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Meet Our Residents (2023-24)


		Nicholas Burstein, DO, PGY-3 Medical School: Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine Graduate: MS in Medical Physiology, Case Western Reserve Undergraduate: Northeastern University Hometown: Needham, MA Family Medicine interests: Full-spectrum primary care, Palliative Care, Narrative Medicine, Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine, Medical Education Why did I choose to train at Barre? I wanted to return home to New England for my training. UMass Chan stood out to me because of the combination of rigorous academic training and full spectrum primary care that were integrated into the communities in Worcester and Barre. I also felt like the residents, faculty, and administrators were my kind of down-to-earth and genuine people that I would want to spend 3 challenging years training beside. I was particularly interested in Barre because of the chance to learn in both an urban-academic and rural environment and the opportunity to truly "own my patients." Hobbies: Songwriting and music production, drumming, oil painting, creative writing, spending time with my wife Lucy and our dog Beep! Fun Facts: I made the music for "Cube Runner," one of the first games released in the Apple app-store. It has been downloaded over 6 million times!

		Nicholas Croce, DO, PGY-3 Medical School: University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine Undergraduate: UMass Lowell Hometown: Amesbury, MA Family Medicine Interests: Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment, Rural Medicine, Obstetrics, Outpatient Procedures, Pediatrics, Teaching Why Did I Choose to Train at Barre? My goal is to be a small-town, old-school, jack-of-all trades doctor; and the inherent rigors of training at Barre Family Health Center will best prepare me for this. UMass Chan Family Medicine Residency is jam-packed with compassionate, talented, and humanistic people who will challenge me to be a loving, full-spectrum, patient-first provider. Hobbies: Family time, Basketball, Fitness and Nutrition, Hiking, Woodworking, Home/Auto DIY, Boston Sports Fun Facts: I am a husband, father, and self-proclaimed old soul who hopes to someday have a baseball team of children! I come complete with a fully-loaded arsenal of dad-jokes and puns, funky socks, and a seemingly endless loop of year-round Christmas music playing in my head. I pride myself on making creative, not-quite-Pinterest-worthy cakes for my wife, being the guy who brings homemade gifts to high-end functions, memorizing children’s books with my son, and eating the same breakfast nearly every day for eight years (and counting.)

		Brennan Dagle, MD, PGY-2 Medical School: UMass Chan Medical School Undergraduate: Providence College Hometown: Worcester by way of Holden, MA Family Medicine interests: Sports med, food justice, addressing social determinants of health, mental health Why did I choose to train at Barre? To provide excellent care for my family, friends, and beloved community and reach my full potential as a family med doc! Hobbies: Fishing (largemouth bass and trout) and boating, pick-up basketball (Ball is life), Boston sports, Hip-hop culture and freestyling, cooking/grilling, eating at the diverse restaurants in Worcester, growing vegetables, “Wistah” history Fun Facts: I have sold merchandise at Gillette Stadium since 07’ (Go Pats!). I have also worked as a landscaper, painter, home remodeler, general laborer, roof salesman, and medical scribe. My dream is to return to Benedict Family Medicine at UMass Chan where I started off making minimum wage as a medical scribe and complete the full circle as a physician leader!


		Lindsay Donahue, DO, PGY-1 Medical School: Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine Undergraduate: Springfield College Hometown: Wilmington, MA Family Medicine Interests: Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine, Pediatrics, Women’s Health, Full-Spectrum Primary Care, and Preventative Medicine Why did I choose to train at Barre? I felt exceptionally welcomed and connected to the residents and faculty I met during the month I spent at Barre Family Health Center as well as throughout the entire interview process. I was happy to have found a program where I felt so comfortable and that could offer me full-spectrum primary care training while also providing the resources and opportunities of a large academic center. Additionally, it was important to me that I was able to return to my home state and live near family and friends. I also hope to become fluent in Spanish and serve the diverse patient populations of Worcester and Barre during residency. Hobbies: Reading, exercising, playing volleyball, painting, watching documentaries, hanging out with my parent’s cats, and taking care of a growing collection of house plants Fun Facts: I have been vegetarian for eight years, I have been teaching myself how to crochet on YouTube, and my guilty pleasure is reality TV (specifically 90-day Fiancé)

		Brett Lehner, MD, PGY-3 Medical School: University of Connecticut School of Medicine Undergraduate: University of Connecticut Hometown: Bethel, CT Family Medicine interests: Rural practice, Integrative Medicine Why did I choose to train at Barre? When I was looking for a program, I wanted to be able to train with a rigorous full scope rural family medicine program, but I also didn’t want to be far away from my family and friends, and for that Barre was a perfect fit for me. The program has a long history of excellence in training family medicine physicians, with smart and supportive faculty, and the balance of the academic setting and rural care made me believe this program would prepare me to be the best physician I can be. Hobbies: gardening, permaculture, guitar, soccer Fun Facts: A few years back, I rode my bicycle across the country to raise money for a charity with a friend of mine.

