Class of 2026

Categorical

Brief Bio


Emmalie Berkovsky, MD, MEd

Hometown: Shiner, TX
Medical School: Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin
Clinical Interests: Rural surgery, general surgery
Research Interests: Medical and surgical education
Personal Interests: Hiking, fitness, craft cocktails, birds of prey, TV/movies and my cat
Why UArizona College of Medicine – Phoenix: The awesome rural surgery track, the chance to work in Alaska, the weather and nature in Phoenix, and the awesome residents and attendings I talked to


Lawrence Parawan, MD

Hometown: Bell Buckle, TN
Medical School: East Tennessee State University Quillen College of Medicine
Clinical Interests: Trauma/critical care, rural/underserved surgery
Research Interests: Medical student education, clinical quality improvement
Personal Interests: Cooking and dining, craft cocktails and my Shiba Inu puppy
Why UArizona College of Medicine – Phoenix: Things that stood out to me on my interview day were the strong focus on training truly broad-based general surgeons and a strong emphasis on resident wellness.


Alicia Pereslucha, MD

Hometown: Little Chute, WI
Medical School: Chicago Medical School
Clinical Interests: General surgery, breast surgery, bariatric surgery
Research Interests: Clinical outcomes, quality improvement, resident education
Personal Interests: Spending time with my husband and dogs, being active outdoors, working out, disc golf, water sports, camping, macramé crafts
Why UArizona College of Medicine – Phoenix: Comprehensive training in various training environments, commitment to training “general” general surgeons, resident camaraderie, supportive program culture from the top down

Janelle Rodriguez, MD
Janelle Rodriguez, MD

Hometown: Phoenix, AZ
Medical School: UArizona College of Medicine – Phoenix
Clinical Interests: Cardiothoracic surgery, medical student and resident education
Research Interests: Cardiovascular interventions for coronary artery disease and atrial fibrillation
Personal Interests: Vinyasa yoga, running, hiking or anything I can do with my dog, spending time with family and friends
Why UArizona College of Medicine – Phoenix:Hands down the culture and camaraderie between not only residents but the entire surgical teams. Rotating through this program as a medical student is what made me officially decide I wanted to do surgery.


Rinku Skaria, MD, PhD

Hometown: Phoenix, AZ
Medical School: UArizona College of Medicine – Tucson
Clinical Interests: Cardiothoracic surgery
Research Interests: Translational and clinical research, ‘omics
Personal Interests: Dance, yoga, baking, mochas
Why UArizona College of Medicine – Phoenix: The people! They are down-to-earth faculty and residents that make for a strong, supportive culture and comprehensive training.

 


Leslie Swafford, MD

Hometown: Longview, TX
Medical School: East Tennessee State University Quillen College of Medicine
Clinical Interests: Global surgery, surgery in rural/underserved areas
Research Interests: Race-based medicine, socioeconomic disparities in health care
Personal Interests: Soccer, volleyball, golf, yoga, travel, church, drawing, my husband and dog
Why UArizona College of Medicine – Phoenix: Opportunities to work in rural/underserved areas, emphasis on the value of diversity and resident autonomy, coolest residents

 


Olivia Tsai, MD

Hometown: Lake Forest, CA
Medical School: University of California, Irvine
Clinical Interests: General surgery, trauma/critical care, minimally invasive surgery
Research Interests: Clinical outcomes research, surgical education, medical student education
Personal Interests: Art history, museums, ceramics, travel, spending time with family
Why UArizona College of Medicine – Phoenix: The commitment to training a “general” general surgeon and providing a strong foundation for future training and specialization, as well as the strong sense of community among residents and support for career goals


Parker Whitfield, MD

Hometown: Sherman, TX
Medical School: Texas A&M
Clinical Interests: Fellowship to be determined
Research Interests: Clinical outcomes research
Personal Interests: Baking, traveling, podcasts, yoga, hiking, running, concerts, spending time with family and dogs
Why UArizona College of Medicine – Phoenix: It has all the clinical exposure you need and then some. Even on a zoom interview, it was clear the residents enjoyed each others' company and supported each other

Preliminary

Brief Bio


Jason Garry, MD

Hometown: Mesa, AZ
Medical School: University of Utah
Clinical Interests: General surgery, orthopedic surgery
Research Interests: Patient satisfaction scores in different specialties, patient reported outcomes
Personal Interests: Family, mountain biking, BYU sports
Why UArizona College of Medicine – Phoenix: The residents were very encouraging and friendly, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to come back to Arizona where I grew up!


Jacob Heyrend, DO

Hometown: Ontario, OR
Medical School: Midwestern University Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine
Clinical Interests: Neoplasia, oncology, metabolic syndrome and its sequelae
Research Interests: Sarcoma, Alzheimer’s, metabolic and endocrine diseases, free market solutions to health care inefficiencies
Personal Interests: Family, church, reading, martial arts, economics
Why UArizona College of Medicine – Phoenix: The Banner Network and University of Arizona blend well into a surgical program. This preliminary year will provide excellent training and experience for a future in military medicine. I look forward to the high volume and acuity of patients in this program and caring for fellow Phoenicians.


Adam House, DO

Hometown: Phoenix, AZ
Medical School: Midwestern University Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine
Clinical Interests: Anesthesiology and acute pain management
Research Interests: Quality improvement
Personal Interests: Hiking, camping, home improvement, baking, travel and spending time with family
Why UArizona College of Medicine – Phoenix: The camaraderie is excellent, and the faculty seem truly dedicated to resident development and wellness. Also, the diverse exposure gained during intern year may help guide my future career path.


Manroop Kaur, MD

Hometown: Phoenix, AZ
Medical School: UArizona College of Medicine – Phoenix
Clinical Interests: Interventional radiology, interventional oncology, hepatobiliary intervention
Research Interests: HCC
Personal Interests: Hiking, zentangle, cooking
Why UArizona College of Medicine – Phoenix: I enjoyed rotations as a medical student at this institution. For a preliminary year, I was looking for a program with an excellent trauma and transplant service, both of which I found here.


Kyle Sprute, MD

Hometown: Mesa, AZ
Medical School: UArizona College of Medicine – Tucson
Clinical Interests: Anesthesiology
Research Interests: Anesthesiology
Personal Interests: Musical composition and home bartending
Why UArizona College of Medicine – Phoenix: For the surgical prelim year near my hometown, and it Will prepare me for anesthesia residency.