PGY3 | PGY2 | PGY1
Veronica Diedrich, M.D.Undergraduate: University of Minnesota Twin Cities |
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 I was born and raised in Wisconsin, just outside of Milwaukee (Go Pack!). I went to University of Minnesota – Twin Cities for undergrad and then down to Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine. Prior to med school, I was a scribe in the ED, which drew me to Emergency Medicine. My specific interests within EM are Wilderness Medicine, and someday paying off my student loans. I chose UMKC because I enjoy working with the county patient population and like the challenge of critical access hospitals. I loved the strong female leadership, family vibes of the program, and Kansas City itself. In addition, the Midwest is the Best! I moved here with my fiancé Taran, and together we bought a house for our 2 dogs Sriracha and Otterpop. In our free time, we enjoy trail running, camping, playing board games and video games, and drinking beer (Stouts/Porters > IPAs). |
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Paige Dosch, D.O.Undergraduate: Avila University – Kansas City |
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 Hi everyone! I was born and raised here in south KC, in Raymore MO. I attended Avila University for undergraduate where I was a setter on the volleyball team. I then attended KCU for medical school, during which time I met my fiancé Will. As a medical student, I rotated at Truman and instantly was impressed with the knowledge and skills of the faculty, staff, and residents. I also loved how welcoming all of the residents were and how I felt a part of a team, even as a student, and I’m so excited to be a part of that team now. In my free time, I enjoy heading down to the lake with my family and pups, traveling, and finding projects around my house to remodel. |
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Hayley Gorman, D.O.Undergraduate: San Diego State University |
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 I was born in Kansas City but moved to the east coast when I was 6. We settled in Littleton, MA and as the name sounds, it was a small town outside of Boston. I decided I had enough of the winters and went to San Diego State for undergrad. Aztecs for Life! I took some time off after graduation and worked. Keeping with the desert theme I went to medical school at Burrell COM in Las Cruces, NM. Green chili is amazing and I will for sure be buying a box every year. My partner, Kyle, and I got our fur baby Todd during my first year of medical school. He is way bigger and fluffier than pictured now. Outside of medicine, I like to kick the soccer ball for Todd, do yoga, cook, and try new wines. I actually have my own YouTube channel where Kyle and I taste and review wines. Cheers! |
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Lauren Gunderson, M.D.Undergraduate: Missouri Western State University |
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 Hey everyone! I grew up in St. Joseph, MO (around an hour north of Kansas City). I attended the University of Minnesota for my first year of undergrad but the snow and ice scared me away. I finished my biology degree at Missouri Western State University and then attended med school at the University of Missouri in Columbia. I spent the majority of my M4 year living in Salt Lake City (where my husband was going to school) before Joseph (my husband) and I moved back to Missouri for residency. I’m so excited to be at a program as established as UMKC and for the opportunity to serve the people of KC at Truman.
When I’m not EM-ing I’m probably working out, scheming about when I can get back to the mountains, figuring out my next restaurant visit, or reading/watching Lord of the Rings. I consider myself a novice peak bagger, advanced REI shopper, average weightlifter, and professional vacuumer (pet people you know what I mean). |
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Caitlin Hirsh, M.D.Undergraduate: University of Arkansas |
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 I was born and raised in Fort Smith, Arkansas. I attended undergrad at the University of Arkansas where I majored in Biology (shocking). After graduating, I knew I wanted to take a year off to travel and work, so I took a job as a substitute teacher and a nurse assistant in a critical care department, which I absolutely loved. I completed my medical degree at UAMS, where I also received my master’s in Public Health as a dual degree student. I chose UMKC for its excellent reputation and the opportunity to serve the underserved population of Kansas City. Also, the faculty and residents in the program! Everyone, from the very start, has been so genuinely kind and welcoming. In my free time, I enjoy reading/audiobooks, baking (not to be confused with cooking), OrangeTheory, and all the happy hours. |
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Emma Ide, D.O.Undergraduate: University of Wisconsin-Madison |
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 I grew up in Hudson, Wisconsin, with two hilarious sisters while rooting for the Green Bay Packers and embracing all cheese varieties. I then furthered my cheesehead trajectory by attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison where I spent four wonderful years alternating between the Camp Randall football stadium and the library where I studied my pre-medical coursework and earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish. After graduating from college, I took some time prior to medical school to work as an emergency room scribe in St. Paul, Minnesota and also got a job in gastrointestinal clinical oncology and infectious disease research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health. Soon afterwards, I found my way to Kansas City where I attended medical school and fell in love with the kind people, excellent food, and diverse city. During my fourth year, I had the fortunate opportunity to complete an audition rotation with UMKC in the Truman emergency department. I loved my experience at Truman from the moment I walked through the doors due to the welcoming faculty and staff, variety of pathologies, academic environment, and supportive residents. For fun I enjoy spending time with my husband and our pets, family, friends, traveling, and exploring the outdoors via hiking, biking, skiing, camping, wakeboarding, or gardening. |
