Program Info

Peter Acker, MD

Tufts University

As a young chap growing up in Oregon, a state in which law prohibits one from pumping their own gas, I always imagined the life of a gas station attendant to be a very fulfilling one. You have the chance to help hundreds of people every day, providing them with critical services that will allow them to return to their daily tasks, and perform them in the most efficient manner. And at the same time you see very measurable progress, with each customer encounter. A tank comes in empty, and within a minute or two the pump is shutting off, and that thank is now full of fossil fuels, ready to propel the car and it's driver to all sorts of destinations. With this as a model, I had always desired a job like this. I wanted help people every day in a way that they truly desired, aiding them in a time of need, while at the same time making some sort of measurable progress. I thought that would be very satisfying. At the time I couldn't imagine a better job than working as a gas station attendant, and I was ready to pursue it.

However, my family moved to Iowa when I was twelve. And when I arrived there I realized that pretty much everyone else in the country outside of Oregon (and, of course, our friends from New Jersey) could pump their very own gas without the slightest bit of trouble. Crushed and directionless I went through middle school and high school searching for a new purpose.

Thankfully, through a freak curb accident, which lead to a dislocation of my left shoulder, which lead to dozens more dislocations of my left shoulder and finally some surgery, I was introduced to the medical system in a way I had never been before. I went into the hospital with a shoulder that would painfully pop out of socket with the closing of a car door or a turn in my sleep and came out with nice tight ligaments, ready to return to the activities I had given up due to my injury. Within a few months I was stronger and happier than I had ever been, all thanks to my fantastic doctor.

This was when I realized that perhaps medicine was a career I would enjoy. It had all the same appeal of the work of a gas station attendant, but it was a service that was in need everywhere, all over the country and all over the world. So as I went off to school at Lewis and Clark College in Portland Oregon, I decided to focus my studies on preparing myself to go to medical school. I also managed to find a few ways to use some of the skills I already had in order to help some people in the Portland area. Most notable was the non-profit my friends and I started, called the Snowdays Foundation. This is a group that works to empower urban youth in Portland through snowboarding, team building, and environmental awareness.

After college I was lucky enough to get accepted into the MD/MPH program at Tufts in Boston, and continued to work to try and find ways to help out, with the limited skills I had. I embraced my love of mustaches, and started a group called Mustaches for Medicine with a few classmates, raising money for a number of health promoting non-profits with an annual Stache Bash mustache competition. After four amazing years of medical school I couldn't be more excited and honored at the opportunity to enjoy the city of Chicago and learn about emergency medicine at an institution like the University of Chicago.

Wilma Chan, MD

Tufts University

I am a proud representative of Rhode Island here in Chicago. After spending 18 years in a small town there, I headed off to college at Tufts in Boston. They took such great care of me then, I decided to stay on and work in the affiliated International Adoption Clinic for a few years as the sole researcher regarding all matters relating to adoption medicine. Tufts continued to take great care of me by accepting me into their medical school. Needless to say, I have so much to owe them since I am now here at U of Chicago's Emergency Medicine program.

In addition to catching up on sleep and reality television, I really enjoy cooking, eating, running, and spending time with my family and friends. I also spend a lot of time thinking about where to travel next; some places I've ended up include: Costa Rica, Tajikistan, Spain, Portugal, Macau, Nicaragua, Turkey, Japan, and China.

Feel free to find me for any of these fun things, but also if you want to try something new!! I just started taking swim lessons this Spring, so anybody who can help with that would be great!! Finally, I should also mention...I don't text.

Noelle Cobbs, MD

Meharry Medical College

I was born and raised in Long Island, New York to the wonderful and magnificent Valerie and Winston Cobbs. Im the eldest of two (three counting my 14 year old dog Dutchess). I love to eat, cook, sleep, laugh, listen to music, and spend time with friends. Glad I got all of that out the way.

I guess it's safe to say I was born to be a doctor. Somewhere deep down I even believe my parents knew I would follow my great grandfather and father to Meharry Medical College. I had my very own white coat at the age of 3, and for Halloween there were two choices- a doctor or a spider (with legs made of hosiery stuffed with cotton - brutal). I also spent a great deal of time was the hospital "rounding" with my father (all I did was stealgraham crackersand apple juice from the nursing stations - I let him do all the heavy lifting). One of my fondest memories was when I was forced to video tape my father suturing his own face, in the bathroom mirror (yes this was before handy-cams -this was the big heavy life-size movie making video camera).

