PGY1

Catrina grew up in Barre, VT. She attended Colby-Sawyer College in New Hampshire and pursued a degree in biology with a minor in chemistry. After college, Catrina returned to Vermont, spending two years as a lab research technician with the UVM Biomedical Research Network in the Proteomics facility before matriculating to the Larner College of Medicine at UVM. Her love of pediatrics grew during her time as a member and co-leader of the Pediatrics Student Interest Group and while she worked with the Vermont Child Health Improvement Program on a project exploring outcomes for opioid-exposed newborns. Motivated by her peer tutoring and mentorship roles as an undergraduate and medical student, Catrina remains interested in medical education and looks forward to working closely with medical students as a resident. She was drawn to UMass because of the program’s commitment to primary care training and the palpable sense of community at all levels of the program; she is thrilled to be joining the UMass Pediatrics family! Her clinical interests include primary care with an emphasis on social determinants of health and adverse childhood experiences. Catrina enjoys spending quality time with her husband (and former high school sweetheart) Justin. They are both looking forward to experiencing all that Central Massachusetts has to offer, including checking out new restaurants and likely catching a WooSox game or two!

Cate hails from North Carolina. She majored in Latin American Studies at Davidson College and then worked in health advocacy in Asheville, NC, and in Tecpán, Guatemala. Those experiences exposed her to the ways geography and language shape access to medical care and inspired her to become a physician. After completing medical school pre-requisites at the University of Virginia, she attended medical school at the University of North Carolina. At UNC, she joined the school’s global health scholarly concentration researching access to HIV care in rural, western Uganda, was active in its medical Spanish program working with Spanish-speaking communities in COVID testing, vaccination, and plasma donation efforts, and served as a graduate editor for its medical humanities journal. Her career interests include global health, narrative medicine, palliative care, and infectious disease. She is thrilled to join UMass Med-Peds and to explore her new home in New England.

Sara grew up just outside of Boston in Westwood, MA. She attended Brown University where she majored in Neuroscience. While at Brown, she enjoyed working with children through tutoring at a Providence elementary school and volunteering at an afterschool program. She also enjoyed playing club lacrosse and club field hockey. After graduating, Sara worked for two years at Beth Israel in Boston doing clinical research in Urology. Simultaneously, she volunteered weekly at women and children’s homeless shelter where she led a play space for the children in the shelter. Sara was thrilled to start medical school at UMass Chan and knew right from the start she was going to choose pediatrics, becoming involved in the pediatric interest group and Sidekicks during her first year. She was also very involved with the UMass admissions group, acting as a student ambassador, and creating an admissions outreach program for UMass Chan applicants. It was after her pediatrics clerkship that Sara decided she wanted to stay at UMass for residency to continue to work with the children of central Mass and the incredible UMass pediatric attendings and residents. In her free time, Sara loves to bake – her specialties are brown butter chocolate chip cookies and salted caramels. She also enjoys doing hot yoga, reading mystery books and spending time with her husband.

Dominique grew up in southern New Hampshire. She attended college at Tufts University where she studied biochemistry and Spanish and continued at Tufts for medical school. She always enjoyed working with kids, spending time volunteering to coach children in basketball and tennis and nannying, but it was while working at Lexington Pediatrics during college that she re-affirmed her desire to pursue pediatric medicine. During medical school she took great interest in sharing her knowledge by teaching interviewing and physical diagnosis to first year students. In her free time, she enjoys hiking all over New England, spending time at Lake Winnipesaukee, designing diverse charcuterie boards and watching Lin Manuel Miranda productions. Always looking for a new physical challenge and having already completed a half marathon, Dominique aspires to complete a triathlon. She hopes to one day soon add a dog to her bio. Dominique has a particular interest in gastroenterology but also enjoys hospitalist medicine and primary care. 

Thomas was born and raised right here in Worcester, Massachusetts and has (barely) ever left! He graduated from Burncoat High School, just down the street from the hospital, before going to UMass Amherst and getting a degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. He had always been fascinated by the basic sciences and wanted to pursue a career in medicine to apply that knowledge to a career working with people. After working in Boston as a research assistant for one year, he returned home to Worcester for medical school at UMass Chan. He fell in love with pediatrics because it offers a doctor the opportunity to have a positive impact on patients and community health right from the beginning! He also enjoys that pediatric patients tend to have more interesting small-talk, like cool dinosaurs or the latest Disney movies. Thomas and his fiance, Cindy, were very excited to match back to UMass for residency and are both looking forward to giving back to the community that raised them. When not in the hospital, Thomas loves soccer, video games, exploring the wide variety of cuisine offered in Worcester, and hanging out with Cindy!

Annelie grew up in southeast Michigan, and first came to Massachusetts several years ago as an undergraduate at Harvard University. There, she became an EMT through the on-campus emergency service “CrimsonEMS,” and went on to help teach the EMT certification course and earn the campus a HeartSafe designation. Having fallen in love with patient care, medical education, and serving a greater community, Annelie returned to her home state for medical school at the University of Michigan (the “other” UMMS), and continued mentoring and teaching pre-medical and younger medical students throughout her four years (including leading outdoor orientation trips for new M1s, a highlight of her time). Initially unsure of what she wanted to pursue, she was ultimately impressed with the med-peds community while caring for complex patients with congenital or genetic conditions that require extra care and attention to transition from pediatric to adult care. She is particularly interested in pediatric cardiology and believes she will (most likely) pursue a fellowship in the field after graduation… but is excited for the breadth of training at UMass and is eager to explore the many other paths that med-peds has to offer, as well! An outdoors enthusiast, Annelie is thrilled to be back in Mass and in her free time can be found hiking, skiing, rock climbing, SCUBA diving, running, or walking her dog with her husband; she also enjoys caring for her two pet snakes, weightlifting, playing piano, singing, woodworking, and baking.

