Zainab Abdul-Rahim

Alexandra BacalaoHi everyone! My name is Alexandra Bacalao. I went to high school in Houston and then moved down the road to Rice University for college. I was a civil engineering major and worked as an engineer for a couple of years in Houston and Atlanta. I then went to grad-uate school in environmental engineering at UC Berkeley prior to returning to Texas for medical school at UT Southwestern. On my free time, I enjoy good conversations over delicious food and drink, playing with my very energetic cats, and running while listening to podcasts to make it 1000x more fun. I’m also an avid home cook and firmly believe healthy(ish) food can be tasty and satisfying. I love to travel and am constantly adding trips to my already endless bucket list. I look forward to exploring Chicago and to meet-ing all of you!

Mark BelkinHello! My name is Mark and I’m originally from a suburb of Chicago, Glenview. I went to Tulane University in New Orleans for undergrad, where I majored in Neuroscience and Jewish Studies. I came back up to Chicago for medical school at Rush Medical College, and have loved living in the city the last 4 years. In my spare time I like to play ice hockey, softball, and beach volleyball with friends, and binge-watch good TV shows when I have time. I’m a huge Blackhawks, Bears, and Cubs fan, and I’m looking forward to sharing the excitement of them finally winning a World Series during our time together in residen-cy! I’m very excited to have matched at the University of Chicago, and I’m looking for-ward to working with all of you.

Margaret BoyleHello! My name is Margaret, and I am from Bannockburn, IL which is a town in the northern suburbs of Chicago. For undergrad, I went out west to the University of Col-orado where I studied ecology. I was kind of a nomad after undergrad and moved from Colorado to Wisconsin to Indiana over the course of a few years, and then I finally settled in Missouri for medical school at Saint Louis University. In my free time, I enjoy running with my two huskies, hanging out with friends and family, eating out, cooking, reading, snowboarding,  and horseback riding. Even though I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, there are so many parts of the city that I have yet to explore. I am thrilled to be back, and I can’t wait to meet and work with you guys!

Samantha CatlettHi everyone! My name is Samantha (I go by Sam). I am a Chicago native who ventured out to the east coast for undergrad at Georgetown University. After undergrad, I worked for the New York City Department of Health before returning to Washington, DC for medical school. I am thrilled to be coming back home to continue my medical education! Looking forward to returning to the lakefront paths to train for my next triathlon. I also love to bake so let me know when you have a birthday or special occasion coming up. Can’t wait to meet everyone this summer!

Kira CharneyHello new friends! I can’t wait to meet you all! My name is Kira and I’m from Bloomfield Hills, a suburb of Detroit. For undergrad, I attended the University of Michigan where I studied Anthropology a little and cheered in the Big House a lot. I decided to continue my tour of the Big Ten and attended Michigan State University for medical school. I spent all four years in Grand Rapids, a city about an hour west of the undergrad scene in East Lansing where the number of churches is rivaled only by the number of breweries. I’m so excited to be joining the winning roster at U of C, and I plan to embrace everything Chi-cago has to offer, with the exception of the pro sports teams (Detroit pride!).

Noa ClevelandHi everyone! My name is Noa. I was born in Irvine, CA and was raised in Tel Aviv, Isra-el. I moved to Chicago when I was 18 with my mom, who came here on sabbatical. My family has since returned to Israel and I stayed behind with my husband Ben and my dog Kaya to attend college and medical school at the University of Illinois at Chicago. We live in West Town and love to cook, travel and mostly eat! I also love Yoga and have a long history practicing Taekwondo.  I am very excited (and nervous) to start residency at the University of Chicago and look forward to meeting you all!

Rebecca Chohlas-Wood

Thomas Couri

Michael CuiHi everyone! My name is Michael and I was born in China but moved to Texas when I was 4. My family then moved to northern Indianapolis when I was 9. I went to Indiana University in Bloomington for my undergrad and had an awesome time. I went to Univer-sity of Chicago for medical school and am excited to stay. In my free time I will drag my-self to the gym to lift or be forced by my girlfriend to run outside because I would much rather spend my time playing video games, Netflix marthons, and going out to eat. I hope everyone enjoys Chicago and I look forward to getting to know everyone.

