Jason take advantage of the live music scene in Nashville whenever possible, and can also be found checking out old movies at the Belcourt Theatre.  Member of AOA.

Clark, Norman
Ben Gurion University
of the Negev, Israel

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Salisbury, NC
UNC - Chapel Hill
Global Health/Medical Education
Norman is a failed investment banker turned peripatetic, who found his calling by immersing himself in various and sundry foreign cultures while living and working in, among other places, England, Japan, Nepal, Israel, Tunisia, Jordan, and Kenya.  Norman is afraid of high speeds and heights, for which he tries to compensate by being an avid motorcyclist and skydiver.  While his favorite job was teaching English and science to Himalayan school children, he and his wife, Chagit, who is pursuing her PhD in Speech Language Pathology at Vanderbilt, have yet to be as excited as they are about their move to Nashville.

Coffin, Samuel
New York Med. College

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Berkeley, CA
Cornell
Likely Cardiology
Sam Coffin grew up in the hills of Berkeley, CA. He left to go to and graduate from Cornell University (class of 2005) with a major in Biology and a concentration in Neurobiology and Behavior. Upon graduation, Sam attended New York Medical College and graduated in 2009. Sam was encouraged to apply to Vanderbilt by his father, also a graduate of NYMC, who had heard "wonderful things about the place." His interview at Vanderbilt was his first trip below the Mason-Dixon line, and also his first residency interview. Sam fell in love with the program and the city and continued to prattle on about Vanderbilt to every New Yorker who would listen.
Sam managed to detach his girlfriend, Sasha, from her hometown of San Francisco, CA. Luckily, her talents in the Spanish language seem to be in high demand at Nashville schools. Both Sam and Sasha are looking forward to exploring the parks and music scene (and the football) that the state of Tennessee is so known for. Sam also has been known to sing on occasion. He cannot wait to begin his time at Vanderbilt!  Member of AOA.

Cronin, Robert
Ohio State University

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Commack, NY on Long Island
Cornell
Extremely Undecided, probably somewhere in academic medicine
Rob is actually a native Long Islander whose accent is almost gone with a rare exception.  He moved to Cleveland with his parents and brother when he was 15.  Rob went to Cornell as an undergrad, majored in computer ccience, and spent some time overseas between college and med school teaching mathematics and biochemistry to students at Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar.  He traveled around many countries in the Middle East, but says Jordan was his favorite country.  Rob moved back to Columbus for medical school where he became a raging "Buckeye" fan, but not the bad kind, he promises, whose football team recently has been paying off a little better than his Cleveland Browns.  Between golfing, watching too many primetime shows on TV and comedies, playing video games, especially World of Warcraft, he does seem to keep himself busy outside of football season.  Member of AOA.

Davenport, James
Univ. of AL-Birmingham

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Lake Oswego, OR
University of Rochester
Gastroenterology
An MD/PhD graduate of UAB, James recently moved to Nashville and started working in Robert Coffey's lab, examining important signaling pathways involved in gastrointestinal cancer.  In his free time, James enjoys playing and watching golf, as well as working out, hiking, watching movies, and sleeping.  James is married to Amy Gandhi, who is just completing her Internal Medicine/Pediatrics residency at Vanderbilt and will continue outpatient Med/Peds in private practice outside of Franklin, TN.  They like traveling, visiting family, watching movies, enjoying Nashville dining, and hiking together.  James spends most of his time at home in a territorial battle with Amy's cat over various comfortable chairs around the house and Amy's attention. 

Ferrell, Brent
UNC - Chapel Hill

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Shelby, NC
Davidson College
 Likely nephrology or hematology/oncology
Brent attended Davidson College and graduated with a philosophy degree in 2000. After college, Brent worked for a sports ministry in Colorado, did some research, finished premed classes, and worked for an inner city health clinic in Washington, DC. He also married his beautiful wife Kate in 2004 and just welcomed his son, "baby Brent", into the world in the fall of his fourth year of medical school. A distance runner in college, he has recently retired from the world of competitive running and enjoys running for fun, or not;  playing golf, tennis and pretty much any other sport in which he can beat his younger brother, Benjamin (a rising second year medicine resident at Vanderbilt).  Member of AOA.

Fleming, James
University of KY

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Owensboro, KY
Kentucky Wesleyan College
Neurology
James is an amateur photographer and mountain biker - but not at the same time!  He also enjoys a wide range of literature and philosophy.  His favorite authors include John Stuart Mill, Dostoyevsky, Hugo, and Voltaire.  As far as interesting travel experiences, he has visited his grandparents in Greece, snorkeled in Belize, and "urban backpacked" through England, Scotland, and Wales.  He had so much fun on this last adventure that he decided to return to London to complete a master's degree in philosophy before starting medical school.  When not at the hospital, he will most likely be found among the coffee shops of Hillsboro Village.

Gould, Edward
SUNY-Syracuse

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Hastings, NY
SUNY at Albany
Undecided
Ed was born on a medium-sized cattle farm in upstate New York, and from a very young age he knew that he desperately wanted to be a country music star.  When, after a 5 minute performance at his local watering hole that finally fell through, he applied to medical school, only to realize he'd had it all wrong from the get-go.  As the self-proclaimed cook-of-the-year (so proclaimed because of his remarkably low food-poisoning rate), Ed enjoys entertaining, eating, and good coffee. He likes to garden, read, travel, and dance. He also happens to be an avid paintball player who enjoys the great outdoors; especially when he gets to muddy his Jeep.   Ed is eager to move to Nashville, both because he has never lived outside the Empire state, and because he has never known a winter with fewer than three feet of snow.

Greenhut, Susan
Texas A & M

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Glendale, AZ
The University of Arizona - Tucson
Undecided but considering Hematology/ Oncology
After living in the 'dry heat' of the Arizona desert for 18 years, Susan decided she was tired of a place where summer lasts from March to November and chose to attend medical school in Texas.  As much of her extended family lives in Dallas and Houston, this move afforded her the opportunity to get reacquainted with many long-lost relatives.  While living in College Station, Susan fell in love with Texas barbeque, chili cook-offs, and friendly southern culture-she even learned to say the word "ya'll!"  Susan is extremely excited about exploring Nashville and getting to know the Vanderbilt family.  Her own family has been growing in recent years.  She has an adorable 3 year-old nephew, Garret, and a sweet baby niece, Caitlyn, who live in Arizona with her brother and sister-in-law.  Her younger sister and best friend, Gayle, lives back in Arizona as well.
 Whenever she has time (and money) Susan greatly enjoys traveling; she has been to Hong Kong, Macau, London, Rome, and Italy's breath-taking Amalfi Coast.  In order to fight her extraordinarily strong sweet tooth, Susan enjoys running long distances.  Earlier this year, she ran in the hills of Austin, TX to complete her first half marathon!  Member of AOA.

