Meet the Residents

Chief Resident

Hometown: Mexico City, Mexico
Undergraduate: In Mexico we do not have undergraduate school before Med School
Medical School: Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico
Professional Interests: Adults living with a disability that started in their childhood, spasticity, MSK conditions in the patients with neurological conditions
Personal Interests: Gardening, getting started in the world of camping with kids, parenthood
What you love most about the program: The people that made me feel welcomed since the first minute I arrived. The support from the leadership to pursue your professional interests. 
Fun Fact: As I kid I wanted to be a detective when I grew up. 
 

Chief Resident 

Hometown - Reno, Nevada
Undergrad - University of Nevada
Medical School - Kansas City University- Joplin
Professional Interests - Cancer Rehabilitation
Personal Interests: Sports. All of them. My favorite sport to play is golf (because my body is failing me). And my favorite sport to watch is football. I do love to be outside as much as possible with my wife, 2 kids and dogs.  
What I love about the program: The culture at the U of M is by far my favorite aspect of the program and what I believe is our greatest strength. It all starts with our program leadership in our wonderful PD (Dr. John) and APD (Dr. Tonkin). They have fostered a very supportive environment and are dedicated to ensuring we get the training, mentorship and experience needed to elevate each individual resident. Building off of that, our residents truly value one another work as a team to support each other in any way possible. I have thoroughly enjoyed  my training time here at the U of M. 
Fun Fact: If I had to start a career outside of medicine, I would love to open up my own food truck. 

Medical Resident

Hometown: San Diego CA/ Tijuana Mx
Medical School: Universidad Autonoma de Baja California (UABC) Facultad de Medicina y Psicologia Tijuana
Professional Interests: Sports Medicine, Exercise is Medicine, Adaptive Sports, Human performance, Regenerative Medicine, Ortho-biologics, Musculoskeletal Medicine, EMG, Research, Academics, Sports Nutrition, Everything PM&R. Whatever helps my patients get to their best functional state.
Personal Interests: I enjoy spending quality time with my wife and kids. Getting involved with my kids sporting activities and their education. Hiking and trail running. Karate. Swimming. Cooking. Board games and retro-videogames.
What you love most about the program: I love our leadership; they provide extensive support for us to grow in the areas that we are interested in. I also love working in many different healthcare organizations and getting to know our rehabilitation teams throughout the cities.
Fun Fact: I strive to improve my guacamole!

Medical Resident

Hometown: Marion, Iowa
Undergraduate: University of Iowa
Medical School: University of Illinois, Carle College of Medicine
Professional Interests: Pediatric rehabilitation medicine, spasticity management, & limb differences
Personal Interests: Board games, reading, cooking, history, & nature
What you love most about the program: People and culture at our program is by far what I love most! Everyone is supportive, friendly, and genuinely enjoys each others company. Residents and faculty both will go out of their way to help each other, and everyone actively tries to help you improve!
Fun Fact: I have a black belt in taekwondo and was a junior instructor!

Medical Resident

Hometown: Eden Prairie, MN
Undergraduate School: Bethel University
Medical School: UMN
Professional Interests: Pain Medicine
Personal Interests: Running, smoking meats, home improvement, childrearing
What you love most about the program: Great support from program leadership
Fun Fact: I used to unicycle in the MN state fair parade

Medical Resident 

Hometown: Prior Lake, MN
Undergraduate School: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Medical School: University of Minnesota
Professional Interests: Sports medicine, musculoskeletal ultrasound, stroke rehabilitation, spasticity management
Personal Interests: Tennis, pickleball, cross-country skiing, & trying to keep the plants on my patio alive (aka gardening) 
What I love about the program: What I appreciate most about our program is the supportive culture. Dr. John, Dr. Tonkin, and Olivia are genuinely invested in our success and consistently go above and beyond to help us grow both professionally and personally. Their dedication creates a positive culture that encourages us as residents to support and uplift each other as well. 
Fun Fact: At one point I was a Guinness world record holder for playing in the world's longest wiffle ball game. Sadly, the record has been broken. 

Medical Resident 

Hometown: Eagan, MN
Undergrad: University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
Medical School: University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
Professional Interests: Inpatient rehabilitation, neurorehab, spasticity management, botulinum toxin injections
Personal Interests: Reading, exploring national/state parks, Netflix, sleeping (that resident life)
What you love most about the program: This program feels like family. I wanted a program that had a strong sense of community, and the U of MN goes above and beyond. We are very close knit and I love the feeling that comes from working in such a supportive environment.
Fun Fact: I've been scuba dive certified since I was 12 years old.

Medical Resident 

Hometown: San Diego, California
Undergraduate School: University of California, Irvine
Medical School: Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine
Professional Interests: Pain management, Musculoskeletal ultrasound, Electrodiagnostics, Global Health, Integrative Medicine, Resident and Medical Student Mentorship
Personal Interests: Trying new restaurants, cooking and baking, all things sports, hiking, running, rock climbing, golfing, bonsais, going to concerts
What you love most about the program: I really appreciate my residency program because it truly feels like a family—there’s a strong sense of support and camaraderie among both residents and faculty. The program is also flexible in helping us pursue our individual interests and gain exposure in areas we're passionate about.
Fun Fact: I am a black belt in Taekwondo. 

Medical Resident

Hometown: Inver Grove Heights, MN
Undergraduate school: Bethel University, St. Paul, MN
Medical School: University of Minnesota
Professional Interests: General rehab, amputee rehab, MSK, ultrasound, SCI
Personal Interests: Concerts, traveling, being outside, racquet sports, spending time with family/friends
What you love about the program: The people. Each of my coresidents are incredible people to walk alongside through residency with. Faculty are supportive and open to making changes based on our feedback/suggestions.
Fun Fact: I've been to the Galápagos Islands.