Andre DaviesHey everyone! My name is Andre. I was born in Jamaica, and grew up on the sunny beaches of South Florida. I received my first dose of cold weather at Harvard University for undergrad, and then came to the Windy City for medical school here at the University of Chicago. In my spare time I enjoy cooking, especially Jamaican food, watching movies, reading, and adventuring into the city with friends. I look forward to meeting you all and all of the great experiences we will have!

Lauren FeldHi everyone! I’m Lauren. I grew up in Seattle, and, true to my pacific northwest upbring-ing, in my spare time I love hiking, climbing, and running. I went to medical school in NYC at Mount Sinai, and am excited to be moving to the Midwest for the first time! I look forward to exploring the Chicago food scene and comedy clubs with you all!

Sarah GrayHey everyone! I’m Sarah - I spent most of my growing up years in Midland, MI (with a brief 4 year detour in Kentucky during elementary school). I left the state again for a while to attend college at the University of Notre Dame, after which I came back to the mitten for med school at the University of Michigan. In case you had any question about where my loyalties lie, I bleed blue and gold; although as long a Michigan is not playing Notre Dame I’ll support the Wolverines as well. Other than cheering on ND athletics, I love en-joying good food (whether going out to a new restaurant or trying out a new recipe in the kitchen), musicals, movies, and spending time outdoors. I have a lot of family and friends already living in Chicago and I’m excited to spend time with them and all of you explor-ing the city!

Greg HamanHi all, I’m eager to be returning to Chicago after more than a decade away!  I was born at Rush, raised in the Northwest suburbs, and graduated from high school in Cary, IL.  I studied biology and philosophy at Carleton College and then taught biology and English at a rural Tanzanian secondary school through the Peace Corps.  While at Harvard Med-ical School I continued to return to Tanzania and plan to use my medical training to care for the underserved there as well as domestically.  In my spare time I enjoy reading nov-els, discussing my vegetarian scavenger diet and its philosophical underpinnings, playing any sport where lack of skill does not relegate me to a spectator, backpacking America’s rugged lands, attending random academic lectures, and convincing new acquaintances that they already know Swahili and were only waiting for me to unlock this hidden talent.   

Blake JonesHey!  I’m Blake Jones.  I grew up in the northern suburbs of Chicago in a town called Winnetka where I lived in the same house since I was 18 months old.  Tired of the Mid-west I went to Boston College for undergrad, but was happy to return upon graduation where I spent a year working in an HIV research clinic at UIC.  I then attended Loyola University of Chicago for medical school.  My wife (married 1 year) is a reporter for the Chicago Sun Times and we are both thrilled to be staying in Chicago for my residency.  In my free time I enjoy taking advantage of all the great restaurants Chicago has to offer, playing soccer along the lakefront, rock climbing and hiking and camping whenever I can.  I am excited to get to know you all and work with everyone for the next three years.  

Rebecca Harris

Stephanie KimHi All! I’m Steph. I’m from all over the place: East, Midwest, and West. I was born in California, but grew up mostly in Maryland. I spent several years in New England, for both boarding school and undergrad at MIT. I’ve been living in Chicago for the past eight years, completing my MD/PhD at the University of Chicago. I enjoy rock climbing, yoga, National Parks, Whole Foods, Starbucks, indoor gardening, and cheering on the Balti-more Ravens! I also have two adopted poodle mixes that are my constant companions at home. Next year, I’ll be headed to Philly, for Radiology residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. I look forward to meeting you all in June!

