Mother Child W Physician

Our Medical College of Wisconsin Internal Medicine-Pediatrics Residents

The Medical College of Wisconsin's Med-Peds housestaff come from diverse backgrounds representing 14 different medical schools. The quality of our housestaff is a strength of our training program. We have been very fortunate to have a cohesive, supportive, and hard-working group of residents who are devoted to patient care and to each other. Our Med-Peds residents work closely with two excellent categorical programs while still retaining their own unique identity. In addition, our residents enjoy a close working relationship with the program director, associate director, chief resident and our other Med-Peds trained faculty.

PGY-1 Residents

Elaine Dandan

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Ali Shamsa

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Emma Steffer

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Kendall Trieglaff

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Ana Wilden

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Jason Zheng

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PGY-2 Residents

Sarah Barrett

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Hometown: Downers Grove, IL
Undergraduate School/Degree: University of Richmond, Biology
Medical School: Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine
Hobbies: Running, swimming, reading, backpacking
Why MCW?: I love that MCW has large peds and medicine programs and is in a mid-sized city with plenty to do and great cost of living. When interviewing, I got the sense that I would see diverse patient pathology among both the kids and adults. Since being here, I've felt so supported by all my med-peds co-residents, and always look forward to seeing them inside and outside of the hospital!
Favorite Milwaukee Places: Oak Leaf Trail, Rocket Baby Bakery, beaches and trails along the lake

Katie Breetz

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Hometown: Louisville, KY
Undergraduate School/Degree: University of Kentucky - B.S. Biology
Medical School: University of Kentucky College of Medicine
Hobbies: running, card games, reading, hiking
Why MCW?: I chose MCW for the strength of the pediatric hospital as I felt most programs would offer a great IM education. I was also impressed by the Med-Peds presence, relationships between residents (both Med-Peds and categorical), and everything Milwaukee had to offer.
Favorite Milwaukee Places: Lakefront Brewery, Oak Leaf Trail, all the local coffee shops (Pilcrow is my fav), and anywhere by the water 

Kelly Cotchett

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Hometown: Burlingame, Ca
Undergraduate School/Degree: Southern Methodist University/Biology 
Medical School: Medical College of Wisconsin 
Hobbies: cooking, running, skiing and hanging out with my dog Sadie! 
Why MCW?: Training at a program with subspecialty exposure on both sides was very important to me. MCW is a large academic center with abundant opportunities to find mentors and gain clinical and research experience in your field of choice. The hospital also has a strong med-peds presence, which is really special! 
Favorite Milwaukee Places: Lion's Den Nature preserve or county grounds park for walking my dog. The third ward for going out to eat with friends.  Kopps for frozen custard.

Adrianna Jelen

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Hometown: Krakow, Poland
Undergraduate School/Degree: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign/ Molecular & Cellular Biology
Medical School: Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine 
Hobbies: Cooking, baking, and most of all eating! Also enjoy skiing, rollerblading, and trying all the coffee shops in MKE. 
Why MCW? The best people with a big Med-Peds presence! Also having almost every specialty available to rotate through provides a ton of learning opportunities and great mentors.
Favorite Milwaukee Places: Any place on the Lakefront or Riverwalk! Including Bradford beach, Lakefront Brewery, and Colectivo on the Lakefront. 

 

Kendall Ng

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Hometown: Los Altos, CA
Undergraduate School/Degree: UC Davis, Biomedical Engineering
Medical School: Western University of Health Sciences
Hobbies: cooking/baking, Being outside, Basketball, Pickleball, trying new restaurants
Why MCW?: I love my Co-residents (interns and seniors alike! ). Med/Peds has a great presence in the hospital on both sides. I feel like I am always working with med/peds attendings whether it be hospitalists, primary care physicians, or subspecialists. Everyone is really friendly, and we actually get to spend time together outside of the hospital.
Favorite Milwaukee Places: My couch - watching NCIS with Katie! Lake Front Brewery, Milwaukee public market, anywhere along the Riverwalk, historic 3rd ward 

Leslie Thelan

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Hometown: Charleston, SC
Undergraduate School/Degree: University of South Carolina, Exercise Science
Medical School: USC School of Medicine Greenville Hobbies: hanging out with my amazing co-residents and significant other (who is an anesthesia intern here)! This includes lots of eating, breweries, festivals, pickleball, workout classes, hiking, and lakefront and trail runs
Why MCW?: A close-knit community with a strong med-peds presence who mentors, encourages, and supports each other so that we may become our best selves! In typical med-peds fashion, I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted to do so I was looking for a robust academic environment that had limitless opportunities, a diverse patient population, a stand-alone children’s hospital, and the flexibility to allow me to pursue a variety of interests. Moving far away from home, I was also looking for a program that feltlike family. I’m so grateful that MCW has more than fulfilled these goals and many more!
Favorite Milwaukee Places: Lake Michigan (lakefront runs, picnics, beach volleyball, kayaking), tons of parks and beer gardens, Oak Leaf Trail, Lakefront brewery (trivia and cheese curds), Kettle Moraine State Park (hiking and cross-country skiing)

PGY-3 Residents

Chana Bushee

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Hometown: Mequon, WI
Undergraduate School/Degree: Yeshiva University
Medical School: Medical College of Wisconsin
Hobbies: Hiking, Weightlifting, Baking, Reading
Why MCW?: The faculty and learning environment at MCW that is at the forefront of medical training and patient care and leader in the medical field, together with my mentors and fellow residents/friends here at MCW.
Favorite Milwaukee Places: The Milwaukee Domes, Valentine Coffee Shop, Lion's Den

 

Luke Clawson

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Hometown: Tulsa, OK
Undergraduate School/Degree: Saint Louis University, Psychology
Medical School: Case Western Reserve University
Hobbies: Tennis, cooking, golf, video games
Why MCW?: I chose MCW for the fellowship opportunities, the incredible support from residents/program leadership, and the proximity to my family
Favorite Milwaukee Places: I love all of the beaches and also taking my dog to a local 10acre dog park!

