Class of 2008

(select each resident to read their bio)

Boyce

D.Boyce,DO

Boyce Dan Boyce, DO

University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine, KC

Southwest Missouri State University - Springfield, MO

Why did you choose UMKC for your residency? I transferred into family medicine after completing 7 months of Pathology at KU, I was able to transition mid-year.

What is it like being a resident? Schedules change from block to block, so some rotations are busier than others. Residency is intellectually stimulating given the variety of illnesses seen.

What are you going to do after your residency? Private practice - Platte City, MO

What advice would you give to physicians starting their residencies? Read daily. Always be available and never let opportunities pass you by. Ask alot of questions.

What interested you about Family medicine? The wide variety of illnesses seen by family physicians on a daily basis, and the ability to treat patients of all ages.

What are your goals and interests? Interests - hunting, fishing, sports, weather, boating, camping. Goals - To retire at a young age after winning the lottery.

When did you decide to become a doctor? Senior year of High school.

Cho

J.Cho,MD

Cho Jonathan Cho, MD

University of Missouri - Kansas City School of Medicine

Washington University - St. Louis, Missouri

Why did you choose UMKC for your residency? Extremely resident-friendly program with easy-to-get-along and interact with attendings, fellow residents and staff. Excellent call schedule.

What is it like being a resident? Depending on the specific rotation, it can be relatively easy or difficult. In general much better than my other medical school friends who complain about their programs.

What are you going to do after your residency? Plan to do Private practice.

What advice would you give to physicians starting their residencies? Work hard and play hard. Be confident in your abilities, and at the same time, know and do not feel bad about asking for help from residents or attendings. That's why you do residency.

What interested you about Family medicine? Enjoy primary care and patient interaction with variety of different rotations to keep things interesting and refreshing.

What are your goals and interests? Continue to learn and improve as a doctor and be empathetic to patients. Be balanced both in my professional and personal life.

When did you decide to become a doctor? In college after rough pre-med semester. Did some self-reflection, participated in groups, did some research and EMT training which confirmed my desire to do medicine.

Dickson

G.Dickson,MD

Dickson Gretchen Dickson, MD

St. Vincent College, Latrobe, PA

University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine

Why did you choose UMKC for your residency? The program provides great training in the full scope of family medicine with faculty and residents that are outstanding colleagues and friends.

What is it like being a resident? Great! We work hard and bear a lot, but have a wonderful time doing it. Even though you may be tired at the end of the day, most of us are still smiling and are eager to come back the next day.

What are you going to do after your residency? Hopefully an operative OB fellowship at UMKC and then a career in academic family medicine.

What advice would you give to physicians starting their residencies? Listen to your patients - they will teach you more about how to be a doctor than anyone else. Also, have fun and enjoy residency - it's not many people who get to love what they do every day!

What interested you about Family medicine? I liked continuity with patients and the excitement of never knowing what a patient might present with and the confidence of knowing I could treat it or al least get them to the right treatment.

Hargraves

H.Hargraves,MD

Hargraves
Heather Hargraves, MD

Why did you choose UMKC for your residency?
Lakewood has a welcoming environment for residents. The faculty are excellent teachers and the call schedule is conducive to a decent lifestyle. 

What is it like being a resident?
There is an immediate increase in responsibility. The learning curve is steep.  However, it is rewarding to be able to take care of patients at this level.

What are you going to do after your residency?
Temporary position until my husband finishes his psychiatric residency, then hopefully to New Zealand/Australia/Scotland for locum tenens work for a while.

What advice would you give to physicians starting their residencies?
Time management skills are of the utmost importance in improving efficiency. And remember to always take time for fun.

What interested you about Family Medicine?
It is fun taking care of people of different ages with a variety of medical problems.  It is great to be able to perform various procedures as well. 

What are your goals and interests?
Become a compassionate, competent physician.
Dermatology, procedures, preventive care, and alternative/integrative medicine are areas of interest.
I enjoy tennis, golf, cycling, movies, music, traveling, and poodles.

When did you decide to become a doctor?
I loved science and thought about it in early high school.

Johnson

A.Johnson,MD

Johnson Annelle Johnson, MD

University of Oklahoma College of Medicine

University of Oklahoma, Norman

Why did you choose UMKC for your residency? Great interview experience, faculty seemed warm and open. Also, structure of the program would meet my needs.

What is it like being a resident? Better than being a medical student, and you get paid too.

What are you going to do after your residency? Academic medicine

What advice would you give to physicians starting their residencies? Manage your time wisely. Still take time to do things for yourself.

What interested you about Family medicine? The variety of patients and problems.

What are your goals and interests? Women's Health

When did you decide to become a doctor? in Junior High.

Jones

C.Jones,MD

Jones Crystal Jones, MD

University of Columbia School of Medicine

University of Missouri - Columbia

Why did you choose UMKC for your residency? Unopposed, University based

What is it like being a resident? Busy

What are you going to do after your residency? US Navy assignment for 3 years, then return to practice in Midwest, most likely rural

What advice would you give to physicians starting their residencies? Be patient, work hard, study regularly, *Take charge of your education

What interested you about Family medicine? Diversity & Patient relationships, Feeling like you're making a difference

What are your goals and interests? Goals: Education ~ improve mine, improve the residents', improve the program; Graduate ~ Successful practice
Interests: Procedures, Inpatient Medicine, Critical care medicine, Family, Animals, Friends, Travel

When did you decide to become a doctor? Forever

Lee

S.Lee,DO

Lee Sam Lee, DO

University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine, Kansas City

University of Kansas, Lawrence

Why did you choose UMKC for your residency? Resident-friendly work hours, unopposed residency in Lakewood, private practice enviornment in St. lukes Family Care, friendly and laid back faculty.