Loren KruegerHello co-interns! I’m Loren. I am originally from Milwaukee, went to Duke University for undergraduate and am finishing up medical school at the University of Wisconsin (mak-ing this year’s NCAA championship game really tough for me). I am incredibly excited to be able to spend a year in beautiful Chicago. In my free time I enjoy live music, trying out new recipes and restaurants and ____ I also spend some time at the gym, although this is not necessarily because it’s pleasurable. I’m looking forward to a wonderful year!

Albert LeeHey guys! I’m Albert and I grew up in Southern California before hopping coasts to Am-herst College for undergrad. I majored in Neuroscience and Music (I got free lessons that way) before jumping back to California where I started the MD/PhD program at UCSF. Forever and a half later, I finished my PhD in Immunology, now finishing medical school and excited to be exploring a new city with new people. I definitely enjoy a good meal when my budget will allow it and also like staying active. I recently been getting back into rock climbing which I’d love to keep up so definitely looking out for new/experienced partners alike. Looking forward to meeting everyone soon!

Linda LeeHi everyone, my name is Linda and I am thrilled to be a medicine resident at the Univer-sity of Chicago! I am originally from the west suburbs of Chicago. I went to the Univer-sity of Notre Dame for college and majored in English. In between college and medical school I spent a couple of years working in clinical research. For med school, I went to Rush Medical College across town, and I am so excited to continue my training in the best city in the US! Some things I enjoy doing: photography, losing at whirlyball, eating all the foods, total domination in fantasy football, biking along the lake, and hanging out with good friends. Excited to meet everyone!

Zach LonjersHey guys! My name is Zach and I can’t wait to get started at U of C! I grew up in Fresno, California (not the fun part of the state) and went to undergrad at Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA (elite 8 this year!). I met my wife, Katie, there and subsequently followed her out to Chicago for medical school at Loyola when she started her MPH program at UIC. We love living in Chicago and can’t wait to move from the suburbs to the city. I’m pretty boring when it comes to hobbies, but like to play guitar, run, and spend pretty much all of my remaining time with my wife. I’m excited to see where the next three years will take us!

Caileigh McKennaHi everyone! My name is Caileigh (Kay-lee). I was born and raised in the suburbs of De-troit and attended the University of Michigan for undergrad. I then ventured to Cleveland to scope out the competition and attended medical school at Case. I’m continuing my tour of the Midwest and am looking forward to moving to warm and balmy Chicago. My in-terests include pretending I can cook, re-watching Arrested Development, talking about my dog Nugget, not running, napping and coffee. Disinterests include kale, insects of any kind and driving long distances. I am so very excited to start and look forward to meeting everyone in June!

Priya MehtaHi y’all! My name is Priya. I grew up in the small town of Elizabethtown, Kentucky. I went to Duke University for undergrad, and The Ohio State University for medical school. With my background, I’m sure your first question is – well, what basketball team does she root for?! Not to worry, I am a Duke basketball superfan, and love going to games when-ever I can. In my free time, I like to cook, spend time with my fabulous friends and family, explore new restaurants and brunch spots, and travel. My guilty pleasures are sour water-melon candies and so-bad-but-so-good reality television. I am beyond excited to move to Chicago and looking forward to meeting you all soon!

Charlie MullerHi everyone! I’m Charlie and I’m a Chicago native. I am originally from the west suburbs and then decided to stay for college and root for Chicago’s Big 10 team (Northwestern of course, for those not in the know). I’m a huge college football fan and am torn between being a fan of Michigan and my alma mater. I made the amazing decision to stay in Chi-cago once again for medical school here at Pritzker and am thrilled to have the opportuni-ty to stay here for another three years. I love racquet sports, trivia, and exploring new bars or restaurants in the city, especially outdoor places in the summer. I’m excited to get to know all of you. UChicago IM intern trivia team anyone?

