Curent Residents
Jenny Abrams, M.D.
Jenny Abrams hails from the sunshine of Boulder, Colorado, but has spent the past ten years a traveling! She attended the University of Michigan for undergraduate and graduated from the even snowier University of Rochester in upstate NY for medical school. Jenny’s interest in medicine stems from her commitment to social activism and her interest in using her role as a physician to be an advocate for underserved populations. She’s spent several years abroad, living in Mexico, Ecuador, and most recently volunteering with Doctors for Global Health in El Salvador, and is especially passionate about working with Latinos here in the US. She also really enjoys working with the homeless, the LGBTQ community, psychiatric patients, and adolescents. Jenny’s other passion is integrative medicine, and she hopes to be able to infuse her future medical practice with the knowledge she gleaned from her many years spent as a modern dancer, and now from her current training as an Anusara yoga teacher. Jenny chose Cherry Hill because of the opportunity to work with faculty who are also devoted to the underserved in an academically rigorous community setting, where she could continue her study of integrative medicine and comprehensive reproductive health. In her free time you might find her digging in her garden, catching a yoga or dance class, delighting in the incredible coffee and quirky restaurants and bars of Capitol Hill or outdoors in the water or mountains of this beautiful city!
Alyssa Barto, M.D.
Alyssa Barto received her medical training at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. She is happy to be back in the “real” Washington where she grew up, after spending a number of years exploring other cities. The field of family medicine found her when she began joining her mentor on patient home visits and in providing hospice care. She loves family medicine because it fulfills a number of her passions in life: quenching a curious nature, building and maintaining close relationships, advocating for others and feeling connected in her community. She also believes that healthcare is a human right. Her special interests in the field of medicine include Integrative Medicine, Community Medicine, Health Education, Sexual health and LGBTQ health, International Medicine, Adolescent Medicine and End-of-Life Care. In her free time she enjoys travel, outdoor pursuits, yoga, journaling, sewing, quilting and knitting.
Kyla Brydon, M.D.
Kyla grew up in the Midwest and went to medical school at the University of Chicago. She decided to transplant to Seattle where she could escape the long cold winters and be in the heart of Family Medicine and the middle of beautiful mountains (yes, she has driven past her street because she was too distracted by the cascades). Outside of work she loves exploring and taking part in all the outdoor adventures Seattle and Washington has to offer including backpacking, skiing, running, beaching, soccer and so much more! She also loves trying out all the awesome food, drinks, shopping, and people watching that Seattle’s various neighborhoods serve up.
Her special interests in family medicine include full spectrum reproductive health, sports medicine and adolescent medicine. She also really loves babies (watch out she will try to steal your babies on family medicine service!).
Kyla came to Cherry Hill for the chance to train in an underserved setting with passionate faculty and co-residents with unique interests and talents who are all dedicated to their careers, special patient population, teaching and to each other.
So far she loves Seattle, her new Cherry Hill Family, and her hot tub!
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Jessica Cowan, M.D.
Jessica Greenberg Cowan grew up in Moab, Utah. She attended Harvard College where she studied history, economics and anthropology. Following graduation, Jessica served as the founding Executive Director of Global Health through Education, Training & Service, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting health care access and health systems strengthening in developing countries. Jessica received her masters degree in public health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2006 and her MD from Harvard Medical School in 2010. Jessica is committed to improving the health of women and children both in underserved communities in the United States and in developing countries. She has lived and worked in Mexico, South Africa, Ethiopia and post-earthquake Port au Prince, Haiti. Jessica looks forward to caring for and learning from families at the Sea Mar clinic and has a special interest in adolescent, reproductive and maternal-child health.
Thuy Do, M.D.
Thuy Do, M.D. Thuy earned her BS in biology and her BA in chemistry (cum laude) in June 2005 at Seattle University. She later earned her MD, with a certificate in Underserved Pathway, from the University of Washington Medical Center in August 2010. She is currently a 2nd year resident in Family Medicine at the Seattle Indian Health Board. She is expected to graduate in September of 2013. Thuy's philosophy of care: "I believe that the best medical treatment is prevention; that all medical decisions holistically center around the patient. My role as a physician starts by listening to the patient's concerns and then helping them take charge of their own recovery and well-being by working together to make the best choices for their own health, based on their individual values and cultures". Her special interests in physical health care include preventive, women's and dermatological health. Her personal interests include cooking, traveling, and entrepreneurial ventures.
