PGY-1

Madeline Cusimano, MD

Medical School: University of Iowa- Carver College of Medicine
Professional Interests: General Inpatient Adult Psychiatry, Addiction medicine, community mental health, intellectual disabilities
Outside Interests: I love playing almost any and all sports. (sand volleyball, soccer, whiffle ball, spikeball, pickleball). I love music and am a singer. My husband and I love finding live music spots around town.
What was/is your favorite rotation? I’ve only done neurology thus far but the past town months have been very enjoyable. The neurology staff and residents are very nice and easy to work with. I am excited to start inpatient psychiatry in September.
If you had to pick one thing you really like about this program, what would it be? Both University Health and CBM expose us to a very diverse and underserved patient population, which has always been very important to me when pursuing a career in medicine.
What do you like to do for fun in and around Kansas City? I’m always down to try a new brewery, coffee shop or live music spot with my husband and friends. We love hosting and attending game nights. We are excited for this year’s football season as my husband is a life long Chiefs fan and newest member of the Chiefs drum line!
What are your plans for the future? I aim to be a compassionate, competent and fully autonomous psychiatrist when I finish in four years. I don’t have a clear idea of what exact setting I want to practice in, or if I want to pursue fellowship. But I’m looking forward to the next four years to guide me in figuring that out.

Rashikha Dhar, MD

Medical School: University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine
Professional Interests: Acute Inpatient Psychiatry
Outside Interests: Cooking, creating Spotify playlists, spending time with friends and family, painting, watching Bollywood movies
What was/is your favorite rotation? As a medical student, I enjoyed acute inpatient psychiatry with Dr. Mabrouk and C&L with Dr. Metzner. They are two incredible psychiatrist and mentors that are part of the reason I wanted to continue my training at UMKC for residency.
If you had to pick one thing you really like about this program, what would it be? The best aspect of our program is the culture. The faculty is very approachable and my relationship with my co-residents extends beyond residency. We do happy hour every Wednesday and celebrate birthdays together too. Overall, the program provides excellent comprehensive training through its various rotations, while still maintaining the work/life balance that allows us to enjoy Kansas City.
What do you like to do for fun in and around Kansas City? Go out to Westport or Power & Light District on the weekends to bars and clubs. Attend concerts. Shop at Country Club Plaza and Ward Pkwy. Hammock, fly kites, and roller skate at Loose Park.

Mariana Edwards, MD

Medical School: University of Lisbon, Portugal
Professional Interests: Adult Psychiatry, Mood and Personality Disorders, PTSD, Psychology of Behavior and Addiction, Creativity
Outside Interests: Road trips, Movies, Reading, Crafts, time with family and my dog. I like comedy shows and finding humor in life
What was/is your favorite rotation? Enjoying Inpatient Psychiatry a lot so far, for the variety of disorders, acuity, and complexity of cases
If you had to pick one thing you really like about this program, what would it be? Sherry is the best program coordinator one could wish for! I feel supported in my learning and also feel a true bond with attendings and residents.
What sort of research are you doing, and how does the program support you in your scholarly activities? Before starting residency I was involved with long Covid mental health research but at this time I am focusing more on studying for step 3; I am excited to do a case conference next year and to restart research as well.
What do you like to do for fun in and around Kansas City? I have been loving getting to know all the different neighborhoods, parks and coffee shops. So far my favorite spot is the river market
What are your plans for the future? To be a valuable contribution to the program on a daily basis and to learn as much as I can. I feel fortunate to be able to take care of my patients and to strengthen my skill set as I move forward in my career as a psychiatrist. In the future I feel excited to become the best psychiatrist I can be and give back my knowledge to other students, and to contribute to mental health research and outreach initiatives of education for mental health in the community.

Ahmed Karim, MD

Medical School: University of Tripoli Faculty of Medicine.
Professional Interests: Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Interventional Psychiatry, Translational Psychiatry, Neuropsychoanalysis
Outside Interests: I like to portrait painting; my medium is watercolor. I do different types of calligraphies. I enjoy anything animation or graphics-related topics. And, I am avid with my weight lifting workout.
What was/is your favorite rotation? It’s too early to tell. However, I enjoyed my first rotation at Truman. Learning from this experience was amazing. I am looking forward to come back, and diversifying my experience with other attending. The warmth and friendliness of our attendings made the experience so enjoyable.
If you had to pick one thing you really like about this program, what would it be? My choice would be our attendings. They are amazing teachers. They have an excellent combination of thoroughness and friendliness. You would never be turned down for a question or request. Our interviewing skills are also well taken care of, as we are assigned two teams, ensuring we are equipped with different methods of interviewing patients.
What do you like to do for fun in and around Kansas City? I am still quite novel to the city, but I fell in love instantly with Kansas City’s diversity and its ambiance.

