MEET OUR BLOGGERS
Minerva Romero Arenas, MD, MPH
Dr. Minerva Romero Arenas is a general surgery resident at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore. She recently completed a research fellowship at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX. She obtained her MD and MPH from The University of Arizona, and studied Cellular Biology & French at Arizona State University. She is also involved in mentoring and public policy. On her personal time she enjoys spending time with friends and family, especially when it involves good food.
Brittany Bankhead-Kendall, MD, MSc
Brittany Bankhead-Kendall, M.D, M.Sc. is a general surgery resident at St. Joseph Mercy Oakland in Pontiac, Michigan. She obtained her M.D. from Ross University School of Medicine, a M.Sc. from Barry University in Biomedical Science, and studied Biomedical Science and Spanish at Texas A&M University. She enjoys mentoring medical students, acute care surgery, and medical mission work. In her personal time she enjoys spending time with her husband and son, interior design, international travel, and Texas Aggie football.
Mary L. Brandt, MD
Mary L. Brandt, M.D. is a professor of Surgery, Pediatrics, and Medical Ethics at Baylor College of Medicine and a practicing pediatric surgeon at Texas Children’s Hospital. She is involved in education on a day-to-day basis in her clinical work. She also thinks about medical education on a bigger scale through her work as Vice Chair of Education of the Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery and Associate Dean of Student Affairs at Baylor College of Medicine. She actively blogs and tweets.
Christina Cellini, MD, FACS, FASCRS
Dr. Christina Cellini is an Assistant Professor of Surgery and Oncology at the University of Rochester Medical Center in the Division of Colorectal Surgery. After obtaining her undergraduate and medical school degrees at Cornell University she trained in general surgery at the NewYork Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell Medical Center. Following residency, she completed a fellowship in Colorectal Surgery at Washington University in St. Louis. She recently completed a Masters in Medical Management at the Simon School of Business at the University of Rochester. She lives in Webster, NY with her husband and 2 children and enjoys running and snowshoeing in her free time. Dr. Cellini serves on the AWS communication committee.
Amalia Cochran, MD, MA, FACS, FCCM
Dr. Amalia Cochran is Associate Professor of Surgery at the University of Utah. She is heavily involved in undergraduate medical education, serving as the Surgery Clerkship Director and the Director for the Applied Anatomy track for 4th year medical students at the University of Utah. Her research interests lie in surgical education and in clinical outcomes in burns. She is completing her term as Vice President for the Association of Women Surgeons.
Marie Crandall, MD, MPH, FACS
Marie Crandall, MD, MPH, FACS is an Associate Professor of Surgery and Preventive Medicine in the Division of Trauma and Critical Care at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She is originally from Detroit, MI, a product of Head Start and local public schools. Dr. Crandall obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Neurobiology from U.C. Berkeley in 1991, and completed her M.D. in 1996 at the Charles R. Drew/U.C.L.A program in Los Angeles. She finished her General Surgery residency at Rush University & Cook County Hospital in 2001, and in 2003, completed a Trauma & Surgical Critical Care Fellowship at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, WA. During her fellowship, she obtained a Masters in Public Health from the University of Washington. Dr. Crandall performs emergency general and trauma surgery, staffs the SICU, and is an active health services researcher. Dr. Crandall loves travel, triathlons, hiking, and is a passionate animal rights activist; you can follow her on Twitter @vegansurgeon.
Erin Gilbert, MD
Erin Gilbert is an Assistant Professor at Oregon Health & Sciences University in Portland where she is a member of the Knight Cancer Institute. She received her medical degree from LSU in New Orleans and completed her general surgery residency at the University of Washington in Seattle. She was fellowship trained in Minimally Invasive Surgery at OHSU and specializes in the surgical management of pancreatic disease.
Heather Logghe, MD
Heather Logghe, M.D. is a general surgery resident at the University of North Carolina. She graduated with her M.D. from the University of California, San Francisco. She has worked on various projects at the intersection of medicine and technology in Silicon Valley and is a tireless advocate for health equity. She blogs and tweets.
Sophia Kim McKinley, MD
Sophia is a dual-degree M.D./Ed.M. student at Harvard Medical School and the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She received the 2012 Association of Women Surgeons Patricia Numann Medical Student Award and spent a year as a Zuckerman fellow at the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard Kennedy School. Sophia is passionate about medical education and she hopes to be an academic surgeon who brings educationally-sound innovations to surgical training. Her clinical interests are gastrointestinal and minimally invasive surgery. Sophia is in the process of applying for general surgery residency for the 2014 Match cycle.
