What Our Primary Care Residents Say About our Program
Why I Chose the PC Track
I chose the PC Track because I knew I would get dedicated teaching and support in pursuing a career in primary care, which is a career that can seem overwhelming in terms of the amount of knowledge and care you will eventually provide for your patients. It has been a wonderful and supportive experience, and I have felt a real sense of community with other people who care deeply for their patients.
Apoorva Ram, MD
PC Class of 2023, Ambulatory Chief Medical Resident AY 23-24, GIM Faculty at CUI chose the PC track because it had the most robust outpatient curriculum of any program that I applied to and offered the most support for those interested in working with underserved populations. I have been overwhelmed by the warmth and enthusiasm of my seniors in welcoming my peers and I to the group. I couldn’t be more thrilled to be at the University of Colorado!
Natalie deQuillfeldt, MD, MA
PC Class of 2024. Denver Health Ambulatory Chief AY 24-25, Addictions Fellow at YaleThe training truly is very thorough/complete. I had thought initially that there might be a tradeoff between "intensity" and "wellness/happiness" but I think the balance is well done here. I feel independent and well trained, especially having worked at 3 sites which give such different experiences.
Troy Sterling, MD
PC Class of 2025, Palliative Care Fellow at StanfordWhat I like about the PC Track
My favorite thing about the PC Track: how wonderfully patient, kind-hearted, well-intended, dedicated to excellent patient care every single person I've met at the PC program is. The PC family, is smaller than the bigger program, more tight-knit. We have fun retreats together. We have different backgrounds and experiences but we respect, admire, and take care of each other.
Kayla Gu, MD
PC Class of 2024One of the best parts of the PC experience is when the interns got dropped off at their respective clinics and had to travel back to the main campus using public transportation - this helped us understand the time and energy many of our patients have to use, for example, to get a simple imaging test when we order it at clinic. The barriers to health are extensive and pervasive, and the only way to confront those barriers is to listen to our patients, work to understand, prioritize humility, and use the resources at our disposal to help. This was part of that understanding!
Nathan Rockey, MD
PC Class of 2024My favorite thing about the PC Track are Monday Morning Education Sessions. These are great opportunities to learn more about chronic disease management.
Luis Escobedo, MD
PC Class of 2022The best part about the PC program is my incredible class of co-residents who inspire me daily and have provided me with a close family of friends within a large residency program. The community you'll gain, extra primary care focused training, and lifelong friends make this PC program one of the most special training programs in the country.
Cara Saxon, MD
Denver Health Ambulatory Chief 2023I chose the PC track because it was important to me to have a dedicated curriculum focused on the topics specific to my future career. The PC track has electives specifically designed to make you a better primary care provider like orthopedics, dermatology, and women's health to name a few. I also loved the community of residents and the amazing mentors in the PC track.
Kate Runkel, MD
PC Class of 2022, Geriatrician at CUMy favorite thing about the PC track is our large resident cohort and community (9 incoming PC interns per year) and the Denver Health faculty invested in our training and development! Denver Health offers diverse flare of continuity clinics for you to find one that is a perfect fit for you! You can't beat the strength of being part of close-knit PC community and the 50 strong University of Colorado IM intern class who all bring different passions and talents!
Kevin Ni, MD, PhD
PC Track Class of 2024, Endocrinology Fellow at CUOn Being a Resident & Starting a Family
Becoming a mom during residency is challenging under normal circumstances. Finding out you are pregnant just as the COVID pandemic starts could have made it impossible, however our program and its leadership, were so supportive that I could not have imagined a better experience as a resident mom. The program always made it clear that the health of my baby and me was their top priority. They transitioned me to telehealth while we were figuring things out with COVID, particularly during the surges. My program directors insisted that I take a full 8 weeks to be home with my baby, which was invaluable time for us to recover and figure each other out. They arranged so that when I returned to clinical care I was on an outpatient rotation, that I had adequate support to continue pumping for as long as I wanted to do so, and that I could attend any doctors’ appointments that I needed to. My daughter, Genevieve, is welcome at most resident functions and very much enjoys being spoiled by her primary care aunties and uncles when she joins in! I cannot thank our leadership and coordinators enough for their continuous support and understanding!
