Ahmed Adbelhamid, MD

Growing up as an Egyptian American, I learned from an early age to appreciate the various disparities in the world. My frequent trips to Egypt were always a direct reminder of how fortunate I am to have access to basic needs. These experiences motivated me to seek out a career that was centered around others and ignited my pursuit of medicine.

Each of my volunteering, research, and clinical experiences demonstrated how dynamic medicine can be; not only is medicine a vessel to serve others, but a commitment to learning and growing as a leader and educator. With these goals in mind, my pursuit in becoming a well-rounded physician took life at Mizzou, where I attended medical school. During my clerkship years, internal medicine quickly resonated with me as a field that focuses on supporting and advocating for those suffering from chronic diseases. However, after finally answering the question “what do I want to be when I grow up,” I now had to decide on where I could make this happen.

On my interview journey, I focused on one main aspect of programs: did the program sincerely care about the education and goals of the residents? This was made immediately clear on my interview day at the University of Iowa. From the opening introductions to the closing remarks, the common theme was the Hawkeye family. This family stuck together, supporting and caring for one another while each Hawkeye carved their own path in medicine.

Reflecting on the last 3 years, my intimidating goal of becoming a well-rounded and competent physician is now reality because of the devotion that the University of Iowa has for its residents. I am grateful for the diverse clinical training, numerous research opportunities, and practical educational curriculum that fostered my growth as a clinician, educator, and leader. Looking forward to my upcoming chief year, I am eager to contribute to these efforts for our residents alongside such an admirable group of leaders. I hope to advance our educational curriculum with novel lectures that are applicable to clinical practice while preparing our residents for future boards. I am also excited to facilitate research opportunities for our residents, networking them with their own mentors.

Outside of work, I love spending time with my family and my 1-year-old! I also enjoy playing basketball, painting, and watching any Marvel movie ever made! After the completion of my chief year, I plan to pursue a Cardiology fellowship.

Tyler Bullis, MD

My first residency interview was at Iowa and it quickly became my program “measuring stick.” What struck me about my interview experience here was the people and the culture they embodied. Everyone knows about “Iowa Nice” but what is less seen is the drive for growth and progress that this program facilitates.

I grew up in the Kansas City area and went to William Jewell College. Following undergrad I worked for Cerner as a technology consultant. Ultimately, I attended University of Kansas for medical school where, like many other internal medicine doctors, realized I liked all aspects of medical practice.

I spend most of my time outside the hospital with my wife as we chase around our twins, who were residency additions. We enjoy staying active with the gyms, trails, and parks in the Iowa City area. Aside from medicine, my passion is college football—as anyone who has worked with me on a Fall Saturday can tell you.

For my year as Chief Resident, I look forward to recruiting the next iteration of Iowa residents and to perpetuating Iowa culture through an emphasis on resident and student education. Following this year, I plan to pursue a fellowship in Cardiology.

Mackenzie Hines, MD

I’ve always been an Iowa girl. Growing up close by in Cedar Rapids, I had an interest in science from an early age. I shadowed different local physicians throughout high school and volunteered in the emergency department. During my summers in college at Iowa State University, I worked as a CNA at an assisted living facility. Through these experiences, my interest in medicine continued to grow and I came to learn how much I enjoyed direct patient care. I was drawn to the constant stream of learning that occurs in medicine.

After graduating from Iowa State University, I spent a gap year working as a nursing assistant on 4RC then went on to medical school at the Carver College of Medicine. Rotating through all of the different specialties, I quickly learned that I loved every rotation and that pushed me toward Internal Medicine when it came to deciding on my future in medicine. The people that I had come to know in the Internal Medicine program here at Iowa while still in medical school were what kept me around for residency. Everyone from the leadership to the residents were down-to-earth team players, kind, and compassionate. They embodied the characteristics of the type of physician I aspired to be and I am so happy I stayed for residency at Iowa. The supportive environment, yet high caliber of training, are what make Iowa so special. This program molded me into the physician I am today and I am so proud to call Iowa City and the University of Iowa home.

Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my husband, Andrew, and our golden doodle, Carver. We love our evening walks with Carver and finding trails in the Iowa City area to bike and hike.

I am looking forward to my upcoming year as Chief Resident and continuing our tradition of excellence in both resident and medical student education as well as patient care. Upon completion of chief residency, I plan to pursue a fellowship in Allergy/Immunology.

Samuel Zetumer, MD

I was born and raised in San Diego, California, and studied mathematics at Princeton University as an undergraduate. While I loved the beauty and elegance of math, I realized toward the end of my undergraduate studies that I wanted to help people more concretely than I could with what I was learning. I changed trajectory over the next few years and eventually found my way to medicine through a combination of volunteering, post-baccalaureate classes, and clinical research.

I attended medical school at the University of California, San Francisco, where I learned about the growing connection between problems in programming and computer science and problems in medicine. There, I worked with the Department of Urology to automate data collection from clinical notes. I graduated with a Masters in Advanced Study, with a focus in clinical research and study design.

I chose to attend residency in the University of Iowa because Dr. Manish Suneja was one of the few program directors whose eyes lit up when we discussed clinical informatics and my hopes for my career. I am so grateful for his support and could not have chosen a better environment or mentors to become a physician. I am particularly grateful to my co-chiefs, as well as Drs. Krista Johnson, Justin Smock, and Matthew Soltys for their guidance navigating this new role.

My goal for this year as the Chief Resident in Quality and Patient Safety is to continue the work of Dr. Derek Hupp, who established the Transitions of Care Clinic at the Iowa City VA. It is difficult to overstate the importance of this clinic to our veteran patients, and I am eager to pick up the baton. I will also continue my work creating applications that process clinical data to improve patient care.