Residents 2022-2023
PGY 4
PGY 3
PGY 2
PGY 1
Christine Kerr
Hometown: Gainesville, Fl
Undergraduate: Dartmouth College
Medical School: West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine
Medical interests: General anesthesia, pediatrics, OB
Favorite weekend destination: Bar Harbor/Acadia national park
Why Maine Medical Center: I fell in love with the city and the program during my interview. I'd never been to Maine before and it just felt like home while I was here. The residents seemed genuinely happy and the family-like atmosphere definitely stood out to me from other programs. Also, the training residents receive at Maine Med was unlike any program I'd been to. I know I will be well prepared to practice anesthesia at the end of 4 years.
Celebrity I most resemble: Hillary Swank
If I wasn't a doctor, I would be the host of my own Food Network show with my twin sister, Danielle called "Twice Baked". Featuring mainly desserts!
Danielle Kerr
Name: Danielle Kerr
Hometown: Gainesville, FL
Undergraduate: Dartmouth College
Medical School: West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine
Interests / Hobbies: I was a competitive swimmer for 15 years and I still love swimming and staying active outside. Baking and interior decorating are my favorite stress relievers. I also love exploring new restaurants with my fiancé, Matt.
Favorite place in Maine: Acadia National Park
Medical interests: General Anesthesia/Peds
Favorite weekend destination: Crescent Beach State Park or hiking in the White Mountains
Why Maine Medical Center: I felt like I was at home here on my interview despite being so far from my family in Florida. The residents and attendings were so welcoming and seemingly very happy. There is no doubt that the training at Maine Medical Center is exceptional and the residents feel well prepared and confident in their skills. The close-knit family feeling along with the high case volume and exposure to a variety of subspecialties is what ultimately sold me on coming here. I love Portland and everything it has to offer especially the proximity to great hiking and so many local restaurants.
If I wasn’t a doctor, I would be a… Bakery Owner/Interior designer
Favorite restaurant in Portland: There are so many great options! Independent Ice Co. and Nosh two of my favorite places for burgers/American style food. For international cuisines, N to Tail is a fantastic Korean BBQ restaurant- their Korean fried chicken is unreal.
Meredith Peck
Name: Meredith Peck
Hometown: Holderness, NH
Undergraduate: Smith College
Medical School: Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine - Harlem
Interests / Hobbies: Soccer, Running, Hiking, Biking, and playing in the water with my dog Iliad
Medical interests: Anesthesiology, Pain Management
Favorite weekend destination: New Hampshire 4000 footer
What did you do before medical school: I studied protein electrostatics in the biophysics department at Johns Hopkins University and coached U13 girls soccer
Personal goals: Compete in an Iron Man, own 5 dogs at once, live abroad
Why Maine Medical Center: The mentorship I received on my 1 month rotation exceeded my expectations and I knew I wanted to learn from these docs
If I wasn't a doctor, I would be a… Anthropologist
Travis Barker
Hometown: Yarmouth, ME
Undergraduate: Union College
Medical School: Tufts University School of Medicine – Maine Track
Interests / Hobbies: I am a Boston sports fan through and through. I love to watch and play soccer and hockey. I enjoy going hiking and fly fishing. In the winter, I like to escape to the mountains and ski whenever I can. There are few things better than going to the beach on a day off in August with a good book. Finally, spending time with my fiancé and our cat.
Favorite place in Maine: Portland – there are few things you can’t do within 30 minutes of Portland.
Medical interests: Critical Care, Cardiac Anesthesia, and Medical Education.
Favorite weekend destination: Sugarloaf Mountain
Favorite Maine activity: Hiking
Craziest / Best / Worst Job: Best: Ice Cream Scooper for Ben and Jerry’s. Worst: Dishwasher for a BBQ joint.
