Family and Community Medicine Fellow Alumni

Medical School: University of Jordan, Faculty of Medicine

Residency: University of Missouri, Internal Medicine, 2022

Current Position: Gastroenterology Fellow at  University of Missouri

Bio: The program at Mizzou has been pivotal in shaping me both personally and professionally. It's given me a deeper understanding of the physiology and pathology that comes with aging, and I've learned how to conduct a comprehensive patient assessment, a skill I know will serve me well in my future practice. In addition to the rich educational experience, the faculty at Mizzou have been incredibly supportive. I'm grateful for everything I've learned here and I look forward to applying this knowledge in my future career.

Medical School: University of Missouri - Columbia

IM Residency 2020: University of Missouri Health Care

Current Position: Assistant Professor of Clinical Family & Community Medicine, Columbia, Mo

Bio: I chose to pursue a fellowship in geriatrics at the University of Missouri due to the collaborative environment that fosters excellent learning opportunities. I'm most interested in optimizing functional life-span and helping patients live life to its fullest for as long as possible. In the future, I look forward to caring for patients in skilled and assisted-living nursing facilities and working with community-based aging nonprofit organizations.

I enjoy hiking, camping, backpacking, fishing, playing the piano and bicycling. Columbia has many great trails located across town and plenty of natural beauty in nearby state parks. Also, Columbia hosts a variety of musical, cycling/running, and cultural events throughout the year, so regardless of your interests, there is always something for mid-Missourians to do.

• Medical School: Kansas City University
• Residency: Internal Medicine at Freeman Health System

Bio: I chose the University of Missouri Hospice & Palliative Medicine fellowship for a myriad of reasons. I attended undergad at Mizzou, so I knew I would be comfortable with the town and lifestyle. I also was very familiar with the people in the program, both from my own residency training and my time as a student rotating on the palliative care team. Being around friendly faces made the transition to fellowship very easy.

At the University of Missouri, I learned compassionate care for a variety of patients in the inpatient and outpatient setting. After graduation I will combine this training with my passion for Internal Medicine to develop a clinic that focuses on Advanced Care Planning for patients with chronic medical conditions.

I will be leaving the HPM program with supreme confidence in my clinical and communication skills. Each member of the interdisciplinary team teaches by example, so every patient encounter was a chance to learn by observation. I will be working as a hospitalist at a community hospital in St. Joseph, Mo and plan to take on more educational roles to both students/residents and faculty to bring improved palliative care to the area.

Medical School: Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine at Midwestern University in Downers Grove, Illinois (suburban Chicago)

Residency: Hinsdale Family Medicine Residency (suburban Chicago)

I chose Mizzou because I wanted to train at a strong and established program in the Midwest that also embraces the arts and humanities in their curriculum. After graduation I will be joining the inpatient palliative care consult service at CHI Health in Omaha. I will also join Creighton University faculty as a medical humanities scholar. My research interests include the relevance of the humanities in clinical practice, the development of poetry-related CME, and illness memoirs.

Medical School: Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine

Residency: Internal Medicine Northeast Georgia Medical Center

Bio: I chose the University of Missouri Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship because of the amazing department staff and faculty. During my fellowship I learned to balance my clinical skills with arriving at a plan that is aligned with each patient’s values. After graduation, I will be joining my wife in Syracuse, NY where I will practice inpatient and outpatient Palliative Medicine at the Syracuse VA Medical Center.

Medical School: Nova Southeastern University, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 2011

Residency: Wright State University, Emergency Medicine, 2014

Bio: I previously practiced as an emergency medicine physician in the United States Air Force, then in a community hospital setting in rural Alaska. Serving patients and their families as a palliative medicine physician has been a long-time professional goal of mine. I am grateful for the education and opportunities I received during my HPM fellowship training at the University of Missouri. I feel well prepared to incorporate this skillset caring for seriously ill patients in my practice going forward. The faculty clearly care for our personal wellness and allowed us to pursue areas of interest in a diverse curriculum. I was able to mold my electives into areas that were meaningful to me and my practice, including physician wellness, ethics, leadership, as well as standard palliative medicine rotations. Since I came to the fellowship later in my career, and had a family, the lovely area was enjoyable to us, and the low cost of living and location near extended family were a valued benefit. I am looking forward to using the skills and knowledge I have learned here at the University of Missouri in my role as Assistant Chief of Medicine at the VA Healthcare System of the Ozarks, where my clinical work will include Palliative Medicine and Emergency Medicine.

