Graduated UW IPE PoD Students

Eight UW IPE PoD students graduated in Spring 2026, including Samantha Barr, Doctor of Medicine; Ethan Elazegui, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine; Kailey Hopkins, Doctor of Physical Therapy; Dema Jaber, Doctor of Medicine; Graham Meyer, Masters of Physician Assistant Studies; Madison Nikolai, Doctor of Medicine; Ritika Punathil, Doctor of Medicine; and Alankrit Shatadal, Doctor of Medicine. Congratulations!

Read more about these graduates below.

• Samantha Barr

Program/year: Doctor of Medicine, Class of 2026

What IPE means to me: Interprofessional practice and education means creating a learning environment that reflects how we’ll actually work: collaboratively and under pressure. Through my mock code project, I’ve seen how bringing multidisciplinary healthcare students together not only establishes the foundations of teamwork (team roles, leadership, communication, etc.), but also builds the trust and confidence needed to deliver reliable, high-quality care.

Plans after graduation: Starting pediatric residency training at the University of Michigan!

• Ethan Elazegui

Program/year: Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Class of 2026

What IPE means to me: To me, IPE means learning to think beyond my own discipline by valuing the perspectives and expertise of other healthcare professionals. It challenges me to grow as a collaborator and ultimately provide more holistic care.

Plans after graduation: I will be completing a one-year small animal rotating internship at the University of Minnesota.

• Kailey Hopkins 

Program/year: Doctor of Physical Therapy, Class of 2026

What IPE means to me: IPE means to me gaining a greater understanding of different profession’s roles in order to collaborate more effectively in patient care. IPE helps us develop the skills needed for teamwork, communication, and problem-solving in a clinical setting, where coordinated care is crucial for optimal patient outcomes.

Plans after graduation: Physical therapist at UW Health Rehabilitation Hospital.

• Dema Jaber

Program/year: Doctor of Medicine, Class of 2026

What IPE means to me: IPE to me is bridging conversations, collaborating, and establishing trust together as a team to provide the best care for patients and a respectful environment.

Plans after graduation: Internal medicine residency

• Graham Meyer 

Program/year: Masters of Physician Assistant Studies, Class of 2026

What IPE means to me: IPE has come to mean much more to me than just teamwork in theory. It’s about understanding the unique roles each member of the healthcare team brings and learning how to communicate effectively to provide the best care possible. I’ve seen how strong collaboration can directly impact both patient outcomes and team dynamics. This has helped me appreciate that good healthcare isn’t delivered by one person, but by a group working together with shared goals and mutual respect.

Plans after graduation: Orthopedic Fellowship in Minneapolis

• Madison Nikolai

Program/year: Doctor of Medicine, Class of 2026

What IPE means to me: To me, IPE means recognizing the value of teamwork, communication, and mutual respect among colleagues from diverse disciplines. This education lays the foundation for a healthcare system where interprofessional collaboration is the norm, creating better outcomes for all.

• Ritika Punathil

Program/year: Doctor of Medicine/Master of Public Health, Class of 2026

What IPE means to me: I value exploring IPE because learning how to work with a diverse healthcare team is an essential way in which I can best serve my future patients.

Plans after graduation: I will be in the Internal Medicine Residency Primary Care track at the University of Washington-Seattle for the next 3 years.

• Alankrit Shatadal

Program/year: Doctor of Medicine, Class of 2026

What IPE means to me: IPE helps students develop nuanced views of what challenges and opportunities exist within the sphere of collaborative patient care.

Plans after graduation: Radiology residency at UC-San Francisco, with a transitional year in Winter Haven, Florida.

Nine UW IPE PoD students graduated in Spring 2025, including Tammy Mundale, Doctor of Medicine; Haley Buerger-Cole, Doctor of Medicine; Firas Hikmat, Doctor of Medicine; Caroline Hess, Traditional Bachelor of Science in Nursing; Kelsie Tingle, Doctor of Pharmacy; Tori Salaba, Doctor of Physical Therapy; Teresa Sundararajan, Master of Genetic Counselor Studies. Congratulations!

Read more about these graduates below. Click HERE to read about the IPE Awards Ceremony, where we celebrated these graduates.

• Haley Buerger-Cole

Program/year: Doctor of Medicine, Class of 2025

What IPE means to me: Although individually, we all prioritize what is best for our patients, we underestimate how helpful it can be to put our different perspectives together to find solutions to challenges in healthcare. IPE brings minds from multiple different backgrounds and education to reach these solutions for our patients, our communities, and our own well-being as healthcare professionals.

Plans after graduation: Haley will be a family medicine resident physician at Froedtert/MCW in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin!

• Caroline Hess

Program/year: Traditional Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Class of 2025

What IPE means to me: IPE brings intentional collaboration with each disciplines own expertise to provide the highest quality care to patients. By learning with and from one another, we not only enhance patient outcomes but also grow as more compassionate and well rounded healthcare professionals.

Plans after graduation: Caroline will be a Wildland Firefighter with the US Forest Service in the Nez Perce – Clearwater National Forest in Idaho. Following this season, I plan to use my BSN RN in Wisconsin as an ICU Nurse with the goal of being a Flight Nurse.

• Firas Hikmat

Program/year: Doctor of Medicine, Class of 2025

What IPE means to me: It means understanding each other’s roles, communicating effectively, efficiently, and respectfully within a team, and growing together to provide the best patient care possible.

Plans after graduation:  Internal Medicine Residency. 

• Tammy Mundale

Program/year: Doctor of Medicine, Class of 2025

What IPE means to me: Interprofessional education involves learning alongside professionals from various disciplines to improve collaboration, communication, and patient care. It enhances teamwork, personal growth, and career development by fostering a deeper understanding of each other’s roles in delivering holistic healthcare.

Plans after graduation: Tammy is starting internal medicine residency at Mayo Clinic in Rochester

• Tori Salaba

Program/year: Physical Therapy, Class of 2025

What IPE means to me: IPE is a cornerstone of healthcare and is important for ensuring high quality care and bettering the outcomes of patients. Effective communication, trust, understanding, and empathy are critical elements to developing a collaborative, positive experience for patients and healthcare professionals alike.

Plans after graduation: Tori is working on securing a job in outpatient orthopedics/sports.

• Teresa Sundararajan

Program/year: Master of Genetic Counselor Studies, Class of 2025

What IPE means to me: I continue to take the time to make sure every voice is heard on the interdisciplinary team and share my skills through a collaborative approach to provide high quality patient care.

Plans after graduation: Teresa plans to move back to Milwaukee and secure a genetic counselor position either locally or remotely.

• Kelsie Tingle

Program/year: Pharmacy, Class of 2025

What IPE means to me: In order for a team to work together effectively, I think that it is important for the different members to have a good understanding of who the other members are and what their respective strengths may be. Interprofessional practice and education means to me that we are always educating ourselves on our teammates and how they view their role and ability to be most effective, as well as what they need from us. This is all done to provide the highest quality of care to our patients

Plans after graduation: Kelsie will be completing my acute care PGY1 pharmacy residency at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Following that, I plan to pursue PGY2 training and board certification in oncology.

 

 

The inaugural recipient of the UW IPE Path of Distinction designation was Sarah Uhm, Master in Public Health, Class of 2023.