Welcome, UW Emergency Medicine Class of 2028!
The University of Washington Department of Emergency Medicine is delighted to welcome 18 new incoming interns, who will begin their postgraduate training this summer.
Alayna Barela
Brown University
Alayna Barela is from Taos, New Mexico, and completed her B.A. in Neuroscience at Boston University. Alayna then attended Brown University and the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, where she earned her MD and a Primary Care and Population Medicine M.Sc. concurrently. While at Brown, she participated in an NIH-funded analysis of responses to changes in buprenorphine treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Alayna has been an avid traveler since she was 7 years old. During her travels, she learned the value of language and culture from being exposed to people from diverse backgrounds, allowing her to build a strong sense of self and cultural awareness that informs her practice.
Ethan Cheng
University of Florida
Ethan Cheng is from Gainesville, Florida, and attended the University of Florida, Gainesville, where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Biological and Medical Sciences. Ethan attended medical school at the University of Florida College of Medicine. During medical school, Ethan worked with the Department of Ophthalmology to study gene therapy for ocular diseases and metformin as a potential therapy for inherited retinal diseases. During this time, he also volunteered with the Equal Access Clinic, a network of free, student-run health clinics in Alachua County, FL. Ethan is an accomplished athlete in his free time, winning a singles tennis championship in 2021 and reaching the final rounds of doubles tennis, softball, and ultimate frisbee championships. He also enjoys building furniture, cooking, and hosting dinners with friends.
Karlee De Monnin
Washington University
Karlee De Monnin grew up in Spokane, Washington, and attended the University of Washington, where she graduated with a B.S. in Neuroscience. While in medical school at Washington University, Karlee received the Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine Distinguished Student Scholarship. She is also the Community Outreach Co-Chair for the American Medical Women’s Association, where she taught weekly health classes for young mothers, organized a menstrual product drive and facilitated an advising workshop for junior women medical students as they transition to clinical spaces. In addition to finishing her 3rd and 4th years of medical school, Karlee also serves as a substitute teacher for Saint Louis Public Schools. Her experience teaching inspired her passion for education and a commitment to dismantling white normativity inside and outside the hospital.
Kathleen Denny
Oregon Health & Science University
Kathleen Denny is from Orinda, California, and attended Willamette University, where she received her bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science. She attended Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine, where she served as the Emergency Medicine Interest Group Lead. In this role, she organized clinical skills workshops, implemented a system to allow medical students to schedule ED shadow shifts, and facilitated lunchtime talks focused on emergency medicine. Additionally, she held the role of Clinical Coordinator at the Bridges Collaborative Care Clinic. Kathleen coordinated wound care for residents living in transitional housing, provided resources to promote the safety of individuals with substance use disorders, and performed basic physical exams and health assessments. Kathleen also served in multiple COVID-related roles early during the pandemic. Her hobbies include baking, gardening, and Halloween.
Katie Gutierrez
University of California, San Francisco
Katie Gutierrez is from San Bruno, California, and studied Integrative Biology at the University of California, Berkley, where she earned her B.A. She attended medical school at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine. During this time, she investigated disparities in the completion of newborn hearing screening and intervention in the US. She spent an additional year pursuing the Health Professions Education Pathway, a medical education track where she developed curriculums, conducted education research, and taught on campus. Katie is an avid volunteer, serving several programs ranging from habitat restoration to assisting in the Pediatric Emergency Department at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in Oakland, CA.
Brenna Harrington
Hofstra University
Brenna Harrington is from New York, NY, and attended Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, where she received a bachelor's degree in biology. While in medical school at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Brenna served as an Executive Board member for her medical school’s Emergency Medicine Interest Group. During this time, Brenna organized the EMIG Symposium, planned a Q&A panel of program directors, attendings, and residents from all over the country, and fundraised for a foundation. Additionally, Brenna served as an Executive Board member for her medical school’s Global Health Club. The club organizes events that bring attention to important international health issues and delineate opportunities for physicians to respond to humanitarian crises. Brenna was an EMT and a research assistant in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Washington. Brenna’s hobbies include attending live music events, visiting national parks, backpacking trips, and physical fitness.