Medical Resident 

Hometown: Middleton, WI
Undergraduate School: Grinnell College
Medical School: Des Moines University
Professional Interests: I'm interested in cancer rehabilitation, general inpatient rehabilitation, traumatic brain injury, neuromuscular medicine and pediatric rehabilitation.
Personal Interests: Anything outside (running, walking/hiking, biking, paddling, cross-country skiing), cooking (mostly vegetarian) and baking recipes from NYT Cooking, pickling foods, reading mountaineering and science fiction books, hanging out with friends and family, couch, couch, couch!
What I love the program: My co-residents and the program leadership. I also like there there's ample opportunity to find your niche within PM&R, both in terms of sub-specialty and practice-type.
Fun Fact: One of my bucket list items is to ski the Birkebeinerrennet (the OG Norwegian Birkebeiner)

Medical Resident

Hometown: Spearfish, SD
Undergrad: University of Montana
Medical School: Pacific Northwest University
Professional Interests: Sports medicine, pain medicine
Personal Interests: Running, biking, hiking, camping, skiing, my dog Finn
What you love most about the program: The people, the community, and the opportunity for outdoor activities. I am excited to explore this area.
Fun Fact: I have ran in 4 continents 

Medical Resident

Hometown: Eden Prairie, Minnesota

Undergraduate: University of Minnesota

Medical School: University of Minnesota

Professional Interests: General musculoskeletal medicine, neurorehabilitation, sports medicine, pain medicine, musculoskeletal ultrasound, medical education, medical technology
Personal Interests: Minnesota sports, men's league basketball, piano, guitar, my wife's baking

What you love most about the program: Broad exposure to different areas of PM&R and hospital systems, extra-curricular tracks, early ultrasound exposure, camaraderie among residents and faculty
Fun Fact: I have 2 cats (Kobe and Karma)! 

Medical Resident 

Hometown: Eagan, MN

Undergrad: University of Minnesota: Twin Cities

Medical School: Rush Medical College

Professional Interests: Amputation medicine, spasticity, MSK ultrasound, motion analysis
Personal Interests: Camping, fishing, boating, archery, video games, tinkering 

What you love most about the program: How close the residents are, we see each other every Wednesday morning for didactics and frequently spend time together outside of residency.
Fun Fact: I was born with 9 toes!

Medical Resident
 

Hometown: Deerfield, IL

Undergrad: University of Iowa

Medical School: University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine

Professional Interests: Sports Medicine, Musculoskeletal Ultrasound, Adaptive Sports

Personal Interests: Walking our dog around the all the Minnesota lakes, playing volleyball, skiing, exploring new restaurants

What you love most about the program: The people and the culture! From co-residents to staff to program leadership, everyone is welcoming and kind-hearted. Makes for a wonderful close-knit community!
Fun Fact: As an undergrad, I used to volunteer to do magic tricks for the kiddos at the children's hospital!

Medical Resident

Hometown: Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
Medical School: Florida Atlantic University
Professional Interests: Pediatric Rehabilitation, Medical Education
Why you chose the U of M: Even through a virtual interview, it was clear how supportive and close-knit the U of M program is. The faculty, staff, and residents I met were genuinely welcoming, and I could immediately see this was an environment where I would be encouraged and supported throughout my training.
What you love most about Minnesota: I had never been to Minnesota before moving here, but as someone coming from the South, I’m looking forward to experiencing my first “real” winter. I’ve been loving all the outdoor activities and am excited to keep exploring everything the Twin Cities have to offer.

Medical Resident

Hometown: Cushing, MN
Medical School: Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine 
Professional Interests: Interventional spine, pain, sports medicine, adaptive sports, ultrasound, spasticity
Why you chose the U of M: I chose U of M because of the people, I was amazed by how every attending and resident I encountered on rotation were so passionate about teaching and supportive of my learning process. Being able to return to my home state was an added bonus!  
What you love most about Minnesota: Summer at the lakes

Medical Resident

Hometown: Elk Grove Village, IL
Medical School: Penn State College of Medicine
Professional Interests: Cancer, women's health, pain, spasticity
Why you chose U of M: When I was on the interview trail, the people I met during my U of M interview day surely made a great impact on my impression of this program. I did not meet anywhere else such kind and genuine people. And after starting, I can tell you my initial impression was correct!
What you love most about Minnesota: Outdoor events and things to do for families 

Medical Resident

Hometown: Stoughton, Wisconsin
Medical School: University of Minnesota Medical School - Twin Cities
Professional interests: Sports Medicine, Cancer Rehab, MSK Ultrasound, Adaptive Sports, Spinal Cord Injury, Neurotoxin injections, Spasticity Management
Why you chose the U of M: The people are so wonderful and welcoming. I am able to receive excellent training in all aspects of PM&R and gain experience at diverse clinical training sites. I knew I’d thrive within the supportive environment that is optimal for growth and learning.
What you love most about MN: Proximity to family and friends. Wonderful people. Beautiful natural spaces for enjoying the outdoors. Delicious food options!

Medical Resident

Medical School: Universidad de Monterrey (UDEM)
Professional Interests: Sports medicine, musculoskeletal rehabilitation, spinal cord injury, and pediatric rehab
Why you chose the U of M: What stood out to me most about the University of Minnesota was the opportunity to train in a wide range of clinical settings, from large academic centers to community-based clinics. The program feels incredibly well-rounded, and the clinical tracks they offer really set it apart for me. On interview day, the positive energy and enthusiasm from the faculty, residents, and staff made me feel welcomed and at home—it was clear this was the kind of environment I wanted to be part of.
What you love most about Minnesota: I love how easy it is to get outdoors and stay active year-round. On top of that, having all the major sports teams in the city is a huge plus.