Erin McGaugh, MD

Medical School: University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine
Professional Interests: Perinatal psychiatry
Outside Interests: tennis, gardening, reading fiction, home renovation
What was/is your favorite rotation? Med/psych
If you had to pick one thing you really like about this program, what would it be? The patient population and my co-residents.
What do you like to do for fun in and around Kansas City? My husband and I play a lot of tennis. We love to go listen to live music and eat at our favorite restaurants.
What are your plans for the future? Eventually, I want to have a practice that focuses on women’s mental health.

Evan McKinnis, MD

Medical School: University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine
Professional Interests: Addiction medicine, depression
Outside Interests: walking, working out, trying restaurants
If you had to pick one thing you really like about this program, what would it be? The camaraderie and support of faculty and co-residents
What do you like to do for fun in and around Kansas City? I spend most of my time with my dog. I also like all the jazz around the city
What are your plans for the future? I want to spend more time with family and friends. I hope to always keep learning.

PGY-2

Sara Agha, M.D.

Medical School: University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine
Professional Interests: Mood disorders, treatment resistant depression, child and adolescent psychiatry
Outside Interests: Reading, listening to podcasts, being outdoors, exploring coffee shops and restaurants around Kansas City
What was/is your favorite rotation? I have been on acute inpatient psychiatry and love it! It’s so rewarding to see how medications can make such a difference in people’s mental health and their ability to function. It’s also been a great way for me to become more comfortable with autonomy, since I’m responsible for making decisions and managing each of my patients from admission to discharge.
If you had to pick one thing you really like about this program, what would it be? How supportive our program is of all of our interests, and how they really care about resident wellness and nurturing our interests. All of us get along really well and have a great time together.
What sort of research are you doing, and how does the program support you in your scholarly activities? Currently, I’m not involved in any research, but I would like to do some case reports on patients I have seen on the acute unit. All of our attendings and other faculty are very supportive and enthusiastic of scholarly activities. They are always willing to help and listen to ideas.
What do you like to do for fun in and around Kansas City? There are a ton of great places to eat around here! I’ve lived here for years and am still discovering amazing restaurants. I love going to First Fridays and exploring all the local spots this city has to offer. There are also so many locally owned coffee shops that make great study spots. When the weather is nice, I try to hang out at Loose Park or go for walks at the Berkeley Riverfront.
What are your plans for the future? Currently, I’m unsure of my future plans, but I’ve been thinking about pursuing a fellowship in child psychiatry. I think I need more experience and more rotations under my belt to have a clearer idea of what the future might look like.

Levi Craghead, MD, MPH

Medical School: University of Kansas School of Medicine
Professional Interests: Adult outpatient psychiatry, mental health policy, rural telemedicine
Outside Interests: Dog training, Cooking, Weight lifting
What was/is your favorite rotation? Adult Inpatient Psychiatry with University Health has been my most rewarding rotation so far. We see a variety of rare, complex psychiatric cases worthy of publication. My experience on this service has given me knowledge and confidence to take on a wide array of psychiatric disorders.
If you had to pick one thing you really like about this program, what would it be? This program does an excellent job promoting work-life quality. Residents, on average, work 8-5 weekdays with golden weekends as the norm. This grants ample opportunity to socialize with fellow residents, spend time with family, and conduct elective academic work. The people here are wonderful, and I consider them to be my great friends.
What are your plans for the future? Upon graduation, I intend to remain in my Kansas City home and be a psychiatrist for underserved populations. I would like to dedicate at least two days each week to travel/telepsychiatry as to support rural communities. As well, I intend to work with state and local officials to promote policies aimed at improving access and quality of mental health services.

Ethan Johnston, M.D.

Medical School: University of Missouri Kansas-City School of Medicine
Professional Interests: Child and Adolescent psychiatry, Consult Liaison psychiatry
Outside Interests: I enjoy trying out new happy hours and wineries, competitive karaoke (yes, this is a real thing!), traveling, biking, and concerts/festivals.
What was/is your favorite rotation? My favorite rotation so far is TMC acute in-patient psychiatry. The diversity of disease processes on this rotation is a great learning opportunity.
If you had to pick one thing you really like about this program, what would it be? Hands down, the people. The vast amount of support shown from coresidents, attendings and staff make our program great.
What do you like to do for fun in and around Kansas City? Besides the Kansas City BBQ, I love finding new coffee shops, local restaurants, and attending weekend festivals like “First Fridays” in the Cross-Roads and West Bottoms districts.

Saja Necibi, M.D.

