Undergraduate: Oklahoma Christian University, B.S. in Biology
Graduate: University of Kansas School of Medicine
Honors/Awards: 2009 Lily and G. D. Jackson Award Winner – An annual award presented to outstanding first-year residents spanning every specialty that show exceptional promise (one of three interns chosen)

Leadership and Awards:

Alpha Omega Alpha (Member of AOA)
Gold Humanism Honor Society (Member of GHHS)
Christian Medical Fellowship, KUMC, Kansas City, KS, President 2016-17

Hobbies and Interests:
I enjoy doing just about anything outside. I grew up on a farm and have always enjoyed fishing. Since moving to Greenville, my wife and I have taken up gardening, hiking at the nearby state parks, and riding our bikes on the Swamp Rabbit Trail.

Future Career Plans: My current plan is to return to rural Kansas and work in an underserved community. I would love to find a way to do both outpatient and inpatient medicine. Somewhere down the line, I hope to be involved in mission work as well.

Why I chose Greenville for Med-Peds: Before interview season, several mentors emphasized how important it would be for me to find a group of residents that I meshed well with. When I interviewed in Greenville, all the residents seemed to truly appreciate and enjoy each other. Compared to other programs, both the residents and faculty that I met seemed incredibly genuine and made both my wife and I feel welcomed. On top of that, I was convinced that this program would prepare me well for a career as a generalist in a rural area since it seemed the residents got more hands-on experience given the lack of many fellows. The fact that this program is in Greenville, South Carolina, with mountains nearby and endless things to do in the city was icing on the cake!

Education:

Undergraduate:
Rutgers University-Newark, B.A. Biology
Graduate:
Rutgers University School of Public Health, MPH (Jan 2020)
Medical School:
Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, MD

Leadership and Awards:

2019 Pat Tilman Foundation Scholar, awarded to military veterans and their spouses who are committed to making a difference in their communities
2018 Donald A. Pegg Student Leadership Award, Presented to four students nationally for exceptional leadership and commitment to the field of Lifestyle Medicine

Hobbies and Interests:
Outdoors and active is my motto! Some of my usual activities include calisthenics, running, weightlifting, hiking, and rock-climbing to name a few. When I am not sweating up a storm, I love to spend time gardening or moonlighting as a wanna-be plant-based chef.

Future Career Plans:
Ideally, I am interested in serving as a Lifestyle Medicine Med/Peds physician in a primary care setting associated with an academic health center. I truly believe that the future of healthcare depends on targeting the social determinants of health and lifestyle factors in order to improve population health and move us towards sustainable value-based healthcare.

Why I Chose Prisma Med-Peds:

Coming from the Northern NJ/NYC area the idea of coming to the South seemed peculiar to many of my friends and family, but I can truly say that choosing Prisma Health in Greenville was the absolute best decision. What initially drew me to Greenville was the vision and innovation of the health system. Academically, it is at the forefront in the shift towards a sustainable value based system which emphasizes population health, patient outcomes, quality & safety, and physician well-being. Prisma Health-Upstate is home to the University of South Carolina- Greenville which is the first medical school in the country to have integrated Lifestyle Medicine into its curriculum. Nationally it is one of only three sites selected to pilot the Lifestyle Medicine Residency Curriculum. From its “Exercise is Medicine” program to its Farm to clinic partnership with FoodShare SC, Prisma offers robust experiences in community health. If you are looking to develop strong clinical skills ready to meet the needs of the the 21st century there is no program better than Prisma. While academically enticing, what solidified my decision were the people here. The warmth I felt here was unlike any other program on the interview trail. I remember how happy and relaxed the residents were on the wards. That feeling is ubiquitous throughout the hospital and it starts with the tone set by our program director “Russ” as he likes to be called.

Greenville is a great place to live and what I consider to be a hidden gem of the south. It offers all the amenities of a bustling northeastern city coupled with the charm and beautiful weather of the south. Downtown offers an extensive array of cultural cuisines, vibrant nightlife, art, music, shopping and more. Take it from this Jersey boy, you’ll be more than impressed and happy to have chosen Greenville, SC.

