GRMERC

GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE MEDICAL EDUCATION / FAMILY MEDICINE HOME / RESIDENTS

	Erica Armstrong, MD Hometown: Sandusky, OH Undergraduate: The Ohio State University Medical School: Wright State University Medical Interests: Sports medicine and pediatric/adolescent medicine. Hobbies: running, sports (especially OSU football games), spending time with family and friends, taking digital pictures, traveling, and watching tv! Personal: I just got married to my medical school sweetheart, Shannon. We were married in June and then went to Italy before the beginning of residency. I have a younger brother and sister. Why GRFMR? Nice people. A combination of University/Community program where we get to teach medical students and we also are very involved with community physicians. No specialty residents in our home hospital - We work directly with Attendings. Friendly atmosphere. We do our peds rotations in a Children's Hospital (unlike many other community programs). Interesting tidbits: I know almost every episode of "Friends" by heart. I have ridden the roller coasters at Cedar Point probably more than 100 times. I went to Chicago twice during the first month of residency - it's a close drive!
	Carla Antola L., MD Hometown: Buenos Aires, Argentina Medical School: Universidad Favaloro Medical Interests: Sports medicine Hobbies: love dancing!, outdoors activities, hanging out with my friends, sports-gym Personal: my parents and little dog are in Argentina. My older sister is in Illinois with her husband. No nephews yet :( Why GRFMR? great people, we work directly with the attendings, teaching opportunities, the city is very nice. Interesting tidbits:as soon as I get home, I just turn on the music and start singing like crazy!
	Matt Boyd, MD Hometown: Flint, MI Undergrad: University of Michigan, Flint Medical School: Wayne State University Medical Interests: Sports Medicine
	Napoleon Bravo, MD Hometown: Long Beach, CA Undergrad: University of the Philppines Manila Medical School: University of the East - Philippines Hobbies: Spending time with family, eating home-cooked food, swimming, Scuba Diving and traveling. Personal: Married to Victoria and has 1 daughter named Angela. Why GRFMR? Lower cost of living, nice people, less traffic compared to LA, and presence of cultural diversity. At GRFMR, they have created an environment that is intellectually challenging, in addition to being socially and professionally supportive. Interesting tidbits: I am the 8th of 13 siblings in the family.
	Michael Dizon Cabasug, MD Hometown: Laguna, Philippines Undergraduate: Laguna, Philippines Medical School: De La Salle University-Health Sciences Campus Medical Interests: all fields, that's why Family Practice Rocks! Hobbies: Road tripping, all sports especially tennis Personal: Why GRFMR? Excellent program with sufficient exposure to all specialties Interesting tidbits: Grand Rapids is the place to be, citywide progress, beautiful city and of course warm and wonderful people.
	Jeffery Chamberlain, MD Hometown: St. Joseph, MI Undergrad: University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana Medical School: Southern Illinois University Medical Interests: One of my biggest draws to family medicine is getting to know patient and families over time. I’m also very interested in Medical Missions and Teaching. Hobbies: As an intern on night float I came up with this joke, whenever people ask me what I do for fun, I tell them "the hobby I do most often is admitting patients to the hospital". But for some reason, I am the only person who thinks that joke is funny. Other hobbies I enjoy the most are spending time with my family, doing church activities, any type of outdoor activity and riding my motorcycle. Personal: My wife is an elementary school teacher. At the time of this writing, we have one daughter, born in September of 2006. Why GRFMR? Most decent size cities are so focused on medical subspecialties that it is really hard to find a city the size of Grand Rapids with a community of Family Medicine doctors that are this well respected by the rest of the local medical community. Grand Rapids is a great place to live, the atmosphere at the hospital is positive, and the Family Medicine Program is great.
	Alithea Dacanay, MD Hometown: Baguio City, Philippines Undergrad: University of the Philippines, Dilman Medical School: University of the Philippines, Manila Medical Interests: Pediatrics, OB, and Geriatrics Hobbies: Singing (Karoke concerts), dancing, reading, traveling, window shopping, hanging out with my love and family. Personal: Married to Pat, "ate" (eldest sister) of siblings nicknamed runt, kuysi, agator, grew up where you can find the most exquisite beaches in the world – the Philippines! Why GRFMR? Culturally diverse community and program, great camaraderie between resident and faculty. Strong OB program. Interesting Tidbits: Pat and I love bears. We had bear toppers on our wedding cake!
