Class of 2020 (Interns)
Tamara Armstrong, MD
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Hello everyone- I’m Tamara! I hail from Humboldt County, California (where the redwood trees are), but my family moved to Tucson right before I started high school. I went to U of A for undergrad (bear down!) and then ventured out to Eastern Virginia for medical school, mainly so I could study on the beach. I’m thrilled to be back in Arizona and at such an incredible program! I chose Copa because I knew I would be challenged in all the right ways while being supported by a group of amazing and fun people. Everyone here is super welcoming and you truly feel like part of the family. Plus, phoenix has all the perks of living in a big city without a crazy high cost of living and horrible traffic. In addition to exploring Phoenix, I also enjoy playing board games, reading psychological thrillers, binge watching Hulu, cuddling with my two cats, going to live shows and concerts, traveling to new places and pretty much anything involving water (swimming, river tubing, kayaking). I am beyond excited to start my new adventure as part of the Copa crew!
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Aubri Carman, MD
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Hey all! I was born in Utah and moved to the desert at age 10. I thought I was ready to leave AZ for undergrad, but I got a Flinn scholarship and spent substantial time at the best university in the country—The University of Arizona (Bear Down!). I played soccer and studied biochemistry in undergrad, and stayed to cheer on the Wildcats in the ZonaZoo during medical school. I thought I wanted to do peds, but after a post-third year Doris Duke research fellowship spent studying pediatric sickle cell disease in Uganda and traversing East Africa, I did some more EM rotations and found my people. Again thinking I wanted to leave AZ, I looked all over for the perfect residency, but realized nowhere had what I wanted more than ‘Copa did: incredibly supportive leadership and faculty that allow us to develop our own niches, 3 months of elective time with support for international work, a door-to-trail time of <20 minutes, and robust, gritty clinical training. Outside of pursuing a career in global peds EM, I enjoy running, traveling, biking, baking, trash talking ASU fans, and watching the World Cup live.
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Ross Christensen, DO
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Hello everyone! My name is Ross, and if you’re reading this you’re checking out one of the best EM programs around. I was born in Boston, grew up in Utah, and went to medical school in Iowa (if you have questions about corn, corn disease, or corn politics, I’m your guy). Living through the Midwest winters convinced me to look somewhere a little bit warmer. In college I thought I wanted to be lawyer, but I’m glad that I switched gears and went to medical school instead. I like to run, paintball, watch cooking shows, and spend time with my family. Why Maricopa? It’s hard to put a finger on, but I would say it’s the people that make Copa such a great place. The attendings are awesome (many have been there 20+ years), the residents are actually friends, and the nurses and techs are like family. ‘Copa has it all: diverse population, sick patients, hands on trauma, and the ability to truly tailor your education (3 months of electives!) to whatever you are passionate about. I’m so happy to be here!
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Laura Johns, MD
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Hey all, I'm Laura - I originally hail from Chicago (ok, the suburbs) and am thrilled to have finally made it west after what turned out to be a 13 year stint out east. My undergraduate took me to Montreal and from there I did a post-bacc in nursing in NYC before moving down to DC. I worked in surgical oncology then the emergency room while furthering my flying trapeze skills and getting in as much backpacking, climbing and snowboarding as I could. I did my medical school training at George Washington University where I also further developed my interests in wilderness and community medicine. I couldn't be happier to be training at Maricopa: Not only can I work with an amazing group of people in a busy safety-net hospital, but I also have the flexibility and support to pursue my interests. I can’t wait to dive into the training and start checking off some of those peaks on my days off!
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Tim Lentini, MD
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What’s up? I’m Tim. I grew up in Queens, NYC, and went to Dartmouth for undergrad. Then I took a few years off to do some research at Rockefeller University and got a master’s degree at Columbia and another at Boston University. After four years in snowpocalypse Syracuse where I went to medical school at SUNY Upstate, I decided to put away the windshield ice scraper for a few years and try a slice of sunshine. I heard there was a lot of it here. I like to hike and play basketball (ball is life!!!). I also may or may not have a golden retriever who is a bit ‘heavy’ according to her vet. I’m very, very excited to spend the next 3 years here, and if you’re reading this you’re probably wondering about the residency program. You should’ve already contacted me yesterday with any questions you have! Seriously, check this place out.
