Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Current Residents

David Cotton Jr., M.D.

• Hometown: Flower Mound, TX
• Undergraduate School: Brigham Young University, Provo, UT
• Medical School: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, El Paso, TX
• Intern Year: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
• Career Interests: Pain Medicine, Biomechanics
• Post-Graduate Plans: Applying for Pain Medicine Fellowship
• Hobbies: “Audio engineering, running, audiobooks, raising children with my wife”
• Favorite Moment in Residency So Far: “Finding out that Alejandro (former resident) lied to me about being the murderer at the murder mystery party.”

John Hunton, M.D.

• Hometown: Fort Smith, AR
• Undergraduate School: Columbia University, New York, NY
• Medical School: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR
• Intern Year: Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center, Fort Worth, TX
• Career Interests: General PM&R, MSK, Electrodiagnostic Medicine
• Post-Graduate Plans: Applying for a General PM&R job
• Hobbies: “Passionate Columbia Lions and Arkansas Razorbacks fan. Avid traveler. Outdoor grilling and playing golf.”
• Favorite Moment in Residency So Far: “Cheering on the Dallas Stars with coresidents and Dr. Patel live at AAC”

Ammar Khan, M.D.

• Hometown: Tampa, FL
• Undergraduate School: University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
• Medical School: Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Westchester, FL
• Intern Year: University of South Florida, Morsani College of Medicine, Tampa, FL
• Career Interests: Pain Management, Inpatient Rehabilitation
• Post-Graduate Plans: Applying for Pain Medicine Fellowship
• Hobbies: “Running, lifting, volleyball, basketball, soccer”
• Favorite Moment in Residency So Far: “Getting lunch with everyone in Zale cafeteria with all the seniors when Zale lunch was temporarily free due to renovations”

Sophia Kiernan, M.D.

• Hometown: Green Bay, WI
• Undergraduate School: University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN
• Medical School: Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI
• Intern Year: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
• Career Interests: General Inpatient PM&R, TBI/Stroke, Spasticity Management, EMG
• Post-Graduate Plans: Applying for a General Inpatient PM&R job
• Hobbies: “Reading, baking, Pilates, trying new restaurants with my husband, anything outside!”
• Favorite Moment in Residency So Far: “When our entirely female workroom on Zale (all six of us) got Dr. Halsey and Dr. Patel to wear pink on Wednesday with us – and Dr. Patel really committing with the pink pants and pink shirt!”

Jeremiah Ling, M.D.

• Hometown: Houston, TX
• Undergraduate School: University of Texas Austin, Austin, TX
• Medical School: Texas A&M Naresh K. Vashisht College of Medicine, Bryan, TX
• Intern Year: University of Houston HCA, Houston, TX
• Career Interests: General PM&R, Spasticity, EMG
• Post-Graduate Plans: Applying for a General PM&R job
• Hobbies: “Running, eating sushi, fashion, mixology”
• Favorite Moment in Residency So Far: “Toss-up between Christmas party at Casa De Hunton and Dallas Stars game with Dr. Patel”

Grace Meehan, D.O.

• Hometown: Westport, CT
• Undergraduate School: Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX
• Medical School: University of North Texas Health Science Center-Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine, Fort Worth, TX
• Intern Year: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
• Career Interests: Inpatient Rehabilitation, EMG
• Post-Graduate Plans: Applying for a General PM&R job
• Hobbies: “Reading, Pilates, knitting and crochet, spending time with family”
• Favorite Memory of Residency So Far: “Building connections with my co-residents over time”

Victoria Noel, M.D.

• Hometown: Abilene, TX
• Undergraduate School: University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
• Medical School: University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX
• Intern Year: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
• Career Interests: Electrodiagnostics, Interventional Spine, Pain, MSK
• Post-Graduate Plans: Applying for Pain Medicine Fellowship
• Hobbies: “Running, lifting, gardening, cooking, swimming”
• Favorite Moment in Residency So Far: “Hanging out with all the awesome people!”

Olivia Tincher, D.O.

• Hometown: Fayetteville, GA
• Undergraduate School: University of Georgia, Athens, GA
• Medical School: Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine, Meridian, ID
• Intern Year: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX
• Career Interests: General and Pediatric Rehab
• Post-Graduate Plans: Applying for a General PM&R job
• Hobbies: “hiking, camping, reading, and puzzles”
• Why UTSW PM&R: “UTSW PM&R is a phenomenal program full of amazing faculty and co-residents. The learning environment is top tier, and I feel grateful every day to get to train here.”

Niran Vijayaraghavan, M.D.