Paige Kasai, M.D.
Paige graduated from University of Washington with a degree in Biology. She went on to receive her Medical Degree from Albany Medical College in New York. While earning her medical degree she was heavily involved in the family medicine department, community outreach and working with underserved patient populations. However, with her roots firmly tied in Washington State she happily returned to Seattle for residency. She chose Swedish Cherry Hill for both the breadth and depth of the faculty and also the programs mission to serve the underserved. Paige is a huge proponent of the patient physician relationship and the kind of high quality care that can be forged through good communication. She believes in understanding how the mental, social and physical aspects of a patient’s life affect their overall health. Paige is very passionate about women’s health, reproductive medicine and abortion management. Other interests include: adolescent medicine and complimentary medicine. Her personal Interests include local eateries, running, weight lifting, creating fabulous feasts, golf, basketball, day hikes, and lively conversations with friends and family.
Alex Kipp, M.D.
Originally from Iowa, Alex went to medical school at Georgetown, but fell in love with the Pacific Northwest during his 4th year of medical school. Professionally, his interests include medical ethics, community health, preventive medicine, integrative medicine and general wellness through diet and lifestyle choices. His personal interests include yoga, running, local organic food, coffee, and sampling some of the many microbreweries in Seattle. Alex was drawn to Swedish-Cherry Hill because of it's emphasis on the underserved in a resource-rich environment, it's integrative medicine program, and it's dedication to the communities it serves.
Adrianna Mickelson, M.D.
Adrianna completed a bachelors of science in Animal Physiology and Neuroscience with a minor in Spanish literature at the University of California San Diego while spending two semesters abroad in Seville, Spain and Santiago, Chile. She attended medical school at Ponce School of Medicine in Ponce, Puerto Rico. After undergraduate she worked for three years in a variety of different jobs including translating for doctors with International Relief Teams in Tijuana, Mexico, high school chemistry teacher, server / bartender and an insurance specialist. In her spare time Adrianna enjoys traveling, dancing (especially salsa) and outdoor activities. She is excited about Seattle and getting to snowboard, hike and rock climb while enjoying the magnificent views of the Pacific Northwest. Adrianna’s professional interests include homeless medicine, obstetrics / gynecology, addiction medicine, underserved medicine and teaching. She hopes that after completing her training she will be able to work at a community health center combining all of these interests. Adrianna’s philosophy of care: Family medicine addresses not only the social, cultural and emotional health needs of patients and their families, but also addresses the health needs of the community and how that affects the patient. She is an adamant believer that health care is a right that should be accessible for all.
Tuan-Anh Nguyen, M.D.
Tuan-Anh Nguyen was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. He received his undergraduate education and medical education at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. He chose to go into family medicine, because he wanted to possess a skill set to be able to treat a variety of illnesses and he wanted to be able to develop meaningful relationships with his patients. He believes that family medicine as a specialty provides an environment where one can truly go beyond treating illnesses and provide good health for one's patients. During his free time he enjoys hiking, playing basketball, skiing, playing the guitar, and spending time with family and friends.
Matt Perez, M.D.
Matt was born & raised in Washington state. He obtained his BS in biology from the University of Portland, where he also ran division I cross country. He went to the University of Washington for medical school. After an inspirational medical school rotation in a community health center, Matt chose family medicine as the specialty that combines his various interests. He lucked out in finding the Cherry Hill program because of its commitment to the underserved, faculty that love to teach, great clinic/EMR, focus on addiction medicine and training to work in a community health center.
His medical interests include sports medicine, mental health, dermatology, rheumatology, women’s health and helping all patients find a birth control plan that works for them. He particularly enjoys teaching and patient education.
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Elise Pletnikoff, M.D.
Elise attended high school and elementary school in Kodiak, AK. In 2006, She obtained her BA in biology at Carroll College in Helena, MT. In 2010, Elise received her MD at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle, WA. Elise’s philosophy of care: All people deserve access to excellent medical care provided in a thoughtful, patient-centered manner. Her specific medical interests include underserved populations, patient education, rural medicine, American Indian and Alaskan Native populations, community health and continuity of care. Elise’s personal interests include hiking, running, kayaking, reading, being outdoors and enjoying family and friends.