Medical School: University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine
Professional Interests: I’m interested in learning more about psychotherapy and hope to incorporate it in my future practice
Outside Interests: I enjoy traveling, gardening, exploring Kansas City with friends, going to concerts, and hanging out with my cat
What was/is your favorite rotation? So far I like acute inpatient psychiatry the most- especially my geriatric psychiatry rotation
If you had to pick one thing you really like about this program, what would it be? I really value how supportive the faculty and my co-residents are. Everyone is approachable, more than happy to teach, and we all function as a team.
What do you like to do for fun in and around Kansas City? I like trying different coffee shops around Kansas City! So far my favorites are Rochester and Messenger coffee
What are your plans for the future? Right now I am interested in child and adolescent psychiatry, and hope to serve marginalized communities, especially refugees.

Olurinde Oni, M.D., M.P.H., M.S.

Medical School: University of Ibadan, Nigeria
Professional Interests: Community Psychiatry, Research and Medical Education
Outside Interests: Spending time with family and friends, community service, working out on treadmill.
What was/is your favorite rotation? I have learned so much from Med-Psych, Chronic Inpatient Psychiatry, Acute Inpatient Psychiatry and Consult & Liaison rotations. Each of these rotations has added indispensable building blocks to my psychiatric knowledge
If you had to pick one thing you really like about this program, what would it be? I like the people here. Everyone is here to help you achieve or discover your goals. I am enjoying the camaraderie which I already saw during my interview here. Also I have lived in Kansas City metropolitan community for some time. It is good place to live, raise family, and enjoy a fairly balanced weather. The cost of living is affordable. In addition, the curriculum of training is clinically and academically intensive thereby providing a great learning experience.

Aderonke (Kiki) Oyetunji, M.D., M.B.A.

Medical School: Obafemi Awolowo College of Health Sciences, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, Nigeria
Professional Interests: My interest has always been in and still very much in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. I am exploring how my interest in Neuropsychiatry would fit into that.
Outside Interests: Cooking ethnic meals, fun competitions, going on international travels with my family and early morning runs with our Doberman Pinscher.
What was/is your favorite rotation? As a first year, Neurology, TMC inpatient and then Med-Psych. Understanding disease process not just in psychiatry but in medicine and the very fine line between neurology and psychiatry was very interesting to explore.
If you had to pick one thing you really like about this program, what would it be? The opportunities here are boundless. Your training is what you make of it and the staff here make coming in each day a really great learning experience. I am grateful to be part of a program that promotes the wellbeing of its residents.
What sort of research are you doing, and how does the program support you in your scholarly activities? I really enjoy doing research and as of right now, I am exploring research in Neuropsychiatry and child psychiatry working and collaborating with attendings across CBM, UMKC/TMC and KUMC. I feel very supported by our research director. Dr. Bruce makes the time to hear new ideas and helps nurture and fine tune them, while still letting you own them.
What do you like to do for fun in and around Kansas City? Fun activities including going out to the movies, touring new homes and watching competitive sports (track and swimming) with my family. However, on my own, I’d like to train and try for a 10K 
What are your plans for the future?  A fellowship in child psychiatry and Neuropsychiatry.

Xiaofeng (Jasmine) Yan, M.D., Ph.D.

Medical School: Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST)
Professional Interests: Psychosomatic Medicine, Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry
Outside Interests: Spending time with family and friends, cooking, traveling
If you had to pick one thing you really like about this program, what would it be? The environment. All faculty, staff, residents are being super supportive, they do care about our success and try everything they can to help. We especially love our program director and program coordinator, they make our training and life much earlier.

PGY-3

Zach Bartochowski, M.D.

Medical School: Saint Louis University School of Medicine
Professional Interests: Geriatric Psychiatry, Neuropsychiatry
Outside Interests: Spending time with family and friends, traveling, literature, weightlifting, cooking.
If you had to pick one thing you really like about this program, what would it be? What stands out to me the most is the people who make up the UMKC Psychiatry Residency Program. The faculty, residents, and staff genuinely care about you and your success. Everyone is very approachable and supportive, which helps generate a positive climate for training.

Val Bellman, M.D.

Medical School: Sechenov University, RussiaProfessional Interests: Academic Psychiatry
Hobbies: Avid soccer fan.
What was/is your favorite rotation? I really liked inpatient psychiatry rotation at TMC. As an intern, I served as the primary clinician for 6 patients, with responsibility for nearly all aspects of treatment from initial assessment through discharge.
If you had to pick one thing you really like about this program, what would it be? I absolutely love the teamwork and the respect that we all have for one anotheR.
What sort of research are you doing, and how does the program support you in your scholarly activities? My current research focuses on understanding the relationship between human behavior, psychological disturbances and the environment, from both directions – how the environment affects behavior, and how people’s behaviors and attitudes affect the environment. Additionally, I am interested in the relationship between emotional expressiveness, opiate system and behavior. UMKC offers a unique opportunity for residents interested in research that provides structured education and mentorship throughout residency.
What do you like to do for fun in and around Kansas City? Kansas City is a great place with so much to offer to any person. The River Market is one of those places that makes Kansas City so beautiful.
What are your plans for the future? Academic psychiatry.

