Embedded Files
Meeting the fellows is one of the most important parts of interviews. You'll get to do this before and during the interview day but we wanted to give you a chance to learn a little bit more about us because everything is virtual. If you have a question for a specific fellow, feel free to email them here!
Recent fellow Dave Beavers (Side note: Though Dave is a recent graduate of our program, we love his video so much that we may keep him as an honorary fellow for a long time.)
Video_1 2020-08-30_19-52-14.movWelcome to Michigan! My name is Heather and I am one of the first-year fellows. I’m originally from MI and went to UM for undergrad. I completed residency and a Chief year in OH before coming back to the mitten for fellowship. Being undecided, I wanted a program where I could pursue any subspecialty field within cardiology so that I could continue to explore my interests and Michigan is definitely the place!
One of the highlights of my interview at Michigan was how nice and genuine everyone was. This has been validated every day of my training thus far as all of my co-fellows, faculty, and staff have been incredibly supportive, encouraging, and kind as I learn the ropes of being a cardiology fellow and the logistics of a new hospital. The Michigan motto is "never worry alone," which stands to be true no matter what situation I have found myself in, as other fellows and attendings are always available and willing to help. Having completed undergrad at UM, I was also excited to come back and explore Ann Arbor with my husband and daughter. We have already enjoyed exploring the many parks, trails, and lakes in the area and are regulars at the weekend Farmer's Market downtown!
Heather Wheat (F1)
Nick Krepostman (F1)
Hi! My name is Nick Krepostman and I am one of the new first-year fellows. I completed medical school and residency in Chicago, and I am thrilled to come home to Michigan! While I am still deciding on what to after fellowship, one of my favorite things about Michigan is the abundance of opportunities and fantastic mentorship in any field that I end up pursuing. Most importantly, the leadership and my co-fellows are genuinely nice people, and make it such a collaborative and supportive learning environment.
In my spare time, my wife and I love exploring the Ann Arbor restaurant and brewery scene! We also enjoy spending football Saturdays at the Big House, supporting the Wolverines with 110,000 other fans. Go Blue! Please feel free to email me with any questions about our program, or life in Ann Arbor (nkrepost@med.umich.edu).
Hey I’m Jeff Xie, one of the first-year fellows. I did a MD/PhD at the University of Toledo, internal medicine residency at the University of Michigan and was ecstatic to stay for general cardiology fellowship.
From a professional and educational standpoint, I was drawn by the strong culture of mentorship within the department. Even as an internal medicine resident, I found the faculty here to be interested in teaching and extremely approachable. Additionally, as a large academic institution, I found there to be diverse research and subspecialty training opportunities, perfect for someone like myself who doesn’t quite have a clear sense of what they want their future career to look like yet.
I also love living in Ann Arbor. My wife and I recently started a family and so living somewhere with (relatively) affordable housing was important to us. As an avid (but not very good) golfer, there are plenty of fantastic courses in the area including two university courses that we have access to as fellows. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions about the program or living in Ann Arbor!
Jeff Xie (F1)
Matt Lacey (F2)
Hi! I’m Matt, a 2nd year Cardiology Fellow at Michigan. Originally from New York, I first came to Ann Arbor in 2008 for college. I went back to New York for medical school and then Ohio for residency before coming back to Ann Arbor for fellowship.
Ann Arbor has everything – beauty, food, culture as well as an amazing hospital system. For beauty, look no further than the Arb – a huge park located across from Mott’s Children’s Hospital that absolutely lights up in the fall. Hungry? Zingerman’s Deli is world famous and is just the tip of the proverbial food iceberg here. As for culture, Ann Arbor is unique – from football games at the Big House to lazy afternoons floating going down the river at Argo Park, there really is something for everyone.
Henry Han (F2)
I'm Henry, one of the second year general cardiology fellows originally from Texas and came to Michigan after finishing medical school at UT Southwestern. Prior to moving here, I had no concept of Michigan except for people showing me on their hand ("mitten") where they were from, and now I've lived in Michigan for 6 years and counting! I did my IM training here and loved the cardiology department so much that the faculty have convinced me to do two fellowships so far (hopefully that'll be the end!). My career plans are preventive cardiology and vascular medicine, which I completed a vascular medicine fellowship here at UM prior to my general cardiology fellowship.
Part of choosing to stay for general cardiology fellowship was a discussion I had with various of my mentors in the department who challenged me with this: "Find me a program in the entire country where you will get top-notch training across all disciplines of cardiology- EP, cath, heart failure, vascular medicine, preventive, etc where the department and faculty will be as warm and welcoming as they are here at U of M (while simultaneously being international leaders and guideline-committee members)." Even as first year fellows, we are all on texting basis with our attendings, who frequently ask us to call them by their first names! To have the interventional or EP attending call to discuss a consult case with you as the consult fellow because they place their trust and weight in your assessment perfectly captures the mutual respect we get as general cardiology fellows.
