Chase Branstetter

Medical school: University of Kansas school of Medicine

Hometown: Derby, Kansas

Career aspiration: Undecided.

Hobbies: Cooking, reading, cycling, and being bad at golf.

Why did you choose UMKC: The people. I thoroughly enjoyed my interview and felt like I connected well with faculty and residents! Also, the cohesiveness between the Med-Peds program and the categorical programs was impressive. UMKC offered a balanced, close-knit community with strong leadership and ample opportunity.

Plus, the food in Kansas City is incredible!

Who inspires you: Too many people inspire me to list here. One that comes to mind, however, is Dr. Paul Uhlig, a cardiothoracic surgeon in Wichita, KS. He spends his nonexistent freetime and extra hours creating nonprofits and spearheading community-helping programs geared to improve healthcare in Sedgwick County. I’m uncertain how he does it all.

Where do you live in Kansas City: Prairie Village.

Jacob Gohdes

Medical school: Creighton University school of Medicine

Hometown: Golden, Colorado

Career aspiration: I am still undecided, but I would like to provide a mix of acute and longitudinal care for all age groups.

Hobbies: Hiking, Rock-Climbing, Snow Skiing, Cycling, Running, Binge-Watching Netflix, and Exploring the Local Food Scene.

Why did you choose UMKC: I was interested in UMKC for several reasons- training at large academic centers, the diverse patient population, and location. I chose UMKC because of the vibes. The residents are hilarious, kind, and welcoming and the leadership cares and advocates for their residents. It was clear after interviewing that I would get top-tier training in a close-knit, supportive environment.

Who inspires you: My family. They have been a constant source love, guidance, and support. Their example always inspires me to be a better person.

Where do you live in Kansas City: Union Hill

Brandi Jungels

Medical school: University of Missouri – Kansas City

Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri

Hobbies: Walking my dog, Daisy, taking care of my houseplants, reading, going to concerts, and exploring new places (coffee shops, parks, countries, you name it!)

Why did you choose UMKC: I was lucky enough to go to UMKC as a medical student and loved it so much I wanted to stay for residency. As a student, all of the med-peds residents and faculty were very friendly to me and were awesome people to work with. I also wanted a program with a strong combined med-peds clinic, a free standing children’s hospital, and access to underserved populations, and UMKC checked all of those boxes and then some!

Who inspires you: All of my faculty mentors at UMKC who are committed to patient care and medical education. They have taught me all I know and I hope I can be like them one day.

Where do you live in Kansas City: South Kansas City

Jonathan Liau

Medical school: University of Queensland-Ochsner

Hometown: Burbank, California

Career aspiration: Primary care, transitional/complex care, working with underserved.

Hobbies: Going to the gym, ice hockey, learning new sports (pickleball, spikeball, basketball), hiking, exploring new restaurants and foods, PC video games, journaling, and trying to improve my Spanish.

Why did you choose UMKC: Many reasons, but above all it was the people (cliche I know)! The residents really enjoyed one another’s company at the meet N greet and didn’t take themselves too seriously. They constantly joked with one another, but stayed engaged with the interviewees. I LOVED my interview day. There were 5 interviewers and I found commonalities with each and every one of them. They also had thoroughly read my application, never asked a repeat question, and in general were just very warm and thoughtful people. It’s difficult to explain. I felt very much at home and had a huge positive “gut feeling” about UMKC.

Who inspires you: A lot of people! My mom would be one of my biggest; she has always been there for me despite herself being through so much. I would also say I regularly get inspired by people in general telling their unique stories, watching athletes compete through adversity and pressure, even characters from Pixar and DreamWorks movies.

Where do you live in Kansas City: Union Hill

Eun Young Park

Medical school: University of Hawaii John A. Burns school of Medicine

Hometown: Honolulu, Hawaii (But born in Seoul, South Korea and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan)

Career aspiration: Really hoping to do combined endocrinology so that I can work with the adolescent/young adult population and help set them up for success!

