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
PGY3, Chief Medical Resident AY22-23I 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
PGY2What 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 diverse backgrounds and different experiences but we respect, admire, and take care of each other.
Kayla Gu, MD
PGY2The best part of the PC experience so far 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
PGY2My 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, Current CU Geriatrics FellowMy 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
PGY1On 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
Current Residents
Primary Care Residents 2022-2023
Erin Bammann - Indiana University
Ellen Brinza - Case Western Reserve
Wesley Curles - University of Alambama
Leigh Dairaghi - Rush Medical College
Brittany Denzer - University of Colorado
Emily O'Neill - University of Tennessee
Shravya Pothula - Baylor University
Troy Sterling - University of Virginia
Matthew Westfall - Virginia Commonwealth
Yaa Asare - University of Colorado
Julia Bellantoni - Duke University
Natalie deQuillfeldt - University of Arizona
Connor Enright - University of Wisconsin
Kayla Gu - University of California at Los Angeles
Kevin Ni - University of Indiana
Molly McCallum - Emory University
Alex Paap - University of Virginia
Tais Moreira Protasio - Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro Faculdade de Medicina
Tyler Reese - Loyola University Chicago
Nathan Rockey - Mayo Clinic
Ryan Alonzo - Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine
Anna Buehler - University of California, San Diego School of Medicine
Chelsea Carver - Wayne State University School of Medicine
Benjamin Drumright - Wayne State University School of Medicine
Kathryn Huber - University of Arizona College of Medicine
Nicholas Morgan - University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, Tulsa
Luc Overholt - University of Michigan Medical School
Apoorva Ram - Northwestern University
Anna Samuel - University of Minnesota Medical School
Jacob Welch - UT Southwestern