Harris, Bryan
Vanderbilt

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Hendersonville TN
Vanderbilt University
Undecided
Bryan grew up just outside of Nashville and came to Vanderbilt for his undergraduate training.  Since then, Vanderbilt has been unable to get rid of him--though they've tried.  As president of his high school FFA chapter, Bryan originally intended to be a farmer, but he accidentally got into medical school and hasn't been able to save up enough money for a tractor yet.  He enjoys working on healthcare policy and can often be found in DC trying to understand what's going on in politics and making an attempt to convince lawmakers that they should listen to him.  When he's not doing that, you might find him wading through a trout stream at sunrise, camped out in a shelter on the Appalachian Trail, navigating down the Amazon, or relaxing at home.  He is, however, most often and most easily found at the hospital trying to take good care of folks.  Member of AOA.

Harris, Nadine
Brown Univ.

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Freeport, Bahamas
Canisius College of Buffalo, NY
Undecided, but involving international healthcare
Nadine was born in Georgetown, Guyana and moved with her family to The Bahamas when she was four years old.  She grew up there and came the U.S. for undergrad.  Nadine enjoys cooking, experiencing all sorts of international cuisine, reading, foreign movies, warm weather and spending time with family and friends.  She is also very active in her church and enjoys teaching Sunday school.  Nadine likes to travel when possible and recently spent a month in Beijing, China where she got a brief introduction to traditional Chinese medicine.  Nadine is looking forward to moving to the South and exploring the country music scene in Nashville.

Hausmann, Katie
Med. College of WI

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West Bend, WI
University of Wisconsin - Lacrosse
Undecided
Katie has spent her whole life in Wisconsin, which means she is a fan of the Brewers, Packers, cheese, a Friday fish fry, and brats.  She also uses weird words, like "bubbler-" the Wisconsinite word for water fountain.  She is the black sheep in the family as both her twin sister and younger brother are chiropractors.  Prior to attending medical school in Milwaukee, Katie was a microbiology major at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.  She enjoys playing tennis, catching up on the gossip in Us Weekly, watching movies, and reading.  She looks forward to checking out the live music scene in Nashville.  Member of AOA.

Hietpas, Drew
Med. College of WI

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Hometown: Menomonee Falls, WI
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
Career Plans: Cardiology or Rheumatology
Drew Hietpas is a categorical Internal Medicine intern from Medical College of Wisconsin. He was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and raised in the Milwaukee suburb of  Menomonee Falls. While growing up, he was always heavily involved in athletics, especially baseball and football. It was his involvement in sports that first sparked an interest in learning about he human body and ultimately lead to his decision to pursue a career in medicine. Drew completed his undergraduate studies in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and his medical education at Medical College of Wisconsin.  In his free time, Drew enjoys working out, camping, hiking, fishing, playing softball, golfing, listening to live music, and really doing anything that involves being outside and active. Like most Wisconsinites, he is a huge Milwaukee Brewer and Green Bay Packer fan and loves attending various sporting events. He also has a new found love for travel since his international rotation in the Philippines last February. He is definitely looking forward to exploring similar opportunities during his residency at Vanderbilt.

Huntington, Scott
Mt. Sinai

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Cheshire, Massachusetts
Hamilton College
Most likely Hematology/Oncology
Scott was born and raised in western Massachusetts. He then ventured to upstate New York and attended Hamilton College where he met his fiancée, Thanh. The two look forward to moving out of their small NYC apartment and experiencing Nashville's great outdoor recreation and music scene. Scott is a big Red Sox fan, while Thanh grew up in the Bronx and has lifelong loyalty to the Yankees. They look forward to finally being on neutral ground. Scott enjoys fly-fishing, brewing beer, snowboarding, tennis, and hiking. Thanh spends her time outside running and hiking when she is not in the classroom teaching elementary school. Both enjoy cooking eclectic cuisine, ranging from Indian to smoked BBQ. Scott and Thanh look forward to many live music shows at the Mercy Lounge and Bluebird Café.   While at Mt. Sinai, Scott also obtained his MPH degree, focusing his research on influenza, which might come in handy in this era of swine flu.

Jacobs, Ryan
Baylor

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San Antonio, TX
Texas Tech University
Hematology/Oncology
Although he currently calls the city of San Antonio home, Ryan Jacobs has lived across the Midwest and South before arriving at Vanderbilt for his residency training.  He made stops at Arkansas, Illinois, and Missouri before finally arriving in Texas at the age of 15.  Ryan graduated from high school in San Antonio, attended Texas Tech University in Lubbock, and recently received his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
Ryan's list of hobbies encompasses a range that includes film studies, classical and contemporary literature, along with intramural/college/professional sports.  An avid Spurs and Texas Tech football fan, Ryan claims his crowning achievement in sports fandom was driving 9 hours across the state of Texas last year to attend the Texas Tech vs. University of Texas football game in which the undefeated Red Raiders knocked off the number one ranked Texas Longhorns.  His favorite authors are Cormac McCarthy, Robert Penn Warren, and William Faulkner while his list of favorite directors includes Terrence Malick, Stanley Kubrick, and the Coen brothers.

Jones, Pearl Kurian
Univ. of TX -
San Antonio

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San Antonio, TX
University of Texas at San Antonio
Neurology
Pearl K Jones hails from San Antonio Texas where she became a huge Spurs fan.  She likes to spend her time experimenting with new recipes, playing board games with friends and reading good books.  She also enjoys jogging, hiking, and spending time outdoors.  She loves traveling and exploring Nashville with her husband, Jeremy, who is an anesthesiology resident at Vanderbilt.

Kleinfeld, Kirk
University of TN

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Franklin, TN
University of Evansville
Neurology
Kirk is a Nashville area native who attended Franklin High School. He later attended the University of Evansville to study physical therapy and run cross country. At UE, Kirk was fortunate to meet his beautiful wife, Kelly. After college, Kirk attended medical school at UT Memphis while Kelly received her MBA from the University of Memphis. Today, both are very excited to be moving to Nashville with their beagle-corgi, Olive. Kirk's other interests include running, traveling, rooting for the Cleveland Indians, Penn State football, Memphis Tiger basketball and as much as it pains him, the Cleveland Browns.

Kornu, Kimbell
Univ. of TX - Southwestern

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Greenville, TX
Vanderbilt University
Philosophy of Medicine
Kimbell was born and raised in Greenville, TX (but lacks the accent) as part of a Thai-Chinese family.  He also comes from a medical family - both his father and brother are physicians and his sister was a nurse.  After college, he spent a year in Chicago doing urban mission work.  Between his 3rd and 4th years of medical school, Kimbell earned a master's degree in theology.  He met his wife, Erin, at their church in Dallas, and they were married during his time in seminary.  She is a teacher at a classical Christian school.  He enjoys reading, watching Dallas sports (Go Cowboys!), playing guitar, and spending time with family and friends.  As a Vanderbilt alum, Kimbell is looking forward to returning to Nashville.

