APEM Residents
PGY 3 - CLASS OF 2024
Ayodeji 'Ayo' Akadiri, MD
Chief Resident
Saba University School of Medicine
I grew up in: Richmond, Virginia
Undergraduate: MLS at the Medical College of Virginia
Hobbies: Singing/songwriting/piano, working out, traveling, photography
Icebreaker: Buy me a steak and we'll talk
Zachary Blea, MD
University of Colorado School of Medicine
I grew up in: Colorado Springs, Colorado
Undergraduate: University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
Hobbies: Mountain biking, snowboarding, rock climbing, home-brewing, spending time with my wife and three kids
Something interesting: I once went solo backpacking around Thailand, and while there, I got cellulitis after scuba diving
Greatest accomplishment: Finding a smart and beautiful woman to say yes, raising three awesome and adventurous children, and pursuing my dream of becoming an emergency medicine physician
Favorite band: Dispatch
Irisha Clark, MD
University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford
I grew up in: Joliet, Illinois
Undergraduate: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Hobbies: trying new restaurants, brunch, baking, running half marathons
Icebreaker: It is more important to know what sort of person has a disease than to know what sort of disease a person has. -Hippocrates
My favorite author is Toni Morrison
My personal goal is to run a full marathon by the end of residency
Ali Dakka, MD
Wayne State University School of Medicine
I grew up in: Las Vegas, Nevada
Undergraduate: University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Hobbies: Basketball, working out and vertical jump training, video games, anime
Icebreaker: I can jump higher than the average NBA player
The mantra that I live by is Kobe Bryant’s "Mamba Mentality".
David Kline, DO
Chief Resident
A.T. Still University of Health Sciences Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine
I grew up in: Minnetonka, Minnesota
Undergraduate: University of Minnesota Duluth
Masters: University of North Texas Health Science Center
Hobbies: That lake life: wakesurfing, wakeboarding, hanging out on the boat, hiking, especially in SW USA; woodworking, any sports, playing or watching!
Icebreaker: Motto: Life's a garden, dig it!
Rita Mihaltan, DO
Chief Resident
Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine
I grew up in: Southeast Michigan
Undergraduate: Started at Wayne State University transferred to the University of Michigan. I graduated with a degree in Biopsychology Cognition and Neuroscience
Hobbies: My current favorites are yoga, meditation, being outdoors, cooking, and reading!
Icebreaker: My favorite motto is the one that helps me in the current moment. Right now, it is “the external world you live in is a projection of the internal world you create”
Joshua 'Tyler' Olinger, MD
Ross University School of Medicine
I grew up in: Southeastern Kentucky, Hazard, Kentucky
Undergraduate: University of Pikeville
Masters: University of Kentucky College of Medicine (MMSc -Pharmacology)
Hobbies: Tennis, hiking with my black lab "Jax," fishing, working out, crossfit, photography
Icebreaker: Motto I live by: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” -MLK Jr.
Rahul Puttagunta, MD
University of Michigan School of Medicine
I grew up in: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Undergraduate: Union College
Hobbies: Driving, pandemic-responsible traveling, soccer, video/board games, family time
Icebreaker: I lived in South Africa for a year before medical school and I enjoy bringing people together for games and A24 movies!
James Roberson III, MD
Meharry Medical College
I grew up in: Upper Marlboro, Maryland
Undergraduate: Morehouse College
Graduate School: MHS from Meharry Medical College
Hobbies: Anything Star Wars or Marvel, yoga, running (especially after my daughter), video games, and travel
Icebreaker: I am very interested in combating health inequity. I once signed up for a triathlon race the day before and finished!
Remberto 'Remy' Rosales, MD
University of Maryland School of Medicine
I grew up in: Maryland
Undergraduate: University of Maryland College Park
Hobbies: running, reading, video games, dabbling in art
Icebreaker: My favorite book genre would probably be fantasy. It’s nice to read about other worlds and take a step back from reality from time to time.
PGY 2 - CLASS OF 2025
DeMario Butts, MD
Howard University College of Medicine
I grew up in: Chattanooga, Tennessee
Undergraduate: Morehouse College
Hobbies: Art, biking, traveling
Icebreaker: "Equanimity under duress" -LaSalle D. Leffall Jr. MD
Guiseppe 'Joe' Calandrino, DO
Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine
I grew up in: Grand Rapids, Michigan
Undergraduate: Michigan State University
Hobbies: Sports, playing with my puppy Lucy, golfing, working out, cooking
Icebreaker: Fan of all teams from Ohio, especially Ohio State, despite having no connections to the state and going to MSU for Undergrad and Medical School
Garrett Cook, MD
Eastern Virginia Medical School
I grew up in: Greensboro, North Carolina
Undergraduate: UNC-Chapel Hill
Hobbies: Anything outdoors: Running, biking, swimming. Reading and Cooking
Icebreaker: I spent two months in Ecuador working to improve my Spanish
Jackson 'Cole' Darling, MD
Wayne State University School of Medicine
I grew up in: Golden, Colorado
Undergraduate: University of Colorado, Boulder
Hobbies: Football, Hockey, Board Games, DnD, Cooking, Plants/Gardening, Accents/Impersonations
Icebreaker: Goofy cat-dad with an equally goofy fiancée. Love to be the heart of the party and always looking to involve everyone in the fun. Definitely a nerd but I love sports and pick up games. A former surgical resident looking for a happy life with happy colleagues.
Brady Hauser, MD
St. Georges University
I grew up in: Rhinelander, Wisconsin
Undergraduate: University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire
Hobbies: I am an avid outdoorsman who enjoys hunting, fishing, and hiking. I also enjoy woodworking and home renovations
Icebreaker: I am entering my second residency after completing a pediatric residency at the University of Wisconsin. My life is my family! I have a beautiful wife (Laura) and have 3 beautiful children (Evelyn, Molly, and Luella)!
