Meet Our Residents

Academic Year 2026-2027

Austin Simpson MD

Administrative Chief

Hometown: Zionsville, IN

Undergraduate: University of Virginia

Medical School: Indiana University School of Medicine

Fellowship: University of Chicago – Trauma / Critical Care

Clinical Interest: Surgical Critical Care
Research Interest: Chest Wall Reconstruction and Medical Education
Hobbies: Soccer, Cooking

Best part of being at UIC-general surgery residency: My co-residents

Alex Park MD

Administrative Chief

Hometown: Naperville, IL

Undergraduate: University of Southern California

Medical School: University of Illinois Chicago

Clinical Interest: Pediatric Surgery
Research Interest: short gut syndrome, intestinal failure associated liver disease, surgical education
Hobbies: Running, Cycling, Rock Climbing, Tennis, Cooking, Travel

Best part of being at UIC-general surgery residency: The personal and professional community of colleagues and friends that I have found throughout training that I will carry into the future!

Raneem Altabbaa MD

Hometown: Cleveland, OH

Undergraduate: John Carroll University

Medical School: Northeast Ohio Medical University

Clinical interest: General and breast surgery

Hobbies: Painting, crochet

Best part of being at UIC-general surgery residency: Working with our co-residents and attendings

Mariaelana Brenner MD

Hometown: Lake Zurich, IL

Undergraduate: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Medical School: University of Illinois-Rockford

Fellowship: Dartmouth MIS fellowship

Clinical Interest: Minimally Invasive Surgery, Bariatric Surgery
Hobbies: Live music events, Chicago street festivals, boating, water sports

Best part of being at UIC-general surgery residency: The best part of the UIC General Surgery Residency Program is its culture. The program fosters a supportive, collaborative environment, and the operating room and floor nursing staff consistently treat residents with respect, recognizing us as physicians and valued members of the care team. As an academic medical center, UIC provides the opportunity to care for a diverse range of complex surgical pathologies, including some of the sickest and most medically challenging patients, creating an exceptional learning environment. In addition, we rotate at a variety of hospitals in both private, public, and county settings which allows for a broad range of experience.

Adam Chen MD

Hometown: West Plains, MO

Undergraduate: University of Missouri

Medical School: University of Missouri School of Medicine

Future Plans: General surgery private practice

Clinical Interest: Minimally Invasive Surgery, General Surgery

Research Interest: Clinical outcomes and quality improvement

Hobbies: Traveling, trying new foods, cycling, hiking, and spending time with my wonderful wife and our cat

Best Part of Being at UIC-General Surgery Residency: The friendships and camaraderie among my co-residents, along with the opportunity to care for a diverse and medically complex patient population.

Kelli Ifuku MD

Hometown: Honolulu, HI

Undergraduate: Creighton University

Medical School: University of Hawaii John A Burns School of Medicine

Fellowship: Surgical Oncology at Allegheny Health

Clinical Interest: Hepatopancreaticobiliary
Research Interest: Pancreatic cystic lesions, health care disparities
Hobbies: cooking, spending time with family

Best part of being at UIC-general surgery residency: supportive mentors and co-residents, a good variety of clinical sites

Joseph Sahagún MD

Hometown: Chicago Heights, IL

Undergraduate: University of Illinois at Chicago

Medical School: University of Illinois College of Medicine – Peoria

Fellowship: Wound Care & Tissue Repair at UI-Health; Vascular Surgery

Clinical Interest: Peripheral Arterial Disease, Medial Arterial Calcinosis, Distal Arteriovenous Fistula for Limb Salvage, Comprehensive Wound Care
Research Interest: Arteriovenous Fistula Salvage Techniques, Long Term Limb Salvage Outcomes in CTLI Patients with Distal AVF, Hyperbaric Medicine, Molecular & Biologic Modalities for Chronic Wounds
Hobbies: Running (Marathons), Music Production/Remixing, Art Museums, Traveling

Best part of being at UIC-general surgery residency: Beyond the excellent surgical training, it’s the faculty and my co-residents.

