Kayla Blickensderfer, MD
Hometown: Rapid City, South Dakota
Medical school: University of Utah
Hobbies: all varieties of skiing and biking, climbing, yoga, lifting heavy objects, cooking and eating vegetables, spending time with friends and family
What excites you about EM at UVM: Everything! Incredibly kind, passionate, and bright people, inclusive and human-centered culture, training in rural settings, and a beautiful environment with plenty to explore outside.
Future plans: Become the best doctor I can be, make meaningful connections with people, get stronger, pursue adventure, and soak up everything residency offers!
Emily Feuka, MD
Hometown: Perry, MI
Medical school: University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine
Hobbies: Indoors: cooking, baking bread, reading fiction, studying Arabic, playing guitar; Outdoors: swimming, hiking, biking, camping, happily sitting or picnicking in a quiet bit of nature.
What excites you about EM at UVM: I am absolutely thrilled to join what to me was the most welcoming, thoughtful, and progressive program on the interview trail! The residents and attendings with whom I spoke seemed both extraordinarily competent and deeply fulfilled working at UVM, and I feel so grateful for the opportunity to learn how to be the best EM physician I can be in such a supportive setting.
Future plans: My long-term goal is to work for either Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) or the International Committee of Red Cross and Red Crescent to provide emergency care in settings of disaster, crisis, and conflict. Between deployments, I hope to explore all aspects of low-resource medicine including rural settings, global health, and disaster management.
Ian Guertin, MD
Hometown: Sutton, MA
Medical school: Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont
Hobbies: I enjoy anything that gets me outside, especially climbing, skiing, running, and spending time with my family.
What excites you about EM at UVM: I’m excited to train with the incredibly passionate, down-to-earth, and supportive people at UVM and to soak up the amazing opportunities that exist across our diverse clinical sites. I’m excited to pursue broad interests, from critical care to rural and wilderness medicine. Finally, I’m excited to enjoy the outdoors in Vermont!
Future plans: Become the best emergency physician I can be, learn about rural and wilderness medicine, spend time in the mountains, and enjoy life with my wife and children!
Hannah Miller, MD
Hometown: Flower Mound, TX
Medical school: University of Texas Southwestern Medical School
Hobbies: Cooking/baking and subsequently eating the good food, running/cross-training, reading, spending time with family and my dog Simba, traveling
What excites you about EM at UVM: I was blown away on interview day by how inspired, motivated, and relieved I felt, even through a virtual platform. I felt so welcomed, heard, and believed as I was telling my story and sharing my thoughts that there was no doubt in my mind that this was (and is, thankfully) the program for me. I am beyond grateful to have the opportunity to join this amazing group of mission-driven individuals!
Future plans: Excited to: move to a beautiful place that has seasons and is not flat, explore Vermont and the surrounding area, learn how to ski!, consume a generous amount of maple syrup, and learn some cool medicine from genuinely great people.
Than Moore, MD
Hometown: Bedford, NH
Medical school: University of Vermont College of Medicine
Hobbies: sunrise ski touring, running, tennis, hiking, soccer, guitar, DIY house projects, cribbage, sunsets on the waterfront, spontaneous adventuring, or doing anything active with friends!
What excites you about EM at UVM: UVMMC seems to have the perfect blend of academic and community medicine to train well rounded, competent providers. It also allows me to give back to a community I have come to love over the years. The folks here in the ED possess a genuine authenticity that I have yet to see paralleled elsewhere. I am so excited to work alongside faculty, colleagues, and friends who not only have my back on shift but also through adventures beyond the hospital walls. The picturesque setting of Burlington, VT nestled between Lake Champlain and the green mountains make it the ultimate place to practice medicine and call home!
Future plans: My issue has always been having too many interests, so I hope to dive into residency and carve out a path blending passions in sustainability, sports medicine, and pediatrics. Also, being able to stay in Vermont would just be an added bonus!
Andrea Roche, DO
Hometown: Halifax, Massachusetts
Medical school: University of New England
Hobbies: Climbing, snowboarding, soccer, being a cat mom, painting and spending time with the people I love.
What excites you about EM at UVM: So many things! Learning from a passionate and brilliant group of physicians, working alongside personable and hard-working residents, and caring for the local community. The strong teamwork and culture in the department revolving around providing top notch patient care. The opportunities in rural and resource limited medicine, rural EMS, ski patrol and ultrasound.
Future plans: Become an adaptable and confident EM doc that can practice in any setting. Encourage and support my co-residents. Enjoy the journey!
David Cannata, MD
Hometown: Cumberland, Rhode Island
Medical school: University of Connecticut
Hobbies: All things with friends and family! Hockey, Skiing, Gardening, Grilling, Stone Masonry and reading narrative nonfiction.
