Meet Our Residents
The Johns Hopkins Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery hosts a robust residency program which seeks to provide residents with meaningful training and immersion in cutting edge research and innovative patient care in all areas of otolaryngology head and neck surgery. In addition to a clinical residency, our program also offers a research track that provides the most comprehensive experience possible. Meet our former residents.
For additional information, please email: [email protected].
Sahar Assi, M.D.
Hometown: Ansar, Lebanon
Undergraduate Education: American University of Beirut
Medical School: American University of Beirut
Track: R25
"When I am not in the hospital, I enjoy running, cooking Lebanese dishes, and playing Nintendo Switch games with my husband."
Alexander Dwyer, M.D., Ph.D.
Hometown: Stillwater, MN
Undergraduate Education: University of Wisconsin
Medical School: University of Minnesota
Track: 5 year
"When I am not in the hospital, I enjoy composing music, playing piano, going on walks in Patterson Park, and spending time with my wife and daughter."
Wesley Schoo, M.D., M.S.
Hometown: Waterloo, IA
Undergraduate Education: Cornell College
Medical School: University of Iowa
Track: R25
"When I'm not in the hospital, I enjoy exploring new places and local restaurants, and making smoked brisket and pulled pork with family and friends."
Alexandra Tunkel, M.D.
Hometown: Baltimore, MD
Undergraduate Education: University of Chicago
Medical School: George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences
Track: 5 Year
"When I am not in the hospital, I enjoy baking, traveling, crossword puzzles, and spending time with my corgi, Ivy!"
PGY-2
Samantha Lau, M.D.
Hometown: New York City, NY
Undergraduate Education: Sophie Davis Biomedical Education Program (7-year BS/MD program)
Medical School: CUNY School of Medicine
Track: 5 Year
"When I am not in the hospital, I enjoy reading mystery novels, doing cardio/yoga, and traveling the world with loved ones."
Diana Lopez, M.D., M.S.
Hometown: Miami, FL
Undergraduate Education: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Medical School: Cleveland Clinic Lerner School of Medicine
Track: 5 Year
"When I am not in the hospital I enjoy dancing, mostly ballet, exploring the Mid Atlantic with my husband and friends, and reading Spanish literature."
Caroline Cole, M.D.
Hometown: Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
Undergraduate Education: The University of Toronto
Medical School: Columbia Univ. College of Physicians and Surgeons
Track: 5 Year
"When I'm not in the hospital, I enjoy playing music, doing yoga, skiing, and spending time with my husband and daughter."
Brennan McMichael, M.D., M.B.A.
Hometown: Houston, TX
Undergraduate Education: University of Michigan, Ross School of Business
Medical School: University of Michigan Medical School
Track: T32/R25
"When I am not in the hospital, I enjoy biking, scuba, hiking, reading, and spending time with my family and my dog."
Tiffany Toni, M.D.
Hometown: Long Grove, IL
Undergraduate Education: University of Notre Dame
Medical School: University of Chicago Division of the Biological Sciences the Pritzker School of Medicine
Track: T32/R25
“When I am not in the hospital I enjoy spending time with my husband and going for long runs along the Baltimore harbor.”
PGY-3
Alexandra Berges, M.D.
Hometown: Ellicott City, MD
Undergraduate Education: Johns Hopkins University
Medical School: Johns Hopkins University
"When I’m not in the hospital, I enjoy baking bread, painting, hiking, going to local farmer’s markets, and exploring new places"
Tolani Olonisakin, M.D., Ph.D.
Hometown: Lagos, Nigeria
Undergraduate Education: Fisk University
Medical School: University of Pittsburgh
"When I’m not in the hospital, I enjoy cycling, swing dancing, and non-academic reading"
PGY-4
Grace Leu, M.D.
Hometown: Pleasanton, CA
Undergraduate Education: Cornell University
Medical School: Tufts University School of Medicine
"When I’m not in the hospital I enjoy running, cooking, hiking, skiing, backpacking, playing tennis, and doing yoga."
