Our People
Because there are a limited number of family medicine-psychiatry programs, University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics consistently attracts outstanding residents from across the country. Our residents are a fun-loving, talented, and close-knit group who share a passion for merging primary care with the mental health sector. They frequently pull their knowledge and experiences together to function as a team, which is arguably the program's biggest strength.
Our equally diverse and accomplished faculty mentor residents from their first rotation to graduation day and beyond. University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics is home to two combined training programs, and as such, has a large community of dual-trained faculty. Residents work closely with these faculty members, but also form strong relationships with other faculty members, particularly those who are experts in their area of interest.
At the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics a door is always open to help you achieve your full potential and reach your career goals.
Current Residents
Jacob Groen, DO
Class: 2025
Hometown: Shoreline, Wash.
Undergraduate school: Occidental College
Medical school: Pacific Northwest University
Professional interests: Marginalized populations, particularly the underserved, and LGBTQ care.
Email: jacob-groen@uiowa.edu
Joseph Rattenni, DO
Class: 2025
Hometown: Wilmington, Del.
Undergraduate school: University of Delaware
Medical school: Lincoln Memorial University-DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine
Professional interests: The social determinants of health, community and underserved medicine, cognitive behavioral therapy, metacognition, the bicameral mind theory and jungian psychology, and neuropsychopharmacology
Email: joseph-rattenni@uiowa.edu
Meha Desai, MD
Class: 2026
Hometown: Naperville, Ill.
Undergraduate school: Illinois Institute of Technology
Medical school: University of Illinois at Chicago
Professional interests: integration of psychiatry into primary care, underserved medicine, global health, immigrant and refugee health, women's health
Email: meha-desai@uiowa.edu
*Chief Resident
Angella Gyamfi, DO
Class: 2026
Hometown: Kumasi, Ghana & Apple Valley, Minn.
Undergraduate School: Cornell College
Medical School: William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine (WCUCOM)
Professional Interests: Integration of psychiatry and family medicine, global medicine, rural healthcare, underserved medicine, and mentoring pre-med individuals
Email: angella-gyamfi@uiowa.edu
*Chief Resident
Emily Trudeau, MD
Class: 2027
Hometown: Sioux City
Undergrad School: University of Iowa
Medical School: University of Iowa College of Medicine
Professional Interests: women’s health, prenatal care, addiction medicine, mood disorders
Email: emily-trudeau@uiowa.edu
Brooke Byun, MD
Class: 2028
Hometown: Seattle, WA
Undergraduate school: University of Washington Seattle
Medical school: Washington State University
Professional Interests: Advocacy (abortion access, health equity), DEI, Psychodynamic Theory, Prenatal Care/Women's Health, Psychotherapy, Palliative Care
Email: brooke-byun@uiowa.edu
Kacie Griffith, DO
Class: 2028
Hometown: Vinton, IA
Undergraduate school: Iowa State University
Medical school: Des Moines University
Professional Interests: Psychosomatic Disorders, Chronic Pain, Psycotherapy, Rural Psychiatry Access
Email: kacie-griffith@uiowa.edu
Alayna Williams, DO
Class: 2028
Hometown: Belluvue, WA
Undergraduate school: Seattle University
Medical school: Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine
Professional Interests: Inpatient Psychiatry and Street Medicine
Email: alayna-williams@uiowa.edu
Rick Hiciano, MD
Class: 2029
Hometown: New York City, NY
Undergraduate school: Hunter College of the City University of New York
Medical school: Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine
Professional Interests: Psychotherapy, Sports Medicine, Sports Psychiatry, Forensic Psychiatry, Mood Disorders, Professional/Business Development, Teaching/Mentorship
Email: rick-hiciano@uiowa.edu
Kermshlise Picard, MD, MPH
Class: 2029
Hometown: Boston, MA
Undergraduate school: Northeastern University
Medical school: Brown University
Professional Interests: Community Health, Equity and Access, Addiction, Geriatrics, Psychotherapy, Women's Health
Email: kermshlise-picard@uiowa.edu
Alumni
University of Iowa FMP graduates have gone on to a wide variety of careers in both Family Medicine and Psychiatry, in both inpatient and outpatient settings, and in both rural and urban environments. Most practice clinically in both fields. Our former graduates include researchers, public health officials, a Fulbright scholar, and at least three residency program directors - showing that an education at Iowa can prepare you for any career path you can dream up!
