What makes the Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Program at WMed a good choice for you? Let our residents tell you what they think is special about our program and Kalamazoo. We have been called a 鈥渉idden gem". Find out why!
Class of 2025
Class of 2026
Class of 2027
Class of 2028
Class of 2029
Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio
What sets WMed Ortho Surgery apart in helping me reach my goals: Perfect combination of autonomy, operative experience/case load and great teachers invested in our education. A large percentage of our faculty graduated from the program and want to see it continue to succeed. I think it says a lot that so many people want to come back and establish their career here.
Hobbies/Interests: Brewing beer, recreational soccer, disc golf, hiking, running.
Best thing about living in Kalamazoo/southwest Michigan: The scenery. I really enjoy getting out on the water and exploring the hiking trails in the area. It鈥檚 great to have something relaxing to take advantage of on your off days.
Most interesting case I鈥檝e seen at WMed: Periacetabular Osteotomy
Hometown: Colchester, Connecticut
What sets WMed Ortho Surgery apart in helping me reach my goals: WMed has a strong focus on the resident as an individual. The Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Program promotes a resident friendly environment along with very supportive faculty. We are provided with a great clinical education and early operative experience. This program allows us to become competent clinicians and leaders in our profession and community.
Hobbies/Interests: I enjoy spending my time with my wife and children, enjoying all of the outdoor beauty southwestern Michigan has to offer.
Best thing about living in Kalamazoo/Southwest Michigan: Kalamazoo has had so much to offer my family and me. This has included everything from spending many beautiful days at Lake Michigan, hiking at the Nature Center and countless other trails, K-Wings hockey games as well as college hockey, visiting local breweries, and many great restaurants. It鈥檚 a large, but still close-knit, very friendly community. My family and I have really enjoyed living here.
Favorite part of the WMed Ortho Residency experience: My favorite part of the WMed Ortho Residency experience has been getting to know my co-residents and learning from the faculty. We have a lot of fun together as residents and the faculty are great teachers, who bring a lot of valuable experience.
Hometown: Iowa City, Iowa
What sets WMed Ortho Surgery apart in helping me reach my goals: The camaraderie in the Orthopaedic Surgery department here at Western Michigan is amazing. I know that my fellow residents are here for me in my educational journey and that the faculty and staff will always push me to be the best version of myself. I felt welcome at my residency program the second I matched here, and I knew that this was a place where I could fully realize my potential as a future Orthopaedic Surgeon.
Hobbies/Interests: I love the outdoors and having nerdy fun! This culminates in lots of hiking, rock climbing, camping, D&D, and LARPing with my wonderful (and equally nerdy) significant other.
Research interests: I have an interest in research on equality in the workplace and underrepresented minorities in the field of Orthopaedic Surgery
Go-to OR playlist: 鈥淐lassic Rock Roadtrip鈥 or 鈥淗eavy Metal Essentials鈥
Hometown: Grand Rapids, Michigan
What sets WMed Ortho Surgery apart in helping me reach my goals: The awareness that I am supported and well cared for by the faculty and fellow residents makes it space I know I will thrive. Additionally, the level engagement in research development also provides access to resources that allows me to pursue my interest in patient outcome driven care and research.
Hobbies/Interests: Rock climbing, kayaking, knitting, biking
Best thing about living in Kalamazoo and Southwest Michigan: Love the beaches, the lakes, rivers and ponds, and great options for hiking.
Go-to OR playlist: Pop rock or Indie Pop
Hometown: Bay City, Michigan
What sets WMed Ortho Surgery apart in helping me reach my goals: The tight-knit group of faculty and residents really helps foster a learning environment conducive to becoming an excellent orthopaedic surgeon. The one-on-one teaching that takes place is second to none, and will help me reach my goal of becoming a well-rounded orthopaedic surgeon taking care of a community in need of our specialized care.
Hobbies/Interests: Skiing, Biking, Weight lifting, Travelling
Best thing about living in Kalamazoo and Southwest Michigan: Kalamazoo is nice because it has a small-town feel but has the amenities of a larger city. Also we are in a central location where it is a relatively short drive to get to either Chicago, Detroit or Grand Rapids if you want more of a bigger city experience during your time off.
Go-to OR playlist: Hip Hop BBQ
Hometown: Placentia, California
What sets WMed Ortho Surgery apart in helping me reach my goals: The WMed orthopaedic surgery residency has a perfect combination of early operative experience, supportive faculty who assist in creating future leaders in the field, and strong camaraderie between co-residents that helps you thrive in your personal life as well. This program truly is the best place to learn to be an excellent orthopaedic surgeon and leader, with a good work-life balance.
Hobbies/Interests: Weight lifting, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, golfing, cooking, watching NBA games and MMA, and spending time with my family.
Research Interests: Arthroscopic procedures, cartilage restoration
Go-to OR playlist: Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack
Hometown: Germantown, Wisconsin
What sets WMed Ortho Surgery apart in helping me reach my goals: The faculty have a genuine interest in helping the residents, and they are willing to make sure we obtain our goals even if it means taking on extra time or increased workload.
Hobbies/Interests: Exploring the outdoors with my wife and dog, fantasy football, Wisconsin sports
Best thing about living in Kalamazoo/Southwest Michigan: My wife and I have been so pleasantly surprised by all the events and activities Kalamazoo has to offer. There is a wide breadth of fun to be had from festivals and farmers markets occurring nearly every weekend, a lively downtown scene, and a quick car ride to the beautiful outdoor nature sites Michigan has to offer. Kalamazoo is on the up and up, and it is a great time to be part of it.
