Meet the current residents in the Department of Dermatology.

First-Year Residents

Janie Bruce MD

Janie Bruce, MD

First-Year Dermatology Resident

Bio

Bio: I’m originally from the small town of Cairo, MO and went to undergrad at Central Methodist University where I double majored in chemistry and biology while working each summer as an intern at the Thomas Hill Energy Center. I entered medical school at the University of Missouri as part of the Rural Scholars Program. My entire M3 year was spent in Hannibal, MO, where I solidified my passion for rural dermatology. While working to obtain my white coat, I met and married my husband Tim, a black belt martial artist. Outside of work, we spend our time antiquing, camping, taking care of our chickens, and cosplaying in Star Wars airsoft events. I love art and usually have at least 4-5 projects waiting to get finished at any given time. Matching at Mizzou for dermatology was a dream come true and I am so thankful for the opportunity to train in such a fantastic program.

Sumvrudhi Chariyamane MD

Sumvrudhi Chariyamane, MD

First-Year Dermatology Resident

Bio

Bio: I grew up in San Jose, California, but spent both college and medical school in St. Louis attending Saint Louis University. I first became interested in dermatology after shadowing dermatologists during my first year of medical school and seeing the profound impact the specialty can have on patients' lives. From my very first day at Mizzou as a rotating medical student, the residents and faculty welcomed me as one of their own. I was drawn to the program's warm, collaborative environment, as well as the exposure to the various subspecialties of dermatology, particularly pediatric dermatology. I’m excited to continue training at Mizzou under the mentorship of the wonderful faculty here. During my free time, I enjoy baking, knitting, crocheting, spending time in the gym, and traveling the country with the goal of visiting every NFL stadium.

Sophie Gart MD

Sophie Gart, MD

First-Year Dermatology Resident

Bio

Bio: I was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, and earned my undergraduate degree in Biology with minors in Music and Italian from the University of Dallas in Texas. During college, I spent several months in Italy conducting botanical research at the University of Tor Vergata. I then returned to Nebraska to complete a Master of Science in Medical Anatomy, followed by medical school and a preliminary internal medicine year at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. I am so excited to be joining the Mizzou Dermatology family and look forward to the next three years of training alongside such a supportive group of faculty and co-residents!

Outside of medicine, I enjoy reading, painting, cooking, pilates, and spending time with friends. I also love music, play the piano, and spend plenty of time at home with my cat, Dolce.

Elizabeth McKee MD

Elizabeth McKee, MD

First-Year Dermatology Resident

Bio

Bio: I am from Clarksdale, Mississippi, and attended the University of Mississippi (Hotty Toddy!), where I earned degrees in Exercise Science and Chemistry. I then attended the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson for medical school, where I also completed my intern year.
During medical school, I fell in love with dermatology and everything the field has to offer. I was immediately drawn to the variety of complex skin conditions, the hands-on procedures, and the rapidly advancing treatment options, including biologic therapies. Outside of work and studying, you can usually find me working on a needlepoint project, playing mahjong with friends, or spending time with my cat and dog.
I am thrilled to be pursuing a career in dermatology and couldn’t ask for a better team than the one at MU. Before moving here, I had lived exclusively in Mississippi, and the faculty and my co-residents have made me feel incredibly welcome. I am grateful to be training alongside such an outstanding group!

Second-Year Residents

Osaigbokan Aihie MD

Osaigbokan (Osas) Aihie, MD

Second-Year Dermatology Resident

Bio

Bio: I was raised in Nigeria, but I spent a lot of time in Buffalo, NY afterwards. I obtained my bachelor's and master's degrees at Canisius University in Buffalo. I attended medical school here at the University of Missouri, Columbia. During my time in medical school, I fell in love with the dermatology department here and I am excited to be staying here for residency. I enjoy working out, watching and playing soccer, writing poems and short stories, reading all sorts of books, and hanging out with friends.

Lina Chan, MD

Lina Chan, MD

Second-Year Dermatology Resident

Bio

Bio: I grew up in Las Vegas and stayed Vegas Strong completing both my undergraduate and medical degrees at UNLV. I remained in Las Vegas for my intern year before making my way to the Midwest. In my free time, I love trying new restaurants (especially if sushi is involved), traveling, practicing yoga, going to concerts, cuddling my two Pomeranians—Boba and Kernel—and spending quality time with my friends and my fiancé, John.

MU has been such a welcoming environment, and it’s quickly become my home away from home thanks to the incredible faculty and residents. I'm so excited to continue my journey and become a Mizzou-trained dermatologist!

Taylor Davis MD

Taylor Davis, MD

Second-Year Dermatology Resident

Bio

Bio: I’m originally from Redlands, California. Before college, I was a volunteer missionary in Buenos Aires, Argentina for two years. I love to speak Spanish any chance I get! I earned my bachelor’s degree in Physiology and Developmental Biology from Brigham Young University. I married my wife, Emily, two weeks before I started medical school at Saint Louis University.