| Resident | Graduation Year | Medical School |
|---|---|---|
| Grace Breuer, MD | 2024 | Michigan State College of Human Medicine |
| Kale Siebert, MD | 2024 | University of Minnesota Medical School - Duluth Campus |
| Nicole Giselle NateWoodson-DeFauw, MD | 2023 | Meharry Medical College School of Medicine |
| Kate Jarvis, MD | 2023 | University of Illinois College of Medicine |
| Kumi Yuki, MD | 2022 | Nagoya City University Medical School |
| Nader Shakir, DO | 2022 | Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine |
| Claire McKinley, MD | 2021 | Tulane University |
| Jingna Zhao, MD | 2021 | State University of New York |
| James Jackson, MD | 2020 | University of Kentucky |
| Victoria (Torie) Tann, MD | 2020 | University of Toledo |
| Timothy Park, DO | 2019 | Western University of Health Sciences |
| Benjamin Stacy, DO | 2019 | Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine |
| Rachel Immen, MD | 2018 | University of Illinois |
| Ana Santacruz, MD | 2018 | University of Texas |
| Holly Thro, MD | 2018 | Tufts University |
| Ashley Stillwell, DO | 2017 | Des Moines University |
| Monika Jindal, MD | 2016 | University of Cincinnati |
| Darbie Little-Cooper, MD | 2016 | University of Iowa |
| Jennifer Donovan, MD | 2015 | University of Iowa |
| Nesrin Abu Ata | 2014 | Ben Gurion University of the Negev |
| Dustin DeYoung, MD | 2013 | University of Michigan |
| Julie Voelker, MD | 2013 | University of Iowa |
| Erik Vanderlip, MD | 2012 | University of Oklahoma |
| Bess Mehring, MD | 2011 | Jefferson Medical College |
| Stephen Pallone, MD | 2011 | Medical College of Virginia |
| Ben Shepherd, MD | 2011 | University of Illinois |
| Erika Lauer, MD | 2008 | University of Iowa |
| Carver Nebbe, MD | 2006 | University of Iowa |
| Michelle Weckmann, MD | 2005 | Medical College of Wisconsin |
| Oladipo Kukoyi, MD | 2004 | University of Alabama |
| Alison Lynch, MD | 2003 | University of Iowa |
Our Leadership
I am glad that you are considering advanced training in family medicine to become the best family physician possible. Our department is one where education, clinical care, and research are each a valued service, delivered in the context of teams that strive for greatness. Come explore the fields of opportunity that we call Iowa.
Family Medicine has a great tradition of excellence and a bright future in Iowa. Perhaps you know of us by our Family Medicine Handbook–a vital text for family medicine residents. We have award winning students and student programs. Or perhaps you have read some of the important research produced by our faculty and students.
University of Iowa is home to the acclaimed Writer's Workshop where future writers hone their craft. Iowa City is a beautiful town embracing the banks of the Iowa River. Iowa is the home of a great "State Fair," River City, and a "Field of Dreams." Most importantly, we are the home of a people who value education, humanity, and improving the world.
The Department of Family Medicine is a leader within the Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine. Our faculty sit on and head important committees, partner with other departments in research, and actively teach medical students at all years of training. We deliver outstanding clinical care along with award-winning teaching. Education is central to all that we do.
Our residency programs are highly focused on training knowledgeable, competent, caring, and compassionate family physicians who will become leaders for the discipline and society. We practice in the Family Care Center, a patient-centered facility with superb staff that offers efficient and compassionate care through integrated teams. Our curricula are experience based and allow learners the vital opportunities to achieve success with patients, their families, and with the organizations in society that can help individuals and groups effect change.
Likewise, our fellowship programs build leaders. Clinical leadership requires the ability to manage interdisciplinary teams and our geriatrics program focuses not only on geriatrics, but on lifelong skills that facilitate improved organization in the delivery of care to the elderly. We offer an academic fellowship program that focuses on developing skills to support research, scholarship and medical education. We also offer a primary care sports medicine fellowship in collaboration with the University of Iowa Sports Medicine Clinic.
Research is an important part of our department, and we take seriously our responsibility to create new knowledge that helps our patients and the discipline. The goal of our research is to improve clinical care, medical education, and the delivery of health services to a rural state.
These are exciting times for the discipline of family medicine and the Department of Family Medicine. Read on and let us tell you more about us.
Jeffrey D. Quinlan, MD, FAAFP | Chair & DEO
Donald J. and Anna M. Ottilie Chair in the Department of Family Medicine
University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics
About the Chair and Department Executive Officer
Dr. Jeffrey D. Quinlan is the Chair and Department Executive Officer for the Department of Family Medicine.
He earned a BS in Biochemistry and a BS in Chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh in 1988 and went on to earn his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine in 1992. Dr. Quinlan completed Family Medicine training at Naval Hospital Charleston, S.C. and at Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton, Calif., and subsequently, completed a Maternity Care Fellowship at Florida Hospital, Orlando, Fla.
