Alexia Armenta MD

Hometown

San Diego, CA

Personal Interests

Being outside, yoga, hiking, reading, crocheting, eating, Philadelphia Eagles, I’m the person that pets every dog I meet in public

Career Interests

Being the best doc I can be, Latinx Health, Women’s health

Why UIC EM?

The people at all levels are truly awesome humans.

Jonathan Cedermaz MD

Hometown

Walnut Creek, CA

Personal Interests

Climbing, Biking, Starcraft, and learning how to be the best father for my newborn.

Career Interests

Leaving residency a humble and professional physician who provides excellent care to all patients. I also have an interests in Critical Care.

Why UIC EM?

UIC provides its residents with an excellent mix of patient populations, hospital settings, and attending experience. After leaving residency I am confident that no matter where I work I will have been given the tools to handle myself as an attending. On a more personal level, the clinical faculty at UIC are superb and practice medicine in a way I want to model my practice on as I learn the art of medicine.

Andrew Cox MD

Hometown

Lake Zurich, IL

Personal Interests

I enjoy catching a Chicago sports game either in person or at a bar, boating on Lake Michigan, and staying active outside as much as possible, whether that be exercising or playing intramural sports.

What niche are you developing during your residency?

I am developing a passion for Critical Care, Palliative Care, and EMS.

What is your favorite part about the program?

The diversity of experiences at University of Illinois-Chicago Emergency Residency program is truly unmatched across the nation. Chicago offers an incredibly diverse patient population at its baseline, but the UIC EM program provides its training across 4 main sites (in addition to 2 supplemental sites) to ensure that its residents maximize their training by seeing all aspects of emergency medicine.

Anudeep Dasaraju MD

Hometown

Plano, TX

Interests

Working out, Hiking, Running, Exercising, Being a personal training, Relaxing, Watch movies and television, Enjoying stand-up comedy, Film making, Reading, and Mixed martial arts

Kenyon Grand DO

Hometown

Trenton, OH 

Personal Interests

Traveling, running, playing rec sports, trying new restaurants or breweries, self proclaimed coffee aficionado and loyalist to breakfast food.

Career Interests

Academic Medicine

Why UIC EM?

UIC was the only program that I felt totally connected to and blended with the personalities of the program. I felt as if the residents already shared qualities of many of my friends and the program leadership exemplified success as well as wellness. The fellowship match rate at UIC is beyond impressive and the leadership has a great mentor program to support you on your path through residency as well as your future goals in medicine. Really, UIC had everything I was looking for in a residency program and more. I can’t imagine being in residency anywhere else and my co-residents are some of the most awesome people I’ve ever met. Not to mention Chicago is one of the greatest cities in the world and the pizza is on point.

Tashana Haye MD

Hometown

Covington, GA

Personal Interests

Traveling, Movies, Cooking, Learning Languages, Tennis, Bringing people together

Career Interests

Global Health, Social Emergency Medicine, Medical Education

Why UIC EM?

On interview day, it became evident to me that this was the program that was going to allow me to achieve my full potential as an Emergency Medicine physician, while also providing a welcoming environment of support.

Emil Klosowiak MD

Hometown

Glenview, IL

Personal Interests

Mountain biking, Road biking, Running, Swimming, Backpacking, Climbing, Sailing, Skiing, Triathlons, Ceramics, Traveling, Reading, Star Trek, Cooking, Brewery tours

Career Interests

Become a great EM doc, Climate Change and Health, Innovation and Healthcare, Entrepreneurship

Why UIC EM?

Fun co-residents, great city with family and friends, broad exposure to practice environments and styles at our various sites, faculty that will teach and let you learn by doing, serve multiple diverse patient populations.

Richard LaVeau DO

Hometown

Arlington Heights, IL

Personal Interests

Hockey, fitness, outdoors, Friends (the show)

Career Interests

Community EM, resident education

Why UIC EM?

Diverse training environments in the best city in the country

Allen Quetant DO

Hometown

Miami, FL

Personal Interests

Sports/Fitness, Music, Cooking great food and eating at amazing restaurants, traveling the world, Community building and Social Engagement

Career Interests

Social EM, Global Health, Education

Why UIC EM?

History of training excellent clinicians who care about people and care about each other. The amazing faculty at UIC, who love to teach. We are a family here at UIC EM, which means that the people here have your back and that they want to see you do well. Diversity and Inclusion is important to UIC EM, as well as, community and global engagement; these things are also important to me. I left my interview day knowing 100% that this is where I wanted to train.

Minti Shah DO

Hometown

Naperville, IL

Personal Interests

Traveling and discovering the best local restaurants, collecting old books, hiking, yoga, and anything related to Harry Potter

Career Interests

Global health/international medicine

Why UIC EM?

Diverse patient population and getting to work at 4 unique sites.. and the awesome people!

Ethan Szpara DO

Hometown

St. Charles, IL

Personal Interests

Guitar, skiing, indoor and beach volleyball, traveling to new countries and trying different foods, finding new good food places in Chicago, trying new beers, triathlon racing, and last but not least DAA Bears!!

Career Interests

Global Health/international medicine, linguistics in the ED.

Why UIC EM?

I loved the people that I met at UIC, and I liked the unique experience of being able to train at 4 distinct hospitals each with a different patient population and the ability to train at both community and academic sites.

Johan Valle DO

Hometown

Dallas, TX

Personal Interests

In no particular order: The Dallas Cowboys, defending Lebron James, Tintinalli’s, my french bulldog.

Career Interests

Exploring how to provide the highest level of care possible in the emergency room in a cost effective way in order to enhance the level of care provided to higher amounts of patients.

Why UIC EM?

Big bright city with diverse and eclectic people from the moment I met everyone in the pre-interview dinner.

Nihal Varkey MD

Hometown

Atlanta, GA

Personal Interests

Lover of soccer/tennis, golf novice, and a part of the complicated, love/hate relationship with Arsenal F.C.

What niche are you developing during your residency?

Leadership/Education

What is your favorite part of the program?

The vastness of Chicago’s EM and the BrownCoat Nation networks

Francis Villanueva DO

Hometown

Chicago, IL

Personal Interests

Volleyball, snowboarding, surfing, climbing, lifting, travel, family/ friends, faith 

Career Interests

Working at a community hospital with residents in a urban/ suburban setting, social medicine

Why UIC EM?

Amazing residents and faculty that I connect well with. Residency operates like a huge family coming from all different backgrounds and walks of life. Awesome training at varying facilities with different socioeconomic settings and vastly different pathologies. All of that while being in my hometown.

Nikita Williams MD

Hometown

Alexandria, LA 

Personal Interests

Book clubs, hiking, fiddling, traveling, trying new restaurants

Career Interests

Community medicine, medicolegal issues, social determinants of health

Why UIC EM?

Great people with a focus on social EM