Kvalsund, Michelle
Michigan State

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Cedar Springs, MI
Michigan State University
Neurology
Michelle was born in Cedar Springs, MI.  Being a Spartan through and through, she completed a B.S. in psychology and obtained her M.S in epidemiology at Michigan State University.  During her time at MSU, she received a Fulbright award to study HIV-associated dementia at an urban hospice in Lusaka, Zambia and has made yearly sojourns back to Zambia to conduct neuroepidemiological research on epilepsy and factors impacting adherence to antiretroviral therapy.  In 2007, she was a Fogarty International Clinical Research Scholar in Fortaleza, Brazil where she researched cognitive outcomes in favela children with chronic persistent diarrhea after long-term micronutrient intervention.  After completing a neurology residency, Michelle hopes to pursue a career focused on improving neurological care in resource-limited settings.  Michelle is married to Pelle Kvalsund of Fosnavåg, Norway and they have a son, Alexander.  In her free time, Michelle enjoys reading, running, capoiera, traveling and studying languages.

Lappinen, Erik
Eastern VA

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Morristown, NJ
Vanderbilt University
 Radiation Oncology
After a five year hiatus Erik will be returning to his alma mater for one last hurrah. If Erik isn't returning his pages the place you will most likely be able to find him will be Memorial Gymnasium, where he will be cheering on a 'Dores team that looks like it has an incredible amount of potential. As for his personal life, Erik will be a newlywed when he arrives on Vanderbilt's campus.  His wife will be beginning her OB/GYN residency at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh where the couple will be reunited after their intern years. Erik enjoys traveling to far-off lands, going to concerts at the Ryman, and eating cheeseburgers at Rotiers.

Lentz, Robert
Univ. of TX - Houston

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Laguna Hills, CA
Rice University
Currently Cardiology or Gastroenterology
Rob bounced around the country growing up, living in Oregon, Maryland, and several places in Northern and Southern California. He has since spent the last eight years coming to love Texas while living in Houston. He enjoys good food, local beers, and bad movies; hobbies include crosswording, watching hockey (go Ducks!), attempting to cook, and traveling. His most recent trip was to Beijing, China, where he had a great time studying medicine (including some traditional Chinese medicine) and exploring the city for a month. His girlfriend of several years, Linda, helped open a charter high school on the South Side of Chicago last year and is currently working there as Dean of Students.  Member of AOA.

Long, Daniel
Vanderbilt

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Cheyenne, WY
Vanderbilt University
Undecided
Daniel was born and raised in Cheyenne, Wyoming and was the first in his immediate family to pursue medicine. He left the Wild West to come to Vanderbilt as an undergraduate, and he has been in Nashville ever since. Daniel is an avid sports fan, with a particular love of college basketball. He also enjoys pursuing his passion for the game of golf and everything associated with it. Daniel and his wife, Elizabeth, were married in 2007. They enjoy playing golf and tennis, watching movies, reading, cooking, and spending time with friends and family. Elizabeth is a Montessori teacher in Nashville.

Maina, Njeri
Indiana Univ.

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Kerugoya, Kenya
Earlham College
Hematology/Oncology
Njeri Maina left Kenya in 1995 after being selected to represent Kenya at the Armand Hammer United World College of the American West, NM. Following completion of her studies at the United World College, she joined Earlham College, where she majored in Biochemistry. She then enrolled in the combined MD/PhD degree program at Indiana University. Her research involved the development of viral vectors for gene therapy of sickle cell disease and beta- thalassemia. In her free time, she enjoys running, cooking and dancing salsa.

Meeneghan, Mathew
Univ. of VA

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Milford, CT
College of William and Mary
Hematology/Oncology
Matt grew up an only child in Connecticut.  He left home to go to college in Virginia at the College of William and Mary where he met his wife, Sarah. After graduation, they moved down the road to the University of Virginia where he went to medical school and she went to get her Master's in Nursing.  He is an avid runner and recently completed his first marathon. He enjoys playing all forms of jazz on his tenor sax and has also taken up guitar, but he shouldn't quit his day job.  Obviously, he is looking forward to living in Music City, although Country & Western isn't his favorite and he has a sneaking suspicion he will not make it out of residency without having to do at least one line dance.  He wants to be an oncologist when he grows up, but Sarah plans to take him on a world tour before she lets that happen.

Misenheimer, Jacob
Wake Forest

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Salisbury, NC
Wake Forest
Cardiology or Infectious Disease
Jacob grew up in rural North Carolina, which has contributed greatly to his love of the outdoors.  He was a brother of Lambda Chi Alpha at Wake Forest University, where he majored in chemistry and minored in Latin, but he continues to read classical literature even now.  He has played the saxophone since he was nine years old and enjoys playing Jazz and Blues music.  In his free time, he enjoys hunting and fishing, playing football and baseball, and grilling and barbecuing with friends.  True to his western North Carolina roots, he is also an amateur auto mechanic who enjoys turning wrenches and racing, but he tries to keep his need for speed confined to the track.  Member of AOA.

Mosley, Jonathan
Case Western

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East coast, mostly
Dickinson College
Pulmonary/Critical Care or Hematology/Oncology
Jonathan spent most of his childhood living overseas around Southeast Asia and East Africa.  After completing his undergraduate degree, he worked for about 10 years in various epidemiologically-oriented settings as a computer programmer/bioinformatics specialist before changing directions in life (not the first time) and attending medical school in the combined MD/PhD program.  He plays jazz guitar and digs out his banjo when there is an occasion to play.  He is married to a genetic epidemiologist, Emma, and has a 4-year-old son, Fletcher, whom he is desperately trying to keep on the straight-and-narrow.

Olges, Jennifer
Univ. of KY

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Louisville, Kentucky
University of Kentucky
Practice general med/peds at an academic medical center
Jenny was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky; however, thanks to her father, she's always been a "Kentucky Wildcat" at heart.  She received her BS in Biology from the University of Kentucky in 1998.  She spent the next 6 years working in academic and pharmaceutical laboratories at UK and in Research Triangle Park in North Carolina.  She managed to find time to pursue a Master of Public Health with a concentration in Epidemiology before matriculating into medical school at UK.  In her free time, Jenny enjoys reading and playing the piano.  Her real passion, however, is traveling; recent trips have included San Antonio, San Diego and Ecuador.  She is looking forward to hiking the Incan Trail to Macchu Pichu this summer before beginning residency.  Member of AOA.

O'Neill, Megan
Vanderbilt

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Charlotte, NC
Davidson College
Dermatology
Megan grew up in Charlotte, NC and is the middle of five children.  She went to Davidson College and received a Master's degree in chemistry from Georgia Tech before coming to Vanderbilt for medical school.  Megan enjoys watching sports, especially Panthers football.  She also loves cooking, traveling, listening to live music, and most outdoor activities.  Megan is looking forward to spending four more years in Nashville!

Parker, Brett
Univ. of South AL

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Auburn, AL
Tulane University
Neurology
Brett was born in Auburn, AL and lived there until going to college in New Orleans (a city with which he will always be in love).  He is married to his "high school sweetheart," Sarah Swyers Parker who will be a pediatric resident at Vanderbilt.  Together they like to cook, eat well, listen to live music whenever possible, travel, read fiction, and play with their big yellow dog, Zoe.  Additionally, he is the reigning Parker Family Rib Cook-Off Champion and has an unhealthy passion for donuts.  Member of AOA.