Hobbies: Traveling with friends, napping, watching movies and K-dramas, karaoke, attempting to be a foodie

Why did you choose UMKC: I remember feeling energized after the pre-interview day Zoom social with a bunch of the med-peds residents and asking myself “Am I going to be a Kansas City girl??” Interview day only confirmed what I felt the day before. I loved how down-to-earth, genuine, and welcoming everyone was. I knew that having a strong residency support system would be important to me and felt confident that the residents, faculty, APDs, and PD would all have my back all while making sure we laugh and have fun along the way.

Who inspires you: Have you ever heard of Bangtan Sonyeondan? They’re my heroes.

Where do you live in Kansas City: Union Hill

Hank Unterschuetz

Medical school: University of Oklahoma-Tulsa school of Community Medicine

Hometown: Tulsa, OK

Career aspiration: Most likely Primary Care

Hobbies: Listening to music, karaoke, baking, making ice cream, reading, running, and playing my playstation

Why did you choose UMKC: I really appreciated the supporting community and culture at this program which really showed through in all my interviews and talking with the residents! Additionally, I was so excited to find a place where the pediatrics program is just as strong as the medicine program. I also had a few friends outside medicine who had already moved here and kept raving on about the food and music scene so it just felt like a perfect fit for me.

Who inspires you: Miley Cyrus because as a future Med-Peds physician she encourages me to “get the best of both worlds.” But in all seriousness all of my mentors throughout medical school and of course my friends and family who inspire me to be the best person and physician I can be!

Where do you live in Kansas City: South of Hospital Hill

Michael Chen

Medical school: University of Tennessee Health Science Center

Hometown: Johnson City, TN

Career aspiration: Global Health, Palliative Care

Hobbies: Running, working out, sports, outdoor activities such as hiking, backpacking, camping, kayaking, paddleboarding, taking my dog to random places, board games, napping, and pretty much anything that involves not using my brain.

Why did you choose UMKC: The familiarity and support that everybody shows each other to where I feel like there is someone I can talk to or hang out with whether they are med-peds, peds, or IM.

Who inspires you: My family because they’ve been the backbone of my morals and my principles, and my friends because they’ve helped drag me through the mud so that I can be where I am today with the support I have.

Where do you live in Kansas City: N Kansas City near Gladstone.

Daniel Dooling

Medical school: University of Nebraska Medical Center

Hometown: Omaha, NE

Career aspiration: Undecided at the moment. Hopefully a subspecialty with both inpatient and clinic time.

Hobbies: Trying new restaurants, hiking, keeping up on Survivor, trivia nights.

Why did you choose UMKC: Absolutely the people! Getting a sense of programs virtually was difficult, but the zoom meet-and-greet and interviews gave me such a good impression of the community here. Alongside the strong training in a large midwest city with great food!

Who inspires you: My parents, siblings, and extended family. A whole crew of fun, adventurous, and kind people who always inspire me to be a better person.

Where do you live in Kansas City: Crossroads

Aidan McGowan

Medical school: Saint Louis University school of Medicine

Hometown: Woolwich, Maine

Career aspiration: Rural Med-Peds Primary Care and Adult Hospitalist VS. Critical Care

Hobbies: Powerlifting, walking/hiking with my dog, local eats

Why did you choose UMKC: In the world of virtual interviewing, it is extremely difficult to differentiate programs from one another, however, my interview at UMKC was like no other and left me feeling confident about the programs ability to provide a top-tier education within a supportive and family-like environment. Together, the resident comradery, the excellent training sites, and the genuine faculty made it easy to rank UMKC as a top program.

Who inspires you: While there are countless individuals who have positively influenced my life, I am most inspired by my mother who has always encouraged me to continue pushing myself and never settle for mediocrity.

Where do you live in Kansas City: Hyde Park/Westport

Anthony McKeiver

Medical school: Kansas City University

Hometown: Grand Rapids, MI

Career aspiration: Not entirely sure, but definitely something that encompasses transitional care, ideally in both the inpatient and outpatient settings!