	Alma DeLeon, MD Hometown: Manila, Philippines Undergrad: De La Salle University, Manila Medical School: De La Salle University, Philippines
	Paul Dibble, MD Hometown: Twin Lake, MI Undergrad: Grand Valley State University Medical School: Wayne State University Hobbies: Music, sailing, outdoor activities, photography Personal: Married to Yessenia. 3 daughters, Nichole and twins Jasmin and Rachel Why GRFMR? The best FM residency I know of --offers outstanding experience in the full scope of FM in an environment verey friendly to family physicians. Great place to live and to raise a family. Interesting tidbits: I was homeschooled.
	Mitchell Gadow, MD Hometown: Pittsburg, KS Undergrad: Pittsburg State University Medical School: Ross University
	Hazel Gavino, MD Hometown: Manila, Philippines Undergraduate: De La Salle University-Manila Medical School: De La Salle University-Health Sciences Campus
	Lalitha Guthikonda, MD Hometown: Hyderabad, India Medical School: Kakatiya Medical College, India. Medical Interests: Pediatrics, Adult medicine Hobbies: I enjoy spending time with my husband and my son, watching movies, cooking and traveling. Personal: I am married to Sai and we have one son Abhiram. I have my parents & other family members in India and two sisters in US. Why GRFMR? It’s an excellent program to get trained in Family Medicine and Grand Rapids is a great place to live.
	D'Andrea Heeres, MD Hometown: Muskegon, MI Undergraduate: Grand Valley State University Medical School: Wayne State University School of Medicine Hobbies: Movies, watching Family Guy & Monk, Playing Foosball and Pool, Just hanging out and having some downtime with family & friends! Personal: I grew up in Muskegon and stayed in West Michigan until I went to Detroit for medical school. I met my fiance (Erik) while in Detroit and we now live in the Caledonia area. We are getting married in July of 2007. I am very happy to be back in West Michigan! Why GRFMR? The people here are great - the nurses, the residents, the faculty- everyone is very nice and always willing to teach or just help you out. GRFMR has a great patient centered approach to practicing medicine. Also, it's all about the location; Grand Rapids is a great place to practice medicine in - it has a diverse and growing population with many cultural and religious backgrounds. ...Not to mention GR is an awesome place to have fun and hang out! Interesting tidbits: 2 cats (Avery & Sammie), I have played the piano since I was 5 years old, I'm the youngest out of 6 kids.
	Cristina U. Ignacio, MD Undergraduate: University of the Philippines, Manila Medical School: University of the City of Manila Medical Interests: Underserved Health, Pediatrics Hobbies: food, travel, Collin Personal: My family is based in New Jersey. I was a full time aunt to my cute nephew Collin before coming to Grand Rapids. Why GRFMR? The PEOPLE. Everyone is so nice, friendly and supportive. I felt right at home the very first time I went to Grand Rapids. Interesting tidbits: I love desserts.
	Sara Kabsoun, MD Hometown: Khartoum, Sudan Undergraduate: Academy of Medical Sciences and Technology, Khartoum, Sudan Medical School: Academy of Medical Sciences and Technology, Khartoum, Sudan Medical Interests: in-patient medicine, preventive medicine and geriatrics Hobbies: swimming, music and spending time with my family and friends Personal: Married to my wonderful and very supportive husband. Why GRFMR? I was impressed by the program and felt that the program director and the faculty are very supportive. Interesting tidbits: I have 2 brothers, 4 sisters, 5 nephews and 5 nieces.
	Kamran Khan, MD Hometown: Lahore, Pakistan and Mississauga, Canada Undergrad: Government College, Lahore Medical School: Allama Iqbal Medical College, Lahore Hobbies: watching movies, swimming Personal Information: Married. My parents and siblings are in Canada and Pakistan. Family means everything to me, along with my friends who are extremely special. Why GRFMR? Liked the faculty and residents.
	Ron Luanzon, MD Hometown: Mandaluyong City, Philippines Undergraduate: De La Salle University Medical School: DeLasalle University Medical Interests: Outpatient procedures, OB/Women's Health, Ambulatory Medicine Hobbies: Reading, Cooking, Dining out, Shopping and TIVO (of course) Personal: I seriously love the scorching heat of Phoenix, AZ. Why GRFMR? Attendings, residents and staff (especially Alicia!!!) are all nice and friendly. Strong OB and Pediatrics training. Interesting Tidbits: I received my medical degree at the age of 23. My colleagues call me GQ Ron.
