2025 Graduate
Karen Villarroel Gomez, MD
First appointment: Pediatric Neurologist at Blank Children's Neurology Clinic, Des Moines, IA
Why Iowa: My first exposure to the University of Iowa was during my residency interview day. Raised on the east coast and having completed medical school in a large city, I was not sure what to expect from Iowa City aside from what I read online. I was blown away by the brightness of Iowa City and the beautiful facility with the extensive network that is housed by Iowa Healthcare. One of my goals with training was to see bread and butter cases as well as "zebras" to best make me a well rounded doctor. Through my pediatric neurology training I was able to do just that and truly tailor my resident experience to my career goals of global medicine. As a resident, I was well supported in investigating my own interests and often had faculty reach out to me with opportunities that they identified and determined would help me pursue my interests further. For their support, I am eternally grateful. The general pediatric neurology faculty and the subspecialists as well as support staff truly care about the well being of the residents and are always eager to make the program better from one class to the next using resident feedback. I look forward to calling my prior mentors my future colleagues in the small field that is pediatric neurology and can say I have not only met coworkers in the residency program but lifelong friends.
2024 Graduate
Spoorthi Jagadish, MBBS
First Appointment: Pediatric Neurologist at the Mayo Clinic Health System, Eau Claire, WI
Why Iowa: One of the many things I loved about the Child Neurology Residency program at University of Iowa was that the faculty members were so diverse. Having trained in different parts of the country everyone had their own unique approach and I got to learn so much from them. The faculty always had my back, but also gave me autonomy in decision making. I never felt alone or unsupported during my residency. I will forever cherish my residency days as I learnt so much every single day! If I had to do it all again, I would without hesitation choose University of Iowa all over again!!
2023 Graduate
Mary Jeno, MD
First Appointment: Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of California San Francisco Benioff Children's Hospital
Why Iowa: Training at the University of Iowa provided an education diverse in patient population, disease pathology, and clinical outcomes. The patients and their families come from across the region to receive care through UIHC, knowing it's the best children's hospital in the area. The staff are trained from around the country, and are always willing to take time to work one on one with residents making for an individualized learning experience. The program allowed for flexibility and more balance of personal life and work life than I could have expected in training, providing opportunities to work with other departments, join resident wellness groups, and work on research projects.
2022 Graduate
Michael Cole, MD
First Appointment: Neuro-Immunology fellowship at the University of Iowa Health Care.
Why Iowa: I'm so grateful for my training experience at Iowa. I had a great depth and breadth of clinical experiences, but what I most appreciated was the approachability and collegiality of the faculty. Whether on an adult or pediatric rotation, I always felt that I was welcome to ask questions and always felt supported in my learning. This not only helped me advance in my training and feel comfortable with the transition to attending, but also inspires the type of teacher I strive to be.
2021 Graduate
Sujana Madathil, MBBS
First Appointment: Sleep Medicine Fellowship at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics
Why Iowa: As a child neurology resident at the University of Iowa, I got to work with and learn from a wonderful group of people who were kind and supportive. The child neurology faculty were always approachable and eager to answer my questions. There were plenty of learning opportunities everyday including the patients I saw in the hospital and the academic didactic conferences I got to attend. The training can be customized according to individual subspecialty or research interests, and you will have all the support from the program to make it happen. Iowa City is a beautiful place to live, and It has a lot to offer in terms of outdoor activities, arts, food, and music.
2013-2019 Graduates
| Name | Graduate Year | First Appointment |
|---|---|---|
| Katie Lutz, MD | 2019 | Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Iowa Health Care in the Stead Family Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neurology |
| Hannah Klein, MD | 2018 | Fellowship in Pediatric Epilepsy at the University of Colorado Children’s Hospital |
| Ioanna Kouri, MD | 2018 | Fellowship in Sleep Medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota |
| Megan Rohlf, MD | 2017 | Fellowship in Clinical Neurophysiology at the University of Iowa |
| Dimah Saade, MD | 2016 | Fellowship in Neuromuscular at the University of Iowa Health Care |
| Himali Jayakody, MBBS | 2014 | Fellowship in Neurophysiology at the University of South Florida |
| Satsuki Matsumoto, MD | 2013 | Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Iowa Health Care |