What excites you about EM at UVM: Too many to list! I’m beyond excited to learn from the amazing attendings, residents and all of the people that make up the UVM family! I felt UVM was the best place for me to be challenged to build a skillset where I would be comfortable practicing in any environment across the resource spectrum. I’m looking forward to the opportunities to be involved in rural medicine, ultrasound and medical education.
Future plans: First and foremost, the plan is to enjoy the journey and live in the moment as I work toward becoming a confident and compassionate EM physician. Second is to build foundational skills as a physician educator that will allow me to help bridge gaps in low-resource settings through the development of sustainable medical education programs, particularly surrounding ultrasound.
Jessie Lucas, MD
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Medical school: Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont
Hobbies: Running, hiking, biking, skiing, and cooking new recipes with ingredients from my weekly Farm CSA.
What excites you about EM at UVM: While a student at UVM for medical school I quickly fell in love with Vermont and the community the medical systems serve, especially in the emergency department. The EM department is filled with phenomenal doctors, nurses, techs, mentors, and teachers who are all devoted to training compassionate, confident, and happy residents.
Future plans: To learn as much as possible to become the best doctor I can be, find new interests within the field of emergency medicine, and be a teammate and support for my co-residents. I hope to work as a community EM doc here in Vermont, serving the place that I now call home with my partner, Ryan, and dog, Wrigley!
Andrew Pettit, MD
Hometown: Boulder, CO
Medical school: Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine
Hobbies: Climbing, backcountry skiing, running, mountain and road biking, paddling, cooking, anything outside with friends and family
What excites you about EM at UVM: UVM has an amazing team-first, mission-driven culture that makes for such a motivating, fun, and supportive experience as a resident. It’s an awesome place to learn with so many genuine and passionate mentors, a great spectrum of training opportunities, and a palpable sense of service to the community. Combine that with a place where you can look up at the mountains from the hospital and be skiing, biking, or climbing in them 30 minutes later, and I can’t imagine a better place for residency.
Future plans: Learn to be a versatile EM doc that can work anywhere and put the community first, stay involved in Fire/EMS, and enjoy life in the Green Mountains.
Kreager Taber, MD
Hometown: Raleigh, N.C.
Medical school: Duke University School of Medicine
Hobbies: Running, skiing, biking, climbing, painting, crafting, voter registration and environmental justice work, and attempting to become a one-woman bluegrass band on the guitar, mandolin, and banjo
What excites you about EM at UVM: I absolutely loved my experience during my away rotation at UVM, and couldn’t have imagined a more driven, kind group of people to train with and learn from during residency. I knew that I would be supported to reach my full potential as a physician and prepared to practice in any setting, and encouraged to continue developing my interests in rural EM and wilderness/austere medicine. After going to college at Middlebury, I’m also so excited to be returning to Vermont!
Future plans: Learn as much as I can from my co-residents and mentors to become the best EM doc that I can be, learn to practice in any and all settings, continue ski patrolling, run a few races, and adventure in the Greens/Whites/’Dacs as often as possible.
Nellie Trenga-Schein, MD
Hometown: Seattle, WA
Medical school: OHSU
Hobbies: Playing outside in any form!! Climbing (rock and ice and mountains), skiing, trail running, and whitewater. Spontaneous travel adventures, finding live music, sewing hats, and anything involving glitter and wigs
What excites you about EM at UVM: The opportunity to learn from faculty who practice compassionate, holistic medicine across the resource spectrum, while being surrounded by a close-knit community of folks who strive for a balanced life outside of medicine.
Future plans: Develop the skills necessary to thrive working as a doctor in the mountains and around the world in low-resource settings, continue high-altitude and palliative care research, have countless adventures and quality time with the people in my life.
Rebecca Warren, MD
Hometown: Monroe, LA
Medical school: LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans
Hobbies: Any and all nature activities, traveling, game nights, brewery hangs with live music
What excites you about EM at UVM: After completing an away rotation at UVMMC, I knew that this residency is unmatched. The program is extremely focused on resident learning, growth and well-being which translates to incredibly strong, competent and confident residents. Faculty are invested, passionate, kind and are genuinely cool humans to be around. Also, Burlington is a stunning place with so much to offer in outdoor activities, and I cannot wait to explore it more!
Future plans: Become the best community emergency medicine physician I can be. Live in the woods near the mountains. Get a dog. Learn how to sail on Lake Champlain?
Madeline Gauthier, MD
Hometown: Ripon, WI
Medical school: University of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucson
Hobbies: Hiking, long walks with my dog, crochet, weightlifting, hiking, singing, kayaking, exploring new places, hiking, reading, puzzles, spending time with my family, hiking, doting on my dog, embroidery, listening to audiobooks…and some more hiking.
