Welcome, UW Emergency Medicine Resident Class of 2025!
University of Washington Department of Emergency Medicine is delighted to welcome 12 new incoming interns, who will begin their postgraduate training this summer.
Ryan Alcantara
New York Medical College
Ryan was born in Lorton, VA, and double majored at The Pennsylvania State University in Biology and Psychology. While in Medical School at New York Medical College, Ryan served as a Research Assistant in Westchester Medical Center Disaster Medicine where he was co-author on several manuscripts, including one regarding lessons learned from the pandemics encountered over the past century and another focusing on excessive use of sedation in the intensive care unit. Throughout his time at NYMC, Ryan earned several honors and awards, including the Foundations of Clinical Medicine 2 Professionalism Award (2019) which recognizes students for exemplary professionalism with peers and interactions with patients during the academic year. Ryan’s hobbies include competitive power lifting, training and sparring in Brazilian jiu jitsu, and learning to snowboard. Welcome, Ryan!
Nicholas Aldredge
University of Virginia School of Medicine
Nicholas was born Seattle, WA and earned his Bachelor of Chemistry from the University of Washington. Nicholas went on to earn his M.Ed. in Urban Education from Loyola Marymount University. While in Medical School at the University of Virginia, he served as a researcher at the UVA Guatemala Initiative where he designed, implemented, and published an original research study assessing the efficacy of a point-of-care electronic medical record in a low-resource, rural emergency department. He also translated and communicated key research findings with local Guatemalan hospital group leaders. Due in part to his work in Guatemala, Nicholas was recognized as the 2018 UVA Center for Global Health University Scholar. Nicholas’ hobbies include rock climbing, writing poetry and short stories, yoga, and photography. Welcome, Nicholas!
Ian Benjamin
Boston University School of Medicine
Ian was born in Sacramento and earned his B.S. in Physiological Sciences from UCLA. He went on to earn his M.S. in Medical Sciences from Boston University. While in Medical School at Boston University, Ian served as a researcher with BUSM CALM (Cuddling Assists in Lowering Maternal and Infant Stress) where he co-presented an original research poster titled “Impact of CALM Service-Learning Group on Medical Student Perspectives on Substance Use Disorder in Pregnancy” at The Massachusetts Medical Society (MMS) research poster symposium where his group won third place out of a group of attendings, residents, and medical students. During the peak of COVID, Ian volunteered for Boston Medical Center’s COVID Outreach program calling high-risk patients to check in on their physical and mental health, and ensured their medical needs were still being met outside of the hospital. Ian’s hobbies include making music, weightlifting, watching films and researching and reselling limited production clothing online. Welcome, Ian!
Jessica Calderone
Albany Medical College
Jessica, originally from Endwell, NY, received her B.A. in Biology and Minor in Spanish from Siena College in Loudonville, NY, and a Combined Degree Program in Science, Humanities, and Medicine with Albany Medical College. During Medical School, Jessica served as a co-investigator at Albany Medicine’s Division of Community Outreach where she implemented a community service program for students to gain experience working with children with cancer, neuromuscular conditions, blood disorders, etc. in non-traditional health care settings as well as within the hospital. She also worked to assess the impact of such volunteer experiences on a students' personal and professional development, in a project titled “Double H Service-Learning Program: Encouraging medical students professional and personal growth in understanding and caring for children with chronic illness.” The research was later presented virtually at the American Academy of Pediatrics Annual Conference 2020 and received the 2020 Section on Hospice and Palliative Medicine Abstract Award. Jessica’s hobbies include gardening, cooking, international travel, horseback riding and skiing. Welcome, Jessica!
Kevin Dyer
Rush Medical College of Rush University Medical Center
Kevin was born in Chicago, IL, and earned his B.S. in Psychology from Michigan State University. During Medical School at Rush Medical College, Kevin has served as a research assistant in the Emergency Department where he is currently writing the IRB protocol for a prospective pre/post-test study to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of a 1-hour training session on autism knowledge among emergency medicine residents at Rush. He has coordinated community partnership with an organization called Easterseals to provide their autism training. Kevin has also spent some of his time while at Rush Medical College volunteering at the Rush Community Service Initiatives Program (RCSIP) Franciscan Homeless Shelter Clinic in Chicago where he independently interviewed patients, performed a pertinent physical exam and in conjunction with an attending physician, developed an assessment and treatment plan. He also provided patient education regarding the diagnosis and management plan. Kevin’s hobbies include playing hockey, DIY projects, and running. Welcome, Kevin!
Elsa Lindgren
Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
Elsa was born in Francestown, NH and earned her B.S. in Neuroscience, with highest honors, from the University of New Hampshire. During Medical School at Dartmouth, Elsa served as a Clinical Research Coordinator at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center for a project titled “Emergency Department-INitiated bupreNOrphine and VAlidaTIOn Network (ED-INNOVATION) Trial, where she screened and recruited participants for the Dartmouth-Hitchcock site of this NIDA clinical trial comparing extended release and sublingual buprenorphine initiated in the emergency department in patients with opioid use disorder. Additionally, during medical school, Elsa volunteered at the Geisel School of Medicine Indian Health Service Trip to Minnesota and Wisconsin. She visited the Ho-Chunk Nation in Wisconsin with three other students where they shadowed clinic providers and nurse home visits, and met with community members about issues such as aging-related care and substance abuse. Her group helped organize an open house at the clinic for the Ho-Chunk community to learn about services. With a larger group of students, they also ran an Elder Foot Care clinic at the Little Earth community in Minneapolis. Elsa’s hobbies include trail running, backcountry skiing, listening to podcasts, and making meals or friends—especially pizza. Welcome, Elsa!
