Education

Meet the OHNS Residents

 

 

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Nirali Patel, MD
PGY-5

Nirali was originally born in Northern New Jersey and spent a few years living in India before returning to Rockaway, New Jersey where she spent her childhood with her older brother and parents. She graduated from Boston College with a double major in English literature and Biology. She subsequently returned to the Garden State to attend medical school at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. She became interested in Otolaryngology during her third-year surgery rotation. During her fourth year, she rotated at the U of C and instantly fell in love with the program. Outside of work, Nirali enjoys listening to podcasts, cooking, spending time with her friends and family, and exploring (read: eating her way through) Chicago.

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Zachary A. Warren, MD
PGY-5

Zach grew up in Southern California before moving to Austin, Texas with his family. He went to Texas A&M University (Gig ‘Em Ags!), where he studied biomedical sciences and graduated summa cum laude. For medical school, he attended the The University of Texas Medical Branch. During that time, he worked as a tutor for board preparation, which cultivated his passion for teaching, and was a writer for the school of medicine blog. He was inducted into the Gold Humanism and Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Societies, and graduated cum laude and as a physician healer scholar. After completing a sub-internship at UChicago during his fourth year of medical school, Zach fell in love with the program and its close knit family vibe.

A former barista, in his free time, Zach enjoys experimenting with making good coffee and cocktails. He loves to travel and engage in different cultures, and loves talking to people about their passions. He is an avid reader and claims to have never lost a Harry Potter trivia challenge. In Chicago, he has enjoyed making new friends, going to the beach (in the summer!), and experiencing the incredible food scene in Chicago.

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Aaron Wallace, MD
PGY-4

Aaron was raised in Upstate New York, except for a year in Poland while his mother was a Fulbright scholar and an exchange to Russia in high school. He attended Cornell University, where he studied Biology and Russian. He then spent a year working as a medical assistant near Boston, prior to matriculating at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. He discovered otolaryngology during his third-year surgery clerkship, during which time he was quickly drawn to the field and culture. He is absolutely thrilled to be staying at the University of Chicago to continue his training. He is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa and Alpha Omega Alpha honor societies. Outside of medicine, Aaron enjoys exploring Chicago’s neighborhoods and food scenes, baking (particularly pies and tarts), running, yoga, studying languages, and spending time with his partner and his pug.

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Samuel Auger, MD
PGY-4

Sam was born in Rhode Island, grew up in Ecuador, and has called Chicago home since attending North Park University, where he majored in Global Studies. Following graduation, he spent a year in Bulgaria on a Fulbright scholarship teaching English and travelling through Eastern Europe, and two years working in higher education IT writing code and drinking coffee. He studied medicine at Rush University Medical College where he discovered the wonderful field of otolaryngology and is very excited to be continuing his training at the University of Chicago, where spent a month during his fourth year rotations. Outside the hospital, Sam enjoys photographing local bands, running marathons, and tinkering with computers.

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David Grande,  MD
PGY-4

David was born and raised in Park Ridge, IL. David attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison for his undergraduate studies, where he majored in Psychology. Afterwards, he worked in clinical research at Northwestern Medicine within the Division of Gastroenterology. He completed his medical degree at Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine where he was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha honor medical society. David couldn’t be more thrilled to join the University of Chicago Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery family. In his spare time, David enjoys cooking, winemaking, beekeeping, and watching stand-up comedy.

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Maximilian Hemmrich, MD
PGY-3

Max was born and raised in a small town in Germany and moved to Michigan with his family when he was 8. He attended the University of Michigan (Go Blue!) for his undergraduate studies, graduating with a degree in Computer Science & Engineering. After a brief stint as a software engineer in the Bay Area, he matriculated at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. He fell in love with both the field of otolaryngology and the UChicago OHNS department during his third-year surgery clerkship and is overjoyed to be joining this incredible group for residency! In his free time, Max likes to lift things up and put them down, play chess with various department members, keep up with tech trends, and hang out with his fiancée and two kittens.

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Onyekachi (Ezinna) Nnabue, MD
PGY-3

Ezinna was born in Nigeria and grew up in Los Angeles, California. He attended UCLA where he received his degree in Physiological Science. He received his medical degree from UCSF School of Medicine where he graduated with distinction. Ezinna discovered otolaryngology at the end of his third year in medical school and spent a year between his third and fourth year in a basic science laboratory studying submucosal glands in chronic rhinosinusitis. He looks forward to continuing his training at the University of Chicago and exploring all the city has to offer. Outside of work Ezinna enjoys playing with new tech and gadgets, outdoor activities, tennis, high-intensity exercise, and board games. In the future, he also plans to consider learning how to cook.

