Meet the Triple Board Residents
Meet the Triple Board residents at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center:
Julie Alonso-Katzowitz: I was born and raised in New York (city and upstate), and after being a brief resident of Puerto Rico, moved to surburban Atlanta for high school in 1993. It was there that I met my future husband, Josh, on the school newspaper (which he turned into a career) and sort of adjusted to Southern life.
I went on to earn my undergraduate degree from Emory University in Atlanta in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology before attending medical school at Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tennessee. Even after four years there, I never got used to country music.
I love the melding of pediatrics and child / adolescent psychiatry that was offered in the Triple Board program, and Cincinnati's program has been a great place to train. When I'm not at the hospital, I have other interests like spending time with family and friends, cooking and baking, board games, crafts, gardening, being outdoors, exploring Cincinnati, and traveling abroad.
I spent an amazing month doing a medical rotation in Costa Rica during med school and look forward to traveling abroad for another rotation in residency.
Contact: julie.alonso-katzowitz@cchmc.org
Chinwe Erike: Hi, I am C.T. Erike, and I hail from the state of New York (born and raised). I attended SUNY Stony Brook School of Medicine. By now you are probably wondering why I am at Cincinnati Children's. Well, it is because the Cincinnati Children's triple program offered me the best of both worlds -- a great educational environment in pediatrics and psychiatry and great people to interact with. And Cincinnati Children's also believes in feeding its residents. What more could a person ask for?
Seriously, Cincinnati Children's is an extraordinary program. As a matter of fact, I consider it the "best kept secret" in the Midwest and that is why I came all the way from New York to Ohio. This is one of the best decisions that I have ever made. I look forward to continuing my medical education here and being the best physician that I can be, for Cincinnati Children's has a reputation for producing wonderful physicians.
Contact: chinwe.erike@cchmc.org
Justus Kam: Hi, I am Justus Kam, and I can fit through an unstrung tennis racket. I was born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee, but attended Emory University in Atlanta, GA for both undergrad and medical school.
Why am I at Cincinnati Children's? My professionally oriented answer would be because the Cincinnati Children's triple board program offers an amazing array of educational opportunities and resources, both in pediatrics and psychiatry. My non-professional answer: Cincinnati Children's feeds me, literally and figuratively. When you have the metabolism of a hummingbird and are used to carrying Boost in your white-coat to not lose weight on rounds, being fed twice daily is a huge thing. Moreover, the people here (both residents and staff) are simultaneously very open and laid-back, yet intensely committed to patient care.
Admittedly, moving to Cincinnati from the dirty South was a bit of a hard sell, but given the environment that Cincinnati Children's provides, I can honestly there is no place I'd rather be.
Contact: justus.kam@cchmc.org
Lori Sonnier: Hi! My name is Lori Sonnier and I am from Lafayette, Louisiana. I went to LSU in Baton Rouge for undergraduate and LSU in New Orleans for medical school. Go Tigers!
I came to Cincinnati Children's to do an elective during my fourth year in med school. I was very impressed by how well all of the residents were treated, the positive working atmosphere and by how happy residents seemed to be in general. Throughout my residency, Cincinnati Children's continues to surprise me in the extent that residents are supported. Examples can be small things, like the efforts put forth by the GME staff to make sure residents have a working coffee maker. Or, large things, such as the chiefs changing around team responsibilities in response to resident feedback.
I chose triple board training because I think it will make me a better child psychiatrist and pediatrician. Training in pediatrics will provide me with broad knowledge of behavioral and developmental. In particular, I am learning the many normal variations in behavior and coping that exist across healthy children and those with physical ailments. When I treat mentally ill patients, I have learned diagnostic skills that help me sort out the organic from non-organic, the psychopathologic from normal variation.
In my free time I enjoy movies, cooking, trying new restaurants, shopping, spinning, swimming, weight lifting, animal assisted therapy, dog training and French. I think it shows that residents do have free time!
Contact: lori.sonnier@cchmc.org
William Taft: I am mostly from New Hampshire and Wisconsin, and attended undergrad at UW-Madison and med school at Wash U in St. Louis. Go Packers and Cardinals.
I believe that triple board is the best way to train as a Child Psychiatrist. "3B" gives more exposure to normal behavior, development and family interactions than categorical psych. Its integrative training helps avoid mind-body dualist thinking, and arms us with both pediatric and psychiatric ways of thinking about problems.
I love talking about politics and current events, playing games and Ultimate Frisbee, and watching baseball. Cincinnati Children's is a terrific place to train because the culture expects both excellence in the practice of medicine and the utmost respect for families, staff and patients.
Contact: william.taft@cchmc.org
Rabindra Tambyraja: Rabindra Tambyraja (Rob) did his undergraduate degree at Haverford College near Philadelphia, and his medical degree at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. There his career took some novel twists, with an internship in General Surgery at Beth-Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston before joining the Triple-Board program at Cincinnati. Where some see aimless wandering, he prefers to see a broad interest in issues affecting his patients, and the creation of a true "medical home."
