Program Year 4 Residents 2023 - 2024
Lydia Andrawis, M.D.
Medical School: George Washington University
Undergrad: George Mason University
Activities/Hobbies: Baking, board games, brushing up on history, playing the piano, exploring coffee shops
Home State: Virginia
Why Johns Hopkins: I chose Hopkins for the amazing people, evident passion for the patient population of Baltimore among faculty, ample opportunities for social emergency medicine, and the ability to tailor my clinical practice to my interests via the FAST program.
Lydia Andrawis was born in Cairo, Egypt and immigrated to the U.S. at a young age following a brief time in Saudi Arabia. Her family settled in Northern Virginia, where she was raised and attended college at George Mason University, majoring in Neuroscience. While attending George Mason she grew interested in global health and participated in various service projects in Kenya, Egypt, Zambia, and Greece. After completing her undergraduate education, she pursued her medical degree at George Washington University in Washington D.C. She is looking forward to staying on the East Coast for residency at Johns Hopkins! Her academic interests include international emergency medicine, ultrasound, and social emergency medicine.
Whitney Brown, M.D.
Medical School: Meharry Medical College
Undergrad: Oakwood University
Activities/Hobbies: Indoor cycling/Peloton, HGTV/Interior design, travelling, volunteering/community service, live music
Home State: Maryland
Why Johns Hopkins: I chose Johns Hopkins largely because of the incredible experience I had during my sub-internship rotation. There is a strong sense of camaraderie between the residents and attendings, and I appreciated that I was immediately made to feel like part of the team. Taking care of a patient population that is diverse and representative of the range of socioeconomic backgrounds we have in Baltimore is important to me, and I found that I would be able to do so at Hopkins. Additionally, I felt that returning home to Maryland would be beneficial to maintaining wellness outside of residency.
Whitney Brown was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. She moved to North Texas during her elementary years and later relocated to Bowie, Maryland in middle school. After earning her Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences from Oakwood University in Huntsville, Alabama, she returned to Maryland, where she worked as an emergency department scribe for two years. Whitney then moved to Nashville, Tennessee where she attended Meharry Medical College. Whitney looks forward to beginning her training at Hopkins and is excited to explore Baltimore with her husband and co-residents in their downtime.
Katie Clark, M.D.
Medical school: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Undergrad: Johns Hopkins University
Activities/Hobbies: Playing basketball, DIY projects with my husband, yoga, cooking, puzzling
Home State: California
Why Johns Hopkins: I chose Hopkins first and foremost for the people. The faculty and program leadership within the department have been incredibly inspirational to me during my time as a medical student and I look forward to learning and growing in this environment with the opportunity to continue to serve the Baltimore community.
Katie Clark was born and raised in southern California. She attended college at Johns Hopkins University where she studied Public Health and played as the point guard for the varsity women's basketball team. She continued her education at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine where her research interests focused on Global EM. She enjoys being active, traveling, and spending time with her husband Zach.
Harry Flaster, M.D.
Medical School: Stanford
Undergrad: Yale
Activities/Hobbies: Riding bikes, swimming, running, triathlons, Latin dancing, writing, changing diapers
Home Country: Israel
Why Johns Hopkins:: Cool people, neat place, amazing legacy. I would be lying to say I felt at "home" on my interview day...more like I was crashing someone else's home that was a lot nicer than mine. I keep expecting my unsuspected hosts to figure out I don't belong, but so far they haven't!
Harry Flaster comes from a large and fiercely loving family that spans three countries, two continents, and a lot of obvious contradictions. He grew up in NY, FL, and AZ, though these days he considers the "State of Tel Aviv" his home. He could have just matched in Emergency Medicine the first time, but he is a slow learner so spent four years of remedial learning at the University of Washington as a categorical general surgery resident before switching careers and applying in EM. He could not have accomplished what he has without a lot of luck and support from his family, especially the two most recent additions, his son, Jonathan and his wife Lena. He hopes to combine a career in EM and critical care, and to keep working in Israel after graduation.
Geoffrey Gao, M.D.
