SAMOPS Specialty Spotlights

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Fry, who is currently a PGY-2 EM resident at Naval Medical Center San Diego. He discusses his journey to becoming an EM resident, including completing a civilian TY internship prior to becoming a flight surgeon at MCAS Miramar in San Diego. He compares and contrasts his civilian and military training, discusses the unique opportunities he had as a flight surgeon, and provides advice for students interested in pursuing an emergency medicine residency.

DISCLAIMER: All the opinions presented in this podcast are our own and do not reflect the opinions of any branch of the U.S. military, or the Department of Defense.

In this episode, we talk to Dr. Fomin. He is the chief of Dermatology at Irwin Army Community Hospital. He talks to us about what dermatology really is, what being a solid applicant looks like, the training pipeline in the Army, and being a military physician. Dr. Fomin has graciously offered to speak to anyone interested in talking Army Dermatology via email. He can be reached at [email protected]

DISCLAIMER: All the opinions presented in this podcast are our own and do not reflect the opinions of any branch of the U.S. military, or the Department of Defense.

In this episode, we chat with Dr. Brandenburg. Dr. Brandenburg is originally from Austin, Texas. She graduated from Turo University in Vallejo, California, in 2019 and completed a transitional year at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. She then moved to Pensacola, Florida, where she completed Naval flight surgeon training. She is currently stationed in Pensacola, Florida as the flight surgeon for Training Air Wing Six.

DISCLAIMER: All the opinions presented in this podcast are our own and do not reflect the opinions of any branch of the U.S. military, or the Department of Defense.

In this episode we talk to Dr. Switaj, a Army Family Physician currently holding the title of Market Assistant Director for Clinical Operations and Chief Medical Officer for the San Antonio Market under the Defense Health Agency. He talks to us about being a successful medical student, resident, and attending as well as the many different military experiences he has had over his years of service.

DISCLAIMER: All the opinions presented in this podcast are our own and do not reflect the opinions of any branch of the U.S. military, or the Department of Defense.

In this episode we talk to Dr Lederer. She is a 3rd year general surgery resident at Kiesler Air Force Base and a graduate of LECOM. Our conversation centers on ways a medical student can make themselves the best applicant they can for general surgery, what life as a resident in her program is like, and being in the military.

DISCLAIMER: All the opinions presented in this podcast are our own and do not reflect the opinions of any branch of the U.S. military, or the Department of Defense.

In this episode we speak to Dr. Eonta about her journey in Navy medicine as a GMO and her training as a current pediatric resident at San Diego Naval Hospital. In addition, as the Research Chair for RAMOPS Dr. Eonta talks to us a little about research and deadlines for submitting research for the AMOPS Annual conference in San Antonio, Texas.

DISCLAIMER: All the opinions presented in this podcast are our own and do not reflect the opinions of any branch of the U.S. military, or the Department of Defense.

This episode is with Dr. Loftsgaarden, an Army PM&R physician, who has been heavily involved in SAMOPS, RAMOPS, and now AMOPS throughout here career. She did her residency at Walter Reed and currently practices at Brooke Army Medical Center - Center for the Intrepid. We discuss what PM&R really is and she provides valuable insights, from the perspective of a previous chief resident, for matching into Army PM&R. She is also on the AMOPS conference board and makes a plug at the end regarding the upcoming AMOPS conference in San Antonio and how to be involved!

Dr. Davis is an Air Force staff radiologist assigned to the 88 Diagnostics and Therapeutics Squadron at Wright Patterson Air Force Base. He graduated medical school at Touro University Nevada College of Osteopathic Medicine as a top graduate, completed his intern year at Southhampton Hospital in New York, and his radiology residency at Travis Air Force Base in California. Dr. Davis was also deployed to Afghanistan as the sole radiologist at Bagram Airfield's hospital. Learn about him, Air Force Radiology, and more on this episode!

DISCLAIMER: All the opinions presented in this podcast are our own and do not reflect the opinions of any branch of the U.S. military, or the Department of Defense.

DISCLAIMER: All the opinions presented in this podcast are our own and do not reflect the opinions of any branch of the U.S. military, or the Department of Defense. 

Dr. Monteil attende the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and completed her residency at NMCSD in pediatrics. She then went on to do a genetics fellowship and now works with various patient populations. In this interview, she discusses the ins and outs of her successes and how "why" questions have shaped her career. 

DISCLAIMER: All the opinions presented in this podcast are our own and do not reflect the opinions of any branch of the U.S. military, or the Department of Defense.

Dr. Napier is a 3rd generation military officer, working as an OBGYN in the Airforce. She attended the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and completed her residency in Bethesda, MA. She is passionate about women's health and appreciates the level of art that is practiced in OBGYN. She enjoys being a military physician because it offers the freedom to practice good, targeted medicine for our service members and their families.

Dr. Napier discusses many high-yield topics in this episode. She touches on being in a dual physician/mil-to-mil family, her affinity for OBGYN, and differences she has noted between civilian and military medicine. She also brings up the topic of med career pyramids and how it is important to have a vision of where you want your service in the military to go along your career path. She emphasizes the importance of having a mindset of being a lifelong learner. This episode is filled with things we should be thinking about as military medical students (which is a lot). 

Dr. Napier has kindly offered to share her email for anyone who would like to reach out to get more information or seek mentorship. You can contact her by email: [email protected].