Matt Joseph
Washington University
Matt Joseph is from Los Gatos, California, and attended the University of Washington, Seattle, where he received his bachelor’s degree in English Literature. While in medical school at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Matt received a Distinguished Alumni Scholarship and participated in research roles. The most recent project included contributing to clinical/translational science working on a project evaluating the use of dexmedetomidine in the ED, including protocol design, database programming, data extraction, data analysis, and manuscript drafting. Additionally, Matt’s other research role consisted of working on a project investigating the correlation between radiologically identified sarcopenia and surgical outcomes in head and neck cancer. Matt has been a musician since he was a kid playing the piano, saxophone, trumpet, flute, guitar, and bass. He learned the importance of diligent, regular practice, and the ability to apply general fundamental skills in unique, spontaneous scenarios and recorded and released an album this year.
Erin Kinney
Oregon Health & Science University
Erin Kinney is from Bainbridge Island, Washington State, and attended Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon, where she received her bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science. While in medical school at Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine, Erin received the Top 100 Abstract award from the Society of Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM). Additionally, she served as Vice President and Conference Chair of Pacific Northwest Wilderness Medicine. Erin’s role involves supervising current operations and developing long-term strategic plans to help PNWM achieve its mission. Erin participated in research throughout medical school, working on a study titled “Optimizing Stroke Prophylaxis for Acute Atrial Fibrillation with an Electronic Clinical Decision Support Tool: A Stepped-Wedge Cluster Randomized Trial Design.” Erin managed a team of three undergraduates and oversaw data collection through chart abstraction. She also collaborated with data analysts, qualitative researchers, and Emergency Medicine physicians. Erin has been an Emergency Medical Responder Instructor for the past three years. She is a ski instructor volunteer at Outdoors for All, a foundation that offers outdoor experiences to those with physical and mental impairments. She has also taught rock climbing, biking, and kayaking.
Tudi Le
University of Washington
Tudi Le is from Newcastle, Washington, and attended Seattle University, where she received a bachelor's degree in Cell and Molecular Biology. While in medical school at the University of Washington School of Medicine, Tudi served as Co-Founder and Chapter Liaison of the Physicians for Human Rights. The group promotes human rights education for students pursuing healthcare careers across graduate health programs. In addition, Tudi served as Co-Founder and Senior Co-Director of the UW Medicine Asylum Evaluation Student Clinic. This student clinic provides forensic medical and psychiatric evaluations for asylum seekers in Seattle and legal affidavits for asylum court cases. Tudi enjoys teaching, mentoring, and climbing.
Jason Leddy
University of California, San Diego
Jason Leddy is from Los Altos, California, and attended the University of California, Davis where he graduated with his bachelor's degree in Viticulture and Enology. While in medical school at the University of California, San Diego, Jason served as the Emergency Medicine Interest Group president. During this time, he oversaw more than 40 medical students and has led events and seminars with faculty on residency planning, hands-on ultrasound, and peer advising. Jason attributes his love for emergency medicine to mentoring other students. He served as Chief Scribe in the Stanford Clinical Observation and Medical Transcription (COMET) Fellowship and transcribed over 1,000 patient encounters. Jason’s hobbies include art, scuba diving, and making wine and beer. He credits his education in viticulture and enology for helping him bottle his first vintage of red wine this year.
Paul McCleary
University of Vermont
Paul McCleary grew up in Seattle, Washington, and attended the University of Washington, where he received his bachelor's degree in Neuroscience. While in medical school at the University of Vermont, Paul was awarded the Larner College of Medicine Cardiovascular Research Fellowship, a grant awarded to support the research project “Platelet FcɣRIIa Expression in Patients with Stable Coronary Artery Disease.” In addition, Paul served as a founding member of the University of Vermont Look at Larner, a program that aims to provide opportunities for underrepresented minorities and BIPOC individuals to explore Larner College of Medicine. The program is now established as a yearly event. Paul also served as a researcher with Hunger Free Vermont, an organization working to reduce state-wide hunger, to determine how COVID-19 impacted food delivery. Paul’s hobbies include weightlifting, volleyball, listening to philosophy and crime podcasts, and cooking new recipes.
Rose Paneno
University of California, Los Angeles
Rose Paneno is from Santa Rosa, California, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Integrative Biology and Social Welfare from the University of California, Berkeley. Rose attended the University of California, Los Angeles, for medical school, where she co-founded the LA COVID Volunteers group. As president, Rose helped relieve the strain on healthcare resources by distributing PPE to the UCLA health system and cloth masks to local shelters. Rose completed the NIH-Funded GloCal Fogarty Research Fellowship in Peru, where she studied community health worker emergency response to El Nino events and the pandemic. Rose enjoys playing the piano and the jazz upright bass. Her hobbies include backpacking, traveling, and trying new cuisines.