Pilkinton, Mark
Univ. of IL

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Nashville, TN
University of Memphis
Infectious Disease
Mark Pilkinton is originally from Nashville.  He attended the University of Memphis for undergraduate studies and then spent the past nine years in Chicago in the University of Illinois MD/PhD program.  During his time in Chicago he met and married his wife, Erica.  They lived on the north side just down the street from Wrigley field and belonged to a church called The Church of Wrigleyville where they volunteered regularly for several years.  He got his PhD in the Department of Pharmacology and through his research has participated in conferences nationally and internationally.   Mark is looking forward to returning to Nashville and his residency at Vanderbilt.

Ridinger, Heather
Univ. of MD

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Harrisonburg, VA
Brigham Young University
Undecided; interested in medical education
Heather is the oldest of 6 children and was raised in Utah, Texas, Washington, Kansas, and finally Virginia while her father completed medical training through the Army.  She majored in Microbiology at Brigham Young University, where she also worked as a teaching assistant for the organic chemistry lab.  Heather took time off from college for a summer research internship at the National Cancer Institute followed by a year and a half of full-time missionary work in Hungary.  Afterward as a medical student at the University of Maryland, Heather married Andy, her friend of 4 years; they met as undergrads, having both served missions in Hungary (yes, they both speak Hungarian if they don't want others to understand their conversation).  Andy has a degree in International Marketing and works for a social media strategy firm.  Heather and Andy enjoy traveling, warm beaches, good food, family, and Guitar Hero.  Heather is an avid scrapbooker, novice photographer, skilled pianist, and loves to cook.  She also loves shows and is looking forward to enjoying the music scene in Nashville with her sister who is also relocating to Nashville to begin the MD/PhD program.

Sample, Matthew
Univ. of MS

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Pickens, MS
Mississippi State University
Gastroenterology
Matt is from the small farming community of Ebenezer, MS (which is a suburb of Pickens) where he spent the better part of his youth.  He graduated from Kosciusko High School and went to Mississippi State University where he earned a BS in microbiology.  Matt earned his MD from the University of Mississippi Medical Center.  He enjoys playing and listening to music (which makes Nashville the perfect place for him), reading Southern American authors, of which Willie Morris is his favorite, golf, and cooking. While at Mississippi State he played the guitar in a bluegrass band.  He is happily married to his loving wife Jennifer.  They have no children yet, unless you count their big brown lab named Traveler.  Member of AOA.

Sandler, Kim
Vanderbilt

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Nashville, TN
Emory University
Radiology
Kim was born at Vanderbilt and raised in Nashville, Tennessee.  She is the elder of two girls; her younger sister, Carla, is currently a Vanderbilt medical student.  Kim graduated from the University School of Nashville in 2001 and then attended Emory University in Atlanta, GA.  At college, Kim chose to major in English with a minor in Anthropology in addition to completing her pre-medical school requirements.  She completed an honors thesis on the poetry of Dr. John Donne, a Renaissance writer.  While a medical student at Vanderbilt, she continued to study works from the Renaissance with a project on the origins of embryology from 17th century poetry.  Kim was married in April, 2009 to Tom Rhodes, also from Nashville.  Tom graduated from Georgia Tech and is now a signature builder for John Weiland homes.  Kim played volleyball and tennis while at school and joined the tennis team while at Emory.  She and Tom share a love of sports and enjoy Titans and Predators games in Nashville.

Savoie, Brent
Vanderbilt

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Vienna, Virginia
Vanderbilt University
Radiology
Brent Savoie is from Vienna, Virginia. He attended Vanderbilt University for both undergraduate and medical school. As an undergraduate, he studied English literature and French. He researched international pharmaceutical patent law at the University of Virginia, where he received his law degree. Before starting medical school, he worked on research projects in South Africa and Guatemala and continues to work with clinical programs in rural Guatemala. He enjoys hiking, mountain biking, traveling, and listening to live music. He is married to Cory Savoie, a 2nd year fellow in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Scharf, Andrew
Virginia Commonwealth University

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Richmond, VA
Hampden-Sydney College
Cardiology
Andrew was born and raised in southwest Virginia, along the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.  He graduated from Hampden-Sydney College in 2004, which is one of only three remaining all male colleges in the nation.  He was a computer science major in college and didn't decide to pursue medicine until his junior year.  Andrew is an extreme sports fan, with his number one love being the Washington Redskins.  He even had season tickets for four years while in medical school, but is distraught that he had to give them up for the big move to Nashville.  He also enjoys baseball (Chicago Cubs), ice-hockey (Washington Capitals and now the Predators), college football (Alabama/UNC), and college basketball (UNC).  Whenever Andrew isn't busy cheering for one of his sports teams, he enjoys getting outside: hunting, fishing, hiking, golfing, camping, kayaking, and white-water rafting.  Some of his other interests include trying new restaurants, live music, cooking, wine, and good beer.  Also of note, Andrew really enjoys a good cup of coffee and a newspaper (preferably together, and in the morning) and he has quite the collection of bow ties.  Member of AOA.

Schmidt, Kerstin
Ruprecht-Karls-Universitat
Heidelberg, Germany

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Mannheim, Germany
Ruprecht-Karls-Universitat, Heidelberg, Germany
Oncology or Gastroenterology
Kerstin grew up in Germany where she went to high school and med school. During her medical studies Kerstin attended an exchange program in Baltimore, loved it and decided to come back for a research fellowship at Johns Hopkins. Kerstin enjoys good food next to beer and wine and likes all kinds of outdoor activities with a special passion for horseback riding. She shares her apartment with 2 Baltimore street cats.

Spires, Schaefer
Mercer

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Alpharetta, GA
University of Georgia
Infectious Diseases or Pulmonary/Critical Care
Shaefer is a husband and a daddy who happens to love medicine. He was raised in Alpharetta, Georgia and then moved to Athens, Georgia for his undergraduate studies.  He has a heart for missions and hopes to be able to spend some time serving them as a physician one day. Shaefer loves the outdoors and has hiked the Grand Canyon as part of a Hike for Discovery team (Leukemia and Lymphoma Foundation) and has spent several weeks out west hiking and camping in the Rockies.  His passion for biking, running, and swimming has him looking forward each year to triathalon season where his goal is still to win one... or at least keep beating his brother and sister in law!  He is married to Kristina, a nurse who took early retirement to stay home with their beautiful one year old daughter, Camden.  Shaefer hopes to pursue a career in Infectious Diseases or Pulm/Critical Care or wherever he can best be used to further God's ministry, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick..."  Member of AOA.

Wasserman, Brian
Vanderbilt

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Queensbury, NY
Cornell University
Cardiology
Brian grew up in the frozen tundra that is upstate New York, before departing for equally cold Cornell University.  Deciding that it was time for a change, he attended Vanderbilt for medical school.  While not doing things medical, he enjoys following his sports teams (NY Giants, Mets, Vandy football/basketball), playing soccer and tennis, running, traveling, and enjoying the live music that abounds in Nashville.  Brian plans on going into electrophysiology, and his research interests include genetic influences on cardiac conduction.

