Our Residents
Yasmin S. Abdulaya, MD
Medical school: American University of Antigua College of Medicine
Medical interests: Primary care, preventative medicine, and community health.
Personal interests: I enjoy spending time with my family, playing volleyball, badminton, cooking Oromo food, and listening to music.
Why St. Cloud: When I did my family medicine Sub-I rotation at St. Cloud, I automatically fell in love with the program. The faculty, staff, and residents made me feel right at home. Everyone was very welcoming and made me feel like I was part of the team. They challenged me to set goals and helped me to achieve them. I look forward to serving the diverse community of St. Cloud and receiving full-spectrum training.
Kristina T. Chien, MD
Medical school: University of Minnesota Medical School
Medical interests: Refugee health, obstetrics, inpatient medicine, and rural health.
Personal interests: Spending time with family, canoeing, horseback riding, and running.
Why St. Cloud: The combination of exceptional faculty, diverse patient population, and learning environment could not be beat!
Jason G. Hogge, MD
Medical school: American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine
Medical interests: Full-spectrum family medicine, obstetrics, pediatrics, dermatology, sports medicine, and emergency medicine.
Personal interests: Spending time with family outside, mountain biking, skiing, hiking, paddle boarding, and trying new things.
Why St. Cloud: Finding an unopposed program where I could do it all was a must for me. During interview season I noticed that the residents and faculty showed qualities of great physicians that I would be proud to be associated with.
Gregory W. Jacobs, DO
Medical school: Midwestern University – Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine
Medical interests: Mental health and chronic disease management.
Personal interests: I am a classically trained pianist and will frequently turn to this to de-stress and to ground myself. I also love slalom water-skiing at my family's lake cabin in Northern Minnesota, along with all of the many other lake-time activities (kayaking, canoeing, boat rides, swimming, etc.)
Why St. Cloud: I loved the diverse patient population while having a rural medicine focus. I also greatly enjoyed the overall culture of the program on my interview day. Additionally, St. Cloud is geographically close to family, which is something I was not able to enjoy during medical school.
Katrina E. Johnson, MD
Medical school: University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences
Medical interests: Broad-spectrum family medicine with specific interests in rural medicine, preventative care, women's health, sports medicine, geriatrics, behavioral health, and hospital medicine.
Personal interests: Hiking, camping, backpacking, days on the lake, athletics, and spending quality time with family and friends.
Why St. Cloud: I first became interested in medicine through experiences at CentraCare and surrounding facilities in St. Cloud as a high school student. The faculty were always welcoming and enjoyed sharing their knowledge. Throughout my residency interview process, St. Cloud stood out to me as a strong program where faculty enjoyed teaching. I knew I would get a solid foundation of medical knowledge both at the clinic and with several months of hospital training each year in the St. Cloud Hospital, a tertiary care medical center for central Minnesota. I liked that residents have access to consult a wide variety of subspecialists for care of complex patients while maintaining the role of primary provider in the hospital. Everything about the culture of this program made it feel right to come back to St. Cloud for residency. I am excited to join this team of enthusiastic providers in caring for a diverse patient population!
Luke J. McFarland, DO
Medical school: Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine
Medical interests: Full-spectrum family medicine, OMT, and sports medicine.
Personal interests: Board games, video games, a good book, anything involving the outdoors (fishing, hiking, camping, kayaking, hunting), and any sort of competitive sporting activity.
Why St. Cloud: Upon graduating, I wanted to come back to the Midwest to be closer to my family. I knew I wanted to eventually practice full-spectrum family medicine, and St. Cloud provided all I needed to fulfill these requirements. This is due to their unopposed residency, strong focus on procedures, opportunities to practice OMT, and much more. I instantly felt welcomed by the residents and faculty during my interview, which led me to love the program that much more. Minnesota having plenty of outdoor recreational opportunities was a big plus as well.
Palistha Amatya, MBBS
Medical school: Tianjin Medical School
Medical interests: Full-spectrum family medicine with focus on mental health as well as cultural diversity.
Personal interests: Rock-climbing, running, cooking food from different regions, singing, reading, and traveling to experience new cultures and food. Most importantly, spending time with my husband and our two beautiful fur babies.
Why St. Cloud: Throughout my interview, I felt so much at ease at St. Cloud. It never felt like an interview to begin with. Every person I met made me feel like I belonged here. The focus on Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) definitely helped seal the deal for me because I truly believe this is the dawn of a new norm in modern medicine.
Nicholas A. Cook-Rostie, MD
Medical school: University of Minnesota Medical School
Medical interests: Full-spectrum family medicine, behavioral health, sports medicine, community health engagement, POCUS, and emergency medicine.
Personal interests: Anything outdoors or fitness-related, including mountaineering, biking, hiking running on trails, lifting weights, yoga, camping, bonfires, listening to podcasts, and exploring new places.
Why St. Cloud: St. Cloud is an unopposed program that provides robust training and will give me the skills and knowledge to prepare me to practice full-spectrum family medicine. During my interview, everyone from the support staff to residents and faculty were warm and welcoming, which sealed the deal for me. I am looking forward to being a part of this diverse community and providing excellent care to the community of St. Cloud.
Megan A. Krotzer, MD
Medical school: University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences
Medical interests: Broad-spectrum rural family medicine, women's health, and obstetrics.
Personal interests: I love to practice yoga, garden, and try out new recipes. Travelling was one of my biggest hobbies pre-pandemic, and I hope to return to this soon. I also enjoy spending time with my husband and our newborn baby!
Why St. Cloud: I am originally from a small town near St. Cloud and knew I wanted to return to the area. Everyone at the virtual residency dinner and interview were incredibly friendly and welcoming to me, and I knew the program would be able to provide the broad-spectrum training that I need to go into rural practice someday.
