2023 Residents
Yakira Alford, MD
Medical School: McGovern Medical School
Undergrad: Rice University
Hometown: Houston, TX
Activities/Hobbies: Singing, playing the piano, ice skating (on occasion), going to spas
Why McGovern: Houston is an AMAZING, fun, diverse city with an affordable cost of living. The clinical experience at McGovern is as diverse as the city itself, the exposure to trauma is incredible, and the faculty and residents are very forward-thinking. I strongly believe that McGovern EM provides its trainees with the tools for a trailblazing future. I also love how the program is supportive of its residents while fostering a fun, inclusive environment.
Interests Within EM: Ultrasound, Social EM, Medical Education
Fun Fact: Throughout high school, I highland danced in yearly Scottish festivals at the Toyota Center. Our school didn’t have a football team or a cheerleading squad, but we did have competitive highland dancers, drummers, and bagpipers!
William Chavez, MD
Medical School: University of New Mexico School of Medicine
Undergrad: University of New Mexico
Hometown: Bloomfield, NM
Activities/Hobbies: Rock climbing, hiking, skiing / snowboarding, video games, concerts, music festivals, and cooking
Why McGovern: Amazing program that cares about its residents and their well-being, great case variety and demographic diversity, amazing hospital facility, and a fun city to do all this learning in. What’s not to like?
Interests Within EM: Administration/Business, EMS/Aerospace Medicine, Critical Care
Fun Fact: I have been to over 600 live music events / shows
Mutinta Chisowa, MD
Medical School: Michigan State University College of Human Medicine
Undergrad: Oakwood University
Hometown: Portage, Michigan
Activities/Hobbies: Cooking, Reading, Spending time with friends, Discovering new restaurants.
Why McGovern: I first fell in love with Houston when I took Step 2 CS the summer prior to interview season. I loved how diverse the city is, the plethora of restaurants, and the awesome weather when compared to midwest winters. On interview day, I was impressed by McGovern’s program, the diversity within the program itself, and the opportunity to train at the world’s largest medical center.
Interests Within EM: Global health, Medical Education, Critical Care
Fun Fact: I have never owned a pet before but I am very excited to become a plant mom during residency.
Felipe Davila, MD
Medical School: Baylor College of Medicine
Undergrad: University of Florida
Hometown: Boca Raton, FL
Activities/Hobbies: Eating too much at restaurants, international travel, and sports including supporting all the disappointing Florida sports teams
Why McGovern: McGovern felt like the perfect fit. The culture that the residents and faculty created is something I wanted to be apart of. The training here is incredible with a diverse group of pathologies. Lastly, they have a large underserved Hispanic and African-American population which is what I was looking for in a program.
Interests Within EM: Social EM, Ultrasound, and Event medicine
Fun Fact: I have been to 35 countries and counting!
Ted Deng, MD
Medical School: University of Texas Southwestern
Undergrad: University of Texas
Hometown: Katy, TX
Activities/Hobbies: Traveling, Eating, Music, Working out, Walking my dog Cosmo
Why McGovern: Great training in a great location
Interests Within EM: Administration, Education
Fun Fact: My friend and I ate 25 spicy chicken wings each, so we could put our photo on a wall.
Lacey Floyd, DO
Medical School: Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine at New Mexico State University
Undergrad: Texas A&M University and the University of North Texas
Hometown: Dallas, TX
Activities/Hobbies: Cooking, meditation, being outdoors whenever possible (exercising, hiking, fishing), traveling, watching the Dallas Cowboys, spending time with family and friends
Why McGovern: After rotating here, I knew McGovern would prepare me to be an outstanding EM physician without question. The pathology, procedural, and pediatric experiences are outstanding and incomparable. The attendings and residents are also some of the most brilliant and hilarious people I’ve met in medicine. The city of Houston was just an added bonus with amazing restaurants and everything you could want to do in your time off, including the beach only 45 minutes away!
Interests Within EM: Ultrasound, Critical Care, Public Health
Fun Fact: I was taught gourmet cooking from a young age, and now I create almost all of my own recipes from scratch and handwrite them in cookbooks. Hopefully one day I can eventually publish one. I frequently host dinner parties and love to entertain in my home!
Emily Harlos, DO
Medical School: Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
Undergrad: Pennsylvania State University
Hometown: Sunbury, PA
Activities/Hobbies: Spending time with friends/family, sports, breweries, church, jogging
Why McGovern: BEST TRAINING ENVIRONMENT by far; where else do you have the opportunity to work at a giant academic center in one of the largest medical centers in the world as well as an inner city county hospital, notoriously short on resources, right down the road! There is no doubt in my mind that training at McGovern will prepare us for almost anything a career in EM can throw at us, no matter where we end up practicing. The food game in Houston was also a strong sell!
Interests Within EM: Trauma, resuscitation, sports
Fun Fact: I can name all of the presidents of the United States, in order.
Priya Iyer, DO
Medical School: A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona
Undergrad: University of Washington
Hometown: Seattle, Washington
Activities/Hobbies: Hot yoga, working out, cooking new recipes and wineries/breweries, trying new restaurants, travelling, live music, stand up comedy.
