Lora Alvey, PGY 4

A native hoosier, Lora comes to us from Indiana University. Lora enjoys spending time with her husband Tracy and son Nathaniel.

The program's best treasure is the private staff who support our education in numerous ways, from generously sharing their surgeries and deliveries, to staffing our patients at night. They, as well as our residency faculty take a true interest in each of us, our education, as well as provide support in multiple ways. All the residents here really work as a team to provide the best care for our patients.

Christina Francis, PGY 4

Fluency in Romanian is one of Christina's many talents; she also enjoys medical mission trips.  Christina graduated from Indiana University.  "I chose the program for the people and I was not disappointed!  As a student, I was made to feel like an important part of the team and I saw in the residents how fun this specialty can be.  These feelings have only increased since starting residency.  I've come to realize how excellent the training is; our experience is so much more than I ever thought it would be!"  Christina is currently preparing for a one month rotation in Kenya, October 2008.

Megan Isaacs, PGY 4

Megan's personal statement reflects her desire to be an Ob/Gyn because of the "perfect combination of primary care and surgical specialties".  Megan is a graduate of Indiana University; she enjoys running, "attempting" to cook and spending time with her husband.

Candace McGregor, PGY 4

University of Chicago was home for Candace during medical school.  Performing is a hobby of Candace's; she sings and plays piano.  Any free time she has is well-spent with her husband and children.  "How could I have been more fortunate?  Impressive surgical experience, an environment of academia, and an unmatched group of awesome people to share it with!". 

Jody Freyre, PGY3

Jody comes to us from the Medical University of Ohio.  Jody has participated in international medical mission trips.  Jody chose St.Vincent because "the residents and staff believe in the goals and mission of the hospital; positive atmosphere, strength of surgical experience and a city with a lot to do, yet affordable!".  Jody enjoys gardening, reading, watching sports and spending as much time as possible with husband Javier.

Dan Griffin, PGY3

As a graduate of Xavier and Indiana University, Dan spent time at St.Vincent as a medical student during his third and fourth years.  Dan "chose St.Vincent because of the excellent surgical training".  Also, "all of the residents look out for each other and support one another; Indianapolis is a great place to live!".  Dan and his wife Carol are looking forward to the birth of their first child this year.

Adam Jablonski, PGY3

Ohio is home to Adam.  A recent grad of the Medical University of Ohio, he his wife and sons are excited to be in Indianapolis for the next four years.  "I chose St.Vincent because of the overall friendliness of the faculty and residents, as well as the ability to work with a smaller group of residents.  St.Vincent is like a family from day one!".   

Kristin Werne, PGY3

"I loved the way the residents interact with each other and with staff; after rotating through as a student, the program was an organization that I wanted to be a part of!".  Being fluent in Spanish is one of Kristin's many talents; she also participates in mission trips.  Kristin was seeking "a program that would provide access to opportunities that will enable me to become a capable physician" when she selected St.Vincent.   Kristin enjoys spending free time with her husband Nick and Eva Claire. 

Sandy Krizmanich, PGY2

Sandy, a graduate of Indiana University and avid Notre Dame football fan, credits the people and the active teaching environment surrounding the program as the main reasons for coming to St Vincent. "Everyone from the attendings, residents and support staff are ind and supportive of one another. There is an air of teaching without judgment and learning without fear. Teaching occurs for the sake of learning, not simply because it is a requirement; mistakes are learning points, not points of extreme criticism. An environment that is comfortable to work in, coupled with the depth and breadth of training that we receive, makes this an amazing program that is difficult to match." Sandy enjoys running, outdoor sports and spending time with husband Tom.

April Lemmon, PGY2

"I chose St.Vincent for several reasons....I wanted to be part of a program in which the residents were close-knit and very supportive of each other. The staff are excellent teachers, in a great learning environment." April, a former college basketball standout, enjoys golfing, working outside and hanging out with her husband Adam. April and Adam anxiously await the arrival of their first child.

Seema Nayak, PGY2

Manipal, India is home for Seema and her husband Pravin. Seema chose St.Vincent "primarily because of the enriching experience I had when I did an Ob/Gyn rotation. I found that it has the most amazing faculty and a very positive learning environment. I was also impressed with the amount of surgical experience gained by the residents." Seema enjoys international travel, movies and shopping. 

Sarah Piatt, PGY2

The University of Missouri-Kansas City, is where Sarah hails from. Sarah says that she "loved all of the residents and faculty when I interviewed. They were all so friendly and genuine. I knew that they would be supportive and make me feel like part of the team." In her spare time, Sarah enjoys biking, reading and scrapbooking. 

Sarah Goodrich, PGY1

A native of Royal Center, IN, Sarah comes to us from Indiana University School of Medicine.  Sarah enjoys playing cards, cooking and writing poetry, as well as spending time with her husband Kent and her 2 cats and 2 dogs.  "I was attracted to the friendly, team-oriented vibe and was also impressed with the program's dedication to teaching.  There are great opportunities to work with and learn from many different people."

Melinda Mumford, PGY1

Petersburg, VA, was the birthplace of Melinda.  Through her experience of being the daughter of a military man, and now the wife of military man, she has learned to love travel.  Melinda enjoys shopping, scrapbooking and hanging out with her husband Jeff, and sons Justin & Davin.  Melinda received her medical degree from Indiana University School of Medicine.  "The residents and staff are great, of course, but there's also a good variety of patients and lots of interesting surgeries.  I love that there's a night float rotation because it makes the days on other rotations nicer."

Amy Rider, PGY1

"You know that "gut instinct" that your program director always talks to you about, well this is the first place that I really felt that I fit in -- loved the residents and faculty I met.  I didn't want to be part of a program that tortures its residents and disregards any type of feedback.  Plus, it's not too terribly far from home!  So far I love it; I've had the chance to compare it to some of my friends who are in other programs and I know I made the right choice".  The Medical College of Wisconsin is where Amy Rider received her medical degree.  Amy enjoys a wide variety of physical activities including volleyball, as well as playing piano, singing and traveling. 

Matt Schneider, PGY1

Louisville Kentucky is not only Matt's birthplace, but it's the location of his academic training from undergrad through medical school.  After completion of his M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Matt spent a few years working as an aircraft engineer before enrolling in medical school at U of L.  Matt spends his free time with fiance' Katie, and enjoys running, cooking and traveling.  Matt is also a graduate of Outward Bound.  "The faculty here are top-notch.  In addition to being highly skilled clinicians, they are amazing teachers and really take time to ensure you are learning what you need to know."  In regards to his thoughts on the program, Matt says that "it's such an easy going environment; we work hard, but everyone works together and has fun in the process". 

Sarah Shaffer, PGY1

Sarah and her husband Mark, a youth pastor, have participated in a number of mission trips abroad; Sarah notes that she hopes someday to "extend her community-focused private practice to underserved areas of the world".   Sarah comes to us from Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine in Missouri.  Hobbies and Interests include jogging, hiking, reading and attending youth activities with Mark.  "My mom has always told me to "trust my gut" and St.Vincent felt like a good fit from the first time I happened upon the website and at my interview (my husband agreed!).  I feel there is an adequate mix of comraderie, teaching, challenges, autonomy and accountability to trust that my training and experience will be second-to-none."