What is it like being a resident? It is scary in the beginning but gets more fun as you advance in the training.

What are you going to do after your residency? Join a practice in the Kansas City area.

What advice would you give to physicians starting their residencies? Learn the resources and references that can help you quickly. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Read-up at night.

What interested you about Family medicine? Taking care of the whole patient and being the patient's advocate.

What are your goals and interests? Establish a good respectable practice in the community. Social/Ballroom dancing, watching sports, video games.

When did you decide to become a doctor? I was curious about medicine in high school with encouragement from the family. I was more certain through the volunteer experience in college.

Loquias

E.Loquias,MD

Loquias Erwin Loquias, MD

University of the East Philippines

University of South Florida, Tampa

Why did you choose UMKC for your residency? Unopposed program, Excellent faculty, Friendly residents with great camaradarie

What is it like being a resident? Very busy, Lots of learning opportunities

What are you going to do after your residency? Either private practice or Fellowship in Geriatrics or Sports Medicine

What advice would you give to physicians starting their residencies? Make the most out of the residency, make friends and have fun it makes learning even interesting.

What interested you about Family medicine? Realm of endless possibilities in private practice

What are your goals and interests? My goal is to improve myself in every aspect of life and my practice of medicine. I like to travel and play sports.

When did you decide to become a doctor? When I was a kid.

Meleth

J.Meleth,MD

Meleth Jason Meleth, MD

Ross University - Dominica

Southern Illinois University - Carbondale

Why did you choose UMKC for your residency? Family Practice faculty is in-house.

What is it like being a resident? Resident-friendly Residency

What are you going to do after your residency? Outpatient Clinic

What advice would you give to physicians starting their residencies? Be willing to work hard; you will need to make sacrifices away from family and friends.

What interested you about Family medicine? Scope of practice, never a boring day.

What are your goals and interests? Preventative medicine.

When did you decide to become a doctor? In college

Richard

E.Richard,DO

Richard Ethan Richard, DO

KC University of Medicine & Biosciences

University of Tennessee at Martin

Why did you choose UMKC for your residency? The program does not "water down " family medicine. It provided a wide spectrum of instruction and training  in procedures, surgical and medical areas.

What is it like being a resident? It is probably the most fun time in  my professional career. A whirlwind of learning, responsibility and friendship.

What are you going to do after your residency? I am planning on doing an OB fellowhip and completing my MPH. Then I am off to rural Missouri for a few years and ultimately I hope to return to academia.

What advice would you give to physicians starting their residencies? Be honest with yourself and be aware of your limitations. This not only can reduce frustation but also provide better patient care.

What interested you about Family medicine? I get to as much as I like and tailor my practice into exactly what interests me.

What are your goals and interests? As mentioned above, I hope to finish my MPH and get involved in  disaster preparedness at the state and national level.

When did you decide to become a doctor? In my first year of undergraduate school when my first child was born.

Richardson

M.Richardson,MD

Richardson Michael Richardson, MD

UMKC School of Medicine

University of Missouri, Kansas City

Why did you choose UMKC for your residency? Friendly faculty, combined MBA program

What is it like being a resident? Busy, educational. A good experience to learn time management.

What are you going to do after your residency? Maybe private practice

What advice would you give to physicians starting their residencies? Stay on top of charts and documenting procedures; but balance work with fun & relaxation.

What interested you about Family medicine? Lifestyle, ability to still do procedures in addition to a clinic setting where you have the opportunity to build lasting relationships with patients and their family.

What are your goals and interests? Goals: Become a great doctor with a wide knowledge base. To be efficient in patient care. Interests: sports - all and any; family time.

When did you decide to become a doctor? Sixth grade, after following my grandfather around the hospital & clinic for a day

Tadakamalla

M.Tadakamalla,MD

Tadakamalla Malathi Tadakamalla, MD

Kakatiya Medical College, India

BVS Junior College Kamareddy, A.P. India

Why did you choose UMKC for your residency? I still remember the day being interviewed, it was a great experience right from the beginning.
Everything was professionally handled as they were so meticulous about explaining the program. Dr Shaffer was easily approachable, and made me feel very welcome. I made a great choice in the UMKC Family Medicine Residency. I was interviewed in nine programs, but I rated this program the best.

What is it like being a resident? No questions asked, one of the best life’s experiences I have had!  It sharpened my skills about patient care which I gained  from excellent input from the Faculty who were easily approachable. I am confident in my career and I think I made the right choice.

What are you going to do after your residency? Invariably Geriatrics, and the reason for choosing that is to give the utmost care to the baby boomers.

What advice would you give to physicians starting their residencies? It is tough to be a resident, at the same time it's lot of fun. There are so many avenues to get in to a fellowship if you are interested after residency. This program teaches you great skills especially in OB and Geriatrics. Undoubtedly a great program to get your utmost experience as a family physician. So choose this versus other programs!

What interested you about Family medicine? Diversity in patient population babies to baby boomers.

What are your goals and interests? I want to be a Geriatrician and that’s my dedication.

When did you decide to become a doctor? Since childhood, I think I was in 5th grade.