I had the amazing privilege of rotating with the MU Dermatology team as a medical student. I found a group of brilliant, enthusiastic, and friendly faculty and residents who have created an ideal culture and learning environment. I knew from my first day here that these were the people I wanted to train with and have as mentors. I thoroughly enjoy our weekly didactic sessions and working in the state-of-the-art clinical facilities here at Mizzou.

In my free time, I enjoy soccer, pickleball, board games, playing guitar, baking chocolate chip cookies, and running on the incredible trails throughout Columbia. Emily and I have two daughters who are absolutely loving their new home here!

Deepika Narayanan MD

Deepika Narayanan, MD

Second-Year Dermatology Resident

Bio

Bio: I was born and raised in Des Moines, Iowa before moving to Houston, Texas for high school and beyond. I completed my undergraduate studies at Rice University with a degree in Cognitive Science, followed by medical school at the University of Texas McGovern Medical School. I stayed in Houston for both my internal medicine intern year and a dermatology research fellowship, where I had the opportunity to serve as a sub-investigator on several clinical trials. I’m thrilled to now be back in the Midwest for dermatology residency at Mizzou. From day one, my co-residents made me feel at home, and the warm, supportive culture of the program has been everything I hoped for and more. I’m continually impressed by the exceptional teaching faculty and the diverse range of expertise they bring, which I know will shape me into a well-rounded dermatologist. Outside of work, I enjoy Pilates on my at-home reformer, yoga, reading, reality TV, and exploring local coffee shops and restaurants.

Third-Year Residents

Anna Ballenger

Anna Ballenger, MD

Third-Year Dermatology Resident

Bio

Bio: I grew up in Springfield, Missouri but have lived in Columbia since 2015 when I moved here for my undergraduate degrees. My husband and I loved Columbia so much we stayed for medical school and now residency! Clearly, we love the Missouri Tigers. And what a fantastic program to train in dermatology! You cannot beat the knowledge and expertise of our attendings, and the encouragement and support from co-residents is unmatched. The learning environment is always fun and non-judgmental. Additionally, I appreciate that autonomy is encouraged, but resources and assistance is never hard to come by when needed. In my free time, you can find me at orange theory or spoiling our Portuguese water dog, Dory. In the summers we enjoy spending time with family at Table Rock Lake and we spend the falls cheering on the Chiefs and the Tigers.

Christopher Castelow

Christopher Castelow, MD

Third-Year Dermatology Resident

Bio

Bio: I was raised in Shelbyville, TN, a small town about an hour and a half south of Nashville. I attended Middle Tennessee State University for my undergraduate degree and received a Bachelor of Science in nursing. I was a practicing registered nurse at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN for over two years before going back to medical school at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis. I chose to train at Mizzou’s dermatology program largely due to my overwhelmingly positive experience I received during my interviews and meeting with current residents. The welcome I received from both the faculty and residents was unparalleled. I knew that this program would have the warm and supportive environment to best foster my professional development and learning. In addition, I strongly believe the excellent teaching faculty as well as access to a wide range of subspecialties and patients will provide me with the tools and experience needed to become an excellent dermatologist. In my free time, I love to spend time with my wife, Kayla, and our two dogs, Archie and Evie. I also enjoy traveling, playing tennis, and playing the guitar.

Michelle Croda

Michelle Croda, MD

Third-Year Dermatology Resident

Bio

Bio: I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. Growing up, our family home was filled with the kind of busy love you can only get from sharing it with a crafty mom, six other siblings, and a mechanic dad working out of the garage.

For college, I moved across the country to attend Yale University and study biomedical engineering. After that, I earned my medical degree at Georgetown University in D.C., where I also married my high school sweetheart, Héctor. For my internship, I stayed in D.C. for a year in general surgery at Medstar Georgetown — which was a challenging and wonderful experience.

Now, I am so excited to be in Missouri and to start my training in dermatology here. I feel blessed to be part of the MU dermatology family, where the providers are deeply compassionate, kind, brilliant and always willing to go the extra mile. I hope to grow and learn alongside my co-residents, with the goal of providing excellent dermatologic care for all.

In my spare time, you can find me baking the best brown butter chocolate chip cookies, fly fishing with my husband but rarely catching anything, and growing oyster mushrooms in my garage. I also love taking trips and visiting my family back in California, where my empty-nester parents have replaced the kids with seven rescued Huskie dogs.

Theodore Katz

Theodore (Teddy) Katz, MD

Third-Year Dermatology Resident

Bio

I was born in Wisconsin, moved around the Midwest, then settled in Johnston, a suburb of Des Moines. I obtained a degree in chemistry at Creighton University. During medical school at University of Iowa, I realized dermatology is an awesome specialty. I did my intern year back in Des Moines and now am excited to be a resident at University of Missouri. Some sports I enjoy are tennis, basketball and football. Other activities I enjoy: lifting weights, boating, playing board or card games, PC gaming, pour-painting, traveling and going on walks.