He has a solid foundation and interest in Graduate Medical Education having served as faculty (8 years) and Program Director (4 years) of the Naval Hospital Jacksonville Family Medicine Residency Program. Additionally, he served as adjust faculty at the National Capital Consortium's Family Medicine Residency Program, the Department of Defense's only tri-service residency program. Dr. Quinlan completed his military career at the Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD., where he has served as the Vice Chair in the Department of Family Medicine, Interim Chair of the Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, and Professor and Chair, Department of Family.
Dr. Quinlan's professional memberships include the Iowa Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, and Alpha Omega Alpha. He has served as a member of the AAFP's Commission on Health of the Public and Science, an Associate Editor of the Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics program, and a Deputy Editor for the Family Physician Inquiries Network.
Psychiatry Chair and Department Executive Officer
Welcome to the Family Medicine-Psychiatry training program at the University of Iowa! As the Department Chair in Psychiatry, I am excited about our educational mission. We are a highly regarded psychiatry department nationally in clinical care and research. We similarly believe we are a top department in the educational domain, as we are deeply committed to excellence in teaching, and have had great success in turning out well trained and highly sought after residents. Certainly our Family Medicine-Psychiatry residents have consistently been superb.
We are very proud of the success of our combined training programs. We are one of only three departments in the country that has both a combined Family Medicine-Psychiatry and a combined Internal Medicine-Psychiatry residency. These programs are built on the strong backbone of our department’s historic commitment to medical psychiatry. Witness former Department Chair George Winokur’s 1994 book The Medical Basis of Psychiatry, and the 2010 book edited by another former Department Chair, Bob Robinson, along with Clinical Professor Jim Amos, Psychosomatic Medicine: An Introduction to Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry.
The department has been training psychiatrists since the 1920s, with the first of these being Dr. George Sprague, who graduated in 1922. He went on to a distinguished career that included being on the committee that wrote the first Diagnostic and Statistical Manual or DSM, in 1952. Training in the combined Family Medicine-Psychiatry program began in the late 1990s.
Our Program Director and Associate Program Director, Drs. Monika Jindal and Victoria Tann, are wonderfully suited to their roles, as both straddle the two disciplines. They work together well, and provide ample support and guidance to the residents in the program.
Residents have an opportunity to learn and ask questions of leaders in their field, including, for example, Dr. Nicholas Trapp, an expert on TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation) and ECT (Electroconvulsive Therapy). As well as Dr. Mark Niciu, an expert on Ketamine treatments. Faculty members receive high marks for their teaching and for providing high quality patient care. Teaching occurs through didactic courses and seminars, but also through informal interactions. I personally see patients with our residents and discuss case formulation and management with them. A casual atmosphere encourages interaction between residents and faculty.
Many residents have published the results of research projects or literature reviews under the supervision of a faculty member, an activity that provides another valuable educational experience (about 60% do so). Some of our residents participate in the College of Medicine’s Physician Scientist Training Program. This unique program provides opportunities for mentorship, peer support, and funding to support research.
Our goal is to provide residents with a broad education that will prepare them for life-long self-learning and dedication to the practice of psychiatry at the forefront of evolving knowledge. We seek to provide residents with a variety of educational experiences so that they may choose among the many available career options. Our residents consistently score high on national examinations and frequently receive awards. These have recently included becoming the APA Member-in-Training Trustee-Elect, winning the American Society of Addiction Medicine Ruth Fox Scholarship and the Association of Medicine and Psychiatry Martin Fenton Award, and being named a Laughlin Fellow of the American College of Psychiatrists. The success of former residents in both clinical practice and academic settings attests to their quality and to the effectiveness of our training program.
While many of our Family Medicine-Psychiatry residents have gone into clinical positions, others have headed towards fellowships and academics, including positions at the University of Washington and UCLA . We are quite proud of these trainees as their excellent placements point to the high quality of the people who train here. It reflects well on the educational experience that is provided by our training directors and by all of our teaching faculty. It also highlights the esteem in which our program is held by these other outstanding medical centers.
We welcome your interest in the department, and look forward to getting to know you and letting you know more about the terrific opportunities that exist here in Iowa City. Both the city and the department are wonderfully friendly places with a strong sense of community. Come have a look. You’ll like what you find!
Peggy Nopoulos, MD
Professor of Psychiatry, Neurology, and Pediatrics
Chair and Department Executive Officer of Psychiatry
Professor of Psychiatry, Pediatrics and Neurology
Program Director
Welcome to the University of Iowa Family Medicine/Psychiatry Combined Residency Program! I'm glad you are interested in learning more about us. I am really proud of this program and our fantastic residents. If you are considering combined training in Family Medicine and Psychiatry, I encourage you to read on and find out what Iowa has to offer. I’m sure we’ll be a great fit for you!