Why Maine Medical Center: Maine Medical Center is filled with professional, caring, and medically talented individuals that strive to work and excel in a team environment. The hospital has integrated itself into the fabric of Portland and Maine, and patients and their families have come to rely on the unparalleled care and support that MMC provides. The Anesthesia Department at MMC is staffed with individuals that have trained at a variety of places and have achieved at the highest levels of medicine and anesthesiology. Yet, each individual is engaged, enjoys teaching and works to assist each resident succeed. The size of the residency and department allows you to quickly make connections and friendships, tailor your learning, and continue to improvement as a clinician. The wide catchment area and large proportion of medically underserved individuals that come to MMC results in a particularly robust and complex case mix that continually stretches your knowledge, starting in your intern year. Finally, Portland and Maine offers an excellent life outside of the hospital; with local beaches, excellent hiking, great east coast skiing, numerous delicious restaurants and food, abundant beer, both ocean and fresh water fishing, and likely any activity you may be interested in doing.
Celebrity I most resemble: Travis Barker (at least so far as you never meet me, see me, or ask me to play the drums).
If I wasn’t a doctor, I would be a…most likely – a Professor and/or laboratory scientist, but I wish my answer would be an Outdoors Guide or Ski Instructor.
Favorite restaurant in Portland: Blue Rooster Food Co – late night tater tots, life does not get much better.
Jay Kellegrew
Hometown: Chelmsford, MA
Undergraduate: University of Maryland, College Park
Medical School: Albany Medical College
Interests / Hobbies: All things sports! Running and playing golf and soccer. Watching my favorite teams on TV like the Sox, Pats and Tottenham Hotspur. There's nothing better than a morning on the links followed by a nice local Maine brew, some good seafood, and watching a game on TV!
Favorite place in Maine: The pool at my grandmother's house with my family
Medical interests: Anesthesiology with an emphasis on pediatrics and critical care
Favorite weekend destination: Cape Cod
Favorite Maine activity: Trying out the area breweries. There is such a great food and drink scene in Southern Maine for me to explore.
Craziest / Best / Worst Job: I worked as a microbiologist handling stool testing. Great experience but quite smelly. It was both the best and worst job ever!
Why Maine Medical Center: It was a friendly place that both my girlfriend and I could train in a challenging yet supportive learning environment near our families.
Favorite restaurant in Portland: Always looking to try new restaurants. So far Fore Street is my favorite. Pricey but worth every penny if you can get a table! Send recommendations my way.
Gasper Gasperlin
Hometown: Born in Slovenia, but grew up in St. Louis, MO
Undergraduate: McGill University
Medical School: Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences
Interests / Hobbies: I love spending time in the outdoors be it hiking, camping, climbing, or just snoozing in a hammock. I’m always looking for a new adventure and am excited to try a couple of new hobbies now that there is water around and mountains a little bit closer. On inside days, I like to cook but love to eat. I’m also never far from my Kindle loaded up with probably one hundred books that are “next.”
Medical interests: I enjoy critical care medicine, global health and global surgery, point of care ultrasound, and free online access to medical education.
Favorite Maine activity: Hiking!
Why Maine Medical Center: I was fortunate enough to rotate at MMC at the beginning of my 4th year of medical school and absolutely loved it! Everyone I interacted with at the hospital was so kind and the residents were spectacular. Combined with the top-notch education from some extraordinary faculty, the endless bounty of amazing food and craft beverages in Portland, and how the state most definitely lives up to its license plate moniker, “Vacationland,” I was sold pretty quick!
Favorite restaurant in Portland: whatever the next one I go to will be!
Personal quote: (100 words or less): “Fortune favors the bold”
Talitha Budi
Hometown: Appleton, WI
Undergraduate: Saint Louis University
Medical School: Saint Louis University
Interests / Hobbies: I love hiking, ice skating, martial arts, painting, cooking, gardening, carpentry
Favorite place in Maine: It's so hard to pick just one! A cold winter day skating on the pond in Deering Oaks Park probably wins so far though.
Medical interests: Again, it's hard too pick just one because I've loved all my experiences so far, but probably regional anesthesia is my favorite.
Favorite weekend destination: Hiking in the White Mountains
Personal goals: Hike every mountain range in the North East, backpack through Olo canyon
Craziest / Best / Worst Job: I was a dog sitter on the side in med school. It was perfect! Basically a way to raise spending money while getting time to study and play with dogs.