Medical School: Drexel University College of Medicine
Undergrad: Pennsylvania State University
Activities/Hobbies: Playing the piano, running, traveling, football
Home State: Pennsylvania
Why Johns Hopkins: I chose Johns Hopkins for the underserved and diverse patient population, opportunity to learn from leaders in the field, and unique opportunities to pursue my interests through the FAST program. Everyone I met on the interview day was extremely friendly and approachable, and they all showed their passion for the professional and personal development of their residents as well as their commitment to the community of Baltimore.
Geoffrey Gao grew up in the small town of Lancaster, PA. He was an undergraduate at Penn State’s Schreyer Honors College, where he majored in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. After graduating, he was a chief medical scribe in an emergency department at a large academic institution where his interests in emergency medicine first began. He also served as a junior project leader and helped implement a new medical scribe program at a local urology clinic. He then moved to Philadelphia, PA to attend medical school at Drexel University. In his spare time, he enjoys discovering new music and hosting karaoke sessions at his apartment. Geoffrey is excited to continue his training at Johns Hopkins and pursue/discover his interests in emergency medicine!
Arvin Jundoria, M.D., M.H.S.
Medical School: Howard University College of Medicine
Undergrad: Stony Brook University
Activities/Hobbies: Traveling, hiking, reading, baking, discovering new coffee and dessert shops
Home State: New York
Why Johns Hopkins: I chose Johns Hopkins for its unique FAST program, outstanding mentorship, diverse patient population, fantastic research opportunities, and the supportive faculty who are committed to making me the best physician I can be.
Arvin Jundoria was raised in Long Island, New York. She attended Stony Brook University, where she majored in Biology. After graduating, Arvin conducted research in sepsis at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. She then moved to Baltimore to pursue her Master of Health Science at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and later earned her M.D. from Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, DC. Arvin is excited to be back in Baltimore to train at Johns Hopkins. Her academic interests include pediatric emergency medicine, critical care, and global health.
Lakshmi Kirkire, M.D.
Medical School: University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine
Undergrad: University of Maryland, College Park (go Terps!)
Activities/Hobbies: Baking, yoga, mixology, reading, city-exploring (mostly through eating and drinking but also some walking)
Home State: Maryland
Why Johns Hopkins: I chose Hopkins for the diversity of our incredible patient population, the wonderful faculty and residents I met on interview day and the opportunity to explore all the different career paths in EM. I’m so excited to be here.
Lakshmi Kirkire was born in Muscat, Oman and moved to Maryland with her parents after a few years. She also has a younger sister. She later attended the University of Maryland, College Park where she studied Spanish Literature and Cell Biology & Molecular Genetics. Lakshmi went to the University of Chicago for medical school. After tiring of subzero temperatures and perpetual wind, she decided to return home to Maryland! When she isn’t wandering the streets of Baltimore in search of the best ice cream, you can find her trying to do yoga, baking macarons for instagram photoshoots or reading.
Kristofer Montoya, M.D.
Medical School: Sidney Kimmel Medical College
Undergrad: Occidental College
Activities/Hobbies: Basketball, baking, watching documentaries, hiking, spoiling my dog
Home State: Oregon
Why Johns Hopkins: Johns Hopkins was a clear choice for me. During my interview day I could feel the strong sense of family and dedication to the surrounding community displayed by the program. In addition, I chose Johns Hopkins due to the FAST program, dedication to mentorship and teaching, and the social emergency medicine initiatives.
Kristofer Montoya grew up in Portland, Oregon. He attended Occidental College, where he was a member of the men’s varsity basketball team and majored in Economics. After graduating from Oxy he moved to Chicago as part of the Teach For America program, where he taught 6th-8th grade science. His experiences teaching and the surrounding community that he built solidified his passion for working in underserved communities and being an advocate for others, leading him to pursue a career in medicine. After leaving Chicago he moved to Philadelphia to attend Sidney Kimmel Medical College. His academic interests are in education, community health, and social emergency medicine.
Leena Owen, D.O., M.P.H.
Medical School: Nova Southeastern University
Undergrad: University of Maryland – College Park
Hobbies: Baking, exploring national parks, running
Home State: Maryland
Why Johns Hopkins: I chose Hopkins because I felt the most at home here on my interview day, and I loved working with the residents and faculty on shift during my sub-Internship rotation. The combination of working with the diverse, underserved community of Baltimore, learning from supportive faculty members and developing my niche within the field through the FAST program made my choice simple.
