Joseph Burke, MD, grew up in Wyoming but has spent equally as much time living in Colorado which he now considers home. He went to Creighton University where he earned a BS in biology and a minor in college basketball. He went on to complete his internal medicine residency at the University of Colorado and served as chief medical resident prior to completing his cardiovascular disease fellowship at CU.  He then spent two years as an interventional cardiology fellow at Beaumont Hospital in Detroit where he chose to focus on complex coronary disease and peripheral vascular intervention. He is now a part of the department of medicine and division of cardiology as an interventional cardiologist at Denver Health Medical Center. His clinical interests include advanced interventional and peripheral vascular care for underserved populations. Joe and his wife, Zuzanna, enjoy skiing, hiking, cycling, and exploring the vibrant Denver restaurant scene in their free time.

Emily Gottenborg, MD, is an Associate Professor within the Division of Hospital Medicine, Department of Medicine, and has a passion for teaching the next generation of leaders in hospital medicine and healthcare system improvement. She is the Director of the Hospitalist Training Program and is faculty within the Institute of Healthcare Quality, Safety, and Efficiency. Dr. Gottenborg came to Colorado in 2014 and enjoys the mountain lifestyle with her three children, husband, and Berner, Bruiser. 

Dan Heppe, MD, was born and raised in Colorado. He attended Medical School and subsequently completed residency and chief residency here at the University of Colorado. He completed his training in 2012 and joined the Hospital Medicine Group at Denver Health Medical Center. After four excellent years at that institution he recently joined the Hospital Medicine group at the Denver VAMC. His academic interests include resident education, alcohol withdrawal and prevention and substance abuse. He is the father of two beautiful daughters (pictures available upon request). Outside of medicine he enjoys skiing, hiking, camping, playing music and spending time with family.

Andi Hudler, MD, was born and raised in Colorado. She remained in the state for all of her training, from undergraduate at the University of Colorado-Boulder, to the University of Colorado for medical school, then residency at CU where she completed a chief year before going to Pulmonary and Critical Care fellowship. She joined faculty at Denver Health in 2023 and currently works in the ICU and pulmonary clinic with a sub-specialty interest in severe asthma. Outside of work she enjoys spending time with her husband, their son, and their dog. She enjoys trying new restaurants with her family and likes to take their dependents on adventures around Denver and the surrounding area.

Yasmin Sacro, MD, is a proud second-generation Filipina raised in San Diego, California who completed her BA in Biological Sciences and Economics at the University of Chicago, then graduated from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. She completed her residency and chief year in internal medicine at Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego. She then served as a Core Faculty member at the University of Chicago and is also a National Health Service Corps Member. She joined the Division of General Internal Medicine at the University of Colorado in 2015 and provides primary care at Denver Health Eastside Clinic. Her primary academic interests include care of underserved populations, diversity, and medical education. Outside of medicine, Dr. Sacro spends her time reading, trying the newest exercise boutique, enjoying cultural arts, and chasing her 3 children. Dr. Sacro is the Program Director of the Primary Care Residency Track of the University of Colorado at Denver Health.

Joshua Smith, MD is originally from Asheville, North Carolina. He completed his undergraduate and medical degree at Florida State University, before moving to New York City to complete internal medicine residency at New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical Center.  He completed pulmonary and critical care training at Duke University before joining faculty at University of Colorado in 2019.  He practices at UCHealth and his primary clinical focus is on lung transplantation but he also rounds in the medical intensive care unit and pulmonary consult services.  He is active in the training of the pulmonary and critical care fellows and has started one of the few lung transplant fellowships in the country. Outside of work, he and his partner Alex enjoy board games, traveling, cooking, and all of the unique experiences that Colorado has to offer.   

Karen Stenehjem, MD, was born and raised in Savannah, GA. She attended undergrad at the University of Notre Dame and medical school at Emory University. She moved to Denver for Internal Medicine Residency at the University of Colorado. After completing training in 2016, she took a faculty position at the University of Utah where she served as an Associate Program Director for their Internal Medicine Residency. She returned to the University of Colorado in 2023 and provides primary care at the Rocky Mountain Regional VA. Her academic interests include obesity medicine and teaching inter-visit care skills. Outside of work she enjoys running, mountain-biking, and finding joyful-chaos with her 2 small children.

Katie Suddarth, MD, is originally from Philadelphia, PA. She went to Dartmouth College then moved to Denver to attend the University of Colorado School of Medicine. After medical school, Katie entered the Primary Care Track of the University of Colorado Internal Medicine Residency Program. She completed her training in 2009, followed by a chief resident year. She is currently a primary care physician at the University of Colorado and is the Senior Associate Program Director. She has three young children and two large dogs who keep her very busy. She likes to spend time with her family as well as hike and run.   

