What makes the Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Program at WMed a good choice for you? Let our residents tell you what they think is special about our program and Kalamazoo. We have been called a “hidden gem". Find out why!
Class of 2024
Class of 2025
Class of 2026
Class of 2027
Class of 2028
Hometown: Frankfort, Illinois (southwest suburbs of Chicago)
What sets WMed Ortho Surgery apart in helping me reach my goals: WMed Ortho Surgery provides me with the resources I need to achieve my goals of not only becoming an excellent Orthopaedic Surgeon, but also becoming a mentor and leader for others in the field. Our program's mentorship model of education with 1 on 1 resident:attending training and mentoring relationships provides me with both a tremendous operative experience and the opportunity to learn how effective mentorship and leadership can be implemented both in and out of the operating room.
Hobbies/Interests: I have always been an ice hockey fan and I played in college. I still enjoy to play hockey in my free time.
Best thing about living in Kalamazoo/southwest Michigan: If you live downtown, like me, you will be within a 5-10 minute walking distance from coffee shops, ice cream shops, breweries, a movie theater, and even our Level 1 Trauma Center. A great perk of living in a smaller, yet very alive, city like Kalamazoo.
Go-to OR playlist: 90's Hip Hop!
Hometown: Denmark, Wisconsin
What sets WMed Ortho Surgery apart in helping me reach my goals: The WMed orthopedic surgery residency offers a well-rounded experience with early exposure to a wide variety of procedures and techniques. We have a large degree of autonomy as residents and have the opportunity to develop our surgical skills early on in our training.
Hobbies/Interests: Exercising and weightlifting, exploring Kalamazoo and Southwest Michigan
Research interests: Hip arthroscopy, ACL reconstruction augmentation
Future career plans: My wife and I plan on returning to Wisconsin following residency where I plan to practice general orthopedics and sports medicine.
Hometown: Clarkston, Michigan
What sets WMed Ortho Surgery apart in helping me reach my goals: Strong, well-rounded operative experience. Between the two hospitals we work at there are >30 orthopaedic attendings, meaning there are always many more cases than would be possible for 15 residents to cover. I feel confident that this program will prepare me to care for patients in any sub-specialty or practice environment I end up starting my career in upon completion of residency.
Hobbies/Interests: Ice Hockey, Deep Sea Fishing, Traveling, Wakesurfing
Research Interests: Evidence Based Clinical Guidelines, Arthroplasty, Joint Preservation Surgery, Technology in Orthopaedic Surgery
Favorite part of the WMed Ortho Residency Experience: My co-residents are all family. Feeling comfortable knowing I can text or call my co-residents or attendings at any time if I have questions or concerns, which is not only valuable for resident education, but also allows for optimal patient care.
Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio
What sets WMed Ortho Surgery apart in helping me reach my goals: Perfect combination of autonomy, operative experience/case load and great teachers invested in our education. A large percentage of our faculty graduated from the program and want to see it continue to succeed. I think it says a lot that so many people want to come back and establish their career here.
Hobbies/Interests: Brewing beer, recreational soccer, disc golf, hiking, running.
Best thing about living in Kalamazoo/southwest Michigan: The scenery. I really enjoy getting out on the water and exploring the hiking trails in the area. It’s great to have something relaxing to take advantage of on your off days.
Most interesting case I’ve seen at WMed: Periacetabular Osteotomy
Hometown: Colchester, Connecticut
What sets WMed Ortho Surgery apart in helping me reach my goals: WMed has a strong focus on the resident as an individual. The Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Program promotes a resident friendly environment along with very supportive faculty. We are provided with a great clinical education and early operative experience. This program allows us to become competent clinicians and leaders in our profession and community.
Hobbies/Interests: I enjoy spending my time with my wife and children, enjoying all of the outdoor beauty southwestern Michigan has to offer.
Best thing about living in Kalamazoo/Southwest Michigan: Kalamazoo has had so much to offer my family and me. This has included everything from spending many beautiful days at Lake Michigan, hiking at the Nature Center and countless other trails, K-Wings hockey games as well as college hockey, visiting local breweries, and many great restaurants. It’s a large, but still close-knit, very friendly community. My family and I have really enjoyed living here.
Favorite part of the WMed Ortho Residency experience: My favorite part of the WMed Ortho Residency experience has been getting to know my co-residents and learning from the faculty. We have a lot of fun together as residents and the faculty are great teachers, who bring a lot of valuable experience.
Hometown: Iowa City, Iowa
What sets WMed Ortho Surgery apart in helping me reach my goals: The camaraderie in the Orthopaedic Surgery department here at Western Michigan is amazing. I know that my fellow residents are here for me in my educational journey and that the faculty and staff will always push me to be the best version of myself. I felt welcome at my residency program the second I matched here, and I knew that this was a place where I could fully realize my potential as a future Orthopaedic Surgeon.
Hobbies/Interests: I love the outdoors and having nerdy fun! This culminates in lots of hiking, rock climbing, camping, D&D, and LARPing with my wonderful (and equally nerdy) significant other.
Research interests: I have an interest in research on equality in the workplace and underrepresented minorities in the field of Orthopaedic Surgery
Go-to OR playlist: “Classic Rock Roadtrip” or “Heavy Metal Essentials”
Hometown: Grand Rapids, Michigan
What sets WMed Ortho Surgery apart in helping me reach my goals: The awareness that I am supported and well cared for by the faculty and fellow residents makes it space I know I will thrive. Additionally, the level engagement in research development also provides access to resources that allows me to pursue my interest in patient outcome driven care and research.
Hobbies/Interests: Rock climbing, kayaking, knitting, biking
Best thing about living in Kalamazoo and Southwest Michigan: Love the beaches, the lakes, rivers and ponds, and great options for hiking.
