GURUS
Michael Dworkin, MD
Founder of MedSchoolGurus
Originally from Cleveland, Dr. Dworkin graduated from Ohio State University, where he studied mathematics and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. After scoring in the 99th percentile on his MCAT, he attended Duke University School of Medicine from 2014-2018. He scored 256 on USMLE Step 1, and 269 on USMLE Step 2 CK. He is a radiation oncology resident at Stanford and completed a medicine internship at University of Kentucky. He is passionate about patient-centered clinical oncology, research, evidence based medical education, and mentoring his students. In his free time, he enjoys playing tennis, and spending time with friends and family.
Austin Hamp, BS
Originally from Salt Lake, Utah, Austin graduated cum laude from Utah State University, where he studied Human Movement Science. After scoring in the 91st percentile on his MCAT, he matriculated to Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine. He scored 256 on USMLE Step 1 and is interested in Dermatology. He has experience tutoring for the MCAT and USMLE and is passionate about helping others achieve their goals. In his free time, he enjoys basketball, football, golf, weight lifting, and motorcycle riding.
Balaji Jothishankar, MD, MBA
Originally from Florida, Balaji graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he double majored in Molecular and Cellular Biology and Psychology and graduated magna cum laude. He scored in the 98th percentile on his MCAT graduated from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. He scored 262 on USMLE Step 1 and 273 on USMLE Step 2 CK. He earned an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business during his gap year. He is interested in integrating business into medicine, cost-effectiveness research, and medical education. He has extensive experience teaching as a teaching assistant in college and as a peer tutoring in medical school. He is a dermatology resident at Harvard. Previously an internationally ranked tennis player, he enjoys coaching tennis, playing intramural basketball and ultimate frisbee, and riding his bicycle.
Chloe Peters, MD
Dr. Peters grew up in Palo Alto, California, and studied Anthropology at UCLA, where she spent three years working as an EMT while enrolled as a full-time student. She graduated summa cum laude and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. After scoring in the 99th percentile on the MCAT, she was accepted to Duke University School of Medicine. She deferred enrollment to spend a gap year living in Johannesburg, South Africa, and Seville, Spain. She has attended Duke University School of Medicine since 2015 and has an anticipated graduation date in 2019. At Duke, she received all honors in her clerkships and scored 262 on USMLE Step 1. During her fourth year, she was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honors society and awarded the William G. Anylan Senior Merit Scholarship. Of all the things she accomplished in medical school, she is most proud of helping found an interdisciplinary program that teaches health students how to discuss end-of-life care. She is a resident in Urology at University of Washington. In her free time, she enjoys spending time outdoors, going on backpacking trips, traveling the world, and cooking.
Christopher Warne, MD
A Utah native, Dr. Warne graduated magna cum laude from Brigham Young University, where he studied neuroscience. He scored in the 94th percentile on his MCAT, and graduated from UT Southwestern Medical School in Dallas. He scored 260 on USMLE Step 1, 262 on USMLE Step 2 CK, received honors in all clinical rotations, and was inducted in to Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society in his junior year. He is a resident in orthopedic surgery at Mayo Clinic. He first began advising other students as an undergrad. He is passionate about surgical outcomes research, career advising, and personal finance education. In his free time, he enjoys distance running, skiing, and spending time outdoors with his wife and daughter.
Chelsea Spencer, BS
Originally from Fort Collins Colorado, Chelsea attended Colorado State University where she graduated with a BS in Biomedical Sciences. From there she went on to earn an MS in Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology and graduated with a 4.0 GPA. During her masters, she worked as an EMT for the University of Colorado Health. At the same time, she provided continuing education courses for local EMS and was involved in substitute teaching. She matriculated to Saint George’s University School of Medicine in August 2018 and was awarded a humanitarian scholarship. Throughout her basic science years, she was on the Chancellor’s list and was elected as the Iota Epsilon Alpha medical honors society Grand Marshal. In this role, she directed the academic affairs of the honor society, provided exam reviews, taught large scale content reviews, and provided one on one private tutoring sessions. In the summer of 2019, Chelsea spent several weeks in Kenya where she was able to help serve the medical needs of local populations, which strengthened her desire to work internationally. She scored 268 on USMLE Step 1 and intends on entering the field of pediatric cardiothoracic surgery with a focus on international medical outreach. In her free time, Chelsea loves to ride her horses, hike with her dogs, snowshoe, and spend time with her family and husband.
Iou-Ren “Yo” Chang, DO
Originally from Knoxville, Tennessee, Iou-Ren attended the University of Tennessee where he studied Biochemical, Molecular, and Cellular Biology and graduated summa cum laude in 2014 at the age of 18. After graduating, he worked as an ER Tech and medical scribe. In 2016, he matriculated to Lincoln Memorial University Debusk College of Osteopathic Medicine (LMU-DCOM). There, he has served as an Anatomy TA and peer tutor, was elected into the Sigma Sigma Phi honors society, and scored 267 on USMLE Step 1 and 800 on COMLEX Level 1. He is passionate about environmental conservationism, increasing health literacy in rural Appalachia, and medical education. He is an orthopedic surgery resident. In his free time, he enjoys backpacking, rock climbing, golfing, Tennessee Football, and spending time with his girlfriend and puppy.
Jake Mojeski, MD
Growing up in Western New York, Dr. Mojeski travelled to North Carolina for his undergraduate studies. He studied chemistry at Wake Forest University and was induced into Phi Beta Kappa. After obtaining his bachelor’s degree, he returned home and enrolled at the University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine. He scored 271 on USMLE Step 1, 278 on USMLE Step 2CK and was inducted into AOA and Gold Humanism Honor Society. He completed his internship at Massachusetts General Hospital and is a dermatology resident at SUNY downstate. He is passionate about teaching, mentorship, and research. As a teacher, he has extensive experience over the last 7 years tutoring students in organic chemistry, biochemistry, and for USMLE exams. He utilizes his positivity and organized study plans to help students prepare for examinations and enjoy the experience as much as possible. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his partner and family, hiking, running, and playing sports.