Dominic Lusk
St. Louis University School of Medicine
Dominic, originally from Seattle, received his B.S. in Biochemistry with a Minor in Psychology from Western Washington University. During his time at Medical School in St. Louis, Dominic served as a research assistant where he participated in a multicenter retrospective study of complications of young femoral neck fractures. This research was presented by Dr. Corey Collinge under the title “Results of Operative Fixation for Femoral Neck Fractures in Patients Aged 18 to 59 Years: A Study of 16 Centers and 596 Cases.” Dominic also joined the esteemed MEDLaunch Advisory Board, comprised of physicians, hospital executives, engineers and patent lawyers, providing feedback and coaching to teams as they went through the MEDLaunch Phase 1 curriculum. Dominic’s hobbies include cooking, surfing, travel, and electronic music. Welcome, Dominic!
Rachel Nolan
Drexel University College of Medicine
Rachel was born in Mystic, CT and received her B.S in Cognitive Science and Research Psychology from Vanderbilt University. During medical school, Rachel was the Primary Author for a project where she developed a collaborative, cross-institutional clinical research project between physicians at Crozer-Chester Medical Center and researchers from the Gaskill laboratory in Department of Pharmacology & Physiology at Drexel University in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Rachel also volunteers for the Philadelphia Medical Reserve Corps, a largely volunteer-maintained chapter of a national public health and emergency preparedness program. She was first introduced to MRC at the onset of the pandemic, while seeking a means to help combat sickness, fear, and chaos wrought by COVID-19. At the time, she says, she was just arriving at the realization that she wanted to pursue a career in EM. Rachel’s hobbies include climbing, cross-country skiing, kayaking, freshwater aquariums and playing the trumpet. Welcome, Rachel!
Michaela O’Driscoll
University of Florida College of Medicine
Michaela was born in Orlando, FL and earned her B.A. in Biology from Rollins College in Winter Park, FL. During her time in medical school at the University of Florida, Michaela served as a student research investigator in the UF Department of Emergency Medicine where she conducted retrospective cohort study to analyze predictors of hypotension after intubation in trauma patients. Michaela served as an organizer for the Gold Humanism Honor Society Student Sessions where she organized and held talks for MS3s. Additionally, Michaela served as a volunteer for Peaceful paths, where she assisted patients at a local domestic violence shelter with issues related to access to medical care, transition and set up with a primary care physician, and independence regarding medical knowledge and personal healthcare. Michaela’s hobbies include surfing, road biking, basketball, playing guitar, and trying to keep her house plants alive. Welcome, Michaela!
Jordan Sheehan
Albany Medical College
Jordan earned her B.A. in Physiology, with a Minor in Chemistry, from the University of Minnesota at Minneapolis. During her time at Albany Medical College, Jordan served as a co-investigator on several studies for the AMC Departments of Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Medicine (Oncology). For the Department of Surgery’s Division of Acute Care and Trauma, she served as a sub-investigator on a study where she designed a quality improvement study with aims to identify modifiable preoperative risk factors for postoperative complications and readmission in patient’s undergoing emergency surgery. She also designed a prospective study to investigate the prevalence of PTSD following physical injury to identify at-risk trauma survivors. Jordan led recruitment efforts to involve first- and second-year medical students, as well as critical care nurse practitioners. In this role, she has mentored rising medical students navigating their individual research pursuits while also propelling this project forward. Jordan’s hobbies include camping, boating, yoga, running, and travel. Welcome, Jordan!
Ahna Weeks
Emory University School of Medicine
Growing up in Carrboro, NC and Boulder, CO, Ahna received her B.A. in Chemistry with a Concentration in Women and Gender Studies, from Carleton College in Northfield, MN. During medical school, Ahna served as a student researcher in the Emory University Department of Emergency Medicine where she investigated patients with presumed traumatic cardiac arrest who may have been misdiagnosed. She calculated an injury severity score from autopsy reports over a six-year period from the Fulton County Medical Examiner and contributed to a database for future research. Ahna also worked as a researcher for a project in the Emory Division of Trauma Surgery where she evaluated patient outcomes after surgical management of traumatic lower extremity vascular injury. She conducted retrospective analysis focused on mortality and amputation over a ten-year period at Grady’s Level I Trauma Center. Ahna’s hobbies include running, bicycle touring, being crafty, and reading about the human experience. Welcome, Ahna!
Amanda West
Harvard Medical School
Originally from Williston, VT, Amanda earned her B.S. in Biology, Community Health, and Environmental Science. Amanda spent several months studying Environmental Engineering and Biology abroad at the University of Auckland. While in medical school, Amanda served as a researcher at the Consortium for Affordable Medical Technology in Uganda where she carried out a qualitative research project, designed with CAMTech, an organization that works to accelerate health innovation globally. She interviewed Ugandan women to identify barriers that may prevent their involvement in medical innovation and entrepreneurship and analyzed and wrote up the data, with the goal of developing programs to increase female participation and success in these sectors. Additionally, she helped organize a medical technology hackathon in Uganda, in which 250 participants formed teams to develop innovative proposals addressing challenges facing nurses and midwives in the country. Amanda volunteered as a medical student mentor for Health Professions Recruitment and Exposure in Boston where she reviewed hundreds of applications, selected participants, and led hands-on student training sessions on various medical topics such as taking vital signs. Amanda’s hobbies include taekwondo (she’s a black belt!), playing the steel tongue drum, geocaching, and scuba diving. Welcome, Amanda!
