GrandRapidsMedicalEducation

Paul Abrams, MD
Medical School: University of Iowa

Sherley Aramath , MD
Hometown: Hyperabad, India
Medical School: Gandhi Medical College, India

Hobbies: music, guitar, reading, traveling, photography, poems, and cooking!
Personal: Married for only one year to a sweet and loving husband, my best friend & mentor. Looking forward to children, but not too soon!

Why GRFMR? This program stood out from all others in giving concern to the overall well-being of its residents.
Interesting Tidbits: I've been actively involved in church activities from a young age. And as a friendly warning, I haven't driven in snow yet so watch out!

Lindy Babcock, MD
Medical School: Michigan State University

Jeanne Bohm, MD
Hometown:  Cincinnati
Undergrad:  University of Cincinnati 
Medical School:   University of Toledo
Medical Interests: Women's Health, Underserved, Mission Trips, Urgent Care/Emergency Care

Hobbies: Hiking, Swimming, Church Website, Spanish

Why GRFMR? Opportunities for International Electives, Underserved opportunities, OB
Interesting Tidbits: Have a PhD in Toxicology and taught in community colleges and did postdoctoral research in Molecular Biology before starting medical school. Also created and maintain a church website and plan to start a Christian clinic at the church (Spanish Church). I want to do overseas mission trips and currently learning Spanish.

Timothy Byon, MD
Hometown:  Paso Robles, CA
Undergrad:  California Polytechnic University, SLO
Medical School:  De La Salle College of Medicine
Medical Interests:  International Medi cine, OB, and Urgent Care
Hobbies:  I enjoy spending my free time with my lovely wife and precious children.  On a sunny day, outdoor activities with the kids are wonderful.  On a gloomy day, staying indoors and playing board games while sipping hot coco is nice too.  

Why GRFMR?   GRFMR has a great balance between giving the residents maximal exposure to patient care while still incorporating much education.  The work environment in all the rotating hospitals is superb.  The people in the program come across so genuine and caring.  In addition, Grand Rapids would be a terrific place to practice medicine, call home, and raise my family.    
Interesting Tidbits:  When I was 15 years old, my mother and I were in a vehicular accident in which our minivan was thrown down an embankment causing us to roll 4 to 5 times.  Fortunately, my mother had her seat belt fastened.  Unfortunately, I did not.  Miraculously though, I was ejected from the van and was later found unconscious with minor injuries.  It was later determined in the hospital that all I had was a minor concussion.  

Iain Charnley, MD

Hometown:  Greenville, MI
Undergrad:  Albion College
Medical School: Northwestern University
Medical Interests: Preventative Care, Sports Medicine, Geriatrics

Hobbies: Anything Outdoor - biking, running, kayaking; Train travel, Service & Volunteer Work, Singing, Piano (yes - my Mother was right when she told me I should be practicing), furniture restoration, cooking/baking (or at least trying to).
Personal: I grew up in the Kalamazoo area, enjoyed 4 years in Chicago for medical school, and now I'm glad to be back in West Michigan.

Why GRFMR? After spending an away rotation here during my 4th year of medical school I was impressed by the teamwork and fun that went into patient care on the family medicine service. From the attendings to the senior residents I saw exemplary clinical practice, great interpersonal skills, and a desire to work together. As a native Michigander I am very partial to West Michigan. The friendly staff at St. Mary's and welcome I've received in Grand Rapids has been encouraging. I hope to practice in West Michigan and know that this residency will prepare me well while also helping me to establish a referral base for specialist here in the city.
Interesting Tidbits: I'm a new homeowner! I live in the Alger Heights neighborhood and enjoy spending summer evenings working in the yard.

I spent 5 weeks of my 4th year of medical school working in a small provincial hospital in Stellenbosch, South Africa. From C-sections to staffing the Casualty (ER) we did it all and the hands-on experience was amazing. Seeing so many patients with HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis was sobering.

I once spent an entire day in a Clifford the Big Red Dog costume reading to elementary school students - I now have empathy for those afflicted with hyperhydrosis.

While in medical school a friend and I started a program that provides free preseason physicals to Chicago Public Schools athletes - we ended up doing 500 the first year with 40 medical student volunteers and 10 physicians. Now the program also staffs a school based sports medicine clinic and provides educational seminars to coaches and trainers.

 Madiha Dar, MD

John Dinh aka JD M.D.
Hometown: Salt Lake City, Ut
Undergrad: U of Chicago
Medical School: Rush University
Medical Interests: Underserved areas with limited resources, pathology, lab medicine, cytology, informatics, health and technology, problem based teaching, community outreach, HIV awareness,

Hobbies: Photography, Rock climbing, Astronomy

Why GRFMR? Great palliative care, fm has a strong team building mentality

Interesting Tidbits: I am a prior Pathology resident who took time off for family and met my wife who changed my life. Part of this change was redirecting my focus in medicine to bedside care. My goal was to stay close to my wife who is pursuing a masters in architecture in Chicago. It's been a tumultuous ride but an opportunity for our spirits to grow and to learn about myself and my wife.

