Program Year 2 Residents 2024 - 2025
Ghassan (Gus) Bou Saba, M.D.
Medical School: American University of Beirut
Undergrad: American University of Beirut
Activities/Hobbies: Rugby, spinning, watching indie movies, and anything involving spending time in nature. My ultimate favorite activity is to travel around the world and discover new cities and food!
Home Country: Deir El Kamar, Lebanon
Why Hopkins: I chose Hopkins because of its versatility as an academic institution, its mission to advance medical research and practice, and its important role in caring for the local community. I loved the program’s philosophy of support, collaboration, and feedback for improvement. I felt a strong sense of community and camaraderie during the interview. I was also excited about the opportunity to cultivate my interests through the Focused Advanced Specialty Training.
Ghassan (Gus) Bou Saba grew up in Beirut, Lebanon. He went to the American University of Beirut where he completed an undergraduate degree in Biology (B.S.) and subsequent medical training. During his free time, he used to volunteer as an EMT with the Lebanese Red Cross. After graduating, he moved to Boston to focus on Global Health Research with a group that works on innovative medical and structural solutions for intractable health problems in resource-restricted settings, including the establishment of a Rapid Response Team in a hospital in rural Kenya and the implementation of a low-cost CPAP device that does not require electricity, used for infants in respiratory distress, in a governmental hospital in the Philippines. He is interested in learning more about the role of Emergency Medicine in various healthcare systems around the world and looks forward to continuing his work in Global Health.
Austin Drewek, M.D.
Medical School: New York University—Long Island
Undergrad: Westmont College
Activities/Hobbies: Skiing, photography, backpacking, forgetting to water plants
Home State: Colorado
Why Hopkins: I chose Hopkins for many reasons, but was distinctly drawn to the wonderful sense of community that all of the residents and faculty so obviously demonstrated. Almost immediately, I knew it was a place I could happily call home. The combination of this community and the program’s deep commitment to education and leadership formation provides a truly incredible opportunity.
Austin Drewek grew up in Golden, CO spending much of his time enjoying the great outdoors and adhering to the typical Colorado stereotypes. He attended Westmont College in Santa Barbara, CA where he studied Biology and briefly returned to the Denver area to work as an EMT thereafter. He attended medical school at NYU Long Island and immediately jumped at the first opportunity to leave New York. Austin maintains several interests in Emergency Medicine, including Medical Education, Toxicology, and Critical Care, and is looking forward to developing these interests further while at Hopkins.
Lauren Gard, M.D., M.P.H.
Medical School: Chicago Medical School/Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
Graduate: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Undergrad: Willamette University
Activities/Hobbies: Drawing, long nature walks, spending time with loved ones, corralling my cats
Home State: Oregon
Why Hopkins: There were many reasons I chose Hopkins, but most importantly I felt a strong sense of community – kind and genuine people committed to serving the community and working to improve health equity. I was also drawn to the unique fourth year opportunity through the FAST program to pursue and develop my own professional niche.
Lauren Gard was born and raised in Portland, Oregon with her four siblings. She attended Willamette University and majored in psychology with a minor in studio arts. She later attended Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health where she met her husband and earned an MPH. Prior to medical school, she worked in a public health research role at Northwestern University, focused on education related to the social determinants of health. She is passionate about health equity, systems thinking and health policy.
Chastity Greene, M.D., M.H.S.
Medical School: Meharry Medical College
Graduate: Meharry Medical College School of Graduate Research
Undergrad: Texas Southern University
Activities/Hobbies: Cooking and trying new restaurants, being outdoors, being a “plant mom” (I love my orchid) and DIY/crafting.
Home State: Texas
Why Hopkins: The genuine energy that I felt during my interview and the candor of the faculty and residents drew me to Hopkins. I am excited to participate in the FAST program and find my niche amongst all of the things EM has to offer. I am looking forward to the opportunity to serve the Baltimore community and explore the uniqueness of Charm City.
Chastity Greene was born and raised in Houston, TX. She attended Texas Southern University earning a B.S. in Biology while serving in several leadership positions and as a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Upon graduation, Chastity became an Emergency Department scribe and was also a Scribe Trainer and Quality Assurance Specialist. Her love for Emergency Medicine and mentoring was cultivated in the 3 years she worked in the department. She attended Meharry Medical College in Nashville, TN where she earned a Masters in Health Sciences and went on to attend medical school there. She continued engaging in various leadership roles and served as a mentor to several underclassmen and participated in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. Her academic interests include Medical Education, Pediatric Emergency Medicine, and Ultrasound.