Wells, Katherine "Kat"
Univ. of TN

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Jackson, TN
Wheaton
Undecided
Kat was born in Jackson, TN but moved around the Midwest several times before ending up at Wheaton College, just outside Chicago where she majored in Spanish.  During med school at the University of Tennessee in Memphis, Kat continued to develop a passion for underserved patient populations, using her Spanish to serve in a free clinic for Hispanic patients.  In addition to studying abroad in Spain during college, Kat's love of adventure has taken her to southern Brazil for a summer of pediatric cancer research, and to a small jungle hospital in Ecuador to spend two months treating snake bites, machete wounds, and rare tropical diseases.  In her free time, Kat enjoys being involved in her church, running marathons, most recently Boston 2009, and hiking in the Smoky Mountains with her wonderful fiancé, Justin.  Member of AOA.

Westerly, Blair
Univ. of MO - Columbia

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Indianola, IA
Augustana College
Pulmonary/ Critical Care
Before arriving in Nashville, Blair's life was a mini Midwest tour, as he grew up in Iowa, went to undergraduate at Augustana College in Illinois, and finally, completed medical school in Missouri.  He married his high school sweetheart, Kara, following his first year in medical school and enjoys running and playing golf, basketball, and tennis to stay active.  Blair and Kara love watching movies from their Netflix queue and hanging out with friends in familiar bars or restaurants, while cheering on their favorite sports teams.  He is a devoted Kansas City Chiefs fan who held season tickets during the team's worst season in team history (2008, 2-14, ouch!).  When avoiding medical literature, Blair also likes to listen to a variety of music (rock, alternative, electronic, folk), play his guitar and read (his last read was FDR's biography, A Traitor to His Class).  Member of AOA.

Wiese, Dawn
Lerner College of Case Western

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Mentor (Cleveland), Ohio
Case Western Reserve University
Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Clinical Research
Dawn is excited to move south as she has spent all of her life in Northeast Ohio (with the exception of a couple of extended absences studying abroad). She majored in biology and Spanish in college, earned a masters degree in nutrition and was a member of the inaugural class of "The Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University." Her hobbies include running, swimming, traveling, cheering for the Cleveland Cavs, trying new restaurants, and spending time with her friends and family. Dawn will be married to her fiancé Mike in September 2009 in Cleveland, Ohio.  Mike and Dawn are happy to be moving to a warmer city with lots of music!

Young, Michael
Vanderbilt

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Elizabethtown, KY
University of Louisville
Pulmonary/Critical Care, Cardiology, or Global Health
Prior to medical school, Michael graduated from the University of Louisville in 2005 (B.S. Biology; B.A. Chemistry, Psychology). Apart from medicine, Michael is passionate about music, poetry, martial arts, U of L athletics, and his family. He enjoys playing the piano and flamenco guitar. His favorite poet is Pablo Neruda and singer/song-writer Leonard Cohen. Last September, after seven years of practice, Michael earned his first-degree black belt in Shaolin Kung Fu- he is quite sure he will find this knowledge useful on the wards. During medical school, Michael also began the study of the Brazilian martial art known as Capoeira. For the past three years, he has been a dedicated student of Mestre Gulliver of the Capoeira Angola Palmares School. This year, Michael couples matched with Eileen Duggan (University of Louisville SOM), who is pursuing general surgery. Michael is most proud of the fact that his credit score is +7 points higher than Eileen's, as it marks the only time he has ever scored better than her on anything in his life.

Zenisek, Joseph
Univ. of KS

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Wichita, KS
University of Kansas
Cardiology (Likely)
Joe is the oldest of 5 children and grew up in Wichita, KS. He enjoys following sports (particularly the Kansas Jayhawks) and horse racing.  He also enjoys light running/weight lifting, and following the stock market.  Joe is preparing for residency by traveling to Europe in May with two friends.  Member of AOA.

Angel, Federica
Texas Tech

Houston, TX
University of Texas at Austin
Hematology/Oncology or General Medicine
This is the first time Federica has lived outside of Texas, and she brings a big heart and smile to Nashville, TN!  Federica grew up in a multicultural household in Houston, near NASA.  She attended the University of Texas at Austin for her undergraduate degree and is quickly learning that "UT" and orange/white take on a whole new meaning in this state!  While attending medical school, she spent a month doing medical mission work in Ecuador.  Unique to her medical experience is the training she received in border health at her clinical campus in El Paso, TX.  Federica is a violinist and hopes to rejoin a community orchestra while living in Nashville.  She enjoys visiting coffee shops, live music venues, reading, salsa dancing and hiking/caving.  She is also an amateur entomologist!
 

Aznaurov, Sam
U. of Kansas

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Overland Park, KS
University of Kansas
GI or Pulmonary/Critical Care
Sam was born in Eastern Germany and grew up in Moscow. His family moved to the U.S. from Russia when he was 11.  Sam enjoys martial arts, photography, filmmaking, and writing and performing poetry, essays, and short stories.  Sam has been known to eat soup with chopsticks, just for the added challenge!
Member of AOA.

Barry, David
Wake Forest

Greensboro, NC
Duke University
Undecided
David's interests include playing sports, water and snow skiing, watching Duke basketball, traveling, cooking, hiking, and entertaining friends.  He and his wife, Kathleen, were married the week after graduation from medical school and she is currently a pediatric resident at Vanderbilt.  David's parents live in Greensboro, NC and his sister currently resides in Atlanta.  Kathleen and David are very excited to be moving to Nashville and look forward to everything the city has to offer. Member of AOA.

Brewster, Jordan
U. of Virginia

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Broken Arrow, OK
University of Oklahoma
Cardiology or Infectious Diseases
Jordan enjoys playing guitar, both electric and acoustic, and although he enjoys many musical styles, he primarily plays improvisational blues in the style of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimi Hendrix. He also enjoys building his own vacuum tube-based, vintage-style guitar amplifiers and effects pedals.  In addition, Jordan enjoys the outdoors, including camping, hiking, and fishing - especially for catfish.  He and his dad and brother once caught nine catfish weighing a total of 150 pounds in a span of just a few hours.  Jordan also is an avid amateur automobile mechanic: He restored a 1972 Chevelle while in high school, and has since learned, through necessity, to turn a wrench in the cramped engine bays of Toyota Camry's and Honda Accord's. He is a big fan of college football, and looks forward to watching the Oklahoma Sooners compete for more Big XII and national championships!  Member of AOA

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Charlotte, NC
Washington University
Gastroenterology
Lisa's interests and hobbies include watching sports, most importantly, Carolina basketball (of course), going to the gym, cycling, and cooking.  Lisa loves dogs, and hopes to adopt one as her buddy soon (although per her husband, soon is a relative term).  Lisa's husband, Aaron (Trammell), is also a medicine resident at Vanderbilt.  They love Nashville, including the music, outdoor activities, and all the people at Vanderbilt.

