 | Joshua Dilley, M.D. Clemmons, NC University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
|
|
Whats up! I’m Josh Dilley, formally known as “Dilley” (real
original – I know). I’m a native of NC and I’m STOKED to be attending residency
at Wake Forest. Wake Forest was a sleeper for me until interview day where I
was blown away by the program. The program offers the best of Family medicine:
strong OB, diverse outpatient procedures, well-rounded inpatient and
sub-specialty rotations. Combine those characteristics with the amazing faculty
and residents and you’ve got pure DYNAMITE! Apply and come check us out – you
will be thrilled you did.
I’m from nearby Clemmons, NC and spent the 8
years prior to residency in Chapel Hill for undergrad and medical school. I
love country music, playing guitar, lifting weights, hiking and playing
ultimate Frisbee. I love being outside and Winston-Salem offers amazing access
to the outdoors – mountains and beach.
|
 | Steven Foster, D.O. San Diego, CA Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine
|
|
Welcome to our epic profile site! I'm Steve and I’m pumped to be at Wake Forest practicing family medicine! I was born in San Diego, but spent most of my life near the beach in Chesapeake, Virginia. I then spent the next eight years in the mountains studying at James Madison (go Dukes!), and the Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Perhaps the most challenging thing about medical school was figuring out what to do when I grew up. I really think I considered everything except nephrology and colorectal surgery. I particularly loved peds, psych, OB, and osteopathic manipulation. So towards the end of my 3rd year when I did my FM rotation, it was clear that this was the perfect specialty. Eventually I learned that Wake is the perfect place to train! If you come and interview here, you'll see that everyone is so darn cool and the teaching is great! Honestly, I also had more fun at my Wake interview than anywhere else. Plus, our incoming chief (James Medley) was a huge Star Wars fan so how could I not pick this place #1? I've found we really are a big family here. Coming here you'll quickly come to love Winston-Salem and your fellow interns which makes residency even better.
If you have any questions let me know and have fun this year!
|
 | Matthew Horn, M.D. Rochester, NY University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
|
|
My name is Matt, and I am a second year at Wake. I
grew up in Rochester, NY and moved to Charlotte, NC when I was younger. I went
to undergrad and played soccer at Winthrop University in South Carolina. I then
went to the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill for medical school, and
now my wife and I are pumped to be in Winston-Salem at Wake Forest Family
Medicine.
In my free time I like staying busy by
traveling, hiking, camping, working out, playing guitar, playing/watching
soccer or just hanging out with friends. I love to eat and do new things. I
have two awesome, and sometimes annoying, Aussie Shepherds. My beautiful
wife and I have a baby boy coming in December who will be the newest addition
to the team.
In terms of medicine, I am very interested in
sports medicine, and plan to go on to pursue fellowship training after
residency. I am really excited about football and soccer sports coverage.
Wake is awesome and you need to come
check it out!
|
 | Michael Merz, M.D. Cleveland, OH University of Massachusetts Medical School
|
|
My name is Mike and I am a second year resident here at
Wake Forest. I was born in Cleveland, OH (BELIEVELAND!) and grew up in
Columbus, OH. I went to Wittenberg University for undergrad where I double
majored in Biology and Chemistry before moving to Washington, D.C. to get my
master’s at Georgetown. I then made my
way up to Massachusetts where I attended University of Massachusetts for
medical school. Finally, I ended up down
south and I am loving it so far!
Outside of medicine I love to travel, watch/ play most
sports (especially golf, basketball, baseball, and football), and check out new
places around town.
While looking at programs, I was looking for a place that
people were supportive and the faculty and residents seemed to enjoy being
around one another on both a personal and professional level. I chose Wake because of the quality of both
the faculty and fellow residents and I am happy to say that I really think I
found a great fit for me. I hope you
have a great time during your interview season and try to enjoy the process as
much as possible! Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.
|
|
 | Ashlee Perkinson, M.D. Henderson, NC Brody School of Medicine at Eastern Carolina University
|
|
Hey guys! My
name is Ashlee Laughey (also known as any combination of Perky-Laughey-Taffy). I'm a second year resident here at Wake and still super excited to be here! I'm
originally from Henderson, NC, but I spent the past (almost) ten years prior in
Greenville, NC, attending undergraduate and medical school at East Carolina
University. Go Pirates! When it came to choosing a residency, I wanted to find a group of physicians who are as excited about great patient care as they are
about enjoying life...and I found just that at Wake Forest. It only took one year for my co-workers, especially co-interns, to become like a family. I could not imagine ever being anywhere else!
My at-home family
consists of a black lab named Maggie and a human named Brian, who I married last September. Brian is a new Internal Medicine Intern and is equally as excited to be joining the Wake team. We have enjoyed taking on the first year of the marriage adventure here in Winston Salem. This is an awesome place for folks with almost any interest. We are surrounded by a beautiful
landscape with awesome food, great local music, a huge mall, and more
importantly, people who welcome you like family.
Come
check us out!!
|
 | Amanda Reavis, M.D. Winston-Salem, NC Wake Forest School of Medicine
|
|
Hello!