Of course, I decided to rebel. When I was about 10 years old, I to tell my mother I wanted to be a prostitute when I grew up. After she slammed on the brakes of the car and stopped shaking, I explained that I wanted to be like Marcia Clark, the prosecutor in OJ Simpson's trial. After I was corrected I spent they next 7 or 8 years planning my legal career, and listening to her tell everyone who would listen that story.

Once that got stale, I decided that I wanted to model my life after my father and grandfather (a mortician), blend their professions together, and become a Forensic Pathologist. This actually lasted most of the way through college until I landed a job as a legal researcher for an Atlanta attorney One of my assignments included a visit with a practicing Forensic Pathologist. A few hours of conversation with her made me realize that I actually wanted to help people BEFORE they passed away, and not work in a damp dark office by myself. So.... traditional medicine it was.

I fell in LOVE with Emergency Medicine in medical school, did an away rotation here at Uof C and never looked back. I am truly blessed, and look forward to this next leg of life’s journey.

Raven Davis, MD

Meharry Medical College

Like Chicago, my hometown of Shreveport is a city of festivals. From Mudbug Madness to the Let the good times roll fesitval and the Red River Art Festival, we like to eat and celebrate the arts, espcially music. My upbringing mirrored that of my city in that there was always good southern cooking and music in our house. I am the oldest girl and the middle child having three brothers more than a decade older than me and a younger sister. I loved growing up in Louisiana and many of my memories are centered listening to my mama's floor model record player ,some blues on the radio and eating crawfish, sugarcane and all the seafood you can imagine.

Aside from food and music, Shreveport is a also a regional health care hub where people travel from rural places to seek their healthcare. It was in middle school when I first took advantage of the plethora of health care centers and programs for students interested in medical careers. I think one of the first experiences that pulled me in to medicine was visiting the NICU. I will never forget the sheer brazeness of those little babies who against so many odds where breathing and kicking.

So with the seed planted, I continued my exploration of the sciences by venturing to New Orleans and then later DC for college. I fell in love with the global citzenship of DC and soon found myself bitten by the travel bug. Though I have not been many places, I have developed a life long love of learning about cultures, food and the way people take care of their sick around the world. The little I have seen has taught me that we are often so very much the same.

At this point in my life, I am incredibly excited and anxious to learn and grow and make use of the tools the University of Chicago has to offer me. I can't wait to explore this new journey.

Gameli Dekayie, MD

Rush Medical College

Hi everyone! Well, my story begins in Accra, Ghana where I was born. I was in Ghana until I was 5 years old. My father was here in the States getting his degree in accounting and wanted to have us all together. So I came to Chicago on April 4th, 1989 with my mother and older sister. We have lived in Park Forest, a south suburb of Chicago, since then.

I started going back to Ghana to visit at 11 years old and returned to Ghana every year since then until I was 20. I have so many fond memories of Ghana, especially since I have so many family members still there. Spending my summer vacations in Ghana has really rooted me to my culture.

After graduating from high school, I went to college at University of Chicago. I studied Biology but was also heavily involved in art (painting, nude figure drawing, instillation) and dance (African, Modern, Jazz). After U of C, I took one year off before entering medical school. In that year I worked as research assistant at the U of C on a study aimed at diabetes prevention in African American youth who were at risk for type 2 diabetes.

I started at Rush Medical College here in the West Loop of Chicago in 2006. During my time at Rush I was Anatomy tutor as well President of the Student National Medical College.

I am super excited to start residency and get to know everyone. I have been waiting for a long time to get to this point. As the fist physician in my family, I just am looking forward to continuing to make the ones who love me proud.

You guys are going to have blast in Chicago. Let me know and I would be happy to take you around. Take care!