Kassem Abbas MD

Hometown: Toledo, OH

Undergraduate: Ohio State University

Medical School: University of Toledo School of Medicine

Clinical Interest: Vascular Surgery

Garrett Hauck MD

Hometown: Egg Harbor Township, NJ

Undergraduate: Suffolk University

Medical School: University of Oklahoma College of Medicine

Clinical Interest: Vascular Surgery

Kyle Kelly MD PhD

Hometown: Pulaski, PA

Undergraduate: University of Pittsburgh

Graduate School: University of Florida

Medical School: University of Illinois College of Medicine

Clinical Interest: Trauma / Critical Care

Ashley Montgomery DO

Hometown: Phoenix, AZ

Undergraduate: Arizona State University

Medical School: Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine

Clinical Interest: Breast Surgery, Colorectal Surgery

Anthony McGuire MD

Hometown: Fort Wayne, IN

Undergraduate: Purdue University

Medical School: Indiana University School of Medicine

Clinical Interest: Minimally Invasive Surgery

Chase Seiller MD

CHASE SEILLER MD

Hometown: St. Louis, MO

Undergraduate: Xavier University

Medical School: University of Missouri School of Medicine

Clinical Interest: Trauma / Critical Care

Mehak Chawla MD

Hometown: Cincinnati, OH

Undergraduate: University of Cincinnati

Medical School: Ohio State University College of Medicine and Public Health

Clinical Interest: Burn, Trauma / Critical Care, Plastic Surgery

Colton Johnson MD

Hometown: Walnut, IL

Undergraduate: Illinois State University

Medical School: University of Illinois College of Medicine – Rockford

Clinical Interest: General Surgery

Alexander Pohlman MD

Hometown: River Forest, IL

Undergraduate: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Medical School: Rush Medical College of Rush University

Dedicated Research: Loyola University

Clinical Interest: Thoracic Surgery

Matthew Vieira MD

Hometown: Wrentham, MA

Undergraduate: University of Massachusetts

Medical School: UMass Chan School of Medicine

Clinical Interest: Trauma / Critical Care

Emma Whiting MD

Hometown: Cleveland, OH

Undergraduate: Washington University in Saint Louis

Medical School: George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences

Clinical Interest: Colorectal Surgery, Minimally Invasive Surgery

Khamillah Zimmer MD

Hometown: Apple Valley, CA

Undergraduate: University of California – Berkeley

Medical School: University of Illinois College of Medicine – Chicago

Clinical Interest: MIS, Colorectal, Endocrine

Monica Bhagavan MD

Hometown: Westmont, IL

Undergraduate: Illinois Institute of Technology

Medical School: Carle Illinois College of Medicine

Clinical Interest: Vascular Surgery, Trauma / Critical Care

Melanie Ermler MD

Academic Track

Hometown: Shelby Township, MI

Undergraduate: University of Michigan – Ann Arbor

Medical School: Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine

Clinical Interest: Pediatric Surgery

John Lee MD

Hometown: Little Rock, AR

Undergraduate: University of Arkansas

Medical School: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Medicine

Clinical Interest: Trauma / Critical Care

Amy Lian MD

Hometown: Lake in the Hills, IL

Undergraduate: University of Illinois Chicago

Medical School: University of Illinois College of Medicine – Chicago

Clinical Interest: Minimally Invasive Surgery

John Norys MD

Hometown: Fayetteville, AR

Undergraduate: Saint Louis University

Medical School: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Medicine

Clinical Interest: Trauma / Critical Care

Henrique Ochoa Scussiatto MD

Hometown: Cascavel, Brazil

Medical School: Universidade Estadual de Londrina Faculdade de Medicina

Clinical Interest: Colorectal Surgery

Patricia Ruiz Cota MD

Hometown: Tijuana, Mexico

Medical School: Universidad Aútonoma de Baja California Tijuana Facultad de Medicina y Psicología

Clinical Interest: General Surgery, Plastic Surgery

Narjes Sweis MD

Hometown: Anman, Jordan

Medical School: University of Jordan Faculty of Medicine

Clinical Interest: Colorectal Surgery

Charles Withington MD

Academic Track

Hometown: Western Springs, IL

Undergraduate: University of Wisconsin-Madison

Medical School: Georgetown University School of Medicine

Clinical Interest: Transplant Surgery

Naji Bou Zeid

Naji Bou Zeid MD

Hometown: Beirut, Lebanon

Undergraduate: Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth, Lebanon

Medical School: Université Saint-Joseph Faculté de Médecine

Clinical Interest: Plastic Surgery, General Surgery

Abiha Abdullah MBBS

Hometown: Pakistan, Sadiqabad

Medical School: Aga Khan University Medical College

Clinical Interest: Vascular Surgery, Trauma / Critical Care, Transplant Surgery

Juan Achi MD

Juan Achi Hanna MD

Hometown: Guayaquil, Ecuador

Medical School: Universidad Católica de Santiago de Guayaquil Facultad de Ciencias Médicas

Clinical Interest: Colorectal Surgery

Susana Acosta Nuñez de Villavicencio MD

Hometown: Caracas, Venezuela

Medical School: Luís Razetti School at Universidad Central de Venezuela Escuela de Médicina