Elizabeth Breitbach, MD, is an Assistant Professor within the Division of Hospital Medicine and has practiced clinically at the Denver VAMC since 2018 where she also serves as Deputy Section Chief of Hospital Medicine. She grew up in Minnesota, attended The University of Iowa for her undergraduate training as an engineering student, and subsequently stayed for medical school. She then moved to Colorado in 2015 for residency here at The University of Colorado. She enjoys medical education and mentorship of both residents and medical students. She also has a clinical interest in POCUS and helps run the Intern POCUS Curriculum. Elizabeth enjoys time off work with her husband, two dogs, and one year old son hiking in the mountains, exploring the city, and socializing with friends.

Lisa Davis, MD, MSCS, grew up in a rural town in Arkansas. She completed her undergraduate degree at Brigham Young University and her medical degree from the University of Colorado. She completed her internship, residency and Rheumatology research fellowship at the University of Colorado. She joined the faculty at Denver Health Medical Center in 2011, where she practices Rheumatology. Her areas of research include adverse drug events, outcomes research, and health  services research. Dr. Davis has been with the program since 2016, and works with the research pathway and categorical residents. She has a son and a daughter and enjoys cooking, cycling, hiking, and most outdoor sports.

Hoda Farajpour Bakhtiari, MD, grew up in Tehran, Iran where she completed her medical training at Shahid Beheshti Medical University by the hills of Alborz mountain range. She moved to Colorado in 2015 to pursue graduate medical training. Before residency, she worked as a clinical researcher in the Department of Endocrinology at the University of Colorado. She completed her internal medicine residency at the University of Colorado in 2022 and joined the Hospital Medicine group at Denver Health. Hoda lives in Aurora with her husband, two sons, and their dog, Sugar. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family, going to live performances in Denver (ballet, symphony orchestra, musical theater), having friends over for Persian food and treats, and taking care of her expanding orchid collection. Hoda serves as the Assistant Program Director for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Danny Gergen, MD, was born and raised in Austin, Texas. He obtained his BA in Public Health Studies from Johns Hopkins University where he also played college basketball. He then attended Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C. He completed residency, chief residency, and pulmonary and critical care medicine fellowship at the University of Colorado. He is now a faculty member in the Division of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine. He attends in the University of Colorado Hospital medical ICU, inpatient pulmonary consult service, and outpatient general pulmonary clinic. His interests include medical education in the ICU, curriculum development, and evaluation/assessment. Outside of work he enjoys spending time with his wife (CT surgery fellow at Colorado), young daughter, and Golden Retriever. 

Christine Haynes, MD, MPH, was born in New York and studied international affairs and global health at Georgetown University. She received her MD and MPH from Northwestern University and then completed her residency and chief year in Internal Medicine/Primary Care at UCLA. Christine is a primary care physician at Denver Health at the Westside Clinic. Her interests include women’s health, underserved populations, population health, quality improvement, and advance care planning. Christine enjoys running, biking, traveling, live music, and exploring new places. However, she spends most of her time reading children’s books in funny voices and dancing in the kitchen with her three young children. Christine is the Assistant Program Director for the Primary Care Residency Track.

Manuel Urra, MD, was born in Pinar del Río, Cuba, and raised in Miami, FL. He obtained his Bachelor of Science in Microbiology and Molecular Biology from the University of Central Florida before pursuing his medical degree at Creighton University. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Colorado, where he also served as Chief Medical Resident. He subsequently completed a fellowship in Nephrology at the same institution. He is a faculty member in the Department of Medicine and Division of Nephrology at the University of Colorado. He is actively involved in both the inpatient consult service and the outpatient general nephrology clinic. His clinical interests include medical education, continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT), and enhancing access to care for Spanish-speaking patients. He enjoys cycling, weightlifting, and exploring Denver with his wife, Claire, and their two adorable young daughters.

David Schwartz, MD is the former Robert Schrier Chair of Medicine and Director of the Physician Scientist Training Program at the University of Colorado. He has made numerous contributions toward understanding the role that biological and genetic determinants play in the onset of diseases that are influenced by the environment. These efforts have provided new insights into the genetics, epigenetics, and genomics of interstitial lung disease, asthma, and innate immunity. His work has led to the recognition that genetic susceptibility, and specifically MUC5B, plays a role in the etiology of pulmonary fibrosis.  Dr. Schwartz’s lab was the first to clone the human TLR4 gene and demonstrate that variation in this gene decreased immune responsiveness to endotoxin, enhanced the risk of Gram negative sepsis, and protected individuals from the development of coronary artery disease. In addition, the Schwartz lab demonstrated the importance of locus-specific DNA methylation in the development of allergic airway disease by directing the maturation of T lymphocytes toward a Th2 phenotype. He is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation, the Association of American Physicians, and the American Clinical and Climatological Association, and a recipient of the American Thoracic Society Scientific Accomplishment Award and the Amberson Lectureship Award and the Bonfils-Stanton Science and Medicine Award.