Class of 2023

Kristin Adams, MD

University of Oklahoma

Where did you grow up? Tyler, TX
What are your goals and interests? I plan on joining an outpatient family practice clinic and seeing a wide range of patients, but I am more specifically interested in women’s health and geriatrics.
I love playing board games and video games with my husband. I also enjoy reading sci-fi books. My favorite author is Brandon Sanderson, and I’ve watched all of the Office episodes over 10 times.
Best day as a Doctor? Towards the end of my shift at the emergency department, my attending taught me to perform a therapeutic paracentesis on an uninsured patient who would otherwise be unable to have this procedure. I had seen hundreds of these procedures before but had never performed one. After placing the needle, I then spent the next hour waiting for the fluid to drain and changing bottles out when they became full. I could tell how relieved and more comfortable the patient felt to finally remove some of the fluid from his abdomen. While waiting I discussed with his son how there are almost no places where an uninsured patient could have this procedure performed regularly, so he would have to continue to visit the emergency department as needed whenever the fluid accumulated too much. It was an unfortunate situation for this gentleman to be in, but I was pleased to be able to provide a service that was essential and had such immediate results.
Why did you choose UMKC for your residency? I chose UMKC because I liked all of the people I met. They seemed very supportive of each other; it really felt like a place that I could call home. I appreciated that it is an unopposed community-based residency while also having an affiliation with the university, and I was impressed by the training the residents receive while also being able to provide direct feedback to continuously improve the program.

Annette "Annie" Anwander, MD

University of Kansas School of Medicine

Where did you grow up? Paola, KS
What are your goals and interests? Ultimately my goal is to practice full-scope family medicine in a small town. I am particularly interested in obstetrics and inpatient medicine.
Best day as a Doctor? My best day in medicine so far was the first time I delivered a baby. It was a magical moment for the patient and her family, and I was honored to share in their joy.
Why did you choose UMKC for your residency? I chose UMKC for residency for many reasons. I loved that it was an unopposed, community-based program with a wide scope of training. However, my main reason for choosing UMKC was the people. On my interview day, the faculty and residents were open, kind and easy to connect with. It was obvious that residents are supported and encouraged by the faculty to learn and grow as physicians and as individuals.

Kate Estes, DO

Des Moines University, Des Moines, Iowa

Where did you grow up? Brooklyn Park, Minnesota
What are your goals and interests? My career goals would be to be a part of a clinic practice, taking care of all ages and working with other amazing doctors and medical staff. Outside of medicine, I love being outside and playing games. My husband and I enjoy hiking or spending time at the lake or park.
Best day as a Doctor? There would be kids, teens, adults and elderly on my schedule, as well as a few procedures. I would laugh with my staff and have time to hear stories from patients. I want to walk beside patients as they progressively improve in their health; that is most rewarding to me.
Why did you choose UMKC for your residency? I enjoyed watching the interactions between the residents and the attendings on my interview day. You could tell everyone was very friendly, approachable and down to earth. I liked how it seemed like a program where I could walk away with excellent FM training, as well as with a lot of friends and mentors. They value hard work and servant leadership which is something I appreciate.

Logan Hemme, MD

University of Missouri Kansas City

Where did you grow up? My hometown is Concordia, MO, which is a small rural community about an hour east of Kansas City off I-70.
What are your goals and interests? My career goals are aligned with my desire to go back home or to a neighboring rural community to be a full spectrum family medicine physician with an emphasis in obstetrics. I am also interested in completing an OB fellowship.
My interests/hobbies include spending time with my husband and our families, seeing/ babysitting one of my nine nieces/nephews, helping my husband on his family’s dairy farm, trying new recipes and going on walks/talks with my twin sister.
Best day as a Doctor? Can’t quite speak to this yet, as I’ll be an intern, but one of my favorite moments as a medical student was the first time I witnessed and helped with a delivery. It’s a beautiful and such a vulnerable part of life, that it really made me reflect on the privilege it is as a physician to help patients not only through childbirth, but through all the ups and downs of health and life. It was the day, that privilege was reinforced to me and I’ll always cherish that.
Why did you choose UMKC for your residency? I essentially did the rest of my growing up at UMKC. I left my hometown after high school and started the 6yr BA/MD program. Through that time, I was privileged to have most of my experiences with family medicine at UMKC. I feel a strong connection with the people and the values at Truman Lakewood which played a primary role in my choosing UMKC. But the other positives about this program are a strong curriculum, being an unopposed program in an urban setting, an OB fellowship (which I am interested in) and the added bonus of it being close enough that my husband could continue to farm with his family back near my hometown.

