2020 Residents

John Ayers, M.D.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., MSJonas 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


Gregory Ducach, M.D.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.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.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.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.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.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.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.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.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.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.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.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.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.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.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.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.