Pediatrics Residency

helen devos childrens hospital exterior shot

Welcome and thank you for your interest in the Spectrum Health/Michigan State University College of Human Medicine Pediatrics Residency Program at Helen DeVos Children's Hospital! Located in one of the fastest growing cities in the Midwest, we are nationally ranked in eight pediatric sub-specialties by U.S. News and World Report and offer a complete educational and clinical experience in our state-of-the-art, free-standing, children’s hospital.

We hope the following information is useful to you. Thank you again for considering us for your residency training and please feel free to contact us with questions

Overview
Education
Research
Resident Life
Application and Benefits

From the Program Directors

What do you want to be known for when you leave residency? Compassion? Curiosity? Courage?

When you join the Spectrum Health/Michigan State University College of Human Medicine Pediatrics Residency Program at Helen DeVos Children's Hospital, you will be joining a group of stellar pediatricians-in-training who, along with Spectrum Health have identified these as the values that they want to be known for. As program directors, we recognize that cultivating these values is our compass!

With these values as our guide, we strive to become a community that is inclusive and innovative to impact the health of the children of West Michigan and beyond.

Inclusive
Inclusivity is a mandate. Our residency program tackles the tough questions of race and justice while also actively recruiting residents who represent the community. We are supported by Spectrum Health diversity and inclusion work along with the work of our pediatric diversity and inclusion committee. Through educational events, advocacy projects, candid conversations and intentional recruiting, our goal is to recruit, support and retain a diverse community of residents.

Inclusive also means listening to the needs of each individual resident. We are proud to support a medium sized program which means that leadership and attendings know each of the residents by name. We have created five curriculum tracks that support educational goals and include a scholar track that is customizable – recent scholars include global health, lifestyle medicine and medical education scholars. In your third year, we give every resident a half-day a week to explore their own career interests. Scholarly activity and advocacy activity is individualized and supported by mentors from a community of 300 pediatric physicians representing over 50 subspecialties.

Innovative
Innovative means thinking about pediatrics in the future. Along with robust fulfillment of board requirements and board preparation, we provide curriculum for pediatricians to serve as leaders within their communities well into the future. We begin your education with intern immersion and advocacy – a month long rotation which places general pediatrics at the start of your education. This is followed by higher acuity complex care rotations in your second year along with unique leadership electives in your third year that will prepare you for the next wave of practice.

Unique elective experiences including skills, resident-as-teacher, parenting, research, Spectrum Health Innovations, culinary medicine and business of medicine (to name a few), each elective allows you to explore the aspects of pediatric medicine that may not necessarily be tested by the boards, but that are critical to your success.

Impact
None of this would matter if we did not accomplish our ultimate goal – impacting the health of the children of West Michigan. Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital strives to be the safest children’s hospital in the country and has been recognized as a tertiary and quaternary referral destination serving a wide region. With our level 4 NICU, cardiac and neuro ICUs, award winning cardiology program, personalized genomics, wireless EEG monitoring systems, busy emergency department, seven pediatric fellowship programs and research facilities including Michigan State University College of Human Medicine and the Van Andel Institute, Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital has earned US News and World Report rankings for providing excellent pediatric care.

Inclusive. Innovative. Impactful. This is our mission. None of this would be possible without the amazing teamwork and compassion that we all have for each other. When we ask residents why they came here to train, they list everything above along with the beautiful facilities and vibrant and accessible community of Grand Rapids but, at the end of the day, they will all universally say, it’s the people!

We will continue to host virtual interviews in this upcoming season to promote inclusivity and safety. We look forward to meeting you this way in the upcoming recruitment season. See you soon!

Sincerely,
Kira, Justin and Raj

Welcome from the Chiefs

Welcome to the Spectrum Health/Michigan State University College of Human Medicine Pediatrics Residency Program at Helen DeVos Children's Hospital! We are excited that you are considering our program and cannot wait to share the many aspects that make it an excellent choice for your residency training. Read more about why we think Helen DeVos Children's Hospital is the perfect fit for you.

From left: Daniel Borman, MD, Matt Vosters, MD and David Ashen-Garry, DO

Program Aims

Impact the health of children in the community through innovative opportunities including advocacy, future-minded primary care education and exposure to a wide variety of pediatric subspecialties
To recruit and train an inclusive workforce that represents the community in which we work
Create a supportive learning environment that promotes individual career needs and individualized scholarly pursuits
Foster a culture of wellness, lifelong learning and safety in order to impact the health of patients, families and the community

Our Hospital

The Spectrum Health Helen DeVos Children's Hospital is a state-of-art, free-standing children's hospital and Level I trauma center. The Gerber Foundation Neonatal Center at Helen DeVos Children's Hospital is Michigan's largest neonatal center and the fifth largest in the nation with more than 1,300 babies admitted annually.