• Hometown: Indianapolis, IN/Fleming Island, FL
• Undergraduate School: University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
• Medical School: University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL
• Intern Year: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
• Career Interests: Sports Medicine, Neuromuscular
• Post-Graduate Plans: Applying for Sports Medicine Fellowship
• Hobbies: “Playing (basketball, tennis, pickleball) and watching (go Bengals and Gators!) sports, pelotoning/working out/Barry’s classes, breweries, hanging out with my recently adopted dog (Oakley)”
• Favorite Moment in Residency So Far: “Happy hours with the Zale and Parkland therapists/nurses and every residency/faculty sporting event!”

Ryan Floresca, M.D.

• Hometown: El Paso, TX
• Undergraduate School: University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX
• Medical School: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, El Paso, TX
• Intern Year: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
• Career Interests: Electrodiagnostics/Neuromuscular, Ultrasound, Sports
• Hobbies: “Bouldering/climbing, nature photography, outdoors, food eater (especially at Delucca Pizza!)”
• Favorite Moment in Residency So Far: “Trivia night champs with my class”

Elisabeth Frankini, D.O.

• Hometown: Muttontown, NY
• Undergraduate School: Tufts University, Medford, MA
• Medical School: New York Institute of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, NY
• Intern Year: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
• Career Interests: Brain Injury Medicine, Pediatric Rehabilitation, Spinal Cord Injury Medicine
• Hobbies: “Pilates, running, reading, baking, needlepoint, genealogy”
• Favorite Moment in Residency So Far: “Doing Secret Santa with my residency class during PGY-1!”

Colleen Jacobs, D.O.

• Hometown: Annandale, VA
• Undergraduate School: University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
• Medical School: University of North Texas Health Science Center-Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine, Fort Worth, TX
• Intern Year: Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center, Fort Worth, TX
• Career Interests: Sports Medicine, Pain, General Outpatient PM&R
• Hobbies: “Baking, dancing, watching reality TV, traveling”
• Favorite Moment in Residency So Far: “When the entire PGY2 class went to Medieval Times to celebrate finishing our first block”

Eunyeop “Emma” Kim, M.D.

• Hometown: Seoul, Korea
• Undergraduate School: Rice University, Houston, TX
• Medical School: UT Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, TX
• Intern Year: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
• Career Interests: Burn Rehabilitation, Pediatric Rehabilitation
• Hobbies: “Drawing, cooking, dancing, singing”
• Favorite Moment in Residency So Far: “Karaoke night with everybody!”

Molly Litten Smith, M.D.

• Hometown: Baton Rouge, LA
• Undergraduate School: Rhodes College, Memphis, TN
• Medical School: Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA
• Intern Year: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
• Career Interests: Spinal Cord Injury, Adaptive Sports
• Hobbies: “Soccer, kickball, walks/hikes with my dog, amateur pickleball, cheering on LSU and Philly sports teams, road tripping to national parks”
• Favorite Moment in Residency So Far: “Getting massages with our Zale team after our block ended or Dave & Buster's with my class when Ryan was the human claw”

Rebecca Liu, M.D.

• Hometown: St. Louis, MO
• Undergraduate School: Rice University, Houston, TX
• Medical School: Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA
• Intern Year: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
• Career Interests: Pediatric Rehabilitation
• Hobbies: “Legos, reading, assembling furniture, photography, F1”
• Favorite Moment in Residency So Far: “Winning trivia with my class!”

Amber Newell, D.O.

• Hometown: New Albany, IN
• Undergraduate School: Xavier University, Cincinnati, OH
• Medical School: University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine, Portland, ME
• Intern Year: Marshall University, Huntington, WV
• Career Interests: Pediatric Rehabilitation
• Hobbies: “Taking my cat for walks and hikes”
• Favorite Moment in Residency So Far: “When our amazing co-residents bake!”

Amisha Patel, M.D.

• Hometown: Sugar Land, TX
• Undergraduate School: University of Texas Dallas, Richardson, TX
• Medical School: Texas A&M Naresh K. Vashisht College of Medicine, Bryan, TX
• Intern Year: Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center, Fort Worth
• Career Interests: “General but still open to experiencing different areas of the field!”
• Hobbies: “Game nights with family/friends, long nature walks, kayaking, hanging out with Mila (cat)”
• Favorite Moment in Residency So Far: “Renting out camp site with co-residents and hiking, making smores and watching the sunset together”

Mitchell Withers, D.O.