Medical School: University of Oklahoma

Residency: Internal Medicine/Pediatrics University of Missouri 2008

Bio: My year of fellowship here at Mizzou has been a crossroads in my life and my career.  Having completed a residency in internal medicine/pediatrics here in Columbia back in 2008 and then worked in emergency medicine for over a decade in East Texas I decided to switch gears.   I was often the first to introduce the idea of palliative care to patients in the emergency room and realized my passion for helping families through their difficult transitions.  Coming “home” to Mizzou to train has been a blessing; the faculty have acted as my partners in caring for patients and been incredibly supportive while teaching.  

Returning to Columbia for a year has also been a treat.  In Texas we have summer, more summer and a little winter.  I’ve enjoyed the four seasons, the fall foliage, biking the Katy trail and the fun of living in a college town.   If I had to break away from my family for a year for this transition, CoMo has been a great place to do so. 

I am proud to be a graduate of the Hospice and Palliative Care fellowship at Mizzou.   The training has been well rounded with the ability to tailor my elective opportunities.  I feel well prepared to continue my journey with patients as I join Hospice of East Texas and begin the second stage of my professional life.  I will miss the faculty (and the cooler weather!) but know that I have made relationships this year that will sustain me throughout the remainder of my career. 

Medical School: Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine - Middletown

IM Residency 2021: UNC Health Southeastern, Lumberton, North Carolina

Bio: The phrase “physician at the bedside” always resonated with me and hospice/palliative medicine embodies this concept to a tee. As such, I was ecstatic when offered the opportunity to care for patients at the University of Missouri. Columbia was a perfect place: I was closer to my family in the Midwest and gave back to the region where I was raised. Additionally, the staff are supportive, and the faculty truly care. Outside of work, I kept busy with the many trails and if I felt like hopping in my car, most destinations were only a short drive away. Combined with an all-encompassing education, few places would yield better training and gratification!

After graduation, I am going to the Twin Cities to work as an inpatient palliative consultant. I hope to continue to hone my general internal medicine skills concurrently with my hospice/palliative skills in the future.

Medical School: A.T. Still University

IM Residency 2020: Freeman Health System; Joplin, Mo

Current Position: Assistant Professor of Clinical Family & Community Medicine, Columbia, Mo.

Bio: One of the things I love about the program at Mizzou is how focused the HPM team is on the humanity of every patient. In the midst of the technical medical complications that come with end-of-life care, often the best healing we can offer is to recognize the person the patient is, and then meet his/her needs. That is the kind of physician I have always wanted to be, and I’m grateful to be a part of a program that can help me become that person.

At the University of Missouri, I learned compassionate care for a wide variety of patients in the inpatient and outpatient setting. After graduation, I will combine this training with my passion for Internal Medicine to develop a clinic that focuses on Advanced Care Planning for patients with chronic medical conditions.

Medical School: University of Missouri - Kansas City

IM/Peds Residency 2007: University of Missouri - Kansas City

Current Position: Medical Director, Community Living Center and Attending Physician, Palliative Care Consult Team, Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans’ Hospital Columbia, Mo.

Bio: For me, choosing the Mizzou HPM fellowship program was a no-brainer, as I was familiar with the high caliber training that the University of Missouri provides. Also, the palliative medicine faculty and staff are so approachable and welcoming, as well as genuinely supportive of their fellows and other learners.

During my training the faculty helped by providing excellent examples of working collegially with & leading an interdisciplinary team. Working closely with various disciplines (chaplains, social work, nursing) deepened my new appreciation for their roles on the medical/HPM team. Working with Dr. Cravens at area nursing homes provided a great education in long term care of geriatric patients. He was always so open to my questions about his role as medical director.

Medical School: Creighton University

FM Residency 2020: University of Missouri Health Care

Current Position: Assistant Professor of Clinical Family & Community Medicine, Columbia, Mo.

Bio: I am grateful that I chose to stay at the University of Missouri to continue my training with a Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship. I enjoyed the culture of the program and always looked forward to working with compassionate colleagues each day. With my training, I appreciated learning across all care settings from our outpatient palliative medicine clinics and hospice care to more intense settings in our ICUs and ER.

 The goal of my future career is to improve education related to topics encompassed in palliative medicine and I appreciated the flexibility that came with my electives to teach at the University of Missouri Medical School while concurrently enrolling in a Master of Science in Academic Medicine program offered at the University of Missouri. I have only good things to say about the training that I received at the Mizzou. I would recommend the Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship to all especially if you are looking for a training program that offers the flexibility for you to pursue your own specific interests.

• Medical School: Universidad De Montemorelos: Nuevo León, Mexico
• Internal Medicine Residency: Loyola Medicine Macneal Hospital: Berwyn, Il
• Current Position: Internist and Hospice & Palliative Medicine Specialist, Carbondale, IL

Training at MU has been one of the best decisions of my career! After interviewing at quite a few places, I ultimately decided on MU based primarily on the “fit factor.” I enjoyed the culture and people that that I worked with … from the program coordinator - who is always on top of things, to the program director - who not only teaches but takes time to individually mentor fellows, as well as the other associated physicians and staff who are truly passionate about palliative medicine.

