Meet Our Residents
Our residents come from medical schools around the U.S. and outside the country. Learn more about the residents in our program and why they chose the Family Medicine Residency in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
Class of 2024
Ramesha Ali, M.B., B.Ch.I chose Mayo because I want to be a part of a program that emphasizes the physician as an effective educator, collaborator, advocate, and scholar. |
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Daniel Bobo, M.B.B.S.I chose family medicine because I enjoy taking care of people long-term and caring for their overall health. I chose Mayo because I want to work in a system where everyone involved in patient care prioritizes what is best for the patient. |
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Lindsey Knopps, D.O.I chose this program because of its strong curriculum, community involvement, leadership opportunities, the Osteopathic Recognition track, and the support and kindness of the faculty and residents. I also want to be in the vibrant community of Eau Claire. My amazing experience during my away rotation and program interview, as well as my close family ties to the area, are just a few of the reasons why I knew no other program could compare. |
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Vanessa Lowdon, D.O.My dream is to practice broad-spectrum family medicine, including osteopathic manipulative medicine, in a small town. When I found Mayo's Family Medicine program in Eau Claire, I was amazed to find that every aspect of my dream residency was included, along with other innovative ideas I hadn't considered. All of these things, paired with the wonderful people I interacted with during the interview process, made choosing this program an easy decision. |
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Alexis Papke, M.D.Growing up in the Eau Claire area, I always knew I wanted to return one day. I was excited when Mayo started the family residency here. This allowed me to complete my residency in the community I hope to practice in one day while learning alongside driven and compassionate medical professionals who value teaching. |
Class of 2025
Katie Hills, D.O.I fell in love with the Family Medicine Residency Program in Eau Claire while I was completing a rotation in my fourth year of medical school. I was so impressed with the way the residents, faculty, and staff worked together with such joy and focus on patient care and education. I always dreamed of working in a small town, but I wanted to learn in a place with a diverse population and the resources to learn the full scope of family medicine — and to feel confident in these skills. This program was the perfect fit for these desires. |
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Nicholas Hora, D.O.As a former Blugold, I chose this program because it brings me back to the people who shaped who I am today in the Chippewa Valley. Mayo has a strong history of community outreach, which I think is key to family medicine, and fostering creativity, which allows us all to become the physicians we want to be. During my away rotation, the faculty could not have provided a more supportive environment conducive to learning, and I knew then that I would grow the most here. Lastly, the program has osteopathic recognition, which will allow me to master my skills over the next three years. |
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Seidu Mahama, D.O.The opportunities for community-based practice, rural medicine, and the ability to tailor my experience to meet my future plans attracted me to this program. In addition, Mayo Clinic Family Medicine — Eau Claire emphasizes resident wellness, which appealed to me. |
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Danielle McCulloch, M.B., B.Ch., B.A.O.When doing away rotations, I was blown away by the comradery of the residents and staff in the Eau Claire program. This intangible difference is what separated Eau Claire from the other programs. Also, the Mayo institution is known around the world for its focus on patient care, evidence-based research, and medical education. These factors, combined with Eau Claire's diverse patient population and rural focus, set the perfect conditions for me to grow my future practice in the direction I want. |
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Swaroop Murugesh, D.O.During high school, I volunteered at Mayo Clinic in Arizona. Since that experience, it has been my dream to train at a Mayo Clinic hospital. I came here to learn about the world-class health care Mayo Clinic is known for. Growing up in a medically underserved area, I became passionate about primary care and rural medicine. Eau Claire is the perfect city to gain valuable experience in full-spectrum family medicine and treating a diverse patient population. The Mayo Clinic Family Medicine Residency in Eau Claire offers a personalized residency program that will allow me to develop and master skills to become a well-rounded physician for my patients. |
Class of 2026