What excites you about EM at UVM: Everything! UVM offers the rare opportunity to train at a large academic medical center while also regularly working in more rural settings. The culture is supportive and encouraging I’m so glad I get to be a part of the UVM EM team.
Future plans: Learn as much as possible, get back into skiing and kayaking after years in the desert, explore the fields of EMS and Wilderness Medicine, grow as a physician and a person, move back to the Southwest someday, explore the world, hike in as many places I can, and maybe even learn to cook.
Abby Hamilton, MD
Hometown: Lander, Wyoming
Medical school: University of Utah School of Medicine
Hobbies: I love many things with far more enthusiasm than skill—running (slowly), biking, climbing (socially), skiing, paddle boarding, hiking, and crafting/gift-making. I’m always reading multiple books at once (audio, physical, and one ebook I forget about for three months) and will find any possible way to play soccer (including soccer tennis and pick-up).
What excites you about EM at UVM: My away rotation at UVM felt like exactly the kind of place I had been hoping to find. People were kind, encouraging, and genuinely excited about what they do, which made it a great place to learn. I loved the mix of high-acuity care across all ages, the hands-on experience, and the program’s enthusiasm for rural and resource-limited care. I left my away rotation and couldn’t stop thinking about coming back.
Future plans: I’m excited to keep exploring EM, with interests in pediatrics, advocacy, and resource-limited care. I’m looking forward to continuing work in LGBTQ+ healthcare, building community in a beautiful new place, and getting outside as often as possible.
Lucy Honeycutt, MD
Hometown: Cumberland, MD
Medical school: Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine
Hobbies: Soccer, hiking, climbing, baking, puzzles, concerts (bonus points if outdoor), spending time with my favorite people
What excites you about EM at UVM: I did my away rotation at UVM and was really blown away by the sense of community and teamwork in the department. I felt genuinely supported as a learner and felt an immediate connection with the residents and faculty. It was clear that people enjoy working together and are invested in each other’s personal and professional growth. I’m excited about the opportunity to learn from this group and to care for patients across a variety of clinical settings, all while exploring everything Vermont has to offer!
Future plans: Become the best doctor and person I can be, learn something small (or big!) every day, perfect my macaron recipe, continue to expand my encyclopedia of coffee shops and ice cream stands, find the joy everywhere I can.
Jacob Lilienfeld, MD
Hometown: Newton, MA
Medical school: University of Colorado School of Medicine
Hobbies: Recently, most of my free time has been spent hanging out with my baby daughter, but when I do get free time I love anything outside, including backcountry skiing, mountain biking, or running. I also, embarrassingly, spend a lot of time watching bad reality TV with my wife.
What excites you about EM at UVM: I aspire to be an ER doctor who feels comfortable practicing autonomously in any resource setting, from the most austere environments to highly resourced tertiary medical centers, and I truly believe that UVM EM provides the mission and the diverse training environments that will allow me to grow into the physician I want to be. This in conjunction with a truly unique culture of supportiveness and friendliness made UVM an obvious choice. Also, I cannot complain about having to move my family to Burlington, Vt.
Future plans: Thoroughly enjoy residency, build lasting relationships, and spend as much time with my family while becoming the best physician that I can be. Find opportunities to work with local prehospital medical organizations. Maybe learn to kitesurf on Lake Champlain!
Sophie Moody, MD
Hometown: New York, NY
Medical school: University of Rochester
Hobbies: Swimming, hiking, skiing, gardening, camping, grilling, and pickleball.
What excites you about EM at UVM: UVM has stood out to me from the beginning of my residency search for its commitment to caring for their community and preparing their residents to practice medicine in any environment.
Future plans: Learn to be an Emergency Medicine doctor ready to practice medicine wherever life takes me, plant my new vegetable garden, and explore all the new trails, swimming holes, and good eats that Burlington has to offer!
Rachel Pomerantz, DO
Hometown: Newtown, PA
Medical school: Western University of Health Sciences of the Pacific Northwest
Hobbies: Skiing, climbing, biking, sleeping outside, card games, eating ice cream, knitting, hosting dinner parties, wandering and pondering
What excites you about EM at UVM: During my away rotation at UVMMC I instantly felt like part of the team in the most welcoming, supportive environment that made the department feel genuinely fun to be in, even at 3:00 in the morning. I fell in love with the close-knit community in Burlington and saw how emergency medicine in Vermont truly gives you the chance to care for your neighbors and the people around you every day. It’s also pretty hard to beat the wilderness access, and I’m stoked to have the outdoors built into both the learning environment and daily adventures!
Future plans: Learn as much as I can from mentors, patients, and friends, become the kind of teammate others want beside them on a hard shift, ski some Northeast powder days, and have a consistent winter of baking sourdough bread.