Davis, Sarah
Emory

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Park Ridge, IL
Carlton College
Undecided
Sara is the third of four children, all of whom have pursued careers in healthcare. Her father and grandfather are both physicians, her mother is a nurse, and her sister is a child life specialist. Her two brothers are both physicians; and one, Michael, is a pulmonary/critical care fellow at Vanderbilt. Sarah majored in biology at Davidson and spent a semester in the Turks and Caicos Islands studying marine resource management. After graduation she moved to NYC where she worked at Rockefeller University studying telomere genetics. She loved the big city but missed the south, and it was at Emory that she met her husband, Gus, who is an MD/PhD student investigating muscarinic receptors' involvement in Alzheimer's disease.  Sarah enjoys outdoor activity, especially running, hiking, camping, and canoeing, but also indoor activities such as knitting and her new Wii!  She and Gus love cooking and traveling together. They recently visited Italy, so their new culinary adventures involve pasta, cheese, and tomatoes! Sarah is very excited to move back to Nashville and join the Vanderbilt family.

Ferrell, Benjamin
MC of Virginia

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Shelby, NC
Davidson College
Academic General Medicine or Rheumatology
Ben was a religion major in college and studied at a presbyterian seminary before attending medical school.  During his last two years in Richmond, Benjamin helped lead a small, urban presbyterian congregation.  Benjamin is married to Georgia Ferrell, an ObGyn intern.  They have a 1 yr. old daughter, Adelaide, who is loads of fun.  His interests include cheap golf courses, good coffee, and good beer!  He is a passionate fan of Davidson College basketball and the Carolina Panthers NFL team.

Frith, Ashley
U. of Arkansas

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Little Rock, AR
Christian Brothers University in Memphis
Undecided
Ashley is a devoted Arkansas Razorback football fan which is a longstanding tradition in her family.  She enjoys reading gossip magazines, watching prime time television and socializing with friends.  During the warm months, she likes to spend time at the lake where water skiing and tubing must be involved.  Ashley has spent a lot of her pre-medical school life going to concerts and music festivals, and her biggest regret in medical school was not going to an Aerosmith concert because of a test the following Monday. Member of AOA

Gadgil, Jay
Northwestern

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Lynbrook, NY
Cornell University
Cardiology
Jay grew up in the suburbs of New York City and he remains a diehard New York sports fan. (Mets not Yankees, Islanders not Rangers).  Jay also developed a love of swimming at a young age after his parents enrolled him in swimming lessons to make him face his fear of water.  Jay is interested in genetics and computer science as they relate to clinical medicine.

Giddings, Olivia
Saint Louis U.

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St. Louis, MO
Dartmouth College
Infectious Disease and International Health
Enjoys spending time with her husband John (a radio personality) and three dogs, Zoey, Bela and Boris.  Rowed throughout high school and college, even coached high school girls crew for 2 years while working on her PhD in Microbiology and Immunology.  Loves playing in the garden, watching old movies and singing loudly.  She and her husband plan on attending lots of concerts at the Ryman.  Member of AOA

Guyer, Dana
Vanderbilt

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Bethesda, Maryland
Princeton University
Community Health
Dana enjoys reading, knitting, traveling, and pottery.  She also enjoys hiking and playing with her two dogs, Tek and Bea, and she loves cooking and eating out.   She is a Boston Red Sox and Nashville Predators fan.  Her husband, Carlos, is getting his doctorate in child psychology at Vanderbilt.

Harris, Rashad
Morehouse

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Born in Honolulu, HI but raised in Edison, NJ
Cornell University
Cardiology
Rashad's first exposure to the world of medicine was at the age of 5 after witnessing his grandfather's recovery from an abdominal aortic aneurysm. He was forever thankful to the physicians and surgeons who saved his grandfather from death and he always hoped to one day be able to help others in the same way.  Rashad attended Cornell University where he majored in Biology with a minor in Communications.  Rashad attended Morehouse for medical school where he met his fiancée, Isfahan Chambers, a PhD candidate in the Biomedical Sciences. His current interest is Cardiology. In his free time, Rashad engages in community service through the Big Brothers, Big Sisters of America program and through Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. of which he is a member.  Rashad also enjoys weight-training, dancing, video games, movies, and hanging out with friends.

Heerman, Bill
Vanderbilt

Park Ridge, IL
Carlton College
Primary Care / International Missions
Bill and his wife, Jennifer, enjoy the outdoors and often take advantage of hiking in the local parks.  Jennifer is a kindergarten teacher in Nashville.  They are both heavily involved in their church, where they met.  When football season comes around, Bill has always been a Michigan fan, but has recently become a Gator fan by marriage.

Kaiser, Dan
Vanderbilt

Nashville, TN
Duke University
Cardiovascular medicine
Enjoys wakeboarding, skiing, and pretty much anything that has to do with the lake. Dan has big aspirations for his newly formed a rock band "AckAttack". He is a devout Duke basketball fan and occasionally pretends to play basketball himself. Dan's father is a physician at Vanderbilt and his mother is a research nurse at Vanderbilt. Dan's brother is doing a residency in cardiac surgery at Stanford.  Member of the Harrison Society.

Charleston, SC
Emory University
Undecided
Bradley is a simple man who enjoys sports and relaxing; two facets of his life which will be sorely missed during his intern year. Born and raised in beautiful Charleston, South Carolina, he has become accustomed to all the great benefits of living on the water, and he looks forward to continuing these activities in Nashville - Wait, What? Nashville's not located on the coast? Nobody told him this! Anyway, he is very excited about moving to Nashville and realizing his dreams of becoming a competent physician and/or playing for the Tennessee Titans. He will soon be joined by his girlfriend, Amanda, who is finishing her final semester of nursing school in Charleston.  Member of AOA.

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Charleston, SC
Emory University
Undecided
Ryan grew up in Charleston, SC and went to college at Emory University. He returned to his hometown of Charleston to attend medical school at MUSC. He is very excited to move to Nashville to begin his residency. He will be joined by the beautiful Jennifer, who will be working as a community pharmacist. They will be bringing Chloe, a seven pound Morkie, to serve as their guard dog. Ryan enjoys most all sporting activities. In his younger days, he actually actively participated in sports. However, now, the closest he gets to participation is in Yahoo fantasy leagues. Hopefully, this level of inactivity will change in the near future, but he is not 100% confident that he remembers how to run. Lastly, Ryan suggests that, when in doubt, all 3 A.M. pages to the last name 'Kalinsky' be sent to the person listed above him on this sheet.

Kolek, Matt
U. of Utah

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Salt Lake City, UT
University of Utah
Cardiology / Academic Medicine
Matt is originally from Gliwice, Poland but grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah.  He attended college and medical school at the University of Utah and loves the fact that his Utes are now perennial "BCS busters." Matt married his wife, Shawna in 2000.  Don't be fooled by the fact that he has two school-age kids; Matt is deceptively young and even more young at heart. Outside of work, Matt enjoys snowboarding, working on cars, hiking, camping, and pretty much anything that involves his boys, his dog, and being outdoors.  His greatest passion, however, is fly-fishing.  After internal medicine, Matt plans to do a cardiology fellowship and pursue a career in academics, though he hasn't completely written off auto mechanics.  Member of the Harrison Society.  Member of AOA

Kolnick, Leanne
Vanderbilt

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Port Elizabeth, South Africa
University of Texas - Austin
Undecided - possibly Oncology
After 4 years here at Vanderbilt, Leanne and her fiancé, Shawn couldn't bear to leave this great city.  Leanne enjoys all the fantastic things Nashville has to offer:  theatre, hiking, and live music, especially Shawn's Johnny Cash Tribute band:  "Far from Folsom".  Leanne is a dedicated runner and loves to cook, paint and read.  One of her greatest satisfactions was being chosen by her classmates to give the Class Talk on Class Day, during graduation week.