Colton Burns, M.D.I chose the Mayo Clinic Family Medicine Residency in Eau Claire because of its innovative curriculum, excellent instruction, and the wonderful people I met on interview day. Mayo Clinic is known worldwide as a leader in medical education, and this program in particular gives residents unrivaled access to teaching from experts in both family medicine and specialty care. Resident wellness also is a major focus of this program, which sets it apart from other programs around the country. Hometown: Sycamore, Illinois Medical school: University of Illinois College of Medicine, Peoria, IL Ideal practice: My ideal practice is in full-spectrum family medicine in a rural community. Future plans: I plan to practice primarily outpatient medicine in the rural Midwest. My goal will be to offer aspects of health care, such as procedures and mental health services, that patients in these areas often have limited access to. Favorite movies: "Harry Potter," "Star Wars," and "Lord of the Rings" series. Hobbies and interests: I am a huge sports fan, especially baseball and football. I also love exercising and doing anything outdoors, especially with my wife and two-year old son. |
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Christina Campbell, D.O.I chose the Mayo Clinic Family Medicine Residency Program in Eau Claire because I wanted a program that was going to push me to be the best physician I could be, a leader in the community and an educator to the next generation of physicians. I was impressed by how personable and academically diverse the residents, faculty, and staff were. Hometown: Malta, Ohio Medical school: University of Pikeville Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine, Pikeville, KY Ideal practice: My ideal practice is a full-spectrum family medicine practice with maternity care and osteopathic manipulative medicine. I would like to have the ability to travel to health professional shortage areas a few times a week. Future plans: I plan to be a part of a full-spectrum family medicine practice with maternity care and osteopathic manipulative medicine. I would love to develop a platform to teach people how to make healthy affordable meals based on their health conditions. Favorite movies: Hallmark is my guilty pleasure. I enjoy "The Devil Wears Prada," "The Proposal" and "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days." Hobbies and interests: Powerlifting, CrossFit and any outrageous sporting event, including Checkpoint, Spartan and obstacle course racing. I also enjoy a good movie with a glass of wine surrounded by my cats. |
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Christopher Kotsis, M.D.What drew me to this program initially was its outstanding culture that fosters resident growth as a learner which, in my mind, lays the foundation for becoming an excellent and well-rounded family physician in the future. The program offers plenty of opportunities to personalize my training experience through its curriculum structure and the one-on-one access to a wide range of supportive specialty staff across departments, which will allow me to gain exceptional procedural skills that I can utilize in my future practice. Hometown: Astoria, New York Medical school: SUNY Downtown Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, NY Ideal practice: I would like to be a family medicine-obstetrics clinician providing primarily outpatient primary care to all family members, but also offering continuity maternity care and deliveries for pregnant patients. I am equally interested in caring for the child before and after the pregnancy. Within my outpatient clinic, I also would like to have a fully stocked procedure room and be able to perform a wide variety of procedures, including suturing; laceration repairs; wound care; osteopathic manipulative treatment; and gynecological procedures, such as colposcopies, intrauterine device and Nexplanon insertions and point-of-care ultrasound; dermatological excisions, incision and drainage; cyst lipoma removal and joint injections. Favorite movie: My favorite movies are "Van Helsing," "Man of Steel," "Gladiator," "Interstellar," "It’s a Wonderful Life" and "About Time." Hobbies and interests: Hiking (in national parks when possible), wildlife watching/photography, fishing, going on road trips and exploring new places, kickboxing, Muay Thai and playing a strategy game on my computer or some old PlayStation game every now and then. Future plans: My future plans are a combination of being a family medicine-obstetrics clinician that provides primarily outpatient primary care to all family members, performing a wide variety of in-office procedures for future patients and serving as a teacher/mentor to students and/or residents either as a faculty member or in some other capacity. |