Why McGovern: I fell in love with the city of Houston as well as the program when I visited for interview day. Houston is an awesome city in which to train. I loved the diversity of the city, the warm weather and how friendly people were when I visited. The staff here is truly committed to patient service as well as teaching and helping develop strong, well rounded and competent residents. Lastly, the residents were warm, welcoming and seemed to really enjoy being around one another.
Interests Within EM: Ultrasound, academics/medical student education, international medicine.
Fun Fact: I’m a new dog mom. 🙂
Jonathan Lopez, MD
Medical School: Dell Medical School
Undergrad: Texas A&M University
Hometown: Humble, TX
Activities/Hobbies: Hiking, Sports (Basketball, Football, Frisbee), Karaoke, Board Games, Cooking, Travel
Why McGovern: Beyond the illustrious nature of the program and the Texas Medical Center’s unique practice environment, I had a very good interview day and felt like the program was an excellent cultural and practical fit for my goals. Ultimately I was looking for a true community for the next three years, and what I found was a very welcoming and structured environment that I believe will foster and kindle my clinical curiosity as well as my professional and personal growth in the years to come.
Interests Within EM: Admin, Addiction Medicine, Sports Medicine
Fun Fact: I can listen to the first three seconds of any Kanye West song and tell you the track name and the album from whence it came.
Loren Mead, MD
Medical School: University of Pennsylvania
Undergrad: University of Pennsylvania
Hometown: Strafford, PA
Activities/Hobbies: Rowing, reading, traveling
Why McGovern: Diversity of clinical experience, excellent trauma service, interaction with Texas Medical Center’s health tech community
Interests Within EM: Clinical decision support tools, implementation science, administration
Fun Fact: I had 9 different species of pets growing up
Saghi Montazari, MD
Medical School: University of Texas Medical Branch
Undergrad: University of Houston
Hometown: Iran / Friendswood, TX
Activities/Hobbies: Food, wine, traveling, movies, music, hiking, and golf
Why McGovern: During my away rotation here, I was impressed with the faculty, the residents, and the diverse patient population. I think between MHH and LBJ, you get to experience it all. I also love Houston for its diversity and delicious food!
Interests Within EM: Global health and ultrasound
Fun Fact: I was a chess champion in Iran at the age of 7. Anyone up for a game of chess?
Victoria Morris, MD
Medical School: McGovern Medical School
Undergrad: Tulane University
Hometown: Fort Worth, Texas
Activities/Hobbies: I’m a weekend warrior, always finding new projects in my home to work on. I love to exercise especially yoga, running, and sand volleyball with friends. I’m a huge foodie and love to try all the cuisine Houston has to offer, and attempt to recreate those dishes at home. I love to read the latest bestsellers and play tabletop games with my friends.
Why McGovern: McGovern is a great place to train with diverse pathology and tons of patients. I knew that training here would mold me into the physician I wanted to be. Houston itself is a wonderful place to live with amazing food, diverse population, and lots of activities.
Interests Within EM: Medical Education, Critical Care, Palliative
Fun Fact: I received a scholarship to college by making a funny short film with a GoPro!
Ron Nates, MD
Medical School: Technion – Israel Institute of Technology
Undergrad: Texas A&M University – College Station
Hometown: Houston, TX
Activities/Hobbies: I love traveling, especially internationally. I love cars. I enjoy building things, snorkeling, photography, cycling, video games, NFL and College Football.
Why McGovern: During my away rotation, I was amazed by how talented and brilliant everyone was while being so down to Earth and friendly. Combine that with the volume, acuity and diversity of cases and patients presenting to the Memorial Hermann and LBJ emergency departments; the world-renowned reputation in trauma, EMS, and other fields within EM; and the world-class people on staff including the nurses, PAs, administrative team members, residents, attendings, etc. It was a dream come true for me and I am lucky I get to experience all this while being in my hometown close to my family and friends.
Interests Within EM: Administration/Business, EMS/Aerospace Medicine, Critical Care
Fun Fact: I lived in Australia for four years
Miren Peña, MD
Medical School: UT Health San Antonio-Long School of Medicine
Undergrad: UT El Paso
Hometown: El Paso, Texas
Activities/Hobbies: Hiking, reading, plants, trying new restaurants and coffee shops
Why McGovern: My favorite interview day on the trail because of how amazing and welcoming the residents were. An amazing training opportunity is an amazing city that is very diverse.
Interests Within EM: Mentorship, patient advocacy
Fun Fact: I started a mentorship program at my medical school
Taylor Renbarger, DO
Medical School: Campbell University Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine
Undergrad: The University of Oklahoma
Hometown: Piedmont, OK
Activities/Hobbies: I really enjoy anything! I love to travel, and on my free time that I am always looking up trips to go on. I also am a huge foodie, and am always looking for a new place with good food and drinks!
