Jay Douglass, M.D. B.S., Willamette University, Salem, Oregon Medical School: Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon
Jay was born in Portland, Oregon and grew up enjoying music, playing sports, and working on his parents’ ranch. After graduation from college, he met his wife, Jennifer, and they were married one month before Jay began medical school. Their son was born three years later. Jay enjoys all the activities the Pacific Northwest offers especially if they include family and friends. After residency Jay would like to practice general internal medicine in both inpatient and outpatient settings.
Anne Fender, M.D. B.S., Stanford University, Stanford, California Medical School: University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry, Rochester, NY
Anne was born in Pasadena, California. She attended college at Stanford University where she majored in biology. After graduation, Anne spent a year in Colorado where she worked as a laboratory technician. She and her husband then moved to Rochester, NY where Anne entered medical school. After her third year, Anne completed a year-long fellowship in pathology. She enjoys spending time with her husband and Labrador retriever, running, cooking, and traveling. After internship, Anne will begin a residency in dermatology at the University of North Carolina.
Michael Goldstein, M.D. B.S., Cornell University, Ithaca, NY Medical School: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Michael was born in Portland, Oregon where he lived until he attended Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. During that time, Michael spent his summers working as a computer programmer for the Intel Corporation. After graduation he came back to Portland to do a year of research at the Earle A. Chiles Cancer Research Center at Providence Portland Medical Center testing cancer vaccines. Michael then moved to Los Angeles to attend medical school at the University of Southern California where he became especially interested in methods to reverse hepatic fibrosis. In his free time, Michael enjoys running, weight lifting, spending time with friends and family and playing the guitar.
Tricia James, M.D. B.A., University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado Medical School: University of Colorado School of Medicine, Denver, Colorado
Tricia grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah, spent a year at Utah State University, then transferred to the University of Colorado at Boulder. After earning her BA, she attended the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Denver. During medical school she developed a passion for teaching and volunteered to work with junior students at the Health Sciences Center. In her spare time, Tricia enjoys camping, hiking, snowboarding and tennis. Her medical interests include women’s health, caring for the underserved, and trying to understand and reduce disparities in health care. After completing residency, Tricia plans to become a primary care physician.
Cora Ludwig, M.D. B.S., University of Washington, Seattle,Washington Medical School: University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle,Washington
Cora was born in Oakland, California, and raised in Battle Ground, Washington, a small town just north of Portland. She graduated from the University of Washington with a major in biochemistry and minors in chemistry and medieval history. She attended the University of Washington School of Medicine, where she especially enjoyed rotations in rural communities. Cora’s hobbies include writing fiction, art, costuming, reading novels, theater, and travel. Her professional interests include rural medicine, complimentary and alternative medicine, and nephrology.
Robert O’Malley, M.D. B.S., University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin Medical School: Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Robert grew up in a small town in Wisconsin and attended the University of Wisconsin where he majored in medical microbiology and immunology. During college, he worked in a plant pathology lab studying the effects of a Pseudomonas bacteria strain on green bean and tomato plants. After graduation, Robert moved to San Diego, California where he spent his time running, surfing, and coaching the company softball team while working at a small biotechnology firm. He was particularly interested in drug discovery and high throughput screening for a variety of drug targets. At Drexel College of Medicine, Robert volunteered working at a camp for children of abused mothers. Robert enjoys running, hiking, fly fishing, softball, basketball, live music, and reading.
Rina Patel-Trujillo, D.O. B.S., University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico Medical School: Kansas City University of Medicine & Biosciences, Kansas City, Missouri
Rina grew up in Gallup, New Mexico. She graduated from the University of New Mexico and met her future husband on a biomedical research trip to Nigeria. After college, Rina attended medical school in Kansas City, Missouri and concurrently obtained her Masters in Business Administration with a focus on Healthcare Leadership. Rina’s husband is an OB/GYN resident at OHSU. Her hobbies include volleyball, reading romance novels, traveling, and watching movies.
Kate Ropp, M.D. B.S., Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon Medical School: University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno, Nevada
Kate was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada before escaping to the Pacific Northwest for college. She spent the summer after her first year of medical school working with impoverished children in Quito, Ecuador and hopes to return to Latin America regularly to volunteer her services. In addition to travel, Kate enjoys camping, hiking, snowboarding, Labrador retrievers, running, and red wine. After her internship, she will begin her anesthesiology residency at OHSU with plans to pursue a pediatric fellowship.