Daniel Rivas, M.D.
Daniel attended Baylor University where he obtained a BS in Biology. He earned his MD at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Daniel’s philosophy of care: Continuity between the patient and physician enhances care by allowing the physician to learn about and incorporate the patient's unique family, social, and cultural backgrounds into a comprehensive approach. Educating patients about their health empowers them to take a proactive approach to their own health. Affordable quality healthcare is a right, not a privilege. His special medical interests include International Medicine, Care of the Underserved, Public Health, Health Education and Literacy, LGBT Health, Adolescent Health, Office procedures. In his spare time, Daniel enjoys international travel, live music, international cuisine, films, photography and standup comedy. He is trying to spend more time outdoors.
Emily Ashbaugh, M.D.
Emily Ashbaugh graduated from the University of Wisconsin- Madison, and received her medical degree from the University of Washington School of Medicine. She chose family medicine in order to care for the whole patient and the many factors which affect their health. Her special interests are broad, including adolescent medicine, women’s health and OBGYN, integrative medicine, focus on underserved and community medicine, and LGBTQ-specific health issues. A native to the Pacific Northwest, she is happy to be in her home region where she enjoys hiking, skiing, horseback riding, basketball and rugby- as well as reading, writing and adventures in cooking/gardening.
Megan Blunda, M.D.
Megan Blunda is a graduate of Georgetown University School of Medicine and University of Pennsylvania undergrad. She grew up in the Washington, DC area, and spent 4 years after college in San Francisco, CA, working as a medical assistant and as the Clinical Operations Director for a group of primary care clinics. After four years back in Washington DC for medical school, Megan is thrilled to be back on the West Coast!
As a fluent Spanish speaker with a long-standing interest in serving the Latino community locally and abroad, she loves the commitment to multi-cultural care seen at Swedish-Cherry Hill. She is also enjoying Seattle’s outdoor opportunities; Megan loves camping and hiking, and has recently earned her Wilderness First Responder certification. Megan has a strong interest in integrative medicine, having participated in a weekly Mind-Body elective throughout medical school, and plans to continue that passion through residency. Megan loves Family Medicine because she can pursue all of these interests, as well as develop relationships with patients that can last for a lifetime.
Cecilia Disney, M.D.
Cecilia Disney was born and grew up in the Adirondack Park in upstate New York. She completed her undergraduate studies at Hamilton College in 2007. During college, she spent a semester abroad working at a health post in rural Nicaragua. Cecilia attended medical school at the University Of Pennsylvania School Of Medicine. She spent her fourth year of medical school working with a NGO in the Dominican Republic on a water filtration project. Cecilia chose a career in Family Medicine because of her passion for preventative medicine and community health while having the opportunity to truly understand her patients. She believes access to primary care should be a universal right for all. She also believes in the importance of incorporating a patient’s cultural, social, and economic concerns into their medical care. Cecilia was attracted to the Swedish Cherry Hill program because of the opportunity to care for the medically underserved while being surrounded by excellent and compassionate family medicine physicians. Her interests include yoga, hiking, cross country skiing, and exploring the Pacific Northwest with her dog Charlie.
Kaitlan Elston, M.D.
Kaitlan Elston graduated from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. Before attending medical school, she completed a BA in Spanish Literature and Zoology at Miami University and a Masters of Neuroscience at Kings College London, UK. She returned for medical school in the US with an even stronger belief that health care should be available to every person, despite current barriers to access or ability to pay. Kaitlan’s love of work with underserved populations, both local and international, has driven her to take part in many community projects including the creation of a medical student interpreter program for city health centers of Philadelphia, community health work in clinics and an orphanage in Honduras, and teaching and public health projects in Rwanda. She strives to continue this type of work and more in Seattle and is thrilled to be a part of a program filled with like-minded, driven individuals, dedicated as intensely to their patients’ lives as their commitment to change for social justice. Kaitlan’s medical interests include equal opportunity health care for refugee and immigrant populations, international medicine, women’s and reproductive health, LGBTQ health care, and hugs. Outside of medicine she enjoys running, hiking, cycling, and snowboarding; she also loves cooking, learning languages, hammocks, traveling, hugging trees, and playing the harp.