Why Maine Medical Center: When I arrived for my interview, it happened to be the coldest day of the year in early January. Despite this, all the residents and faculty I met were happy to meet my and introduce me to their city. They obviously loved where they worked. I decided I could be happy here as well.
If I wasn't a doctor, I would be an… artist. I love to paint and work with my hands to build things. My favorite so far has been the pot for chives I chiseled out of an old tree stump in the back yard.
Personal quote: "If it's worth doing at all, it's worth doing well."
Margaret Carroll
Hometown: Aledo, Texas
Undergraduate: Baylor University
Medical School: University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio
Interests / Hobbies: Anything outdoors! Mostly running, mountain biking, climbing, and occasionally wakeboarding. When inside, I enjoy delving into Irish Studies and reading classics.
Medical interests: pediatrics or cardiothoracic (so far!); medical humanities
Personal goals: to find a group of fellow ultrarunners in Maine, compete in a triathlon, find a great dog, and get more involved with medical humanities.
Why Maine Medical Center: I chose MMC for the people. Having had virtual interviews, it was really difficult to get to know a place. Consequently, I relied heavily on my interactions with faculty and residents in choosing a program. The people here blew me away. They were fun to talk to, they seemed to have a wide range of interests, and they appeared to be genuinely happy here. Each of those inklings was confirmed the first day I set foot on campus here. It truly is the best place to be.
Jacob Longfellow
Hometown: Farmingdale, ME
Medical School: University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine
Interests/Hobbies: Collecting antiques, restoring old homes, raising chickens, hiking,
numismatics
Favorite place in Maine: Two Lights State Park
Medical interests: Anesthesiology and critical care medicine
Personal Goals: To live every day to the fullest!
Why Maine Medical Center: I chose MMC because I wanted to work with happy people in a happy place.
Michael Finke
Hometown: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Undergraduate: University of Minnesota
Medical School: Pacific Northwest University
Interests/Hobbies: Outside of medicine I enjoy an active lifestyle playing soccer, tennis, skiing, and running. I also enjoy traveling whenever time allows, dabbling in photography, and exploring new places and local food with my wife and 1-year-old son.
Favorite place in Maine: Acadia National Park
Why Maine Medical Center: Maine Medical Center stood out as having a particularly special anesthesiology program—one with excellent attendings, tailored training, a breadth of cases, and all amidst one of the most beautiful regions of the country. Furthermore, the kind and familial culture makes for an ideal training environment.
Simba Matoi
Hometown: Toronto, ON. Canada
Undergraduate School: York University, Toronto, ON. Canada
Medical School: Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
Interests/Hobbies: NFL, NBA, Formula 1, Soccer, Tennis, UFC, Boxing..etc (I’m pretty much into anything sport-related really). I enjoy National Geographic, world news, as well as collecting scotch and scotch tasting.
Favorite place in Maine: N to Tail Korean BBQ, DiMillio’s on the Water and Scales Seafood Restaurant.
Why did you choose MMC?: The camaraderie between all the residents in the program is what I love the most. Everyone is so supportive, and we all seem to be laughing when we’re around each other. It’s a great feeling knowing that you can trust everyone around you in times of need. I was also drawn in by the case diversity, the large case load, the extremely talented and caring teaching faculty, as well as the wide scope of hands-on procedures available. I love the knowledge that training here at MMC will prepare me to handle whatever situation is thrown my way, no matter where I eventually end up practicing.
Favorite Quotes – “It always seems impossible, until it is done”. – Nelson Mandela (my personal hero)
“If you want to walk fast, walk alone. If you want to walk far, walk with others”. – Old African Proverb my mom always used to tell me (and which from my experience is one of the best qualities that Maine Medical Centre embodies every single day. We walk together!)
Zachary Woodward
Hometown: Carleton, MI
Undergraduate School: Michigan State University
Medical School: Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine - Parker, CO
Interests/Hobbies: Snowboarding, mountain biking, hiking, camping
Favorite place in Maine: Scarborough State Beach
Why did you choose MMC: The program at MMC immediately stood out to me in regards to the excellent clinical training and focus on quality of life. I was blown away by the welcoming and tight-knit culture within the entire department. I couldn’t be more excited to complete my training at Maine Med!
