Check out our Resident's Team Page on ManitobaCPD.com

PGY 1's

Kyle Burkett
Bio: As a new resident in the emergency medicine program Kyle is excited to learn the intricacies of this specialty. Specifically, he is interested in disaster care, emergency medicine in a global health context, the psychology of high stress interactions, and basically anything emerg. What drew Kyle to this specialty is the diversity of issues and how to become a expert at being pulled in multiple directions at once. When not in the ED this new resident would most likely be found on the slopes at Big Sky, Montana or exploring new parts of the world. Kyle is keeping an open mind over the next years of residency as to where his interests will lead him.
email:ky.burkett@gmail.com

Eric Hildahl
Bio: Erik is another Winnipeg lifer in the group, nothing too special. Growing up he had a passion for athletics; playing or watching just about anything remotely passable for a sport. Soon realizing that becoming a handball savant or badminton champion of the world was not in the cards, he directed his focus on academics. Erik did his undergrad degree here at the University of Manitoba while “trying to keep the dream alive” and playing Junior hockey. He took advantage of the very fist MMI interviews at the U of M, and somehow slipped through the cracks into medical school despite interviewing with a fading black eye and a fresh scar from taking a “puck” to the face. After completing medical school, he could not be more thrilled to join the amazing Emergency Medicine family here in Winnipeg!! With an interest in Emergency Medicine brewing early on in medical school, it was incredible how welcoming and helpful all of the residents and faculty were in making THIS dream a reality! The hands on training, variety of interesting cases and pathology and incredible academic days are second to none. The best part of all is being able to spend the next 5 years with Harold. ”He sure is one great guy” Erik says.
Go Jets go
email:erik.hildahl@gmail.com

Harold Peters
Bio: Harold was born in Winnipeg, raised in Winnipeg, did undergrad and medical school in Winnipeg and is pumped to be starting his ER residency in none other than Winnipeg. So he's more or less your typical Winnipegger. He loves this city and is very proud that this small corner of the world is home to a great medical program. A well seasoned traveler, he loves to use vacation time to explore new parts of the world. Having conducted a fair amount of infectious disease research before medical school he was surprised to have fallen in love with emergency medicine. The interest started in med 1, and he couldn't shake it. "I'm super pumped to be here", says Harold "Although I'm not so pumped to see Hildahl." He also enjoys long walks, cooking, astronomy and all kinds of music. Must love dogs.
email:tba

Helen Yaworski
Bio: iHelen hails from a farming community in central Manitoba, which exists merely as a stop sign on Highway 10. After a circuitous route through nursing, marriage, and childrearing, she has returned to her “home” in ER. Helen is excited to part of the ER team in a program that offers such support and diverse learning experiences.
email:tba

PGY 2's

Aaron Guinn
Bio: I grew up in the wilds of suburban Winnipeg, and spent my youth playing street hockey, piano and trumpet, and watching science documentaries on PBS (even at this point in my life I was a large nerd). Most of this was not by choice, but rather for the sanity of my parents, and to save my twin sisters from me attempting to teach them algebra. Initially, my aspiration in life was to be a teenage mutant ninja turtle; however, seeing as I was not allowed into the sewers, this was not practical. I started undergrad with the intention of doing a degree in theoretical physics, but I realized that this would be about as practical as trying to be a ninja turtle. And besides, I liked biology and physiology better... which lead me into medicine. I chose Manitoba for residency, as the pathology and clinical experiences here were the best I had anywhere in the country. That, and the residents and staff were the smartest, friendliest, and most human group I had encountered. Couples matching was stressful, though ultimately successful as we got our top pick of EM and General Surgery in Manitoba. When I'm not in the ED trying to figure out if this is the 4th or 5th time the patient in resus has ever been stabbed for "minding their own business," I enjoy paddling, playing piano, trying new restaurants, reading everything I can get my hands on, and wasting time looking at funny pictures of cats on the internet.
email:aaronjguinn@gmail.com

