Methodist Residents

First Year: Class of 2029

Mohamed Amiin, MD, MS

Medical school: University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN

Medical Interests: Sports medicine and pain management.

Personal Interests: Traveling the world, playing with my son, reading, and trying different cultural cuisines.

Why Methodist?: I went to undergraduate and medical school here at the U of M. Choosing U of M was a no brainer. It is where I completed most of my education, and Minnesota is where I call home.

Career goals: Continue on a fellowship

Stuart Gates, MD

Medical school: University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN

Medical Interests: Preventative medicine, performing arts medicine, health policy, underserved medicine, longitudinal relationships with patients and families/support.

Personal Interests: I love being involved in patients' lives through their stories, sharing wisdom together as I help people navigate medical systems and explore improved health. Outside of medicine, I enjoy the Minnesota outdoors with my family, cheering for Minnesota teams, and experiencing our amazing arts scene in the Twin Cities. Using skills developed in my previous career as an actor, I enjoy improv, tabletop roleplaying games and creative writing.

Why Methodist: After deciding on Family Medicine, I rotated at Methodist and immediately felt like I was part of the family. The residents, preceptors, and staff were friendly and welcoming. It was great to find out that this program with an excellent educational reputation was also the one that felt like home.

Jenna Gruenwald, DO

Medical school: Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine

Medical Interests: Women's health, obstetrics, and chronic disease management.

Personal Interests: Exploring the city, seeing concerts with my fiancé John, and going to patios in the summertime with our corgi George.

Why Methodist?: I chose this residency program after completing an audition rotation here, during which I was impressed by the breadth and depth of training residents receive. The program fosters strong clinical autonomy and prepares residents to feel confident practicing in a wide variety of settings and across many areas of family medicine. I also felt very comfortable with both the residents and attendings, and appreciated the supportive, collaborative learning environment.

Career goals: My career goal is to become a full-spectrum family medicine physician practicing in the Midwest. I bring a strong clinical foundation as a registered nurse, having earned my degree from the University of Minnesota and spent seven years working in the Twin Cities healthcare system. I am passionate about women’s health, obstetrics, and providing holistic, patient-centered care that includes attention to mental health and the development of sustainable, healthy lifestyle habits for my patients and their families.

Tianyu He, MD, PhD

Medical school: University of Minnesota Twin Cities

Medical Interests: Full-spectrum family medicine, LGBTQ+/gender-affirming care, dermatology, procedures and emergency medicine.

Personal Interests: Cooking, video games, gardening, traveling and visiting U.S. national parks.

Why Methodist?: I chose the Methodist Family Medicine Residency Program at the University of Minnesota for its strong, well-rounded training and its track record of graduating residents who go on to pursue a wide range of career paths. Even more importantly, I chose this program because of the people. During my acting internship as a fourth-year medical student, I had an exceptional experience working with both residents and faculty. Everyone I met was welcoming, supportive and genuinely enthusiastic about teaching, which made it clear that this is a place where I would be challenged, supported and able to grow.

Rachel Luevit, DO

Medical school: Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Des Moines, IA

Medical Interests: Minority medicine, women’s health, and pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV (PrEP).

Personal Interests: Watching and rating movies on Letterboxd, thrifting, fantasy books, yoga sculpt, and fitness.

Why Methodist: During my social event with Methodist, it was very apparent to me how well all of the residents got along. Even though it was still through Zoom, it was the most fun social I had during my interview season. It was very light-hearted, and the residents were very transparent and easy to connect with. I chose Methodist because of how much they prioritize resident wellness and feedback and because of the diverse patient population it serves.

Lindsay Mahaney, DO

Medical school:Des Moines University

Medical interests: Trans and queer health and reproductive medicine and justice.

Personal interests: Fantasy (books and video games), cats and reptiles.

Why Methodist: Location, culture, and OB opportunities.

Career goals: Provide equitable care to underserved groups.