Contact: rabindra.tambyraja@cchmc.org
Mercedes Dullum: I was born in Chicago and lived in both Maryland and Texas before going to The University of Texas for undergrad. (Hook 'em horns!) I then went to medical school at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, where I met my significant other. He and I couples matched to come here to Cincinnati together, where he is currently a categorical peds resident.
Moving to Cincinnati after living in DC for four years and knowing that all my family was staying in Texas was a difficult decision to make. However, after seeing how amazing the triple board program was here, I couldn't help but rank this program at the top. I decided to do the TB program because I felt like I couldn't really treat children the way I wanted to without having a strong background in both pediatric development and child psychiatry. I picked Cincinnati Children's because it is has such high volume and great exposure to many types of pathology. I also appreciated the support from the program directors and the positive attitude the hospital generated. I chose the psychiatry department here mainly because of College Hill, one of the only stand-alone child psych facilities in the country! I was also attracted to Cincinnati because it is very advanced in it's acknowledgement and support of the psychosocial needs of children.
In my spare time, I enjoy running, playing soccer on the residents team, watching movies, and hanging out with friends. I am having a lot of fun trying all the great restaurants and local bars in the area!
Contact: mercedes.dullum@cchmc.org
Lindsay Shotts: I spent time agonizing during my fourth year of medical school deciding if I was primarily psychiatrist or primarily pediatrician. When I learned about the triple board program, I was thrilled to find a program that would help me emphasize the psychosocial aspects of pediatrics and understand pediatric behavior and development in child psychiatry. The triple board program at Cincinnati met my most important need from a residency program: a combination of strong pediatric and psychiatric training.
What I did not know until I arrived was that the strong training would be combined with an amazing group of people (faculty, hospital staff and fellow residents) that I look forward to working with daily. The third was more a miracle of the match, which was being able to couples-match with my fiancé (in radiology). Ohio also agreed with my Midwest sensibilities as I went to undergrad and medical school at University of Missouri- Columbia. Since moving to Cincinnati I have been pleased to find great places to eat, enjoy the arts, and enjoy the outdoors.
Contact: lindsay.shotts@cchmc.org
Elizabeth Wassenaar: Although I spent the first 18 years of my life in Iowa, I honestly thought I'd never come back to the Midwest. I went to college at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, MI and then meandered out to Philadelphia for a Masters in Pharmacology at UPenn, before attending Jefferson Medical College.
I stumbled upon the Triple Board program during my third year of medical school and could hardly believe there was a program that wouldn't make me chose between all the things I loved. I chose Cincinnati for so many reasons: the quality of the education and opportunity to be exposed to so many things you thought you'd only read about; the people, who in addition to being world renowned, are seriously nice; the city, where I could afford to buy a house for half of my Philadelphia rent and can still get good sushi; and the endless supply of free coffee in the housestaff lounge is pretty awesome at 3 in the afternoon or 3 in the morning.
When I'm not at the hospital (which isn't too often, but is more often than I thought), I love to hit the awesome sports club that we get a discounted membership at, explore this new city with my fellow residents, attempt to keep my garden alive, and compose run-on sentences that could rival Faulkner.
Contact: elizabeth.wassenaar@cchmc.org
Cathy South: Hi there – I’m one of the 2nd year triple boarders living it up here in Cinci. I hail from the Eastern part of the country: Pennsylvania through childhood then D.C. where I attended both college and medical school at The George Washington University. My time here at Cincinnati Children’s has been everything I’d hoped for and more.
The teaching and clinical experiences in both Pediatrics and Child Psychiatry are absolutely second to none. Additionally, and more importantly to me, the support has been invaluable: from the program directors, to the chiefs, to my co-residents, I find myself surrounded by warm, intelligent, genuinely exceptional people, who only enrich my training. When considering the right fit for your residency training, I encourage you to visit and see how CCHMC truly does live up to its stellar reputation – looking forward to meeting you.
Contact: cathy.southammakosane@cchmc.org
Heather Adams: I was born in Portland Or and went to undergrad at Washington state University ( Go Cougs!) I decided to come out to Chicago for Medical school where I attended Midwestern University in the suburbs. I had never anticipated wanting to go into either Pediatrics or Psychiatry before entering medical school so imagine my surprise when I found that I was applying for a triple board spot! I came down to Cincinnati exclusively for the Triple Board program because I believe that in order to understand abnormal child development it is important to see lots of typically developing children. I decided only to interview for triple board spots and fell in love with Cincinnati and the program when I drove down from Chicago.
I had expected a flat land like the rest of the Midwest and was thrilled to find lots of hill and trees. After being here I am pleased with all the music and theatre options that the city has and have been very happy with my choice in location. Just like my career choice I was surprised to find myself wanting to live in the Midwest. In addition the training here is excellent so my options are limitless and I can't wait to see what new surprises lay in store after I graduate.
Contact: heather.adams@cchmc.org
Jennifer Bowden: I grew up in rural Michigan in a small town called Burt, located between Flint and Saginaw. After graduating from Grand Valley State University in biomedical science, I attended Michigan State College of Human Medicine. There, I fell in love with both Psychiatry and Pediatrics. Learning about the triple board option relieved my angst about choosing between the two. It only made sense to me that the two professions should meld together since I wanted to be an expert in both normal child development and abnormal child development. I wanted to see how illness affected the family and how children who have suffered abuse and neglect learned to cope and heal.
