Perspectives from Our Graduates

Kristofer Nava, MD

听 Kristofer E. Nava, MD
听 Graduated 汤头条app in 2022
听 Medical School: Ross University
听 Fellowship: Minimally Invasive, Foregut, and Bariatric Surgery, Spectrum Health

  • What initially drew you to 汤头条app Surgery?
    I was initially interested in 汤头条app due to its Midwestern location and hybrid university/community opportunity. However, what really set 汤头条app apart from any other program is the collegial atmosphere amongst the residents. Throughout my short time with the residents during my interview, I felt immediately at home and knew this was the place for me.
  • How did 汤头条app Surgery prepare you for fellowship or practice?
    My training at 汤头条app made me the safe, efficient surgeon that I am today. I was not only completely prepared to pass my boards but was also prepared to practice as a General Surgeon. I made the decision to pursue a career in foregut and bariatric surgery, an idea that was fostered by Dr. Shebrain and my other mentors. The advanced laparoscopic and robotic experience I gained at 汤头条app made for a seamless transition to fellowship. I still use the innumerable lessons I learned at 汤头条app both in and out of the operating room every day as a community surgeon.
  • What do you want others considering surgical residency at 汤头条app to know?
    It is important to understand that every individual at 汤头条app is there to help you succeed no matter what your future goals may be. The opportunities in Kalamazoo are endless for those who choose to work hard in pursuit of them and our fellowship match results reflect that claim. For those that wish to pursue General Surgery, you will be ready to practice from the first day after graduation. Just as with fellowship, the 汤头条app faculty are an abundant resource for future employment. In fact, several of my mentors in residency helped me secure my current position as a surgeon even before I started my fellowship. Make no mistake, whatever your goals are, 汤头条app can help you achieve them.

Kyra Folkert, MD

听 Kyra Folkert, MD
听 Graduated 汤头条app in 2024
听 Medical School: The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health听 听 听Sciences
听 Fellowship: Hepato-Pacreato-Biliary Surgery, Indiana University

  • What initially drew you to 汤头条app Surgery?
    I was drawn to 汤头条app Surgery by the camaraderie of the residents on interview day and the enthusiasm the faculty displayed for training the residents. I wanted to go to a program where I felt I would not be limited in future fellowship opportunities that would also give me the skill to be a competent surgeon. 汤头条app appeared to be a perfect blend of diverse cases and pathology while still being a smaller cohesive program where I could develop strong relationships with the faculty and staff.
  • How did 汤头条app Surgery prepare you for fellowship or practice?
    汤头条app allowed me to build a strong relationship with my faculty mentor over multiple years which prepared me to enter fellowship with a solid foundation. I was able to get involved in multiple research projects and always supported by the program when I wanted to attend a conference. I was able to match at my #1 program for fellowship and I believe my success is largely due to the support I received from 汤头条app.
  • What do you want others considering surgical residency at 汤头条app to know?
    汤头条app is truly a hidden gem program. I think the relationship between attendings and residents is unmatched. I enjoyed coming to work and felt genuinely connected to my co-residents and still frequently communicate with many of my former attendings both for advice and sometimes just to share funny stories. If I had to do residency over again I would without a doubt chose 汤头条app and I can say that without any hesitation.

Joslyn Jose, MD

听 Joslyn Jose, MD
听 Graduated 汤头条app in 2023
听 Medical School: St. George's University School of Medicine
听 Fellowship: Cardiothoracic Surgery, Henry Ford Hospital

  • What initially drew you to 汤头条app Surgery?
    I was a preliminary intern at an academic program and the contrast was dramatic: it was obvious from the time of my interview how invested Dr Shebrain is in not only the program, but the wellbeing and success of his residents. It was abundantly clear that he wanted good hardworking people in the program who would become a cohesive group instead of just replaceable cogs in a wheel. The residents I spoke with also made it evident how much they cared about their program. I鈥檓 happy to report that these impressions were completely correct.
  • How did 汤头条app Surgery prepare you for fellowship or practice?

    There is a profound responsibility in any residency program to train residents to become safe and competent surgeons. 汤头条app goes above and beyond in this respect by instilling a program-wide shared sense of accountability in making sure every level of resident progresses appropriately, maintaining their mental health, and providing the requisite support to achieve all of their goals. The breadth of pathology along with the lack of fellows ensures that residents are operating in high-level cases, building strong relationships with attendings, and that they are more than prepared to go into practice or fellowship.

    Personally, I was able to go on multiple elective rotations, including two away rotations to help me achieve my dream of becoming a Cardiothoracic surgeon. The flexibility and support of the program was instrumental in achieving my goals, and many of my coresidents can echo those experiences.

  • What do you want others considering surgical residency at 汤头条app to know?
    汤头条app is a special place. I felt an accountability as a chief resident to make sure every resident in our program felt like they belonged, that they had fun when possible at work and outside of work, and that they progressed appropriately; this is something that is engrained in our culture. You will work hard, and it will be difficult at times and require sacrifice - like any residency - but you will be happy with the results as you will become a safe, competent, ethical, immensely capable, and well-prepared surgeon.