Like most pediatrics facilities, we practice a family-centered rounding style. Our continuity clinic experience is unique in that we have the option of spending one half-day per week of the third year in a clinical setting of your choosing, whether a private practice primary care clinic, a community clinic, a subspecialty clinic, or even a hospitalist or critical care role. At Helen DeVos Children's Hospital, we truly care about individualizing your education to help you reach your professional goals. As such, we offer several curriculum tracks.

Electives
Within each track, multiple electives can be selected based on your interests and goals. Here is a sampling of the electives we offer:

Advanced Emergency Medicine	Cardiology	Global Health	Orthopedics	Radiology
Allergy and Immunology	Center for Child Protection (CCP)	Healthy Weight Center	Palliative Care	Research
Anesthesiology	Culinary Medicine	Hospitalist	Pathology	Rheumatology
Antimicrobial Stewardship Program	Dermatology	Medical Examiner	PM&R	Sedation
Bone Marrow Transplant	Education Leadership	Medical Genetics	Primary Care Experience (PCE)	Sports Medicine
Burn	Endocrinology	Nephrology	Psychiatry	Surgery
Business of Medicine	ENT	Neurology	Pulmonology	Toxicology
Cardiothoracic Surgery	Gastroenterology	Ophthalmology	Quality Improvement	Urology

Didactics

Our faculty is dedicated to your learning whether in a clinical setting or through our various didactics.

Monday	Morning report
Tuesday	Grand Rounds or Morbidity and Mortality Conference
Wednesday	Multi-Disciplinary Case Conference led by an intern with small group discussion of differential and workup plans with input from various subspecialists depending on the case
Thursday	Protected didactics 1200-1600 consisting of board review Q&As, mock codes, journal clubs, and an 18-month lecture series given by sub-specialty faculty based on Nelson’s with a focus on ABP general pediatrics learning objectives.
Friday	Morning report, Psychiatry Rounds, QI/Safety Rounds, or the ever popular Infectious Disease Bug Bowl

Scholarly activity at Spectrum Health spans the continuum of medicine and includes translational research, medical education, quality and safety, and advocacy projects and initiatives. Our faculty members are experts in their field and have a vast array of scholarly interests. Residents who are interest in presenting or publishing their work can pursue those goals while being mentored by a faculty member.

Pediatrics faculty presenting research at conferences

Pediatrics faculty presenting research at conferences

Below is a partial list of conferences and journals that our residents and faculty have presented at or been published in over the past few years.

Conferences

Academic Pediatric Association Region V Conference
American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology
American Academy of Pediatrics
American Thoracic Society
Adolescent Health Initiative
Association of Pediatric Program Directors
Endocrine Society
Michigan Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition
Pediatric Academic Society
Pediatric Endocrine Society
Society of Adolescent Health and Medicine
Society of Hospitalist Medicine
The Generalists in Medical Education

Journals

Academic Medicine
Blood Advances
BMC Health Services Research
Congenital Heart Disease
Critical Care Medicine
Genetic Medicine
International Journal of Cancer
JAMA Pediatrics
Journal of Adolescent Health
Journal of Clinical Immunology
Journal of Medical Internet Research
Journal of Pediatrics
Journal of Pediatric Infectious Disease Society
Kidney International
Medical Education
NeoReviews
Obesity
Pediatrics
Pediatric Annals
Pediatric Cardiology
Pediatric Critical Care Medicine
Pediatric Neurology
Physiologic Genomics

Where we live

Where we go

Application Requirements

Applications and the following documents are accepted only through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). We require:

Excellent communication skills
Recent clinical experience within the United States
Applicants must have graduated medical school within the last three years
All candidates must possess U.S. work authorization or be eligible for J-1 status
Step 2 exam results are encouraged, but not required prior to your interview. Results for Step 2 CK exam must be available to be considered for ranking.

For more information on our program, contact Julie Beute, program coordinator.

Pictured: Julie Beute, Sue Heinz and Saron Mogos

Pediatric Residency Program Coordinators

Salary and Benefits

All visiting medical student applications must be submitted through the Visiting Student Learning Opportunities program. The Spectrum Health course catalog for rotation opportunities starting in July for the next academic year will be posted in March. Applications will be accepted starting April 1.

Spectrum Health provides a comprehensive and very competitive benefits package for our residents, staff and their families. In addition, our program provides educational monies to support your ongoing education. Download our salary and benefits document to learn more.