I’m Amanda Reavis, and I’m happy to be one of the 2nd years at Wake. I grew
up in Mocksville, NC, a small town thirty minutes west of Winston-Salem, and
went to Erskine College in SC for undergrad. I realized growing up in
Mocksville and going to school at Erskine (a college of 550 students) that I
really love small towns and being part of a community. I went to Wake Forest
for medical school and had the best experience during my third year family
medicine rotation. I was so impressed with how intelligent and kind the faculty
and residents were. I couldn’t be happier with my decision to stay here for
residency. Winston-Salem is an incredibly easy place to live, and the family
medicine department has that community that I was looking for.
In
my free time, I like being outside, hiking, and playing fetch with my dog Fly,
the sweetest border-collie-whippet mix. I also love eating meals and sitting
around a table with friends and family.
Hope
to meet you on the interview trail! Feel free to email me with any questions
you have!
|
 | Heather Saffel, M.D. Elkins, WV Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine
|
|
Hi! My name is Heather
and I was born in Elkins, WV. I have
lived in West Virginia my whole life until coming to North Carolina for
residency. I went to West Virginia
University for undergrad where I played soccer, majored in Exercise Physiology
and minored in Biology. Afterwards, I
completed a Master’s program in Biomedical Sciences at Marshall University and
finished my athletic eligibility by running cross country and track for a year.
In my free time, I enjoy
anything involving sports, whether it’s playing, watching, or coaching. Outside of sports, I like staying as busy as
possible hanging out with friends and family.
I like traveling, going to concerts, plays, and local festivals. While I am not a chef, I love trying and
eating all food.
When I was looking at
residency programs, I was looking for a program that would bring out the best
in me academically and have great people in the faculty and residents. As soon as I came here for my interview, I
knew this was the place for me and am so grateful I ended up here.
While I haven’t been in
Winston-Salem too long, I have already fallen in love with the place. Not just in the residency program, but the
people all over town are extremely friendly.
The mountains are nearby and the beach is only about 3 hours away. There are a lot of restaurants, breweries,
coffee shops, and stores to explore. There’s
no better way to say it other than I already feel at home here in Winston-Salem
and within the Wake Forest Family Medicine department. Come check us out!
|

| Ronak Shah, M.D. Poughkeepsie, NY Texas Tech University School of Medicine
|
|
Howdy y'all! I'm Ronak
and couldn't be happier with being at Wake Forest for residency! I'm originally
from Texas--grew up in Houston, went to undergrad at The University of Texas at
Austin (hook 'em), and completed medical school at Texas Tech University Health
Sciences Center in Lubbock and Amarillo. While Texas has been a fantastic place
for me, I was eager to move East and experience medicine in a different part of
the country. The people of Winston-Salem and Wake Forest have been among the
friendliest I have ever been around, and within days this place was home.
I thoroughly enjoyed
each of my clerkships in medical school and found family medicine to be the
perfect choice for my career. I look forward to developing long-term
relationships with my patients and being able to address all elements of their
health. My interests are in academia, as I love teaching, and like a mix of
inpatient and outpatient medicine.
Outside of medicine, I
enjoy playing the acoustic guitar, hiking and backpacking, and spending time
with my fiancé who is a resident of the Neurology program here. We both were so
fortunate to successfully couples' match here and are eager for the years to
come! If you, dear reader, have any questions, please contact me and I'll try
and help you out as best as I can. Cheers!
|
 | Brooke Varnum, M.D. Shawnee, KSUniversity of Kansas School of Medicine
|
|
Hey! I'm Brooke Varnum and I am so excited to be a second year
resident here at Wake! I was born and raised in Shawnee, KS (a suburb of Kansas
City) where I met my now husband in high school orchestra : ) I attended the
University of Kansas (ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK) and received my bachelor's degree in
Human Biology. After college, I married my high school sweetheart before
continuing my tenure as a Jayhawk at KU Medical School. When I'm not working, I
love being outdoors: hiking, biking, farmers markets, and almost anything else
that involves a beautiful day outside! I am also happiest when I am cooking
food for my friends and family (including my new Wake Forest Family)!
As much love as I have for Kansas City, and our
WORLD SERIES CHAMPS, I was looking for a new adventure in residency. I traveled
to 6 states during interview season but Winston-Salem stole my heart! After my
interview here I knew this was the place for us! Everyone here is so welcoming;
we felt at home immediately. We have only just begun to explore all of the
wonderful things to do here but with mountains on one side and the beach on the
other, I bet we’ll find plenty… Also of importance - it is extremely dog
friendly, which is great for our adorable fur-baby Lola.
The program has so much to offer any Family
Medicine resident, and I am very excited about my time with my Wake Forest
family. There is such a supportive learning atmosphere here and I have no doubt
that my time here will leave me armed with all the tools I need to deliver
great patient care.
I hope you consider Wake Forest and that you
find the program that feels like home! Please feel free to email me with any
questions.
|
2nd year House Officer Composite
3rd year House Officer Composite| 3rd year House Officer Bios
1st year House Officer Composite| 1st year House Officer Bios |