Hobbies: Cooking and trying my hand at new recipes. Reading, Netflix-ing, finding new running trails around KC. Actively searching for the best cold brew coffee in the city. I also enjoy watching college football on the weekends (Go Blue!), hanging with my niece and nephew, and playing any and every board game/card game… anyone up for some Mario Kart?

Kaystin Weisenberger

Medical school: University of Missouri (MIZ!)

Hometown: Phoenix, AZ

Career aspiration: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯? Why do you think I picked MedPeds…?

Hobbies: Board games, pool and snooker, trivia, really old movies, getting strange looks while walking my cat, beer, and all things nerd (LotR, HP, PC gaming, anime, reading obscure fantasy).

Why did you choose UMKC: Comraderie! Everyone was super friendly, joked around with each other during the social, and knew all the good “restaurants” close to the hospital. Also had a great balance of good medicine + good peds, which is hard to find, while feeling equally a part of both. KC is also pretty progressive despite Missouri, which I appreciate.

Who inspires you: My dad, who passed while I was in med school. He always had a positive word for everyone, was curious about everything, and played the best music.

Where do you live in Kansas City: Midtown — 5 min from everything, but that traffic though…

Why did you choose UMKC: I have yet to meet a more close-knit and fun-loving group of residents. While rotating in the Med/Peds outpatient clinic, I was able to see their dedication to providing quality to each one of their patients. That, coupled with their fun energy and genuine concern for one another, made UMKC my top choice. Having a well-rounded and diverse patient population with dedicated attendings who love to teach is also a definite plus!

Who inspires you: There are so many amazing people in my life that I look up to! Most notably: my partner, my family, my friends. My co-residents, who I am so lucky to have matched with. All the people who have fought to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace.

Where do you live in Kansas City: New homeowners in Brookside with my boyfriend and our dog, Maya!

Phillip Wozniak

Medical school:The Ohio State University

Hometown: Champaign, IL

Career aspiration: Critical care! Either PICU or Pulmonary/Critical Care

Hobbies: running, traveling, hiking, whitewater kayaking, becoming a foodie, reading

Why did you choose UMKC: My wife is a Kansas City native, so training at an academic center near family is truly a blessing.

Who inspires you: My mentor, Pablo Sanchez. In addition to being the nicest man around, he’s also a world class clinician-scientist.

Where do you live in Kansas City: Roeland Park

Zoey Del Pinto

Medical school: The Ohio State University

Hometown: All over the U.S.

Career aspiration: Unsure, something that will lend itself to global health

Hobbies: Going to the dog park, propagating all of my house plants, rewatching the same shows on Netflix over and over.

Why did you choose UMKC:I loved the way the residents interacted with each other and truly are friends! I loved my interview, esp. with Dr. Julian, who just seemed like the biggest advocate for his residents and helping them find their niche in medicine. I had also been to KC before and fell in love with the city, the people, and all of the fountains.

Who inspires you: In medicine, my mentor Dr. Rachael McGuirk at OSU. I wouldn’t be where I am today without her guidance, and every interaction she has with a patient makes their day a little brighter. In life, my niece Emillia. I hope to live every day with the same excitement, vulnerability, and awe.

Where do you live in Kansas City: South Plaza Nieghborhood

Lauren Fay

Medical school:University of Utah school of Medicine

Hometown: Nephi, UT

Career aspiration:  critical care vs hospitalist, still deciding

Hobbies: Running at an aggressively average pace while listening to books on tape or podcasts, Zelda, spending time outdoors with friends and family, trying new restaurants, creative nonfiction and poetry.

Why did you choose UMKC: The residents and leadership I met on interview day were some of the most authentic, kind, and downright funny people I ever met on the interview trail—in short, people I really wanted to work with. UMKC also has incredible opportunities to serve and learn from patients from all walks of life at three very different hospitals. On top of that, Med-Ped residents and faculty here are avidly involved in med ed, advocacy, and leadership, and I’m excited to get to work with and learn from strong Med-Peds leaders and clinicians in a variety of different settings.