Jen Flament, M.D.
Jen Flament received her undergraduate degree in International Relations at American University. After graduation, she served in the Peace Corps as an HIV/AIDS Education volunteer in Mali. Her experience in West Africa led her to consider a career in medicine and to appreciate the role that health and healthcare play in communities and development. After completing the post-baccalaureate pre-medical program at Goucher College she attended Tulane University School of Medicine. Living in post-Katrina New Orleans, Jen was constantly reminded that one does not have to search far to find communities in need of primary care. Jen strongly believes in the Family Medicine model of empowering patients to understand and manage their own health. She hopes to continue working with underserved communities and looks forward to meeting the people of Seattle.
In her spare time, Jen enjoys endurance running, biking, reading, travel, languages, and beer tasting.
Jeremy Johnson, M.D., M.P.H.
Jeremy grew up on a small farm in a Barrett, MN; population 350. His love of music and hopes of becoming a rock star pulled him to Minneapolis where he went to McNally-Smith School of Music for percussion performance. After Jeremy graduated from this program he decided to go to the University of Minnesota. While there he had the opportunity to become a teaching assistant for the School of Public Health and the Human Anatomy lab. These experiences peaked his interests in population health and medicine. He attended the University of Minnesota Medical School. Jeremy’s Philosophy of Care: “I believe that continuity of care, strong patient partnerships, and integrated care are essential in providing high quality care and access to this care is a human right”. Jeremy’s special medical interests include public health, academic medicine, health systems, end-of-life care and sports medicine. Jeremy’s personal interests include running, drumming, and pretty much everything involving cheese.
Gregory Maddox, M.D.
Gregory earned is BS from James Madison University; his MS from Georgetown University and his MD from Cornell Medical College. Gregory’s philosophy of care: “To provide high quality primary care services with an emphasis on promoting healthy lifestyles and disease prevention”. His specific medical interests include underserved populations, preventative health care, sports medicine and health policy. Gregory’s personal Interests include spending time with his wife and children, hiking with his dogs, home improvement projects, exercise, cooking, and exploring the northwest.
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Linsey Monaghan, M.D.
Linsey Monaghan graduated with a B.S. in Health Science from Truman State University and completed medical school at the University of Missouri. Linsey believes in the holistic model of care, caring for the physical, mental, spiritual and social health of her patients and acknowledging them as whole people, treating their illnesses within the context of their lives. She also believes in the importance of developing strong patient-doctor relationships and enjoys educating her patients and engaging them in their own care. She is passionate about maternal-child health, women’s health, lifestyle and preventative medicine, community health, and underserved medicine. She enjoys spending time with her husband and her Australian Shepherd, Ruby, dancing, yoga, reading, hiking, camping and generally being outdoors. She also loves cooking and baking with whole foods and local ingredients.
Nadia Norton, M.D.
Nadia Norton was born in Tuba City, Arizona on the Navajo Reservation, but she grew up in Southern California. She received her B.A. in English with an emphasis in Fiction Writing from Stanford University in 2004. After college, she moved back home and completed a Post-Baccalaureate Premedical Program at the University of Southern California. She then moved back up to the Bay Area to attend medical school at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine. During medical school, she acted as member and co-president of the UCSF Native American Health Alliance to increase awareness of health issues in the Native community. She also acted as the secretary for the California Student Association of Family Medicine. She is excited to be at Swedish Cherry Hill and especially to be serving the Native American community of the Seattle area at the Seattle Indian Health Board. She plans to serve her Navajo community on the reservation, after completing her training. Outside of medicine, she enjoys running, swimming, reading fiction, watching movies, and is learning how to snowboard.
Jamie Phifer, M.D.
Jamie hails from the Sunshine State where she graduated with honors from University of Florida College of Medicine. She is trading in her flip-flops, sunshine, and SEC football to start what she hopes will be the perfect fit residency program at Carolyn Downs. Growing up in community theater among actors, painters and musicians taught her the value of both hard work and pursuit of a true calling. When not dedicated to academic interests such as inequities in healthcare, family planning and integrative medicine, her time is primarily divided among, running, ultimate frisbee, guitar, and pretending to cook. Her most recent accomplishment was leading a running relay team, the Supernaked Superheros, 191 miles from Miami to Key West.