Second Year: Class of 2028

Woman smiling with black and white sweater on.

Saima Bashir Choudhry, MBBS, MPH

Medical school: Dow Medical College - Karachi, Pakistan

Medical interests: Preventive care and wellness, chronic disease management (e.g., diabetes, hypertension, COPD), women’s health and reproductive care, pediatric and adolescent care, geriatrics and aging population, mental health and behavioral medicine, office-based procedures (e.g., skin biopsies, joint injections, IUD placements), point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS).

Personal interests: Spending time with my family, cooking and shopping.

Why Methodist: The best part that I like about this program is that the residents are exposed to a diverse patient population and provide valuable community engagement opportunities, along with on-site obstetrics experience and robust in-hospital training, which prepares residents for future practice. I am particularly interested in working in the area of St. Louis Park because of its proximity to the Twin Cities, giving exposure to a diverse set of the population.

Career goals: My career goals are to develop excellence in the core medical aspects along with growth and development in broader focus areas such as rural or underserved community health, immigrant and refugee health, LGBTQ+ inclusive care, integrative and lifestyle medicine, sports medicine, addiction medicine, palliative, and end-of-life care, and academic and professional areas like health equity and social determinants of health, medical education and teaching, quality improvement and patient safety, healthcare policy and advocacy, global health initiatives, and leadership in primary care transformation.

Woman smiling wearing back and white blouse.

Mary Baumgartner, MD

Medical school: University of Minnesota Medical School

Medical interests: Women’s health, addiction medicine, sports medicine, and rural medicine.

Personal interests: Hiking, baking, reading, strength training, and spending time with family and friends.

Why Methodist: Definitely the people! I loved everyone I met during my sub-internship fourth year and felt at home with the resident team. From an academic standpoint, I was looking for a program that would prepare me well to practice full spectrum family medicine and felt that Methodist was the perfect fit.

Man smiling wearing a collard shirt and tie.

Peter Holmes, MD, MBA

Medical school: Medical College of Wisconsin

Medical interests: Full spectrum and longitudinal care, clinic procedures and sports medicine.

Personal interests: Hiking with my wife, son and dog, cross country skiing, gardening.

Why Methodist: I did a rotation here and loved the experience, including the opportunities for growth, excellent residents and attendings, and supportive culture.

Woman smiling wearng glasses and a black and white floral blouse.

Rumbidzai Ngonyama, MD

Medical school: University of Minnesota Medical School

Medical interests: Longitudinal care, women's health, mental health, dermatology, and geriatrics.

Personal interests: Dance fitness, volleyball, ice skating, reading, eating, and playing video/board games with friends and family.

Why Methodist: I chose Methodist because of their enthusiastic approach to teaching and their attention to the medical and personal interests of their residents. On one of my first days rotating with Methodist, they learned that I liked dermatology and yoga, and proceeded to give me multiple dermatology patients and the schedule for summer lake yoga. The staff, faculty, and residents truly embodied a commitment to connecting with one another and creating an engaging learning environment.

Career goals: Joining a broad-spectrum family medicine practice in Minnesota or continuing within the University of Minnesota institution and mentoring future family medicine physicians.

Man smiling wearing glasses and a button-up blue shirt.

Ben Shoults, MD

Medical school: University of Minnesota

Medical interests: Sports medicine, procedural skills, orthopedics, preventative medicine.

Personal interests: Playing and watching sports, hiking at state parks, reading, playing video games.

Why Methodist: Methodist has a wonderful blend of learning opportunities, challenges and support systems to bring out the best resident I can be. The people are amazing and have a great sense of community. I am extremely excited to be at Methodist for my family medicine residency!

Career goals: I hope to become a sports medicine fellow and eventually become a team doctor for a college or professional sports team.

Woman smiling wearing a pink button-up shirt.

Katharine Uganski, DO

Medical school: Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine

Medical interests: Preventative medicine, behavioral health, pediatric and adolescent care, women's health, and full-scope primary care.