		Rana Mehdizadeh, MD, PGY-1 Medical School: University of Queensland (Australia) Undergraduate: UC-Berkeley Graduate: New York Medical College Hometown: Los Gatos, CA Family Medicine Interests: Health equity, addressing social determinants of health, reproductive justice, gender-affirming care Why did I choose to train with UMass? UMass offers everything I could hope for in a residency program - a prioritization of primary care, incredible training sites with a diverse group of patients and pathologies, a supportive learning environment, and the Barre Family Health Center allows me to gain both an urban and rural training experience. Fortunately, it is also located in close proximity to my family in Massachusetts. Hobbies: Hiking, traveling, reading, recreating MasterChef dishes with my husband Fun Facts: I’ve lived on four continents (North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia) and completed my pre-clinical years in Australia.


		Matthew Morrow, DO, PGY-1 Medical School: University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine Undergraduate: Husson University Hometown: Brewer, Maine Family Medicine Interests: Community/preventative health, lifestyle medicine, sports medicine, osteopathic manipulative medicine, full-spectrum family medicine Why did I choose to train at Barre? When looking for a training program, I wanted to find a residency that provided a full-spectrum family medicine curriculum with faculty and administration that would be supportive of my goals as a future family medicine physician. At UMass Chan, and specifically Barre, I believe I get all of that and more. With a complete curriculum in both inpatient/outpatient medicine, osteopathic manipulative medicine, behavioral health, OB care, and procedural medicine (along with others), I felt that UMass Chan would allow me to be the most well-rounded physician for my patients now and in my future practice. I also felt that the residents and faculty were supportive and genuinely cared for each other during my fourth-year audition rotation, creating the type of family environment that I wanted to be a part of as a resident. Hobbies: Golf, basketball/other recreational sports, exercise/fitness, cooking (I make some pretty awesome chicken tacos), travel, and a good mystery novel! Fun Facts: When I was 16 years old, I played in the Senior League World Series where I got to compete against other baseball players from around the US, Italy, the Caribbean Islands, Canada, and Asia!

		Spencer Murdock, MD, PGY-2 Medical School: West Virginia University School of Medicine Graduate: MPH in Occupational and Environmental Health at West Virginia University Undergraduate: West Virginia University Hometown: Fairmont, West Virginia Family Medicine interests: Women's health, preventive medicine and outpatient care Why did I choose to train at Barre? My husband and I wanted to explore somewhere that wasn't West Virginia, considering we had lived there our whole lives. UMass Chan seemed like a great choice because it is close to some of our family in Boston and offers a culturally diverse patient population. I chose Barre specifically because it extends an exceptional combination of rural health training in the clinic setting along with the training and resources provided by a large university health system. Hobbies: hiking and spending time outdoors, tennis, reading, checking out local breweries, doing pretty much anything with my husband and dog Fun Facts: I couples matched with my husband Mason (Internal Medicine intern). Mason and I just got married this May in Italy and we have a very sweet 6 year old Newfoundland named Brownie.

		Lyndsay Okragleski, MD, PGY-2 Medical School: American University of the Caribbean Undergraduate: Western Michigan University Hometown: Oxford, MI Family Medicine Interests: Addiction Medicine, Integrative Medicine, Preventive Medicine and Women's Health Why did I choose to train at Barre? I chose UMASS for the exceptional training, resources and the culture of the program. I am specifically grateful to be training at the Barre site for the unique opportunity it offers. I am excited to have a diverse training experience in a peaceful, rural setting. Hobbies: Fostering dogs, working out, running and gardening Fun Facts: I can do backflips.

		Sara Rogerson, MD, PGY-3, Chief Resident Medical School: Drexel University School of Medicine Graduate: MS in Medical Sciences, Boston University Undergraduate: University of Pittsburgh Hometown: Johnstown, PA Family Medicine interests: Addressing health disparities and working with underserved communities Why did I choose to train at Barre? I chose UMASS Chan, and specifically Barre, because it offered a unique combination of the training and resources provided by a university health system along with the rural health training provided at Barre Family Health Center. Hobbies: Photography and tennis

		Viviane Rutabingwa, MD, PGY-1 Medical School: Saba University Graduate: University of London Undergraduate: Ontario Tech University (previously University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) Hometown: Toronto, Canada Family Medicine Interests: Women’s health, Preventative and Community medicine, Health equity/advocacy and Gender affirming care. Why did I choose to train at Barre? To receive the type of training that enables me to practice excellent full spectrum family medicine, while engaging in community needs and helping to advocate for my patients daily. Hobbies: Hanging out with my cute little baby and partner, trying out new foods and experiences, music, and photography, travelling, spending time with family & friends! Fun Facts: I was previously a contributing writer for NPR’s “Goats and Soda”! Super fun but also key in demonstrating how effective writing can be as an educational tool but more importantly extremely useful in elevating the disempowered to reclaim their power and amplify their voice.