Jessica Ryff, D.O. B.A., Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska Medical School: Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Des Moines, Iowa
Jessica was born in Denver and raised in Salida, Colorado. She moved to Nebraska to attend Creighton University where she earned a B.A. in Spanish. Jessica received her medical degree from Des Moines University where she also completed a Masters in Public Health. During both college and medical school, Jessica has had a special interest in caring for underserved populations. Her hobbies include snowboarding, hiking, reading, mountain biking, rock climbing, camping, playing with her animals, origami, and learning the harmonica. Jessica’s long-term goal is to work in an international organization such as the World Health Organization.
Jason Van Winkle, M.D. B.A., Seattle Pacific University, Seattle,Washington Medical School: University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle,Washington
Jason was born in Cambridge England. His family moved to Seattle when he was 6 months old. He graduated from Seattle Pacific University where he was elected student body president and earned a B.S. in biology with minors in chemistry, psychology and leadership studies. Between college and medical school, Jason was a medical assistant at the Burn and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Harborview Medical Center. While in medical school, Jason participated in a rural outreach project to encourage tobacco cessation in a small town in Montana. He also led a group of fellow AOA students on a lobbying trip to the State Capitol of Washington. Jason and his wife, Rachel, have a daughter, Kyla. Jason is interested in global health, public policy, and Infectious Diseases. He plays guitar and the drums and is a passionate Seahawks fan.
Gretchen Vanderbeek, M.D. B.A., Reed College, Portland, Oregon Medical School: Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon
Gretchen grew up in the small town of Aurora, Oregon and studied biology at Reed College. After several years in Boulder, Colorado, she returned to Portland to attend OHSU. During medical school, she was awarded a fellowship in melanoma genetics at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and was employed as a clinical research coordinator at Oregon Health & Science University. She will return to OHSU for a residency in dermatology. Gretchen enjoys messing about in the kitchen and garden, exploring the city and spending entire days lost in Powell’s Bookstore.
Viktoriya Wolfer, M.D. B.A., Willamette University, Salem, Oregon Medical School: Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon
Viktoriya was born in the Ukraine and immigrated with her family to the United States at age 10. After graduating from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, Viktoriya studied in Chile, then worked as a medical interpreter at a Spanish-speaking primary care clinic for low-income patients. Viktoriya moved to Portland with her husband, Paul, to attend medical school at Oregon Health and Sciences University. She is passionate about cross-cultural issues in medicine and may consider a fellowship in Pulmonary Critical Care. In her free time, Viktoriya enjoys being with family and friends and exploring the beauty of outdoor Oregon.
Jeff Campbell, M.D. B.S. Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa Medical School: University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA
Jeff grew up on a small family farm in Northwest Iowa. After receiving a Bachelor's degree in exercise and sport science from Iowa State University, Jeff attended medical school at the University of Iowa, where he met his future wife, Brooke. During medical school Jeff worked with adolescents and their families around issues of substance abuse and mental health. He was also involved in research investigating the clinical application of Btype natriuretic peptide in critically ill surgical patients. In his free time, Jeff enjoys mountain biking, weight lifting, hiking, golfing, and traveling. After residency, Jeff hopes to practice as a hospitalist or pursue a fellowship in Pulmonary Critical Care.
D. Courtland Childers, M.D. B.S.: Clark Honors College at the University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregom Medical School: Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science/ Chicago Medical School, Chicago, Illinois
Courtland was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, lived in Alabama and then moved to Portland when he was 13. He quickly grew attached to the Pacific Northwest. Courtland attended the University of Oregon where he studied biology and researched surgical outcomes in the treatment of prostate cancer. After graduation, Courtland and his wife, Sara, moved to Chicago where he attended medical school. His interests include hiking, mountain biking, skiing, photography, music and traveling with his wife and friends.
Phillip Dove, M.D. B.A. Hiram College, Hiram, Ohio Medical School: Pennsylvania State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania
Phillip was raised in a small town in western New York State. After graduating from Hiram College, Phillip entered medical school at Pennsylvania State College of Medicine. After his third year, Phillip took a leave of absence to study Spanish in Chile and Argentina where he also backpacked through Patagonia and worked in a public hospital. After returning to the states, he studied inequities in healthcare access at Georgetown before returning to medical school. Phillip loves campfires, hiking, rafting, spending time with his bird dogs, and a long night of dancing. After residency, Phillip hopes to practice in the public health system and pursue his interest in infectious disease medicine.
