Faculty
The faculty of the Internal Medicine Residency program at Saint Joseph Hospital program are all Board Certified in Internal Medicine and its subspecialties, and are recognized for their excellence in both clinical and academic medicine. The faculty maintains an open-door policy, allowing residents to meet informally should issues arise. Each faculty member is committed to the education of our physicians and students, preparing them for success in their future careers.
In addition to the core faculty, there are numerous clinical instructors who come from various practice settings to supplement medical education. These include office-based internists and subspecialists, hospital-based internists, and specialists from the National Jewish Health and the Colorado Permanente Medical Group. Specialists also come from the University of Colorado and other academic institutions throughout the United States to teach and lecture in the program during the year.
Aaron J. Calderon, MD, FACP, SFHM
Program Director
Dr. Calderon is a native New Yorker who moved to beautiful Colorado in 2002. He has worked at Saint Joseph Hospital since then in multiple roles and became Program Director in 2014. He is tremendously dedicated to teaching the house staff so that they can deliver the highest quality patient care. His interests include bedside ultrasound, procedural training, preventive medicine, evidence-based medicine, and mentoring. He has held several leadership positions at Saint Joseph Hospital, including founder of the hospital's GME Simulation/Procedural Skills Lab and founding Co-Chair of the hospital's GME Simulation Committee. On a national level, Dr. Calderon has been an editor for NEJM Journal Watch Hospital Medicine since 2007. He has been a committee member/contributor to the American College of Physicians’ MKSAP program and an editor/speaker for MedStudy; from 2014-2020 he was the Co-Director for the MedStudy Internal Medicine Certification Board Review Course. In addition, he is very active in the American College of Physicians and the Association of Program Directors in Internal Medicine, where he served as Chair of the West Special Interest Group from 2006-2014. He has been a member of the Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine's Accreditation Committee, as well as, its subcommittee on Curricular & Teaching Aspects of Medical Education. Dr. Calderon is a Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of Colorado where he has taught medical students the use of bedside ultrasound. He is a graduate of State University Health Science Center at Brooklyn, New York, and completed a combined residency at the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
Richard H. Miranda, MD, FACP, FAAP
Associate Program Director
Dr. Miranda arrived to our group in October 2014. He is a Colorado native, and moved back to Colorado in 2002 after his medical training. Dr. Miranda graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and completed his residency in Internal Medicine/Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine. He has been extensively involved with medical education and clinical care since completing residency. He is interested in providing the optimal clinical and educational experience for residents and students to provide the best care possible for patients, with a focus on the underserved. He has been acknowledged for his teaching receiving multiple awards including the University of Colorado Medical Student Teacher of the Year in the Department of Internal Medicine and the Clinician-Educator of the Year for the Mountain West Region of the Society of General Internal Medicine. Dr. Miranda is an Associate Clinical Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Colorado. He serves as a peer reviewer for the American Journal of Preventive Medicine and American College of Physicians MKSAP, and previously served as team lead for the Doctor’s Dilemma Writing Group. He is actively involved in the local Chapter of the ACP having served as the Chair for the Resident Fellow Committee and was the inaugural Chapter Wellness Co-Chair. Dr. Miranda has also been heavily involved in many community activities supporting the underserved, and was named the 5280 Magazine Editors Choice Top Humanitarian in 2004. He enjoys grilling, fly-fishing and tennis in his spare time.
Elizabeth Cyran, MD, MSPH, FACP
Director of Medical Student Services
Dr. Cyran is an Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and joined the Faculty at Saint Joseph’s in 2005. Dr Cyran directs the internal medicine student clerkships, receiving a CU Clinical Faculty Student Teacher of the Year Award in 2008. She is also actively involved in medical housestaff education through precepting in the ambulatory clinic, mentoring, and lecturing. A native of Upstate New York, Dr Cyran was an AOA graduate from a six-year BS-MD program at Albany Medical College and then completed an Internal Medicine residency and a Hematology-Oncology fellowship at the University of Rochester School of Medicine (interspersed with a stint in the National Health Service Corps working in a clinic for low-income medically underserved patients). After moving to Colorado, she obtained her MSPH at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center where she was Director of the University Medicine-Denver Internal Medicine Resident Outpatient Clinic, achieving an Excellence in Teaching award in 2004 before coming to Saint Joseph’s. Her professional interests includes patient safety and root cause analysis, doctor-patient communication, medical decision-making, and mentoring students and housestaff. On a personal level Dr Cyran enjoys skiing, bicycling, active travel, gardening, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Eldercare currently keeps her busy as well.