Lauren Nosanov, MD
Lauren Nosanov, M.D. is a general surgery resident at MedStar Washington Hospital Center in Washington, DC. She obtained her M.D. from The Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, where she also completed a year of clinical research in the field of Trauma and Critical Care as a Dean’s Research Scholar. She is passionate about issues surrounding surgical education, mentorship and finding a balance between motherhood and medicine. Outside of medicine she enjoys practicing Taekwondo and spending time with her husband and two children.
Callie Thompson, MD
Callie is a chief resident in general surgery at the University of Washington. Callie aspires to be a burn and trauma surgeon and a translational scientist. Her research interests include genetic variations and their associations with the development and outcomes of disease and illness. Callie is married to an internist and has three children ages 1, 3, and 7.
Danielle Walsh, MD
Minerva Romero Arenas, MD, MPH
Dr. Minerva Romero Arenas is a general surgery resident at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore. She recently completed a research fellowship at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX. She obtained her MD and MPH from The University of Arizona, and studied Cellular Biology & French at Arizona State University. She is also involved in mentoring and public policy. On her personal time she enjoys spending time with friends and family, especially when it involves good food.
Brittany Bankhead-Kendall, MD, MSc
Brittany Bankhead-Kendall, M.D, M.Sc. is a general surgery resident at St. Joseph Mercy Oakland in Pontiac, Michigan. She obtained her M.D. from Ross University School of Medicine, a M.Sc. from Barry University in Biomedical Science, and studied Biomedical Science and Spanish at Texas A&M University. She enjoys mentoring medical students, acute care surgery, and medical mission work. In her personal time she enjoys spending time with her husband and son, interior design, international travel, and Texas Aggie football.
Mary L. Brandt, MD
Mary L. Brandt, M.D. is a professor of Surgery, Pediatrics, and Medical Ethics at Baylor College of Medicine and a practicing pediatric surgeon at Texas Children’s Hospital. She is involved in education on a day-to-day basis in her clinical work. She also thinks about medical education on a bigger scale through her work as Vice Chair of Education of the Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery and Associate Dean of Student Affairs at Baylor College of Medicine. She actively blogs and tweets.
Christina Cellini, MD, FACS, FASCRS
Dr. Christina Cellini is an Assistant Professor of Surgery and Oncology at the University of Rochester Medical Center in the Division of Colorectal Surgery. After obtaining her undergraduate and medical school degrees at Cornell University she trained in general surgery at the NewYork Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell Medical Center. Following residency, she completed a fellowship in Colorectal Surgery at Washington University in St. Louis. She recently completed a Masters in Medical Management at the Simon School of Business at the University of Rochester. She lives in Webster, NY with her husband and 2 children and enjoys running and snowshoeing in her free time. Dr. Cellini serves on the AWS communication committee.
Amalia Cochran, MD, MA, FACS, FCCM
Dr. Amalia Cochran is Associate Professor of Surgery at the University of Utah. She is heavily involved in undergraduate medical education, serving as the Surgery Clerkship Director and the Director for the Applied Anatomy track for 4th year medical students at the University of Utah. Her research interests lie in surgical education and in clinical outcomes in burns. She is completing her term as Vice President for the Association of Women Surgeons.
Marie Crandall, MD, MPH, FACS
Marie Crandall, MD, MPH, FACS is an Associate Professor of Surgery and Preventive Medicine in the Division of Trauma and Critical Care at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She is originally from Detroit, MI, a product of Head Start and local public schools. Dr. Crandall obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Neurobiology from U.C. Berkeley in 1991, and completed her M.D. in 1996 at the Charles R. Drew/U.C.L.A program in Los Angeles. She finished her General Surgery residency at Rush University & Cook County Hospital in 2001, and in 2003, completed a Trauma & Surgical Critical Care Fellowship at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, WA. During her fellowship, she obtained a Masters in Public Health from the University of Washington. Dr. Crandall performs emergency general and trauma surgery, staffs the SICU, and is an active health services researcher. Dr. Crandall loves travel, triathlons, hiking, and is a passionate animal rights activist; you can follow her on Twitter @vegansurgeon.
Erin Gilbert, MD
Erin Gilbert is an Assistant Professor at Oregon Health & Sciences University in Portland where she is a member of the Knight Cancer Institute. She received her medical degree from LSU in New Orleans and completed her general surgery residency at the University of Washington in Seattle. She was fellowship trained in Minimally Invasive Surgery at OHSU and specializes in the surgical management of pancreatic disease.
