Fox Valley (Appleton) Residents

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Third year

  1. Gurinder Chatha MD

    Gurinder was born and raised in rural northern India. After graduating from Army School he joined the Government Medical College, in Amritsar, India, and received his M.B.B.S. degree in 2003. To fulfill his goal of providing services to the under privileged and underserved he practiced in rural clinics focusing on preventive medicine. He then served as an OB/GYN junior resident in a tertiary care center before moving to Bakersfield, CA in 2006. Subsequently, he worked as an extern at a family medicine clinic in California and inpatient Psychiatry in Chicago. He completed his internship year in June, 2010, at the Wyoming Valley Residency Program in Kingston, PA.

    Gurinder is excited to join the UW Fox Valley Family Medicine Residency Program and looks forward to practicing medicine in a way that treats not only the disease but the person as a whole. He enjoys exploring new places and cultures, reading, hiking and outdoor activities and evening walks with his wife, Navi, and daughter, Mimi.

  2. Sasha Grams DO

    Sasha was born in Washington, D.C. and grew up in Maryland and Virginia. She came to the UW-Fox Valley Program from Firelands Regional Medical Center, Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine where she completed her Traditional Rotating Osteopathic Internship. She attended medical school at Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine. She has a B.S. in honors biology from Virginia Tech. In between college and medical school Sasha spent a year serving in the Community HealthCorps, a branch of AmeriCorps. She also spent a year studying oriental body therapy at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine and remains interested in complimentary and alternative medicine. During medical school she helped create an elective class introducing students to Traditional Chinese Medicine. She is particularly interested in women's health and the connections between human health and the environment. Some of Sasha's other interests include travel, cooking, gardening, art and sustainable living. Sasha feels honored and excited to be joining the UW-Fox Valley team.

  3. Lachin Hajhosseini MD

    Lachin was born and raised in Tabriz, a metropolitan city in Northwestern Iran. She attended Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, one of the country’s highly respected institutions. During the last year of her medical school, she had the opportunity to volunteer at "Homes for Public Health", the health care centers designed to provide primary care and family planning in rural areas. Following her graduation, she moved to the United States to pursue the best medical training available. Since then, she has been living in Appleton, WI where she has worked with number of independent physicians and volunteered in community clinics.

    Her professional interests include preventive and evidence-based medicine, women’s health, procedures, management of chronic diseases, and pediatrics. She enjoys spending time with her spouse, Keyvan, who also shares the same passion in Medicine as hers. Outside of work, she enjoys listening to international music, and playing backgammon during family get-togethers. She also likes cross-country skiing and biking, especially in beautiful Door County.

  4. Elizabeth Larson MD

    Elizabeth was born in Milwaukee and has lived in various places in Wisconsin her whole life. She attended college at UW-River Falls where she met her husband Peter. After graduating from college she worked for a year at 3M's Pharmaceutical Division. Having a passionate interest in Christian medical ethics, she started Medical Students for Life and was active in the Catholic Medical Students Association during medical school. She is also a member of the Catholic Medical Association. As leader of Medical Students for Life, she helped organize fundraisers for the local crisis pregnancy centers, as well as several other events. Her professional interests include becoming a well rounded family medicine physician with a focus in obstetrics, women's health, and Natural Family Planning. So far, Elizabeth and her spouse have three children. Together they enjoy spending time outdoors camping, fishing and gardening. She is excited to be living in the Fox Valley and is looking forward to becoming active in the community.

  5. Elizabeth Menzel MD

    Beth grew up in Shawano, Wisconsin, a small lakeside town about 40 miles north of Appleton and is thrilled to return to the area. During Beth’s undergraduate career, she developed Muir Woods Mentors, a group of college students mentoring elementary students from a low-income neighborhood and teaching them hands-on science in the campus natural areas. Beth also spent time in rural India serving a free clinic and learning about traditional medicine techniques. At Mayo Medical School, Beth enjoyed leading Mayo’s Family Medicine Interest Group and teaching local students about health-related topics with Mayo Outreach to Students and Teachers. She also surprised herself with a new-found passion for medical policy and advocacy through her roles with the Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians and American Academy of Family Physicians. Beth enjoys spending time with her spouse, Matt, especially cheering for the Packers and Badgers. Beth also loves playing volleyball and spending time outdoors.