Christopher A. Maroun, M.D.
Hometown: Lowell, MA
Undergraduate Education: University of Massachusetts Lowell
Medical School: American University of Beirut
"When I'm not in the hospital, I enjoy eating at new (and old) places, playing guitar, game nights with friends, and DIY projects with my wife."
Kimberley Noij, M.D., Ph.D.
Hometown:
Undergraduate Education:
Medical School: VUmc School of Medical Sciences
"When I am not at the hospital, I enjoy jogging along the harbor, chatting with my family and exploring local cafes/restaurants with my husband and co-residents."
Sarek A. Shen, M.D., M.S.
Hometown: Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Undergraduate Education: Duke University
Medical School: University of California San Diego
"When I'm not in the hospital, I enjoy solving crosswords, watching basketball and movies, and exploring breweries."
PGY-5
Michael Z. Cheng, M.D.
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Undergraduate Education: University of California, Los Angeles
Medical School: Weill Cornell Medicine
“When I’m not in the hospital, I enjoy cooking, baking, weightlifting, playing and listening to music.”
Alia J. Mowery, M.D., M.C.R.
Hometown: Eugene, OR
Undergraduate Education: University of Oregon
Medical School: Oregon Health & Science University
“When I’m not in the hospital, I enjoy road trips to national parks (Yosemite is my favorite!), running, and crosswords.”
Zahra N. Sayyid, M.D., Ph.D.
Hometown: Fairfax, VA
Undergraduate Education: Stanford University
Medical School: Stanford University
"When I'm not in the hospital, I enjoy running around Patterson Park, eating at local restaurants (Smaltimore, Verde, and Bmore Licks!), scuba diving, and watching Netflix stand up specials."
Anirudh Saraswathula, M.D., M.S.
Hometown: Fairfax, VA
Undergraduate Education: Duke University
Medical School: Stanford University (2019)
"When I'm not in the hopsital, I enjoy finding new spots for camping and backpacking, cooking, and reading (particularly Cold War spy novels and Kurt Vonnegut books)."
Danielle R. Trakimas, M.D., M.S.E.
Hometown: Winchester, MA
Undergraduate Education: University of Michigan
Medical School: University of Massachusetts (2019)
"When I'm not in the hospital, I enjoy dancing, watching Harry Potter, eating Ekiben, and running along the Harbor.”
PGY-6
Nicholas S. Andresen, M.D.
Hometown: Apple Valley, MN
Undergraduate Education: Luther College
Medical School: University of Iowa (2018)
"When I'm not in the hospital I enjoy running, biking, and hanging out with my wife and dog, Bella."
Nicholas Scott-Wittenborn, M.D.
Hometown: Bernardsville, NJ
Undergraduate Education: Carleton College
Medical School: Washington University in St. Louis (2018)
"When I'm not in the hospital, I enjoy reading (mid-20th century fiction), soccer, and trying new restaurants."
Research
Andy Ding, M.D., M.S.E.
Hometown: Salt Lake City, UT
Undergraduate Education: University of California, Berkeley
Medical School: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
"When I’m not in the hospital, I enjoy cooking, traveling, hanging out with friends, trying new restaurants, and exploring subgenres of house music"
Sarah Bessen, M.D., M.P.H.
Hometown: Las Vegas, NV
Undergraduate Education: Dartmouth College
Medical School: Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
"When I’m not in the hospital, I like to play tennis, bake/try new Baltimore bakeries, and hang out with my dog, Freddie"
Ved Tanavde, M.D.
Hometown: Guilderland, NY
Undergraduate Education: Columbia University
Medical School: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
"When I'm not in the hospital, I enjoy playing guitar, cooking, running along the harbor, and trying the latest pastry at Café Dear Leon!"
Elaine Thompson, M.D., Ph.D.
Hometown: Leawood, KS
Undergraduate Education: Miami University
Medical School: Emory University
"When I’m not in the hospital, I enjoy gardening, playing volleyball with friends, and making homemade pizza"