• Hometown: Mesa, AZ
• Undergraduate School: Brigham Young University, Provo, UT
• Medical School: Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine – Louisiana, Monroe, LA
• Intern Year: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
• Career Interests: Pediatric and Cancer Rehabilitation
• Hobbies: “Baking, dance, volleyball, loving on my two cats and dog.”
• Favorite Moment in Residency So Far: “Going to Medieval Times with co-residents!”

Carol Boctor, M.D.

• Hometown: Fairfax, VA
• Undergraduate School: George Mason University, Fairfax, VA
• Medical School: West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, West Virginia
• Intern Year: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation-UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
• Career Interests: Interventional Spine/Pain, Pediatric Rehab
• Hobbies: “Travel, travel, and more travel! But also, I get tooooo competitive at board games! And I love reading, decorating, and trying new restaurants!”
• Favorite Memory of Residency So Far: “I had so much fun at our class Thanksgiving potluck and game night!”

Jacob James, M.D.

• Hometown: Haslet, TX
• Undergraduate School: Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX
• Medical School: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX
• Intern Year: Mercy Fort Smith, Fort Smith, AR
• Career Interests: General PM&R, Healthcare Administration
• Hobbies: “Watching sports (especially the Texas Rangers), cooking, pickleball, game nights, College Football Saturdays”
• Why UTSW PM&R: “The community of residents and faculty is second to none. Everyone is so welcoming and willing to help one another learn and grow! With the collaborative culture and the variety of experiences at UT Southwestern, I feel very lucky to be here!”

Nedha Kinnare, M.D.

• Hometown: Frisco, TX
• Undergraduate School: Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
• Medical School: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX
• Intern Year: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation-UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
• Career Interests: TBI, General Rehab
• Hobbies: “Baking, traveling, recycling, watching TV”
• Favorite Moment in Residency So Far: “I’ve enjoyed getting to know my co-residents and exploring the Dallas food scene together!”

Michael Lieu, M.D.

• Hometown: Baton Rouge, LA
• Undergraduate School: Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA
• Medical School: Louisiana State University Health Shreveport School of Medicine, Shreveport, LA
• Intern Year: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation-UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
• Career Interests: Sports Medicine, General PM&R
• Hobbies: “Basketball, AYCE restaurants, stretching, pickleball”
• Favorite Moment in Residency So Far: “Finding out the residents + faculty still play basketball every week”

Elizabeth McDonald, M.D.

• Hometown: Allen, TX
• Undergraduate School: Washington and Lee University, Lexington City, VA
• Medical School: UT Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, TX
• Intern Year: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation-UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
• Career Interests: Undecided
• Hobbies: “Reading, Pilates”
• Favorite Moment in Residency So Far: “Grabbing dinner and meeting fellow PM&R co-interns before the start of residency”

Mary O’Connor, M.D.

• Hometown: Indianapolis, IN
• Undergraduate School: DePauw University, Greencastle, IN
• Medical School: Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN
• Intern Year: St. Francis Hospital, Evanston, IL
• Career Interests: General, EMG, Neuromuscular, Pelvic, Sports Med. Still exploring
• Hobbies: “Knitting/crochet, gardening, baking/eating, running”
• Favorite Moment in Residency So Far: “Walks with co-residents on the Katy trail, playing real-life laser games with co-residents”

Josselyne Orbegoso, D.O.

• Hometown: Dallas, TX
• Undergraduate School: Southern Methodist University, University Park, TX
• Medical School: Sam Houston State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Conroe, TX
• Intern Year: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation-UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
• Career Interests: Pediatric PM&R, Cancer Rehab, General Rehab
• Hobbies: “Running, tennis, Dallas Mavericks basketball, Six Flags, concerts, movies”
• Favorite Moment in Residency So Far: “One of my favorite residency memories is playing pick-up soccer with my co-residents – even if it cost me a pair of sunglasses!”

Eric Pinkston, M.D.

• Hometown: Simi Valley, CA
• Undergraduate School: Southern Virginia University, Buena Vista, VA
• Medical School: University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix, AZ
• Intern Year: Transitional Year at HCA Sunrise Health, Las Vegas, NV
• Career Interests: Pain/Spine/Sports
• Hobbies: “Wrestling my 4 kids, lifting, and movies”
• Why UTSW PM&R: “Reputation for great procedural training and great program culture where the other residents feel more like friends rather than just co-residents.”

Nathan Rose, M.D.