Cuong Doan, MD, FACP
Assistant Director of Inpatient Services
Dr. Doan is an Associate Clinical Professor of Internal Medicine, University of Colorado and is actively involved in teaching on the inpatient services and also regularly attends the outpatient clinic. He is also one of the hospitalists of the Colorado Permanente Medical Group and facilitates educational goals between the residency and the volunteer faculty members. Dr. Doan is a graduate of the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. He completed his Residency at Saint Joseph Hospital. His interests include evidence based medicine, cultural diversity and family dynamics. Dr. Doan's family owns and operates a Vietnamese grocery store and often brings in exotic treats.
Michael T. Morton, MD, FACP
Director of Hospital Medicine, National Jewish Health – Saint Joseph Hospital
A graduate of Saint Louis University School of Medicine, Dr. Morton completed his Internal Medicine Residency at Saint Joseph Hospital, where he also served as Chief Resident. After spending five years in private practice in Manchester, New Hampshire, he returned to Saint Joseph Hospital as Director of Inpatient Services. Dr. Morton is an Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine for both the University of Colorado School of Medicine, and Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine. He is extensively involved in teaching on the inpatient services, acting as Medical Director for the Faculty Inpatient Team, administrating inpatient rotations, coordinating procedures courses in the Simulation Lab, and developing and mentoring Hospital-based quality projects for our Residents. Dr. Morton also serves as the Director of Hospital Medicine for National Jewish Health - Saint Joseph Hospital, coordinating efforts between the hospital and the Hospital Medicine groups to improve patient care, quality, and safety. Dr. Morton’s interests include physical examination skills, teaching a logical diagnostic approach, use of technology in practice, and resident advocacy.
Gerard Salame, MD
Director, Internal Medicine Bedside Ultrasound Program
Dr. Gerard Salame recently joined the Saint Joseph faculty in August of 2021. Originally from Lebanon, he spent the first 25 years of his life in the Middle East where he completed medical school at the American University of Beirut. He moved to Chicago where he completed his internal medicine residency at Cook County hospital in 2008 and since then has devoted his career to medical education. He accepted a position at Denver Health hospital in 2008 where he was director of the ultrasound guided procedure team for over a decade. Dr Salame is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Colorado. He has focused his work on Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) education and training. He is a national expert in POCUS and bedside ultrasound guided procedure education. He is part of the national task force tasked with writing national position statements for ultrasound guided procedures sponsored by the Society of Hospital Medicine. His interest in ultrasound research has led to several innovations, including: the Probe Watch, a quarter sized device that maps the motion of ultrasound probes as well as the multiple ultrasound simulators using ballistic gel. His interest in the role of game theory in medical education has led to the creation of yearlong ultrasound games and competitions that have substantially increased the house staff’s utilization of POCUS in daily clinical work. Dr Salame enjoys the outdoors, hiking, camping, trail running as well as basketball and weight lifting.
Eric Seger, DO
Director of Outpatient Services
Dr. Seger is a graduate of Rocky Vista University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine where he earned his D.O. degree in 2016. He completed his internal medicine residency at Saint Joseph Hospital and a year as Chief Resident prior to joining the faculty full time. Born and raised in rural Nebraska, he moved to Wyoming where he completed his primary education. He is a previous EMT, paramedic and has a Bachelors of Science degree from Montana State University prior to obtaining his D.O. degree. He and his wife of 27 years lived in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho before moving to Colorado to attend medical school where the family has decided to call home. In addition to one granddaughter, they have four children ages 29, 27, 24 and 20.