Amy Potter, M.D.
Amy Potter grew up in Albuquerque, N.M., attended the University of Pennsylvania where she majored in World History and minored in African Studies and then studied medicine at the University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry. Her first "career" was in sports journalism, working at the Daily Pennsylvanian, Penn's independent student newspaper, then Sports Illustrated and MSNBCsports.com. Seeking life outside of a cubicle and greater fulfillment from her job, she started volunteering at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. It was there she realized her desire to pursue a career in medicine. During medical school, Amy traveled to Cuenca, Ecuador, where she conducted a study regarding health care professionals' use of Internet resources for medically-related inquiries. She was an active member and leader of AMSA and Medical Students for Choice. Her medical interests include medical education, evidence-based medicine, point-of-care access to resources, women's & reproductive health and sports medicine. Amy adopted her favorite companion, a Wheaton Terrier/Chow mix named Birch, in 2008. She is an avid Philadelphia Phillies ‘phan’, and enjoys running, yoga, road biking and playing soccer.
Jonathan Wells, M.D.
Jonathan grew up in North Carolina and remained there for both college and medical school, having graduated from Duke University with an undergraduate degree in Cultural Anthropology and then from the University of North Carolina with his Medical Degree. He is excited to be a part of Swedish Cherry Hill because of the passion he saw amongst the faculty and residents for the patients that they serve, as well as the heart that they have for one another. Jonathan found his calling in Family Medicine because as a discipline it appreciates the whole individual (body, mind, spirit), as well as the connections between the individual and their various social relationships and contexts. He has particular interests in the intersection of primary care and mental health care, community health, substance abuse and addictions, and LGB and Transgender Health. Away from work, Jonathan enjoys hanging out in coffee shops, exploring the best places to dance, trying new food experiences, and finding new pub trivia nights or games to challenge himself.
Shoshana Aleinikoff, M.D.
Shoshana Aleinikoff was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan and grew up in the DC area. She completed her undergraduate education at Cornell University and her medical school training at Georgetown University. Through work in a variety of underserved communities, including a small village in Ghana, a homeless clinic in Washington, DC, a Congolese refugee camp in Tanzania, and rural upstate New York, Shoshana discovered her passion for family medicine. She found her perfect match at Cherry Hill, an academically rigorous residency program teaching full spectrum family medicine with a mission of underserved care. She could not be more excited by the residency community she gets to join. Shoshana’s interests in family medicine include refugee health care, global health, adolescent medicine, HIV care, and inpatient medicine. She is excited to have made the move to Seattle where she loves to explore the many parks, restaurants, and surrounding mountains of her new city! She hopes that in time, she will get to know the city as well as Peter does, but for now she will continue to enjoy her local co-interns excellent Seattle recommendations and directions.
Peter Berberian, M.D.
Peter Berberian was born in Seattle and lived there until medical school. He graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in neurobiology and then spent a year traveling through Brazil and several African countries. Peter attended medical school at UCLA as a member of the UCLA/Drew Medical Education Program, which places special emphasis on working with underserved patients. Peter loved working with the Latino community in Los Angeles and was drawn to Family Medicine for its emphasis on primary and preventive care, as well as obstetrics and women's health. Twice while in medical school he took the opportunity to visit Mozambique where he met many young people eager to improve the health of their communities. Peter would love to return to Mozambique one day to help train the next generation of physicians there and to share the message of Family Medicine. Peter enjoys basketball, running, and the zoo, and he loves spending time with his wife, Sunny. While in residency, he hopes to learn how to dance like Lilian Chan.
Lillian Chan, M.D.
Lilian has lived on the West Coast for the majority of her life, growing up in the Bay Area and then studying Biology at the University of Puget Sound. She took a few years to pursue her interest in special education where she worked with kids with autism abroad in St. Lucia and back home in Oakland. She was lucky enough to study medicine in the Pacific Northwest where the strong culture of family medicine drew her in and she found supportive family doctors who she felt were living the dream. She finds excitement in obstetrics, international health, and loves that she is able to continue her work with the underserved.