Heather Logghe, MD
Heather Logghe, M.D. is a general surgery resident at the University of North Carolina. She graduated with her M.D. from the University of California, San Francisco. She has worked on various projects at the intersection of medicine and technology in Silicon Valley and is a tireless advocate for health equity. She blogs and tweets.
Sophia Kim McKinley, MD
Sophia is a dual-degree M.D./Ed.M. student at Harvard Medical School and the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She received the 2012 Association of Women Surgeons Patricia Numann Medical Student Award and spent a year as a Zuckerman fellow at the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard Kennedy School. Sophia is passionate about medical education and she hopes to be an academic surgeon who brings educationally-sound innovations to surgical training. Her clinical interests are gastrointestinal and minimally invasive surgery. Sophia is in the process of applying for general surgery residency for the 2014 Match cycle.
Lauren Nosanov, MD
Lauren Nosanov, M.D. is a general surgery resident at MedStar Washington Hospital Center in Washington, DC. She obtained her M.D. from The Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, where she also completed a year of clinical research in the field of Trauma and Critical Care as a Dean’s Research Scholar. She is passionate about issues surrounding surgical education, mentorship and finding a balance between motherhood and medicine. Outside of medicine she enjoys practicing Taekwondo and spending time with her husband and two children.
Callie Thompson, MD
Callie is a chief resident in general surgery at the University of Washington. Callie aspires to be a burn and trauma surgeon and a translational scientist. Her research interests include genetic variations and their associations with the development and outcomes of disease and illness. Callie is married to an internist and has three children ages 1, 3, and 7.
Danielle Walsh, MD
Dr. Danielle Walsh is an Associate Professor of Surgery at East Carolina University in the Division of Pediatric Surgery. After obtaining her undergraduate degree at Columbia College and her medical degree from the University of South Florida College of Medicine, she trained in general surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. She also completed a fellowship in fetal surgery and research at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and a fellowship in pediatric surgery at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. She practiced in Jacksonville, FL holding faculty appointments at the Mayo Medical Center and University of Florida before moving to her current position in North Carolina. She is the 2013-14 President of the Association of Women Surgeons and mother of 2 children.
Jane Zhao, MD
Jane Zhao is a general surgery resident at the University at Buffalo, the State University of New York. She obtained her medical degree with a scholarly concentration in Clinical Quality, Safety, and Evidence-based Medicine from the University of Texas Medical School at Houston and completed her undergraduate studies in Medicine, Health, & Society at Vanderbilt University. She was the 2012 recipient of the Shohrae Hajibashi Memorial Leadership Award and chaired the AWS Blog Subcommittee from 2013 to 2014. Her interests include healthcare social media, quality improvement, and public health. She can be followed on Twitter.
Bharti Jasra, M.D. is a breast surgical oncology fellow at UT Southwestern 2014-2015. She completed general surgery residency at Saint Louis University Hospital in June 2014.
Jane Zhao is a general surgery resident at the University at Buffalo, the State University of New York. She obtained her medical degree with a scholarly concentration in Clinical Quality, Safety, and Evidence-based Medicine from the University of Texas Medical School at Houston and completed her undergraduate studies in Medicine, Health, & Society at Vanderbilt University. She was the 2012 recipient of the Shohrae Hajibashi Memorial Leadership Award and chaired the AWS Blog Subcommittee from 2013 to 2014. Her interests include healthcare social media, quality improvement, and public health. She can be followed on Twitter.
Lauren K. Poindexter
Lauren K. Poindexter, MS is a 4th year medical student at Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine in Roanoke, Virginia. She is a native of Los Angeles and received her bachelor's degree in fine arts from the University of Southern California. After earning a master's degree in kinesiology from the University of Arkansas and working as a certified athletic trainer in a private orthopedic practice in Vail, Colorado, she fell in love with the operating room and went back to school to earn her MD. Lauren looks forward to a career in general surgery and is participating in The 2015 Match. When not studying or working on her research projects, Lauren enjoys hiking, jogging, and playing soccer with her classmates. ~~~ Interested in blogging for the AWS? E-mail blog@womensurgeons.org. Bharti Jasra, MD
Bharti Jasra, M.D. is a breast surgical oncology fellow at UT Southwestern 2014-2015. She completed general surgery residency at Saint Louis University Hospital in June 2014.