We are proud to present the incoming Intern Class of 2021. We wanted to take the opportunity to go a little past the names and faces and learn a couple things about them. We asked them each to tell us a little bit about why they chose Internal Medicine at Iowa for their residency. And, now that they have been here a couple months, what they like about living in Iowa City or working at University of Iowa Health Care. We will introduce them a few at a time each week for the next couple months. Welcome to Iowa! (Read previous weeks’ installments.)
McKenna Eisenbeisz, MD
Hometown: Bowdle, South Dakota
Medical school: University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine
“Why Iowa”: I know everyone says “the people,” but seriously it was the people. I remember feeling excited about residency and the future after my Iowa interview day in a way I didn’t after any of my other interviews. It’s definitely because everyone was so nice and welcoming.
What I like about Iowa City: So many things! I love getting to work with the kindest people, being able to bike to work, and paddle boarding on my time off.
Patrick Mallea, MD
Hometown: Boise, Idaho
Medical school: University of Utah
“Why Iowa”: A large academic medical center in small town is uncommon. I wanted to train and live in a smaller city. On interview day I was impressed by how warm, collegial and genuine all of the faculty and residents were/are.
What I like about Iowa City: I am new to Iowa City but have enjoyed exploring new restaurants, parks and communities around Iowa City. I love how easy it is to live here. I recently started fishing for bass with a fly rod. Bass fishing was completely new to me and exploring ponds and streams around Iowa City that contain bass has been fun.
Sruti Prathivadhi-Bhayankaram, MD
Hometown: Omaha, Nebraska
Medical school: University of Nebraska Medical Center
“Why Iowa”: I wanted to go to Iowa because I was really impressed with the program’s educational focus and loved the supportive, collegiate atmosphere during my interview. Additionally, I was really excited to hear about the research and mentorship opportunities at this program. I am absolutely thrilled to be here!
What I like about Iowa City: There’s a great variety of things to do here – I went biking on a long trial last weekend, loved my time at the Block Party the weekend prior, and looking forward to a lot of fun things in the future. My favorite part has to be the people – everyone has been so kind and welcoming!
Adi Ravindra MD
Hometown: Aurora, Illinois
Medical school: University of Illinois College of Medicine – Peoria
“Why Iowa”: It’s a cliche answer, but it really came down to the people I met during my interview. Despite being over Zoom, I could tell that everyone here was great. I got the feeling that they treated residents as individuals and cared for them.
What I like about Iowa City: I like the feel of the city and its blend between having some bigger city attractions and a small town feel. Downtown is a great place to spend days off. Also, Hurts has the best donuts ever!
Raghav Tripathi, MD, MPH
Hometown: Portland, Oregon
Medical school: Case Western Reserve University
“Why Iowa”: My fiancée is a lifelong Iowan, a third year medical student at Carver College of Medicine, and a lover of all things Iowa City! I wanted to come to UIHC for the incredible education, broad array of diverse pathologies from across the Midwest, camaraderie amongst residents and faculty, and phenomenal teaching culture.
What I like Iowa City: Exploring the city with my fiancée and her family, the ample parking, the fact that everything is five minutes away, and all the events downtown throughout the summer every weekend. The arts culture is amazing and the public library downtown has everything I could imagine. Finally, this hospital provides the best care for patients whether they’re from Iowa City or from hundreds of miles away, and getting to be a part of their care as a resident physician is a true privilege.