  6. Tiffany Schraufnagel DO

    Tiffany was born and raised in Appleton, Wisconsin and is thrilled to return home to complete her training in family medicine. Her professional interests include preventative medicine, women’s health, obstetrics and pediatrics. In medical school, Tiffany was involved in many clubs and activities including the Student Osteopathic Medical Association, in which she organized annual wine tastings, blood drives, and volunteered as an anatomy teaching assistant for the local community college. She also organized the annual bowl-a-thon to raise money for the Talia Seidman Foundation to benefit sick children. Her favorite activity was volunteering for the Give Kids the World Village in Orlando, FL, helping terminally ill children and their families enjoy a free vacation to Disney World. When she is not working, she enjoys spending time with family and friends and her two golden retrievers, outdoor activities and watching romantic comedies. She is an avid Packers, Brewers, and Badgers fan and goes to games whenever she has the chance. Tiffany plans to practice in Wisconsin after residency.

Second year

  1. Zachary Baeseman MD, MPH

    Edgar, WI

    Zachary grew-up in Edgar, a rural village in the north central Wisconsin. He earned his undergraduate degree from St. Norbert College studying biology, chemistry and philosophy. At St. Norbert College, Zach played football and sang in the school’s Chamber Choir. He was also an active volunteer and leader in activities, including Habitat for Humanity, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, tutoring fellow students in biology and chemistry, being a student member of the Saint Norbert College Board of Trustees, and serving as the president of several student organizations.

    During medical school Zach’s passion for service continued to grow. He obtained a Master of Public Health degree and focused his research on rural health and the health assessment of rural Wisconsin. Throughout medical school Zach co-led a Healthcare in Diverse Communities course and was involved in organizing several healthcare literacy and access community projects.

    Zach is a firm believer that physicians hold an obligation not only to their patients, but to their community and he plans to be a Family Physician committed and active in the pursuit of both his community and State of Wisconsin's health. Zach’s professional interests include rural healthcare, epidemiology, public health research, preventative cardiology, and obstetrics. In his free time he enjoys choral singing, camping, trying new grilling recipes, being out in the woods, training for the American Birkebeiner, and backpacking through Europe with his wife, Rebecca. He is excited to be a part of the Fox Valley Family Medicine program and is looking forward to one day practicing full scope family medicine in a rural community.

  2. Brandon Boehm MD

    Brandon grew up in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, which is located just about in the middle of the state of Wisconsin. He graduated from UW-Madison, with a BS in Medical Microbiology and Immunology. He then attended medical school at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, where he was involved in a variety of student groups, including the Wilderness Medical Society, Family Medicine Student Association, and the American Medical Association.

    Brandon’s primary interests within Family Medicine include public health and wellness, sports medicine, urgent care, and diabetes management. He intends to be to be involved in those interests in his future practice and to stay in Wisconsin to practice medicine after residency training. Outside of medicine, his interests include golf, running, and cheering on his favorite teams from Chicago, including the Blackhawks, Bulls, Bears, and Cubs.

  3. Lesley Kieffer DO

    Lesley is a native of the Fox Valley and is excited to be returning home. She completed her undergraduate studies at Loyola University Chicago and earned a BS in Biology, with minors in Chemistry and Bioethics. She then attended the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine of Midwestern University. She has strong professional interests in Sports Medicine and Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment, and served as the campus Vice President of the Undergraduate American Academy of Osteopathy. She also enjoys skiing, bicycling, boating, and cooking.