Leena Owen was born and raised in Silver Spring, Maryland. She attended college at the University of Maryland, College Park, where she majored in Neurobiology and Physiology and French. After graduation, she worked as a medical scribe in her local emergency department where she found her passion for emergency medicine and working with the underserved. During this time she also picked up some baking and barista skills working at a nearby pastry shop. She then moved to the sunshine state to pursue her DO and MPH degrees at Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine. She hopes to pursue her interests in health and health care disparities during residency at Johns Hopkins. Leena enjoys spending time with friends and family over good food and wine, international travel and running. She aspires to become a better plant parent and to visit all of the national parks.
David Rudolph, M.D.
Medical School: University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine
Undergrad: University of Oklahoma
Activities/Hobbies: Singing, playing the trumpet, watching college sports, traveling to new places, and playing all kinds of board games
Home State: Iowa
Why Johns Hopkins: I chose Johns Hopkins for many reasons. Not only is it a well-respected program with fantastic and supportive program leadership, but it also consists of down-to-earth and compassionate residents and faculty. The patient population in Baltimore was very attractive, as I wanted to treat patients from diverse backgrounds. I also heard wonderful things about the Baltimore community from peers who had spent time doing graduate coursework in the area. Lastly, the FAST program is unique and allows me to be flexible to pursue my passions of academic and international emergency medicine!
David Rudolph is a native of Iowa and grew up in the great college town of Iowa City. He attended the University of Oklahoma, graduated with a B.S. in Chemical Biosciences, and spent his time outside of scientific study with music by singing in choirs and playing trumpet in the marching band. His journey to EM started as a scribe in an ED in Oklahoma City. David returned home to Iowa for medical school and became involved in both teaching and global health activities, spending time in both Ecuador and Oxford, England. He is ecstatic for the opportunity to experience life on the East Coast and continue developing his passions at Johns Hopkins.
Lisa Saffire, M.D.
Medical School: Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
Undergrad: Northeastern University/SUNY at Buffalo
Activities/Hobbies: Snowboarding, travelling, golfing, kickball, succulents, the Buffalo Bills
Home State: New York
Why Johns Hopkins: I chose Hopkins because from the very start of my interview, I felt so connected with the residents and faculty members. I was also looking for a program with diversity within the patient population as well as the people I would be working alongside.
Lisa Saffire was born in Buffalo, NY. She started her undergrad at Northeastern University studying pharmacy, but after three years she moved home to complete her degree in Biomedical Sciences. Between graduating from SUNY at Buffalo and beginning medical school there, she scribed in the ED which is where she first became interested in EM. She also spent time during her gap year travelling and living on a succulent farm in Hawaii. Lisa became very involved with global health during medical school, and hopes to continue this work throughout residency and her career. She enjoys spending as much time as possible outdoors, and playing or watching basically any sport.
Alexandra Vaughn, M.D.
Medical School: University of Washington School of Medicine
Undergrad: Washington State University
Activities/Hobbies: Hiking, skiing, kayaking, eating spicy foods, watching home makeover shows
Home State: Washington
Why Johns Hopkins: I chose Johns Hopkins because from the first day, I could tell this was a place full of passionate physicians committed to improving each day to better serve their patients. I felt that this was a program that would both push me outside of my comfort zone while also providing support by a group of friendly and down to earth colleagues. I was also drawn to the FAST program which would allow me to use the fourth year to tailor my training to a particular interest.
Alexandra Vaughn grew up outside of Seattle, Washington with her parents and twin brother. She received her Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience from Washington State University. After realizing her love for emergency medicine while working as a medical scribe, she subsequently attended the University of Washington School of Medicine. Clinical training in the pacific northwest allowed her to spend her free time doing some of her favorite activities including kayaking in Alaska, hiking in Montana and skiing in Wyoming. Otherwise you can find her acting as an amateur interior designer, adding too much hot sauce to her meals, and always looking for an opportunity to say a good pun. She is excited to begin her new East Coast adventure!