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Omama Samour, M.D.Since my first interaction with the Mayo Clinic Family Medicine Residency Program in Eau Claire, I felt a strong sense of community and support. The friendly and warm environment made me confident that this was the ideal program for my training. Furthermore, my passion for rural medicine drew me to this program as it offers an opportunity to encounter diverse cases and learn a variety of procedures. The integrated academic curriculum and research support align perfectly with my goals of receiving comprehensive rural family medicine training while advancing my research and academic skills. I am thrilled to become a part of this community! Hometown: Ontario, Canada Medical school: Ankara Yildirim Beyazit University Faculty of Medicine, Turkey Ideal practice: My ideal practice is a full-spectrum family physician with a focus on obstetrics, women’s health and mental health. Future plans: I plan to continue an obstetrics fellowship and then start a private practice with a continuity obstetrics clinic providing the best care for pregnant women and their whole families at the same time. Favorite movies: "The Pursuit of Happiness" and all Disney movies. Hobbies and interests: I enjoy shopping, traveling, exploring new places, trying new adventures and pursuing my passion for photography by taking and editing new scenes. |
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Philip van Huigenbos, D.O.I chose the Mayo Clinic Family Medicine Residency Program for a few reasons. First, I have a passion for full-spectrum osteopathic family medicine. I found this program embodied these elements. Second, the faculty and residents were friendly, seemed genuinely happy with their jobs and felt valued by Mayo Clinic. Finally, Eau Claire is a city that in many ways resembles the small farming community I grew up in. Hometown: Canada Medical school: Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, East Lansing, MI Ideal practice: My ideal practice is an outpatient private practice in a rural or semi-rural environment that delivers full-spectrum osteopathic primary care. I am interested in working in a multidisciplinary environment with a variety of allied health professions that would help to embody the patient-centered medical home approach. Future plans: Pursue a pilot’s license. Favorite movies: "Band of Brothers" (TV miniseries) Hobbies and interests: Hiking, biking, camping, canoeing and all sorts of other outdoor adventures with my wife and our dog. |
Class of 2027
Boshra Al Ibraheem, M.D.I chose the Family Medicine Residency in Eau Claire because it is known for its outstanding patient care and hands-on training that prepares residents for real-world challenges. The program’s focus on community health matches my desire to make a positive difference in people’s lives. Learning from experienced faculty in a supportive environment will help me build the skills I need to excel in family medicine. |
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Celine Chedraoui, M.D.I chose the Family Medicine Residency in Eau Claire because I knew that this would be the place where I could grow the most in a very supportive and collaborative environment. From the interview to the in-person tour, I loved how close knit all the residents and faculty were with one another. The program is unopposed and embodies full spectrum family medicine, which I knew would allow me to become a very well-rounded family physician. |
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Rohini Kalluri, D.O.I chose this residency program because of the supportive faculty and resources offered by the residency program. The program really supports you in any niche of family medicine you want to explore. Not to mention during my away rotation at the program and program interview I noticed how kind and excited to teach the faculty was. I am also excited to join the fun, rapidly growing Eau Claire community! |
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Avneesh Sachdev, M.B., B.Ch., B.A.O.I completed an elective rotation with the Mayo Clinic Health System and knew that I wanted to come back for residency. The Family Medicine Residency in Eau Claire stood out particularly because of the vast learning opportunities available to residents, as we are an unopposed program, as well as the supportive leadership. The residency training program here at Mayo Clinic in Eau Claire offers a personalized approach to develop into a well-rounded and innovative physician for my patients. At Mayo Clinic in Eau Claire, I am able to contribute to the world-class healthcare Mayo Clinic is known to offer, all whilst being part of a diverse, vibrant, and rapidly growing community. |
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Shaughnelene Smith, D.O.My decision to choose Mayo Clinic was multifactorial. In addition to its strong program preparing residents for the demands of real-world medical practice, I was drawn to the supportive environment that promotes resident autonomy while providing nurturing guidance. I sensed immense support from the faculty, physicians, and fellow residents, which felt especially welcoming in such a demanding field. The positive energy and camaraderie among the Mayo community stood out to me and played a key role in my decision. |