  4. Michael Nirenstein MD

    Michael was born and raised in the Big Apple, New York City. Upon graduation from Brooklyn College, he moved to South Carolina to attend chiropractic college. There, he met and married his wife, Teresa, who is also a chiropractor. Michael graduated Magna Cum laude, and established a chiropractic practice in the Myrtle Beach area of South Carolina. He was voted the “Chiropractor of the Year in 1997”, and served on the Board of Regents for both his undergraduate and chiropractic colleges. After practicing for eleven years, he decided to further his education as a medical physician. During Medical School, Michael volunteered at the Coastal Rescue Mission, providing food and basic medical needs to lower income and elderly citizens of South Carolina. Michael’s primary fields of interest in Family Medicine include geriatrics, sports medicine, and urgent care.

  5. Ani Saryan MD

    Ani grew up in Greenfield, Wisconsin and earned a B.S degree in Natural Science and Biochemistry at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. While working there as a housefellow, she participated in the honors in research program and was a coxswain on the openweight women's rowing team. Ani spent two months in Armenia as a physician’s assistant. During medical school she was instrumental in the success of the Ross University Salybia Mission Clinic, which provided primary care to indigenous Carib Indians in Dominica. She also has spent time volunteering at the Greenfield Health Department and Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin.

    Ani’s interests include public health, international health, pediatric and women’s health. Her future plans include practice wherever she is needed most, whether in a rural setting or in national disaster relief.

    Ani also enjoys camping, Armenian dancing, and baking and has been involved for years in Armenian American youth groups and singing in her church choir. Ani is an avid Badger fan and is excited to be affiliated with the University of Wisconsin again during residency training. She is looking forward to exploring the cultural opportunities and beautiful areas around Appleton and the Fox Valley.

  6. Victoria White MD, MPH

    Victoria was born in Brooklyn and raised in a suburb of the nation's capital, Hyattsville, Maryland. Throughout her education she has endeavored to expose herself to a variety of perspectives and walks of life while working to serve underprivileged communities. As an undergraduate student at the University of Pennsylvania, she mentored children in West Philadelphia's public education system with the America Reads Program. After earning her Master's of Public Health at The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, she served as a consultant in the public sector evaluating health-related programs on the national scale and taught a second grade class in a religious-based school Victoria enjoys cinema, exploring the outdoors, and sampling the culinary offerings of wherever she travels. She is excited to join and serve the Fox Cities community.

First year

  1. Shawna R Gleason DO

    Shawna grew up in Ishpeming, a small mining town in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. She looks forward to joining the Fox Valley team and being closer to family again. Upon entering Michigan State University as an undergraduate, she was accepted into the Osteopathic Medical Scholars Program. She graduated with honors from MSU as a student in Lyman Briggs College and the Honors College with a bachelor’s degree in Medical Technology. During her undergraduate years, she worked as a teaching assistant in Biology and participated in the MSU Women’s Glee Club. As a medical student, she developed a strong interest in family medicine. She was a member of student interest groups focused on pediatrics, obstetrics, and sports medicine, and served as a volunteer at MSUCOM’s osteopathic manipulative medicine free student clinic. While in medical school, she also spent time coaching youth gymnastics and volunteering at a local dog rescue shelter. Shawna enjoys spending free time with her husband, Mike. They like camping, kayaking, spending time outdoors, traveling, as well as being with friends, family, and their dog, Dezzy. They are avid Green Bay Packer fans and are excited to cheer on their favorite team with fellow cheeseheads. Shawna is eager to become a member of the Fox Valley community and the Fox Valley Family Medicine Residency team.

  2. Rolf G Hallberg MD

    Rolf spent most of his childhood in Chanhassen, MN, a small city near Minneapolis. After earning his undergraduate degree at the University of St Thomas in St Paul, MN, he became a nurse and worked in the Indian Health Service in Anchorage AK, while also working as a carpenter in residential home construction. He then attended the University of Minnesota Medical School, Duluth Campus, where he developed an interest in rural family medicine. He was honored to be nominated by peers into the Gold Humanism Honor Society. Rolf and his spouse have four children together. They enjoyed buying foreclosed homes for remodeling and have completed eight homes in the last ten years. They also enjoy the outdoors and church activities together. In the future, Rolf plans to practice rural family medicine, spend lots of time with his family, and travel internationally in medical mission work.

