Current Residents

Iris (Ea-sle) Chang, M.D.

Hometown: Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and South Korea
Undergrad: University of Calgary, Biomedical sciences
Medical School: Jagiellonian University Medical College
Bio: Dr. Chang brings the roots of South Korea, the education of Canada, and the medical education of Poland to the heartland of the Midwest. She is applying to fellowship in trauma/critical care, with plans to practice in an acute care/trauma setting upon her completion of fellowship.

Christopher Horn, M.D.

Hometown: Athens, Georgia
Undergrad: United States Air Force Academy – B.S. Biochemistry
Medical School: University of Virginia School of Medicine
Bio: Dr. Horn’s medical training has been woven with his military career, as he is currently a member of the U.S. Air Force. Since completing his undergrad the U.S. Air Force Academy, he has continued along that path even outside of the OR. During his training at SLU, he took time to do two years of dedicated research at Washington University in St. Louis. He plans to attend a trauma/critical care fellowship after residency, and has an interest in surgical infections, trauma systems, and acute care surgery.

Amith Reddy, M.D.

Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri
Undergrad: Saint Louis University – B.A. Biology
Medical School: Creighton University School of Medicine
Bio: Dr. Amith “Anuj” Reddy is the PGY-5 administrative chief, and the finest product of a St. Louis upbringing. After graduating, he will be moving on to a fellowship in vascular surgery.

Miriam Ruiz, M.D.

Hometown: San Diego, California
Undergrad: Johns Hopkins University – B.A. Biology
Medical School: Boston University School of Medicine
Bio: Dr. Ruiz has brought her west coast talents all the way to St. Louis. She plans to practice general surgery after the completion of her training at SLU.

Neha Sarvepalli, M.D.

Hometown: Chicago, IL
Undergrad: University of Illinois at Chicago
Medical School: University of Illinois College of Medicine in Peoria
Bio: She has a passion for breast surgical oncology and will continue her training after graduation with a breast surgery fellowship.

Rebecca Barr, M.D.

Hometown: Arlington, Texas
Undergrad: Brandeis University – Art, anthropology, biology
Medical School: University of Texas, Houston
Bio: Dr. Barr is a Texas native. She brings many talents to the SLU general surgery program and has an interest in minimally invasive foregut surgery. She plans to pursue a MIS fellowship after completing her residency.

Daniel Brown, M.D.

Hometown: Scottsbluff, Nebraska
Undergrad: University of Wyoming, Colorado State University – Microbiology
Medical School: Ross University School of Medicine
Bio: I grew up in small town Nebraska and still can't figure out why everyone thinks I'm unusually friendly. I have enjoyed short careers in infectious virology research, allied health, and as an outdoor professional prior to dedicating to medicine. Prior to coming to SLU and general surgery I started my post-graduate training at the University of South Dakota in family medicine where my interest in acutely ill patients and impatience at fixing them overcame my desire to have a normal lifestyle ever again. I am pursuing fellowship training in vascular surgery and plan to continue enjoying my job for many years to come. 

Pablo Quadri, M.D.

Hometown: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Undergrad: Austral University School of Biomedical Sciences
Medical School: Austral University School of Biomedical Sciences
Bio: Dr. Quadri is a native of Argentina, where he completed residency in general surgery and was a practicing head and neck surgeon before coming to the United States. He completed a preliminary year at Saint Louis University before joining as a categorical resident. He has an interest in head and neck oncology and endocrine surgery, in which he plans to pursue a fellowship after graduation.

Brandon Wojcik, M.D.

Hometown: Carmel, Indiana
Undergrad: Indiana University – Mathematics
Medical School: Indiana University School of Medicine
Bio: Dr. Wojcik is the PGY-4 administrative chief from the corn-filled land of Indiana – where being called a Hoosier is not an insult. He decided to go into medicine after tragic experiences as a clumsy teenager with both of his arms broken. After residency, he plans to pursue a critical care fellowship and practice trauma and acute care surgery. He plans to practice in the St. Louis area.

Fedra Fallahian, M.D.

Hometown: Overland Park, KS
Undergrad: University of Missouri - Kansas City – Biology
Medical School: University if Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine
Bio: Dr. Fallahian has been raised and trained on the west side of Missouri, now making her way to Saint Louis for her residency. She has an interest in breast surgical oncology and plastic surgery.

Margaret (Meggie) Jayich, M.D.

Hometown: Anchorage, Alaska
Undergrad: University of Puget Sound – German, Foreign Affairs
Medical School: University of Washington School of Medicine
Bio: Dr. Jayich hails from the state of Alaska, was educated in the pacific Northwest, and came far away from the coast for her general surgery training. She plans to pursue a breast fellowship after residency.

Michelle Mangold, D.O.

Hometown: El Paso, Texas
Undergrad: The University of Hong Kong - Biomedical Engineering
Medical School: Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Bio: Dr. Mangold, often called by her nickname “Mango” by her co-residents, is a globetrotting Texas native who has spent time all over the world, including studying at the University of Hong Kong. This is in part due to her membership in the U.S. Air Force. After graduating she will spend time as an Air Force surgeon, and her current interests include trauma and thoracic surgery.

Vatche Melkonian, D.O.

Hometown: Waltham, Massachusetts
Undergrad: Clark University – Bachelor of Arts – Music, Vocal Performance
Medical School: Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Bio: I was born and raised in New England, went to medical school in south Florida and somehow ended up in the middle of the country here in St. Louis, wondering why the closest ocean is so far away. I came here because of my interest in trauma, given our high volume operative-trauma, and because I really liked the type of people this program attracts. I’m not sure what the future holds yet in terms of specialty, but I’m definitely into transplant and trauma because of the experience I‘ve had here. 