Elizabeth Bloeman, MD MPH
PC Track Class of 2022, Geriatrician at CUCurrent Residents
Primary Care Residents 2025-26
Emmalee Barrett - George Washington University
Dawson Brown - University of Virginia
Ludivine Brunnisen - Emory University
Sandra Mihail - Baylor College
Hope Ogbeide - University of Oklahoma
Hanna Rosch Newton - University of Arizona
Claire Ruben - Ohio State University
Parker Smith - University of Missouri
Jaime Tsao - Thomas Jefferson University
Valeria Vazquez-Trejo - Rush Medical College
Karl Baumgartner - Brown University
Zachary Lubline - University of Colorado
Audrey Lucas - University of Washington
Madeline Rock - University of Texas Medical Branch
Abigail Ruffle - Virginia Tech
Keren Blackman - University of Maryland
Benjamin Silva - New York University
Carley Sprackling - University of Wisconsin
Rachel Vopni - Texas Tech University
Shea Claflin - University of Colorado
Morgan Edwards Fligner - University of New Mexico
Nathan Garza - UT Southwestern
Elise Kahn - Medical College of Wisconsin
Roshnee Raithatha - Tufts University
Hana Kusumoto - Emory University
Beza Tayachew - University of Colorado
Sanjna Vinze - Indiana University
Matthew
Westfall - Virginia Commonwealth
Ryan Alonzo - Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine (med school). Primary Care at Denver Health
Anna Buehler - University of California, San Diego School of Medicine (med school). CU Sports Medicine Fellowship.
Chelsea Carver - Wayne State University School of Medicine (med school). Primary Care in Rhode Island.
Benjamin Drumright - Wayne State University School of Medicine (med school). Primary Care at Denver Health.
Kathryn Huber - University of Arizona College of Medicine (med school). Primary Care Kaiser in Denver
Nicholas Morgan - University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, Tulsa (med school). Primary Care in Houston
Luc Overholt - University of Michigan Medical School (med school). Primary Care VA in Denver.
Apoorva Ram - Northwestern University (med school). CU IMRP Ambulatory Chief Resident; Primary Care University of Colorado
Anna Samuel - University of Minnesota Medical School (med school). Primary Care Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma
Jacob Welch - UT Southwestern (med school). Rheumatology Fellowship
Yaa
Asare - University of Colorado (med school). CU Palliative Care Fellowship
Julia Bellantoni - Duke University. CU Geriatrics Fellowship
Natalie
deQuillfeldt - University of Arizona .CU IMRP Ambulatory Chief Resident
Connor
Enright - University of Wisconsin. Primary Care in Wisconsin
Kayla Gu - University of California at Los Angeles. CU Renal Fellowship
Molly McCallum - Emory University (med school). UCSF Endo Fellowship
Kevin Ni - Indiana University. CU Endocrinology Fellowship
Alex Paap - University of Virginia (med school). Primary Care in Denver
Tais Moreira Protasio - Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro Faculdade de Medicina (med school). CU Geriatrics Fellowship
Tyler Reese - Loyola University Chicago Loyola University Addictions Fellowship
Nathan
Rockey - Mayo Clinic (med school). Primary Care in NYC
Ellen Brinza - Case Western Reserve. Selected as AY25-26 CU IMRP Chief Resident
Wesley Curles - University of Alabama. Denver Health Primary Care
Leigh Dairaghi - Rush Medical College. Geriatrics Fellowship, University of Colorado
Maria de Faria Figueiredo - Universidade Federal do Triângulo Mineiro, Uberaba (UFTM) Faculdade de Medicin Commonwealth. Endocrinology Fellowship, UCSD
Brittany Denzer - University of Colorado. Selected as AY25-26 CU IMRP Chief Resident
Emily O'Neill - University of Tennessee. Oncology Fellowship, University British Colombia
Troy Sterling - University of Virginia. Palliative Care Fellowship, Stanford University
Matthew Westfall - Virginia Commonwealth. Clinical Scholars Program, University of Colorado