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Williamsville, NY
Davidson College
Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine
Jon's parents are both CPA's and he quickly realized accounting was not the world for him.  His younger brother is attending law school in South Carolina and he looks forward to using that as an excuse to venture back to the Carolinas to watch his Davidson Wildcat basketball team in person this year.  Jon was captain of the golf team at Davidson and still plays, though not quite as well, from time to time.  Outside the hospital, he enjoys playing intramural softball, flag football and soccer, cooking most anything he can find on the grill, and enjoying the Nashville scene with his girlfriend, Julie, who is a soon-to-be post-doc in pharmacology at Vanderbilt.  Ultimately, Jon plans on a career in translational research in Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine. Member of the Harrison Society. Member of AOA
                                                      

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Denver, CO
Washington University - St. Louis
Infectious Diseases/Global Health
Jessica enjoys being outdoors, hosting dinner parties, reading, and cheering on the Denver Broncos. She completed an MPH during medical school and spent time working in Uganda and Honduras. Jessica's 'partner in crime', Celso, is joining the faculty of the history department at Vanderbilt.

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Hissar, Bulgaria
Universitat des Saarlandes, Germany
Undecided - possibly Pulmonary/Critical Care
Ralitza enjoys reading novels and non-fiction books, traveling, European coffee, good food and fine wine, and studying foreign languages.  In addition to English, Ralitza is fluent in three other languages, Bulgarian (native), German and Russian.  She is an adrenaline junkie - loves roller coasters, skydiving, and bungee jumping. Ralitza is married to Eric, a former Army green beret, currently a fellow in Vascular Surgery at Walter Reed AMC and the Cleveland Clinic. They are proud owners of two rescue cats - Tiger & Simba.

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Solomon, KS
University of Kansas
Cardiology or Pulmonary/Critical Care
Jay enjoys listening to live music, playing guitar, singing, traveling, hiking, backpacking, biking, reading, and playing and watching sports (especially KU football and basketball)!  Jay enjoys visiting with friends and family.  In medical school he enjoyed singing with 'The Doctor's Notes', an a cappella group of medical students that performed at various functions and entertained children on the pediatrics ward. Member of AOA

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Livingston, TN
Maryville College
Gastroenterology
Matt and his wife, Kendal, a special education teacher, were married in May. Matt enjoys almost any outdoor activity and has a chocolate lab named "Bogey" who loves to go trail running.  Matt played 2 years of football in college, and in medical school, was a member of almost all of the intramural sport teams. He enjoys watching college football and basketball, and he very much enjoys cookouts!

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Long Island, NY
James Madison University (Undergrad) / Virginia Commonwealth University (Ph.D.)
Undecided
Mike was raised in Long Island, New York, where most of his family remains.  He spent the remainder of his life in Virginia, where he completed his undergraduate, medical, and graduate education.  Mike was married this spring and his wife, Jenny, is finishing her PhD in Microbiology, and will then move to Nashville for a post-doctoral fellowship this fall.  Mike enjoys reading, getting outdoors, working around the house, and spending time with his family and friends, including their three dogs. Member of the Harrison Society.

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Carl Junction, MO
University of Missouri
Possibly rheumatology; clinical research
Growing up, Lori was a tomboy who liked cows and mud holes, now she prefers cute shoes and massages.  She enjoys reading nonfiction and fiction crime books, and adds a literary classic to the mix every once in a while.  Lori plays volleyball, hikes, lifts weights (light amounts), bikes and runs short distances (slowly). Among her favorite foods are malt-o-meal and sweet chili sauce, but not together.

Patton, Will
MC of Georgia

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Atlanta, GA
Vanderbilt University
Cardiology
Will Patton was born in Atlanta, GA and grew up in nearby Marietta, GA.  He attended Vanderbilt for undergrad, majoring in Molecular and Cell Biology.  After graduation from Vanderbilt, he moved back to Georgia to attend medical school at the Medical College of Georgia.  He is very excited to be returning to Vanderbilt/Nashville for his internship and residency after having a great undergraduate experience.  When not working, he enjoys traveling, swimming, racquetball, cookouts, the outdoors and would like to eventually get his pilot's license and prove that doctors can in fact be good pilots.

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Memphis, TN
University of Tennessee - Knoxville
Undecided
Kiffany is a graduate from the University of Tennessee in Memphis, TN.  She chose internal medicine after seeing the endless opportunities that were available in the field and the impact that one could make in patients' lives.  In her free time she is an accomplished musician and enjoys spending time with her dogs.  Kiffany has not decided what she will do after residency but hopes to stay in academics.

Pohlmann, Paula
U Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil     
 

Porto Alegre, Brazil
Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul
Hematology/Oncology and Research
Paula loves traveling, going to the movies and playing sports. Her favorite sport is soccer, which she enjoys watching as well as playing. She discovered her passion for research at the age of 14, when she developed a project to evaluate the quality of water in the Guaiba lake of Porto Alegre, receiving the Best Project Award given by the Rio Grande do Sul State Department of Education, in Brazil. Since that time she knew research would have a special place in her life and career. She loves living in Nashville where she continues to meet wonderful people every day.

Puskoor, Rohit
Baylor

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Fort Worth, Texas
Columbia University
Academic Cardiology (either interventional or EP)
Rohit was born in Toledo, Ohio, where his maternal grandmother was an academic maternal-fetal medicine specialist, and grew up in Chicago for the first five years of his life while his parents completed their residency training in pediatrics (mom) and psychiatry (dad).  In 1986, the family moved to Fort Worth, Texas. Rohit was valedictorian of his high school graduating class and went on to earn his B.A. with a double major in biochemistry and history at Columbia.  While at Columbia he also served as a teaching assistant for a Masters' seminar on the microbiology of infectious diseases. After graduation, he worked in the Pediatric Endocrinology Lab at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas and in the fall of 2004, entered medical school at Baylor College of Medicine.  In his spare time, Rohit loves to watch basketball and football; play tennis, golf and squash; write fiction and play "mad scientist" in his kitchen.  He has played the sitar since the age of four.

Rahim, Saquib
Northwestern

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New Port Richey, FL
Northwestern University
Undecided, possibly Gastroenterology, Pulmonary/Critical Care, or Health Policy
Saquib enjoys watching any and all South Florida sports (especially Miami Dolphins/Tampa Bay Buccaneers/Miami Hurricanes/Miami Heat games), meeting new people, checking out new types of music, and stirring up a little trouble from time to time.  He loves to go running and play football or basketball and is always up to trying new things.  Saquib has yet to learn how to cook but enjoys convincing others to cook for him.  He completed his MBA at Harvard Business School between his 3rd and 4th years of medical school, and he serves on the Board of Directors of Children Without Borders, a Boston-based non-profit promoting children's health in Latin America.  Saquib finally finished medical school 7 years after starting - much to his parent's delight.  He has spent 2 months living in Buenos Aires prior to beginning residency and is determined to become a tango aficionado before he dies.
 

