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Faculty

Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellowship

Our Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellowship Program is led by highly experienced, knowledgeable clinicians who are committed to helping fellows become leaders in the field of pediatric emergency medicine.

Program Director

Frances Turcotte Benedict, MD, MPH, FAAP
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine;
Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Kansas School of Medicine

Associate Program Director

Vivek Dubey, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine;
Education Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Kansas School of Medicine

Associate Program Director

Michelle DePhillips, MD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine; 
Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Kansas School of Medicine

 

Fellowship Coordinator

Sydney Noller, BBA

Sonali Ramesh, MBBS
Hometown: Chennai, India 

Medical School: PSG Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Coimbatore, India

Residency: BronxCare Health Systems, New York

Career/research interests: QI/ Patient Safety, MedEd, Healthcare administration 

Hobbies/interests: Fueled by to-do lists and sunshine! Traveling and exploring new places, hiking the national parks, running, and listening to podcasts.

Katherine Randolph, DO (Kayle)

Hometown: St Louis, MO

Medical School: ATSU-KCOM

Residency: St. Louis University - Cardinal Glennon

Career/research interests: Resuscitation management and optimization 

Hobbies/interests: I love traveling! Whether it’s for medical trips or adventuring around the world, I love exploring and learning the stories of the locals. The only downside to big trips is not being able to take my sweet little husky with me. 

Joshua Saucedo, MD

Hometown: Chicago/Bartlett, IL

Medical School: UIC COM

Residency: UI Health

Career/research interests: Simulation/Medical Education, Patient Safety, Quality Improvement

Hobbies/interests: Gardening, Hiking, Comic books and video games 

Allison Adam, MD

Hometown: Omaha Nebraska

Medical School: University of Nebraska Medical Center

Residency: Children’s Mercy Hospital

Career/research interests: Pediatric Procedural sedation, Trauma and Resuscitation, POCUS, Department Throughput/Efficiency/Quality Improvement, Medical Education

Hobbies/interests: Hiking and Camping in the National Parks. Sports… All of them… watching and playing. Pickleball, puzzles, paddle boarding. Female comedian and feminist biographies. My pup Bader

Grace Arends, MD

Hometown: Wildwood, Missouri

Medical School: University of Missouri-Kansas City

Residency: Children’s Mercy Hospital

Career interests: Medical education, quality improvement

Hobbies: Spending time with family, cooking and baking, being outdoors, going for walks, soaking up some sunshine, eating ice cream


Mauro Rodriguez, DO

Hometown: San Antonio, Texas

Medical School: University of North Texas Health Science Center

Residency: UT-Health Houston McGovern Medical School

Career/research interests: Academic Medicine, Medical Education, DEI

Hobbies/interests: board games, all the tv shows (especially game shows), outdoor activities like hiking, running, tennis


Noelle Tran, DO

Hometown: Houston, Texas

Medical School: Edward Via College of Medicine - Auburn Campus

Career/research interests: Combined fellow in PEM and Child Abuse Pediatrics. Early identification of child abuse, injury prevention, and simulation 

Hobbies/interest: I am big on experiences! I love to travel and explore new places, trying new restaurants, listening to live music, crafting, tennis, Texas Football (Hook'Em!), or being in the sun with my Boston Terriers/ 

Rohan Akhouri, MD
Hometown: New Delhi/Boston
Medical School: St. George's University
Residency: SUNY Upstate
Career/research interests: PED Triage systems development
Hobbies/interests: I love eating and cooking in that order. I enjoy being outdoors, usually playing soccer/basketball. I love traveling, which hasn't really been possible this past year, and I'm looking forward to the opportunity soon.

Mary Haywood, DO
Hometown: Phoenix, Ariz.
Medical School: A.T. Still University School of Medicine Arizona
Residency: Phoenix Children's Hospital
Career/research interests: QI/Patient Safety, Ultrasound, Medical Education
Hobbies/interests: Hiking, kayaking, camping, cooking, traveling, and crafting.