Personal interests: Traveling, reading, knitting, hiking, spending time with family, friends, and my cat Pickle.

Why Methodist: The community and learning opportunities! I was looking for a community hospital that provides a robust education while maintaining a positive environment for residents. Methodist is an unopposed residency with residents and faculty who are happy to serve the St. Louis Park area, making it a perfect fit! The residents I met at my interview and during meet and greets were excited to speak with prospective coworkers and emphasized that they continued to enjoy their lives outside of medicine, which showed me how valued wellness is with the faculty and programming at Methodist. I am also excited to experience all that the Twin Cities have to offer, with abundant parks, an accessible art museum, and plenty of restaurants and breweries!

Career goals: I'm open to new opportunities but will likely practice outpatient medicine!

Third Year: Class of 2027

Macie Darden, MD

Medical school: University of Minnesota Medical School

Medical interests: Prenatal care and obstetrics, gender-affirming care, addiction medicine.

Personal interests: Strength training, travel, anything with my dogs.

Why Methodist: For the high-volume OB experiences, location, and the nature of the relationships between residents and specialist teams at Methodist Hospital.

Hunter Herber, MD (he/him/his)

Medical school: University of Minnesota Medical School

Medical interests: LGBT+ / gender-affirming healthcare, geriatrics, hospice and palliative care, dermatology, procedures, family medicine, longitudinal care, advocacy.

Personal interests: Reading, cooking, LGBT+ Stonewall Sports (kickball and dodgeball), home projects, furniture restoration.

Why Methodist? Minnesota is my home. I plan to work and live my life here. I chose Methodist specifically because of the broad and robust training opportunities they offer. Methodist was the residency site I felt I would receive the training I need to become the best and most well-rounded provider possible. Their interests and goals are also very similar to mine, as evidenced by their elective opportunities aligning with my personal interests.

Career goals: Being a part of a broad-spectrum family medicine practice in Minnesota.

Emilie Mouritsen, MD (she/her)

Medical school: University of Minnesota Medical School

Medical interests: Rural health, longitudinal care, addiction medicine, pediatrics

Personal interests: Reading, hiking and camping with my husband, lake days with family and friends, scuba diving, trying new soup recipes, exploring local restaurants.

Why Methodist? I chose Methodist because of their dedication to producing well-rounded family physicians with strong training in a variety of contexts. The faculty and residents I met were supportive and kind, and I immediately felt at home. I knew it would be a caring environment where I can grow as a physician and as a person.

Career goals: I hope to provide full-spectrum primary care for individuals of all ages in a rural setting.

Mariah Reed, MD

Medical school: University of Minnesota Medical School

Medical interests: Geriatrics, sports, and dermatology.

Personal interests: Golf, pickleball, and trying new restaurants.

Why Methodist? The people! You really feel like you’re a part of a family. It’s a very supportive environment.

Zach Sebens, MD, MPH (he/his)

Medical School: University of North Dakota School of Medicine

Medical interests:

Full-spectrum care, rural medicine, dermatology, and caring for communities that are underserved with limited access to health care.

Personal interests: Health literacy and research in women's health disparities.

Why Methodist? I knew I wanted the highest quality of training, and I knew that the University of Minnesota Methodist Family Medicine Residency Program could deliver that after my interview.

Career goals: I'd like to work in a clinic and continue my public health research at a public health department or within a government agency.

Katie Sharpe, MD (she/her)

Medical School: University of Minnesota Medical School

Medical interests:

Sports medicine and underserved medicine

Personal interests: Yoga, running, volleyball, skiing, and gardening.

Why Methodist? I chose Methodist Family Medicine Residency because of the wonderful faculty and residents that work there and for the opportunity to explore my career interests and grow as a clinician in the Minneapolis area.

Graduates

Below are our graduates of the last few years, including their current practice site.