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Ashkon Mahmoudi, MD
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Hola friends! A bit about my life: I was born in the US but spent most of my life overseas until returning to the mainland for undergrad at UC Davis. Med school was in Phoenix and after 4 years in the desert I wanted more. You already know everything groovy about Phoenix: the weather, the hiking, sweet lighting/sand storms, affordable living, easy traffic, great food etc. This backdrop only adds to the beauty that is Copa. The people here, the camaraderie, the support from our faculty, and the experiences it cultivates are simply put—special. Come check it out, seriously, just do it. In terms of me: I love being with family and friends, and with them I try to learn how to strengthen the moral/material realities of the community around me. I’m a big fan of languages, accents, and am all about eating food, especially the various Asian cuisines. Staying active is a must for me and I do so playing volleyball, basketball, hiking, racquetball, or attempting that #swolelife in the gym. The ocean—love it. Going to the cinemas and reading fantasy novels are my more laid back activities of choice. If any questions, concerns, or emotional outbursts arise, feel free to send me a pigeon and/or email.
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Christopher McCabe MD
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Hey! I’m Chris. I was born in South Africa and, like many Arizonans, I grew up in California. After graduating from high school in Sonoma County, I moved to the central valley of California for college at UC Davis. After an awesome four years in Davis, my girlfriend (who is now my wife) and I piled all our stuff into my ’01 Subaru and moved to Washington, DC and spent a year at Georgetown. We then headed back towards the best coast for medical school. I had the best four years of my life (so far) at the U of A here in Phoenix. I’m so happy to be able to spend three more years at Copa – the patients and people make it a fantastic place to train. The desert is awesome if you know where to look, and I’ve loved getting to know Arizona’s rocks, trails and wide open spaces. In my free time I love to hike, camp, rock-climb and generally be outside. I couldn’t imagine residency anywhere else – the camaraderie at Copa is unrivaled and every member of the team is family. I’m stoked for the years to come.
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Megan McElhinny, MD
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Hello! My name is Megan McElhinny and I hail from Wisconsin. I grew up in the Milwaukee area and am a 2-time Badger alum. During undergrad I was fortunate enough to march in the UW Marching band and then in medical school to participate in the TRIUMPH urban med and public health program at UWSMPH. Copa has brought together the most genuine, hardworking and outdoorsy group of co-interns; I couldn’t be more excited to be training at Copa and serving the Phoenix community. In my free time, my husband and I take our pup out hiking as much as possible as well as explore new places abroad when travel allows.
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Jessica Pringle, DO
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Hello potential future colleagues! I’m Jessica. I was born and raised in beautiful southern California. As an undergraduate I thought I wanted to be a marine biologist so I majored in Ecology and minored in Geography at UCLA...and participated in two study abroad programs in Tahiti and the Netherlands. After graduating I was a dive research assistant on Catalina, volunteered with the Hawksbill Sea Turtle Recovery Project in Hawaii, and then packed my bags and moved to Ecuador as a volunteer with the Peace Corps. It was during my time in Ecuador that I realized the importance of health care on quality of life and became interested in medicine. I came back to the US to study Global Medicine at USC and began volunteering and working in the Emergency Department. I was instantly hooked. I moved to Phoenix, Arizona for medical school and fell in love with the desert...and my amazing fiance. Lucky for me the best EM residency program was here in town! I learned so much during a single month at Copa as a medical student that I knew three years of residency would challenge me to become a great EM physician. I am so excited to be working with such an inspiring group of residents, faculty, and staff! When I’m not training to be an EM physician, I love spending time with my baby girl, traveling, hiking, rock climbing, soccer... and pretty much any other activity that allows me to play outdoors! Please let me know if you have any questions about the program!
