Read what some of our Mizzou Med Peds Alumni have to say!
Dr. Isha Dave, Class of 2020
What is your current job? Internal Medicine Hospitalist.
How did residency at MU prepare you for your career? Residency prepared me very well! Lots of experiences with the common diseases with a good share of rare cases as well.
What did you like about living in Columbia for four years? My favorite part was my five-minute drive to work! Plus, it was nice to be working at two separate hospitalists because it always made it feel like a new experience.
What advice would you give new interns starting a Med Peds residency? Ask questions! The Attending's have so much valuable experience!
If you had to nominate yourself for a superlative, what would it be? Most likely to order a second cup of coffee while only halfway through the first cup.
Dr. Eric Neverman, Class of 2016
What is your current job? Internist and Pediatrician (primarily clinic-based), UnityPoint Clinic, Grundy Center, Iowa. Chief Medical Officer, Grundy County Memorial Hospital.
How did residency at MU prepare you for your career? The MU Med-Peds residency provided a complete experience in both specialties that provided an excellent background for me as a generalist. I feel very well-prepared to manage very complicated patients in the hospital and clinic. I had exposure to all sorts of pathology in residency and was able to work directly with attending physicians to manage these patients. Additionally, there were many opportunities to get involved in leadership within the HSO and other committees that have served me well in my current leadership role.
What did you like about living in Columbia for four years? I loved all of the opportunities to enjoy life outside of residency with my colleagues. There are awesome places to eat (I still miss the Indian and Thai food in Columbia!), great bars, parks and other cool places such as Rag Tag.
What advice would you give new interns starting a Med Peds residency? We all started as interns...you, too, will make it! Remember the days are long, but the years are short. On those long days, remember why you got into medicine in the first place and remember all of these experiences in residency will help you better serve your patients through the rest of your career!
If you had to nominate yourself for a superlative, what would it be? Most likely to cite a paper in a daily progress note.
Dr. Meghann Houck (Yastrab), Class of 2015
What is your current job? I'm a full time IM hospitalist at Mercy Hospital in Rockford, Illinois where I was raised. It used to be Rockford Memorial and now is technically renamed Javon Bea Hospital, but you will never hear me use that name. I do PRN work for our pediatric hospitalist group which no longer exists, but the administration is excited to use my dual certification to their benefit.
Other titles I carry include Core Faculty for the Internal Medicine Residency for Mercy Health as well as Hospitalist Curriculum Director for the residency. I am also the site clerkship director for UICOM Rockford medicine clerkship (UICOM has two sites where medical students rotate for their IM rotation. I manage Mercy) and on Med Exec Committee at UICOM Rockford.
How did residency at MU prepare you for your career? UM med peds taught adaptability. Jumping between hospitals and clinics with different business models and health care priorities felt insane at the time but has been a huge asset here. We are constantly changing our goals of care and goals for education, so being able to flip mindsets and be able to make them work together has been helpful. The positive role models we had there are another huge factor in what I do now. Abbie Emerson-- one if the best examples of an intelligent, quick witted, doc who is just a great human being in general. I frequently start to talk and then hear her, Kevin Clary, Bill Salzer, Ted Groshong, Kris Koehn, or Rashmi Srivastava come out.
Our residency, while very inbred during my time (lots of UM med grads) fostered a sense of family between residents, attendings, and all their families; and we all took care of each other no matter how strange we were (I was definitely on the stranger end of the folk there). I think it was probably one of our biggest draws. The qualities of a tight knit group led by strong and intelligent doctors is what drew me to my current job (our average career span within this group of hospitalists prior to our most recent hires is about 8 years). It's also what we are trying to pass on to our residents and medical students.
What did you like about living in Columbia for four years? University of Missouri was a great place to be for residency. Columbia-- home of Shakespeare's, the Zoo, and insane amounts of hills, trees and outdoor activities. Low violent crime rate--I still marvel at how freaked out everyone would get by a shooting when we deal with several a day up here--, affordable housing (I loved my house down there that was cheaper with all its utilities than my apartment in Chicago without any bills included), tons of outdoor stuff to do, and CrossFit Fringe which was home to Brooke Wells' training while she was at college and competing in the games. Oh, and HyVee. For those who have never had a HyVee for groceries before, the produce is great with good pricing. I miss it horribly up here in the land of Schnucks and Meijer. Oh....and Penny. Nothing more needs to be said there. She's amazing.