Who inspires you: toddlers, Brené Brown, and RBG

Where do you live in Kansas City: Brookside Neighborhood of KC

Angela Fu

Medical school: University of Texas Medical Branch

Hometown: Plano, TX

Career aspiration: Being Med-Peds, in true fashion I would love to continue to serve all age groups in my future career. What that looks like is still up in the air! I really enjoy infectious disease, with the flexibility of inpatient, consults, or being primary for a specific population. I preference the acuity of inpatient and seeing patients improve daily, but definitely respect building relationships in clinic. No matter what, I want to continue to look for routes to continue to serve in global health.

Hobbies: I love to cook! When I get extra time to myself, I make sure to try and make something that takes a while, such as Taiwanese beef noodle soup, one of my favorites. Extra time in the morning means I get to savor the experience of making coffee – I have been experimenting with espressos and phin (Vietnamese brewing method). I also play with my cat, who is mad I am not home all the time anymore. Have found a few social dancing places in KC, so if you’re interested in joining/learning, ask away!

Why did you choose UMKC: I wanted to challenge myself with a new environment. I thoroughly enjoyed the conversations I had during my interview, even though it was virtual. Being here has solidified that the people here are true gems, from the residents and faculty, to staff in the hospital, and even the patients. The work is tough, sometimes thankless, but needed.

Who inspires you: Several people inspire me, so it is hard for me to really pick one person. My cliché answer is my mother, who always puts her best foot forward no matter what she does! Always giving to others, always loving her family and everyone around her. She works, serves in church, and still cooks for the family (even though she hates cooking). She is also one of the humblest people I know, and she always keeps my pride in check  Tough love, but I would not have it any other way.

Where do you live in Kansas City: I live in River Market District. When looking for housing, I wanted somewhere convenient where I could walk around on my days off instead of driving. I really enjoy the vibe and the random things I stumble across when exploring. Being close the City Market is also a plus!

Phil Jurasinki

Medical school: Des Moines University

Hometown: Milwaukee, WI, and Las Vegas, NV

Career aspiration: Not completely sure yet, but I am thinking hospital medicine, critical care, or infectious disease.

Hobbies: Art, singing, baking, cooking, working out

Why did you choose UMKC: I wanted to be at a program that has a “Midwest nice” vibe that would be academically challenging and provide both strong pediatric and internal medicine training. Kansas City has a barbeque and foodie culture that is incredible, and also so much variety in the things you can do!

Who inspires you: Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Also my paternal grandmother, who is one of the kindest people I have every known, and my mom, who is a three time survivor of breast cancer.

Where do you live in Kansas City: Westport area

Tala Nashawati

Medical school: The Ohio State University College of Medicine

Hometown: Canton, OH

Career aspiration: Undecided! Hopefully I can combine inpatient and outpatient medicine, whatever I end up doing.

Hobbies: I love to read and do my own creative writing. I also spend a lot of time watching Netflix and playing video games on my Nintendo Switch. To stay active, I like MMA, volleyball, and tennis! And finally, I love spending time with my two cats, Alice and Chihiro.

Why did you choose UMKC: Even through Zoom, the vibes of UMKC’s med-peds community really shined through on my interview day. Everyone seemed like someone I could be friends with, and I felt I could be my genuine self during the interview. I was also really attracted to the diversity of experiences I would get with a huge academic children’s hospital, a safety net hospital like Truman, and Saint Luke’s as well. Plenty of opportunity!

Who inspires you: My parents. My partner. All the incredible physicians who’ve paved the way!

Where do you live in Kansas City: Westport

Rachel Oldfather

Medical school: University of Minnesota Medical school 

Hometown: St. Paul, MN

Career aspiration: Some sort of transitional medicine niche with both inpatient and outpatient time

Hobbies: Being outside, canoeing, crafts, long walks to nowhere, being with my friends.

