2020 Residents
John Ayers, M.D.
Medical School: McGovern Medical School
Undergrad: UT Austin
Activities/Hobbies: Frisbee, Travel, Board games, Baseball
Hometown: Houston
Why McGovern: Loved the people and the acuity
Interests Within EM: Community Medicine
Jonas Beyene, M.D.
Medical School: Texas Tech University
Undergrad: University of Pittsburgh
Activities/Hobbies: Cooking, smoking meat, hiking, camping
Hometown: Irving, TX
Why McGovern: The people. Not only do we have excellent and diverse training that you can’t get anywhere else, we also have the strongest faculty and the most fun residents of anywhere else I interviewed.
Interests Within EM: Critical care and administration
Fun Fact: I spent a month after medical school camping across the western US
Greg Ducach, M.D.
Medical School: Penn State College of Medicine
Undergrad: University of Connecticut
Activities/Hobbies: Biking, hiking, rock climbing, hanging with my dogs
Hometown: Braintree, Massachusetts
Why McGovern: Busy ER with exceptional training and even better coworkers, all in a livable city with good food and fun stuff to do
Interests Within EM: Education, critical care and ultrasound
Fun Fact: I have a 150lb Newfoundland dog
Ryan Fitzgerald, M.D.
Medical School: Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Undergrad: “THE” Ohio State University
Activities/Hobbies: Traveling, hiking, fitness, sushi and trying new things!
Hometown: Cleveland, OH
Why McGovern: Great group of residents in a very high acuity setting. Supportive faculty. Fun city!
Interests Within EM: Wellness, ultrasound and education
Fun Fact: I have played trumpet in the Sydney Opera House as many times as the Cleveland Browns have won a playoff game in my lifetime.
Ryan Gratton, M.D.
Medical School: Paul L. Foster SOM TTUHSC
Undergrad: University of Texas at El Paso
Hometown: Army Brat so lived all over
Why McGovern: Great program in great city
Interests Within EM: Community Emergency Medicine
Jennifer Grodus, D.O.
Medical School: Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Undergrad: Michigan State University
Activities/Hobbies: International travel, watching football, any activities outdoors, and spending time with family/friends
Hometown: Canton, MI
Why McGovern: Amazing co-residents/faculty and experience in a high-volume emergency department with tons of learning opportunities each shift
Interests Within EM: Critical care, US, Sim
Brian Hawkins, M.D.
Medical School: UT Southwestern
Undergrad: Seattle Pacific University | University of Louisville
Activities/Hobbies: Fitness, music festivals, travel, friends, good times
Hometown: Dallas, TX
Why McGovern: Unequivocally: the residents
Interests Within EM: Ultrasound, regional anesthesia, ophthalmology, pain, patient advocacy
Fun Fact: Army veteran, green beret, parachutist, English major, writer, brother, son.
Zachary Hill, M.D.
Medical School: Ross University
Undergrad: ACU
Activities/Hobbies: Ultimate Frisbee, Pool, Hiking, Hunting, Fishing, Camping, Repairing good furniture
Hometown: Indianapolis, Indiana
Why McGovern: Blunt trauma capital, ultrasound values, really the people (residents and attendings) guided my rank list decisions.
Interests Within EM: Substance abuse, population medicine.
Jason Lesnick, M.D.
Medical School: Florida State University College of Medicine
Undergrad: University of Florida
Activities/Hobbies: Weight lifting, sports (especially college football – Go Gators), exploring the restaurants of Houston, snowboarding, beach bum
Hometown: Wellington, Florida
Why McGovern: The clinical experience here is elite – if you want to become an outstanding Emergency Medicine Physician this is the program for you. The program leadership is incredibly supportive of us as residents to succeed in every aspect of EM, our faculty are outstanding educators/mentors, the residents are a great group of people, and we get to care for high acuity, diverse patient populations who we have the privilege to help. Houston is the fourth biggest city in the country so there are always tons of things to do. Feel free to email me directly, I could keep going!
Interests Within EM: Generally: Advocacy, administration, education, and leadership Research: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest airway management
Erica Lott, D.O.
Medical School: Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine
Undergrad: Washington and Jefferson College
Activities/Hobbies: Fishing, biking, racquetball
Hometown: Plumborough Pennsylvania
Why McGovern: UT is a well-known and respected program where I knew I would get the best training possible to make me the best emergency medicine physician I can be once leave.