Taylor Orcutt

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Hometown: Little River, TX
Undergraduate School/Degree:
Texas A&M University, Biomedical Engineering
Medical School:
University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth - Texas COM
Hobbies:
my dogs, sports (playing and watching), trivia nights, trying new things
Why MCW?:
I was really looking for strong training on both sides, while also having a well-known MedPeds presence. I feel like I could also tell that the residents really enjoyed each other and were more than just coworkers, which after being here I can say is definitely true! Milwaukee is a great place to life.
Favorite Milwaukee Places:
Eagle Park Brewing, Paloma Tacos, Meiji, Seven Bridges trail, Bucks & Brewers games

Keegan Sammons

Sammons Keegan

Hometown: Owingsville, KY
Undergraduate School/Degree: University of Kentucky, Biology
Medical School: University of Kentucky
Hobbies: Basketball, disc golf, hot yoga, spikeball, pickleball, skiing (really anything to get the heart rate up and/or be outside!). I also enjoy trying new craft beer and speed dialing my grandmother with various cooking questions.
Why MCW?: Large academic center with a diverse patient population, strong med-peds support system and presence in the hospital, affordable place to live with amenities of a larger city. Having a MP dedicated chief resident and I/O scheduling on medicine were also big perks. There were several factors I thought were important, but at the end of the day it ultimately came down to the gut feeling that I would fit in well here.
Favorite Milwaukee Places: Third Ward, Bay View, South Shore Park or anywhere on the lakefront. Much more exploring to come!

Maricela Vallejo

Vallejo Maricela

Hometown: Hollister, California
Undergraduate
School/Degree: University of California, Davis. BS, Exercise Biology
Medical School:
Michigan State University
Hobbies:
Wine Tasting. Foodie! Outdoor adventures. Watching the Bucks and Brewers play.
Why MCW?:
The combination of the amazing supportive people (co-residents, attendings, PDs, APDs, and staff) and dedicated lectures focused on evidence-based medicine.
Favorite Milwaukee Places:
Atwater Beach, Zócalo Food Trucks, The Milwaukee Zoo, Summerfest.

    

PGY-4 Residents

Gabriel Aguero

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Hometown: Monument, CO
Undergraduate School/Degree: Creighton University, Exercise Science
Medical School: Rocky Vista University
Hobbies: Anything outdoors! Hiking, biking, skiing, playing fetch with my dog. I also love to cook and explore restaurants with my significant other.
Why MCW?: Because MCW is a large academic institution that doesn't feel like it- everyone feels like a friend here and goes the extra mile to help out a colleague
Favorite Milwaukee Places: Oak leaf trail for walks and runs, Milwaukee River Greenway for biking, and Purple Door Ice Cream!

Heather Burton

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Hometown: Lexington, KY
Undergraduate School/Degree: Wittenberg University, Biology
Medical School: University of Kentucky
Hobbies: Running, cycling, baking, and cuddling with my dogs
Why MCW?: It’s an awesome program in an amazing city!
Favorite Milwaukee Places: Oak Leaf Trail, Veteran’s Park, Milwaukee Public Market

Jayaram Kumaraswamy

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Hometown: Cave Creek, AZ
Undergraduate School/Degree: University of Arizona, Neuroscience
Medical School: Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
Hobbies: Biking, tennis, reality TV, eating
Why MCW?: MCW is really supportive of helping you pursue your own interests. Approachable faculty. After working with many med-peds residents, I can honestly say this is a very kind and collaborative environment to learn medicine.
Favorite Milwaukee Places: Wauwatosa

Jared Squires

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Hometown: Dix Hills, NY
Undergraduate School/Degree: Harvard, Human Evolutionary Biology
Medical School: The Ohio State University College of Medicine
Hobbies: Volleyball, basketball, frisbee, board and card games, cooking and baking, photography
Why MCW?: Strong academic center; in major city; separate children’s hospital
Favorite Milwaukee Places: Mad Rooster Diner, Café India, Deer District

Ilakkiya Thanigaivelan

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Hometown: Buffalo Grove, IL
Undergraduate School/Degree: Case Western Reserve University, Biology
Medical School: University of Illinois
Hobbies: I enjoy running, hiking, playing with my dog, and traveling
Why MCW?: During the interview trail, I felt that the MCW program leadership were very supportive of their residents. Resident wellness is prioritized here. My co-residents are intelligent, fun, and caring. I was warmly welcomed by them to the program. It also a huge plus that my family lives close by.
Favorite Milwaukee Places: The parks in Wauwatosa are great: Hoyt Park, Forest Exploration Center, Hart Park

Alice Zhang

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Hometown: West Lafayette, IN
Undergraduate School/Degree: University of Chicago, Chemistry
Medical School: University of Illinois-Chicago
Hobbies: weightlifting, video games, propagating succulents, speedrunning, Netflix
Why MCW?: I know everyone says "the people", but honestly this is copy/pasted from my interview day notes: "super nice PD/APD/chief resident that seemed very supportive and actually mindful of resident wellness in meaningful ways". Since I started residency, everyone has done an amazing job of prioritizing both my learning and my time, and my co-residents/leadership have been incredibly supportive, confirming that my first impression was right!
Favorite Milwaukee Places: EE-Sane, Cermak Fresh Market, the grizzly bear exhibit at the Milwaukee County Zoo