Kamaldeep Heyer, MD

Northwestern University

I was born in the Fiji Islands and raised under rather unique circumstances. My father was one of the few doctors on the island, and as such, he practiced all specialties of medicine, as well as drove his own ambulance. Given the plethora of work at his fingertips I spent a large fraction of my time with the local islanders, which also happens to be the traditional means by which most children are raised. I had my own full time nanny, her name was Sula, she used to buy me these double orange popsicles – I was a very chubby kid. I should also note that Fijian locals still practice cannibalism…

After several years my family left the island because of repeated non-violent coup d'état. We spent the next year or so traveling the world; India, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, England, Malaysia were a handful of places we stayed, fortunately those are also destinations that I have family. We eventually ended up in Washington, DC where my father retrained at DC General. DC in the 90’s was not the best place for a chubby half Indian half Fijian child, fortunately I have the greatest older brother who always stood up for me.

My adolescent years were pretty status-quo with the exception I have always been an adrenaline junkie. I broke bones pretty often, had some fun encounters with authorities and was once arrested in Mexico. I graduated from high school at 15, I am not all that bright, but I really longed for my independence. I think a lot of this stems from how I grew up. I went to college at UC Davis mainly because it was where my brother went to school. We have always been quite close and it made sense – also I didn’t have a driver’s license so it was good to have him around! I majored in Physiology and was two language courses shy of a minor in comparative literature. I love to read, my favorite author is Haruki Murakami followed by Marcel Proust. I am not entirely sure how I ended up in medicine though my family had a big part in the thought process. My father is a doctor, my mom manages the front office, my brother is an Anesthesiologist, five out of six uncles are doctors, my adopted sister (that’s for a different story…) is married to a doctor, the list can go on but I rather not. Simply put at some point I thought medicine sounded fun, its usually how I make decisions, I do what makes me happy.

After college I ended up at Northwestern for medical school - I was tired of California (I forgot to mention that in middle school we moved to Cali…) and thought it was important to completely escape the family safety net. I loved Chicago from the moment I arrived and still do. I spent the majority of medical school going out and doing whatever I wanted – where my peers did research there first year I ended up in Japan. I went nuts while studying for the boards and spent a week drinking in Grenada. Professionally I thought I would become a chef despite being in medical school, was actually going to start culinary school but that’s another beer story. My third year of medical school I did a month of vascular surgery and enjoyed it quite a bit. I thought I would go into integrated vascular surgery and spent part of the next year of my life in the research world. At some point it dawned on me that I liked surgery for the tools not for the procedures or the people…the personalities of the individuals in a given field are more important to me than any other tangible or intangible aspect. When I started my senior year I had no intention to apply to the match as I had yet to find a field I enjoyed. Given my vascular background I landed a consulting job with a large vascular company post graduation. The last rotation I did before graduating medical school was EM, I liked it a lot, simply put it was fun, the people were a blast, the variety was great AND I could still participate in the activities which are a big part of who I am. I started working at the vascular company looking at how physical characteristics of stents influenced graft migration. The job was great and surprisingly I was pretty good at device design – my dad was an engineer/farmer before becoming a doctor, I think I get it from him. The job was based in Flagstaff, AZ which in my opinion is a shithole and too far away from water for comfort – the islander near me finds water very calming. I ended up landing another job as a consultant for J&J looking at the potential market value of a new acellular dermal matrix. The job made me realize how much I hated corporate hierarchy because bureaucracy is an impediment to innovation. The saving grace of the job was twofold; one they paid about 350/hr and two I met my current business partner.

I was a plastic surgeon consultant for J&J who had an idea for an orthopedic instrument and we got along well, I think it was because he was the mentor I was looking for. With little effort he convinced me to quit J&J and start a company with him. Next thing I know its two years post medical school and I run a medical device company…Anyways at a certain point I realized that I missed clinical patient interaction and wanted to go back to medicine. I want to focus my career in Emergency Medicine on creating technology to improve patient flow and outcomes. U of C felt perfect to me – I was able to imagine myself happy there.

That’s me in a nutshell though I think a person’s non work activities are a better reflection of their personality. Therefore in my free time I tend to do various things, I have been a long time DJ, I competitively sail, I kitesurf when I can, love to cook, workout often, drink tons of beer and love the local breweries in the area. In the winter I snowboard and ice fish (it’s really drinking on a frozen lake with minimal fishing). I want to learn to street luge – I once took a luge down an old bobsledding run in Vermont, burnt through my suit. I also read often, listen to all types of music and travel when I can. In the last 6 months I have been to California several times, Philadelphia, Vegas, New York, New Orleans, Hong Kong, China, Macau, and Japan…

I’m excited to start residency, it sounds fun.