Fun Fact: I used to race/ride dirt bikes!
Eric Madden, M.D.
Medical School: UTHealth McGovern Medical School
Undergrad: Texas State University – San Marcos
Activities/Hobbies: Guitar, Piano, Running, Weight Training, Baseball, Basketball, Football, Hunting, Fishing, Traveling Spending time with my wife, daughter, dogs, family, and friends
Hometown: Bulverde, Texas
Why McGovern: I love the people. Not only are the residents happy and we get along well, but we also work well with nursing and attendings. I also felt that when I finished residency here, I would be prepared for absolutely anything that came into my ED.
Interests Within EM: Sports Medicine, Difficult Airway, Critical Care
Carolina Mendoza, M.D.
Medical School: UTHealth McGovern Medical School
Undergrad: Southwestern University
Activities/Hobbies: Travel, brunch, running
Hometown: Plano, Texas
Why McGovern: The people, amazing group of residents and faculty convinced me to stay at UT.
Interests Within EM: Admin and Global Health
Fun Facts: Speak Spanish and French
Huy Phan, M.D.
Medical School: Hofstra University
Undergrad: University of California, Davis
Activities/Hobbies: Exercise, Hiking, Tennis, Gaming Music/Concerts, Films
Hometown: Sunnyvale, CA
Why McGovern: Many reasons but the one that impressed me the most was how UT Houston was one of the few programs that gave me a genuine and honest feel of what the program has to offer and what they are improving on during interview day.
Interests Within EM: Ultrasound Education
Fun Facts: I’m a sucker for country music.
Sara Polito, M.D.
Medical School: Case Western Reserve University SOM
Undergrad: Allegheny College
Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA
Activities/Hobbies: Hiking, travel, food, re-watching The Office for the 10+ time
Why McGovern: Faculty dedicated to teaching, diverse patient population with high level acuity, two very different training hospitals that give excellent and varied learning opportunities, co-residents that are like family, diverse city with plenty to do and great food!
Interests Within EM: Critical care, airway, EMR
Fun Facts: I once drove a 30 ft RV through El Paso rush hour traffic and up a mountain without injuring anyone!
Amy Rossi, M.D.
Medical School: Texas A&M Health Science Center
Undergrad: University of Texas-Austin
Hometown: Houston, TX
Activities/Hobbies: Everything outdoors- camping, climbing, running, hiking, scuba, biking, and then randomly also salsa dancing
Why McGovern: Our UT community is a lovable group of intelligent, humorous attendings and residents that enjoy our time together on and off shift. We also have a great split between time spent at our academic center (Memorial Hermann) and county hospital (LBJ), granting us the wisdom and ability to manage two very different patient populations.
Interests Within EM: Global Health, Critical Care
Fun Facts: I’ve travelled to 8 countries in 2 years of residency including New Zealand, Kyrgyzstan, Oman… I’ve been stuck in quick sand, chased by bandits down a vertical cave, and have been in a shootout between police and an escaped prisoner in Guatemala. Working in the ER feels similar at times.
Kerollos Shaker, M.D.
Medical School: University of Alabama at Birmingham
Undergrad: University of Alabama at Huntsville
Hometown: Egypt
Activities/Hobbies: Running, traveling, and church activities
Why McGovern: Provides excellent training in two busy hospitals (Level I and Level III Trauma Centers). The camaraderie present between residents allows for an enriching and informative environment.
Interests Within EM: Medical Toxicology, Informatics
Fun Facts: I rode a camel in Egypt!
Michael Stribos, M.D.
Medical School: Medical College of Georgia
Undergrad: University of Georgia
Hometown: Roswell, GA
Activities/Hobbies: Running, traveling, and church activities
Why McGovern: Get both great academic and county experience in one program
Interests Within EM: Wilderness medicine, sports medicine, pediatric EM
Kory Taylor, M.D.
Medical School: Morehouse School of Medicine
Undergrad: Columbus State University
Hometown: Columbus Georgia
Activities/Hobbies: Weightlifting, Cooking, learning foreign languages, Chess, Photography
Why McGovern: A large program with fast paced learning and substantial network of alumni.
Fun Facts: I learn the language of any place I travel to.