As Director of Outpatient Services for the Residency Program, Dr Seger supports the residents as Medical Director for Caritas Clinic. This resident operated ambulatory clinic provides a direct experience as the primary care physician with hands-on experience managing a wide range of chronic disease in the ambulatory setting. He has a strong passion for serving the homeless and uninsured populations of the community and champions healthcare equality for the underserved. He has a passion for wellness, mental health and is an active member on the hospital ethics committee.
Outside of the hospital he is an avid biker, skier and outdoor enthusiast. He and his wife are supporters of Aurora and Colorado Special Olympics and often are seen cheering on the two youngest children. Please feel free to contact him directly with any questions you may have about the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Saint Joseph Hospital.
Sophia Raia, MD
Chief Resident, Internal Medicine
Originally from New England, she completed her undergraduate and medical education at the University of Miami in Florida (go 'Canes!). She is passionate about medical education and social determinants of health and hopes to pass this on to the residents of the program. She is planning on pursuing a career in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. Outside of the hospital, she enjoys gardening and other outdoor activities, including camping and skiing.
Program Administration
Sue Reinhardt
Program Administrator
Sue Reinhardt, a native Montanan, has lived in Colorado, Virginia, and returned to Colorado in 2011. She joined Saint Joseph Hospital’s Internal Medicine Residency Program in early 2017 as the Medical Student Coordinator and in late 2019 stepped into the Program Administrator role. In her off time she enjoys drag racing with her husband, visiting her daughter and son-in-law (both in emergency and critical care veterinary medicine) in South Carolina, and off-roading in her SXS with her rescue pup. By working as an admin in the medical education department, she hopes to encourage the students and residents to continue to chase their career goals and dreams to be the best doctors they can. A cure for cancer is one of her biggest wishes.
Kendra Chapman
Medical Student Coordinator/Assistant Program Administrator
Kendra Chapman is Texas-born, but Colorado-raised and has been with the SCL/IH system since 2009. She loves spending time with her husband and two adult children. Kendra is a crazy cat lady and has never met an animal she didn't love. In her free time, you can usually find her at a music festival, Red Rocks, camping, or baking/cooking. Kendra looks forward to helping guide the medical students through the various aspects of their time here and is always ready to lend a helping hand!
Residents
The Internal Medicine Residency includes both a three-year categorical and a one-year preliminary program. There are ten residents in each year of the categorical track, and eight residents in the preliminary track.
We are fortunate to attract outstanding residents from all over the country. The Saint Joseph Hospital Internal Medicine residents are enthusiastic teachers, have a positive attitude, work well as a team, and support each other both in and out of the hospital. Residents are actively involved in various residency program and medical staff committees and are able to facilitate change in the residency program and the hospital. The Internal Medicine Residency Council helps to facilitate change in the residency program. There is also a hospital-wide Resident Staff Physician Council which has representation on the Medical Executive Committee, meeting with staff physician leaders as well as the CEO, CMO, and CNO of the hospital.
Click here for the 2022-2023 Resident Agreement.
Class of 2024
Dylan Bergstedt, MD
Hometown: Lander, Wyoming
Medical School: University of Colorado
Career interests: Hospitalist/ Rheumatologist
Favorite Denver activity: Trail Running
If I weren't a doctor I would be...Boxing Coach/Cornerman
Nicholas (Nick) Chapman, DO
Hometown: La Honda, California.
Medical School: Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Career Interests: Allergy & Immunology, global health, and working with underserved populations
Favorite Denver Activity: Gardening, pets, and exploring the beautiful outdoors
If I were not a doctor, I would be...a computer programmer or video game developer
Madison Guevara, MD
Hometown: Madison, WI
Medical School: Medical College of Wisconsin
Career Interests: Hospital Medicine
Favorite Denver Activity: Checking out all the heavy metal themed bars and restaurants!
