Meet Our Residents
Our academic, research-oriented institution has a long tradition of training leaders in family medicine. Learn more about our diverse and talented group of family medicine residents.
PGY-3
Justin Anderson, MD
Hometown: Cincinnati, OH
Undergraduate: The Ohio State University
Medical School: Wright State University
Why I chose Ohio State: A well-rounded and very strong program with innumerable opportunities, advanced degree programs for residents, and co-residents that treat you like family.
Alexandra Burnett, MD
Hometown: Cincinnati, OH
Undergraduate: University of Cincinnati
Graduate: Meharry Medical College, MS in Health Sciences
Medical School: Meharry Medical College
Why I chose Ohio State: OSU has everything I was looking for in a family medicine program, including opportunities to pursue both academic and adolescent medicine, and to care for the medically underserved. I felt genuinely welcomed by the faculty and residents on my interview day and on spotlight nights, further confirming my choice.
Marian Catalan, DO
Hometown: Sterling Heights, Michigan
Medical School: Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Why I chose Ohio State: I value the program’s strong emphasis on community involvement, health equity, and evidence-based medicine. OSU provides excellent and diverse training opportunities by being able to work at both a large, nationally ranked academic center and a community hospital. Lastly, I admired the close-knit relationships between the faculty and residents and the positive interactions I had with everyone at the faculty spotlight events!
Stephanie Cheng, DO
Hometown: Penfield, NY
Undergraduate: The Ohio State University
Medical School: Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine
Why I chose Ohio State: Columbus is such a fun city that I could not wait to return to and I wanted an academic training place and network that offered community-based training as well. When I met some of the people, I felt excited to work with and learn from them. I feel fortunate for my co-residents who are great and supportive friends!
Harsha Iyer, MD
Hometown: Ashland, KY
Undergraduate: University of Kentucky
Medical School: Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine
Why I chose Ohio State: I chose Ohio State because of their excellence in academics, as well their commitment to training well rounded residents to be competent physicians while maintaining a good work-life balance. The faculty is very friendly, and they have done a great job creating an environment that is suitable for growing as a physician and person.
Jaqueline Jepsen, MD
Hometown: Youngstown, OH
Undergraduate: University of Mount Union
Medical School: Wright State University
Why I chose Ohio State: I chose OSU because of the endless learning opportunities and the amazing people. The residents seemed genuine and close-knit — the kind of people I knew I would enjoy working with. The faculty were supportive and enthusiastic about teaching. Plus, Columbus is a fun and diverse place to work and play!
Ryan Poland, MD
Hometown: Belleville, MI
Undergraduate: Virginia Commonwealth University
Medical School: The Ohio State University College of Medicine
Why I chose Ohio State: OSU has a great community program feel while still having access to all of the benefits of a large academic institution. We get access to top notch research opportunities, an impressive catalog of further degree programs, and great training with leaders among various subspecialties within medicine all while getting to come home to a small clinic every week. All that was enough without even considering how welcoming the faculty and current residents are.
Ashwen Ravichandran, DO
Hometown: Westlake, OH
Undergraduate: The Ohio State University
Medical School: Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Why I chose Ohio State: I chose OSU for the amazing education, Buckeye spirit, and great coffee (Kafe Kerouac).
Natalie Weber, DO
Hometown: Huntington Beach, CA
Undergraduate: University of California, San Diego
Medical School: Touro University Nevada
Why I chose Ohio State: I chose the group that I vibed with the best - one that felt the most like family and cultivated a healthy learning environment. I also wanted to train in renowned academic facilities such as The Ohio State Wexner Medical Center and Nationwide Children's Hospital while also getting the community hospital experience at Ohio State East. Lastly, Columbus is constantly accepting immigrants from around the world. This means not only a diverse patient population to learn from, but also a wide variety of international food to try!
PGY-2
Andrew Burns, MD
Hometown: Middletown, OH
Undergraduate: The Ohio State University
Medical School: The Ohio State University College of Medicine
Why I chose Ohio State: I chose Ohio State because of the strong emphasis on health equity and improving the health of underserved communities. I also enjoyed the great camaraderie among the residents and faculty and the ability to take advantage of cutting-edge technologies and specialists at a world class medical center. I could see Ohio State was a excellent place to receive a well-rounded training.I chose Ohio State because of the strong emphasis on health equity and improving the health of underserved communities. I also enjoyed the great camaraderie among the residents and faculty and the ability to take advantage of cutting-edge technologies and specialists at a world class medical center. I could see Ohio State was a excellent place to receive a well-rounded training.
John Castillo, MD
Hometown: Huntington, WV
Undergraduate: The Ohio State University
Medical School: Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine at Marshall University
Why I chose Ohio State: Columbus is an eclectic city with so much to do and see, it seemed like the perfect place for my kids to grow and learn. Ohio State provides opportunities to explore one's interests and chase our passions. No matter your goals within Family Medicine, Ohio State gives you an opportunity to achieve them all!
Sara Colombo, MD
Hometown: Toledo, OH
Undergraduate: University of Toledo
Medical School: The Ohio State University College of Medicine
Why I chose Ohio State: Having gone to medical school here, I knew I would get the residency training I desired from a large academic center like Ohio State.
Katherine Etter, DO
Hometown: Cincinnati, OH
Undergraduate: Marshall University
Medical School: Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine - Athens
Why I chose Ohio State: I chose Ohio State because of the vast number of opportunities available here including integrative medicine with OMT, the transgender primary care clinic, and palliative medicine opportunities at The James. I also loved the mix having both unopposed and opposed learning opportunities.