Hobbies: Music, Basketball, Cooking, Travelling, Reading, Swimming
Personal: Happily married to the love of my life, Jomi.

Why GRFMR? Everything just felt right about this place. The city is very beautiful. The people have all been wonderful. The program has strong and well-rounded rotation. The residents and faculty get along well and are not just excelling in their work but they seem to be having the time of their lives. After seeing Grand Rapids, I just knew that it would be a great place to train and grow both as a doctor and an individual. 
Interesting tidbits: All my life, I have always been a proud bearer of the colors Green and White from my beloved alma maters - from La Salle Greenhills (Grade School and High School) to De La Salle University Manila (Undergraduate) to De La Salle University Health Sciences Campus (Medical School). And now, I am going to train in a hospital that is an affiliate of Michigan State University.

Mary K Dugan, MD
Hometown: Grand Rapids, MI
Undergraduate: Saint Mary's College. Notre Dame
Medical School: Saba University School of Medicine
Medical Interests: OB and International Medicine

Hobbies: SCUBA diving, traveling, shopping, and playing in my community band. I also enjoy activities that endanger my life enough to be thrilling, but not enough to be considered reckless. (Like spear fishing in shark infested waters, but not riding a motorcycle without a helmet.)
Personal: My family has lived in Grand Rapids for 28 years! My parents are still here, but four siblings have scattered across the country.

Why GRFMR? I have always loved Grand Rapids and never called anywhere else home, even when I was away for school. Grand Rapids is an amazing place to practice medicine, especially family medicine. GRFMR encompasses all of the great aspects of family medicine in this community and does so with the friendliest people, as one can always expect in the Midwest.
Interesting tidbits: I have a Simian Crease. Plus, when I hold up my hand to show you where I'm from in Michigan, I have a freckle indicating my city of birth

Marina S. Dupree, MD
Hometown:   Sonoma, CA
Undergrad: Sonoma State University
Medical School: University Of Washington School of Medicine
Medical Interests: Women’s Health and Sports Medicine.

Hobbies: Spending as much time as possible with my husband Imani, watching movies, visiting with family and friends, working out, running, shopping and preparing for the birth of our baby girl Marina Oceana!

Why GRFMR? The program is very supportive of the residents.  The faculty and staff are invested in top quality training. I feel the resident’s  receive a well-rounded family medicine education fully supported by staff.  It is extremely family friendly.
Interesting Tidbits: I couples matched with my husband who is in orthopedic surgery.

Armasabille Navalon Ermita, MD
Hometown:   Marina, CA 
Undergrad:   University of California, Davis
Medical School:   University of Santo Tomas
Medical Interests: From the beginning to the end - OB-GYN and Geriatrics 

Hobbies: Volleyball and Baking

Why GRFMR? The people and the place. The attendings, seniors, and staff are helpful with the same goal of giving you the best training to become a competent and compassionate fami ly physician. Grand Rapids is "the little big city " full of activities to satisfy anyones interests.  What I like about this program the most is that it is strong in OB-GYN and Geriatrics. There is also an opportunity to participate in medical missions.
Interesting Tidbits: One day I would like to own a beach resort and start a medical mission in my province Masinloc, Zambales in the Philippines. I have an extensive extended family which in part influenced my decision in becoming a family physician.  I can start exploring different countries because I love to travel and now have the monetary funds to do so.

Sukepma Giri, MD

Hometown: Kathmandu, Nepal

Medical School: Xian Jiaotong University
Medical Interests: Women, Infant and Children (WIC)

Hobbies: Traveling, Reading, Cooking, Movies and Social Gathering
Personal: Married to my beloved husband, Chiniya and blessed with a wonderful daughter, Suchitra. My family, in laws and my siblings have been the greatest support of my life.

Why GRFMR?  GRFMR is a Program which treats residents like a family and fosters residency training in a very supportive environment. Besides, Grand Rapids is a great place.

 Frigga Ellen Jacob, MD
Hometown: Manila, Philippines
Undergrad: University of Santo Tomas, Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology  
Medical School: University of Santo Tomas
Medical Interests: Primary Care, Cardiology & Endocrinology, OB, Surgery

Hobbies: Cooking, Gardening, Playing the guitar, Dancing

Why GRFMR?  GRFMR is a great program with well-equipped hospitals, diverse patient population and very supportive and experienced faculty attendings. It is resident-centered and each is being trained to be a "complete" family physician. The team camaraderie is very conducive for learning, making everyday work enjoyable. Aside from the program, the city itself is just the right size to provide a multitude of stimuli to entertain anyone.
Interesting Tidbits: My name means "beloved one" from the norse goddess Frigg, where "Friday" was derived. I was born on a Good Friday of Lent.