It is understandable that while most of my time was focused on providing palliative care to cancer patients, I was not short-changed when it came to seeing other common palliative conditions. I really appreciated learning across all care settings … from home hospice and long-term care to the ED, inpatient, ICU, GIP, outpatient and telemedicine. Having elective time allowed me to specifically tailor my training to the areas that would be most relevant and beneficial to my career. I am currently incorporating these learned skills into my primary practice.

I have only good things to say about training at Mizzou, and would highly recommend the HPM Fellowship to anyone who is passionate and driven by hospice and palliative medicine.

• Medical School: King Edward Medical University, Pakistan
• Internal Medicine Residency: East Tennessee State University, Johnson City.  
• Current Position: Hematology/Oncology Fellow, Southern Illinois University

I feel that I am wiser and a better physician, thanks to my palliative care fellowship at Mizzou and the time spent with MU’s HPM Fellowship team. In fact, I feel better equipped when I compare my skills to the skills of my peers. Of course whenever I get kudos from patients, the credit goes to MU as well!

Moreover, thank you, MU Family Medicine, very much for training / treating me well; everyone in the department was friendly, supportive and always collegial.

• Medical School: Ross University
• Internal Medicine Residency: Brookdale Hospital, Brooklyn, NY
• Current Position: Associate Medical Director, Hope Hospice, Fort Myers, FL

After I met and interacted with the MU Supportive and Palliative Care Team, I knew if I came to Mizzou, I’d have terrific role models and the perfect environment to learn hospice and palliative medicine.

I appreciate my experience as an HPM Fellow at MU and all the ways it prepared me for my current job at Hope Hospice in Fort Myers, Florida.

• Medical School: University Of Nebraska
• Family Medicine Residency: University Of Missouri Health Care
• Current Position: Assistant Professor, Palliative Medicine Outpatient Clinic, University of Missouri

MU’s Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship gave me the opportunity to learn from passionate providers about how to build rapport with patients and take care of even the most difficult of symptoms. I gained confidence in prescribing opioids and in advocating for patients to get the best possible care.

I’m grateful that I was invited to join MU’s Palliative Care Team after I completed my fellowship training; my job is rewarding and a great fit for my interests and skills.

Medical School: University of Missouri - Columbia

Residency: University of Missouri

Current Position: Primary Care Sports Medicine Physician with Cox Health

Bio: As a Family Medicine Resident, I was able to witness the Fellowship up close before applying.  Columbia is a great city and overall low cost of living and easy commutes and the fellowship has  incredible faculty with diverse training backgrounds, robust pediatric orthopedics exposure, and great support staff. I was given opportunities to teach and work on scholarly activity which are both things I hope to continue in my career. I received a very well-rounded training experience allowing me to consider a diverse range of job opportunities. Working the walk-in clinic allowed me to see a high volume of acute sports injuries which is 25% of my future practice. I feel prepared to begin my career as an Attending Physician.

Medical School: AT Still University – Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine

Residency: Family Medicine – University of Missouri – Columbia

Clinical Interests: US (diagnostic & US guided procedures), sports related shoulder pathology, exercise physiology, sports nutrition, sports cardiology, wilderness medicine

Hobbies: Cross training, hiking, fishing, camping, pretending I’m still a 21-year-old college athlete

Bio: My time at Mizzou was wonderful, completing both my family medicine residency and sports medicine fellowship. The fellowship experience was one of depth in the areas necessary to be a well-equipped sports medicine provider regardless of career aspirations. The faculty of the fellowship program are incredible. In short time I anticipate the program to be among the most competitive programs in the region if not the country. I’ve certainly been well prepared to begin my position in a hybrid sports medicine/family medicine practice starting August 1, 2022 at KUMC in Overland Park, KS.

Medical School: University of Missouri - Columbia

FM Residency 2020: University of Missouri Health Care

Current Position:  Physician, University of Missouri Health Care

Bio: Sports have guided my entire life. I began playing hockey as soon as I learned to walk. I transitioned my focus from athletics to medicine during medical school here at MU.

I fell in love with the culture here; patients come first and everyone is driven to better themselves for those patients. After completing family medicine residency at Mizzou, I continued my training in sports medicine to learn from the best of the best. It is an honor to work with top tier athletes and help get them back on the field to pursue their dreams. I am hopeful to have the opportunity to stay in Columbia and continue serving the community after fellowship.