Why did you choose UMKC: It was tough to get vibes during the virtual interview season, but on my notes during my UMKC interview, I had written “this feels right” and I’m so glad I listened to my gut. I also knew I wanted to work primarily at a county hospital and also a free-standing pediatrics hospital, UMKC is one of few programs that have both. That, and also having family nearby was a huge plus!

Who inspires you: My big sister – she supports me, challenges me, and inspires me every day. I have also been incredibly inspired by my co-interns!

Where do you live in Kansas City: River Market

Megan Carroll

Medical school: Indiana University school of Medicine

Hometown: St. Paul, MN

Career aspiration: Some sort of transitional medicine niche with both inpatient and outpatient time.

Hobbies: Being outside, canoeing, crafts, long walks to nowhere, being with my friends.

Why did you choose UMKC: It was tough to get vibes during the virtual interview season, but on my notes during my UMKC interview, I had written “this feels right” and I’m so glad I listened to my gut. I also knew I wanted to work primarily at a county hospital and also a free-standing pediatrics hospital, UMKC is one of few programs that have both. That, and also having family nearby was a huge plus!

Who inspires you: My big sister – she supports me, challenges me, and inspires me every day. I have also been incredibly inspired by my co-interns!

Where do you live in Kansas City: River Market

Melissa Doan

Medical school: University of Oklahoma College of Medicine

Hometown: Oklahoma City

Career aspiration: Something inpatient for sure. Maybe hospitalist on both sides? Maybe critical care? We shall see.

Hobbies: Hiking or exploring parks with my rescue pup, reading (sci-fi, historical fiction are my favorites), photography, eating, gardening

Why did you choose UMKC: There is a culture of empowerment where everyone will both challenge you to grow into the best person you can be and also help support you to get there. On interview day, I had so many good conversations with the faculty about the subtle facets of practicing the art of medicine. I really got the sense they took the time to read my application, which made me feel like they personally invest in all of their residents. There’s also a larger institutional culture of bettering human lives and that mindset of service (within and outside of medicine) is really important to me. At the end of my interview day, I never really felt like I was a visitor. I felt like I was a part of their community already!

What do you like to do in Kansas City: Hang out with my co-residents, go on hikes, check out the museums, and try all the local restaurants.

Who inspires you: My parents, my family, and my friends have always kept me grounded. I love having down-to-earth conversations with patients. It’s so refreshing and fuels me! I also did a lot of volunteer work with Camp Kesem and my camp family inspires me to be a better person everyday.

Where do you live in Kansas City: Union Hill

Janelle Fried

Medical school: University of Washington school of Medicine

Hometown: Green River, WY

Career aspiration: Right now I am interested in rural primary care with both inpatient and outpatient care for both kids and adults.

Hobbies: Hanging out with my family, taking our dog on hikes and exploring the outdoors. Additionally, we enjoy DIY home improvement projects and building or refurbishing furniture.

Why did you choose UMKC: My best friend lives in Kansas City, so I already knew I loved the area and would be a great place to begin raising my family. Also, everyone in the program was so down-to-earth and welcoming when I visited. I loved the people! Lastly, I wanted to be exposed to a diverse patient population and appreciate that we mostly rotate at three major hospitals in KC with all different missions (fantastic children’s hospital, great teaching, safety-net adult hospital and locally owned, not-for-profit hospital).

What do you like to do in Kansas City: My husband and I are looking forward to exploring the city with friends and finding great family-friendly activities for our daughter. We also really love BBQ and are excited about the food for the next several years.

Who inspires you: Spending time with my patients and their families and truly getting to know what’s important to them and how I can provide medical care that is evidence-based and ideally fits into their goals. Also, my husband is amazing and truly inspires me each day to be a better person. Last but not least, Jesus is the most perfect example for inspiration and I lean heavily on my faith.

