CA1 Bios

Cayley Ancker

Hometown: Palo Alto, CA

Education history: BA, Princeton University MS, Harvard School of Public Health MD, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

Hobbies: I love open water swimming, snowboarding, power lifting, and go-kart racing.

Fun facts: I can free dive up to 60 feet.

Before I came into medicine: I pursued a master's degree in epidemiology where I studied infectious diseases and global health.

What made me pursue my residency training in Anesthesiology: I am passionate about the care of critically ill patients and their families. I also love the combination of physiology and pharmacology required to treat patients in the operating room!

Ian Bennie

Hometown: Nashville, TN

Education history: B.S. University of Tennessee 2019 Major: Chemistry Minor: Physics M.D. University of Tennessee 2023

Hobbies: I'm a huge football fan! In 2022, I went to all 12 Tennessee Volunteer games. My wife and I are already looking forward to when the Tennessee Titans visit Mile High in 2025. I also love going for runs and reading Stephen King. My wife and I also love going hiking and skiing!

Fun facts: I've tried every sandwich from Subway! I worked there for a summer in high school. I was also a tour guide in undergrad, and I spent three summers in college working at a day camp where we rode horses, shot archery, and played fun games all day long. My wife and I also have two cats that we absolutely smother with adoration.

Before I came into medicine: Before medical school, I spent time working in a research lab at the University of Tennessee. I also worked a series of different jobs from cashier at Backyard Burgers to tour guide at UT and a tutor.

What made me pursue my residency training in Anesthesiology: During medical school, I loved physiology and the cardiopulmonary systems. I also love the operating room, critical care setting, and working with my hands, so anesthesia was the perfect fit! I also really like providing comfort to people, so I'm really looking forward to easing people's pain and anxiety when it comes to huge life events like giving birth and surgery.

Rachel Brock

Hometown: Portland, Oregon

Education history: MD from University of Washington; BA in Rhetoric Studies with a Chemistry Minor, Whitman College, Walla, Walla, WA

Hobbies: I love to do anything outdoors! I love to snowboard, mountain bike, hike/camp, kiteboard, and scuba dive.

Fun facts: I worked as a kiteboard instructor during the summers in college. I have traveled to more foreign countries than U.S. states. I will stop mid-conversation to pet a dog.

Before I came into medicine: I majored in Rhetoric Studies in college, studying the relationship between attitudes/beliefs/opinions and meaningful action. I thoroughly enjoyed this area of study, but did not know what I wanted to do long-term. When I graduated from college, I bought a one-way ticket to Peru to learn Spanish. I ended up spending a year in Peru working in a non-profit medical clinic.While in Peru, I decided to pursue medicine! I returned to the U.S. and spent two years working as a medical scribe in Seattle, WA while applying to medical school.

What made me pursue my residency training in Anesthesiology: I love the combination of medicine, pharmacology, and procedures in Anesthesiology! I thoroughly enjoy working in the OR and feel that Anesthesia is a specialty that combines all of the things I enjoy about medicine.

Alex Daniele

Hometown: Daytona Beach, FL

Education history: Undergrad: BS in physiology from UCLA Med school: FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine (HWCOM) Prelim: I spent two years as a pediatrics resident at Cincinnati Children's!

Hobbies: Sailing, hiking, cooking, baking, reading, playing video games, long walks on the beach

Fun facts: I spent Covid learning how to make pâte à choux. My wife and I enjoyed eating all of the cream puffs.

Before I came into medicine: I've gone straight through everything, no gap years here. Though along the way I learned how to sail on my college team and have spent many years working on cars.

What made me pursue my residency training in Anesthesiology: I enjoyed my time training in pediatrics but felt that I wanted more hands-on time with patients and less time in front of the computer. While my PICU and ED blocks let me have the higher acuity that I sought, there was still more documenting than I wanted in a career. My time in the OR let me combine the ability to spend time with the patient with the high acuity and physiology that I love.

Zach Haave

Education history: Undergrad: BS in Neuroscience at the University of Minnesota: Twin Cities; MD at the University of Colorado

Hobbies:My two favorite things are spending time outdoors and traveling. In the summer, you can find me camping, hiking up my next 14er (I've done 5 so far), whitewater rafting, or on the golf course. In the winter, my passion shifts to snowboarding. My fiancé and I love to travel, with our most recent trips being to Italy and Japan where we were lucky enough to catch the cherry blossoms.

Fun facts: I have gone on multiple week-long canoe trips in the Boundary Waters of northern Minnesota, each time covering 40+ miles. I have lived in 5 different states and 9 different cities. I have 3 cats, courtesy of my fiancé.

Before I came into medicine: After college, I worked at 3M in the Stationery and Office Supplies Division. I did materials testing on their products and also worked in the chemistry lab designing and creating new adhesives.