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Julia Naman Thomas, MD
PGY-3

Julia was raised in Columbus, Georgia, located on the banks of the Chattahoochee River. She went to Yale University for undergrad and majored in Environmental Studies. After college, she received her Master of Science in Public Health from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill where she focused on water, sanitation, and hygiene issues. Over the next two years, she had an assortment of jobs from public health work with a disaster relief organization in the Philippines and Greece to receptionist at a primary care clinic. She eventually realized her love for direct patient care and decided to pursue a degree at the Pritzker School of Medicine. During her clerkships, she discovered the incredible field of Otolaryngology and she’s overjoyed to be continuing her training at the University of Chicago, where her interest was initially sparked. In her free time, Julia enjoys rock climbing, trying to keep plants alive, exploring Chicago’s many parks, and most importantly, doing anything with her husband and very sweet baby boy.

Neil Kondamuri

Neil Kondamuri, MD
PGY-2

Neil grew up in a small town in northwest Indiana called Munster. He left the midwest for college at Duke and now loves college basketball. After studying public policy and economics, he went to work at a healthcare consulting firm in Washington DC, only to realize he wanted to go into the practice of medicine. After a post-bacc, he matriculated at Brown University and feels fortunate to have discovered ENT early in med school. After completing an away rotation at UChicago, he fell in love with the program and could not be happier to be returning to the midwest. In his free time, he rock climbs, reads, plays tennis, and can frequently be found YouTubing either tennis matches or late-night comedy.

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Nicholas Oberhelman, MD
PGY-2

Nick was born and raised in San Jose, CA. He attended the University of Oregon for undergrad, where he majored in Biology. Afterwards, he worked as a clinical research coordinator at Stanford University, where he discovered his interest in Otolaryngology while working on head and neck cancer clinical trials. He received his medical degree from Oregon Health and Science University. Nick’s passion for Otolaryngology grew throughout medical school, which included a sub-internship at University of Chicago. During that time, he truly connected with the close-knit faculty and residents and he is thrilled to be joining the U of C ENT family for his residency training. Outside of work, Nick enjoys traveling with his wife Ariana, all things sports, grilling, mixology, tackling home improvement projects, and exploring the outdoors with his German Shepherd, Hans.

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Megan Wu, MD
PGY-2

Megan grew up in the suburbs of Chicago in Naperville, IL. She attended college at the University of Chicago, where she studied Biochemistry, Biology, and Chemistry. She went to medical school at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine where she was inducted into Alpha Sigma Nu and graduated cum laude. She is beyond grateful and excited to return to the University of Chicago for residency and to join the OHNS family. In her free free time, you can find Megan at a Broadway show, a symphony orchestra concert, an ice-cream shop, running along the lakefront, playing piano, or planning her next hiking trip.

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Kaitlin McArthur, MD 
PGY-1

Kaitlin was born and raised in the small town of Berrien Springs in southwest Michigan. She attended Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska, receiving a bachelor's degree in Chemistry and an associate degree in Business Administration. Kaitlin earned her medical degree from Loma Linda University Medical School. She is incredibly excited and grateful to have the opportunity to return to the Midwest and is thrilled to join the University of Chicago Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery family. In her free time, Kaitlin enjoys baking, playing board games, planning her next hiking adventure, and hanging out with her husband and two cats.

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Lauren Pinzas, MD
PGY-1

Lauren was born and raised in San Jose, CA and studied Vocal Performance and Psychology at Southern Methodist University. Following graduation, she completed a research year at the UCSF Helen Diller Comprehensive Cancer Center. She earned her MD from Baylor College of Medicine, where she also graduated from a four-year academic pathway in Care of the Underserved, received the Dean's distinction in Service Learning, and was inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society. Lauren was first drawn to the field of Otolaryngology after experiencing vocal problems while preparing for her first professional operatic role. She is beyond grateful and utterly thrilled to be joining the exceptional University of Chicago Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery family for her residency training. Beyond the hospital, Lauren can be found chipping away at her goal of hiking all 63 national parks, singing, caring for variegated tropical plants, and spending time with her partner (another UChicago resident!) and their cat (not a UChicago resident).

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Claire Tolan, MD
PGY-1

Claire was born and raised in Minnesota. For her undergraduate degree, she left the cold and moved to San Diego, CA to attend the University of San Diego where she majored in Biochemistry. Following college Claire worked as an implementation consultant for Provation MD, a physician documentation application. She completed her medical degree at Creighton University in Omaha, NE. Claire completed an away rotation at the University of Chicago where she fell in love with the family feel of the department. She is so thankful and excited to become a permanent member of the Head and Neck Surgery family. Outside of the hospital, Claire enjoys exploring Chicago's food scene, tending to her houseplants, and spending time with her dog Murphy!

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