Go-to OR playlist: Pop rock or Indie Pop
Hometown: Bay City, Michigan
What sets WMed Ortho Surgery apart in helping me reach my goals: The tight-knit group of faculty and residents really helps foster a learning environment conducive to becoming an excellent orthopaedic surgeon. The one-on-one teaching that takes place is second to none, and will help me reach my goal of becoming a well-rounded orthopaedic surgeon taking care of a community in need of our specialized care.
Hobbies/Interests: Skiing, Biking, Weight lifting, Travelling
Best thing about living in Kalamazoo and Southwest Michigan: Kalamazoo is nice because it has a small-town feel but has the amenities of a larger city. Also we are in a central location where it is a relatively short drive to get to either Chicago, Detroit or Grand Rapids if you want more of a bigger city experience during your time off.
Go-to OR playlist: Hip Hop BBQ
Hometown: Placentia, California
What sets WMed Ortho Surgery apart in helping me reach my goals: The WMed orthopaedic surgery residency has a perfect combination of early operative experience, supportive faculty who assist in creating future leaders in the field, and strong camaraderie between co-residents that helps you thrive in your personal life as well. This program truly is the best place to learn to be an excellent orthopaedic surgeon and leader, with a good work-life balance.
Hobbies/Interests: Weight lifting, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, golfing, cooking, watching NBA games and MMA, and spending time with my family.
Research Interests: Arthroscopic procedures, cartilage restoration
Go-to OR playlist: Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack
Hometown: Germantown, Wisconsin
What sets WMed Ortho Surgery apart in helping me reach my goals: The faculty have a genuine interest in helping the residents, and they are willing to make sure we obtain our goals even if it means taking on extra time or increased workload.
Hobbies/Interests: Exploring the outdoors with my wife and dog, fantasy football, Wisconsin sports
Best thing about living in Kalamazoo/Southwest Michigan: My wife and I have been so pleasantly surprised by all the events and activities Kalamazoo has to offer. There is a wide breadth of fun to be had from festivals and farmers markets occurring nearly every weekend, a lively downtown scene, and a quick car ride to the beautiful outdoor nature sites Michigan has to offer. Kalamazoo is on the up and up, and it is a great time to be part of it.
Go-to OR playlist: Dave Matthews Band Radio
Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri
What sets WMed Orthopaedics apart in helping me reach my goals: The people are fantastic. The close-knit community is really supportive and sets you up for success. That coupled with early operative experience and a mentorship model that helps develop relationships with faculty members that further your training really make WMed stand out.
Hobbies/Interests: wood-working, spending time with my family, reading history and science fiction, and weightlifting
Best thing about living in Kalamazoo/Southwest Michigan: Getting to be near beaches while also being in a place that it snows (also the cost of living)
Go-to OR playlist: Classic Rock Workout
Hometown: Orange County, California
What sets WMed Ortho Surgery apart in helping me reach my goals: Our program leadership is truly invested in each one of us from our very first day. With smaller size comes individualized attention and strong relationships from the get go. We have access to bioengineering and translational research labs, clinically applicable wet lab curriculum, and the ability to work within two different hospital systems just 10 minutes apart, giving us an insight into different ways of practice. With each subspecialty strongly represented in our curriculum, and graduating residents matching successfully into the programs of their choosing, I have the utmost faith that I am receiving excellent training here at WMed.
Hobbies/Interests: Spending as much time on the water as I can, hiking/running nearby trails and parks, trying new recipes, and FaceTiming family back home in California.
Best thing about living in Kalamazoo/Southwest Michigan: There is endless access to beautiful parks and lakes to enjoy in every season. When you want a bigger city feel, Grand Rapids, Chicago, and Detroit are all a short day trip away and have amazing culture and energy. Kalamazoo also has a vibrant community of artists, chefs, and creators that put on festivals and art shows regularly throughout the year. You get a little bit of everything here!
Go-to OR playlist: Anything with Lizzo.
Hometown: Scottsdale, Arizona
What sets WMed Ortho Surgery apart in helping me reach my goals: Camaraderie between residents creates an atmosphere that is conducive to my learning and success towards becoming an orthopedic surgeon.
Hobbies/Interests: I love the outdoors. Hiking tall mountains to mountain biking, to camping.
Best thing about living in Kalamazoo/Southwest Michigan: Summer and fall in Kalamazoo are amazing if you love the outdoors. Kalamazoo's cost of living also allows residents the option of buying or renting.
Go-to OR playlist: 2000's throwback
Hometown: Elgin, Illinois
What sets WMed Ortho Surgery apart in helping me reach my goals: Early operative experience to develop surgical skills.
Hobbies/Interests: Reading, hiking, exploring downtown.
Research Interests: Biomaterials and implants.
Best thing about living in Kalamazoo/Southwest Michigan: Great hiking locations, craft breweries, and not too far from the beach.
Hometown: Vicksburg, Michigan
What sets WMed Ortho Surgery apart in helping me reach my goals: The WMed Orthopaedic surgery residency lives up to its reputation of being a “hidden gem”! The program size and structure emphasizes early operative experience and fosters close mentor-like relationships. The camaraderie among residents is amazing and offers a supportive educational environment. I am confident I will graduate from the program as a well-rounded individual and orthopaedic surgeon!
Hobbies/Interests: Spending time with my family and friends, hiking, bouldering/rock-climbing, true crime podcasts, my cat Esther.
Best thing about living in Kalamazoo/Southwest Michigan: Kalamazoo offers a small-town feel with all the amenities of a larger city! You are never far from a lake or other outdoor activities. But most importantly, no traffic!
Go-to OR playlist: Big Bootie Mix by Two Friends