• Hometown: Murray, UT
• Undergraduate School: University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
• Medical School: Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI
• Intern Year: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation-UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX
• Career Interests: Sports Medicine, Spinal Cord Injury
• Hobbies: “Snowboarding, hiking, swimming with my kids, University of Utah football”
• Favorite Moment in Residency So Far: “Holiday party as a PGY-1 class and winning the residency’s fantasy football championship!”

Hibah Abbas, D.O.

• Hometown: Plano, TX
• Undergraduate School: The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX
• Medical School: University of North Texas Health Science Center-Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine, Fort Worth, TX
• Career Interests: General, TBI, Sports
• Hobbies: “Puzzles, running, going to concerts (teenage girl music)”
• Favorite Memory of Residency So Far: “Telling all my co-interns why Braums is the superior ice cream shop”

Nafis Eghrari, M.D.

• Hometown: Scottsdale, AZ
• Undergraduate School: Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
• Medical School: Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH
• Career Interests: Interventional Pain/Spine, Stroke Rehab, General PM&R
• Hobbies: “Traveling, lifting, basketball, board games, hiking/walking outside”
• Why UTSW PM&R: “This was my favorite interview social, and it truly felt like a family environment. I loved that there are 9 residents in each class (automatic friends), and the residents feel confident going straight into practice after residency. Excellent program with exposure to every possible niche of PM&R and plenty of research opportunities. Dallas is a great city, and I really missed the sunshine/warm weather!!”

Bundu Ezenwukwa, M.D.

• Hometown: Sugar Land, TX
• Undergraduate School: University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
• Medical School: UT Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, TX
• Career Interests: General Rehab, Brain Injury, Spinal Cord Injury, Pain, Cancer Rehab
• Hobbies: “Chess, yoga, reality TV, movies, running, musical theater, basketball, hanging out with friends”
• Favorite Moment in Residency So Far: “almost getting first place at a trivia night with my co-residents :)”

Cameron Johnson, M.D.

• Hometown: Spring, TX
• Undergraduate School: Rice University, Houston, TX
• Medical School: UT Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, TX
• Career Interests: Pain, Sports, Inpatient Medicine
• Hobbies: “Basketball, running, puzzles, guitar”
• Why UTSW PM&R: “Access to a wide variety of patients and sub-specialties while getting to work and learn from industry leaders who truly want to make a difference in people's lives.”

Alexander Kowalske, M.D.

• Hometown: Dallas, TX
• Undergraduate School: University of Texas, Austin, TX
• Medical School: UT Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, TX
• Career Interests: Sports
• Hobbies: “Basketball, disc golf, video games”
• Favorite Memory of Residency So Far: “Intern Braum’s run!”

Quynh Le, M.D.

• Hometown: Sugar Land, TX
• Undergraduate School: University of Houston, Houston, TX
• Medical School: UT Health Houston McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX
• Career Interests: Pelvic Floor Rehab, Spinal Cord Injury, Spasticity
• Hobbies: “Live music, learning different instruments, exploring new restaurants and coffee shops, yoga”
• Favorite Moment in Residency So Far: “Getting to know my co-residents outside of work. Most recently, we went to a concert together and had such a fun time!”

Christopher McLeod, M.D.

• Hometown: San Antonio, TX
• Undergraduate School: University of Texas, Austin, TX
• Medical School: UT Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, TX
• Career Interests: Community Health, Sports Medicine, General PM&R
• Hobbies: “Using my AMC movie pass, going on Katy Trail walks with my wife Meg, college football, Spurs basketball, PC building, and amateur plane spotting”
• Favorite Moment in Residency So Far: “Grabbing Tex-Mex at Texano Cocina during orientation with my whole co-resident class–the first fully-categorical class at UTSW!”

Jacob Pfaffinger, D.O.

• Hometown: Fort Collins, Colorado
• Undergraduate School: Texas A&M International University, Laredo, TX
• Medical School: Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Englewood, CO
• Career Interests: Spinal Cord Injury, Musculoskeletal Medicine, Electrodiagnostics
• Hobbies: “Pick-up basketball, fly fishing, cooking”
• Favorite Moment in Residency So Far: “I have enjoyed getting to know all my co-interns during orientation and weekly didactics and playing pickup basketball games on Wednesday nights.”

Douglas Taylor, D.O.

• Hometown: Flower Mound, TX
• Undergraduate School: University of Texas, Austin, TX
• Medical School: University of North Texas Health Science Center-Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine, Fort Worth, TX
• Career Interests: Sports Medicine, Electrodiagnostics/Neuromuscular, General PM&R
• Hobbies: “Fitness, golf, coffee, running, travel”
• Favorite Moment in Residency So Far: “Playing pickleball and meeting all the residents and co-interns!”