Cincinnati’s triple board residency has been a wonderful place for me to train. Not only do we see an enormous amount of normal and abnormal development, but we have excellent teachers to help us understand and treat what we see. Our program directors, our staff, and our residents proactively work to continually change our program to offer the best learning environment, the most recent evidence based medicine, and the most supportive family centered care possible. My family and I are extremely happy with our choice to make Cincinnati our home for five years.
While I am not at the hospital, I am enjoying my time with my loving husband, Greg and my daughter doing things like taking trips to the many parks in Cincinnati, visiting the amazing Cincinnati Zoo, and exploring the wonderful children’s museum. But we also manage time to grow a garden, be active in our church, hang out with other residents, and just relax.
Contact: jennifer.bowden@cchmc.org
Diana Frey, M.D. I was born in Texas, grew up in Florida, went to college in Rhode Island, became a doctor in Minnesota, and am now settled in Cincinnati for 5 years of Triple Board residency! During college and medical school, I thought that I would be a pediatrician, but the well-child checks and viral colds of outpatient primary care really wasn't what I wanted for a career. I also wasn't interested enough in any particular organ to want to make a life out of caring for it. Then, during third year, I rotated through Child Psychiatry and started looking into the Triple Board Programs. I had found my solution! Triple Board training will allow me to care for the whole child but in a more intimate way than I felt general pediatrics training could. I am still not sure what I want to do when I grow up -- maybe work on an inpatient child psychiatry ward, or do consult liason work in a children's hospital, or maybe act as primary care physician and psychiatrist at a long term residential facility. The Triple Board Program will prepare me for any of these different positions and many others. Also, the opportunity to work in many hospital and outpatient settings over 5 years will help me decide where I best fit as a physician. Finally, did I mention that I have a fellowship spot lined up already? With no more applications required!
On a personal note, I have really come to love the midwest and was happily surprised by how much there is to do in Cincinnati. My fellow residents and I go out to dinner, play sports, see movies, go to museums, watch baseball games, unwind at happy hours, talk about the latest celebrity gossip, and go shopping (these last two activities are heavily dominated by females, I admit). Most importantly, however, I really feel that the residents here support one another and feel supported by the faculty, administration, and
staff. This is really a great place to be, even if, like me, you never pictured yourself in Cincinnati. Everyone here is rooting for you and
willing to go out of their way to help you succeed and achieve your goals, whatever you decide them to be.
Contact: diana.frey@cchmc.org
Delanie Janke, M.D. I am Texan born and raised, although I dared to cross the river for undergrad at the University of Oklahoma (Boomer, Sooner!). For medical school I attended the University of Texas - Medical Branch in Galveston. Ask me about evacuating for two hurricanes and riding out a third one!
Like many, I was surprised and delighted to discover the existence of the Triple Board program. As a psychology major in undergrad, I knew that human behavior really fascinated me. Entering medical school, psychiatry was top on my list of potential career options. However, I went medical school, as opposed to clinical psychology grad school, because of my fascination with the human physiology. During my clerkship in pediatrics, the outpatient experiences gelled with my ideals, the type of environment, and the relationship I wanted when caring for future patients and families. As the end of third year approached, I struggled with choosing between psychiatry and primary care. How could I train in both without doing 8 years of residency? Then my scanning eyes found Pediatrics/Psychiatry/C&A Psychiatry listed in a powerpoint presentation given by my med school’s dean about all the types of residency programs I could apply to, and I got that excited butterfly feeling. That’s when I knew Cincinnati is extremely strong in all three areas of the Triple Board Program. This was especially important to me in my decision-making because I wanted a solid training in Pediatrics, considering the shortened time frame of the combined program. I also appreciate the emphasis on education and teaching residents to teach. Because of this, we have residents at all levels that not only like to teach but are also very effective at teaching.
Contact: delanie.janke@cchmc.org
Ernest Pedapati, M.D. I knew after my first clerkship in medical school at the University of Massachusetts, I loved inpatient medicine and had planned to apply to categorical positions for pediatrics. It wasn't until my final clerkship, psychiatry, I found my other passion in medicine -- to walk alongside those who are struggling with more than just their physical health. Once I was introduced to the Triple Board, I found a perfect fit.
Each Triple Board program offers something special. Raised in Massachusetts and married to a Californian, the midwest was the last place I thought we would end up for residency. But, for me and my interest in pediatric inpatient medicine, I was truly impressed with the education and experience offered by Cincinnati Children's and the integration with categorical pediatrics program. On the psychiatry side, I was particularly captured by the number of psychotherapy opportunities including family therapy and psychodynamic training. The recent purchase of the College Hill facility, a standalone pediatric psychiatric facility, affirmed for me Cincinnati Children's commitment to mental health. Still regardless of all these opportunities, I know the clincher for my wife and I was the warm, enthusiastic, and fun people we have met during our time here!
Contact: Ernest.pedapati@cchmc.org