Desztini Howard, MD

Meharry Medical College

Where did you grow up? Kansas City, Missouri born and raised. I went to Lincoln College Prep, (*cough* The best high school ever!! *cough*)
What are your goals and interests? My goals are to shed light on health disparities and to be a positive change in my community. I have so many interests that are constantly changing both in and out of medicine so I'll limit to a few of my current favorites. In medicine: Women's health, sports medicine, and addiction. Outside of medicine: Movies, dessert, and my nephews and nieces!!
Best day as a Doctor? My best day as a doctor is when my patients feel cared for, heard, and a partner in their care. They leave with the confidence that they can advocate for themselves and know what their situation is and understand that I have their back and we will get to their health goals.
Why did you choose UMKC for your residency? UMKC Family Medicine is a place where you can find what you need; knowledge, autonomy, community, and patience as you grow into the physician of your dreams. They care about their residents which means they care about their patients! Who wouldn't want to be a part of this family!?

Hai Song Kim, DO

Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, Middletown

Where did you grow up? I came to the States when I was 18 years old, and had been living in California until I went to medical school in New York.
What are your goals and interests? My goal is to have my own private practice one day! I like to play some video games during my leisure time.
Best day as a Doctor?
Why did you choose UMKC for your residency? The reason I chose UMKC for my residency is because of its unique features; it's a University program but also unopposed, meaning family medicine residents will take on more responsibilities and will have more learning opportunities. I feel very fortunate and privileged to be part of UMKC FM program.

Eddy I. Ndichie, Jr., M.D.

Rutgers New Jersey Medical School

Where did you grow up? I hail from Bloomfield, New Jersey but I was born in the state of Maryland and spent some of my childhood years in Nigeria.
What are your goals and interests? Ideally, I would want to be a full-spectrum family medicine physician and practice in both the inpatient and outpatient settings. When I am not lugging around my stethoscope, I like to read books based on historical events, watch documentaries, and view the occasional movie here and there. Also, I like to spend time in the kitchen cooking and baking, and I love to travel to learn about new cultures. Best day as a Doctor? I believe that when you go into medicine for the right reasons, every day is your “best day,” as cliché as that may sound. In terms of patient experiences, there are many to choose from however anytime I get a chance to witness a patient recover from an acute ailment it is such a rewarding feeling.
Why did you choose UMKC for your residency? While I had never been to Kansas City before my interview day and it is a very different place from the suburban New Jersey lifestyle I grew accustomed to, Kansas City felt like home immediately upon my arrival. UMKC and TMC presented the perfect blend I was seeking as it is an unopposed program in a primary care community hospital setting accompanied with the robust support of an academic institution. In search of the right fit to optimize my abilities, I quickly learned that UMKC family medicine is quite a collegial environment that also incorporates a diverse patient population in the form of a great mix of urban, suburban, and rural medicine. I am passionate about the medical needs of the underserved therefore I am particularly looking forward to working with this population. Certainly, with a wide array of experiences that I will be exposed to, I was confident that if I came here I would receive the thorough preparation needed to succeed in the real world.

Caroline Ward, DO

Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences

Where did you grow up? Massachusetts
What are your goals and interests? I am passionate about women's health along with maternal child health. I also really love counseling patients on preventative medicine and ways they can incorporation a healthy diet and exercise into their lives. Best day as a Doctor? My best day as a doctor was partaking in my first delivery. It was the best day of someones life and I was honored to be able to to help make that happen.
Why did you choose UMKC for your residency? I knew that UMKC would provide me with a strong OB and women's health curriculum along with a solid knowledge base of inpatient medicine. I also loved that it was an unopposed community program in one of my favorite cities. When I left my interview I knew I could see myself spending the next three years at UMKC!

Kristin Adams, MD University of Oklahoma	Tasfia Ahmed, DO Kansas City University	Annie Anwander, MD University of Kansas
Morgan Dresvyannikov, MD UMKC	Kate Estes, DO Des Moines University	Logan Hemme, MD UMKC
Desztini Howard, MD Meharry Medical College	Haley Kertz, MD UMKC	Hai Song Kim, DO Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine
Matthew Myrick, MD American University of the Caribbean	Eddy I. Ndichie, Jr., MD Rutgers New Jersey Medical School	Caroline Ward, DO Kansas City University

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