If I weren't a doctor, I would be...A metal music journalist!
Erika Hinricher, DO
Hometown: Lakewood, CO
Medical School: Rocky Vista University
Career interests: Hospital Medicine
Favorite Denver activity: Fly fishing, backpacking to high alpine lakes, and spending time with my husband, daughter, and vizsla.
If I weren't a doctor I would be...a high school science teacher or a college professor.
Michal Klepadlo, DO
Hometown: Lindenhurst, NY
Medical School: Rocky Vista University
Career interests: Undecided with a focus on clinical education.
Favorite Denver activity: Going to Little Man Ice Cream.
If I weren't a doctor I would be...a Formula 1 Driver. (Realistically, I would probably own a restaurant.)
Brian Lelling, DO
Hometown: Boca Raton, FL
Medical School: Edward Via College Carolinas
Career interests: Heme/onc, primary care
Favorite Denver activity: Hiking, brewery hopping, Rockies games
If I weren't a doctor I would be...a marine biologist on some far-away island
Rachel Resnick, DO
Hometown: Providence Rhode Island
Medical School: Lake Erie College
Career Interests: Hospitalist
Favorite Denver Activity: hiking and exploring farmers markets
If I weren’t a doctor I would...own an animal shelter and probably end up taking them all home.
Emily Russell-Levy, DO
Hometown: Tulsa, OK
Medical School: Rocky Vista University
Career interests: pulmonary critical care, infectious disease, teaching, disparities in healthcare
Favorite Denver activity: I enjoy leaving Denver for hiking, camping, and mountain biking in the mountains whenever I get the chance.
If I weren't a doctor I would be...a professional dog trainer. I’m a huge animal behavior and learning theory nerd. I have trained and competed with my own dogs in agility and obedience for the past 14 years!
Samantha (Sam) Schapiro, DO
Hometown: Milford, NJ
Medical School: Rowan University
Career interests: Hospital Medicine, Academic Medicine/Medical Education, Clinical Unknowns
Favorite Denver activity: skiing in the winter, hiking in the summer/fall, playing all racket sports, learning to mountain bike, going to a brewery and capturing beautiful landscapes on my phone
If I weren't a doctor I would be...a travel photographer or work for a professional ski or tennis league
David (Dave) Sheneman, MD
Hometown: Flemington, NJ
Medical School: University of Colorado
Career interests: Heme/Onc vs. Hospitalist
Favorite Denver activity: Trying all the restaurants and microbrews, when not escaping to the mountains
If I weren't a doctor I would be...ideally I'd have Anthony Bourdain's job, but more practically probably a public health researcher
Class of 2025
Monica Ayala, DO
Hometown: Grand Junction, CO
Medical School: Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine
Career interests: Hospitalist or Primary Care
Favorite Denver activity: Being close to the mountains for hikes and camping! Within Denver I like to try out different restaurants and breweries
If I weren't a doctor I would be...a travel and food blogger
Konner Feldhus, DO
Hometown: Thornton, CO
Medical School: Des Moines University
Career Interests: Cardiology? ID? Let's be honest, I'll end up a hospitalist with my diverse interests
Favorite Denver Activity: Skiing and exploring the brewery scene
If I were not a doctor, I would be...a pilot or air traffic controller
Hamid Hussaini, DO
Hometown: New York City, NY
Medical School: Rocky Vista University
Career Interests: Pulm/Crit, Nocturnist
Favorite Denver Activity: Climbing mountains, camping, hiking with my corgi, skiing
If I weren't a doctor, I would be...a national park ranger
Jane Li, DO
Hometown: Zhongshan City, Canton province, China
Medical School: Western University of Health Sciences COMP-NW
Career interests: Pulm/Crit or Hospitalist or Hospitalist working in an open ICU
Favorite Denver activity: Denver Zoo, Downtown Aquarium, Denver Museum of Nature & Science
If I weren't a doctor I would be...a screen writer or director
Alyssa Manteufel, DO
Hometown: Waupaca, WI
Medical School: Des Moines University
Career interests: Hospitalist or Critical Care, Ultrasound
Favorite Denver activity: Mountain biking
If I weren't a doctor I would be...my current day dream is opening a plant shop in the Pacific Northwest
Josh McKee, DO
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Medical School: NYITCOM at Arkansas State University
Career interests: Hospitalist or possibly pursuing fellowship
Favorite Denver activity: I love exploring all the food in the area and jogging around the local lake while enjoying the view
If I weren't a doctor I would be...a veterinarian
KC Moore, MD
Hometown: Woodland Hills, CA
Medical School: University of Colorado
Career Interests: Hospitalist
Favorite Denver Activity: Denver Beer Co.’s beer and ice cream pairing events
If I weren’t a doctor I would...a small-town detective solving small-town crimes or would work at a book publishing house!
