Neil Kondamuri, MD
PGY-5
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.
Nicholas Oberhelman, MD
PGY-5
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.
Megan Wu, MD
PGY-5
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.
Kaitlin McArthur, MD
PGY-4
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.
Lauren Pinzas, MD
PGY-4
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).
Claire Tolan, MD
PGY-4
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!
Arushi Mahajan
PGY-3
Arushi was born and raised in Troy, MI. She attended college at the University of Michigan where she studied Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience. She stayed at the University of Michigan for Medical School and was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha honor medical society. Arushi was not yet ready to leave Ann Arbor, so she stayed to get her MBA from the Ross School of Business. She is so excited to join the UChicago family and learn from such incredible people. In her free time, Arushi likes to play pickleball, go on long walks with an iced latte, and spend time with family/friends!
Tina Lam
PGY-3
Tina was born and raised in Grand Rapids, MI. She attended the University of Michigan for undergrad and majored in Kinesiology. After college, she spent a year as a medical scribe at various community and academic hospitals in Chicago. She received her medical degree from the Medical College of Wisconsin. She was lucky enough to discover otolaryngology early on in medical school and immediately fell in love with the field and people. She is incredibly excited and grateful to be joining the University of Chicago Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery family. In her free time, Tina enjoys concerts and live music, hanging out at the lakefront, traveling with her partner, and spending time with her two cats, Chai and Luma!
Adam Morin
PGY-3
Adam was born and raised in Aleppo, Syria. He then moved to northern Virginia when he was 9 years old. He attended Davidson College where he majored in Public Health and minored in Chemistry. After college, he participated in cancer research in Boston at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. He received his medical degree from Rush Medical College and he was fortunate enough to remain in Chicago, joining the wonderful Otolaryngology team at the University of Chicago. In his free time, Adam enjoys spending time with his fiancée, sunrise hikes, skiing, and live music.
Mary Kress
PGY-2
Mary was born in the city of Chicago and raised in a surrounding suburb. She spent eight years in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where she completed her undergraduate degree in Neuroscience and her medical degree at the University of Michigan. A proud Wolverine, she loved her time in Ann Arbor and especially loves Michigan football. Mary couldn’t be more excited to join the University of Chicago Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery team and to be back home near her friends, family, and her dog—all of whom she adores. In her spare time, Mary enjoys skiing, cooking, thrifting, and of course, college football Saturdays.
Murtala Affini
PGY-2
Murrie was born and primarily raised in Dayton, Ohio, but spent almost two years in Tema, Ghana as a child. He graduated from the University of Chicago for his undergraduate and medical school degrees, where he was inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society. Murrie is ecstatic to continue learning and growing here as a training surgeon, alongside providers and patients that make him want to be better each and every day. While Murrie enjoys doing all things soccer (watching, playing, and training youth players), watching romcoms, and solving chess puzzles, he really loves living and laughing with his family, friends, and fiancée.
Rose Dimitroyannis
PGY-2
Rose was born and raised in Elgin, IL. She attended the University of Chicago for undergrad with a major in Psychology. After graduating, she worked for one year at a small family practice right outside of the city before returning to the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine for her medical degree. Rose couldn’t be more excited to stick around in Hyde Park for another five years and join the incredible OHNS crew at UChicago. In her free time Rose can be found rock climbing, brewing kombucha, painting and hanging out with her partner and their cat, Tira!
Megan Noonan
PGY-1
Megan grew up in Horsham, PA, just outside of Philadelphia. She attended Clemson University (go tigers!) for undergrad where she majored in Biochemistry and minored in English. She returned to Philadelphia for medical school at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University. While there she also earned an M.A. in Health Justice and Bioethics. She was drawn to the welcoming culture and awesome people at UChicago and is excited to be joining the team. Outside of medicine, Megan enjoys crochet, ultimate frisbee, visiting national parks when able to, and is always down for a game or trivia night.
Nina Patel
PGY-1
Nina grew up in Phoenix and attended Arizona State University, where she studied global health. She stayed at ASU for both her bachelor’s and master’s, and then went on to the University of Cambridge to continue graduate studies that surrounded her interests in global health, health policy, and surgical care. Prior to medical school, she worked at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on initiatives to improve health outcomes in low-resource settings. While in medical school, Nina was introduced to otolaryngology through her mentors and quickly became interested in the field after witnessing how the care could transform patient lives by restoring function and improving quality of life. Her academic interests also include global otolaryngology, surgical education, and strengthening health systems in resource-limited settings. She is excited to start residency at the University of Chicago and is grateful to be joining such a supportive and collaborative community. Outside of medicine, Nina enjoys improv comedy and story slams, glassblowing, traveling, and checking out new restaurants.
Hani Samarah
PGY-1
Hani was born in Flagstaff, Arizona, and raised in Melbourne, Florida. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Public Health from the University of South Florida before dedicating several years to the nonprofit sector. Driven by a commitment to clinical medicine, Hani returned to academia to complete a second bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences at Florida International University (FIU), followed by his MD at FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine in 2026. Between 2024 and 2025, he completed a dedicated research fellowship at the Department of Otolaryngology at Thomas Jefferson University, where he advanced his expertise in head and neck surgical research. He is thrilled to join the University of Chicago Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery family and continue his training. Outside of clinical duties, Hani prioritizes an active lifestyle through running, yoga, and weightlifting. He deeply values collegiality and frequently spends his free time exploring the outdoors, connecting with family and friends, and unwinding at home with his two cats, Mango and Lychee!