Julie NeborakHello!  My name is Julie and I grew up in Waconia, Minnesota, a small town 45 minutes southwest of Minneapolis.  I completed my undergraduate and medical degrees at the University of Minnesota.  During medical school I took an additional year to do HIV research in Uganda and Tanzania and have since developed a strong interest in global health.  After a decade in the Twin Cities I am excited to move to Chicago and explore a new city!  I enjoy traveling, yoga, good food, summertime in the Midwest, and spending time with my family.  Looking forward to meeting everyone this summer!

Jerry NnanabuHey what’s up everyone?! My name is Jerry and I’m from Seattle, Washington. For college, I left the Pacific Northwest and headed east to New Jersey, where I studied Evolution-ary Biology at Princeton University. Afterwards, I moved to Philadelphia, where I spent a year serving as a teacher and mentor for ninth grade students through the City Year AmeriCorps program. Since then, I’ve been in New England for medical school at Brown University. Being a huge football fan, imagine a lone Seahawks jersey among a crowd of Patriots fan during that last Super Bowl—we almost had it! Besides playing and watch-ing sports, I enjoy travelling around the world, working out, a variety of music including smooth jazz and anything Michael Jackson, meditation and philosophy, as well as fine dining. I also couples matched with my girlfriend who will be in the Pediatrics program. I’m very excited to see what Chicago and the Midwest is all about, and I look forward to meeting and working you all.

Parita Patel Hi everyone! My name is Parita and I grew up right outside of Chicago, in Glenview, Il.  I moved to Cleveland and completed my undergraduate career at Case Western Reserve University. I took a gap year to backpack through India and Ecuador, while studying the various types of health care systems there. After a great year of traveling, I returned to Cleveland for medical school. In my free time, when I’m not too busy participating in a TV marathon, I enjoy ice-skating, karate, kickboxing, and going to concerts.  I look for-ward to coming home to Chicago  to eat real deep dish pizza, further explore the city’s restaurants, and to spend the next few years getting to know all of you!

Steve PearsonHi everyone!  My name is Steve and I’m really excited to be meeting all of you soon.  I was born and raised in the western suburbs of Chicago.  I love the city and am very happy to be here for another few years at least.  For undergrad, I studied chemical engineering at Cornell University, which is where I where a met my future wife, Lindsey.  After college, I headed back to Chicago for med school at UIC, and Lindsey followed a year later for grad school at Northwestern.  I’m a huge Blackhawks fan and also enjoy good craft beer, which there is plenty of here in Chicago.  My wife and I currently live in Lakeview love exploring all the great food and entertainment options in the area.  I’m looking forward to starting residency and working with all of you in the coming years!

Peyton PinkardHello! I’m Peyton and I am very excited to begin my internship at the University of Chi-cago. I have spent most of my life in Tennessee, calling it home since middle school.  I went to college at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville where I studied Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology.  After college, I moved west to Memphis where I received my MPH from the University of Memphis and attended medical school at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.  My wife, Lauren, and I are excited about couple’s matching in such an exciting city.  After my internship, I will begin my training in radiology at Northwestern University and Lauren is excited about starting her OB/GYN residency at UIC this year.  I look forward to meeting everyone and enjoying the food, culture, and sporting events that Chicago has to offer!

Gina PiscitelloHello!  My name is Gina and I grew up in a tiny town east of St. Paul, MN.  I went to col-lege at Northwestern majoring in integrated science and attended medical school at the University of Minnesota.  In my free time, I enjoy taking Irish dance classes and watching college football and basketball.  I am very excited to move back to Chicago for residency at University of Chicago as well as to be able to eat Dunkin’ Donuts, Lou Malnati’s, and Buffalo Joe’s again.  Hope you all have a wonderful next few months and I’m excited to meet you soon!

Caitlyn PlonkaHey everyone! My name is Cait and I’m originally from St. Clair, MI (a small town about 50 miles north of Detroit) and went to the University of Michigan for undergrad. I loved UMich so much that I decided to stay a couple extra years to do research, learn salsa dancing, and watch football (go blue!). Afterward, I went to medical school at the Univer-sity of Pittsburgh. I’ve finally convinced myself that I love running and have been training for the Pittsburgh half-marathon this spring. I also enjoy hanging out with friends, find-ing good food (especially brunch), game nights, indoor rock climbing, Netflix, and coffee. I am excited to meet all of you soon and join the UChicago team!