Lisa Moddemann
Bio: Like my esteemed colleagues in PGY-2, I also grew up in the wonderful suburbs of Winnipeg. By the time I was 17 I was itching to fly the coop so for my Undergraduate studies I headed east for an adventure at the University of Western Ontario. There I developed a penchant for what some might call "hipster sports:" ultimate frisbee, disk golf, and winter and summer kite-boarding. The University of Manitoba suckered me back to my home town for med school. And to be honest, I was a little bit reluctant to come back home. The Winnipeg I remembered (under-age and living in the suburbs) was not my idea of a good time. Since coming back though, I have fallen in love with Winnipeg. The music scene here is fantastic (seriously, good live music every night of the week), there are festivals going on all of the time, more delicious restaurants than you can shake a stick at.... OK I'll stop bragging now. Other than loving Winnipeg, my other interests include traveling to far and wide places, trying to become a wine connoisseur, and continuing with my ridiculous sporting interests. I am really happy to be here in Winnipeg for residency. We get the best hands-on training, lots of simulation, ultrasound, and pathology like no other.
If you have any questions at all, don't hesitate to shoot me an e-mail!
email:lmoddemann@gmail.com

Kristjan Thompson
Bio: I'm a prairie boy through and through. Your typical Gimli, MB lovechild: half Icelandic, half Ukrainian...an Icekrainian if you will. I’m a Winnipeg lifer: kindergarten, high school, undergrad, med school, and now, my FRCPC EM residency—this place just can’t get rid of me! As an undergraduate student at the University of Manitoba, my career aspirations included: astronaut, professional icecream taste-tester, and/or government spy. In 2007, I tore up my application to CSIS and gave up on a promising career in international espionage—a medical degree would just have to suffice. I was a bit of lab geek, and with a background in medical microbiology and basic translational research I had the opportunity to co-author several publications in the field of infectious diseases, focusing mainly on antimicrobial resistance and surveillance. From my humble days sitting behind a microscope, I eventually found my niche in the emergency room. Chalk it up to a love of ‘all things medicine’, high-functioning obsessive-compulsive tendencies, ADD, and borderline mania—the ER was a perfect fit for me! My current academic/career interests include emergency medicine, microbial surveillance and epidemiology, medical education, and health-care administration. In real-life, I’m an avid traveler, washed up amateur theatre performer/film producer, and die-hard Winnipeg Jets fan.
email:kristjanthompson@gmail.com

Aaron Webb
Bio: No exciting beginning here - I was born, grew up, went to undergrad and med school in Winnipeg. I like to leave town as often as possible, but every trip reminds me that this is where I want to live. I was fortunate enough to spend all my childhood summers living at the lake about an hour east of Winnipeg, which largely shaped who I am today. When I was old enough, I started working on the local ambulance service and spent 5 years as a paramedic before I decided to go to medicine. I've had tunnel vision for this program since day 1 and am ecstatic to be part of the group. When I have some free time (which isn't much these days) I can be found running, skiing, camping, and meowing at strangers.
email:umwebbam@cc.umanitoba.ca

PGY 3's

Robert Gooch
Bio: I grew up in Vancouver, where I learned that Lululemon is acceptable formal wear, and a centimetre of snow makes roads impassable. I split my time between running track and being a total math nerd. I made the mistake of trying to do an undergrad in biophysics, but halfway trough, I realized I'd rather being ordering CT's than figuring out how the CT machine works, so I flew across the country and started medical school at Western. After four years spent mostly at the track, I graduated and decided I needed to discover what a real winter (and real trauma) is like, so I came to Manitoba. My interests include running fast, resuscitation, and new, creative explanations for how that foreign body might have got there.
email:rgooch44@gmail.com

Carmen Hrymak
Bio: I grew up on a farm in Erickson, a small Manitoba town, where a lot of my time was spent looking after the animals. I spent most of my free time playing sports and riding horses. I used to do competitive equestrian riding, but now I just ride for fun when I can. From there I went to Brandon for three years for my undergrad degree where I had fun mixing various chemical and eventually earned a chemistry degree. Since then, I have been in Winnipeg for medical school and residency. I continue to enjoy activities outside of work including running, yoga, tennis, and long walks by the river. I also occasionally get back to the farm to visit the animals.
email: umhrymak@cc.umanitoba.ca