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Robert Moulton, D.O.Undergraduate: The University of Kansas |
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 Hey everyone, my name is Jake! I was born and raised in the Kansas City area. For my undergrad I went to the University of Kansas and attended Kansas City University for medical school. I am beyond excited to join the UMKC EM family for my residency training. I felt the longstanding history of our program, reputation, and extremely welcoming faculty/staff/residents make UMKC an amazing place to train. Though I am from the area, I am constantly finding something new and exciting to in Kansas City. Outside of medicine I enjoy binge watching Netflix, visiting coffee shops, trying new restaurants, and shopping plant nurseries with my soon-to-be husband Tanner (siting on the right). I am the proud dog-Dad of a mini dachshund (Harper) and a lab/boxer mix (Finn). I also enjoy anything art, design, or music related. |
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Naleen Patel, M.D.Undergraduate: University of Missouri-Kansas City |
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 I was born in New York City but grew up in Olathe, KS. From high school, I attended the UMKC 6-year BA/MD program. Initially, I was unsure of what specialty to pursue but quickly found out Emergency Medicine was the best fit for me after my rotation. For residency, I wanted a well-established program with a largely underserved urban population and Truman provided this. Furthermore, resident autonomy was another important factor for me and through my rotations, I observed the residents having ample autonomy but not at the sacrifice of learning or patient safety. The residents and faculty here have been nothing but welcoming and friendly. Additionally, the Midwest has become home for me. After living here for years, Kansas City can definitely be defined as a small city with big city amenities. In my free time, I enjoy board games, exploring local coffee shops, and traveling to national parks. |
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Katherine Short, D.O.Undergraduate: Saint Louis University |
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 Hi there! I was born and raised in the Chicago suburbs, and went to undergrad at St. Louis University. After graduation I lived in Hood River, Oregon for a year of service with Americorps, and then attended medical school back home at Midwestern University CCOM! When applying for residency, I wanted a program that was well established, saw a diverse patient population, and gave the residents a lot of autonomy in the ED. But I also wanted a place where faculty was approachable and where I could see my co-residents as my friends! Even over a Zoom interview, I could tell this program was the perfect mix of all of those things. It was obvious to me that this program created an environment where people looked out for each other and had fun, all while getting incredible training! Having never been to Kansas City before, my fiancé, Andrew, and I took the leap of faith and we are so happy we did! We are thrilled to be in Kansas City and I’m so humbled to be a part of such a great program. Outside of medicine, I love to go running and spend time with Andrew and my dog, Lottie. Andrew and I love to travel to explore National Parks when we can, but while in KC we love exploring all the parks, barbeque and breweries KC has to offer! |
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Bridget Upton, D.O.Undergraduate: University of Missouri |
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 Hello, my name is Bridget! I was born and raised in Missouri (Saint Peters specifically) and moved to Columbia to attend the University of Missouri for my undergraduate years. I worked as a nurse technician there and continued that work during my gap year. Kansas City intrigued me, and I wanted to live in a more metropolitan environment so I moved here and graduated from Kansas City University for medical school. After living on both the east and west sides of the MO, I decided I prefer KC! I met my soon to be husband during my first year of medical school, who is the largest supporter of the Chiefs that I know. He teaches high school biology and loves his job, so it was a mutual agreement that we wanted to stay here in town for my residency. Luckily for us, an incredible emergency medicine program, Truman/UMKC, is located downtown! I feel extremely thankful and thrilled to have matched at one of the most established programs in the country with such welcoming and positive people. Pets-wise, we have an intuitive pupper named Penny who acts like a little human herself. I personally love to tend to my amateur garden and succulent collection, swim laps in my free time, and travel when there is an opportunity for it! |
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Kara Zweerink, M.D.Undergraduate: University of Missouri-Kansas City |
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I was born and raised in the Kansas City area. I have always been an active person and enjoy being outdoors. I ran cross-country and track throughout high school. I was able to run my first marathon in my last couple of years of medical school. I love to hike and rock climb and am currently working on my bucket list goal of climbing all the 14ers in Colorado (10 down, 43 to go). I chose UMKC EM because of its exceptional leadership and high level of camaraderie between residents. Additionally, I loved the depth of exposure to trauma and the wide variety of pathology offered at Truman. |
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