What made me pursue my residency training in Anesthesiology: I was initially undecided but after working with so many outstanding Anesthesiology residents and attendings, I feel like I found my tribe. Anesthesiology is the perfect combination of medicine and procedures. You get to work with your hands and be on your feet all day, while considering the patient’s unique physiology to develop a safe and effective anesthetic plan. I love meeting so many different patients and getting them through one of their toughest or scariest times.

Steve Haberkorn

Hometown: Hinsdale, IL (Chicago suburb)

Education history: Willamette University, BA in Sociology; Portland State University, Premed Post-baccalaureate; University of Colorado School of Medicine, MD and internship

Hobbies: Spending time with my wife and two young kids. Anything outdoors, especially hiking, camping, skiing, biking, and climbing. Decompress with reading, video games, and podcasts.

Fun facts: Once worked on a replica of La Amistad, a famous 19th century sailing ship. Spent several months living aboard as it traveled down the east coast giving historical tours. I was just a lowly deckhand, but I got to experience many adventures along the way!

Before I came into medicine: Worked for several years in public policy, politics, and government before switching careers to medicine. Then did a postbacc and worked in Pulm/Critical Care research for a couple years prior to medical school.

What made me pursue my residency training in Anesthesiology: Love of physiology and pharmacology. Perfect mix of cognitive medicine, procedures, and acute problem solving. Great culture, people, and personality fit.

Haley Hopkinson

Hometown: Aspen, CO

Education history: Undergraduate: University of Virginia, Medical School: Medical University of South Carolina

Hobbies: I love to ski, play tennis, hike, bike, and run! I also love live music, trying new restaurants, and traveling. Of course, these are all best enjoyed with friends and family!

Fun facts: I grew up as a competitive ski racer and have competed all over the country! I also love a good adrenaline rush and have been sky diving, bungee jumping, and heli-skiing.

Before I came into medicine: Before I started medical school, I worked for one year in Charleston, SC. For the first half of the year, I worked as a scribe in an urgent care clinic. For the second half of the year, I decided to switch gears and worked at a pilates studio. I ended up loving Charleston and decided to stay another 4 years for medical school.

What made me pursue my residency training in Anesthesiology: I knew that I wanted aspecialty that is procedural and intellectually stimulating, but I also wanted to find a specialty where I fit in well with the other residents. I really clicked with all of the people I worked with while on my anesthesia rotations, both at my home institution and on my away rotation at CU. My interests in pharmacology and physiology, the procedural aspects and intellectually demanding nature of providing anesthesia, and the connections I made with other residents are a few of the reasons why I chose a career in this field.

Amanda Hunt

Critical Care Track

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.

Mary Kinney

Hometown: Centennial, CO

Education history: BS in Biophysics at Wake Forest University; MD from Indiana University School of Medicine

Hobbies: Hiking, skiing, mountain biking, soccer, a good movie with popcorn, painting acrylic landscapes, and any quality time spent with family and friends.

Fun facts: I grew up with 4 older brothers as my own personal bodyguards!

Before I came into medicine: After graduating from Wake Forest University, I took a year before applying to medical school to work as a medical assistant in an OBGYN clinic in Denver.

What made me pursue my residency training in Anesthesiology: I enjoyed the sense of completeness I felt with patient care, seeing instant results in the OR and being the person who ensures patient comfort and safety from the beginning to the end of a case. Combining this with the intellectual stimulation and hands-on satisfaction, anesthesiology was an easy choice!

Noah LaBelle

Hometown: Greenville, SC

Education history: Clemson University, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Greenville

Hobbies: Competitive Beach and Grass Volleyball. Most any outdoor activity: Snowboarding, Backpacking, Fly Fishing, Kayaking, Rock Climbing, Paddleboarding, Longboarding. Board games: Settlers of Catan, Terraforming Mars, Codenames, Everdell, and Wingspan are our friend group’s staples.

Fun facts: I've broken 16 bones. I'm part of the world record team for the fastest 100x5k relay. In 8th grade, I wrote a bill that was signed into South Carolina law.

Before I came into medicine: In college and during my gap years, I did demographic research using ArcGIS in the Dominican Republic, was an outdoor adventure trip leader, a zip-line instructor, a bartender, and a medical scribe.

What made me pursue my residency training in Anesthesiology: I decided to pursue Anesthesiology because I enjoy contributing to the immediate impact on patients' lives that is provided by the OR, the ability to provide peace to my patients during some of their scariest moments, the ability to practice critical care medicine on 2x speed, and joy that comes from working on a team.