Natalie ReizineHello everyone!! My name is Natalie Reizine. I’m originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylva-nia.  I attended the University of Pittsburgh for undergrad where I majored in History and Biology.  At college I met my fiancé Jack, and we moved to Chicago four years ago for me to attend medical school at Loyola and for him to attend law school.  We now live in the South Loop with our dog, Nala, and are madly in love with Chicago! In my free time I love going to museums, biking along the lakeshore path, going out to eat yummy food, seeing musicals and watching Netflix.  I can’t wait to meet you all!!

Chris RishelHey everybody! I’m Chris. I grew up in Chatham, IL (a small town near Springfield), went to college at U of I in Urbana-Champaign for computer science and chemistry, and have spent the last 8 years here at the University of Chicago in the MD/PhD program. I did my PhD in computational neuroscience studying how parietal neurons simultaneously process both abstract and spatial information. After my intern year with you all, I will be heading out to California to do my residency in anesthesiology at Stanford. Outside of school, I’ve been heavily involved in a cappella at UChicago, directing and performing with the campus group Voices in Your Head. I also enjoy playing, composing, arranging, and producing music in my home studio. Outside of music, I’m a huge tech nerd and love exploring the city, playing tennis, binge-watching TV shows, and playing video games. I’m really excited to meet everybody soon!

Trisha SahaHey everyone! I’m Trisha. I was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I attended both undergrad and medical school at Duke. Fun fact: the Blue Devils won the national championship both years I graduated so I’m a good luck charm. I spent 2 years in medical school working in a lab on early detection technologies for pancreatic cancer. When I’m not at work, I love watching Broad City, anything on HBO/Showtime/AMC, trying new brunch spots, listening to Taylor Swift/Britney Spears/Beyonce and FaceTiming with the people I love. I’ve always wanted to live in Chicago and am especially excited there is a Shake Shack here. I look forward to meeting you all soon! 

Robert Sanchez

Claire ShappellHi!! I’m Claire. I grew up outside of Boston, MA and did undergrad at Notre Dame where I studied philosophy. After graduating I moved to Chicago to do a post-bac and worked in clinical breast cancer research before starting med school at the University of Chicago. 10 years of Indiana and Illinois have officially turned me into a midwesterner and I’m SO ex-cited to be staying at UofC for residency. My hobbies/interests include reading, concerts, eating, running (slowly and for short distances), trivia, and hanging out with my cats and husband. I can’t wait to meet everyone!! 

Ethan SilvermanHi! I’m a native of the great city of Chicago, and I grew up in the Hyde Park/Kenwood neighborhood. I earned my Bachelor’s of Science from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, and received my medical education at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michi-gan. In my free time (what little I have!) I enjoy travelling, cooking, seeing theater with my soon to be wife Kate, and exploring…I especially love trying new restaurants and interest-ing cuisines. I’m excited to be returning to my favorite city, and to share my enthusiasm for Chi-town with all of you.

Danielle StahlbumHi! I’m Dani. I grew up in Michigan in a small town outside of Ann Arbor. I went to the University of Michigan for undergrad where I studied Biology and Spanish Language and Literature as well as spent a semester in Spain. I moved to Cleveland for medical school at Case Western Reserve University.  I am a Midwestern girl at heart so I am very excited to continue my training at the University of Chicago despite the horrid winters! I enjoy binge watching Netflix, reading, traveling, stand-up comedy, theater, attempting to cook and snuggling other people’s cute animals until I can get my own. I couples matched with my boyfriend who will be a radiology resident at Northwestern.  I can’t wait to meet everyone and to explore all of the awesome restaurants, shows, museums and shopping Chicago has to offer. 