Our program opened in 1998, and since then it has flourished. A critical element for our success is that both of our core departments remain steadfast in their support for combined training. At Iowa, we have broad patient care experiences and excellent training for residents in both specialties, and our residents get to work with many outstanding faculty physicians here. Education is a priority in both of our departments, and our residents are able to fully participate in learning activities in both departments.
The program's most important asset, however, is its residents. We have been lucky to consistently recruit an outstanding group of people to train here. I often hear from others around the hospital about how terrific our residents are. They are smart, hard-working, great team players, and they are dedicated to providing excellent care to their patients. But, they are not just colleagues, they have built strong friendships with each other. Residents get together after work to socialize, and they participate in community and volunteer/service activities as a group. Combined training is a unique and challenging pursuit, and the residents value their connection to others who share similar career passions.
In addition to combined training in family medicine and psychiatry, University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics also offers combined training in Internal Medicine and Psychiatry. Because we have two combined training programs, we have a relatively large community of combined training folks, with up to 10 residents in each combined training program and multiple faculty members who have completed combined training.
Combined training prepares physicians to practice simultaneously as family doctors and psychiatrists, and there are numerous ways to practice these specialties in combination. Our graduates are practicing in private practice and academic settings, hospital and clinical sites, research and teaching. Each graduate has followed their own path, creating a niche in the broad arena where mental and physical health overlap. Some focus more on psychiatry, some on family medicine, and some integrate both into their practice. We have graduates who focus on providing care in underserved populations, in geriatric patients, and in hospice and palliative care. One thing is certain, all of our graduates are sought by numerous employers who recognize the value of having a combined-trained physician on their staff.
If you are considering a combined training program in family medicine and psychiatry, take a look at our program at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics. If you have questions, please contact our program coordinator, Lisa Baggerly, at lisa-baggerly@uiowa.edu.
Monika Jindal, MD
Associate Professor
Program Director, Family Medicine Psychiatry Residency
Departments of Family Medicine
University of Iowa Health Care
Hi! Welcome to our website! I am a 2020 graduate of the family medicine and psychiatry residency program here at UIHC and enjoyed working with my colleagues and living in the area - so I decided to stay! It was an honor to be asked to join the leadership team! I take my responsibilities as associate program director very seriously. Our program provides excellent opportunities for training in family medicine and psychiatry. We work hard to tailor training to our residents' interests as well. We work as a team and enjoy learning from and teaching each other. If you are interested in combined residency training, we hope to hear from you or meet you at the annual Association of Medicine and Psychiatry conference (held in mid-October)!
Victoria (Torie) Tann, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
Clinical Assistant Professor of Family Medicine
Assistant Director, Family Medicine Psychiatry Residency
University of Iowa Health Care
Faculty
The faculty of the Departments of Family Medicine and Psychiatry is a large and accomplished group of people. Our faculty trained at a variety of medical schools and postgraduate programs, bringing a nice diversity to these departments. All the physicians are board certified and the faculty includes individuals who have extensive experience as practitioners, researchers, and educators.
Residents in our combined program work especially close with the following combined trained faculty members:
Monika Jindal, MD
Alison Lynch, MD, MS
Victoria Tann, MD
View a full list of faculty members:
Chief Residents
Meha Desai, MD
Class: 2026
Hometown: Naperville, Ill.
Undergraduate school: Illinois Institute of Technology
Medical school: University of Illinois at Chicago
Professional interests: integration of psychiatry into primary care, underserved medicine, global health, immigrant and refugee health, women's health
Outside interests: spending time with friends and family, cooking/baking, reading, painting, caring for houseplants, playing flute, tennis
Email: meha-desai@uiowa.edu
Angella Gyamfi, DO
Class: 2026
Hometown: Kumasi, Ghana & Apple Valley, Minn.
Undergraduate School: Cornell College
Medical School: William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine (WCUCOM)
Professional Interests: Integration of psychiatry and family medicine, global medicine, rural healthcare, underserved medicine, and mentoring pre-med individuals
Outside Interests: Spending time with family and friends, dancing, singing/choir, cooking, Korean cuisine, watching movies and Asian dramas, and learning about different cultures.
Email: angella-gyamfi@uiowa.edu
Program Coordinator
Lisa Baggerly
Program Coordinator
Department of Family Medicine
01110-F Pomerantz Family Pavilion (PFP)
University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics
200 Hawkins Drive
Iowa City, IA 52242
Phone: 1-319-384-5078
Fax: 1-319-384-7822
Email: fmpsych-residency@uiowa.edu