Outside the hospital, A2 has something for everyone! I can often be found climbing at Planet-Rock, which is a rock climbing gym here with lead climbing, top rope, and a large bouldering gym, bar trivia on Tuesdays at my favorite local brewery HOMES, grabbing a delicious rum-infused "batido" milkshake and chorizo burger at Frita Batidos, or taking the scenic route running along the Huron river through the various beautiful parks strewn across A2.
Welcome to Michigan and Go Blue!
Erika Parisi (F2)
Hi!! I’m Erika, another one of the second-year fellows. I’m an East-Coaster through and through - growing up in CT, attending college at Tufts, med school at the Netter SOM at Quinnipiac University, and residency at MGH. After spending my entire life on the CT-MA continuum, I moved to Michigan in June of 2021 and can truly say I have never been happier!! There is literally a park/golf course/river/nature trail any way you turn and there’s always something to do (even with Covid) whether it’s going for a float down the Huron, checking out the countless breweries/farmers markets, or taking a weekend trip up to Mackinac Island.
One of the reasons I chose to come to Michigan is their institutional culture of academia infused with compassion and the robustness of clinical and research mentorship. Moreover, I found the Michigan community of women cardiologists to be unparalleled. With an overwhelming number of women in leadership roles, Michigan was and continues to be the standout program in the country – hard stop. One of my favorite stories to tell is my (non-interview) Zoom video call with Eugene Chung, one of our EP doctors and leaders in the field of sport cardiology, to discuss our shared interests and potential for research collaboration. Long story short, I ended up taking the call just after I getting back from a run in 87°F, still dressed in my gym clothes. Even though I wasn’t in your classic ‘interview suit,’ talking with him about his research as well as my interests and how my professional development may look after joining the Michigan team, I knew this was the place for me. I walked away feeling so excited about the opportunities of course, but more importantly, I was so happy to be seen and welcomed as my authentic self – running shorts and all! Once again congratulations on all your accomplishments thus far, enjoy the interview process, and feel free email me if you have any questions - always happy to talk. Looking forward to meeting you all!! Go Blue!
Ashwini Kerkar (F2)
Hi! I'm one of the second year fellows. I grew up in India, went to Boston University for undergrad and medical school, then Stanford for residency, and spent a year working as a hospitalist at UCSF prior to starting fellowship. I moved here with my husband who just started as a primary care physician at U of M. We bought our house in west Ann Arbor which we are really excited about (rent in SF > mortgage in AA!). When picking fellowships, I wanted a program that had excellent general training since I remain undecided about what I want to do in the future, where women were represented in faculty positions, and where the people were not just fantastic clinicians, but also warm, welcoming, and supportive. U of M had the best blend of all those things, and I’m thrilled I chose to come here. The photo above is from us kayaking on the Huron a few weeks ago!
Katherine (“Katie”) Fell (F2)
Welcome to University of Michigan! I am one of the current F2s. I grew up in Toledo, Ohio before going to Loyola Chicago for undergrad and medical school, then University of Wisconsin for residency. I chose to come to UofM for so many reasons! One of the main draws to this program is our excellent clinical training in a very supportive environment. Our clinical training is exceptional. We have a large volume of patients, exposing us to the full breadth of Cardiology. The culture of our program is the best! The department has been so welcoming to all the first-year fellows. Faculty are approachable and friendly while also being experts in their field. Additionally, my co-fellows are amazing! We are such a close-knit, supportive group.
As a female trainee, it was important for me to be at an institution which had a strong female representation. I am so fortunate to train in a department with so many incredible female providers and role models, many of whom are in leadership positions. I am so glad I chose to train at UofM!
Abdelrahman (“Abdel”) Ahmed (F2)
Welcome to Michigan! I am one of the F2s. I am originally from Sudan and moved to Ann Arbor a few weeks before my F1 year from Minnesota where I finished my critical care training at Mayo Clinic. Prior to that, I completed residency training at Detroit Medical Center/Wayne State University.
I want to highlight aspects of our training stand out compared to other programs. Our hospital is the main referral center serving a large catchment area encompassing all of Michigan and parts of the neighboring states. This is a place where you will encounter the full breadth of cardiology from the bread-and-butter to the zebras. All the subspecialties of cardiology are available at Michigan with world class expertise in structural cardiology, EP, heart failure, adult congenital heart disease, cardiac critical care, and cardiac imaging just to name a few. Graduating excellent clinicians is at the core of our mission. The services are fellow run and it is the expectation that you make all the decisions from day one. The balance between autonomy and supervision is second to none. Our relationship with the Cardiothoracic Surgery team is exceptional -- you will always be invited to multiple multidisciplinary meetings and your opinion and input matter. The number of procedures is excellent whether in CICU, cath, EP or echo labs. You will not only get your numbers but also excellent one-on-one teaching. Our third year is very customizable and individualized to your personal career goals (you make your own schedule for the third year!). That means that you are truly encouraged to follow your passion and develop your own career interests. Finally, the people, the people, the people. This is an amazing place to train.