Megan Parfait, MD
Hometown: Lafayette, LA
Medical School: LSU New Orleans
Career interests: Undecided/academic medicine
Favorite Denver activity: Concerts at Red Rocks
If I weren't a doctor I would be...a bartender…again :-)
Thien-Dang Vu, MD
Hometown: White Sands Missile Range, NM (although born at St. Joe's!)
Medical School: University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque NM
Career interests: Airforce hospitality? -> Space Physiology???
Favorite Denver activity: Walking 16th street and Larimar, fly fishing, stand-up paddle board, canoeing, hiking, snowboard & skiing, and thrift shopping!
If I weren't a doctor I would be...an electrical engineer doing Mark Rober shenanigans
Madeline Youakim, MD
Hometown: Hopkins, MN
Medical School: University of Minnesota
Career interests: Primary care and hospitalist combination
Favorite Denver activity: I just moved here a little over a month ago, so I haven’t had a chance to explore all Denver has to offer… but so far I love Denver’s museums
If I weren't a doctor I would be..a coffee shop and book store owner who also takes people on outdoor adventures
Class of 2026
Claire Altany, MD
Hometown: Midland, Texas
Medical School: Baylor College of Medicine
Career interests: Hospital Medicine
Favorite Denver activity: Hiking and spending time outdoors
If I weren't a doctor I would be...a science teacher
Veronica "Roni" Graham, DO
Hometown: Arvada, Colorado
Medical School: Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine
Career Interests: Cardiology, Global Medicine
Favorite Denver Activity: Trying new restaurants, concerts at Red Rocks, and watching Nuggets games
If I were not a doctor, I would be...a veterinarian for the Denver Zoo or sports journalist
Mitchell “Mitch” Kerr, MD
Hometown: Prairie Village, Kansas
Medical School: University of Kansas
Career Interests: Interventional Cardiology
Favorite Denver Activity: Jogging at the awesome parks, exploring the food scene, and of course, heading into the mountains
If I weren't a doctor, I would be...A high school science teacher and swim coach
Kelsey Klingel, DO
Hometown: Mankato, Minnesota
Medical School: University of New England
Career interests: Pulmonology and Critical Care, Academic Hospital Medicine
Favorite Denver activity: A good post-work mountain bike, followed by live music and beer!
If I weren't a doctor I would be...A big mountain competitive skier or a science teacher!
Joseph “Joey” Malzbender, MD
Hometown: Palo Alto, California
Medical School: Frank H. Netter SOM
Career interests: Hospital Medicine
Favorite Denver activity: Mountain Biking
If I weren't a doctor I would be...A physical therapist
Ashley McKenzie, MD
Hometown: Lexington, South Carolina
Medical School: University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia
Career interests: Primary care, rheumatology
Favorite Denver activity: I’m still trying new things, but I love walking downtown and trying the different food markets.
If I weren't a doctor I would be...Skills-wise, an executive assistant, I can manage emails all day long. Hobbies-wise, I would love to be a travel blogger. My husband and I try and see a few new countries every year.