She has a few goals outside of medicine for this year: learning how to bake pretzels, teaching her dog JuJu how to do a backflip, running a half marathon, and continue striving to be as adventurous and free spirited as her co-intern Joshua Evans. When she is not off travelling, she can be found experimenting in her kitchen, running up hills, hiking in redwood forests, taking photos, dancing to 90s Pandora, biking, and eating Ezell’s chicken or from various food trucks.
Joshua Evans, M.D.
Joshua Evans Bio To Come...
Jessica Guh, M.D.
Jess grew up on the east coast in a suburb of Philadelphia before she moved to California to attend college. At Stanford University she studied film, played ultimate frisbee, and lived in hippie co-op. In between college and medical school she worked as bartender/restaurant server and as a union organizer. She went to medical school at the University of Michigan where she met her current partner, and they were lucky enough to match together back on the west coast!
Jess's philosophy of care: Jess believes that working in partnership with patients and the community in healthcare is one of the most important ways to fight for social justice. As physicians, our job is to help patients empower themselves to achieve and maintain wellness. This involves not only treating direct medical pathology, but also taking into account and advocating for community wellness on a larger scale, be that secure housing, quality education, or any of the many social determinants of health.
Her special medical interests include comprehensive women's healthcare, geriatrics, addiction, and working with immigrant populations.
When she's not at work she continues to play ultimate frisbee (though no longer tolerates being forced to attend morning sprint practice), loves cooking, finding new tasty foods, reading graphic novels, and writing. By the end of residency she hopes to be able to tear up the dance floor like her co-resident Jess Karp.
Jessica Karp, M.D.
Jessica Karp was born and raised in sunny San Diego, California. She moved east and completed her undergraduate studies in Classics at the University of Pennsylvania. She spent the next two years focused on volunteerism: first abroad, most notably in India, and then participated in AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps in Washington, D.C., working at the educational non-profit, For Love of Children. She continued her committment to humanism and social justice during her time at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, New York. The phenomenal people and program at Swedish Cherry Hill and the thrill of the Northwest has brought her back to the West Coast, and she is here to stay! Jessica chose Family Medicine because she believes in the possibility of becoming a community healer: someone who provides care that is in tune with the cultural customs of the community, and has the unique opportunity to be recognized as a vital force in the everyday lives of people striving for health. Jessica's medical interests include women's reproductive health, obstetrics, pediatrics and adolescent health, social justice and underserved communities, global health, and integrative medicine. Outside of medicine, Jessica loves yoga, tennis, hiking and camping, reading, traveling abroad, bodies of water, watching sunsets, team-building activities, singing camp songs, and vegetarian cooking. And by the end of residency, among other goals, she hopes to be as great a chef as her co-resident, Anuj!
Anuj Khattar, M.D.
Anuj Khattar graduated from UCLA and then obtained his medical degree at the Oregon Health and Science University School of Medicine. Family medicine has been on Anuj’s radar since he volunteered at the UCLA Mobile Clinic, caring for the diverse urban underserved and uninsured populations of West Los Angeles. He spent many nights listening to the stories these patients had to share, whether it be about the loss of a friend to HIV/AIDS, getting paid to be an extra for a Hollywood film, or the crazy drugs and schemes they had been getting into. After his share of California sunshine, Anuj headed up to Portland, Oregon, for a new experience. The focus on local, sustainable, and organic resources in the Pacific Northwest cultivated his love of food, holistic living, and the outdoors. Anuj is excited to continue his adventure in the Pacific Northwest by exploring Seattle’s food scene, plethora of lakes, and slightly confusing bike trails. Though he is impressed by all of his co-interns, he especially is in awe of his co-intern Gretchen Mjedle’s amazing board game collection, exceptional ability to communicate in fishbowl, and striking facial expressions.
Gretchen Mjelde, M.D.
Gretchen was born and raised in Eastern Washington. She obtained her BS in Genetics in Cell Biology from Washington State University in Pullman, where she also conducted three years of research on early ovarian development. She attended medical school at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle. Gretchen’s medical interests include patient education, prevention, musculoskeletal medicine, dermatology, and office procedures. Her personal pursuits include gardening, playing piano, biking, snowboarding, and learning how to cook. She plans on picking up some tips from her co-intern Laura, who can ride a bike in style even while wearing a skirt.