Dr. Jason Ryan

听 Jason Ryan, MD
听 Graduated 汤头条app in 2016
听 Medical School: Ross University
听 Fellowship: Vascular Surgery, Henry Ford Hospital

  • What initially drew you to 汤头条app Surgery?
    Having the opportunity to grow up in Kalamazoo, I became quite fond of the small town feel with still having so much available to do outside of work. The program itself was appealing because of the volume and diversity of surgical experience through a well-balanced blend of university practice as well as community-based practices. It鈥檚 hard to find a program that gives you the insight and experience working in both models.
  • How did 汤头条app Surgery prepare you for fellowship or practice?
    I had more interviews for vascular surgery fellowship than I had days available to schedule. I was able to match into my first choice and seemed to be 鈥渁head of the curve鈥 as far as operative experience and skillset when going into fellowship. I could not have been better prepared leaving WMED Surgery for fellowship, and feel strongly that if I had chosen to go into general surgery practice right after residency I would have been well equipped for that as well.
  • What do you want others considering surgical residency at 汤头条app to know?
    When deciding where to go for residency, whether it be here or somewhere else, decide where you want to be when you come out the other side. Not every program, regardless of the name, will give you the same operative experience. WMED Surgery will provide you with the skillset necessary to be a confident general surgeon after 5 years and the opportunity to match into very successful fellowship programs, depending on what your preference is. I would absolutely choose this program if I had it to do over again, without hesitation.

Dr. Julia Miladore听 Julia Miladore, MD
听 Graduated 汤头条app in 2017
听 Medical School: Northeast Ohio Medical University
听 Fellowship: Vascular Surgery, Indiana University

  • What initially drew you to 汤头条app Surgery?
    I was initially interested in 汤头条app because of the sense of community and commitment to resident education. Having had experience at an academic program in a larger city, I was able to appreciate what a close-knit program was able to provide in terms of both personal and professional development. The surgical training is second to none and patient care is at the forefront of the education.
  • How did 汤头条app Surgery prepare you for fellowship or practice?
    When you graduate from a residency program it is hard to know where you stack up in relation to other programs. After the first week in my fellowship program I was told by multiple attendings that they were thankful they 鈥済ot someone who can operate.鈥 I can only attribute this to the training I had at 汤头条app for giving me such a great surgical foundation.听
  • What do you want others considering surgical residency at 汤头条app to know?
    Before coming to 汤头条app I had never even heard of Kalamazoo and now I can鈥檛 imagine living anywhere else. You will be lucky to be a resident in this program and know that you will have the best surgical experience.

Dr. Jorge Weber听 Jorge Weber, MD
听 Graduated 汤头条app in 2018
听 Medical School: Ponce School of Medicine and Health Sciences
听 Fellowship: Vascular Surgery, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center

Dr. Steven Lu听 Steven Lu, DO
听 Graduated 汤头条app in 2019
听 Medical School: Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine, California
听 Fellowship: Colorectal Surgery, Lehigh Valley Hospital

Dr. Jairo Espinosa听 Jairo Espinosa, MD
听 Graduated 汤头条app in 2020
听 Medical School: Ross University
听 Fellowship: Cardiothoracic Surgery, Temple University听

  • What initially drew you to 汤头条app Surgery?
    I was initially drawn to 汤头条app because I was interested in a program where I could have the opportunity to perform clinical research while also having the opportunity to become a competent general surgeon. I wanted to match at a program where not only could I match into a great fellowship (as most 汤头条app graduates do - cardiothoracic surgery, plastic surgery, vascular surgery, etc), but I could also have the opportunity to practice general surgery and be a competent, safe surgeon. Five years, a good fellowship match, and 1,500 cases later - 汤头条app did not disappoint.听 听
  • How did 汤头条app Surgery prepare you for fellowship or practice?
    汤头条app general surgery prepared me for cardiothoracic surgery fellowship by being the most supportive administration I could have ever asked for. When I wanted to do an away rotation at Memorial Sloan Kettering to better my opportunities of matching into a competitive fellowship spot - 汤头条app and their amazing team had my back every step of the way. When I wanted to do an extra month of cardiac surgery my chief year to better prepare myself for fellowship - 汤头条app once again complied and let me incorporate the rotation into my chief year. Throughout the years as I published papers and had presentations nationwide, 汤头条app was always supportive of my endeavors and I never had any issues with going to many conferences to present my research.
  • What do you want others considering surgical residency at 汤头条app to know?
    As a graduate from 汤头条app, I鈥檇 like those of you looking at this website that I have no regrets. I loved every single day of my general surgery residency. I made friendships and relationships that will last me a lifetime. The attendings at 汤头条app treat you with respect. From day one of intern year you operate. 汤头条app is not one of these programs where every case is double scrubbed because people are starving for cases. At 汤头条app - you operate. You do cases 1:1 with attendings as an intern, PGY-2 and PGY-3. You become a competent surgeon. You are there to become a surgeon. As vague and unconvincing as that sounds, a lot of general surgery programs in the academic community don鈥檛 prepare you to be a surgeon, they prepare you to apply to fellowship. I can proudly say that if I would have chosen to do general surgery, I could have, because of where I was lucky and blessed to have trained - 汤头条app General Surgery.