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Annie Rashid, DO
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Hi Everyone I’m Annie! I grew up in Chandler, Arizona. Went to undergrad at ASU and then medical school at Midwestern University. Lucky for me the best EM residency program happened to be in my hometown! I loved Copa during my medical school rotation, plus I got to stay in Arizona and continue to enjoy the most gorgeous sunsets, hiking and amazing weather most of the year! What more could I ask for? I like to do pretty much anything outdoors, besides hiking, I enjoy running, playing softball, traveling, and spending time with family and friends. I’m beyond excited to spend the next 3 years at Copa. Copa has it all, diverse patient population, amazing trauma experience, an elective every year to pursue my interest of international medicine and most importantly the most incredible and supportive faculty and residents. I couldn’t have asked for a better place to train! Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
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Tani Shtull-Leber, MD
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Hey potential residents, I’m a newly matched intern and couldn’t be happier to be at ‘Copa. I am from Ann Arbor, MI and have been out there basically my whole life—from growing up to undergrad, med school and a masters. I love Ann Arbor, but had to get away for a while, so I took a couple years off in the midst of all the schooling to work for Outward Bound and travel the world (mostly in Asia and South America). During med school I met my wife and we decided that life is too short to not live in a place that you love and that revitalizes you—which for us means access to mountains and sunshine. Since moving here we have fallen in love with the city and all of its beautiful and wild surroundings. Combined with an ED that has phenomenal pathology, supportive faculty, and a group of amazing co-residents whom I could not be happier to go through residency with, I could not be happier than to train at Maricopa.
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Justin Stevenson, MD
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Hey everyone! My name is Justin and I am a born and raised Arizona native. I did my undergrad at Arizona State, medical school at University of Arizona – Phoenix, and couldn’t be happier to get to stick around for another 3 years for residency at Maricopa. What I love about the Maricopa EM program is the amazingly tight-knit group of fun-loving people that work here who are equally invested in each others’ education and wellness. In my eyes, no other programs’ residents seemed to balance laid back and approachable attitudes with strong work ethic as well as the Maricopa residents. All on top of the crazy county-hospital pathology and underserved patients we get the opportunity to care for. Arizona is amazing too! Sure there are a couple hot months but that doesn’t stop us from having access to year-round outdoor fun. When I’m not trying to figure out this medicine thing I like to occasionally step away from the Netflix and stay active outdoors climbing rocks/mountains, camping, fishing, or really anything outside. There are too many great things to say about ‘Copa and Arizona to list here, so come check it out for yourself!
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Nathan Wavle, MD
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Hey gang! I’m Nate. I grew up in upstate New York, spent college and med school in Indiana, and decided to keeping moving West for residency. I was looking for a place where I could work with underserved populations, practice my Spanish, and have enough elective time to hone in on my interests - I couldn’t have found a better fit at Copa and encourage you to come see for yourself what makes it so special. In my free time I enjoy playing piano decently, playing guitar poorly, and rock climbing (which is mostly illegal in Indiana!).
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Ryan Wyatt, MD
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Howdy Folks! My name’s Ryan, and I hail from the happy little town of Golden, CO (Be sure to Google our town sign!). It’s a place known for its smiling townsfolk, majestic mountain views, and that crisp, cool creek water that the Coors family loves to turn into beer! I did my college in sunny San Diego (rough, right?), where I learned how to properly use flip flops and discovered the joys of In N Out burger. After college I was a scribe for a couple of years, and at the same time manned the fiery woks of Pei Wei Asian Diner. In fact, if you’ve ever been to Mission Valley there’s a good chance I was the mastermind behind your Kung Pao Chicken. After my time in California I ventured out to Richmond, Virginia for med school, and learned how to get my medicine on, East Coast style. I wanted to come back West for residency, and I’m beyond excited to be here on the surface of the sun…scratch that… in valley of the sun! In my spare time I’m a typical EM dude and I love to do all manner of outdoor nonsense, hiking, biking, camping, 4x4ing etc, etc, etc… Now, as far as what drew me to Copa…EM at Copa is all the best parts of emergency medicine rolled into one. It’s a county program in an awesome environment, with residents who genuinely care for their patients and one another. The Copa family is for real, and if you’re interested in pursuing the best specialty in existence at a truly incredible program, come check us out!
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