Meet Our Current Trainees

Quentin Adams, MD - Department of Radiation Oncology
- R5
- MD - University of Iowa
- Research Interest - Targeted Radiotherapy
- Research Mentor - Ryan Flynn, PhD

Yahya Almodallal, MBBS - Department of Pediatrics
- R1
- MBBS - Jordan University of Science and Technology
- Subspecialty - Pediatrics Hematology/Oncology

Christian Anderson, MD, PhD - Department of Internal Medicine
- R2
- MD - Case Western Reserve University SOM, Cleveland, OH
- PhD - Case Western Reserve University SOM, Cleveland, OH
- Subspecialty - Cardiology
- Research Interest - Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Amanda Benavides, MD, PhD - Department of Psychiatry
- R1
- MD - University of Iowa, Carver College of Medicine
- PhD - University of Iowa, Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP)

Nick Bormann, MD - Department of Psychiatry
- R4
- MD - University of Iowa
- Research Interests - Computational Psychiatry
- Research Mentor - Aaron Boes, MD, PhD

Cameron Callaghan, MD, MPH, MS - Department of Radiation Oncology
- R5
- MS - Tulane University School of Medicine
- MPH - Tulane University School of Medicine
- MD - Tulane University School of Medicine
- Research Interest - Colorectal Cancer, DNA Damage Repair, Normal Tissue Toxicity
- Research Mentor - Joseph Caster, MD, PhD

Karen Cyndari, MD, PhD, MS - Department of Emergency Medicine
- R3, Chief Resident
- MS - Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY
- PhD - Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY
- MD - Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY
- Research Interests - Infectious Diseases and Disaster Management
- Research Mentor - Christine Petersen, DVM, PhD

Melvin Donaldson, MD, PhD - Department of Emergency Medicine
- R2
- MD - University of Minnesota Medical School
- PhD - University of Minnesota Medical School
- Research Interest - Injury Prevention and Resiliency

Rachel Genova, MD, PhD - Department of Internal Medicine
- R2
- MD - University of Iowa
- PhD - University of Iowa
- Subspecialty - Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine

Aysegul Gezer, DO, PhD - Department of Neurology
- R1
- DO - Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine
- PhD - Michigan State University

Gudbjorg Jonsdottir, MD, PhD - Department of Internal Medicine
- F3, Chief Fellow
- MD - University of Iceland
- PhD - University of Iceland
- Subspecialty - Hematology/Oncology
- Research Interests - Multiple Myeloma, MGUS, and Cancer Epidemiology

Gregory Kirkpatrick, MD, PhD - Department of Internal Medicine
- R2
- MD - University of Colorado, SOM
- PhD - University of Colorado
- Subspecialty - Hematology/Oncology

Max Liu, MD, PhD - Department of Neurology
- R2
- MD - University of Iowa
- PhD - University of Iowa
- Research Interests - Developing Tau directed therapies in neurological diseases such as stroke and seizures. Neurodengeneration & Alzheimer's Disease
- Research Mentor - Nandakumar Narayanan, MD, PhD

Brandon Neisewander, MD - Department of Psychiatry
- R1
- MD - University of Illinois Chicago College of Medicine

Brandan Penaluna, MD, MBA - Department of Psychiatry
- R3
- MD - University of Iowa
- MBA - University of Iowa
- Research Interests: Interventional Psychiatry
- Research Mentor: Nicholas T. Trapp, MD

Emily Phillips, MD - Stead Family Department of Pediatrics
- R3
- MD - Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI

Tyler Rasmussen, MD, PhD - Department of Internal Medicine
- F3 - Chief Fellow
- MD - University of Iowa
- PhD - University of Iowa
- Subspecialty - Cardiology
- Research Interests - Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Cardiovascular Disease

Katie Robinson, MD, PhD - Department of Internal Medicine
- F3
- MD - University of Wisconsin
- PhD - University of Wisconsin
- Subspecialty - Endocrinology
- Research Interests - Obesity, Metabolism, Medical Anthropology and Sociology
- Research Mentors - Eli Perencevich, MD, MS and William Sivitz, MD

Kai Rogers, MD, PhD - Department of Pathology
- R1
- MD - University of Iowa, Carver College of Medicine, Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP)
- PhD - University of Iowa, Microbiology and Immunology

Jeremy Sandgren, MD, PhD - Stead Family Department of Pediatrics
- R3
- MD - University of Iowa
- PhD - University of Iowa
- Subspecialty - Neonatology

Kamel Shibbani, MD - Stead Family Department of Pediatrics
- F2
- MD - American University of Beirut
- Subspecialty - Cardiology
- Research Interests - Genetics of Congenital Heart Disease
- Research Mentor - Ferhaan Ahmad, MD, PhD

John Smestad, MD, PhD - Department of Internal Medicine
- R1
- MD - Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine
- PhD - Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Madeliene Stump, MD, PhD - Department of Internal Medicine
- R3 - Department of Dermatology
- MD - University of Iowa
- PhD - University of Iowa
- Investigative Training Track
- Research Mentor - Kamal Rahmouni, PhD

Carly van der Heide, MD, PhD - Department of Psychiatry
- R1
- MD - University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP)
- PhD - University of Iowa, Molecular Physiology & Biophysics

Oriana Gema Vanegas Calderon, MD - Stead Family Department of Pediatrics
- F2
- MD - Universidad Central de Venezuela
- Subspecialty - Gastroenterology
- Research Interests - Cystic Fibrosis (CF), Pancreatic Disease
- Research Mentor - Aliye Uc, MD

Luis Vargas-Buonfiglio, MD - Department of Internal Medicine
- F2
- MD - Universidad Central de Venezuela
- Subspecialty - Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine
- Research Interests - Airway Host Defense, COPD, Air Pollution
- Research Mentors - Joseph Zabner, MD and Alejandro Comellas, MD

Cory Wilson, MD, PhD - Department of Internal Medicine
- R1
- MD - McGovern Medical School at UTHealth
- PhD - University of Texas MD Anderson Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences

Nanmeng Yu, MD, PhD - Department of Internal Medicine
- Associate
- MD - Wake Forest University
- PhD - Wake Forest University
- Subspecialty - Hematology - Oncology
- Research Interests - Virus and Cancer Cell Biology
- Research Mentor - George Weiner, MD

Arya Zandvakili, MD, PhD - Department of Internal Medicine
- R2
- MD-PhD - University of Cincinnati COM, MSTP Program
- Subspecialty - Infectious Diseases