Anik Patel, MD
Hometown: Kansas City, Mo.
Medical School: University of Missouri-Columbia
Residency: Children's Mercy (Pediatrics, 2014-2017)
Fellowship: Primary Children's Hospital at the University of Utah (Pediatric Global, Rural, and Underserved Child Health Fellowship, 2018-2020)
Career/research interests: medicine in conflict, natural disaster, and humanitarian settings; disaster preparedness and management; immigrant, asylum-seeker, and refugee health; capacity building in underserved areas; climate change; work in diversity, equity, and inclusion; addressing social determinants of health
Hobbies/interests: traveling, skiing, hiking, riding my bike, photography, listening to podcasts, reading, playing with my puppy Finn, and dismantling the system of racial oppression.

Anna Keahey
Hometown: Star City, Ark.
Medical School: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Medicine 
Residency: Akron Children’s Hospital 
Career/research interests: Adolescent sexual health/contraception, injury prevention, global health 
Hobbies/interest: Traveling/exploring new places, cooking/food in general, SEC college sports, spending time with my family 

Katherine Dunne
Hometown: Wichita, Kan.
Medical School: George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences 
Residency: University of Arizona Medical Center 
Career/Research Interests: Child Abuse, Disaster Management, Safe Haven Infant Care, Border Health 
Hobbies/Interests: Traveling, SCUBA, desert hiking 

Jessica Parker
Hometown: Golden, Colo. 
Medical School: Campbell University Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine, North Carolina 
Residency: Phoenix Children's Hospital/ Maricopa Medical Center, Arizona 
Career/Research Interests: Global health, Ultrasound, Prehospital medicine/EMS, Advocacy 
Hobbies/Interests: Anything outdoors! (hiking, biking, camping, swimming, scuba diving), travelling, cooking and trying new restaurants, football

Sam Dillman
Hometown: Lake Geneva, Wis.
Medical School: Medical College of Wisconsin
Residency: Children's Hospital of Wisconsin MCWAH
Career/Research Interests: Goal is to have Medical Education as part of my career. Research interests include ultrasound and sedation.
Hobbies/Interests: Wisconsin Sports (Go Pack!), Skiing, Water Sports, Tennis

Cree Kachelski
Hometown: Elgin, Minn.
Medical School: University of Minnesota
Residency: Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.
Career/Research Interests: Dual fellow in PEM and Child Abuse; interest in human trafficking and substance abuse
Hobbies/Interests: Motorsports, dancing and working out, cooking, adventuring and spending time with my husband

April McNeill:
Hometown: Fayetteville, N.C.
Medical School: Southern Illinois University School of Medicine
Residency: Children's Mercy Hospitals
Career/Research Interests: Advocacy, Health disparities amongst incarcerated youth, Sexual and Reproductive health in at-risk populations
Hobbies/Interests: I enjoy posting on my YouTube channel, "TheRealMEDLife," spending time with my family and friends, attempting to work out, CNN, and HGTV.

Bryan Stocker
Hometown: Johnston, Iowa
Medical School: Des Moines University
Residency: Blank Children's Hospital Des Moines
Career/Research: medical education/optimizing care of suicidal children and teens
Hobbies/Interests: Spending time with my wife and three children, home improvement projects, working on cars, and reading.

Kayla Barnes

  • Residency: Children's Hospital Michigan

  • Post-Fellowship: Valley Children's Hospital - Madera County, Calif.

Matt Solove

  • Residency: Phoenix Children's Hospital

  • Post-Fellowship: Children's Hospital Colorado-Denver

  • Scholarly Project: Timely Management of Testicular Torsion: A Collaborative Quality Improvement Approach

Vivek Dubey

  • Residency: University of Oklahoma

  • Post-Fellowship: Pediatric Emergency Medicine Faculty Physician, Children’s Mercy

  • Scholarly Project: “Justice System Involvement Among Adolescents in the Emergency Department”

Eric Nau

  • Residency: Phoenix Children’s Hospital

  • Post-Fellowship: Pediatric Emergency Medicine Faculty Physician, Children’s Hospital Colorado

  • Scholarly Project: “Hematoma Block Use in Management of Distal Forearm Fractures in a Pediatric Emergency Department”

Marc Sycip

  • Residency: New York University - Winthrop

  • Post-Fellowship: Pediatric Emergency Medicine Faculty Physician, Children’s Mercy

  • Scholarly Project: “Parent and Provider Views on Parent-Generated Asthma History in Pediatric Emergency Department: A Randomized Control Trial”

Arjun Sarin

  • Residency: Cardinal Glennon Hospital, St. Louis, Mo.