Scott Ketcham F2
Welcome to Michigan (virtually)! My name is Scott. I’m a second year fellow from Buffalo NY (go Bills!) interested in general cardiology and critical care cardiology. I completed internal medicine residency at the University of Michigan and stayed on for fellowship! How could I not?! The people at Michigan, whether it be my fellow trainees or supervising faculty, have always been so supportive of not only my career goals and research endeavors, but in my personal life as well. It really feels like family here.
I’ve also come to love living in Ann Arbor. It’s the perfect size for me, my wife, and our baby (arriving January 2023!). It is big enough to offer cultural events and activities year-round as well as a delicious variety of food and brew, but small enough to be walkable, bike-able, and have a sense of community. One of our favorite dates is to spend a Saturday morning and afternoon walking around downtown Ann Arbor! We can hit up our favorite breakfast and coffee places, go to the farmer’s market in Kerrytown, maybe head to the University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA), stroll through the arboretum, and circle back downtown in time for lunch!
I’m a current third year fellow and crazy plant mom. When I’m not obsessing over which plants to get next, I can be found exploring the many experiences Ann Arbor and nearby Detroit have to offer such as picking my own blueberries from the local farms, kayaking, hiking and eating at some amazing restaurants.
Rabel Rameez (F3)
Davy Hamilton (F3)
Hello! I am one of the third-year fellows planning to pursue a future in critical care cardiology after I complete my general cardiology fellowship. I have loved my time so far at Michigan. I want to highlight a couple of things about the program here at Michigan that makes it special and that drew me here during the interview process.
First, Ann Arbor is fantastic. It is a medium-sized city home to the larger University of Michigan and its associated research complex. It is a vibrant community with plenty of outdoor activities (in the times of Coronavirus), great food (Frita Batidos ❤), arts, festivals, and sporting events (Go Blue!). From my experience coming from Boston, housing is significantly more affordable whether you want to adventure into buying a house with a big yard or just renting an apartment.
Second, the program has a great combination of education, mentorship, and support. You get to work with and learn from some of the cardiology rock stars in the field (ex. Dr. Kim Eagle, Dr. Val McLaughlin, etc.) on the consult service and in the morning lectures. But mostly, I can’t say enough about the incredibly supportive environment that has been fostered by Drs. Davis, Joseph, and Tam. Their leadership and the down-to-earth nature of the family of fellows have made the classically difficult transition to fellowship so much easier than I expected.
Ray Yeow (F3)
Hi! My name is Raymond and I am one of the third-year fellows interested in Interventional Cardiology. I completed my Residency and Chief year at Michigan and am thrilled to continue my training here. Michigan has faculty who are extremely supportive of your learning and research interests. The program provides ample time for both career development and extracurricular activities. The mentorship and access to nationally-recognized faculty is a major advantage and the exposure to a wide-array of patient populations helps ensure a well-rounded training experience.
Another reason my wife and I love being at Michigan is because of Ann Arbor and the surrounding communities. There is so much to do around town with a diverse offering of food, cultures, and activities. In our free time, we enjoy floating/kayaking down the river, renting pontoons at the nearby lake, and checking out local restaurants and breweries. The combination of a competitive salary and affordable cost of living in Ann Arbor makes it a great city to live in! If you have any questions about Michigan or life in Ann Arbor, please do not hesitate to reach out (yeowr@med.umich.edu)!
Kent Brummel (F3)
Hello,
My name is Kent Brummel and I am one of the third-year cardiology fellows interested in lipidology, echocardiography, and general cardiology. I grew up in Western Michigan and came to U of M for undergrad. My training took me to Chicago (Northwestern for medical school and UChicago for residency) but I was delighted to return to the mitten for Cardiology Fellowship training. I chose Michigan because I wanted to be trained at a program in which there was strong camaraderie, great mentorship, and ample opportunities to design your fellowship to match your career goals. I have found all those things to be true and more. During my final year of fellowship, I have been able to plan a schedule that allows me to do research, join our wonderful faculty in lipid clinic, and pursue level 3 certification in echo.
My wife and I love the Ann Arbor community. We take our dogs to the park several times per week and go to monthly dog romps. We regularly take advantage of the great food scene in Ann Arbor and in Detroit (only 30 min away). Lastly, we take regular trips around the state to take in all the beautiful nature that is present in Michigan. My dogs are big Michigan fans too: Go Blue! Reach out to me at kbrummel@med.umich.edu with questions.
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