Clinical Interest: Minimally Invasive Surgery

Nicole Alvarez MD

Hometown: Melrose Park, IL

Undergraduate: University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign

Medical School: Western Michigan University

Clinical Interest: Surgical Oncology, Trauma / Critical Care, Colorectal Surgery

Marta Antoniv MD

Hometown: Lviv, Ukraine

Medical School: Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University

Clinical Interest: Surgical Oncology

Mariam Banoub MD

Hometown: Hinsdale, IL

Undergraduate: University of California – San Francisco

Medical School: University of Illinois College of Medicine – Peoria

Clinical Interest: HPB, Surgical Oncology

Taylor Cusick MD

Hometown: Wichita, Kansas

Undergraduate: Kansas State University

Medical School: University of Kansas School of Medicine

Clinical Interest: Critical Care, Breast Surgery

Elizabeth Fontana MD

Hometown: Pullman, Washington

Undergraduate: Rice University

Medical School: Baylor College of Medicine

Clinical Interest: Trauma / Critical Care, Surgical Oncology

Jordyn Greenbaum MD

Hometown: Highland Park, IL

Undergraduate: Haverford College

Medical School: Chicago Medical School – Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science

Clinical Interest: HPB, Surgical Oncology

Nicolas Guevara MD

Hometown: Melbourne, FL

Undergraduate: Florida State University

Medical School: Western Atlantic University School of Medicine

Clinical Interest: Plastic Surgery, Trauma / Critical Care

Yunseo Jeong MD

Hometown: Seoul, South Korea

Undergraduate: Seoul National University

Medical School: Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine

Clinical Interest: Bariatric Surgery, Aesthetic Surgery

Daniel Kacey MD

Hometown: Hinsdale, IL

Undergraduate: Washington University in St. Louis

Medical School: University of Illinois College of Medicine – Chicago

Clinical Interest: Vascular Surgery, Trauma / Critical Care, Colorectal Surgery, Surgical Oncology

Ojus Khanolkar MD

Hometown: Chicago, IL

Undergraduate: University of Illinois – Chicago

Medical School: University of Illinois College of Medicine – Chicago

Clinical Interest: Transplant Surgery

Lydia Kwon MD

Hometown: Stockton, CA

Undergraduate: University of California, Davis

Graduate School: University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign

Medical School: University of Illinois College of Medicine – Chicago

Clinical Interest: Trauma / Critical Care, Vascular Surgery

Sydney Ladas MD

Hometown: Helena, MT

Undergraduate: University of Montana

Medical School: Michigan State University College of Human Medicine

Clinical Interest: Plastic Surgery, Trauma / Critical Care

Grace Li MD

Hometown: Chicago, IL

Undergraduate: University of Illinois Chicago

Medical School: Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine

Clinical Interest: Minimally Invasive Surgery, Trauma / Critical Care

Alexa Papanastasiou MBBCh

Hometown: Montreal, Canada

Undergraduate: McGill University

Medical School: University College Dublin School of Medicine and Medical Science

Clinical Interest: Surgical Oncology, Trauma / Critical Care

Rebecca Paszkiewicz MD

Hometown: Johnston, Iowa

Undergraduate: University of Iowa

Medical School: University of Illinois College of Medicine – Chicago

Clinical Interest: Minimally Invasive Surgery, Colorectal Surgery

Ahmed Salem MD

Hometown: Cairo, Egypt

Undergraduate: University of Western Ontario

Medical School: St. George’s University School of Medicine

Clinical Interest: Surgical Oncology

Arian Shahidi MD

Hometown: Tehran, Iran

Medical School: Azad University of Medical Science Tehran Faculty of Medicine

Clinical Interest: Interventional Radiology

Thuy Duong Doan MD

Hometown: Ha Noi, Viet Nam

Undergraduate: Wellesley College

Medical School: UMass Chan Medical School

Research: Moffitt Cancer Center

Clinical Interest: Trauma / Critical Care

Brayden Seal MD

Hometown: Frisco, TX

Undergraduate: Ohio State University

Medical School: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas

Research: University of Chicago – Trauma Surgery

Clinical Interest: Trauma / Critical Care

Chelsey Wood MD

Hometown: Arlington Heights, IL

Undergraduate: Milwaukee Institute of Art

Graduate School: Northwestern

Medical School: Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University

Research: University of Chicago – Vascular Surgery

Clinical Interest: Vascular Surgery

Alex Zhuang MD

Hometown: Solon, OH

Undergraduate: Boston College

Medical School: Boston University School of Medicine

Research: Fohgerty Global Medicine Program (NIH funded)

Clinical Interest: Surgical Oncology, Global Surgery