Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Current Residents

Degree: MD, Doctor of Medicine

Hometown: Katy, Texas

Medical School: Texas A&M University College of Medicine

After Residency: Fellowship

Career Interest/Research: interventional spine and pain medicine, musculoskeletal/sports medicine, amputee care, spinal cord injury, adaptive sports, regenerative medicine, medical student education

Hobbies/Interests: Rock climbing and weight lifting, cooking & baking, and watching reality TV AKA Survivor with my fiancé, Olivia, and dog, Scout. 

Why PM&R: I didn’t find PM&R until quite late into medical school, but when I had my first rotation late in M3 year I was immediately sold. I really like the focus we have on function and working to get patients to their goals despite what deficits they may have. I think getting to do this in a completely interdisciplinary setting like a rehab hospital can be really rewarding and quite fun working with such a large team. Lastly, fluoroscopic, ultrasound, and EMG guided procedures are a great skills to have for your future practice!

Why Mizzou: Having lived in Texas my entire life, moving to Missouri for residency was a rather big change, but I don’t think I could’ve found a better situation! I love living in Columbia and our program really is pretty incredible. We have fantastic faculty support, get amazing procedure numbers, have a lot of independence at Rusk (the inpatient rehab hospital), and match well into fellowship. You’d be hard pressed to find a better program.

Degree: BS, DO

Hometown: Beachwood, OH

Medical School: Ohio University Heritage College of Osetopathic Medicine

Internal Medicine Residency: Cleveland Clinic Akron General

After Residency: Plan on pursuing fellowship (pain/sports focused)

Career Interest/Research: MSK Ultrasound, Pain Management, Interventional Spine, Sports Medicine/Adaptive Sports, Regenerative Medicine

Hobbies/Interest: Spending time with my wife Audrey and our puppies, Playing/watching sports (especially soccer), being adventurous with exploring restaurants/food

Bio: I was exposed to PM&R at an early age as my grandmother and aunt are both physiatrists and helped mentor me through my medical career. I always had a deep passion for sports and couldn’t think of a better specialty for me that combines medicine, body mechanics, and function. I love how expansive the field is and the unique ability to customize your career as you see fit both in the inpatient/outpatient setting or a mix of both. With the ability to perform procedures, have continuity of care, and integrating new technologies to help patients improve their function and quality of life PM&R was the right choice for me. I am so thankful I matched at Mizzou because it has the hands on teaching I sought and provides a thoughtful, caring group of co-residents, attendings, and staff that I am lucky to now call family. The city of Columbia itself, is an added bonus with so many outdoor activities to engage in, great food to seek out, and a fantastic, fun, upbeat college town. Truly the PM&R program at Mizzou is a program that I am lucky to be a part of.

Degree: MD, BS in Biological Sciences, BA in Anthropology

Hometown: Springfield, IL

Medical School: University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences

After residency: Fellowship

Career Interest/Research: Interventional pain, ultrasound, amputee rehab, musculoskeletal medicine, prevention

Hobbies/Interest: Spending time with family, Islamic studies, traveling, fitness, medical journalism

Bio: My first experience with PM&R was after my father suffered a herniated disc. My dad is a Colonel in the US Army and is the most active person that I know; however, after the herniated disc, he became debilitated and was constantly in pain. It was devastating to see him in that condition because he was so helpless. He was referred to surgeons who wanted to operate immediately, but the potential risk of paralysis post surgery weighed heavily on my family's mind so we were eventually connected with a physiatrist. What impressed me was that the physiatrist was focused on function and assessed my father's whole situation. Slowly, but surely, my dad improved with rehab and was able to gain full function and live a pain free life without having to undergo a potentially life-altering surgery. The PM&R department gave us hope, and that is why I chose physiatry. Mizzou PM&R exudes hope and bolsters it with kindness and intellect. From research to practical experiences with complex patients and leaders in the field that excel as teachers, you'll find everything you want and need to be a successful resident and future physiatrist.

Degree: MS, BS, Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University

Hometown: San Antonio, TX

Medical School: DO, VCOM Auburn Campus

Internship: Internal Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia

Career Interests: MSK medicine, Sports medicine, interventional pain, ultrasound

Hobbies/Interests: Any sports, bodybuilding, power lifting, being outside, family time.

Why PM&R: I learned about PM&R while I was in chiropractic school. I had always been fascinated with fitness, human performance, anatomy, and MSK. I sought out additional shadowing opportunities and stumbled upon a “physiatrist” across the street from my chiropractic college. It was fascinating how he could use such minimally invasive techniques to produce such tremendous improvement in his patients’ pain and mobility. I knew PM&R would give me every tool I needed to some day help my own patients in the same way.