Meet Our Core Faculty

Kira Sieplinga, MD

Program Director

Pediatric Hospital Medicine

Rajat Pareek, MD

Associate Program Director

Critical Care

Justin Triemstra, MD

Associate Program Director

Adolescent Medicine & AGP

Aileen Aldrich, MD

Global Health

Hovig Artinian, MD

Pulmonology and Sleep Medicine

Harlori Bains, MD

Neurology

Meghan Behrmann, MD

Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics

Jennifer Bowden, MD

Psychiatry

Benjamin Braun, MD

Critical Care

Jillian Bybee, MD

Advanced Skills/Safety

Critical Care

Palliative Care

Emergency Medicine

Academic General Peds

Julie Gunderson, DO

Hospitalist

Ismaeel Hashemi, MD

Gastroenterology

Miranda Hillard, MD

Newborns

Academic General Peds

Christel Keefe, MD

Endocrinology

Theodore Kelbel, MD

Allergy/Immunology

Elizabeth Kessler, MD

Rheumatology

Infectious Disease

Neonatology

Adolescent Medicine

Child Abuse

Genetics

Stanley Sedore, MD, PhD

Cardiology

Sharon Smith, MD

Hematology/Oncology

William Stratbucker, MD

Healthy Weight/Lifestyle Scholarship

Jason Thomas, MD

Nephrology

Learn more about our faculty at www.phd.msu.edu.

Chief Residents

David Ashen-Garry, DO

Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine

Daniel Borman, MD

University of Kentucky College of Medicine

Matthew Vosters, MD

Michigan State University College of Human Medicine

Class of 2024

Grant Adams, MD

Indiana University

David Calafiore, MD

Ohio State University

Sammy Dia, MD

Wayne State University

Jared Doezema, MD

Medical College of Wisconsin

Haley Ehrle, MD

University of Wisconsin

Lara Fawaz, MD

Oakland University

Jolysa Bosco, DO

Rocky Vista University

Connor Kriz, MD

Chicago Medical School - Rosalind Franklin University

Cameron McKenney, DO

Michigan State University

Bridget Moore, MD

University of Vermont

Cheryl Mukosiku, MD

St. George’s University

Natalie Payne, MD

Michigan State University

Natalia Perecki, MD

Wayne State University

Monica Sinkovich, DO

Liberty University

Stephen Trombley, MD

Michigan State University

Marie Tysman, MD

Western Michigan University

Christina Varghese, MD

University of Toledo

Maria Voydanoff, MD

Michigan State University

Cassandra Weaver, DO

Nova Southeastern University

Bixi Zeng, MD, PhD

Michigan State University

Class of 2023

Kayla Acre, DO

Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine

Maeve Bartiss, MD

The Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University

Heather Blickenstaff, MD

Indiana University School of Medicine

Elizabeth Davis, DO

Midwestern University Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine

Heather Gladfelter, MD

Saint Louis University School of Medicine

Aubrey Graham, MD

University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford

Joshua Green, MD

Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine

Aamna Hafeez, DO

Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine

Jeffrey Haus, DO

Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine

Hollis Johnson, MD

Medical College of Wisconsin

Samantha Johnson, MD

West Virginia University School of Medicine Morgantown

Sophia Khalil, MD

Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine

Emmanuel Kumar, MD

Western Michigan University Homer Stryker MD SOM

Danielle Larsen, MD

University of Oklahoma College of Medicine at Oklahoma City

Hansika Narayanan, MD

University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine

Jonathan Shabab, MD

Northeast Ohio Medical University

Urmi Sheth, MD

University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine

Kayla Smith, MD

University of Texas Medical Branch School of Medicine

Joyce Tam, MD

Indiana University School of Medicine

Zachary Tolstyka, MD

Wayne State University School of Medicine

Class of 2022

Miriam Ahmad, MD

Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine

Aya Al-Noubani, MD

Jordan University of Science and Technology

Lindsey Boyke, MD

University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health

Clinton Bunde, DO

West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine

Ashley Butler, MD

St. George's University School of Medicine

Megan Crippen, MD

The University of Toledo College of Medicine

Michael Dohar, MD

Northeast Ohio Medical University

Leah Garvin, MD

Indiana University School of Medicine

Elijah Huang, MD

Indiana University School of Medicine

Amanda Jackson, MD

Mercer University School of Medicine

Michelle Knapp, MD

Western Michigan University Homer Stryker MD School of Medicine

Ananya Mishra, MD

The Ohio State University College of Medicine

Ashley O'Bryan, MD

Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine

Rahamat Mansaray, MD

Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science

Megan Schuetz, MD

Central Michigan University College of Medicine

Samantha Schwartz, MD

Wayne State University School of Medicine

Austin Voydanoff, MD

Michigan State University College of Human Medicine

Chelsey Walquist, MD

Michigan State University College of Human Medicine

Ai Yamasaki, MD

Western Michigan University Homer Stryker MD School of Medicine

Michelle Yoo, MD

Northeast Ohio Medical University

Get to know our residents
Our residents are a diverse group from a variety of backgrounds with unique experiences and interests. We look forward to getting to know you as well!