Meet Our Residents

Our academic, research-oriented institution has a long tradition of training leaders in family medicine. Learn more about our diverse and talented group of family medicine residents.

PGY3 Residents

MaryBrooke Burval, MD

MD: University of Maryland
Undergraduate: University of Pittsburgh
Hometown: Owings, MD
Why I chose Ohio State: I knew that a residency at OSU would prepare me to practice Family Medicine in any of its many forms. The chance to train in a world-class medical center with experts across specialties complements the community-hospital feel found at OSU East. On my interview day, the welcome I experienced from the residents and faculty confirmed that this incredible community was the one I wanted to join.

Amara Ugwu Decker, MD, MPH

MD: The Ohio State University
Graduate: Emory University Rollins School of Public Health
Undergraduate: University of Chicago
Hometown: Columbus, OH/Enugu, Nigeria
Why I chose Ohio State: Ohio State's Family Medicine program is the perfect balance of community-based practice and academic-focused research. I have found the faculty to be accomplished and experienced teachers that are invested in my development as a physician. Also, Columbus is a great place to learn; the diversity of patients and their needs adds to the strength of this program.

Anthony DeMarco, MD

MD: University of Cincinnati
Undergraduate: Mount Vernon Nazarene University
Hometown: Canton, OH
Why I chose Ohio State: I enjoyed meeting with everyone and the program seemed like an excellent fit for me! Not to mention, Columbus is an awesome city filled with a diversity of people and variety of activities. Finally, it was near to my hometown and family.

Alicia Monahan, MD

MD: West Virginia University School of Medicine
Undergraduate: John Carrol University
Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA
Why I chose Ohio State: The opportunity to train at a community hospital within a large academic center brings together the best of "opposed" and "unopposed" programs. The residents and faculty were genuinely happy and excited to be at OSU. And Columbus seemed like a fun, vibrant city to live in!

Elizabeth Pawlowski, DO

DO: Ohio University
Undergraduate: John Carroll University
Hometown: Fairview Park, OH
Why I chose Ohio State: The program from its leadership to its residents genuinely enjoyed spending time with one another. It created for a fun, supportive and inclusive environment making me feel at home right away. The Ohio StateFamily Medicine Residency Program has the best of both words, a large academic institution and a smaller community hospital. Plus, I knew Columbus was a great city to be in and would allow for me to pursue my passions both in and outside of medicine.

Allison Porter, MD

MD: The Ohio State University
Undergraduate: The Ohio State University
Hometown: Chagrin Falls, OH
Why I chose Ohio State: Columbus and Ohio State have been my home away from home during my undergraduate and medical school years. It has been an incredible place to live and learn. The city is growing so rapidly, I never feel like I run out of places to explore or things to do. Ohio State has provided me with endless opportunities to develop myself through the myriad of resources available to students, residents, and faculty. I am humbled to work with so many incredible attending physicians and co-residents who bring exceptional knowledge and enthusiasm to everything they do!

Lexie Wiegel, DO

DO: Marian University
Undergraduate: University of Dayton
Hometown: Louisville, KY
Why I chose Ohio State: I was looking for a program with a community feel and a strong academic background. This program is the best of both worlds with our community hospital inpatient service and rotations with other OSU residency programs at Wexner. Everyone was welcoming and fun during the interview process and I felt right at home!

Katherine Woebkenberg, MD

MD: Tulane University School of Medicine
Graduate: Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine
Undergraduate: Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine
Hometown: Cincinnati, OH
Why I chose Ohio State: I chose Ohio State not only because of the amazing people, but because of the program's emphasis on community health and patient care. Our training provides us with the appropriate knowledge and tools to address both medical and social/environmental factors affecting patient health. At Ohio State, there are countless resources and opportunities to pursue any and all interests in family medicine.

Kirubel Zeleke, MD

MD: Long School of Medicine at The University of Texas Health San Antonio
Graduate: Tulane University
Undergraduate: University of Minnesota
Hometown: St. Paul, MN / Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Why I chose Ohio State: I chose Ohio State because of the welcoming environment and the keen focus on addressing health care disparities and social inequalities. There are many opportunities to care for underserved populations at East hospital and endless opportunities to grow as a professional within the Wexner Medical Center.

PGY2 Residents

Justin Anderson, MD

MD: Wright State University
Undergraduate: The Ohio State University
Hometown: Cincinnati, OH
Why I chose Ohio State: A well-rounded and very strong program with innumerable opportunities, advanced degree programs for residents, and co-residents that treat you like family.

Alexandra Burnett, MD

MD: Meharry Medical College
Undergraduate: University of Cincinnati
Grad School: Meharry Medical College, MS in Health Sciences
Hometown: Cincinnati, OH
Why I chose Ohio State: OSU has everything I was looking for in a family medicine program, including opportunities to pursue both academic and adolescent medicine, and to care for the medically underserved. I felt genuinely welcomed by the faculty and residents on my interview day and on spotlight nights, further confirming my choice.

Marian Catalan, DO

DO: Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Hometown: Sterling Heights, Michigan
Why I chose Ohio State: I value the program’s strong emphasis on community involvement, health equity, and evidence-based medicine. OSU provides excellent and diverse training opportunities by being able to work at both a large, nationally ranked academic center and a community hospital. Lastly, I admired the close-knit relationships between the faculty and residents and the positive interactions I had with everyone at the faculty spotlight events!

Stephanie Cheng, DO

DO: Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine
Undergraduate: The Ohio State University
Hometown: Penfield, NY
Why I chose Ohio State: Columbus is such a fun city that I could not wait to return to and I wanted an academic training place and network that offered community-based training as well. When I met some of the people, I felt excited to work with and learn from them. I feel fortunate for my co-residents who are great and supportive friends!