Mark Landy

Hometown: Boston, MA

Education history: Cornell University - B.S. in Applied & Engineering Physics, UT Southwestern - MD, PhD in Neuroscience

Hobbies: Indoors: Board games, video games, playing with my dogs, scolding my cat (to no avail). Outdoors: Rock climbing, camping, hiking

Fun facts: My knees were dislocated when I was born, and I now only have about half the normal range of motion. I had to stretch for months to get on one knee to propose to my wife!

Before I came into medicine: Questioned whether I wanted to go into medicine.

What made me pursue my residency training in Anesthesiology: I've always liked working "behind the scenes" (eg backstage in theater or behind the photography lens), working with my hands, and physiology, so I thought Anesthesiology would be a good fit. And sure enough, I found I loved being in a position where I'm constantly thinking about the balance of physiological and pharmacological systems, while still getting to do some procedural work, and lead from behind the drape.

Connor Lester

Hometown: Denver, CO

Education history: Santa Clara University (Santa Clara, CA) - Undergraduate degree in Finance, Minor in Biology; Mills College (Oakland, CA) - Premedical Post-Baccalaureate; Georgetown School of Medicine (Washington DC) - Medical School

Hobbies: I love all things that Colorado has to offer! I love skiing, hiking, biking, golfing, camping, and wilderness backpacking. I also love cooking elaborate meals, perfecting salsa recipes, playing pickleball, hanging in hot tubs with friends while it's snowing, organizingfun adventures, and vegetable gardening. I also love planning my entire weekend around things that would make my golden retriever Mila happy.

Fun facts: Although we had to postpone our actual wedding due to COVID, my wife and I hosted a fake riverside "wedding" on a 3-day rafting trip with 15 of our closest friends.

Before I came into medicine: Prior to medicine, I worked in business in the tech industry as a project manager at a company called EMC.

What made me pursue my residency training in Anesthesiology: I really felt that I found my people in Anesthesia! Everyone is fun-loving, doesn't take themselves too seriously, and loves what they do. I also loved that Anesthesia lies at the intersection of surgery and medicine - two fields which I was fascinated by during medical school. Finally, I loved that Anesthesia is a field that is rich with QI and operational complexity, which is an opportunity for me to combine my background in business with this field, which I love so much!

Dreese Marrakchi

Hometown: Broomfield, CO

Education history: Undergraduate: University of Colorado, Colorado Springs Medical School: A.T. Still University (Arizona)

Hobbies: Playing/watching soccer, hiking, skiing, traveling, coffee shops, spending time with my wife/family

Fun facts: I am Moroccan. I am fascinated by new languages and am learning my fifth language. I played soccer in college.

Before I came into medicine: I spent many years playing soccer and trying to make a career out of it. I also grew up working at my father’s Moroccan restaurant in Aurora, Café Paprika.

What made me pursue my residency training in Anesthesiology: After being a surgery resident for two years, I witnessed firsthand that anesthesiologists really are the unsung heroes behind every successful operation. I love the critical thinking and problem solving involved with anesthesiology, while still being very hands-on.

Anthony Monzon

Hometown: Denver, CO

Education history: University of Denver - Molecular Biology Daniel's College of Business - MBA University of Colorado - MD

Hobbies: I love to watch and play soccer. I'm also a big fan of visiting the mountains here in Colorado. There are so many activities to do from hiking, snowboarding, to visiting the hot springs.

Fun facts: My dog, Bambino, is 15 years old, but is still a puppy.

Before I came into medicine: Before I started medical school, I was doing research in the Pulmonary Sciences department at Anschutz and was also a used car salesman.

What made me pursue my residency training in Anesthesiology: The role of the anesthesiologist carries a great responsibility because of the direct and immediate effects of each decision made. The variability from patient to patient, the attention to detail, and the never-ending pursuit of knowledge and improvement all make anesthesiology an ideal career for me.

Jamie Palmer

Hometown: Rochester, NY

Education history: University of Maryland, College Park - B.S. in Finance; University of Maryland School of Medicine - M.D.

Hobbies: Finding the best farmer's markets, skiing, hiking and board games

Fun facts: I'm the proud owner of 27 Junior Ranger badges of the U.S. National Park System.

Before I came into medicine: I worked with a Neurologist who enrolled patients in clinical research trials for Alzheimer's disease.

What made me pursue my residency training in Anesthesiology: I love how you are forced to think both proactively and reactively to care for patient's during critical moments, and you can see the effects of your interventionsin real-time!

Philip Paulson

Hometown: La Cañada, CA

Education history: BA in Chemistry from Pitzer College, MS in Agriculture with a Specialization in Animal Science from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, MD from Keck SOM of University of Southern California, General Surgery intern year at Oregon Health and Science University

Hobbies: Fermentation (making bread, cheese, yogurt, beer, wine, brandy, kimchi, you name it!), travel, camping, painting (Bob Ross trained during Covid shutdown), sailing, making music, board games (chess, anyone?)