Anne Killingbeck, M.D. B.S. Oregon Institute of Technology, Klamath Falls, Oregon Medical School: Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Anne was born in California, spent her childhood in Portland, and eventually landed in Redmond, Oregon, which she considers home. Anne earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Radiologic Science from the Oregon Institute of Technology, where she met her husband, Kyle. After graduation, she worked as a CT/MRI technologist while finishing prerequisites for medical school. While attending the Medical College of Wisconsin, Anne volunteered with the sickle cell unit of Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin and helped develop a cultural competency workshop for medical students. During this time, Anne and her husband had their first child, Lucas. Anne enjoys spending time with her family, camping, fishing and reading.
Josette Miller, D.O. B.A. University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado Medical School: Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Vallejo, CA
Josette Miller is no stranger to travel; she had lived in five states and Tasmania by the time she was four. After earning her degree from University of Colorado, Josette worked in a nursing home and in a hospital. During this time she also traveled to Australia and went on a walkabout for a month with Aborigines, studied herbal medicine, and took biochemistry classes. While in medical school Josette learned to play hockey and attempted to learn the guitar. Josette is particularly interested in the mind-body-spirit connection. She enjoys dogs, lattes, conversations with her husband, drawing, Aikido and rainstorm
Bella Nelson, M.D. B.S.Warner Pacific College, Portland, Oregon Medical School: Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon
Bella was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. In college she worked at OHSU on various scientific projects that stimulated her interest in both research and clinical medicine. Before beginning medical school, Bella spent two years as a research assistant on an investigational study examining ginkgo biloba and its effects on cognition. Bella also took a fifth year in medical school to pursue research on nitric oxide. She enjoys trail running, backcountry skiing, kayaking, rock climbing, and playing the piano.
Margaret Oppenheimer, M.D. B.A. B.F.A.,Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri Medical School: University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, Missouri
Margaret was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. She attended Washington University in St. Louis studying fine art with a concentration in photography. Margaret has worked in a variety of fields including wedding photography, real estate management, and database marketing. She lived in Seattle for 10 years working at the University of Washington while taking prerequisites for medical school. She went back to Missouri for her M.D. and is looking forward to returning to her adopted home in the Pacific Northwest. In addition to photography, Margaret enjoys running, hiking, and traveling. Her long-term interests in medicine include endocrinology, rheumatology, behavioral medicine and pain management.
Chloë Shanley, M.D. B.S. University of Texas, Austin, Texas Medical School: University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas
Chloë was born in Norwich, England and grew up in Massachusetts and Texas. Before medical school she worked in a biotech company and in an AIDS hospice in Austin, Texas. During medical school she spent a month in Gujarat, India helping to set up a sustainable clinic. Her hobbies include exotic foods, watching documentaries, and traveling to interesting places with her husband, Dave. She hopes to return to fly fishing soon.
Margaret (Megan) Smithpeter, M.D. B.A. Rhodes College, Memphis, Tennessee Medical School: University of New Mexico School of Medicine,Albuquerque, New Mexico
Megan was born and raised in Santa Fe, New Mexico. After earning an undergraduate degree at Rhodes College, she taught grade school for two years in Oakland, California. For the next five years, Megan was involved in several ongoing research projects in medical ethics at the University of New Mexico. She was inspired to become a physician and attended medical school in Albuquerque. Among her professional interests are geriatrics, integrative medicine, medical ethics and health care policy. Her hobbies include foreign films, reading novels, tropical fish, speaking Spanish and travel.
Shawna E. Adolphs, M.D. B.S. Portland State University, Portland, Oregon Medical School: University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Shawna was born in Orange County, California, lived in Utah, then moved to Oregon where she earned a degree from Portland State. After taking some time off for research activities, Shawna attended medical school where she helped provide medical services and healthcare education to minority and underserved areas of Minnesota. Shawna enjoys mountain biking, snowboarding, boogie boarding, camping, computers, and travel. Her long-standing ambition is to learn how to surf in Hawaii.
Mark P. Cahill, M.D. B.S. Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana Medical School: University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle,Washington
Mark was born in Palo Alto, California and raised in Billings, Montana. He majored in psychology at Montana State University and spent a year abroad at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. After returning to the U.S., Mark met his future wife, Tracy. During college, Mark worked in a hospital emergency room and during medical school, Mark spent a summer researching the long-term effects of laparoscopic antireflux surgery on GERD symptoms. Mark enjoys traveling, alpine skiing, and playing with his one-eyed cat. After residency at PPMC, he hopes to pursue a gastroenterology fellowship.