Riley Parr, MD
Hometown: Johnson City, Tennessee
Medical School: East Tennessee State University
Career Interests: Rural hospital medicine, pulmonary/critical care
Favorite Denver Activity: Skiing or mountain biking! I'm also a huge fan of the Botanical Gardens.
If I weren’t a doctor I would...either a ski patroller again or a biologist
Zachariah “Zach” Schultz, DO
Hometown: Eagan, Minnesota
Medical School: Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Career interests: Hospitalist, pulmonary critical care
Favorite Denver activity: Skiing and hiking
If I weren't a doctor I would be...A pilot so I could get paid while traveling the world.
Nicholas “Nick” Wenz, DO
Hometown: Grand Island, Nebraska
Medical School: Rocky Vista University
Career interests: Cardiology
Favorite Denver activity: Going to the mountains (hiking, skiing, biking), breweries, coffee shops or new restaurants
If I weren't a doctor I would be...A strength and conditioning coach, physical therapist, or something in the fitness industry.
Jingfan “Jenn” Wu, DO
Hometown: Beijing, China/Naples, Florida
Medical School: Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Career interests: Heme/onc., hospitalist
Favorite Denver activity: Summer concerts at Red Rocks and eating at all the yummy restaurants in town
If I weren't a doctor I would be...A travel blogger or a baker
Preliminary Interns
Brooke Braman, MD
Hometown: Lawrence, Kansas
Medical School: University of Minnesota Medical School
Career interests: Radiation oncology, CNS disease
Favorite Denver activity: Going to the mountains for hiking in the summer and skiing in the winter.
If I weren't a doctor I would be...A scientist at NASA
Brendan Crabb, MD
Hometown: Boise, Idaho
Medical School: University of Utah School of Medicine
Career interests: Diagnostic radiology!
Favorite Denver activity: Watching the Colorado Rockies (occasionally) win at Coors Field or backpacking, hiking, fishing, or skiing in the mountains.
If I weren't a doctor I would be...A machine learning engineer or entrepreneur, I would love to have my own startup company someday.
Jensen Edwards, MD
Hometown: Lawrence, Kansas
Medical School: Texas Tech Health Sciences Center, Foster School of Medicine
Career Interests: Dermatology
Favorite Denver Activity: All of the beautiful nearby hikes, trails, and parks
If I weren’t a doctor I would be...A bakery/coffee shop owner, a writer, or a sommelier!
John Hesling, MD
Hometown: Muskegon, Michigan
Medical School: University of Colorado School of Medicine
Career interests: PM and R pain or Interventional sports and spine
Favorite Denver activity: Hiking the trails around the outskirts of town with my wife and our two daughters
If I weren't a doctor I would be...A pilot. I love flying and deeply enjoyed my previous flying career before heading into medicine.
Corey Meehan, MD
Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
Medical School: University of Colorado School of Medicine
Career interests: Anesthesiology
Favorite Denver activity: Playing in soccer leagues, trying new happy hour spots, and getting a quick 9 at Denver's great public golf courses
If I weren't a doctor I would be...A city planner or an air traffic controller
Ani Oganesyan, MD
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Medical School: University of Colorado School of Medicine
Career interests: Dermatology
Favorite Denver activity: Pickle ball at Clear Creek Valley Park and Top Golf in Centennial
If I weren't a doctor I would be...A competitive grappler because I loved learning Brazilian Jiu Jitsu prior to medical school and would love to continue practicing.
Colette Piasecki-Masters, MD
Hometown: Saratoga Springs, New York
Medical School: SUNY Upstate Medical University
Career interests: PM&R, neurorehabilitation, public health
Favorite Denver activity: Yoga in City Park (free every Sunday AM!)
If I weren't a doctor I would be...An artist - I love drawing, painting, ceramics, etc.
Emily Soeder-Suarez, MD
Hometown: Miami, Florida
Medical School: FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine
Career interests: Women’s Imaging
Favorite Denver activity: Hiking with my husband and dogs
If I weren't a doctor I would be a...An owner of a doggy daycare center