Tiffany Jan, MD

University of Texas

I was born on April 23, 1984 in Denver, CO. However, my family and I relocated to Dallas when I was about 6 years old. I have remained in Texas ever since and I very much consider myself a Texas girl at heart. I am the youngest of two girls in the family, my sister being 10 years older than I (my parents swear I wasn't a mistake). Despite being 10 years apart, we are super close and insanely similar.

Growing up, I dutifully conformed to all the stereotypes my Taiwanese background bestowed upon me. I played violin and piano all the way through high school, and I was even in the city youth orchestra. Tennis lessons and Chinese school were included as well. To continue with the music theme, I also grew up as a show choir kid. Think sparkly dresses and cheesy dance moves, with a touch of country and pop music. It was amazing, I loved it. If Glee had come out 4 years earlier, I may have skipped medical school for the chance to try out. I'm only partially kidding about that.

After high school, I ventured to the great city of Austin to the University of Texas and was branded a Longhorn for life. College was filled with UT football games, nights on 6th street, eating bbq and Tex-Mex, and of course, the Longhorn Singers, the UT show choir. After graduating, I went straight to medical school at UT Southwestern in Dallas. After 4 years, I charmed them into giving me an MD after my name, so here I am today.

I have wanted to be a doctor for as long as I remember. I have a passion for helping and supporting the underserved inner city populations, and I would love to do some international medicine. One of the great things about Emergency Medicine is the countless number of career paths you can take with it, all of which are fascinating to me.

Another thing. I love football. I think it definitely helps having such an awesome team to cheer for - the UT Longhorns. I also love the Cowboys (and Tony Romo) but their consistent post-season failures have turned it more into a love/hate relationship. The same could be said about the Mavericks. I'll admit that I'm not a very athletic person, but I sure do enjoy watching sports (most of them) on TV. I am always up for spending Saturdays and Sundays watching football. Other loves of mine include sleeping, musicals, sushi, traveling, and my iphone.

I am very excited to be living in Chicago and joining the University of Chicago EM residents. I'm terrified of learning how to drive in snow/ice and experiencing sub-zero temperatures, but I'm told that the summers make it all worth while so I'm looking forward to that. Can't wait to meet everyone!

Reeo Kim, MD

University of California LA

Born in S. Korea, my family immigrated to California when I was 5 years of age. We settled in Carpinteria, CA, a small beachside farming town, where I quickly grew to love playing sports, the ocean and the outdoors. Eager to see what more the world had to offer, I went to UCLA for college and studied economics. After graduating, I accepted a position with the U.S. Foreign Commercial Service and relocated to Boston, MA. For three years, I worked as an international trade specialist helping private U.S. businesses enter and expand their operations in overseas markets. As exciting as the work was, I knew my education was not complete. My calling was in something else.

Later that year, I returned to California and enrolled at UCSD to complete my premed coursework. In the evenings I worked as a waiter and as a valet attendant, the untaxed proceeds from which I would later dip into to finance my medical school applications. I was accepted to UCLA for medical school and returned to Westwood in the summer of 2005.

Five years later, I find myself in Chicago eager to embark on the next phase of my life. I am excited about living in a beautiful new city, making new friends, and of course the Emergency Medicine residency program at the University of Chicago. The training here is top-notch and the diverse array of educational experiences is unmatched. I look forward to working hard, building life-long relationships, and learning as much as I can during these next three years.

Natalie Kirilichin, MD

Georgetown University

I grew up in a small shoreline town in CT with a strong set of family and cultural values. My mom is a warm and caring special education teacher who was born in Spain, and my dad is an extroverted and entertaining Russian engineer. While my younger brother's laid back wit undoubtedly reflects the best of both of their personalities, they still imparted on me a sense of humor, a sense of empathy, a respect for community service, and a love of science. Those qualities and interests pointed me towards a career in medicine at an early age.

I had the opportunity to attend Choate Rosemary Hall for high school, a place where I could really explore my academic interests. Choate also let me develop my other big passion growing up- sports. I played soccer and basketball and ran track. These games are still my favorites to get involved in and I’ve had a blast playing with adult leagues over the past few years.