  • Post-fellowship: Children’s Mercy, Kansas City, Mo.

  • Scholarly Project: “Health Care System Utilization by Adolescents in the Year Preceding Emergency Care for Suicidality”

Andrew Thill

  • Residency: Children’s Mercy, Kansas City, Mo.

  • Post-fellowship: Children’s Mercy, Kansas City, Mo.

  • Scholarly Project: “Evaluation of Electrocardiogram Findings in Pediatric Chest Pain in an Emergency Department”

Clay Yaklin

  • Residency: Children’s Mercy, Kansas City, Mo.

  • Post-fellowship: Pediatric Palliative Care Fellowship, St. Louis Children’s Hospital, St. Louis, Mo.

  • Scholarly Project: “Attitudes of Emergency Medical Service (EMS) Providers towards Pediatric Death and Outside-of-Hospital Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) Orders”

Theo Trigylidas

  • Residency: University of Maryland School of Medicine

  • Post-Fellowship: Children’s National, Washington, D.C.

  • Scholarly Project: Pediatric Emergency Medicine Performed Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) for the Diagnosis of Intussusception

Tania Ahluwalia

  • Residency: University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria/Children’s Hospital of Illinois

  • Post-Fellowship: Children’s National, Washington, D.C.

  • Scholarly Project: Using Cognitive Task Analysis to Understand The Decision-Making Process for Pediatric Blunt Abdominal Trauma

Tyler Fisher

  • Residency: Children’s Mercy, Kansas City, Mo.

  • Post-Fellowship: Children’s Mercy, Kansas City, Mo.

  • Scholarly Project: Needs Assessment of Community EMS Providers on Pediatric Emergencies

Michelle DePhillips

  • Residency: Children’s Mercy, Kansas City, Mo.

  • Post-Fellowship: Children’s Mercy, Kansas City, Mo.

  • Scholarly Project: Use of Outpatient Opioids Prescribed from a Pediatric Acute Care Setting

Mylinh Nguyen

  • Residency: Children’s Hospital & Research Center, Oakland, Calif.

  • Post-Fellowship: Pediatric Ultrasound Fellowship--New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital 

  • Scholarly Project: Clinical Features of Pediatric Musculoskeletal Infections

Anna Sorenson

  • Residency: University of Virginia

  • Post-Fellowship: University of Wisconsin-Madison

  • Scholarly Project: Resident & Nursing Perceptions of Parental Concerns in Acute Bronchiolitis

Shobhit Jain

  • Residency: The Children’s Hospital at SUNY Downstate; Brooklyn, N.Y.

  • Post-Fellowship: Children’s Mercy, Kansas City, Mo.

  • Scholarly Project: Increasing J-Tip Utilization for IV-Related Pain Management in the ED: A Quality Improvement Project

Laura Nilan

  • Residency: University of Minnesota Medical School, Amplatz Children’s Hospital

  • Post-Fellowship: Sports Medicine Fellowship - Children’s Mercy, Kansas City, Mo.

  • Scholarly Project: Compassion Fatigue Among Pediatric Emergency Medicine Providers

Uzma Cheema

  • Residency: The Children’s Hospital at SUNY Downstate; Brooklyn, N.Y.

  • Post-Fellowship: Winthrop University Hospital, Mineola, N.Y.

  • Scholarly Project: Patient and Compliance Factors Associated with Child Physical Abuse

Justin Davis

  • Residency: University of Alabama Medical Center Program

  • Post-Fellowship: Batson Children’s, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Miss.

  • Scholarly Project: Providing Individualized Written Asthma Action Plans During the Pediatric Emergency Department Visit

Jessica Schnell

  • Residency: Children’s Mercy, Kansas City, Mo.

  • Post-Fellowship: Children’s Hospital Colorado, Denver, Colo.

  • Scholarly Project: Effect of Early Knowledge of RSV Positivity on Medical Decision Making & Throughput in a Pediatric Emergency Department