Barbara S. Esselink, M.D. B.A. Cornell University, Ithaca, New York Medical School: University of Wisconsin Medical School, Madison, Wisconsin
Barbara was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. She attended Cornell University and met her husband while singing in a Christian acapella group. Barbara began a MD/PhD program in 2000 with the intention of pursuing a career in cancer biology research, but discovered she loved patient care, and particularly working with the underserved, the elderly, and those at the end of life. She ended her graduate studies with a MS in cancer biology in 2004 and returned to medical school. She has served on medical missions to Honduras and Nigeria, been a Hospice volunteer, and helped with a student-run free medical clinic. In her free time, Barbara plays piano and sings, jogs, makes jewelry, reads, and spends time outdoors with her husband. Barbara is hoping to specialize in geriatrics, palliative care, or oncology – or some combination of the three!
Erik D. Geissal, M.D. B.A., Amherst College, Amherst, Massachusetts Medical School: Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
Erik lived in Thailand until age 14 when he left home for boarding school in India. Growing up in the Himalayas taught him a love of mountains and hiking. It was also there that an earthquake’s devastating toll triggered his interest in medicine. After graduating from Amherst College, he worked in laboratory research for three years, earned a black belt in Taekwon-Do and started medical school at Tufts University. Erik’s career aspirations after residency are to study public health and infectious disease and work primarily in developing countries. His hobbies include being outdoors, salsa dancing, going on road trips and daydreaming about having a big canine companion. He also hopes to play bass guitar in a jazz band someday.
Jennifer B. Kearsley, M.D. B.S. McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Medical School: University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, Connecticut
Jennifer grew up in a small coastal town in Connecticut. She attended McGill University in Montreal where she studied biology and environmental science. After graduating, she took a research position in paleoecology in Flagstaff, Arizona, where she met her husband, Darren. After stints in Flagstaff and Laramie, Wyoming, they returned to New England to be close to Jen’s family. After seven years of ecological research and working in conservation, Jen rediscovered a long-time interest in medicine. During medical school at the University of Connecticut, Jen and Darren started their family with Ethan and Ryan. Jen loves spending time with her boys – playing, hiking, botanizing, birding, and camping.
Sunita Paudyal, M.B.B.S. College: Imperial College, London Medical School: BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal PGY-1: Michigan State University / Grand Rapids Medical Education & Research Center
Originally from Nepal, Sunita grew up in Thailand and Bangladesh. She completed her undergraduate degree in England. Sunita then began studies for a Ph.D. in Germany, but decided she wanted to explore before focusing on one field. She ultimately went back to a small town in Nepal for Medical School, then came to the US with her husband who is also a resident. In her free time, Sunita likes to read novels, travel, and play table tennis and board games.
Dawn M. Peterson, D.O. B.S. Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado Medical School: Kansas City University of Medicine & Biosciences, Kansas City, Missouri
Dawn was born and raised in the Wind River Mountains of Lander, Wyoming. While attending Colorado State University, she met her husband through club soccer. After earning degrees in Zoology and Biology, she spent one year teaching English in Japan. Upon returning to the U.S., she taught undergraduate biology labs and worked in a neurobiology research lab while completing her graduate studies in Biology at the University of Colorado at Denver. Her hobbies include spending time with her husband and dog, camping, alpine skiing, snowshoeing and hiking.
Nicole B. Weksler, M.D. B.S. Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana Medical School: Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine, Portland, Oregon
After growing up in Jackson, Mississippi, Nicole attended Louisiana State University where she met her husband, Michael. Following graduation, they ventured to Portland where they discovered a love of the outdoors, especially running, biking and snowboarding. Before beginning medical school at OHSU, Nicole worked as a medical research technician at Shriners’ Hospital and studied mechanisms of resistance of prostate cancer cells to therapy as a lab manager at the VA. She will be returning to medicine after taking a year off to care for their first child, Travis.
Amanda M. Wonnacott, M.D. B.A. University of Montana, Missoula, Montana Medical School: Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine, Portland, Oregon
Amanda was raised in Eureka, Montana, a small town in the northwest corner of the state. She attended the University of Montana in Missoula, where she volunteered with youth and worked in a nursing home. She also met her husband, Aaron, during this time. During medical school Amanda volunteered in a clinic for the uninsured and was a leader in a Christian medical group. Her hobbies include spending time with her family, baking, cooking, camping, hiking and reading mystery novels.
“I came to Providence Portland from Colorado to do a fourth year rotation in Infectious Disease. Working Directly with Dr. Gilbert and other fantastic specialists was a great experience. I also was able to participate in morning report and noon conference. Great experience! It made me certain that this is where I wanted to do residency. ” Corie Coe, D.O.