Go-to OR playlist: Dave Matthews Band Radio
Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri
What sets WMed Orthopaedics apart in helping me reach my goals: The people are fantastic. The close-knit community is really supportive and sets you up for success. That coupled with early operative experience and a mentorship model that helps develop relationships with faculty members that further your training really make WMed stand out.
Hobbies/Interests: wood-working, spending time with my family, reading history and science fiction, and weightlifting
Best thing about living in Kalamazoo/Southwest Michigan: Getting to be near beaches while also being in a place that it snows (also the cost of living)
Go-to OR playlist: Classic Rock Workout
Hometown: Orange County, California
What sets WMed Ortho Surgery apart in helping me reach my goals: Our program leadership is truly invested in each one of us from our very first day. With smaller size comes individualized attention and strong relationships from the get go. We have access to bioengineering and translational research labs, clinically applicable wet lab curriculum, and the ability to work within two different hospital systems just 10 minutes apart, giving us an insight into different ways of practice. With each subspecialty strongly represented in our curriculum, and graduating residents matching successfully into the programs of their choosing, I have the utmost faith that I am receiving excellent training here at WMed.
Hobbies/Interests: Spending as much time on the water as I can, hiking/running nearby trails and parks, trying new recipes, and FaceTiming family back home in California.
Best thing about living in Kalamazoo/Southwest Michigan: There is endless access to beautiful parks and lakes to enjoy in every season. When you want a bigger city feel, Grand Rapids, Chicago, and Detroit are all a short day trip away and have amazing culture and energy. Kalamazoo also has a vibrant community of artists, chefs, and creators that put on festivals and art shows regularly throughout the year. You get a little bit of everything here!
Go-to OR playlist: Anything with Lizzo.
Hometown: Scottsdale, Arizona
What sets WMed Ortho Surgery apart in helping me reach my goals: Camaraderie between residents creates an atmosphere that is conducive to my learning and success towards becoming an orthopedic surgeon.
Hobbies/Interests: I love the outdoors. Hiking tall mountains to mountain biking, to camping.
Best thing about living in Kalamazoo/Southwest Michigan: Summer and fall in Kalamazoo are amazing if you love the outdoors. Kalamazoo's cost of living also allows residents the option of buying or renting.
Go-to OR playlist: 2000's throwback
Hometown: Elgin, Illinois
What sets WMed Ortho Surgery apart in helping me reach my goals: Early operative experience to develop surgical skills.
Hobbies/Interests: Reading, hiking, exploring downtown.
Research Interests: Biomaterials and implants.
Best thing about living in Kalamazoo/Southwest Michigan: Great hiking locations, craft breweries, and not too far from the beach.
Hometown: Vicksburg, Michigan
What sets WMed Ortho Surgery apart in helping me reach my goals: The WMed Orthopaedic surgery residency lives up to its reputation of being a 鈥渉idden gem鈥! The program size and structure emphasizes early operative experience and fosters close mentor-like relationships. The camaraderie among residents is amazing and offers a supportive educational environment. I am confident I will graduate from the program as a well-rounded individual and orthopaedic surgeon!
Hobbies/Interests: Spending time with my family and friends, hiking, bouldering/rock-climbing, true crime podcasts, my cat Esther.
Best thing about living in Kalamazoo/Southwest Michigan: Kalamazoo offers a small-town feel with all the amenities of a larger city! You are never far from a lake or other outdoor activities. But most importantly, no traffic!
Go-to OR playlist: Big Bootie Mix by Two Friends
Hometown: Fargo, North Dakota
What sets WMed Ortho Surgery apart in helping me reach my goals: The faculty are invested in my education and every person you meet along the way is there to help you learn and become a better orthopedic surgeon. The small class size and community feel allows for close mentorship with faculty. Additionally, the mentorship between resident classes makes me feel supported, encouraged, and empowered to reach and exceed any goals I might set.
Hobbies/Interests: Reading, cooking, kayaking, and biking.
Favorite part of the WMed Ortho Residency Experience: My coresidents! We are each other鈥檚 educators, supporters, and friends.
Go-to OR playlist: Shania Twain
Hometown: Lemont, Illinois
What sets WMed Ortho Surgery apart in helping me reach my goals: It really is a tight-knit community of residents who are invested in each other's success and who genuinely enjoy spending time with each other. I have really felt welcome during my time here. Additionally, both of the hospitals in Kalamazoo offer us a wide variety of operative opportunities which makes for a very well-rounded training experience.
Hobbies/Interests:Playing violin, cooking with my wife, hiking, and spending time outdoors
Future career plans:I will likely do fellowship. While I still have a wide breadth of orthopaedic surgery to experience, my current interests range from hand to spine to trauma.
Best thing about living in Kalamazoo: The affordability allowed my wife and I to purchase our first home, and the location provides ample opportunities for weekend excursions like hiking trails and breweries while being in close proximity to larger cities like Chicago and Detroit.
Hometown: Marysville, Ohio, and Sk忙lsk酶r, Denmark
What sets WMed Ortho Surgery apart in helping me reach my goals: WMed Ortho Surgery provides a supportive and collaborative environment that fosters both personal and professional growth. The program's hands-on approach and emphasis on resident autonomy allow me to develop the skills and confidence I need to excel in orthopedic surgery.
Hobbies/Interests:I enjoy powerlifting/bodybuilding, playing Spikeball, volleyball, pickleball, hiking, exploring different coffee shops, and spending quality time with my cats.
Favorite part of the WMed Ortho Residency Experience: The sense of community and camaraderie among residents and faculty is my favorite part of the WMed Ortho Residency experience. The program's culture promotes a balance of hard work and fun, which makes the challenging moments more manageable and the successes even more rewarding.
Go-to OR playlist: Full of 90s alternative hits. Bands like Pearl Jam, Weezer, Foo Fighters, Green Day.