Harsha Iyer, MD

MD: Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine
Undergraduate: University of Kentucky undergrad
Hometown: Hometown Ashland, KY
Why I chose Ohio State: I chose Ohio State because of their excellence in academics, as well their commitment to training well rounded residents to be competent physicians while maintaining a good work-life balance. The faculty is very friendly, and they have done a great job creating an environment that is suitable for growing as a physician and person.

Jaqueline Jepsen, MD

MD: Wright State University
Undergraduate: University of Mount Union
Hometown: Youngstown, OH
Why I chose Ohio State: I chose OSU because of the endless learning opportunities and the amazing people. The residents seemed genuine and close-knit - the kind of people I knew I would enjoy working with. The faculty were supportive and enthusiastic about teaching. Plus, Columbus is a fun and diverse place to work and play!

Ryan Poland, MD

MD: The Ohio State University College of Medicine
Undergraduate: Virginia Commonwealth University
Hometown: Belleville, MI
Why I chose Ohio State: OSU has a great community program feel while still having access to all of the benefits of a large academic institution. We get access to top notch research opportunities, an impressive catalog of further degree programs, and great training with leaders among various subspecialties within medicine all while getting to come home to a small clinic every week. All that was enough without even considering how welcoming the faculty and current residents are.

Ashwen Ravichandran, DO

DO: Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Undergraduate: The Ohio State University
Hometown: Westlake, Ohio
Why I chose Ohio State: I chose OSU for the amazing education, Buckeye spirit, and great coffee (Kafe Kerouac).

Natalie Weber, DO

DO: Touro University Nevada
Undergraduate: University of California, San Diego
Hometown: Huntington Beach, CA
Why I chose Ohio State: I chose the group that I vibed with the best - one that felt the most like family and cultivated a healthy learning environment. I also wanted to train in renowned academic facilities such as The Ohio State Wexner Medical Center and Nationwide Children's Hospital while also getting the community hospital experience at Ohio State East. Lastly, Columbus is constantly accepting immigrants from around the world. This means not only a diverse patient population to learn from, but also a wide variety of international food to try!

PGY1 Residents

Andrew Burns, MD

MD: The Ohio State University College of Medicine
Undergraduate: The Ohio State University
Hometown: Middletown, OH
Why I chose Ohio State: I chose Ohio State because of the strong emphasis on health equity and improving the health of underserved communities. I also enjoyed the great camaraderie among the residents and faculty and the ability to take advantage of cutting-edge technologies and specialists at a world class medical center. I could see Ohio State was a excellent place to receive a well-rounded training.

John Castillo, MD

MD: Joan C Edwards School of Medicine at Marshall University
Undergraduate: The Ohio State University
Hometown: Huntington, WV
Why I chose Ohio State: Columbus is an eclectic city with so much to do and see, it seemed like the perfect place for my kids to grow and learn. Ohio State provides opportunities to explore one's interests and chase our passions. No matter your goals within Family Medicine, Ohio State gives you an opportunity to achieve them all!

Sara Colombo, MD

MD: The Ohio State University College of Medicine
Undergraduate: University of Toledo
Hometown: Toledo, OH
Why I chose Ohio State: Having gone to medical school here, I knew I would get the residency training I desired from a large academic center like Ohio State.

Katherine Etter, DO

DO: Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine - Athens
Undergraduate: Marshall University
Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio
Why I chose Ohio State: I chose Ohio State because of the vast number of opportunities available here including integrative medicine with OMT, the transgender primary care clinic, and palliative medicine opportunities at The James. I also loved the mix having both unopposed and opposed learning opportunities.

Holiday Harris, DO

DO: University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine
Undergraduate: University of the Incarnate Word
Hometown: Stephenville, TX
Why I chose Ohio State: I chose Ohio State due to the top-tier education in a variety of settings including OSU Wexner, OSU East, outpatient locations, and Nationwide Children's Hospital. We are able to learn from a diverse patient population and ensure thorough training in well-rounded family practice care to apply moving forward in our careers. The faculty is also very supportive and involved in helping us grow as physicians and people.

Michael Ioerger, MD

MD: The Ohio State University College of Medicine
Undergraduate: University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Hometown: Wichita, KS
Why I chose Ohio State: Coming to Ohio State and being a part of this program gave me the ability to really be true to myself in everything that I do. This includes my advocacy work, my approach to patient care, and the further development of my knowledge & skills. I have what I need in this program to become an impactful & innovative community-focused Family Physician.

Katharine Krepp, MD

MD: The Ohio State University College of Medicine
Undergraduate: University of North Dakota
Hometown: Sauk Rapids, Minnesota
Why I chose Ohio State: I chose Ohio State for Family Medicine Residency because I have interests in women's health and rural medicine, and I felt the OSU FM program was supportive, and interested in helping me develop into a competent physician that is able to explore these interests.

Megan McBride, DO

DO: Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine- Dublin
Undergraduate: Miami University
Hometown: Portland, Oregon
Why I chose Ohio State: I chose Ohio State as my first choice because I have a very broad set of interests including inpatient medicine and OB. This program provides a great balance of education and also has the resources to support diverse interests. I also genuinely enjoyed all of the residents that I interacted with during the application process, and I felt like I could see myself fitting in well to their community.

Royce Onyimba, MD

MD: The Ohio State University College of Medicine
Undergraduate: University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Hometown: Columbia, Maryland
Why I chose Ohio State: I chose OSU because I was confident that this was the best environment for my development as a physician. I was lured by the chance to train with down-to-earth scholars in both a premier academic institution and a community hospital with diverse patient populations. I was sold by the prospect of diving into the myriad of well-established opportunities provided by Columbus and OSU to further explore my curricular and extracurricular interests.

Our Family and Community Medicine Residents