Congratulations, Class of 2024, General Surgery Residents!

The General Surgery Residency graduation ceremony was an opportunity to reflect on and express gratitude to the mentors, colleagues, and family members who supported the graduates throughout their journey. 

As they advance in their training and careers, this ceremony marked a significant milestone, concluding their residency at the University of Minnesota.

On behalf of the Department of Surgery, we extend our sincere congratulations to the graduates. We wish you success and happiness in their future endeavors and thank you for choosing the University of Minnesota for your residency training. 

Congratulations to all!

2024 Fellowship and Residency Graduates

Abdominal Transplant Fellowship

Daniel Kuehler, MD

Colon and Rectal Surgery Fellowship

Shreya Gupta, MD

Aos Karim, MD

Charles Liu, MD

Claire Sokas, MD

Catherine Zhu, MD

Plastic Surgery Residency

Michelle Frees, MD

Matthew Rich, MD

Thoracic Surgery Fellowship

Aitua Salami, MBBS

Ankit Verma, MD

Surgical Critical Care Fellowship

Mohammad Al Zoubi, MD

Nora Burkart, MD

Muhammad Ikram, MD

Kevin Kirkland, MD

Derek Tessman, DO

Vascular Surgery Fellowship

Alexandra Mercel, DO

2024 Chief Resident Graduates

Ahmad Abutaka, MBBS, earned his medical degree from Jordan University of Science and Technology and completed his General Surgery residency at Hamad Medical Corporation in Qatar. Throughout his residency, he contributed to multiple national and international conferences through poster and video presentations. He pursued an Emergency General Surgery Fellowship at the same institution, where he obtained the European Board of Surgery qualification in Emergency Surgery FEBS (EmSurg). Subsequently, Dr. Abutaka relocated to Minnesota with his family and finished a Surgical Critical Care fellowship at the University of Minnesota. He joined the General Surgery residency program at the University of Minnesota and was honored with the 2023 Earl Young Award for Exemplary Performance as a surgical resident. After graduating, Dr. Abutaka will continue his career at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, joining as a staff surgeon in the trauma, critical care, and general surgery division.

Cristina Masten is from Fergus Falls, MN. She received her undergraduate degree from Bethel University in St. Paul where she received her degree in Biology. She received her medical degree from Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences. She was able to do two surgical outreach missions in San Carlos, Bolivia during her time as a medical student that inspired her to pursue surgery. After graduation, she will be working in Alexandria, MN joining a broad based general surgery practice.

Emma K. Jones, MD, is originally from Roseville, MN.  She received her BA in biology and exercise science from St Olaf College and her MD from the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine.  During residency she did research in trauma, outcomes, and implementation science, resulting in numerous publications and presentations.  Additionally, she was awarded the Best Resident Paper from the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma.  Emma served as an Administrative Chief Resident during her chief year which reinforced her passion for resident education, wellness, and process improvement.  Following graduation, she will begin a Surgical Critical Care Fellowship at the University of Minnesota.

Jessica M. Diaz, MD, started her journey while in high school working for Walgreens earning her certification as a Pharmacy Technician and concurrently studying surgical technology at Anoka Hennepin Technical college. In 2002 she graduated with both her high school diploma and diploma in Surgical Technology. She went on to develop a promising career in perioperative services. In 2009 she started a business degree at Metropolitan State University then transferred her credits to the University of Minnesota earning a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology with minors in public health and chemistry. She continued at the University of Minnesota for medical school and residency. Following graduation, Dr. Diaz will begin a Surgical Critical Care Fellowship at the University of Michigan.

Matthew Wheelwright, M.D., Ph.D., grew up in San Jose, California. He received an undergraduate degree in neuroscience from the University of California, Los Angeles. After graduation he worked at the Genome Institute of Singapore, in Singapore, researching embryonic hematopoiesis in mice and zebrafish models. He attended medical school at the University of Minnesota and obtained a Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota in the laboratory of Dr. Joseph Metzger, Ph.D., in the Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology. His thesis work focused on developing an in vitro model of single cell cardiomyocyte biomechanics using human iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes. He will be moving to Chicago next year with his wife, Suzy, and son, Ian, where he will pursue a fellowship in cardiac surgery at the University of Chicago. 

Melanie McCormick, M.D. is originally from Omaha, Nebraska. She attended the University of Nebraska at Omaha where she played Division I soccer and studied biology (Go Mavericks!). She then received her medical degree from The University of Nebraska Medical Center. During residency, she completed a burn surgery fellowship at Regions Hospital in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Following graduation, Melanie will complete a Surgical Critical Care Fellowship at the University of Minnesota. She will then join a practice in Lincoln, Nebraska as a trauma and acute care surgeon. She is excited to be moving back home with her husband, Adam, and their daughter, Summer. 

Sadé M. Finn, M.D., M.Sc. received her undergraduate degree from Emory University with Honors in Biology and her medical degree from Duke University School of Medicine in 2017. During residency, she completed the T32 NIH Research Fellowship in Pancreatology, during which time she published multiple articles and a book chapter on total pancreatectomy and islet autotransplantation and earned her Master's in Surgical Sciences. Following graduation, Dr. Finn will enter private practice in general surgery at CentraCare Monticello.

Zachary R. Bergman, M.D. was born in Washington D.C., but moved around the Midwest until finally settling in Iowa City, IA. He received his undergraduate degree from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. He received his medical degree from the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine in 2017. During residency, he evaluated a hospital system-wide response to the COVID-19 pandemic leading to numerous manuscripts, posters, and presentations. In 2022, he was awarded best resident presentation for work presented at the Surgical Infections Society annual meeting. During the past year, Dr. Bergman served as an Administrative Chief Resident. Following graduation, Dr. Bergman is pursuing fellowship in Surgical Critical Care at the University of Minnesota.