After spending the first part of my life in CT, I moved on to DC where I attended both undergrad and medical school at Georgetown University. The highlight of my first four years as a Hoya was my time abroad in Seville. Georgetown’s Early Assurance Program let me spend the better part of a year becoming fluent in Spanish and exploring Andalucia’s art and bar scenes instead of taking the MCAT- best move I ever made! Later, in med school, I took advantage of my Washington location by studying Health Policy. I hope to incorporate Public Health into my EM career by becoming involved in health disparities research and eventually creating sustainable programs aimed at getting our patients better follow up care.

As much as I love DC, I wanted to make an effort to meet new people, explore a new city, and develop new professional contacts. I chose Chicago for the food, the beach, the entertainment, the Midwest mentality I’d come to appreciate in friends from school, and the caliber of its EM programs. I have a solid network out here, but I’m excited to expand it. I’m looking forward to residency at University of Chicago with a great group of people in an awesome training environment.

Adeola Kosoko, MD

University of Kansas

One upon a time in a land not too far away (Washington, DC to be exact) a baby girl was born on a hot July afternoon. I was raised in Maryland with my two brothers in our Nigerian-American household. I was content to believe that I would grow up to be an accountant who owned her own Dollar Store. There wasn't too much to say about those years, but David Bowie wrote a song about what would happen next: "Changes."

We moved to Omaha, Nebraska where I completed my high school career so unlike many teenage films as the "new girl." There I was being recognized by many offers at the collegiate level to remain active in the love of my life, the sport of volleyball. North Carolina State University won my affection and I completed 4 years on the team and received my undergraduate degree in Psychology.

"Wasn't I getting ready to go to medical school?" you ask. Wait for it.

First, I had to go to Europe to try and drag out this volleyball thing for a little longer. I went to try my hand at the professional circuit. Alas, I experienced my first true athletic injury in the Czech Republic and just like that, it was over.

My medical career began at the University of Kansas. I thought I was grooming myself to be a surgeon, but from my first experience in the Emergency Department, I knew that I had found something for me that I had only found before in the sport of volleyball.

I enjoy fine literature, leisurely travel, reflective writing, smooth sounds, and watching it rain. I consider my life my ongoing testimony that God is good. I am over the moon to be at the University of Chicago training in the best specialty there is.

Nwando Okafor, MD

University of California LA

I was born and raised in Nigeria, West Africa. The fourth child out of five children and that definitely had its perks. I wasn’t bombarded with the endless responsibilities my older siblings had or the constant reminder of setting an example for the rest of the gang. I was thrown into boarding school at the age of ten (ok! Ok! I insisted on going). Even at that age I wanted to be independent. I was in boarding school until I was fifteen years old when my family migrated to the United States in 2000.

I finished High School in California, subsequently went to college at the University of California, Riverside and then off to Medical School at UCLA. I was that child that wanted to be a “doctor”. I played doctor with my dolls, got a First Aid kit for my birthday present at seven years old (yes, yes it was a big deal back then). I never knew what else I would be if I didn’t make it to medical school. My emphasis is on International health and alleviating healthcare disparities through service.

My mission in life is to live, learn, give back and love. I am inspired by my family, my fiancée and my humble past and I keep my focus through my belief in God. I am looking forward to meeting everyone, not much the Chicago winter!!

Gerasim Orbelyan, MD

Yerevan State Medical Univ.

I come from far away, Armenia, a small mountainous country on the crossroads of many cultures. I went to medical school because I couldn’t stand the mystery that lies within the human body, diseases, and cures. I also went to piano classes for several years (please don’t ask me to play), but the only things I got from it are my love for music and handiness. My two years of surgical residency refined my manual dexterity and made me appreciate the life of the surgical resident.

I made one of the best decisions in my life by coming to this country. Here I spent several years doing research in GI immunology. Eventually, I was fortunate to join the Emergency Resuscitation Center at U of C where I was able to contribute to the understanding of cardiac arrest and its treatment modalities. In addition, I can now boast of my skills to place a central venous line in a mouse.

My professional interests are determined by my background and passions; and they lie in academic and international EM. At every step of my life I have been blessed by brilliant teachers.

My types of fun are traveling, exploring places, good eats, playing sports, anything outdoors, road trips and enjoying the arts. These activities are highlighted by the company of my diverse group of friends and my partner all of whom have become like a family to me.

