Current Fellows

Combined Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine Track

Our current PGY-5 fellows have flourished as leaders in the residency program and in their academic achievements.  Collectively, they have served as a chief resident of Anesthesiology Residency Program, published first-author manuscripts, written book chapters, and presented research and case reports nationally.  Please see their profiles below to learn more about our current fellows.

Kevin Kim, PGY-5

Originally born in Seoul, South Korea, I immigrated to Denver, Colorado with my parents at the tender age of 2. Since then, I have remained rooted in Colorado, despite attempts to venture elsewhere. My decision to pursue CACCM stemmed from my desire to become a fearless doctor, dedicated to caring for the most critically ill patients. During my time in medical school, I found immense fulfillment in my ICU rotations, solidifying my aspiration to ultimately work in the intensive care unit. As a resident, I have had the privilege of engaging in several projects, benefiting from the guidance and mentorship of numerous esteemed professionals. I have contributed as a first author to a review article, as a third author to a published paper, and have delivered multiple poster presentations. Currently, I am also involved in the editing process of a book chapter.

What sets this program apart is its remarkable ability to integrate the knowledge and experiences gained in the ICU into various facets of anesthesiology. One of my most cherished rotations as a resident has been in obstetrics, where I found great satisfaction in providing care for expectant mothers. While I thrive on the adrenaline rush of treating acutely ill patients in the unit and the operating room, the opportunity to work with typically healthy patients in the obstetrics field has been equally rewarding. I thoroughly enjoy collaborating with fellow residents and medical students, and recognize that there is room for growth in my role as an educator. I will be partaking an elective aimed at honing my teaching skills this year. My ideal career involves working in both the ICU and the operating room, which aligns with most academic positions. Despite its relative youth, the CU CACCM program has equipped me with the necessary tools to approach future employment opportunities with confidence. 

Clare Hasken, PGY-5

I'm Clare Hasken and I'm from Richmond, Illinois. I went to Indiana University for medical school, and I'm in the CACCM program here at the University of Colorado as a current PGY-5. My medical school MICU elective sparked my interest in critical care, and I knew before residency I wanted to pursue it as a fellowship. I was one of the administrative chief residents last year and have presented case reports at conferences. I think my experiences as a resident and fellow in the ICU have prepared me well to care for sick patients perioperatively. I also have a better understanding of the placement and management of perioperative devices such as LVADs, Impella, and ECMO circuits. The integration of my CA-3 year and fellowship year is wonderful. I love being able to explore interests and weaknesses by choosing resident and elective rotations that complement each other. For example, I spent significant time on my cardiac OR rotations learning the basics of TEE which has helped me better understand my patients' pathologies in the ICU, and I have also used elective time to further gain TEE skills. I look forward to the year ahead!

Azin Kheirandish Pishkenari, PGY-4

• 

  Hometown: Born in Iran, raised in Colorado 
• Medical School: University of Colorado 
• Intern Year: Saint Joseph Hospital Denver (Internal Medicine) 
• Hobbies: Yoga, hiking, organizing (the home edit is a religion) 
• Favorite Denver activity: Denver Art Museum and Denver Zoo - they always have fun events 

Peter Klauk, PGY-4

• Hometown: Broomfield, CO   
• Hobbies: My indoor hobbies include cooking, brewing, and roasting coffee.  Outside, I enjoy skiing, cycling, and SCUBA diving.   
• What is the biggest strength of our program? I think opportunities available at CU are incredible, you have a unique experience at each of the hospitals we rotate at, ample access to research with great faculty mentors, a quaternary care center with many fellowship opportunities, and living in Denver isn't too bad either.   
• What is your favorite educational activity as a resident? As a CBY you're able to interact with the Anesthesiology department through rotations with the acute pain service, pre-procedure clinic, and one month in the operating room.   
• What were you doing before you went into medicine? Before medical school, I worked for several years in medical oncology research.  While I eventually decided to pursue clinical medicine, I still have a passion for basic science research.   
• What is your dream vacation? I've been dreaming of traveling to the Faroe Islands for some time now.  With luck, I’ll be able to travel there soon.   
• What skills/talents do most people not know about you? I'm an avid gardener who has miraculously managed to keep an extensive patio garden thriving during medical school.  I'm hoping to continue gardening during residency, so far so good.