Where do you live in Kansas City: I live on the northern side of Overland Park, KS. A 20 minute commute to the hospitals but a wonderful neighborhood and a house that we fell in love with.

Zoe Morgan

Medical school: Medical College of Wisconsin

Hometown: Saint Paul, MN

Career aspiration: Right now I’m planning to pursue an infectious disease fellowship. I want to work with HIV patients, especially young adults and adolescents.

Hobbies: Exploring new bars and restaurants, cooking, baking, going to art galleries and seeing live music, hiking and yoga

Why did you choose UMKC: I couples’ matched with my husband, who is going into surgery here. We both loved the feel of Kansas City, with its reputation for great food and live music. We were also super impressed with the faculty and training opportunities here, and happy to stay in the Midwest. The people were down-to-earth, fun-loving, and super friendly and I felt comfortable immediately.

What do you like to do in Kansas City: I’m looking forward to exploring the restaurant scene and music, as well as the beautiful outdoor spaces.

Who inspires you: My family and my patients, as well as my wonderful husband, inspire me and keep me going every day.

Where do you live in Kansas City: I live at The Yards apartments in the Stockyards district.

Ronald Palmen

Medical school: Medical College of Wisconsin

Hometown: Kenosha, WI

Career aspiration: Cardiology – adult or adult congenital cardiology

Hobbies: Naps, cooking, running, hiking, being outdoors

Why did you choose UMKC: The residents I interviewed with were genuinely people I wanted to be friends with and they took me to Betty Rae’s ice cream. In all seriousness, UMKC offers a unique MedPeds experience working at a large stand-alone Children’s hospital in addition to a safety net hospital and a private strong research institution on the internal medicine side. I felt it offered a place to grow and set me up for any future as a medpeds physician.

What do you like to do in Kansas City: Overall I like to be outside and Kansas City is a great place to be outdoors, may that be through running on the Trolley Track Trail or Ward Parkway, grabbing a beer at the BKS patio, or street-side tapas at La Bodega.

Who inspires you: My parents, mother nature, and my wife

Where do you live in Kansas City: The Brookside neighborhood of KC. My house is walking distance to great food, parks, and coffee while being about 12 minutes to our furthest hospital.

Nicole Rogers

Medical school: University of Missouri – Kansas City

Hometown: Lee Summit, MO

Career aspiration: I am planning on doing med/peds primary care after graduation.

Hobbies: I enjoy baking, hiking, reading, traveling, and all things dog realted. I don’t have a dog of my own, but hope to get one after finishing residency!

Why did you choose UMKC:  I was lucky enough to spend 7 years at UMKC prior to starting residency. During this time, I had many rotations with some of the current med/peds residents. I was impressed with how kind (and fun!) they were as well as incredibly well trained. The med/peds residents are highly regarded amongst the medical students, which to me said a lot. I love the patient population in Kansas City, the facilities, and the immense opportunities that UMKC affords its residents. The program has a family feel and I could easily tell that the residents enjoyed each other’s company and had each other’s backs.

What do you like to do in Kansas City: Bakeries and coffee shops are plentiful in KC and I love trying them all. McLain’s and Messenger are my favorites! Finding new trails or having a picnic at my favorite spots fun too. My family lives in Lee’s Summit so I will always welcome time with them and of course a home cooked meal.

Who inspires you: Outside of the medical setting, my mom is a huge inspiration to me. She has been incredibly driven, hard working, selfless, and other-centered throughout her life. She is fun, compassionate, and a fabulous cook. Within the medical setting, I am inspired by all of our attendings, who are so intelligent, but especially the female ones. I am thankful for such a strong female presence amongst our leadership. Dr. Uhlenhake has been my clinic attending for the past 3 years and she has been a huge inspiration to me throughout residency. She breathes inclusivity, compassion, and high-quality care to the patients and to her residents. She is someone who has lifted me up through residency and has been a role model for me. I am so thankful to have her in my life!

Where do you live in Kansas City: Lee’s Summit, MO