Anisha Chinthalapally, M.D.

Medical School: University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine
Professional Interests: Child Psychiatry
Outside Interests: Writing fiction, short stories, songs, poems, and essays. Learning new recipes. Dancing. Learning to play my guitar.
What was/is your favorite rotation? It’s pretty early. I’ve done Neuro and TMC acute inpatient psych so far and really liked both! The acute inpatient psych units offer a great learning environment.
If you had to pick one thing you really like about this program, what would it be? I absolutely love the patient population we have. We see such a wide variety and diversity of patients and disorders. It’s never boring!
What sort of research are you doing, and how does the program support you in your scholarly activities? Currently, I am working with some peers on case reports and abstracts. The attendings, coordinators, and other faculty are very supportive of scholarly activities. They are enthusiastic about us taking these opportunities and will do what they can to help us.
What do you like to do for fun in and around Kansas City? I love finding new places to hang out and things to do. This includes coffee shops, restaurants and bars, festivals, new parks, art museums and exhibits, music performances, and other activities.
What are your plans for the future? I am unsure of my future plans other than wanting to do a fellowship in child psychiatry. I would need some more experience to start having an idea of what the future might look like.

Drew Lecuru, M.D.

Medical School: University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine
Professional Interests: I have a particular Interests in addiction psychiatry; however, I can see myself sticking with general psychiatry as well. Right now, I want to learn as much as I can about it all.
Outside Interests: I like to read fantasy novels and play video games in my spare time. Only when I am not out hanging out with my co-residents getting out and enjoying Kansas City. I like to have fun and look forward to future resident events with all of the classes.

Ferdinand Osayande, M.D., M.B.A.

Medical School: University of Nebraska Medical Center
Professional Interests: Psychiatry, Networking, Business/Healthcare Administration
Outside Interests (hobbies): New music, Competitive Powerlifting, Reading, Traveling, Minor auto repair, and DIY
If you had to pick one thing you really like about this program, what would it be? Program coordinator. Didn’t notice how much that could sway my opinion on the culture of a program until I started interviews. Mrs. Bushmoyer was definitely on top of things during the season when I was a 4th year student, 1st year resident, 2^nd year resident and still going strong.
What do you like to do for fun in and around Kansas City? I make it a goal to try out a new restaurant at least once a week. Goal is to have tried about 200 places by the end of all 4 years. So far after 26 months I’m up to roughly 120 places. 80 restaurants and 22 months to go!

Hirsch Srivastava, M.D.

Medical School: University of Missouri School of Medicine
Professional Interests: Acute Psychosis, Pain Medicine, Psychosomatic Medicine, Complex Trauma, Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, Eating Disorders
Outside Interests: Powerlifting, Swimming, Running, Yoga, Trying new restaurants and cocktails around town, especially BBQ, Traveling, Sci Fi and Fantasy
What was/is your favorite rotation? Pain Medicine Clinic followed by Consult-Liaison Psychiatry
If you had to pick one thing you really like about this program, what would it be? We get exposed to very sick psychiatric patients through our downtown safety-net hospital, and state forensics hospital for psychiatric patients in the criminal justice system
What sort of research are you doing, and how does the program support you in your scholarly activities? One of my attending physicians has been supportive in my research endeavors
What do you like to do for fun in and around Kansas City? I like to go the Farmer’s Market on weekend mornings in the River Market, and check out new restaurants and cocktail bars
What are your plans for the future?  Undecided at the moment

PGY-4

Drew Murray, M.D.

Medical School: Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Professional Interests: I am Interested in treatment resistant depression and its relationship with chronic pain management. I also have some fledgling curiosity in psychedelic assisted psychotherapy.
Outside Interests: Personal health, bodybuilding, instrumental music including Saxophone, Piano and Guitar, cooking, hiking/backpacking, kayaking and watching anime with my co-residents.

Steven Shipman, M.D.

Medical School: Lewis Katz School of Medicine
Professional Interests: Treatment Resistant Depression; Ketamine, Esketamine, rTMS
Outside Interests: BBQ; Gardening

Jason Tucker, M.D.

Medical School: University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine
Professional Interests: Consult Liaison psychiatry, acute inpatient, and addiction medicine.
Outside Interests: In my free time, I enjoy cycling through Kansas City to coffee shops and breweries. I also enjoy playing acoustic guitar. Lastly, I’m a big board game nerd- my favorite being Catan (of course).