Holiday Harris, DO
Hometown: Stephenville, TX
Undergraduate: University of the Incarnate Word
Medical School: University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine
Why I chose Ohio State: I chose Ohio State due to the top-tier education in a variety of settings including OSU Wexner, OSU East, outpatient locations, and Nationwide Children's Hospital. We are able to learn from a diverse patient population and ensure thorough training in well-rounded family practice care to apply moving forward in our careers. The faculty is also very supportive and involved in helping us grow as physicians and people.
Michael Ioerger, MD
Hometown: Wichita, KS
Undergraduate: University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Medical School: The Ohio State University College of Medicine
Why I chose Ohio State: Coming to Ohio State and being a part of this program gave me the ability to really be true to myself in everything that I do. This includes my advocacy work, my approach to patient care, and the further development of my knowledge & skills. I have what I need in this program to become an impactful & innovative community-focused Family Physician.
Katharine Krepp, MD
Hometown: Sauk Rapids, MN
Undergraduate: University of North Dakota
Medical School: The Ohio State University College of Medicine
Why I chose Ohio State: I chose Ohio State for Family Medicine Residency because I have interests in women's health and rural medicine, and I felt the OSU FM program was supportive, and interested in helping me develop into a competent physician that is able to explore these interests.
Megan McBride, DO
Hometown: Portland, OR
Undergraduate: Miami University
Medical School: Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine - Dublin
Why I chose Ohio State: I chose Ohio State as my first choice because I have a very broad set of interests including inpatient medicine and OB. This program provides a great balance of education and also has the resources to support diverse interests. I also genuinely enjoyed all of the residents that I interacted with during the application process, and I felt like I could see myself fitting in well to their community.
Royce Onyimba, MD
Hometown: Columbia, MD
Undergraduate: University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Medical School: The Ohio State University College of Medicine
Why I chose Ohio State: I chose OSU because I was confident that this was the best environment for my development as a physician. I was lured by the chance to train with down-to-earth scholars in both a premier academic institution and a community hospital with diverse patient populations. I was sold by the prospect of diving into the myriad of well-established opportunities provided by Columbus and OSU to further explore my curricular and extracurricular interests.
PGY-1
Amy Aiken, MD
Hometown: Chardon, OH
Undergraduate: Kent State University
Medical School: Northeast Ohio Medical University
Why I chose Ohio State: As an Air Force applicant, I was so excited to hear about the opportunity to do a civilian residency at OSU while training to become a flight surgeon! I appreciate getting to see the similarities and differences in military and civilian medicine.
Varsha Chiruvella, MD
Hometown: Atlanta, GA
Undergraduate: Emory University
Medical School: Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University
Why I chose Ohio State: I chose OSU because of the amazing camaraderie and friendship that were truly palpable in every room I walked (or virtually "Zoomed") into. Every person in the program, the coordinator, PD and wonderful residents that I interacted with throughout my interview process, was so kind and thoughtful; it felt like I was right at home after every interview and "spotlight night". I also loved the family medicine program at OSU because of the intense exposure residents receive to all aspects of holistic, broad-spectrum patient care. From the longitudinal ultrasound integration to continuity OB deliveries to underserved patient care, residents at OSU are trained from the best to not only be confident and competent to practice medicine, but also serve as patient advocates in the community.
Rachel Jamison, MD
Hometown: Greenville, OH
Undergraduate: University of Kentucky
Medical School: Ohio State University College of Medicine
Why I chose Ohio State: OSU gives so much opportunity for learning and growth. I'll still be given the flexibility to make my residency the best experience I can for my future goals.
Lydia Karlsson, MD
Hometown: Perry, OH
Undergraduate: The Ohio State University
Medical School: Ohio State University College of Medicine
Why I chose Ohio State: Before I came to OSU as an undergraduate, I was told that you cannot make a small school big, but you can make a big school small and I have continued to believe in that statement through college, medical school, and now as a resident. There is a wealth of opportunity, knowledge, people, and experience at OSU, and I am happy to be a Buckeye for the third time, alongside other wonderful physicians.
Ben Lewis, MD
Hometown: Medina, OH
Undergraduate: The University of Mount Union
Medical School: Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine
Why I chose Ohio State: I have always wanted to be a Buckeye and am so thrilled to be here! The ability to work in a community hospital within a large academic institution provides countless opportunities to train in a diverse clinical setting without having to pick between an “opposed” or “unopposed” program. The people here are truly amazing and the residency program feels like a family!
Ellen Rootring, DO
Hometown: Cincinnati, OH
Undergraduate: Calvin University
Medical School: Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine
Why I chose Ohio State: Ohio State University provides great medical care for patients and has fantastic teachers in all of their residency programs. I loved my experiences with the faculty and residents of the family medicine program. I liked the program's focus on full spectrum health care and health equity for all.
Sonal Singh, MD
Hometown: Baltimore, MD
Undergraduate: University of California, Los Angeles
Medical School: St. George’s University School of Medicine
Why I chose Ohio State: I chose Ohio State University for the research, sports medicine, community outreach, and advocacy opportunities. The Spotlight Nights through application season really highlighted all the unique and robust ways residents can be involved. I also wanted a institution that would allow me to advance my other career goals, like getting an MBA.
Madison Smith, MD
Hometown: Canton, OH
Undergraduate: The Ohio State University
Medical School: University of Louisville School of Medicine
Why I chose Ohio State: I chose Ohio State University because of the vast availability of learning opportunities at my fingertips. Also, faculty, residents and staff that I immediately connected with. Additionally, the extensive knowledge we get in OBGYN care and outpatient procedural management.
Minna Wybrecht, MD
Hometown: Taichung, Taiwan and Ypsilanti, MI
Undergraduate: University of Michigan
Medical School: University of Michigan Medical School
Why I chose Ohio State: I couples matched with my partner in Anesthesia. We ranked OSU highly because of the numerous opportunities, exposure to diverse pathologies, and co-workers that treat you like family.