Rizzone, Katherine
U. of North Carolina

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Buffalo, NY
SUNY at Buffalo
Obesity Prevention / General Med-Peds
Kate enjoys playing soccer, vegetable gardening, cooking, traveling, and rooting for the Tarheels and heart-breaking Bills.  Kate and her partner Kathryn have a wonderful son, Benjamin, and three family pets, Elliot & Zoe (dogs) and Miles the cat.

Scholz, Beth
Baylor

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Wichita Falls, TX
Baylor
Rheumatology
Beth enjoys scrapbooking, cooking and baking.  She enjoys having parties as an excuse to feed what she cooks and bakes to all her friends!  Her husband Nick plans to pursue a career in hospital administration. They have two dogs: Jonesy, a mutt, and Izzy, a golden retriever mix.  Member of AOA

Semler, Matt
U. of Virginia

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Annandale, VA
University of Virginia
Possibly Pulmonary/Critical Care
Matt is asked at least 20 times a day if he plays basketball (he is 6'6")!  Luckily he does, but he also enjoys filmmaking, improv comedy, playing guitar and piano, and spending time with his girlfriend, Jessica, who is an EM resident at Vanderbilt, and with their yellow lab, Bailey. Matt's brother plays football at Georgetown, his sister is a special education teacher in Northern Virginia, and his parents also work in DC. Matt hopes to one day be a doctor!  Member of AOA

Stover, Dan
Vanderbilt

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Columbus, OH      
Princeton University
Oncology
Dan was a coxswain for the heavyweight crew team in college, but being far from any rowable body of water, he now enjoys running, cooking and the local music scene.  Since starting internship, he has picked up the mandolin and is testing his chops with other bluegrass-inclined residents. He is also a dedicated Ohio State Buckeyes fan and will watch anything from football to fencing.  He hopes to ultimately run a lab focusing on solid tumor biology. 

Theobald, Cecelia
MC of Virginia

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Newport News, VA
University of Richmond
Academic General Medicine
Cecelia and her husband, Patrick have been married for 3 years and have 2 dogs, Sasha and Aidan.  Cecelia loves to cook (especially spicy food), hike, read, sew and play "Guitar Hero".  She recently finished her first triathlon and is figuring out when she can do another one!   Member of AOA.

Trammell, Aaron
U. of North Carolina

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Salisbury, NC
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Cardiology
Aaron loves sports and his main sporting interests are watching Tar Heel basketball and Carolina Panthers football as well as all things NASCAR (it is a sport).  He has attended quite a few NASCAR races and also enjoys watching it on TV.  Aaron's lovely wife Lisa is also a Vanderbilt internal medicine intern and they are both looking forward to the challenges and fun of being co-interns.  They love to play racquetball, spend free time at home together and enjoy the outdoors.  Aaron enjoys eating out at restaurants and anything Lisa makes, of course.  He is also very into technology, almost to a fault at times!

Veerkamp, Brian
Indiana U.

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Midland, TX
Indiana University
Cardiology
Brian and his fiancée, Sally, will be married in October of this year.  Sally recently graduated from nursing school and looks forward to starting her career in Nashville.  Brian's interests outside of medicine include:   fishing, hunting, SCUBA diving, playing flag football, watching IU basketball and Notre Dame football.  They are both big fans of country music.  Member of AOA.

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Alderson, Thomas
U. of Kansas - KC

Aschner, Yael
Vanderbilt

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Barrier, Charles
U. of North Carolina

Boyle, Daniel
Saint Louis U.

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St. Louis, MO
St. Louis Univ.
Undecided
Cheering on one of the St. Louis pro teams, or stirring it up on the hockey rink or soccer field.  Was the captain of the St. Louis Univ. Roller Hockey team (finishing in the top 10 in the Nat'l Championship Tournament (5 out of 6 years).  He also enjoys the outdoors, camping, fishing and BBQing with friends and family.

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Nashville, TN
David Lipscomb Univ.
Possibly general Med/Peds.   
Enjoys the outdoors, especially fishing, and is a big sports fan of the Braves, Titans, and Vanderbilt football (since birth). Has been on a medical mission trip to Trujillo, Honduras.  Member of AOA.

Bryant, Andrew
Wake Forest 

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High Point, NC
Wake Forest
Undecided. 
Movies (his favorite is Clockwork Orange), novels and music. Wife, Jessica, is a nurse and co-owner of Belle, a chocolate lab.  Member of AOA.

Burgner, Anna
Indiana U. 

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English, Scott 
Meharry

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Monroeville, AL
Hampton Univ.
Undecided
Family - Scott and his wife, Kamesha, have three boys, Daniel, Joshua, and Chris.  After completing his undergraduate work, Scott worked as a phlebotomist at INOVA Fairfax Hospital in northern VA.  Kamesha is chief resident in psychiatry at Vanderbilt this year. 

Friedman, Eitan
Vanderbilt

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Frye, Jeanetta
Vanderbilt

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Gardner, Faith
U. of South Florida

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Gibbons, Michael
U. of Kentucky

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Dayton, OH
Miami of Ohio
Considering hospitalist medicine, critical care, cardiology, and medical education.
Nearly all sports, but especially golf and baseball. He and his wife, Lynsey, enjoy attending the Nashville Sounds (local Triple A team) baseball games.   Lynsey is pursuing her doctorate degree in education at Peabody College at Vanderbilt.

Hollenback, Ryan
U. of Iowa

Janz, David
LSU - New Orleans

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Khalaf, Waleed
Indiana U.

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Klochan, Christen
Rush

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Maples, Maria
U. of Tennessee

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Mitra, Debi
Cornell

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O'Neal, Lindsey
Baylor

Richmond, Bradley
U. of Louisville

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Rickard, Dorsey
Vanderbilt

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Born in Richmond, VA and raised in the town of Horseheads, NY
Ithaca College
Undecided, considering Palliative Care and Geriatrics. 
Tracy began medical school at Duke, where sometime around November 2003 she became an instant Cameron Crazy, never to look back. She also met her boyfriend Carey Dozier while at Duke, who will be beginning an ophthalmology residency at Vanderbilt in 2008.  Tracy likes to spend her free time traveling, hiking, golfing, and doing basically anything else that involves being outdoors.  Her favorite place is on the shores of Lake Ontario in upstate NY and her favorite food is homemade macaroni and cheese.  Member of AOA. 

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Born in southern CA, but grew up in MA and eastern MD
Univ. of Maryland  
Undecided
Emily is the first doctor in her family.  She loves living in Nashville and cannot imagine going back to Boston winters.  Her favorite hobby is cooking, although she rarely follows a recipe.  She recently learned to crochet.  She is looking forward to her wedding in October, 2007.  Her fiancé is a postdoctoral fellow (and sports fanatic) in the physiology department at Vanderbilt.

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Uppal, Dushant
U. College of Dublin

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