What advice would you give new interns starting a Med Peds residency? What I have said to mine: In order to be a good doctor, you have to be a good human first. We are taking care of people having the worst days of their lives. Treat that as the privilege it is. Connect with your patients and treat them the way you would want your family treated. Learning the science comes with practice, don’t forget how to be a decent person while you're practicing. "
If you had to nominate yourself for a superlative, what would it be? I think I actually got a superlative while there-- most likely to fall asleep during lecture. But my superlative now would be “pottiest mouth" or "most likely to embarrass themselves on a zoom meeting" (they go hand in hand).
Dr. Andrew Ausmus, Class of 2014
What is your current job? I’m currently working as a pediatric intensivist at Children’s Mercy in Kansas City.
How did residency at MU prepare you for your career? I think the fact that MU Med-Peds is a smaller program (especially on the pediatric side) was really beneficial. It forced me to assume more autonomy/responsibility early on. With that, I was in good position to continue that development in fellowship.
What did you like about living in Columbia for 4 years? I enjoyed that there was a lot of variety of things to do outside of work. You had good restaurants in Columbia, sporting events, etc. If you’re into outdoors stuff, there are lots of state parks a short drive out of the city. If you want big city things, both Kansas City and St. Louis are right down the highway.
What advice would you give new interns starting a Med Peds residency? I would just encourage new interns to have an open mind about where they’re going to end up. I changed my career path several times around the end of medical school and the first few years of residency. The best thing about med-peds is that it will prepare you to do just about anything afterward. The broad experience you get when you’re in training makes you more well-rounded.
If you had to nominate yourself for a superlative, what would it be? Most likely to have a really boring answer to this one.
Dr. Sarah Smitherman, Class of 2012
What is your current job? Med Peds Hospitalist for last 8 years.
How did residency at MU prepare you for your career? We saw high acuity patients, so we were met with many challenges. The ICUs are robust with excellent attending physicians. The hospital has a wide variety of learning cases. I also valued the autonomy given to us by the attending physicians. We always felt supported and never had our "wings clipped.”
What did you like about living in Columbia for four years? Columbia is a fun town because of the college. We loved football games and running at the campus recreation facilities. There are some good restaurants too! We also enjoyed that it was close to STL and KC but without being in too big of a city.
What advice would you give new interns starting a Med Peds residency? Be patient with yourself. You have a lot to learn and it will all come with time. You have a great career ahead and many things to look forward to!
If you had to nominate yourself for a superlative, what would it be? The most likely to...not know how to answer this question. LOL!
Dr. Rob Tilley, Class of 2009
What is your current job? Adult Pulmonary / Critical Care / Sleep at Mercy Jefferson Hospital in Festus, MO.
How did residency at MU prepare you for your career? MedPeds at MU exposed me to a wide breadth of clinical scenarios and experiences that were helpful in fellowship. I felt better prepared in regards to procedures and clinical knowledge than my counterparts. Although I primarily care for adults, I still see some pediatric asthma and sleep patients. I am thankful for that training.
What did you like about living in Columbia for 4 years? We liked the diversity at Columbia. Columbia has great parks and trail system. This was a nice place to raise a family.
What advice would you give new interns starting a Med Peds residency? Intern year is hard. I've only cried a few times as an adult and Intern year was one of them. My focus that helped me get through it was the bible verse "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you". I repeated this to myself anytime I was tempted to take shortcuts or not give my best effort. Also, everyone makes mistakes. It's okay to feel bad about them, but you have learn from them and move forward. Also, from a sleep doctor, you are woefully sleep deprived. I was told in residency that sleep and food are for the weak, but I ended residency (and fellowship) with poor eating habits and in the worst shape of my life. It is hard to squeeze in time for health, but at least try.
If you had to nominate yourself for a superlative, what would it be? Most likely to give unsolicited advice.
Dr. Jason Holman, Class of 2008
What is your current job? Emergency Medicine Physician.
How did residency at MU prepare you for your career? I spent several months in the emergency department. When I got out of residency, I did urgent care for two years. Med/Peds gave me the opportunity to take care of a wide variety of ages and conditions. I finally kind of fell into emergency medicine where I’ve been for the last 10 years.
What did you like about living in Columbia for four years? I loved the feel and size of the town. I loved the four seasons. I loved living in a college town.
What advice would you give new interns starting a Med Peds residency? Buckle down and take it one rotation at a time. It goes by faster than you think.
If you had to nominate yourself for a superlative, what would it be? Most likely to wear Oklahoma football tie on game days.