Some facts about me:

• Although I love big cities, my favorite vacation spots are tropical islands and mountains.
• If I were not a doctor, I would be a chef or a food traveler-reporter.
• I have met a variety of people, and I realize that all people are different on a small scale and similar on a big scale. I am thrilled to join Emergency Medicine at U of C, stay in the city I love, and give back to the community and the country that changed my life forever.

Bansari Shah, MD

University of California San Diego

My least favorite part about all the applications we have done in our lives to get to residency is probably the essay portion. In fact, by the time I started my medical school applications, I outsourced my essays to my sister in exchange for being her personal secretary when she applied to law firms. Unfortunately, my sister is unavailable for this so here it goes...

In the large scheme of things, I am your traditional medical student/ 1st year resident. I was born and raised in a suburb of Los Angeles. My parents emigrated from India a few years before I was born. I have two sisters (an older and a younger) making me the typical middle child. After finishing high school, I went to UC San Diego for bioengineering and ended up getting into med school there 4 years later. Basically, I fulfilled the typical Indian parent's dream by becoming both an engineer and a doctor.

But when your parents are from a different country and the female to male ratio in your house is 4:1, your life is anything but traditional. I grew up in Cerritos, which is predominantly Asian suburb. So instead of playing patty cake and rock-paper-scissors during recess, I was playing Kongi (Korean jacks) and kai-bai-bo (Korean "rock-paper-scissors"). Additionally, my parents were attempting to find the perfect balance of raising their daughters with both Indian and American cultural backgrounds. So my childhood was filled with a whirlwind of classical Indian dance (Bharatnatyam) classes, piano lessons, swim lessons, tennis lessons, etc.

Of all the activities we did growing up, Bharatnatyam is the only one we made any real strides in. I had my professional dance debut in 1998. But because of that focus my mom did not let my sisters and I participate in any sports fearing we may injure our feet. Luckily, my dad was an avid Lakers fan since the days of Magic and Kareem, and that was passed down to us. (I am very, very happy about our most recent Championship victory over Boston).

Outside of the stressing the importance of education and and balancing life with extracurricular activities, my parents passed down a couple other very influential life lessons to me. Being Jains (followers of a small religion similar to Hinduism), they raised me as a Jain and focused on two important religious tenets. The first was to be non-violent (not just physically, but also through speech and thought) and the second was to realize that there is no absolute truth (there are multiple ways to see one situation). The other important life lesson, was to always give back. Whether it was from our birthday gifts or pay checks, we were always reminded that being part of community meant helping it regularly. Stemming from my paternal grandfather, who would sponsor meals at animal shelters on each of his family members birthdays, at 16, I started celebrating my birthday by asking friends to give to charities they believed in instead of spending money on me.

I think the numerous activities I participated in growing up and the life lessons my parents emphasized laid the foundation of who I became and how my experiences panned out in college and medical school. I'm really non-confrontational, not because I lack a spine, but because I constantly remind myself there is a gray area. I've done a lot of work abroad and hope to continue to help the global community (plus, I love to travel). I am a vegetarian. I will jump to save a spider before someone steps on it. All it takes is a good song with a beat to get me in the mood to dance. And I am a die-hard Lakers fan and will be prancing around in Laker gear while in Chicago for at least the next three years.

So that is a little peek into the making of Bansari. I decided to avoid anything on my resume because we've been writing about those things for years and this seemed more fun. Plus, now, if all else fails, you can still use the "So why EM or why med school?" to start a conversation with me. I look forward to getting to know all of you soon.

Megan Stultz, MD

Florida State University

I am the younger of 2 kids (my sister is 4 years older) and was born in Quincy, IL. Not too long after that my parents decided they had had enough Midwest winters and we moved to sunny Florida. While Melbourne, FL is not exactly a bustling metropolis it's a definite upgrade from Quincy and was a great place to grow up. My mother denies it but I'm pretty convinced I could juggle a soccer ball as soon as I could walk and I played for my school and travelled with my club team quite a bit. Looking back now I don't know how I could have ever run for 90 minutes straight in 100 degree heat and Florida humidity but that was how most of my weekends were spent as a kid. Any free time was spent at the beach with friends attempting to surf on knee high waves and, of course, trying to perfect our tans.