Laura Morgan, M.D.
Laura Morgan was born and raised in Seattle, WA. After graduating from Colorado College, she returned to Seattle to attend University of Washington School of Medicine, graduating with a certificate in underserved medicine. Her interest in primary care was sparked through her work in Colorado and the Washington Peninsula, where she gained an appreciation for the challenges unique to rural populations and immigrant communities. She was drawn to Cherry Hill primarily because the residents and faculty are kick-ass (!), demonstrating both incredible clinical skill, as well as commitment to the mission of working with underserved communities. Her special interests lie in OB, addiction medicine and prison medicine. She is determined to improve her Spanish, (and possibly her English), and is looking forward to shenanigans on and off service with her awesome co-residents, whose talents go far beyond the realm of medicine (looking at you Chinyere…What a voice!). She spends her weekends hiding her pager under her mattress and hiking, biking, running her pup around beautiful Seattle.
Chinyere Obimba, M.D., M.P.H.
Chinyere was born in Ann Arbor, MI, and lived in the area for 22 years surrounded by a large and loving extended family. She attended the University of Michigan for college, double majoring in Cellular and Molecular Biology and Spanish. As such, she conducted basic science research in the genetics of OB / OB mice and the visceral fat cytokines that influence atherosclerosis while serving on the board of a bilingual literacy program and learning from the local Latino community. She took a break one summer and learned public health research skills and Caribbean Spanish in the Jarabacoa, Dominican Republic. After college, she made her way to the East Coast to attend Harvard Medical School, completing her Master’s in Public Health in Family and Community Health along the way. Her favorite parts of medical school included her participation in Student National Medical Association, advocating for local immigrant families through a community clinic-based project called Bridging the Gap, co-directing FABRIC, a cultural show celebrating the African Diaspora and conducting a maternal-child health project in Northeast Brazil to improved HIV and syphilis screening during prenatal care. She fell in love with family medicine because of its special dedication to the care of underserved populations and its unique position to address the social determinants of health for communities. She is excited she finally made her way to the best coast and is falling for Seattle. She looks forward to learning from her new community at Carolyn Downs and becoming more outdoorsy to take full advantage of the beautiful Pacific Northwest. Her interests include obstetrics, maternal-child health, community health, adolescent health, immigrant and minority health and the elimination of health care disparities. She’s also into language learning, everything Brazil, creative writing, singing, dancing, reading, cooking, documentary watching and city-going. She hopes to learn to play the piano like David Sapienza at some point, or at least someday perform in a band like he has.
David Sapienza, M.D.
David Sapienza grew up in Massachusetts and received his undergraduate degree in Political Science from Boston University. After graduating he moved to Seattle (for the first time) to do a public health research fellowship at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation before returning home to attend the University of Massachusetts Medical School. He is excited to be back in Seattle to continue his training at Swedish-Cherry Hill and the Seattle Indian Health Board. David is committed to providing compassionate primary care medicine that is tailored to each individual’s unique needs, belief systems, and life circumstances. He believes all people deserve equal access to high quality health care. His interests within medicine include integrative medicine, reproductive health, addiction medicine, rural medicine, and caring for the underserved. Outside of medicine he enjoys vegan cooking, jogging, hiking, camping, and music. David wishes he had the line dancing and outdoorswoman skills of Madeline Turner.
Madeline Turner, M.D.
Madeline Turner grew up in Montana and pursued her undergraduate education at Montana State University. She earned her medical degree with a certificate in Global Health from the University of Washington. Madeline’s interest in working with the whole family started with her clinical experiences in rural Montana. She believes healthcare is a human right and chose Swedish Cherry Hill for the opportunity to work with faculty and co-residents who are also devoted to serving the underserved. Madeline also has an interest in global health. During medical school, she was honored to study with traditional healers in Mongolia, and to work and teach at a hospital in rural Malawi. Her special medical interests include women’s health, reproductive health, pediatrics, LGBT care, teaching, and underserved populations. Outside of medicine, Madeline enjoys good food, hiking, fly fishing, cooking, sunny days, traveling, knitting, breweries, running, and spending time with family and friends. One day, Madeline aspires to have miraculous gymnastic flipping skills like Shoshana.