Samantha Barclay, MD

Medical School: University of Oklahoma College of Medicine

Hometown: Jones, Oklahoma

Career Aspiration (its OK if you don’t know yet!): Unknown, I like too many things!

Hobbies: Reading, hiking, collecting vinyl records

Why did you choose UMKC: After the resident meet and greet and the interview, I remember
feeling really excited. I loved the camaraderie that the residents had with each other, and that it was
so evident even over zoom. During the interview, I truly enjoyed all the conversations that I had. I felt the program offered tons of opportunities, with the community and support needed to thrive.

Who inspires you: My family and my friends. They all have such amazing qualities that I admire and try to emulate in my own life.

Where do you live in Kansas City: Hyde Park

Sean O'Very, DO

Medical School: Kansas City University

Hometown: Logan, Utah

Career Aspiration (its OK if you don’t know yet!): Cardiology. Still deciding adult vs. peds!

Hobbies: Family, dogs, and triathlon

Why did you choose UMKC: The academic and clinical training at both the pediatric and adult hospitals is incredible, especially in cardiology. My family and I have lived here for the last 4 years during medical school and fell in love with Kansas City. The people, the food, and the culture welcomed us as if we were one of their own and truly made us feel at home here. I also enjoyed my interactions with leadership and residents throughout the program and knew that they cared about me and those I love.

Who inspires you: It is difficult to single out one person. My father has always been an inspiration for me, and I am honored to follow in his footsteps to become a second generation Med-Peds physician.

Where do you live in Kansas City: Riverside

Crestina Pacheco, MD

Medical School: Creighton University School of Medicine

Hometown: Brighton, CO

Career Aspiration (its OK if you don’t know yet!): Combining a procedural specialty with occupational & environmental health and my engineering background.

Hobbies: I love getting outdoors in as many ways possible - hiking, biking, lacrosse, soccer, paddleboarding, gardening, going for walk-abouts. Sewing/crafting is relaxing for me - I am currently in the process of making several quilts. I picked up watercolor last year after various 3D artistic endeavors.

Why did you choose UMKC: I was really drawn to the patient population and mix of hospitals where we train at UMKC. I wanted experience training at both a safety net hospital and a private payer hospital for the mix of patients and diseases. The strength of the Children's Mercy Hospital was another draw. Lastly, I have unusual career aspirations, and it was important to me to train in a program that would support my interests and nurture my goals.

Who inspires you: My family and friends. Many of my close friends come from my earlier experiences - co-workers I met while working in the ski industry, forestry, and geotechnical engineering. I am inspired to become the kind of doctor that they would enjoy consulting. I am also drawn to give back and help lift up my local communities. Si, se puede!

Where do you live in Kansas City: Mission, Kansas

Anshul Raman, MD

Medical School: UMKC

Hometown: St. Louis, MO

Career Aspiration (its OK if you don’t know yet!): I'm thinking combined Heme/Onc right now, but I'm excited to explore all the options!

Hobbies: Playing the guitar and piano, chess, video games, running, and biking

Why did you choose UMKC: Throughout med school, I was lucky enough to get to work with so many of the med-peds residents and attendings on various rotations, and they were all so amazing, kind, and fun to work with! I also loved the teaching and working environments at both University Health and Children's Mercy, and I wanted to continue being able to work with underserved communities which is a large portion of patients that these hospitals serve.

Who inspires you: My parents, sister, and grandparents have all been a constant source of support, and I couldn't have made it this far without them. Also, can't forget about Uncle Iroh :)

Where do you live in Kansas City: Beacon Hill Area

Jack Shook, MD

Medical School: University of Kansas School of Medicine

Hometown: Prairie Village, KS

Career Aspiration (its OK if you don’t know yet!): Cardiology and Adult Congenital Heart Disease

Hobbies: Golfing (not particularly skilled), snowboarding (decent), traveling, cheering for local sports teams, rewatching favorite movies endlessly, and occasionally diving into a good book only to end up skimming about half of it

Why did you choose UMKC: I could talk for hours about the hospitals and communities we get to serve and the mentors, residents, and faculty that I got to know during the interview process, but what drew me to UMKC was my firm belief that we perform at our best when we're in the place where we feel most at home. And for me, that's Kansas City. There are some great Med-Peds programs, but Kansas City has one of the best! I’d argue the best, but you know, got to be fair and acknowledge my bias.

Who inspires you: My family (Some of them pictured to the right). They push me to be better every day, even when they don’t know that they are.

Where do you live in Kansas City: Mission

Tazah Weinmaster, MD

Medical School: University of Nebraska College of Medicine

Hometown: Cozad, Ne

Career Aspiration (its OK if you don’t know yet!): I think transitional care/complex care

Hobbies: Reading (most recent book was Demon Copperhead), board games (favorite is wingspan right now), crafting (recently did a TON of DIYs for my wedding! Also love crocheting), and running.

Why did you choose UMKC: The interview day was when I felt the most comfortable out of all the programs I interviewed at! I felt like I got along well with the current residents and the attendings that I talked to. I felt so welcomed and I knew that I would feel at home with UMKC!!! I am super excited to explore KC with my husband and our two dogs!

Who inspires you: My parents! They are so hard-working and have been so supportive in the crazy journey that is medicine.

Where do you live in Kansas City: The plaza.

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 free time 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

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 barbecue 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