After high school I followed in my sister's footsteps and headed off to college at Florida State University. I decided to forgo a college soccer career so I could focus on pursuing other interests such as developing an obsession with college football, attending frat parties, tailgating and, of course, still trying to perfect my tan. I occasionally found time to go to class and majored in Biology and minored in Criminology. During college I was also lucky enough to work with several doctors who instilled in me a passion for taking care of others, especially the underserved, and was able to travel to Belize to do so.

I loved my undergrad experience so much I decided to stay at FSU for medical school (which also meant 4 more years of free football tickets). Over the next four years nothing excited me quite like emergency medicine. I enjoy the challenges of taking care of sicker patients and U of C's emphasis on critical care is one of reasons I was drawn here.

I guess I'll end with a few random facts about myself. I love to exercise and try and stay in shape. I'm hoping to do another half-marathon this fall. I have a nephew, Bryce, who is the cutest baby I have ever met and I will force you to look at pictures of him on my phone. I have a shopping addiction and am currently spending the remainder of my loan money on clothes I don't have closet space for. I could have margaritas and Mexican food every day for the rest of my life and be the happiest girl around. I love trivia and it's a dream of mine to be on Jeopardy, nerdy, I know but I'm convinced I would be good.

While I'm a little nervous about my first winter I am so excited my Midwest roots have called me back to Chicago. Lake Michigan is big enough and blue enough for me to pretend it's the ocean and I can even still go to the "beach".

Alexei Wagner, MD

Tufts University

I was born in Rochester, NY and amassed many fond memories before my parents packed my sister and me up when I was 5 and moved us to a small suburb of Boston. There in Wellesley, Ma I had a great time attending public schools and playing lacrosse, soccer, fishing and anything else I found fun. I have only lived in the Northeast so moving to Chicago is an awesome change that I'm very excited about.

My interest in medicine started when I took an EMT course my senior year of high school. I subsequently worked for the city of Cambridge's ambulance service throughout college. It was a great experience and motivated me to become an emergency medicine doctor.

I attended college at Tufts University and studied economics and biomedical engineering. Upon graduating, I attended Tufts University School of Medicine and pursued a combined MD/MBA degree. I love the idea of combining business and management with medicine. In medical school I took a leadership role in student government. My professional interests include operations management, department flow/efficiency, health IT, helicopter medicine, trauma and cardiac resuscitation medicine.

In my spare time I love anything outside - mostly fishing, boating, biking, sailing, fly-fishing, golf, cage diving with sharks, traveling, exotic food eating and skiing. So if anyone ever wants to do one of these activities - let me know.

I'm very excited to be at the University of Chicago.

Andrew Young, MD

Chicago Medical School

I was born on July 17th, 1982 where I spent the first months of my life in West Chester, PA before my family was uprooted by my father's job with Chrysler and moved to Syracuse, NY. This started a trend of nine moves over the next eighteen years, spanning the US from Boston to Southern California. The downside was that every two years becoming the “new kid” in a new town, new school system, with new culture. The upside was that I became very proficient at being the “new kid.” If some unknown kid brazenly sat down at your lunch table and started talking like he knew you and your friends, there is a good chance that it was me. The only constant in my life was change, but I would only realize later that this upbringing instilled a craving for change in my life that eventually led me to emergency medicine.

I enrolled at the University of Michigan for undergrad with the promise from my parents that they would remain thirty miles away from me for weekend visits and home cooked meals. I should have known better from our past, though, as one month later they were transferred to Los Angeles to attempt the impossible... to sell domestic cars in Southern California. UofM taught me some incredible lessons, the first being: “Never underestimate the power of a large university's sports program.” Before Michigan, I couldn't tell you a single fact about any sport that wasn't snowboarding, wakeboarding, or some other action sport. Now I am a football and basketball fanatic who bleeds maize and blue, although I'm still admittedly terrible at basketball. The other important lesson was “Great institutions can provide resources for success, but it is up to the individual's spirit and drive to realize success.”

I attended The Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University for medical school where my passion for emergency medicine began. It encompassed my on-the-move nature that was imprinted on me since childhood, as well as my individual spirit and drive. It is also where I met my incredibly supportive girlfriend of three years, who is also pursuing a career in medicine. I am thrilled to be training at the University of Chicago for residency with the fine staff and faculty that make up such a phenomenal emergency medicine department. With the support of my family, girlfriend, and the University of Chicago, I am committed to becoming an emergency medicine physician worthy of caring for those who are in their greatest need.