Kumar SukhdeoMaroons!  I’m Kumar (yes, like the movie) and excited to join you all at such an amazing institution and program!  I grew up in sunny South Florida near Miami.  I graduated from Duke before spending a few years at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston working in a research lab. I then had the pleasure of living in the Midwest where I went to medi-cal school at Case Western Reserve and completed my PhD at Cleveland Clinic in stem cell biology.  After learning from you all this next year, I will enter dermatology residency at New York University.  Interestingly, everywhere I’ve lived has won a national champi-onship in some type of sport and I hope the trend continues.  I look forward to running along Lake Shore Drive and enjoying all Chicago has to offer! 

Nikki SullivanHi! I’m Nikki. I was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana. I graduated from the Uni-versity of Notre Dame in 2011 and went to medical school at Indiana University. I have two younger brothers – one graduating law school in New York and the other graduating from undergrad this year. We grew up SCUBA diving with our parents and enjoying oth-er outdoor activities. I grew up not far from Chicago, but I am excited to make it my new home and explore everything that a big city has to offer! I can’t wait for running along the lakefront, all the amazing restaurants, shows, and events in Chi-town. AND being close to two large airports will allow me to travel so much easier! Can’t wait to meet everyone and looking forward to new experiences!

David TehraniHello everyone! I’m David. I grew up in San Diego, California and made the long journey from San Diego to the University of California, Los Angeles to study Biochemistry. After undergrad I went to the University of California, Irvine for medical school. Having com-pleted my tour of Southern California, I am entirely certain I am prepared for the Chicago cold. I am really excited to live in a big a city and to have the opportunity to explore all that Chicago has to offer. I love food (exploring new restaurants, cooking new recipes), outdoor activities (playing soccer/IM sports, hiking, running), concerts, and just hanging out with friends. I am looking forward to working with all my new co-interns, house staff, and the faculty!

Allison ThoburnHi everyone! My name is Allison. I’m originally from Homewood, Illinois, a south sub-urb of Chicago. I went to U of C for undergrad, and then headed across town to UIC for med school. I’m excited to be coming back to U of C for residency! In my free time, I like to hang out with my husband, William, and our dog, Beau. I also love to cook and bake, play board games, and explore Chicago, which luckily never gets old. Can’t wait to meet you all!

Eisha WaliHello everyone! I’m Eisha. I was born near Hyde Park and grew up in the western sub-urbs of Chicago.  I went to undergrad at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, where I double-majored in Economics and Communication Sciences/Disorders and spent the rest of my time dancing. I moved to Cleveland, OH to attend medical school at Case Western Reserve University. I am very excited to come back to Chicago and continue my training with all of you. Any free time I have will likely be spent watching superhero movies, visit-ing museums, hosting game-nights, inventing recipes, and enjoying city-life with friends and family. 

Hannah WengerHello to everyone! My name is Hannah, and I’m originally from a central Pennsylvania suburb called Mechanicsburg, the birthplace of the New Year’s Eve wrench drop. After studying biology at the University of Notre Dame, I attended medical school at the Uni-versity of Chicago. I have been grateful to call Pritzker and Chicago my home for the last five years, and I am so pleased to be staying at the UofC and joining its stellar IM faculty and house staff. In my free time, I enjoy running, weightlifting, and otherwise generally being active. I also love to wash dishes, binge watch Netflix, and do arts and crafts. I look forward to meeting you all soon!

Lindsey WoldHello there!  I am a true Midwesterner - I was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago and attended the University of Michigan for undergrad.  I am a college and NFL foot-ball fan. Unfortunately, Chicago Medical School did not have a football team and neither does the University of Chicago, so that leaves the Bears and Wolverines for this upcom-ing season.  I will be newly married at the start of intern year, and my fiancé and I love to double date and meet new people, so let me know if you are interested in getting together.  I am excited to be part of such an academic university and look forward to meeting you all!