Noah was raised in the rural community of Wheelock, VT which ignited his passion for the health needs of rural, underserved communities. He studied biology at Dartmouth College, where he was involved in student government and residential life. After graduating, he moved back to Vermont to work at the University of Vermont Medical Center in patient safety and mental health. He went on to the rural medicine training program at the Tufts University School of Medicine based at Maine Medical Center in Portland, ME. During his training, he spent a year at Redington Fairview General Hospital, a 25-bed critical access hospital in the woods of western Maine. In medical school, he was drawn to opportunities for advocacy and engagement within the Tufts’ community; serving on the MaineHealth Inclusive Culture Steering Committee, Tufts Curriculum Committee, and Tufts Clerkship Committee. His clinical interests include adolescent health, substance use treatment, and reproductive healthcare. When not at the hospital, Noah loves hiking, finding new diners to try, and exploring New England’s natural beauty.

Irene was raised in Eastern Kenya and attended medical school at the University of Nairobi where she got the opportunity a participate in a three-month elective term at the Pediatrics unit at the University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital during her 4^th year of medical school. It was during this elective that she knew she wanted to work with children, and her desire to be a pediatrician was reaffirmed. After medical school, she got exposure to the global health and research fields via the Commonwealth Scholarship to study Global Health and infectious Diseases at the University of Edinburgh. She did her internship at the AIC Kijabe Hospital in Kenya, before she enrolled for pediatric residency at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi which she has just completed. Irene is passionate about the care of critically ill children and neonates and was able to spend an elective term at the Boston Children’s Hospital in the NICU and ICU departments. She is also interested in childhood vaccination, pediatric health care disparities and child health advocacy. During her free time, she enjoys cooking/baking, spending time with friends, listening to music and travelling. Irene is excited to be returning to Massachusetts and thrilled to be joining the UMass family.

Anjali grew up in Newton, Massachusetts and attended Boston University where she studied Neurobiology and Public Health. After graduation, she stayed at Boston University and continued research on family and cultural aspects of chronic illness and disability across the lifespan. For medical school, she earned her MD and MPH at the Tufts University School of Medicine. At Tufts she was involved in the admissions committee and the Health Justice Scholars Program. Anjali found Med/Peds as the perfect home for her interests in caring for patients with chronic illness in all phases of life. While exploring the many career paths Med/Peds and UMass have to offer, Anjali is excited to continue community-partnered research and to discover a new part of her home state. In her free time you can find her exploring all the local ice cream spots, perfecting a homemade vanilla latte, taking spontaneous trips to the beach or racing with herself on a stationary bike.

Jeneva grew up in Aurora, Canada, which is a small town near Toronto. Her interest in interdisciplinary research led her to study Integrated Science at McMaster University, where she specialized in neuroscience. She then studied medicine at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and she absolutely loved living in Dublin, as well was squeezing in lots of weekend trips around Europe. Jeneva has always loved working with children, so it was no surprise that she found her passion in pediatrics. She was beyond thrilled to match to the UMass program and is looking forward to working with the children and families in the community! Her experience training for the Irish National Emergency Medical Simulation Competition fostered an interest in emergency medicine and critical care, which she is excited to explore further during her time at UMass. Jeneva is delighted to be moving to the United States, and is particularly looking forward to finding the best mountains for snowboarding and hiking. She loves playing sports (especially soccer), reading, cooking and checking out local restaurants and breweries with friends!

George grew up in Belmont, Massachusetts. He attended UMass Boston’s Honors College, obtaining a bachelor of science in Biology. He worked in a research lab studying beta-arrestins. Additionally, he worked at the school as a pre-medical mentor and a science/mathematics tutor. In the summer following graduation, George participated in an international internship, working at a hospital in Armenia. After arriving back in the United States, he began working as an EMT where he gained valuable clinical experience. George was excited to start medical school upon his acceptance at the University of New England in Biddeford, Maine. During his time in Maine, he volunteered to teach school-age children the importance of nutrition/wellness. He is excited to be reunited with his UMass family, as he wouldn’t want it any other way! Outside of academics, George enjoys tending to his indoor plants, playing board games (Chess and Catan), snowboarding in the winter, biking during the summer, and most importantly: catching up with family and friends.

Bennett grew up in Belmont, MA. He attended Harvard College where he studied chemical and physical biology and obtained a minor in global health and health policy. Throughout his time in college, he engaged in international travel through model united nations conferences, which was like running a small business. He has also annually raised money to fund cancer research for over a decade through the Pan Mass Challenge – a 200-mile bike ride across the commonwealth. After college, his interests in business and science led him to work as a pharmaceutical and medical device business advisor for two years. This taught him plenty about the medical system and its key stakeholders. During this time, he also volunteered as a patient navigator in a blood donor bank. He then attended UMass Chan Medical School, where he fell in love with Med-Peds given its breadth of work, friendly community, and flexibility of training opportunities. His consistent passions include legislative advocacy, health systems science, and quality improvement. He aspires to work as a leader in healthcare with an active clinical practice. His research interests include bone marrow transplant and infectious diseases. When not on the wards you’ll find him biking the hills of Worcester and Wachusett Mountain or enjoying a trip to the theater or a museum.