Kyle Holmsen
Hometown: Oakland, ME
Undergraduate School: Connecticut College
Medical School: Idaho College of Osteopathic
Medicine
Interests/Hobbies: Skiing, hiking, camping, biking and traveling with my wife Jayme and dog Zuko
Favorite place in Maine: Sugarloaf, Acadia, Belgrade Lakes
Why did you choose MMC?
I noticed that the people in the anesthesia department were happy and genuinely liked working at Maine Med. Also Maine is such a beautiful state and a great place to explore for 4 years.
Patrick McAuley
Hometown: St. Catharine’s, Ontario, Canada
Undergraduate School: Western University, London, Ontario
Medical School: University of Limerick School of Medicine, Ireland
Interests/Hobbies: Surfing, snowboarding/skiing, hockey, anything to do with music (my undergraduate degree is in classical piano), audio recording, hiking, photography
Why did you choose MMC?: Even with a virtual interview, I could tell that Maine Med was somewhere that I would love to train. The welcoming nature of the team was something that I immediately gravitated towards. I was looking for a supportive, tight-knit, clinically comprehensive program, and so I was thrilled to land in Portland!
Wendy Doan
Hometown: Portland, ME
Undergraduate School: Boston College
Medical School: Tufts University School of Medicine
Interests/Hobbies: Hiking, running, and rowing on my back deck during the summer - I love doing anything that gets me outside! During the winters, catch me in the kitchen baking endless batches of blueberry muffins.
Favorite place in Maine: As a native Mainer, it’s unfair to make me pick just one. But here’s a general list: Eastern Promenade > Crescent Beach > Gorham House of Pizza
Why did you choose MMC? I was lucky enough to rotate at Maine Medical Center as a Tufts Maine Track student and I immediately felt right at home. From residents to attendings, I saw genuine happiness and excitement to be at work. Although residency training is known to be difficult, I chose MMC because I know I’ll be happy and supported while going through it.
Charm Karunasiri
Hometown: Caribou, ME
Undergraduate School: University of Maine
Medical School: Tufts University School of Medicine – Maine Track
Interests/Hobbies: Snowboarding, Cycling, Formula 1
Favorite place in Maine: Portland Headlight
Why did you choose MMC? Excellent faculty, fellow residents that are truly invested in each other’s wellbeing.
Dana Tripp
Hometown: Saco, Maine
Undergraduate School: Middlebury College
Medical School: Tufts University SOM - Maine Track
Interests/Hobbies: Powerlifting, training hunting games with my Cattle Dog mix, blacksmithing, baking pie
Favorite place in Maine: Peak of the Ridges, The Traveler, and North Traveler peaks in Baxter State Park; my parents’ woodlot in North Saco
Why did you choose MMC: Rotating with the department during medical school, I found that the anesthesiology faculty enjoy teaching and always find a way to make a case both challenging and fun. Additionally, because of the size of the program, the staff get to know the residents well and residents are able to function more autonomously than I observed at anesthesia departments elsewhere. Lastly, the leadership is very responsive to resident feedback!
Keating Pepper
Hometown: Somesville, ME
Undergraduate School: Bates College/University of Maine
Medical School: University of New England
Interests/Hobbies: Exploring, riding bikes, eating
Favorite place in Maine: Nice try, Maine Magazine
Why did you choose MMC?
As a medical student I was fortunate to work with several MMC alumni. Their skill and compassion inspired me to become an anesthesiologist. As a rotation student here I was impressed with the skill and training of the faculty, the department’s devotion to education, and the success of the residents.
Lucine Papazian
Hometown: Golden, CO
Undergraduate: University of Colorado
Medical School: Rocky Vista University
Interests/Hobbies: Running, road biking, skiing, going on long walks
Favorite place in Maine: one of the many running trails
Why I chose Maine Med: The program is supportive and invested in our education, well-being and development. I really felt that I clicked with the program culture and residents during my interview. I am really excited to be part of a program where the residents and attendings are happy and excited to be at Maine Med!