Why McGovern: I knew I wanted to train at a location that could give me the most well-rounded education. You can’t beat the exposure that you get at McGovern. I also loved my interactions with faculty and residents during the month I spent with this program, and knew I wanted to come back to spend three more years!
Interests Within EM: Global medicine, disaster medicine, critical care
Fun Fact: I hope to get to all 7 continents one day! I love to experience new culture and am always looking opportunities to learn about other places!
Stephanie Shirey, MD
Medical School: University of Kansas
Undergrad: East Carolina University
Hometown: Currituck, NC
Activities/Hobbies: Gardening, building furniture, eating good food, spending time with my husband and dogs, days at the beach
Why McGovern: The volume and acuity at Memorial Hermann and LBJ is absolutely unparalleled. You will see nearly every bread and butter EM complaint each shift alongside rare metabolic diseases, LVAD dysfunctions, transplant patients and just about any other atypical disease process you could imagine. After spending a month rotating with the residents and faculty here I felt both at home and challenged, which were the two things that I wanted most out of my training.
Interests Within EM: Toxicology, health policy and advocacy, female and minority perception and provision of health care
Fun Fact: For the five years before and all four years of medical school my spouse was in the Air Force. We moved around a ton and got to travel to all kinds of wonderful places!
Whitney Skidmore, MD
Medical School: Drexel University College of Medicine
Undergrad: Truman State University
Hometown: Tulsa, Oklahoma but Colorado Springs, Colorado has been my home base for the past 6 years.
Activities/Hobbies: Running, traveling, hiking, camping, skiing, paddle boarding, reading, Netflix.
Why McGovern: The level of training and bond between the residents and faculty stood out against all my other interviews. In addition to training at a level 1 hospital in the largest medical center in the world, rotations through a secondary hospital provide experience in treating Houston’s more underserved patients. I know the pathology, acuity, and patient diversity will prepare me for whatever next step I want to take in my career. Houston is also an amazing city to live in, offering something for everyone.
Interests Within EM: Wilderness Medicine, Disaster Medicine, Global Health, Medical Student Education.
Fun Fact: Was selected to compete in an MLS halftime show (KC Wizards/Sporting KC vs LA Galaxy) as a teenager. Managed to overcome my severe stage fright to beat 2 other boys and win a speaker system!
Kyle Vogt, MD
Medical School: Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California
Undergrad: University of Michigan
Hometown: Davison, MI
Activities/Hobbies: Hiking/camping/anything nature, dabbling in photography (especially macro), running/gymming and staying as active as possible, binging on all the streaming services, indulging in Houston’s food scene
Why McGovern: I rotated at McGovern as an MS4 and fell in love with the program. I found that everyone from the residents to the attendings were genuinely caring and enjoyed the work they do. Having completed medical school at a large county program in Los Angeles, I knew that I desired the diversity of patient backgrounds and presentations that county programs afford; however, I also knew that I wanted the resources of a large, academic institution for future research and fellowship opportunities. McGovern truly is unique in providing both of those across the two sites. Higher level, well-established tertiary care at MHM paired with an amazingly diverse and complex county system at LBJ Hospital make for a wonderful and always exciting teaching environment. Combine that with strong pediatric and trauma experiences, incredible teaching faculty, a warm (albeit often humid) climate, an astounding local food scene, and an LGBTQ+ friendly city and I knew that McGovern was the right choice for me!
Interests Within EM: Pediatrics, wilderness medicine, resident wellness
Fun Fact: I’ve played trumpet since age 8 and was in the Michigan Marching Band (Go Blue!!)
Rob Wians, MD
Medical School: University of Alabama School of Medicine
Undergrad: University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB)
Hometown: Decatur, AL
Activities/Hobbies: Movies, hiking, biking, racquetball, and anything on the water!
Why McGovern: The people, the city, the training. You can’t beat it anywhere! I feel very lucky to have matched here and I’m super excited to grow and develop in this program over the next few years.
Interests Within EM: EMS, Toxicology, Sports Medicine, International Medicine
Fun Fact: I was once 3rd in state for diving…there were 3 people competing that year.
Daniel Yiu, MD
Medical School: Baylor College of Medicine
Undergrad: Vanderbilt
Hometown: Corpus Christi
Activities/Hobbies: Basketball, poker, board games, mooching the love of friends’ dogs, fishing, spikeball, eating
Why McGovern: McGovern really checked all of the boxes for me. Everyone I met at McGovern was awesome and down-to-earth. I remember thinking that they clearly worked really hard but also genuinely seemed to be happy to be where they were. I also wanted to train at a program that gave me a wide breadth of clinical experiences in different clinical settings. McGovern splits its ED blocks almost equally between Memorial Hermann (academic, tertiary care) and LBJ (county), along with a couple of community blocks in our 3rd year. Finally, Houston itself was a big plus for me. Having lived here for the past 4 years for medical school, I think between the food (can’t emphasize enough), the sports, all the fun places to go, and the super reasonable cost of living, it’s a hard place to beat.
Interests Within EM: Education, peds
Fun Fact: I broke my arm when I was 5 falling off of a bicycle…with training wheels.