Why Mizzou: I’m an SEC guy! I grew up in Texas, went to Texas A&M for undergrad and graduate school, moved to Auburn, AL for medical school, and now Mizzou for residency. I love the vibe of college towns. Columbia has the University of Missouri, which attracts a young and ambitious student population- but just outside of Columbia, you have the humble, hardworking, down to earth rural folks. The combination creates the perfect home town vibe! My wife and I knew it would be a great place to start a family. The attendings, faculty, residents, med students, all put family and wellness first. It truly is an incredible culture.

Degree: MD

Hometown: St. Louis, MO

Medical School: University of Missouri-Kansas City

After Residency: General inpatient/outpatient physiatry

Career Interest/Research: spinal cord injury, stroke, amputee, and MSK Hobbies/Interests: Spending time and hiking with my wife, playing basketball, rooting for the Kansas City Chiefs, and watching movies

Bio: I was fortunate enough to discover PM&R early on in medical school. All the physiatrists I worked with had excellent bedside manner and appeared to genuinely care about patient outcomes. Getting to develop long term relationships with patients and watch their quality of life improve was something I was immediately drawn to.

I chose Mizzou PM&R because of the people affiliated with the program. Being from St. Louis and completing medical school in Kansas City, I met several previous Mizzou trained graduates who all loved their time in Columbia. PM&R is one of the broadest fields in medicine and Mizzou gives you exposure to many different aspects. From inpatient wards to outpatient clinics and procedures, I knew I would be exposed to all subsets of the field. Columbia itself offers plenty of activities including a wide variety of restaurants, breweries, concert venues, and sporting events. My wife and I have enjoyed our time in Columbia and are lucky to be surrounded by so many caring individuals.

Degree: Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Hometown: Dickinson, ND<

Medical School: Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine

After Residency: Fellowship

Career Interest: SCI, Sports/MSK, Interventional Spine

Hobbies/Interests: I enjoy spending time with my wife and family, doing almost anything outdoors, playing sports (pickleball, volleyball, basketball, football, disc golf, etc..), and spending quality time with friends (board games and sporting events). GoPackGo!!!!!!!

Bio: My interest in PM&R began before medical school. I have always been fascinated with the brain and musculoskeletal system, and PM&R combines both. The aspect of PM&R I love is that it allows me to meet people at some of the most discouraging/challenging times in their lives and offer encouragement as we work on improving function. What attracted me to Mizzou was how friendly and encouraging the faculty and staff are and how well-established Mizzou is in the PM&R community.

Degree: Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine

Hometown: Cameron Park, CA

Medical School: Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine – Glendale, AZ

Internship: St. Joseph’s Medical Center – Stockton, CA

After Residency: Fellowship

Career Interests: Sports, Interventional Spine, Ultrasound, SCI, Cancer rehab

Hobbies/Interests: Snowboarding, weightlifting, trail running, golfing, rock climbing, fly fishing, soccer.

Bio: I was introduced to PM&R when I was young as mom worked as a physical therapist in an inpatient rehab unit growing up. I then gained more interest in the field as a college athlete undergoing multiple knee surgeries and procedures. Our teams sports medicine physician was PM&R trained, and I was fortunate to work with him as a patient and volunteering/shadowing in his clinic during my undergrad at Virginia Tech. The diversity of the field and opportunity to build meaningful relationships with patients in both the inpatient and outpatient settings solidified my decision to become a physiatrist while in medical school.

I chose Mizzou based on their reputation in the PM&R community, and how highly current and past residents spoke of the program and its leadership. I felt Mizzou would provide me the education and opportunities to be successful whether I decide to begin practicing as an attending or furthering my education in fellowship post residency.

Degree: Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine

Hometown: Virginia Beach, VA

Medical School: Marian University (MU-COM)

Internship: Ascension St. Vincent’s – Indianapolis: Transitional Year Program

After Residency: Leaning towards a musculoskeletal based fellowship such as Interventional Spine or Sports Medicine. I have also really enjoyed my time working with the physical, occupational, and speech therapists so I won’t count an inpatient career out either!