Education:

Undergraduate:
Centre College, Bachelor of Arts in English

Medical School:
University of Kentucky College of Medicine

Leadership and Awards:

Midwest Global Health Conference (2016), First Place Essay Winner
Hope Babette Tang Humanism in Healthcare Essay Contest (2018), Honorable Mention
Consortium of Universities for Global Health Reflection in Global Health Essay Contest (2017), Honorable Mention
Lexington Medical Society Essay Contest (2017), Second Place
University of Kentucky Women in Medicine and Science Rising Star Award (2016), Finalist

Non-Medical Interests: The out-of-doors– running, hiking, kayaking, cycling, and swimming. Reading and writing stories, cooking, trail races, spending time with my husband and church community.

Future Career Plans: The dream would be to work half the time as an Internal Medicine Hospitalist and half the time as a Pediatric Hospitalist taking care of patients and training local residents in an underserved community abroad.

Why I chose Greenville for Med-Peds: Ask anyone who works here and all of their answers to this question will be variations on the same theme. The individuals who work in this place genuinely care, are committed to others’ well-being, are passionate about learning and improving, and are passionate about the practice of medicine. I am thrilled to be joining such a fun and genuinely kind community. Additionally, as I investigated various residency programs, I prioritized living in an area where there were neat outdoors places to explore when I am not in the hospital. Greenville and the surrounding area has a massive number of waterfalls, trails, state parks, and mountain hikes, as well as more delicious restaurants than I could ever try in four years. I am tickled not only to be working with these individuals, but also to be living in such a beautiful place.

Education:

Undergraduate: University of South Carolina Columbia, SC, Biology with a minor in English Literature

Graduate: University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville

Leadership and Awards:

John Snow Society for Public Health
Gold Humanism Honor Society

Hobbies and Interests: I am happiest when I am traveling. However, when free time is short, seeking out live music and dancing (very, very badly) are my more accessible passions. I also have soft spot for science fiction films and board games

Future Career Plans: Like so many others in this field, my interests are broad. Ideally I would love to work in both the hospital and outpatient settings. Whatever career path I choose, medical education and advocacy for under served communities will be an active part of my practice.

Why I Chose Greenville Med-Peds:

The most useful advice I’d gotten during interview season was, “find a community of people that you can bond with”. Though I am somewhat biased, the residents in this program are incredibly warm, intelligent, and down to earth. All of them care for one another and there is truly a sense that this program is a family. This theme is especially strong within the program’s leadership. The program director, coordinator, and APDs invest deeply in the well-being of the residents. There is never a lack of support, all of them are willing to prioritize and fight for our emotional and physical health.

I was also looking for an institution that was driven to address the needs of under-served populations. Our hospital system is deeply embedded in the community and constantly strives to improve patients’ access to resources. Some of the most impactful work is done through our primary care initiatives. Our resident clinics have full-time social workers, dietitians, access to medical-legal partnerships, financial counselors, and a referral system to addiction recovery services. The Center for Pediatric Medicine houses a branch of PASOs, a grassroots organization that advocates for Latino community. I was also deeply impressed by the compassion that I witnessed in our comprehensive sickle cell clinic. I was searching for a program that had space for activism, and it has a palpable presence here.

Education:

Undergraduate:
University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri

Medical School:
University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine

Leadership and Awards:
Gold Humanism Honor Society (Member of GHHS)
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incoroporated, 2017

Hobbies and Interests:
African Dance, Fitness, Basketball, Health and Wellness

Future Career Plans:

Medical education , Community outreach- Health Education and Health Literacy, Diversity and Inclusion initiatives

Why I chose Greenville Med-Peds:

My story of how I ended up at Prisma health was actually pretty funny. I prejudged the city and its people and was pleasantly and overwhelmingly surprised when I came for my interview. Everyone was friendly and welcoming and after meeting the residents I felt like I could truly be myself. The residents stories easily displayed the investment and care that the program director and assistant program directors show the residents. The Importance of diversity and inclusion is major and Dr. Kolarik and Dr. Ravindran are at the forefront of making changes throughout the hospital system. I have no doubt in my mind that My passions will ultimately be supported and my training will be impeccable. I definitely didn’t end up checking that box by chance.