Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation

Shawn Best 2025

Hometown: Tallahassee, Fl

Undergraduate school: Harvard

Medical school: Stanford

Degree (s): BA, MD

Hobbies: music, snowboarding, tennis, travel

Things you should know about UVM residency:

"Of all the places I interviewed, UVM stood out as the program where the residents seemed the closest-knit. Having been here a few months now, reality has more than matched my initial impression".

Michael Danaher 2024

Hometown: Apalachin, NY

Undergraduate school: Binghamton University ‘09-13

Teach For America, Mississippi Delta ‘13-15

Medical school: Upstate Medical University ‘15-19

Degree (s): BA Biology, MD

Hobbies: baseball, basketball, college football, skiing, photography, playing the guitar, and the Buffalo Bills

Things you should know about UVM residency:

"UVM is the type of place where you will be treated with dignity and you can grow in a positive environment."

Evan Boyd 2023

Hometown: Walton, NY

Undergraduate school: Cornell University

Medical school: NYU

Degree (s): Nutritional Science, MD

Hobbies: Skiing, hiking, working out, cooking,

One thing you should know about UVM residency:

"I consider UVM a true mix of a blue- and white-collar program.   We operate early and often, but keep an academic focus.  Being a small residency program allows us to meet every day as a group with an attending(s) [daily lectures and/or sim sessions].  Being a program of 15 also allows us to form strong relationships with our attendings and ancillary staff."

Michael Roberts 2023

Hometown: Louisville, Colorado

Undergraduate school: University of Miami (FL)

Medical school: University of South Florida – Morsani College of Medicine

Degree (s): Dual degrees in Biology and Economics, MD

Hobbies: Ice hockey, backcountry skiing, mountain biking, backpacking, international travel and losing balls on the golf course.

Things you should know about UVM residency:

"What drew me to UVM was the camaraderie within the residency, which stems from both the size of the program and the collective culture that has been created here."

Ryan Caldwell 2021

Hometown: Colorado Springs, CO

Undergraduate school: University of Colorado at Boulder

Medical school: University of Colorado Medical School

Degree (s): BA, Psychology, MD

Hobbies: Pickup basketball, snowboarding, music and beer

Things you should know about UVM residency:

"It's good hands-on training, single campus, not malignant.  Burlington is awesome."

Jordan Conroy 2025

Hometown: Tucson, Arizona

Undergraduate school: Carleton College, Grand Canyon University

Medical school: Case Western Reserve University

Degree (s): BS -Biology, MS -Applied Anatomy, MD

Hobbies: sports, grilling, space, spending time with my wife and our pugs

One thing you should know about UVM residency:

"When on the general surgery months of intern year there is protected time for ortho education to immediately start building that foundation".

Hailee Reist 2024

Hometown: Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Undergraduate school: Wartburg College

Medical school: University of Iowa

Degree (s): BA Math, MD

Hobbies: hiking, biking, running, cooking, smiling

Things you should know about UVM residency:

"Since we are a smaller program, so get to know everyone in the program and the hospital pretty well. We are friends other specialties which leads to good relationships both at work and outside of work. We get to know the attendings well, too, which is helpful for allowing independence in the OR as well as for lifelong connections.  In Vermont, you are living in a wilderness vacation spot, so any outdoor hobby you can think of (skiing, hiking, sailing, mountain biking, etc.) is within less than a 30-45 minute drive (if not walkable from your front door!). As residents, your free time is precious- so instead of wasting time driving through traffic or having to wait until vacation weeks to do fun outdoor activities, these are accessible even on weekdays!"

Will Efird 2023

Hometown: Raleigh, NC

Undergraduate school: Virginia Tech

Medical school: UNC Chapel Hill

Degree (s): BS Biochemistry, minor in Spanish, MD

Hobbies: gardening, hiking, video games

Things you should know about UVM residency:

"Close knit group of residents and attendings.  All the attendings are very approachable and helpful.  Excellent place to learn to operate and operate early/often."

Alec Sundet 2022

Hometown: Sioux Falls, SD

Undergraduate school: University of Montana

Medical School: University of Colorado

Degree (s): BS in Biochemistry, MD

Hobbies: running, hiking, camping, programming

Things you should know about UVM residency:

"We’re a large enough program that there’s always a sense of liveliness but we’re small enough that everyone plays an essential role in patient care. It’s not possible to hide in the background or for a resident to fall through the cracks."

Mark Haimes 2021

Hometown: Coral Springs, FL

Undergraduate school: University of Miami, Miami, FL

Graduate school: Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA

Medical school: Florida International University, Miami, FL

Degree (s):  BA in Economics, BS in Biochemistry, MS in Medical Sciences, MD

Hobbies: Spending time with my family, beach, skiing, hiking, Ultimate Frisbee

Things you should know about UVM residency:

"This program really is a family. We have fantastic attendings that are dedicated to the residents, each one is amazing in their own way."

Greg Roy 2025

Hometown: Rutland, VT

Undergraduate school: UVM

Medical school: UVM

Degree: BS mechanical engineering, MD

Hobbies: hiking, camping, fishing, woodworking, exercising

Things you should know about UVM residency:

"Great group of residents and faculty. And the faculty are dedicated to resident education. Plus Burlington is great!"

Luke Seeker 2024

Hometown: Austin, Texas

Undergraduate school: Southern Methodist University

Medical school: University of Texas Medical School , San Antonio

Degree (s): Finance, Biology, MD

Hobbies: Skiing, biking, ranching, painting

One thing you should know about UVM residency:

"There is an unbelievable wealth of human capital in this Orthopaedics program. I am 2000 miles away from my roots but the people here make me feel like I am at home."

Ben Kindred 2023

Hometown: Morton, IL

Undergraduate school: Wheaton College (IL)

Medical school: University of Illinois (Peoria, IL)

Degree (s): MD

Hobbies: Wife, golf, skiing, hiking, traveling, movies, beer

Things you should know about UVM residency:

"Good- small tight knit group of residents keeping you accountable."

Mitch Tarka 2022

Hometown: Saint Charles, MO

Undergraduate school: University of Missouri-Columbia

Medical school: University of Missouri-Columbia

Degree (s): BS Mechanical Engineering, MD

Hobbies: Hunting, fishing, loving every day. Off-roading, building cars and PWC’s. Inventing things.

Things you should know about UVM residency:

"Very happy with the training we receive and the environment in the "bone room". Great group of friends/co-residents and awesome attendings."

Mimi Wang 2021

Hometown: Lanzhou China, grew up in San Francisco Bay Area, CA

Undergraduate school: UC Berkeley

Medical school: University of South Florida in Tampa Bay, FL

Degree (s): BA Integrative Biology, BA Art, MD

Hobbies: cooking and gardening - really anything that will allow me to eat more food.

Things you should know about UVM residency:

"We have a great reputation and our residents match at fantastic fellowships."  One of the residents summed things up pretty well:  “What I love about Vermont: I love that we have access to so many different outdoor activities and have nature at our fingertips.  In the summer, the beaches on Lake Champlain, numerous mountains to choose from for hiking and camping, different pot holes and water ways, bike paths (both mountain and road), and numerous parks to play basketball or tennis.  In the fall, the foliage is remarkable.  In the winter, we are 45 minutes to Stowe, 40 mintutes to Sugarbush.  I spend half of my time at resorts and half touring back country.  For all times of year, we have the best beer per capita in the world.  My personal favorite, Foam Brewers.  Also a ton of different food choices.  Something from just about every genera of food, so you’ll be able to find something to satisfy whatever you’re craving.”