Sarah Grosser, M.D., M.A.
Medical School: Renaissance School of Medicine at the State University of New York at Stony Brook
Graduate: Master of Arts in Biotechnology from Brown University; Master of Arts in The Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care, and Bioethics from Stony Brook University
Undergrad: Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience from Brown University
Activities/Hobbies: Embroidery, knitting, rock climbing, reading, photosynthesizing, spending time with friends and family
Home State: New York
Why Hopkins: I chose Johns Hopkins largely because of my interview day experience. Even over Zoom, the easy camaraderie, passion for learning, and dedication to the surrounding Baltimore community was palpable. From the very start of my medical training, my goal has been to become a physician capable of combining cutting-edge evidence-based medicine with patient-centered compassionate care. Johns Hopkins seemed like the program best suited to help me keep working towards that goal.
Sarah Grosser was born on the south shore of Long Island, New York to the most supportive parents ever to exist. She attended Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island where she received an undergraduate degree in Neuroscience with a focus on Neurogenetics and then a master’s degree in Biotechnology. While working on her biotech degree, Sarah began working as a medical scribe for multiple Brown University-affiliated Emergency Departments in hospitals throughout Providence. She carried with her the excellent lessons she learned from Brown EM to the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University where her passion for Emergency Medicine continued to grow. While working on her medical degree, she concurrently completed a master’s degree in Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care, and Bioethics where she cultivated her dedication to combatting health inequities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Sarah is excited to further develop these varied interests while also exploring other clinical interests such as palliative care and critical care. Sarah’s biggest hope coming into the program is that she can learn to serve the Baltimore community with utmost care.
Audrey Ogendi, M.D., M.P.H.
Medical School: Michigan State University College of Human Medicine
Graduate: University of Virginia, Department of Public Health Sciences
Undergrad: University of Virginia
Activities/Hobbies: Love watching African movies (Nollywood), reading, working out, traveling, ATV riding, water sports
Home State/Country: Kenya/Maryland
Why Hopkins: I chose Hopkins for the diverse patient community it serves, committed teaching faculty and staff, and available resources to further contribute, promote, and advance global health initiatives. During my interview day, I saw how Hopkins is dedicated to giving back to the surrounding community and advancing research to combat social determinants of health.
Audrey Ogendi was born in a small village in Kisii, Kenya, and emigrated to the United States at the early age of six. She grew up in Maryland and then Alabama, where she attended the Alabama School of Mathematics and Science (ASMS), graduating at the top of her class as a Gates Millennium Scholar. The scholarship funded her undergraduate and graduate studies at the University of Virginia, where she earned her bachelor’s in Women and Gender Studies and Master’s in Public Health. During her studies at UVA, she conducted global health research initiatives in Cameroon, South Africa, and St. Kitts and Nevis, engaging and making long lasting community health impacts. These endeavors ignited her ambition to pursue medicine with a focus on underserved populations and global health. Prior to embarking on her medical career, Audrey worked for a small biotech company with the goal of advancing treatment for patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus through clinical trials. Audrey is a recipient of an M.D. from Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, and as a Johns Hopkins EM resident, is eager to make an impact in medical education and global and women’s health. Ultimately, she hopes to one day start an Emergency Medicine residency in Kisii, Kenya where she was born.
Parker Ragle, M.D.
Medical School: UT Southwestern
Undergrad: Vanderbilt University
Activities/Hobbies: Playing pick-up basketball, learning new board games, reading books that make me think, and the Dallas Mavericks.
Home State: Texas
Why Johns Hopkins: I chose Hopkins because I felt like they prioritized seeing their residents as more than doctors and their patients as more than sick people. I felt like this program would develop me into not only a world-class physician but also a more compassionate and thoughtful individual. Furthermore, I am very excited about the Hopkins EM mission to provide the world’s best care to every individual who comes searching for help, all in an environment that emphasizes collaboration and wellness.