Career Interests/Research: Interventional pain procedures (fluoroscopy and ultrasound based), sports medicine, anatomy, medical student mentorship/teaching, stroke rehabilitation. I am currently part of the AOCPMR Resident Council as the Fellowship Spotlight Chair

Hobbies/Interests: I’m a huge water guy. Whether it be the beach, lake, or even a pool, I try and spend as much time as I can close to water. I’m also a big traveler. Even with a busy resident schedule I always make time to take a few trips a year. Most recently I went to Costa Rica! (see below). You can also find me taking trips to see my favorite Washington DC sports teams – Washington Nationals and Washington Commanders. I’m also an avid cook, specifically of Mediterranean, Asian, and Middle Eastern Cuisine.

Why PM&R: Like many individuals I found PM&R late. I absolutely loved my third-year rotation with a PM&R trained sports medicine physician which made me dive deeper into researching PM&R as a field. The combination of anatomy-based medicine, team-based medicine (with the PT/OT/ST teams), internal medicine, minimally invasive procedures, and the PM&R physician community itself made it an easy choice. You’ll never meet an unpleasant physiatrist!

Why Mizzou: The heavy outpatient and procedure-based curriculum was the initial draw for me when I was looking at programs. As someone who is leaning towards staying in academic medicine, finding a program at a large university health system was a plus as well. The Missouri Orthopedic Institute on the medical campus is a musculoskeletal haven! In the end what really sealed my interest in the program were my interviews/interactions with Dr. Finkel, Dr. Farid, and Dr. Burris.

Degree: MD

Hometown: Concord, CA

Medical School: University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine

Transitional Year: University of South Dakota 

Career Interest: EMG/NCS, Botox injections, Ultrasound,  MSK injections, spasticity, pain management

Hobbies/Interest: Gardening, woodworking, hiking, reading, spending time with family

Bio: My first exposure to Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation was through volunteering at a Physical Therapy department at a VA hospital. Since that time, my interest in the field has only grown. I chose this specialty due to my interest in musculoskeletal/neurological health, functional restoration, and holistic patient care. Growing up in a blue-collar community and working manual labor jobs through college helped me develop a deep appreciation for the physical demands of labor and the toll that demanding jobs can take on individuals and families. These experiences continue to fuel my commitment to helping not only treat patient's injuries, but also assist patients in regaining their independence and improving their quality of life. Through PM&R I find the perfect intersection between my passion for medicine, ability to problem-solve, and my interest in developing strategies to assist each individual patient reach their own unique goals.

Bio: I discovered PM&R during my rotations in medical school and was completely committed once I found that maximizing patient function was its main focus.  I also love the multidisciplinary team aspect of PM&R, which reminds me of all the sports teams I grew up on. This is also what I love about Mizzou. With constant support and contributions from every member, patients included, there’s a real group effort pushing for both patient progression and my progression as a physiatrist-in-training. This includes exposing me to almost everything the field of PM&R offers, including prosthetics and orthotics, injections, adaptive sports, sideline coverage, and more.  I also look great in Black and Gold. M-I-Z!

Hobbies: Sports! Basketball is the best but playing/watching any sport is always a good time. Movies. Painting. Halloween. Spending time with loved ones. Being outside!

Degree: MD

Hometown: Lawrence, KS  (Rock Chalk!)

Medical School: University of Kansas 

After residency: Fellowship

Career Interest/ Research: Interventional spine, pain management, MSK ultrasound, EMG, spasticity

Hobbies/ Interest: swimming, weightlifting, spending time outdoors, hiking, reading, and spending time with my husband and our three cats 

Bio: I have always very involved with athletics, which sparked my interest in anatomy and MSK pathology in college. In medical school, I was particularly drawn to the holistic approach of PM&R, which emphasizes not just treating the condition but also empowering patients through rehabilitation and adaptive strategies. Witnessing the resilience of patients as they work towards their goals inspires me, and I want to be a part of that transformative journey. Ultimately, I believe that PM&R is the perfect blend of medicine, compassion, and innovative problem-solving.

Degree: MD

Hometown: Springdale, Arkansas

Medical School: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

After Residency: General outpatient vs. interventional pain/spine fellowship

Career Interests: MSK medicine, interventional pain, ultrasound, interventional spine

Hobbies/Interests: Spending time with my wife, weightlifting, sports, fishing, hiking, hunting

Bio: I chose to become a physical medicine and rehabilitation doctor because my own journey through sports-related injuries opened my eyes to the critical role of recovery in an athlete's life. After enduring a few bumps and bruises on the field, I experienced firsthand how transformative effective rehabilitation can be—not just physically, but mentally. I wanted to help others navigate their own recovery journeys, empowering them to regain strength and confidence. The opportunity to blend my passion for sports with a commitment to helping people reclaim their active lifestyles felt like the perfect fit, allowing me to give back to a community that has shaped who I am today.