  3. Jessica L Hancock MD

    Jessica grew up in Elkhorn, Wisconsin. She completed her undergraduate studies in Biology and Gerontology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, then spent a year as an AmeriCorps *VISTA volunteer, coordinating literacy volunteers for two elementary schools in Verona, WI. She then attended Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, where her interest in rural primary care developed. In medical school she was active in the Geriatrics Interest Group, helping to coordinate a Falls Risk Assessment Clinic for community members. Her strong interest in geriatrics, obstetrics and mental health led her to the Fox Valley Family Medicine Residency, and she is looking forward to the opportunity to serve the Fox Valley community and practice medicine in Wisconsin. Her other interests include hiking, fishing, organic gardening, cooking, reading, and discovering local foods and restaurants.

  4. Konstantin A Mikheyev DO

    Konstantin was born in the Urals of Russia and studied English and German linguistics in Russia. With a Bachelor’s degree in languages, he moved to Colorado and pursued studies in finance and later in pre-medical disciplines at the University of Colorado in Denver. While in Colorado, he performed volunteer work and research at the Russian-American Chamber of Commerce and the University of Colorado at Denver, working with quadriplegic patients and later in real estate sales and management.  Konstantin’s interests include disease prevention and public education, economics and government affairs, holistic medicine and nutrition. While in medical school, Konstantin was active in a Compassionate Care Network project that provided health education and screening to the South Asian population of the greater Chicago area. Joining the Fox Valley Residency Program is the next step of Konstantin’s aspiration to become a family physician, with interests that include addiction medicine and osteopathic manipulative treatment. Konstantin is thrilled to live and train in the Fox Cities, an area that has so much to offer with outstanding quality of life and easy access to recreational activities.

  5. Matthew E Schoenherr MD

    Matt was born and raised in Schofield, WI and attended the University of Wisconsin-Marathon County for one year before graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Social Welfare. In high school, he was an active member of the Boy Scouts and earned the rank of Eagle Scout along with his two brothers. Before starting medical school, he worked for two years in Eau Claire, Wisconsin for a company that owns and operates several group homes for adults with mental illness and developmental disabilities. At Saint Louis University, he promoted Family Medicine from the beginning, volunteering as one of the vice presidents of the Family Medicine Interest Group. He was also one of only a few students who ran the Health Resource Center, a free clinic in a chronically under-served area of St. Louis, and he also traveled to El Salvador as part of a medical mission trip. Matt is thrilled to return to Wisconsin for residency training and chose the Fox Valley Program because of the enthusiastic and supportive faculty and residents. Matt also considers Appleton the perfect place to pursue his personal interests, which include following the Packers, Brewers and Badgers. In his free time he enjoys playing guitar, running, camping, watching movies and any kind of live music.

  6. Heidi R Vanyo MD

    Heidi was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She graduated from the University of California, at Los Angeles (UCLA) where she double majored in psychobiology and physiological science. During her last year at UCLA, she managed a cognitive science research lab where she continued to work for a few years after graduation. During this time, Heidi was also involved in a number of volunteer activities at LA County + USC Medical Center and UCLA Medical Center, as well as with the Ventura County Chapter of Habitat for Humanity and with Project Angel Food. While earning her Medical Degree from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Heidi volunteered at student-run free clinics and was involved in a number of student groups including Doctors Ought to Care and Medical Students for Minority Concerns. She also travelled to Chinle, Arizona where she worked with Indian Health Services on a Navajo reservation. Heidi has always had a passion for working with underserved populations, but it was during a rural externship in Menomonie, WI and during a rural longitudinal clerkship in Black River Falls, WI that Heidi developed a strong interest in rural medicine and a deeper desire to practice the full-scope of Family Medicine. Outside of medicine, Heidi enjoys running and participating in adventure sports such as whitewater rafting, hiking, and kayaking. She also enjoys reading, crocheting, cooking, and developing health-conscious recipes for meals and baked goods.

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