MEET OUR RESIDENTS

Hannah Holik Barrett, MD

Resident

Hannah is a physician resident at the University of Utah Department of Pediatric Neurology. She grew up in Wyoming, but spent time working for a family horse business in central Florida. She attended college at the University of Florida where she majored in Neurobiology. Hannah attended medical school at the University of Utah with a graduate certifi cation in Tribal, Rural, and Underserved Medical Education. In her free time, she enjoys riding horses, playing tennis, baking, and spending time with family.

Taelor Johnson, MD

Resident

Emily Yan, MD, MS, MA

Resident

Emily Yan, MD, MS, MA is a pediatric neurology resident physician at The University of Utah. She holds a BS in Physiology and Neuroscience and an MS in Biology from the University of California San Diego. She earned her MD and MA in Design focused on Health from The University of Texas at Austin. Along the way, she has remained committed to prioritizing the art of medicine and optimizing patient- and family-centered care in ways that matter most to them. Outside of medicine, she enjoys sketching, dabbling in ceramics, discovering new hiking trails, and spending time with her partner.

PGY-2

Aaron Hezeltine, BS, MD

Resident

I grew up in a small town in Idaho near the Idaho-Oregon border. I attended undergrad at Wheaton College near Chicago Illinois, where I received a bachelor's degree in Biology. I received my medical training at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Rockford, where I participated in their rural medicine education program (RMED). I always had an interest in the brain since a young age, but discovered the field of pediatric neurology while in medical school I knew it was a great fit for me. I hope to practice general pediatric neurology near the Wind River Native American Reservation in Wyoming. I came to Utah for the emphasis on rural pediatric neurology and to be closer to family. I also love hiking, camping, golfing, basketball, and snowshoeing, which are great hobbies to have in Salt Lake City. I am quite the nerd about Lord of the Rings and even have a Lord of the Rings card game I play frequently during my free time.

Sydney Laughton , MD

Resident

Dr. Laughton is a physician resident at the University of Utah Department of Pediatric Neurology. She completed her undergraduate education at Gonzaga University and medical school at the University of Nevada, Reno. Her interests in medicine include general neurology. She enjoys being involved in education and quality improvement.

Steven Willden, MD

Resident

Interested in complex neurological disorders including epilepsy

PGY-3

Sara Moss, MD

Resident

Sara is originally from a town outside of San Francisco, CA, and then went to undergrad at San Diego State University where she majored in Biology. Flying across the country, she pursued research in drug development at the NIH before attending medical school at the University of Michigan. After medical school, she moved to Utah for a Child Neurology residency! Throughout her studies, she engaged in social justice classes, rural clinics, and street medicine in Detroit. In residency, she is part of the Global, Rural, and Underserved Child Healthcare (GRUCH) program, and is eager to explore the intersection of how cultural background impacts medicine. When she is not working, she enjoys sculpting ceramics, cooking new dishes, hiking in the beautiful mountains, or watching The Office with her spouse.

Katherine Staroscik , MD

Resident

Kate has spent most of her life in Oklahoma, completing undergraduate at Oklahoma State University and medical school at the University of Oklahoma before moving to Utah for residency. She has spent the majority of her medical education focused on public health and community engagement and is looking forward to a career in general child neurology. Outside of work, she loves trying new restaurants in the SLC area, reading non-academic books, and watching college football with her husband and baby boy.

PGY-4

Dominic Camperchioli, MD

Resident

Dominic grew up in the suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio. He moved slightly south to Ohio for undergraduate education at Kenyon College, where he developed interests in scientific research and ultimate frisbee. After graduating college, he took his first trip west of the Central Time Zone, spending two weeks exploring southern Utah. Returning to Cincinnati for medical school, Utah never left his mind. During medical school, he arranged a summer research laboratory position at the University of Utah, eventually leading to his arrival in Salt Lake City for residency

Benjamin Reinhardt, MD

Resident

I grew up in Upstate NY. Spent 5 years in the military, where I decided to pursue a medical degree. I liked working with children in the military, and really interested in neurology in Medical school.

Reilly Philliben, MD

PGY-5

McKenna Coletti, MD

Resident

McKenna grew up in the Salt Lake area, left for an undergrad in Northern California before returning to Utah for medical school and residency. Her academic interests include pediatric stroke, tele-stroke, effective communication, and the role of feedback in medical school and residency.

She has two kids (4 and 1 years) and when she’s not trying to teach them to ski or play soccer you can find her running with her co-residents on one of the many trails in the area.

MaryGlen Vielleux Stanich, MD

Resident

Calls Great Falls, Montana, her home. Her interest in neuroscience was piqued in her undergrad at Montana State, then further clarified in medical school at the University of Washington where she fell in love with pediatrics and continued to love studying the brain. Fun fact: She’s a 4th generation Montanan! She thinks Utah is pretty dang nice though. Outside of work, she loves spending time with co-residents and exploring new trails.

Alumni

Allison Chirigos, MD

Though Allie grew up in a small town outside of Pittsburgh, PA, she pursued much of her education prior to residency in Virginia. She attended W&L University, where she graduated with a Biochemistry major and Philosophy minor and then completed her medical degree at Eastern Virginia Medical School. Afterwards, she moved to Utah to begin her Child Neurology residency and to be closer to the mountains. She spends her free time practicing yoga and getting outside in any way she can including hiking, mountain biking, and skiing.

Cassie Turnage, MD

Cassie grew up in Mechanicsville, VA and studied Biomedical Engineering in undergrad at Virginia Commonwealth University before attending medical school at the University of Virginia. While her initial love for mountains blossomed in the Appalachians, she decided to gain some altitude with a big move out west. In addition to anything outdoors (especially mountain biking and skiing), she also loves cooking, gardening, and hanging out with co-residents and her dog Mabel. After two years of pediatrics she is excited to be moving into neurology training as part of pediatric neurology fellowship!

Luke Heyliger, MD

Luke grew up in Fort Collins, CO where he received his bachelor’s degree in chemistry and master’s degree in biomedical science at Colorado State University. He then completed his medical degree at the Loma Linda University School of Medicine and was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha honor society before joining the Child Neurology residency at the University of Utah. He spends his time outside work playing with his kittens, experimenting with new recipes, and writing and recording music.

Shanna Swartwood, MD

Shanna was raised in Merced, California and received her bachelor of science in neuroscience at the University of California Los Angeles. She completed her medical degree at the University of Oklahoma after which she moved to Utah for her residency training in Child Neurology at the University of Utah. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, skiing and spending time with her family and friends.

Melissa Wright, MD

Melissa received her bachelor of science degree in neuroscience from Brigham Young University before receiving her medical degree from the University of Utah. She was part of the first class of medical students to be accepted into the pilot program “Education in Pediatrics Across the Continuum” (EPAC), in which medical students and residents are advanced in a competency, rather than time, based manner. During medical school she was also inducted into the Gold Humanism and Alpha Omega Alpha honor societies. When she is not working, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her family.

Residents

MEET OUR RESIDENTS