Jesus Adrian Cardenas, PGY-3

• Education history: MD from University of Colorado; BA Native American Studies, BS Biological Anthropology from University of California, Riverside
• Hobbies: Vegetable gardening with my kids, Olympic style weight lifting, and Surfing 
• Fun facts: I went surfing in this little town called Nazare in Portugal and almost got swept out to sea on terrifying little 4-foot waves, I later found out it's home to the biggest waves in the world over 100 foot Before I came into medicine: I was enjoying my late 20s traveling, surfing and weight lifting.
• What made me pursue my residency training in Anesthesiology: I decided on Anesthesiology because I felt like I had found my people in this field. I was excited and curious about every field of medicine as a student and I felt like the residents and the attendings still had a genuine curiosity for their field. As I learned more about the field I really liked the attention to physiology and the high stakes decision making that needs to take place.

Amy Krepps, PGY-3

• Education history: MD, MSPH 
• Hobbies: skiing, climbing, live music, cooking classes, wine 
• Fun facts: I have a lifelong goal of skiing all 7 continents 
• Before I came into medicine: Epidemiologist, global health work 
• What made me pursue my residency training in Anesthesiology: Wide breadth of medicine, acuity, the people, procedural, academia

Sean Stevens, PGY-2

• Hometown: Cherry Hill, NJ
• Education history: Pennsylvania State University - BS Biology; Tufts University - MS Biomedical Sciences; Cooper Medical School of Rowan University - MD
• Hobbies: Golfing, skiing, hiking, attending concerts, traveling, video games, playing guitar, couch time with my pup
• Fun facts: My life-long goals are to travel to all 7 continents and to play all of the top 100 golf courses in the US.
• Before I came into medicine: I was a research assistant at Boston Children's Hospital.
• What made me pursue my residency training in Anesthesiology: I chose to pursue anesthesiology because it allows the unique opportunity to help patients navigate through the stress of undergoing a procedure or surgery and the challenge of managing complex physiological mechanisms. Additionally, we have the opportunity to perform a variety of procedures and to provide comfort and ease pain for our patients.

Joel Zaldumbide, PGY-2

• Hometown: Kennesaw, GA 
• Education history: Johns Hopkins University; Emory University School of Medicine 
• Hobbies: Snowboarding, rollerblading, re-watching movies (especially Tarantino), Settlers of Catan/Risk/Code Names, music anywhere in any form at anytime. 
• Fun facts: At night I dress up as a bat and patrol the streets fighting for justice. 
• Before I came into medicine: I went on a cross-country trip, snowboarding from state to state. 
• What made me pursue my residency training in Anesthesiology: Simply put, I jived with all my mentors in Anesthesia. Anyone who comes into this field knows it's the absolute best blend of life and medicine.

Amanda Hunt, PGY-1

• Hometown: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Education history: Undergraduate at University of Minnesota Duluth - BA Hispanic Studies, BS Biology; Medical School: University of Colorado
• Hobbies: I enjoy playing pick-up basketball and volleyball games. Time in the mountains is always a favorite of mine - hiking, camping, skiing. Otherwise, I love movie nights and ice cream. I am learning to love to cook, but I don't think baking will ever be my forte.
• Fun facts: I played 4 years of collegiate basketball.
• Before I came into medicine: I scribed for interventional cardiologists, and volunteered in a women's clinic in Peru for a summer.
• What made me pursue my residency training in Anesthesiology: A culmination of enjoying the aspects that make up the specialty - physiology, hands-on patient intervention, great colleagues - and the opportunity to pursue critical care.