Fun facts: In Nepal, I spent over a month living with and learning from traditional blacksmiths. One time, I built a pontoon boat from scratch, large enough to hold 12 friends!

Before I came into medicine: I spent a few years making wine at various wineries in Northern California and New Zealand, working in labs, cellars, and vineyards. I then spent a year making cheese in Durango, CO which led me to pursue a master’s degree in dairy science in San Luis Obispo, CA. It was during grad school that I realized my true calling was medicine and bridged the gap with a thesis project related to antibiotic use in livestock.

What made me pursue my residency training in Anesthesiology: For me, Anesthesiology is the perfect combination of procedural and cerebral. I love to work with my hands but also find applying the alchemy of physiology and pharmacology endlessly rewarding.

Megan Schramski

Hometown: Lake City, MN

Education history: Undergrad - University of Wisconsin-Madison Med school - University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Prelim - General surgery @ St Joseph Hospital in Denver

Hobbies: Yoga, weightlifting, snowboarding, hiking, spending time with family/friends, camping, watching reality TV, travelling, golf

Fun facts: I have 2 brothers and 1 sister who live back in Wisconsin. I am the first family member of mine to pursue a career in medicine. I love trying new foods! I am impressed with the food scene in Denver so far. I was a professional dog walker, barista, and bartender in medical school.

Before I came into medicine: I spent a gap year working as a medical scribe in a family medicine clinic. In undergrad I worked on a gas dock at a marina and as a lifeguard.

What made me pursue my residency training in Anesthesiology: I love that an anesthesiologist gets to diagnose and treat medical conditions instantaneously. It always was hard for me when rotating in the ED or ICU to recognize a problem and hand it off to someone else (nurse, consulting service, etc.) to intervene and treat. I want results right now and I want to control the outcome! Anesthesia is fast-paced, hands-on, and the perfect fit for my OCD brain.

Carter Theade

Hometown: Red Lodge, MT

Education history: BS in Chemical Engineering at Montana State University; MD at University of Washington School of Medicine

Hobbies: I love to ski, bike, and hang out with my corgi/mini-Australian shepherd, Hank. I also enjoy crosswords and listening to medical education podcasts.

Fun facts: I was a collegiate pole vaulter!

Before I came into medicine: Before medicine, I majored in and did research in chemical engineering with applications in the renewable energy sector. After redirecting my career to medicine, I worked as a medical scribe and volunteered at a local children's hospital.

What made me pursue my residency training in Anesthesiology: I found anesthesiology to be the perfect combination of direct patient care, physiology, procedures, and critical care I was looking for in a specialty. In addition, I truly love the relationship anesthesiologists have with their patients - helping patients feel comfortable at their most vulnerable.

John-Paul Tsai

Hometown: Aurora, CO

Education history: College: McGill University; Medical School: University of Colorado

Hobbies: I love fishing, fish keeping, disc golfing, working on my truck, photography, and my dog Zoe!

Fun facts: I lived in Taipei, Taiwan for a year while my mom was on sabbatical. I did my undergrad in French Canada, and I don't speak French. I worked in a ramen shop while studying at McGill. I set up a "dark room" for development of 35mm color film in my apartment bathroom.

Before I came into medicine: I was a Computer Science and Biology major at McGill.

What made me pursue my residency training in Anesthesiology: I deviated away from Computer Science because I realized sitting in front of a computer all day is not very gratifying. The immediate feedback on physiologic monitors paired with an arsenal of tools readily available to the Anesthesiologist made the field a clear winner for me.

Chris Wan

Critical Care Medicine Track

Hometown: Hong Kong and San Francisco

Education history: UC Berkeley - BA in Molecular & Cellular Biology, BA in Chinese Language; University of Washington School of Medicine – MD

Hobbies: Video games, couch potato, going to the gym so I can eat after

Fun facts: I was named Time Magazine's Person of the Year in 2006! Oh, I'm also trilingual.

Before I came into medicine: I was an Army combat medic.

What made me pursue my residency training in Anesthesiology: I really enjoy the blend of medicine and procedure in anesthesiology. Being able to see a near-instant response to my interventions is also very satisfying.

Grace Wilson

Hometown: Roseville, MN

Education history: Undergrad: St. Olaf College; Medical School: University of Minnesota

Hobbies: I was a music major in undergrad and enjoy listening to live music of all varieties. I also enjoy running and spending time outdoors.

Fun facts: I ran the Twin Cities Marathon.

Before I came into medicine: I worked as a clinical assistant at a dermatology clinic for two years before medical school.

What made me pursue my residency training in Anesthesiology: I decided to pursue anesthesiology because I love physiology and working with my hands.