K.Meler,DO AT Still (AZ)
Kara Meler, DO
AT Still University
Augustana College
Why did you choose UMKC for your residency? I liked how the residency program is unopposed yet has university affiliation. I was impressed by the electronic medical records system and didactics structure. The atmosphere of feeling right at home during my visit to UMKC made it very appealing as well. I think the size of the class is great and there are wonderful opportunities for OMM for the DO residents who wish to continue using and mastering their manipulation skills.
What are your goals and interests? My goal is to prepare myself to handle any situation that awaits me as a family physician. I want to learn everything I can to best serve my patients, both during residency and for the rest of my career. I see myself practicing in a rural area, possibly somewhere in the Midwest. I plan to incorporate osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) into my practice and am interested in pursuing a sports medicine fellowship.
What are your goals and interests? Outside of medicine, I enjoy spending time with my husband, family, & friends, cooking, swimming, biking, attempting basketball, watching movies, reading Harry Potter, listening to/playing music, and being outdoors.
When did you decide to become a doctor? Although I've changed my mind a few times about what type of physician to become, I've wanted to be a doctor since 4th grade.
What interested you about Family medicine? I enjoyed every rotation I had during medical school, particularly my family medicine rotations. I like the aspect of flexibility in tailoring family medicine practice to the needs of the community I plan to serve. I enjoy preventative medicine, sports medicine, and everything from delivering babies to helping prepare patients for hospice at the end of life. There is a great deal of diversity that awaits me as a family medicine physician and I embrace it with open arms!
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P.Rizza,MD KU
Pam Rizza, MD
University of Kansas
Truman State University
Why did you choose UMKC for your residency? I chose the program because of its strong obstetrics and women’s health emphasis. I also wanted a program that was unopposed, with mostly family medicine faculty.
What are your goals and interests? I love to run and be active. I ran a marathon before my daughter was born, and would like to do another in the near future. My goal is to qualify for Boston. I stay busy spending time with my daughter Kate, husband Shawn, and German shorthair pointer Annie. We take lots of walks and Annie is my running partner.
When did you decide to become a doctor? In high school, my best friend’s father was a family physician. I really respected him, and his role in the community impressed me. I started shadowing him in his clinic and fell in love with medicine.
What interested you about Family medicine? I love that the field allows you to shape your practice into exactly what you want. It is challenging to learn such a breadth of information, but exciting to be able to see the interconnectedness of disease states, and not focus on just one problem. I also believe in the importance of preventive medicine, and family physicians play a vital role in stopping disease before it starts.
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R.Sears,DO OK State
Ryan Sears, DO
Oklahoma State University
Oklahoma State University
Why did you choose UMKC for your residency? The first influential factor was the friendly and accepting attitude from attendings and residents that was apparent after walking through the door. Few Family residencies have the opportunity to cover all aspects of a hospital as found here. Also, the opportunity to gain further experience in obstetrics, geriatrics, and sports medicine coupled with the opportunity to train at Children’s Mercy Hospital and Downtown Truman Medical Center provide the needed experience for any excellent family physician.
What are your goals and interests? My goal is to open my own family medicine practice. With that in mind, I would like to gain enough practice management experience to be successful. I would also like to find enough procedural proficiency to practice in either a rural or suburban setting. Osteopathic manipulation is also important to my future practice and is a component I plan to use daily.
When did you decide to become a doctor? I really came to college with the idea of becoming a biomedical engineer, not knowing what that fully entailed, so after one year, I decided my desire was to work with people rather than primarily in a lab. So where did doctor come from, well, I had a little influence from my dad who was a family physician in Tulsa, OK.
What interested you about Family medicine? You have the opportunity to treat all ages and through pregnancy as well. I believe you have the ability to make the most impact because you are often the patient’s first evaluation, you coordinate their care with specialists if needed, and you can serve as their advocate in the medical setting. Family medicine also gives you so much freedom to mold your practice allowing for appropriate time with your patients and most importantly, your family. You may have further opportunity to sub specialize in certain aspects of family medicine, such as geriatrics, obstetrics, and pediatrics and procedural practice.
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C.Sharky,DO KCUMB
Chad Sharky, DO
Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences
University of Missouri - Columbia
Why did you choose UMKC for your residency? I knew very early in my clerkship rotations that Family Medicine was the path for me. While visiting UMKC’s Family Medicine Residency, I felt at home and knew that my potential would be greatest here.
What are your goals and interests?My goal is to join a group of physicians in the eastern suburban area of Kansas City, perhaps even a sub-rural practice. I hope to additionally practice Sports Medicine, but I’m still open to other plans. My interests are the outdoors, playing the drums, computers, reading and writing.
When did you decide to become a doctor?Becoming a doctor was a dream I had off and on in my childhood, but went into full swing during college.
What interested you about Family medicine?The scope of care delivered – both in age and types of diseases encountered, is unmatched in Family Medicine. Furthermore, developing long-lasting relationships with patients and families is very important to me.
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