Parker Ragle was born and raised just north of Dallas in Plano, TX. He went to college at Vanderbilt University and double majored in Economics and in Medicine, Health, and Society where he discovered his passion for public health. He then returned home to Texas to go to medical school at UT Southwestern. In medical school, he helped launch a program that connected people experiencing homelessness with mentors and resources to help empower them to achieve their goals. He is very excited to further explore his interests of global/community health and medical education at Johns Hopkins. Parker is also looking forward to experiencing the four seasons and the rich culture of Baltimore.
Vinay Srinivasan, M.D., M.P.H.
Medical School: David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Graduate: University of Washington
Undergrad: Pomona College
Activities/Hobbies: Soccer (COYG!), running, hiking, cooking, trying new breweries, family time
Home State: Georgia
Why Hopkins: I was blown away by the effortless kindness, warmth, and energy shown by everyone on interview day and beyond. Strong community within a program was an extremely important consideration for me, and I felt confident in the support I would have here when things inevitably get tough during residency.
Vinay Srinivasan was born and raised an hour outside Atlanta before heading west to Pomona College. He then worked as a post-bachelor fellow at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation in Seattle where he also completed his MPH. He returned to LA for medical school where his spark for EM emerged from the field’s core commitment to serving anyone, anywhere, at any time. His academic interests are in social EM, population health, and infectious disease. He and his partner Nathalie are extremely excited for the new adventure on the east coast!
Joshua Taubman, M.D.
Medical School: Jacobs School of Medicine University at Buffalo
Undergrad: State University of New York at Buffalo
Activities/Hobbies: Endurance sports (particularly cycling and running), visiting National Parks, watching movies, and spending time with friends and family
Home State: Pennsylvania
Joshua Taubman was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania but grew up in Buffalo, NY where he attended University at Buffalo with a B.S. in Biomedical Sciences and a minor in Pharmacology/Toxicology. During undergraduate he worked as an Emergency Department Scribe and as an AEMT at a local ambulance company. He obtained his medical degree from the Jacobs School of Medicine at Biomedical Sciences at SUNY at Buffalo. After completing PGY-1 year in the Emergency Medicine program at UB, he transferred to Johns Hopkins to continue his training. His interests within Emergency Medicine include critical care medicine, ultrasound, and medical education. Outside of the hospital Josh enjoys endurance sports (particularly cycling and running), visiting National Parks, watching movies, and spending time with friends and family.
Christopher Wend, M.D.
Medical School: George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences
Undergrad: Johns Hopkins University
Activities/Hobbies: Running, hiking, reading non-fiction, exploring new restaurants and museums
Home State: Pennsylvania
Why Hopkins: I chose Hopkins because of the amazing residents and faculty I met during my sub-I and interview day, Hopkins’ history of building strong clinicians, the program’s leading role in prehospital and tactical medicine, and the opportunity for a dedicated FAST year to build my out-of-hospital interests.
Chris Wend was born and raised in New Jersey but has spent most of his life in Pennsylvania, outside of Philadelphia. He attended Johns Hopkins for college where he studied neuroscience. Since starting as a volunteer firefighter and EMT in high school, Chris has built a strong interest in prehospital care and emergency services. After college, he worked as a paramedic on Hopkins’ critical care transport team, Lifeline, and at 911 agencies in the suburbs of Philadelphia. He attended medical school at George Washington University where he had a scholarly concentration in disaster medicine. Chris is excited to be back at Hopkins to continue to grow his passion for EM and out-of-hospital medicine.
Christian Wood, M.D.
Medical School: Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
Undergrad: University of Notre Dame
Activities/Hobbies: Running, hiking, camping, playing basketball, playing guitar (sometimes along with the harmonica!)
Home State: Pennsylvania
Why Johns Hopkins: There were many reasons why I chose Hopkins, but the two that were the most important to me were the strong community that the residents seemed to have and the opportunity to work alongside others who are motivated to serve the Baltimore community. The FAST program at Hopkins is also unique, and will allow me to pursue my interests related to healthcare administration and health equity.
Christian Wood grew up in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. He went to the University of Notre Dame for undergrad, where he majored in biochemistry and economics. After graduation (and after spending two months hiking on the Pacific Crest Trail) he did a year of service in Baltimore through the organization Bon Secours Volunteer Ministry. He then went back home to the Philadelphia area for medical school, studying at the University of Pennsylvania. Christian is so excited to be back in Baltimore and to begin his training in Emergency Medicine. When not in the Emergency Department, Christian likes to run, hike, play the guitar, and spend time with his friends and family.