Nishika Moradia, M.D.

Hometown: Raleigh, North Carolina
Undergrad: North Carolina State University
Medical School: East Carolina State University Brody School of Medicine
Bio:  I initially moved to St. Louis to pursue a research fellowship at Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital. What I like the most about this program are its residents and how much they support each other. 

Joe Behrens, M.D.

Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri
Undergrad: Saint Louis University – Biomedical Engineering
Medical School: Saint Louis University School of Medicine
Bio: Dr. Behrens is St. Louis born and raised, graduating from SLU School of Medicine. He completed his intern year at the University of Kentucky before joining SLU General Surgery.

Phillip Blotevogel, M.D.

Hometown: Mounds, Oklahoma
Undergrad: University of North Carolina at Charlotte - Psychology
Medical School: University of Oklahoma College of Medicine
Bio: Dr. Blotevogel spent time in many careers prior to medicine, including being a finish carpenter, tile setter, assistant pastor and small business owner before deciding to go to medical school. While in medical school, his initial interest was psychology until he found his true passion for surgery. 

Kristen Dougherty, M.D.

Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri
Undergrad: University of Connecticut, Molecular and Cell Biology
Medical School: Eastern Virginia Medical School
Bio: Dr. Dougherty, born in St. Louis, spent nearly a decade on the East coast prior to returning to SLU for her surgical training. She has an interest in both pediatric and hepatobiliary surgery.

Raymond Okeke, M.D.

Hometown: Anambra State, Nigeria
Undergrad: Wilberforce University - Biology
Medical School: Saint Louis University School of Medicine
Bio: Dr. Okeke is the oldest of three brothers, and is the first doctor within his nuclear family. He has a professional interest in plastic and hand surgery.

Brianna (Elys) Whithorn, D.O.

Hometown: Vancouver, Washington
Undergrad: George Fox University – Biology and French
Medical School: Campbell University Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine
Bio: Dr. Whithorn came from the Pacific Northwest. She plans to pursue a cardiothoracic surgery fellowship after residency.

Blake Castillo, M.D.

Hometown: Orlando, Florida
Undergrad: University of Florida - Biology
Medical School: St. George’s University School of Medicine
Bio: Dr. Castillo completed a preliminary year at Medical University of South Carolina, and now brings his talents to St. Louis. He has an interest in minimally invasive surgery.

Jason Greenberg, M.D.

Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri
Undergrad: University of Wisconsin - Madison
Medical School: Saint Louis University School of Medicine
Bio: Dr. Greenburg will continue his surgical training here at St. Louis University. My primary research interests include the mechanisms underlying postoperative atrial fibrillation and clinical outcomes following cardiac surgery. I ultimately plan to pursue a career in academia, where I can pursue my love of clinical research and so that I may hopefully play a small part in training the next generation of great surgeons.

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ResearchGate

Amy Hui, M.D.

Hometown: New Orleans, Louisiana
Undergrad: Washington and Lee University
Medical School: Louisiana State University School of Medicine – New Orleans
Bio: Dr. Hui came north from Louisiana to St. Louis for her surgical training.

Emily Mann, M.D.

Hometown: Lafayette, Louisiana
Undergrad: Louisiana State University – Biological Sciences
Medical School: Louisiana State University School of Medicine - Shreveport
Bio: I was born and raised in South Louisiana. I'm excited for exposure to all fields seen in general surgery with the most interest in breast surgery and plastic surgery.

Joseph O'Malley, D.O.

Hometown: Anchorage, Alaska
Undergrad: Colorado State University – Journalism, University of Alaska Anchorage – Natural Sciences
Medical School: Western University of Health Sciences - COMP Northwest
Bio: I grew up in Alaska and once caught a fish that weighed more than I did. My past careers include construction on an Arctic oilfield and an editor at a television station in Colorado before pursuing a career in medicine. I have an interest in international surgery.

Fawwaz Almajali, M.D.

Hometown: Amman, Jordan
Undergrad/Medical School: The Hashemite University
Bio: Dr. Al-Majali comes to SLU from Jordan. He has an interest in surgical oncology, minimally invasive, and robotic surgery.

Roberto Bustos, M.D.

Hometown: Mendoza, Argentina
Undergrad/Medical School: Universidad Nacional de Cuyo
Bio: Dr. Bustos spent his past few years doing a research fellowship at the University of Illinois-Chicago. He has an interest in minimally invasive surgery.

Sulaman Durrani, D.O.

Hometown: Tinley Park, Illinois
Undergrad: Washington University in St. Louis - Biochemistry, Anthropology Minor
Medical School: Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Bio: Before medical school, Sulaman was a project manager at the EMR company Epic Systems. He also helped teach night school Anatomy at Washington University in STL and loves anatomical correlations in surgery. Sulaman also spent three years in botany research and one year in sepsis research. Sulaman finds providing medical outreach rewarding and over the last eight years has been to Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Peru multiple times to provide health care to underserved villagers with limited health care access. He plans to pursue neurosurgery residency with a fellowship in Vascular or Skull Base surgery and is interested in global medical outreach. 
Published Research: Mohr N., Hotchkiss R., Micek S., Durrani S., and Fuller B. (2011). “Change in Temperature Profile May Precede Fever and be an Early Indicator of Sepsis”. Shock 36(3):318-320.

Jeremy Luke Rawson, M.D.

Hometown: Pontotoc, Mississippi
Undergrad: Mississippi State University – BS Chemical Engineering
Medical School: University of Mississippi School of Medicine
Bio: I am interested in specializing in Trauma or Vascular Surgery to better enable meeting surgical care needs for the under-served in the U.S. and abroad. Jack of all trades and a student of everything else.