Hana Kallabat, MD
Michigan State University College of Human Medicine
I grew up in: West Bloomfield, MI
Undergraduate: Wayne State University
Medical school: Michigan State University College of Human Medicine
Hobbies: traveling, cooking, reading, exercising, hiking, trying new restaurants, Netflix
Icebreaker: Outside of medicine I have a little food blog for fun called hungry Han!
Thomas McCune, MD
Wayne State University School of Medicine
I grew up in: Westland, MI
Undergraduate: Wayne State University
Medical school: Wayne State University
Hobbies: Golf, snowboarding, skateboarding, traveling, spending time with my amazing kids
Icebreaker: A motto you live by - "you miss 100% of the shots you don't take" -Wayne Gretzky -Micheal Scott
Toni-Kaye 'Toni' McDougall, MD
USF Health Morsani College of Medicine
I grew up in: South Florida
Undergraduate: Nova Southeastern University
Medical school: University of South Florida
Hobbies: Traveling, Fashion, Jogging, Yoga, Exploring Nature, Learning about new cultures, Self-Improvement and Napping
Icebreaker: My mantra is "Treat people the way you would like to be treated". You can never go wrong with that!
Christopher Morin, MD
Texas A&M College of Medicine
I grew up in: Dallas, Texas
Undergraduate: Wake Forest University
Graduate: Johns Hopkins University
Hobbies:Hanging out with my dog, Backpack. Playing tennis. Building legos. Working on cars.
Icebreaker: I'm a triplet which I think is pretty great.
Rand Saba, MD
American University of the Caribbean
I grew up in: Dubai, UAE then Riverside County, California
Undergraduate: UCLA
Hobbies: WeightLifting
Icebreaker: From 2017 up till 2021, I had moved 7 times, which sounds hectic but I loved the places and experiences that I lived through
PGY 1 - CLASS OF 2026
Amer Abu-Kwaik, MD
Wayne State University School of Medicine
I grew up in: Detroit
Undergraduate: Wayne State University
Hobbies: Ping pong, games, hiking, traveling
Icebreaker: Motto I aspire to live by - “Live this life as if you’re a stranger or a traveler. Aka, when the morning comes do not wait till night time and when night time comes do not wait till morning.”
Oluwademilade 'Demi' Adeniran, MD
University of Lagos College of Medicine
I grew up in: Lagos, Nigeria
Undergraduate : College of Medicine, University of Lagos
Hobbies: Watching the real football (Huge fan of Liverpool FC #YNWA), Watching Track and Field, detective//thriller novels.
Icebreaker: My favorite book isSidney Sheldon's Master of the Game! Truly a classic.
Daeryl Amponin, MD
Wayne State University School of Medicine
I grew up in: the Philippines then moved to California
Undergraduate: San Diego State University
Graduate: Columbia University
Hobbies: Competitive powerlifting, flying single engine airplanes, drawing photorealistic portraits, painting, hiking, and baking
Ice breaker: My favorite motto is by Ralph Waldo Emerson — 'In my walks, every man I meet is my superior in some way, and in that I learn from him.'
Christopher Creighton, MD
Meharry Medical College
I grew up in: New Orleans, LA
Undergraduate: Xavier University of Louisiana
Hobbies: Playing basketball and cooking
Icebreaker: One of my favorite quotes is "opportunities don't happen, you create them"
Andrew Karam, MD
Wayne State University School of Medicine
I grew up in: Ottawa, Canada
Undergraduate: University of Ottawa
Medical school: Wayne State University School of Medicine
Hobbies: Travelling, anything outdoors (running, cycling, hiking, golf, skiing), food!
Icebreaker: I love cooking and my family, so I’ll probably open a restaurant and name it after my mom lol!
Gustavo Mirabal, MD
Ross University School of Medicine
I grew up in: Ponce, Puerto Rico
Undergraduate: Inter-American University of Puerto Rico
Hobbies: Travel, all things construction, and volunteering
Ice breaker: Once backpacking in Bled, Slovenia, I was in a snowstorm. I wanted to visit a small island inside a lake, but it was partially frozen. In despair at the chance of not fulfilling my goal, a goose approached me with uncharacteristic neck movements, like he was inviting me to follow. So I did for about 13 minutes, leading me to a filming crew heading to that island. Then, respectfully, we both nodded our heads and parted ways.
Jaini Shah, MD
Rural Medical College of Pravara Medical Trust
I grew up in: Mumbai, India
Hobbies: Traveling, Reading, Hiking, Cooking, Photography, Any arts!
Icebreaker: Fun fact about me - I speak six languages and am learning more!
Shikhar Shant, DO
Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine
I grew up in: West Bloomfield, MI
Undergraduate: U of M Ann Arbor
Hobbies: Video games, reading, golf
Icebreaker: I was born with 6 fingers on each hand
Ezekiel Shepard, MD
American University of Caribbean School of Medicine
I grew up in: Gig Harbor, WA
Undergraduate: Washington State University
Hobbies: kayaking, guitar, gaming, and pretending to cook like Gordon Ramsey
Icebreaker: In Greek, the word "Psyche" (ψυχή) actually means "soul." So, if you have ever taken a psychology course, you can say that you are quite soulful.
Andrew Solway, MD
Wayne State University School of Medicine
I grew up in: Bloomfield Hills, MI and Palo Alto, CA
Undergraduate: Wayne State University School of Medicine
Hobbies: I am a songwriter and I love to do yoga
Icebreaker: I have a wonderful fiancée and soon to be stepson. We love to play Monopoly roller blade together.