Murdoch Leeies
Bio: The name Murdoch means "prosperous from the sea." Unfortunately I am still looking for a way to harness the power of the sea for profit (and healing). I am half Scottish, half Polish and one sixteenth Chinese. I was born in Winnipeg's urban core where I developed a deep affection for sticking chest tubes into its residents. Before realizing my love of resuscitation I had a variety of odd-jobs including dancing fork, baritone-for-hire, and Pilates instructor. My choice of Winnipeg for Emergency Medicine was an easy one. The residents are cool and it's a very cohesive, supportive group. The staff doctors love to teach and have a wealth of experience to share. Winnipeg is basically a funnel for pathology with its huge catchment area of patients. Our program is small enough for each resident to get hands-on experience without competitive pressure for sexy procedures, management of rare presentations, and niche development while boasting a level 1 trauma centre, cardiac centre of excellence and emergency sub-specialists in toxicology, EMS, palliative care, ethics, critical care, ultrasound and simulation just to name a few. We also have the best sushi In Canada - I'll prove it to you as long as you pay. My current interests in Emergency Medicine include Critical Care, Resuscitation and EMS. My current interests in life include home renovations, luxury travel and fitness modelling. I'm only actively participating in one of these though. Along with many of the other residents I also found my soulmate here - while not officially known as the city of love I suspect that there's something in the water in Winnipeg.
email: umleeies@cc.umanitoba.ca

Kathryn Toews
Bio: I grew up in Beautiful British Columbia on a healthy diet of granola and mountain air. I did an undergrad degree at UBC in Microbiology and then trained as a physiotherapist. I worked at an inner city hospital in Vancouver until I decided that I was more interested in the medical issues of my patients than their rehab and returned to UBC for Medical School.
Most people want to know why anyone, including a Resident, leaves BC and moves to Manitoba...I came here for the acuity of the medicine and the hands on experience. The residents and staff are some of the nicest people I've ever worked with. I have been enjoying the city of Winnipeg for its culture and recreation. In my free time I like to cycle, swim and do anything outdoors. I love to camp, backpack, canoe and kayak. I thought that by leaving BC I would be missing out on outdoor adventure, but there is a lot to do in Manitoba. The Canadian Shield is close, there are a million lakes here, and Grand Beach is an easy drive from the city. Manitoba has been great and I heard that it is sunny here in the winter! If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at kt_toews@yahoo.ca
email: kt_toews@yahoo.ca

PGY 4's

Tom Jelic
Bio:I moved from Serbia to Winnipeg at the wee-old age of 8 months. Did my undergrad at the UofW, and took off for adventure and more importantly a medical degree. I was lucky enough to get both. I graduated in 2009 from Ross University, which took my on a mini tour of North America. I spent a few months living in Dominica, Washington DC, New York City, and Cleveland. After having spent a month during an elective at HSC-ED in Winnipeg, I fell in love with this program. My wife and I have settled back into life here and love it. My current interests include medical education and trying to figure out how to ultrasound anything and everything (oh yes it can be done!). Questions, don't hesitate to email!
email: tjelic@gmail.com

David Kirschner
Bio: What?!?! You chose this picture for the residency page???? I’m not even in full shade! It looks like I’m a shoddy gaunt painter with some teeth missing…
Apart from the pic I’m not too fond of, I am very fond of our program and all the great people that make it so.
I originally hale from northern Alberta (Ft. McMurray), and made it out this way with my wife when I got into medical school here many moons ago. Since then, we’ve just been populatin’ the place. We welcomed our first 3 children during medical school, and 2 more during residency. I have had nothing but a great ride with my family on this incredible journey called residency.
Number one thing about the program? The level of autonomy and independence that is continually fostered in our residents by our residency program. Not only do we see more here than at many of Canada’s larger centers, we are given the skills to handle those situations early.
I love my program. I love my family. I love my life.
email: umkirscd@cc.umanitoba.ca

Katie Sullivan
Bio: For someone who is usually never at a loss for words, I had a difficult time writing my bio. I am a born & partly bred American, who grew up in Upstate New York, Boston & finally Winnipeg. (I realize this transition of my through-and-through Irish family may not make sense to some people). Growing up, I preferred to spend my time in the dance studio & on stage. Always a Broadway dreamer, even when leaving Winnipeg to complete a science degree @ McGill University, I envisioned a life of feathers, sequins and lights.However, my hopes of show-biz stardom were dashed after spending several unfulfilling summers both performing professionally & waitressing/bussing @ local establishments. Returning home to the prairies for medical school, I sort of fell into Emergency Medicine at the last minute. Aside from boasting a disproportionate number of dancers & left-hand dominant residents, the Emergency Medicine program at the University of Manitoba hosts incredible pathology & trauma, dedicated attendings, and residents who are always rallying to support one another. I could not envision spending 5 years any other way!
Outside of medicine, I still strap on my tap shoes every Monday night for class. I enjoy fitness of any kind (especially bootcamp!), reading novels that have nothing to do with medicine and long walks in the snow. I also indulge in Glee & the color pink whenever possible! Give me a shout if you have any questions or would like to find out more info about our program.
email: umsulli2@cc.umanitoba.ca

Julian Regehr
Bio: I grew up a Winnipegger and spent most of my younger years playing trumpet or riding horses (though never together interestingly). Undergrad netted me degrees in music and theology so my first step toward the world of medicine came when I got a job as a paramedic here in Winnipeg. In between speeding down streets the wrong way and trying to convince people that booze and knives should not be sold together, I had a small gaggle of children, got some grey hair and decided that I wanted to keep learning stuff. So, back to university and ultimately to the faculty of medicine.