Leif W. Olson, MD
Medical school: University of Minnesota Medical School
Medical interests: Rural family medicine and behavioral health.
Personal interests: Sailing and skiing.
Why St. Cloud: Strong full-scope training in Minnesota with highly capable and skilled faculty and residents, many valuable resources for patients, and the opportunity to work with a diverse patient population.
Alex J. Shaykevich, DO
Medical school: Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine
Medical interests: Full-spectrum family medicine, including primary care, pediatrics, emergency medicine, preventative and community medicine, behavioral medicine, and OMT – exploring options in endoscopy and sleep medicine.
Personal interests: Playing hockey, hiking, driving, grilling during beautiful Minnesota summers, and any time spent with family and friends is time well spent!
Why St. Cloud: I grew up in the Twin Cities and was looking forward to making my move back to Minnesota from New York City. At my interview, everyone was very welcoming, making me feel at home immediately in this supportive and unopposed family medicine program. St. Cloud also provides a unique opportunity for the mixture of urban/suburban and nearby rural living and healthcare.
Adam J. Sommers, DO
Medical school: Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Medical interests: Full-spectrum family medicine, rural medicine, and OMT.
Personal interests: Hiking, running, watersports, and spending time with my wife and family.
Why St. Cloud: One would be challenged to find more compassionate faculty and welcoming residents than those found here at St. Cloud. Being an unopposed family medicine program at a regional tertiary care center, I am confident that the training here will provide the opportunity to become the best physician one could be.
Svetlana Adusheva, MD
Medical school: Bashkir State Medical University
Medical interests: Full-spectrum family medicine, addiction medicine, and preventative medicine.
Personal interests: Spending time with my husband and son, cooking, lap swimming, and crocheting.
Why St. Cloud: I had a great interview experience. All the residents, faculty, and staff were really kind and welcoming. Everyone I met were all people I wanted to work and spend time with. Also, St. Cloud is an unopposed program that provides great community training which will help prepare me for the future.
Bashir Shiekh A. Moallin, MBBS
Medical school: Jordan University of Science and Technology Faculty of Medicine
Medical interests: Full-spectrum family medicine, including pediatrics, emergency medicine, hospital medicine, preventative, and community medicine.
Personal interests: Playing soccer, watching soccer, and spending time with family.
Why St. Cloud: I am honored to join the St. Cloud family medicine program and pursue my interests in community and preventative medicine. I chose St. Cloud because of its close ties to underserved populations and their community involvement.
Sadia A. Mohamed, MD
Medical school: Ross University School of Medicine
Medical interests: Women’s health, hospital medicine, global medicine, and full-spectrum family medicine.
Personal interests: Reading, listening to podcasts, and traveling.
Why St. Cloud: St. Cloud is an unopposed program serving a diverse patient population that would allow me to be a well-rounded and well-trained family physician. The faculty and staff are genuinely supportive, allowing for a positive learning environment.
Seth D. Nelson, MD
Medical school: University of Minnesota Medical School
Medical interests: Full-spectrum rural family medicine, obstetrics, behavioral health, sports medicine, pediatrics, POCUS, and emergency medicine.
Personal interests: Spending quality time with family and friends, reading (Christian theology and Star Wars, mainly), getting outside by playing tennis, camping, hunting, and hiking, with an occasional Xbox game thrown in.
Why St. Cloud: St. Cloud offers a nice balance of training breadth with a good depth of knowledge, and the faculty is top-notch and good role models for family physicians. I grew up and want to eventually practice in West Central Minnesota, so proximity to family and the patient population made St. Cloud a clear choice.
Jennifer A. Tarpenning, MD
Medical school: University of Minnesota Medical School
Medical interests: Full-spectrum family medicine, especially rural medicine, women’s health, obstetrics, pediatric medicine, dermatology, and preventative medicine.
Personal interests: Anything outdoors, including biking, hiking, running on trails, fishing, camping, and bonfires, spending time with my family and friends, and day trips with my husband.
Why St. Cloud: I am from central Minnesota and the St. Cloud area is home for me. After I spent time with the program during medical school, I knew it was the right choice for me. The faculty and residents here are dedicated to learning, teaching, and providing the best possible care for their patients and the community.
Abdikafar M. Yusuf, MD
Medical school: Bicol Christian College of Medicine
Medical interests: Primary care, hospital medicine, behavioral health, and community health engagement.
Personal interests: Spending time with family and friends, watching sports, and photography.
Why St. Cloud: I chose St. Cloud because of its rigorous, unopposed, full-spectrum training, and exceptional community health engagement. The staff and faculty deeply care about resident development and growth. Overall, it is a well-rounded training program with diverse learning opportunities.
After graduation, where do our residents go and what do they do?
- 80% practice in Minnesota
- 50% practice in Central Minnesota
- More than 50% practice in rural communities of less than 20,000 people
- 60% include inpatient medicine in their practice
- 40% practice maternity care
Below are our recent CentraCare St. Cloud Family Medicine Residency Program graduates:
2022John Evenocheck, MD; Christopher Mullet, DO; Gamaliel Jesse Ferrer, MD; Prakhya Bhatnagar, MD; Oluwatobi Falade, MBBS; Anthony Hacker, MD  |
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2021Blake Chapman, DO; Tyler Lewandowski, MD; Paola Terán, MD; Michael Symanietz, MD; John Anderson, DO; Eric Christensen, MD  |
2020Marlen Midthune, MD; Dan O’Connor, MD; Siri Shaqra, DO; Adei Shaqra, DO; Zareen Zaka, MBBS 
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2019Brittany Kirkeby, DO; John Hokanson, MD; Sujitha Yadlapati, MBBS; Leesa Larson, MD; John Tronnes, MD  |
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