Chris Poyorena
Mayo Clinic
Chris Poyorena is from Los Angeles, California, and attended California State University, Long Beach, where he received a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology. Chris went on to earn his master’s degree at Arizona State University before entering medical school at the Mayo Clinic. There he co-founded the Mayo Clinic’s Street Medicine Program and served as President. He was inspired to do so after volunteering with USC-LAC emergency medicine doctors on Skid Row before medical school. His team successfully established a program that provides medical screenings, distributes supplies, and offers social support on street missions. As a result of this work, he received the 2023 United States Public Health Services Excellence in Public Health Award. Chris co-founded the Association of Native American Medical Students at the Mayo Clinic. He enjoys woodworking, skateboarding, snowboarding, and ceramics.
Rachel Rezaei
University of Nevada, Reno
Rachel Rezaei is from Reno, Nevada, and graduated from the University of Nevada Reno with her bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience. She also attended the University of Nevada, Reno for medical school. She is a first-generation college student and credits her hard-working spirit to the unique challenges she faced by not having connections to the medical or professional community. Rachel served as the Co-Founder and Editor-In-Chief of the “Whispers from the Winds” Narrative Medical Journal at UNR. She helped reinstate the scholarly concentration program in narrative medicine to showcase art from her peers, physicians, and other healthcare providers. Rachel was nominated by her peers and received the Jerry & Janet Zebrack Family Scholarship in Humanism-Humility Award in 2022 for her values and gentle nature. Rachel enjoys volunteering and endurance running.
Joshua Simmons
New York Medical College
Joshua Simmons is from Los Angeles, California, and attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he received his bachelor's degree in environmental biology and Geography. While in medical school at New York Medical College, Joshua pursued areas of concentration in biomedical ethics and global and population health. In addition, he co-founded the NYMC Disaster Medicine Club. The intent of this club is to better prepare medical students for high-intensity, low-resource situations they might encounter. Joshua also served as the Editor-in-Chief of NYMC’s student journal, Quill & Scope. The journal captures the medical student experience and showcases the talent and creativity of the student body. Joshua considers himself and explorer at heart and spent two months in Nepal completing the Everest Basecamp and Annapurna Circuits. Joshua’s other hobbies include reading fantasy books and making epoxy resin tables from reclaimed wood.
Noah Sorkow
University of Vermont
Noah Sorkow is from Tucson, Arizona, and attended the University of Arizona, where he received his bachelor’s degree in public health. While in medical school at the University of Vermont, Noah, in partnership with a community peer recovery center, developed The Social History, a podcast aimed at mitigating stigma against patients with substance use disorders. Noah designed and implemented an active learning session for second-year medical students centering around substance use disorders in this same realm. In addition, as part of MedQuest Explore, Noah developed a virtual summer camp curriculum that allows high school students traditionally underrepresented in medicine to explore careers in healthcare. Noah is a self-taught guitarist, banjoist, pianist, and drummer.
Adrienne Wessel
Loyola University Chicago
Adrienne Wessel is from Escanaba, Michigan, and attended St. Olaf College, where she earned her bachelor's degree in biology and religion. While in medical school at Loyola University Chicago, Adrienne volunteered with the Stritch Homeless Outreach Coalition. Here she provided health exams and basic medical services at the CTA Blue Line stop, distributed food and care packages, and volunteered at warming shelters. Adrienne served as a mentor to two medical students to facilitate their transition to medical school. In addition, she co-founded Stritch Adventurers, where she aimed to create a community of like-minded individuals eager to experience the outdoors and the world around them. Adrienne organized music-based events in hospital settings through Healing Notes, a program aimed at uplifting the sick and isolated. Adrienne is an avid hiker, backpacker, rock climber, and mountaineer. Adrienne’s other hobbies include playing piano and knitting.
Lilian Zapata
Emory University
Lilian Zapata is from Valdermoro, Spain, and graduated from the University of Chicago with a bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences with a specialization in Immunology. As a medical student at Emory University, Lilian volunteered with the Mercy Care Street Medicine program. The team meets with homeless individuals in Atlanta and provides food, physical exams, and care to those who need it. Since entering medical school, Lilian has served as a tutor for transgender youth and hosts online meetings. These provide the students with academic tutoring and a resource for transgender issues. Lilian received the Most Valuable Researcher Award from the Hospitalist Project and assisted with research on gun violence and adolescent healthcare utilization. Lilian enjoys art and is an avid barebow archer.