Emergency Medicine was a natural fit for me and I have never regretted the decision to make a career out of it. Now that I am in the final years of residency, I can look forward to joining a bright, enthusiastic team of academic emergency department physicians who have a strong committment to the patients they serve. I can also look around me and say that I am blessed to be learning and working with a group of residents that is second to none.

My professional interest is in disaster and pre-hospital medicine. I have my fingers in a few pies in this regard. I have just started doing some teaching with the STARs program in Manitoba (and did an elective on the helicopter this year) and remain connected to the Winnipeg Paramedic Service as a physician instructor for parts of their Advanced Care Paramedic Program. I am also working with the Office of the Fire Commissioner and the Manitoba Heavy Urban Search and Rescue team. As you can see, opportunities are endless here in Manitoba.

If you have any questions about our program or its people, shoot me an email. email: jregehr21@me.com

PGY 5's

Joseph Bednarczyk
Bio: Now an elderly resident battling arthritis and general deconditioning, Joseph looks back on his residency with fondness. Initially focused purely on the innerworkings of the resus bay, he broadened his horizons and developed interests in medical education, EBM, aeromedical transport, human factors in crisis resource management, and the applications of web technology in resident learning. In the future Joseph hopes to incorporate med ed and international medicine into a blended career of emergency medicine and critical care.
email: joseph_bednarczyk@hotmail.com

Deborah Hill
Bio: I am so happy to be back at home in the Peg! I spent 10 years travelling around the US and Canada - undergrad at Butler University in Indiana, a semester at Columbia University while dancing ballet in NYC, med school at McGill in Montreal, a couple years of residency in Ottawa, and finally back home. Winnipeg is a great place to experience Emergency Medicine with a fantastic group of residents and amazing pathology and hands-on clinical experience. I have been overwhelmed by the welcoming reception I have received from the Emergency group in the Peg, which just speaks to the quality of the people we have here. Outside of the hospital, life is great too. I spend most of my free time in the summer out at Victoria Beach, and enjoy dancing ballet, playing golf and tennis, and hanging out with family and friends.
email: deborah.hill@mail.mcgill.ca

Bryce Makar
Bio: I came into medicine with 2 goals in mind: 1) to learn how the body works, 2) to help people. Five years later, my goals haven't changed that much.
I found my way into emergency medicine after having liked every rotation I did in clerkship and finding that emerg satisfied my ADHD the best.
In my opinion, Winnipeg is the best place to learn medicine for the sheer diversity and complexity of patients, not to mention some of the best attending physicians and wonderful colleagues I've ever encountered.
Outside of medicine I have a wonderful wife and love cooking, biking, and golf.
email: bryce.makar@gmail.com

Greg Reimer
Bio: The above resident declined to provide humorous or informative work product prior to the allotted deadline. No biographical information appears here. Check back often.
email: umreimeg@cc.umanitoba.ca

Hareishun Shanmuganathan
Bio: I was born in Sri Lanka and arrived in Edmonton during the Oiler hey-days and was raised on a steady diet of street hockey,Transformers and home-cooked curry. During my undergrad, the medicine bug bit me, but at the same time, so did the travel bug. After touring Europe, I decided to take a 4 year vacation in Australia and was fortunate enough to get a medical degree out of it as well. I still have fond memories of my time in Aus, and the mention of any topic remotely connected to my second home will cause me to slip into a nostalgic reverie.
Like many of my colleagues, I was attracted to the variety in Emerg, but the ability to actually have a life outside of medicine is what clinched the specialty for me. I generally try to do a bit everything, so my interests tend to be pretty broad, and EM allows me to indulge them. I chose to come to Winnipeg largely because of all the great people I met while I was an elective student. The fact that Winnipeg has some of the most amazing pathology I have ever seen is an added bonus. Winnipeg may not be on your radar, but I encourage you to consider it - you'll see a lot, you'll do a lot, and the welcoming nature of the city will make sure you'll have a good time.
email: hareishun@gmail.com