Asra Khan, MD
Hometown: Naperville, Illinois
Medical School: St. Matthew's University
Medical Interests: Women and Children's Healthcare

Hobbies: Running, Baking, Reading, Anything outdoors, Watching basketball, Bowling
Personal: I am the oldest of three in my family. My parents and younger siblings currently reside in Naperville.

Why GRFMR? I felt that the program provided a rigorous training environment while ensuring the well-being of its residents.
Interesting tidbits: My math skills are better than that of most doctors (I wouldn't test me too much on that). I love to run, I have no idea why. I would love to learn how to swim and go rock climbing. Hopefully, I'll be able to pick up at least one of these two skills in addition to all the cool doctor stuff in the next three years.

Hobbies: Basketball, eating, the beach

John Rajlich, MD
Hometown: Ann Arbor, MI
Undergrad: University of Notre Dame
Medical School:  Wayne State University
Medical Interests: full spectrum care; also, interested in rural/mission medicine
Hobbies: spending time with my wife and children; we love the zoo

Why GRFMR? The people, the people, the people. I found here residents who grow very capable during their residency, comfortable taking care of a very wide range of pathology, and still maintain strong ties, playing basketball, volleyball, regular get-togethers. Also, many of the attendings and some of the residents have physician spouses and children, which was important for my wife and I, both being residents and having children of our own.

Interesting tidbits about me: I was born in Communist Czechoslovakia; my family lived in dictator-controlled Libya for 6 months, but escaped to the US before I was 2. Which means that I've lived on three continents in three totally different political environments, but I only remember the United States.

 Christopher R. Shoemaker, M.D.
Hometown:   Grand Rapids
Undergrad:   University of Michigan
Medical School:   Wayne State University School of Medicine
Medical Interests: The urban underserved

Hobbies: Playing just about any sport, fishing, golfing with my wife.

Why GRFMR?  There are so many reasons I chose GRFMR…first, were the interactions with the current residents and attendings. They were down to earth yet very knowledgeable and THEY WERE HAPPY! They seemed to truly enjoy coming to work and being a part of this community. Second, was the clinical experience of having a Family Medicine inpatient service from teaching faculty members, a very strong OB influence, as well as a leading Children’s hospital for inpatient pediatrics. This is also home for myself and my wife…we love the west side of Michigan.
Interesting Tidbits: My wife and I are high school sweethearts and grew up in Grand Rapids.   Our first child, a son, was born 2 weeks into my intern year. The program has been so accommodating for that circumstance and truly wants to put you and your family first

Hobbies: Reading the classics and poetry; watching comedies, especially silly ones; hiking, biking, and generally the outdoors! 
Personal: I am married to the love of my life, Michael, and we have a dog, Tethys, and a cat, Mnemosyne. We love to garden and grew potatoes in our front yard this year. Surprisingly, no complaints were lodged by neighbors.

Why GRFMR? What's better than a great program in my hometown? I was impressed by the variety of educational experiences, diversity of people, and the friendliness of the residency. This is a program that fosters individual interests and really puts the residents first.
Interesting tidbits: Once I helped deliver a baby at someone's home while working as a paramedic!

Chiniya Thapa, MD
Hometown: Kathmandu, Nepal
Medical School: Xian Jiaotong University
Medical Interests: Geriatrics

Hobbies: Interested in News, Sports (tennis, swimming, football, cricket, bowling), spending time with family, social gathering and travelling. 
Personal: Married and blessed with a daughter.

Why GRFMR? Very friendly program with helpful and approachable staff. Excellent working environment. Besides, West Michigan is a wonderful place for fun-lovers which supports year round activities; sand-dune rides, ferries to Wisconsin, plenty of beaches, skiing, Meijer Gardens, driving distance to Chicago and Detroit (who are a fan of big cities). Winter is interesting because we get to see the frozen Lake Michigan, go for a ski, bowling and movies.
Interesting tidbits: Born and raised in Nepal. Schooling in Nepal and India. Medical school in China and now residency in Grand Rapids.

Parminder Wadhwa , MD

Home town: Chandigarh, India
Medical School: Government Medical College, Chandigarh
Medical Interest: Underserved health, obgyn

Hobbies: Spending time with my family, going for a long drive, music, bowling.
Personal: I am married to a Software Engineer who has been a great support to me throughout. We are blessed with a cute charming boy Harman who is now 15 months old.

Why GRFMR? The moment I came here for the first time, I knew that this is the program I always wished to be part of. It is an excellent program with wonderful people around.

Interesting tidbits: I am scared of water but will definitely learn swimming one day.

Hobbies: Gardening, bowling, cooking, and playing with my kids.
Personal: I look forward every day to coming home to my wife of four years and out two little munchkins, ages one and three.