	Patricia Millan, MD Hometown: San Juan, Metro Manila, Philippines Undergrad: Ateno de Manila University, Quezon City, Philippines Medical School: University of the East Philippines
	Peter Miller, MD Hometown: Grand Rapids Undergraduate: Grand Valley State University Medical School: Wayne State University Hobbies: Reading, running, cooking out, playing with our children and watching movies, football, basketball, baseball etc. Personal: Married with 2 boys. Why GRFMR? I liked growing up in GR and was thrilled to move back after med school. I believe the program to be as strong as any in the state and better than most at caring about and investing in the success and wellbeing of their residents. Interesting tidbits: I wanted to be a veterinarian growing up but gave it up after realizing that while I enjoyed the books by James Harriet immensely and do on occasion like certain animals, at least on a case-by-case basis, I really prefer working with people.
	Mandy Overmyer, MD Hometown: Ludington, MI Undergraduate: Grand Valley State University Medical School: Wayne State University
	Ranny Rabacal, MD Hometown: Vigan, Philippines Undergraduate: Saint Louis University - Philippines Medical School: University of Santo Tomas, Philippines
	Jay Sanvictores, MD Hometown: Taytay, Rizal / San Nicolas, Pangasinan Undergraduate: BS Biology - UP Baguio Medical School: University of the Philippines Manila College of Medicine Medical Interests: Family Medicine has bits of everything; I am very interested in doing rotations in Geriatrics, Palliative Medicine, and Sports Medicine. Hobbies: : During my spare time, I watch you tube, dvd, or chat with my friends. And if really needed, I read books. Personal: I am new to Grand Rapids City. I grew up in a country where we have sun almost 365 days a year. It will be my first time to experience winter in Michigan. Why GRFMR? There is balance or harmony in the program. The attendings and medical staffs are always there when you need help. The family medicine program with Grand Rapids as its background makes it a perfect combination for training and personal/social life. The program covers all the rotations that we will need to be the "best" family physicians. Interesting tidbits: I have collection of pets at home, a mayna (talking) bird, 8 lovebirds, 9 tropical fishes, 2 turtles, and a dog. I love gardening. Back home, I used to make bonsais. I am into techy stuff too. Cooking is my weakness.
	Anil Suwal, MD Home town: Kathmandu, Nepal Medical School: B.P.Koirala Institute of Health Sciences Hobbies: Listening and playing music, Swimming Personal: Married to Monika Why GRFMR? : Faculty, residents and all other members are very helpful and cooperative. This is a great city you will love it!
	Gwen Unizicker, MD Hometown: Mark, IL Undergraduate: Bob Jones University, Greenville, SC Medical School: Southern Illinois University Medical Interests: Pediatrics, Geriatrics, Behavioral Science Personal: Oldest of 5, aunt to 2 of the cutest, smartest boys in the world. Hobbies: Napping, drinking coffee, watching movies, playing games (mind and board), checking 20 books out of the library at a time and not finishing a single one, procrastinating. Why GRFMR? Location, location, location. Interesting tidbits: I have failed the CAGE questionnaire about my caffeine consumption on multiple occasions. I spent 2 months in the Bush in Kenya but am afraid of the mouse in my kitchen. I don't remember what my natural hair color is.
	Lucian Vlad, MD Hometown: Sibiu, Romania Undergraduate: Colegiul "Gheorghe Lazar" Sibiu, Romania Medical School: Universitea de Medicina Sibiu, Romania Hobbies: computers, watching cartoons with my daughter, mountain trips. Personal: Married to Lucia, my high school sweetheart, I have a daughter, Alexandra who is 4 years old, and a son, Victor, who was born in March of 2007. Why GRFMR? Awesome and dedicated faculty, strong program, emphasis on teaching. Grand Rapids is the best place to raise a family. Interesting tidbits: my name is Vlad, I am from Transylvania ... for real. But I`m a very friendly guy, I don`t bite, I promise! I’ve got lots of friends all over this planet.
	Alana Wiarda, MD Hometown: Rockford MI Undergraduate: Michigan State University Medical School: Michigan State University - CHM Hobbies: Biking, traveling, reading Why GRFMR? Close to family, went through medical school clinicals in GR and really liked the residents and faculty that I met and worked with.