James C., MD
A Utah native, James studied biology and Spanish as an undergraduate. Because of his excellent teaching, he was hired as head TA in the departments of anatomy and organic chemistry, and won the American Chemical Society TA of the Semester award. He scored in the 99.9th percentile on his MCAT and tutored for the exam up until starting medical school at Duke University on a full tuition merit scholarship. As a medical student, James has taught anatomy in lectures and labs to MS1s at Duke for all 4 years. In addition, he was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honors society in his third year, has first-authored multiple peer reviewed publications, and scored a 275 on USMLE Step 1 and 265 on USMLE Step 2 CK. He is a resident in in otolaryngology-head & neck at Duke. He enjoys time with his wife and kids, playing basketball, attending Duke basketball games, and Dr. Pepper.
James Cardinal, MD
A Salt Lake City native, Dr. Cardinal graduated cum laude in accounting from Brigham Young University. He matriculated to the University of Utah School of Medicine. There, James scored a 267 on USMLE Step 1, 265 on USMLE Step 2 CK, received honors in every clinical rotation, and was inducted into Alpha Omega Alpha as a junior. He is an orthopedic surgery resident at University of Iowa. He has extensive teaching experience from foreign language instruction, to USMLE tutoring. In his free time, James enjoys skiing with his wife and caring for his two daughters.
Josh Harmer, MD
Born and raised in Utah, Dr. Harmer graduated summa cum laude from the University of Utah with a major in physics and a minor in chemistry. He had an early interest in surgery and worked full-time as a surgical technologist throughout his undergraduate studies. He matriculated to Utah School of Medicine. There, he scored 270 on USMLE Step 1, 268 on USMLE Step 2 CK, and was inducted into Alpha Omega Alpha and the Gold Humanism Honor Society. In addition, he earned honors in all clerkships and co-authored several peer-reviewed publications. He is an orthopedic surgery resident at Mayo Clinic. He is passionate about mentoring, global surgical care, and increasing value in medicine. In his free time, he enjoys training for triathlons, canyoneering, and spending time with his wife and four children.
Joseph George, MD
Originally from the suburbs of Chicago, Joe graduated summa cum laude from University of Illinois at Chicago with a double major in Biology and Economics. After scoring a 523 (99th percentile) on the MCAT, he attended the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine. He scored a 267 on his USMLE Step 1, 271 on USMLE Step 2 CK. He will complete his Diagnostic Radiology residency at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. He has a passion for teaching, and has extensive tutoring experience for the MCAT and USMLE. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family, cooking, running, and video games.
Miguel Gonzalez, MD
Originally from Southern California, Miguel moved to Las Vegas, NV where he was raised. He was awarded a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Millennium Scholarship, and studied microbiology at the University of Nevada – Las Vegas where he was inducted into Phi Eta Sigma. After scoring in the 93rd percentile on his MCAT, he attended the University of Nevada – Reno, School of Medicine in the Class of 2022, where he scored a 260 on USMLE Step 1. He is is interested in an academic career in orthopedic surgery. He has extensive teaching and mentorship experience dating back to high school, including teaching at 6 different music programs in throughout college, and teaching and tutoring numerous subjects and creating various educational and curricular resources throughout medical school, some of which have been formally integrated as part of his school's curriculum. He especially loves being all things anatomy and musculoskeletal. In his free time, he enjoys practicing clarinet, guitar, and the drums, going fishing, playing video games, staying active, and eating out with his friends!
Ramzi Ibraham, MD
Originally from Phoenix, Arizona, Ramzi attended Arizona State University where he studied Biological Sciences. There, he conducted research in the field of Entomology on Heat Shock Proteins, and was a teaching assistant in the anatomy lab. He graduated from Ross University School of Medicine. He has extensive Step 1 tutoring experience, and has tutored many peers at Ross and other schools. He is an internal medicine resident at the University of Arizona. In his free time, he enjoys weight lifting, reading, and spending time with his family and friends.
Riley A., MD
Originally from Snohomish, Washington, Riley attended Utah State University, where he studied Biochemistry and graduated summa cum laude in 2016. There, he was selected as an organic chemistry TA due to his outstanding teaching. He also worked as an MCAT tutor for a year while applying to medical school and discovered a passion helping students prepare for standardized exams. In 2016, he matriculated to Texas Tech where he was awarded a half tuition merit scholarship. There, he has received all honors and has served as a peer tutor for over a year. He scored 266 on USMLE Step 1, 265 on Step 2, 250 on Step 3, and matched at University of Washington for radiology. He enjoys mountain biking, snowboarding, trail-running, golfing, and spending time with friends.
Ricardo Collazo, MD
Originally from Miami, Dr. Collazo attended Florida International University, where he majored in Biology and minored in Physics, Chemistry, and Astronomy. He graduated summa cum laude in 2015 and was inducted into the Phi Kappa Phi honor society. He then matriculated to FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine (HWCOM) where he found his passion for peer academic development and standardized exam preparation. As a medical student tutor, he devoted 600+ hours of teaching and peer tutoring service, was awarded Tutor of the Year, and was a nominated finalist for the university wide Student Employee of the Year Award. He was the student leader of FIU HWCOM’s tutoring program and helped develop several programs to help students improve their USMLE test taking skills. He scored 267 on the USMLE Step 1, 274 on USMLE Step 2 CK, and was inducted into Alpha Omega Alpha. As an MS4, he was as chairman of the peer academic advising program. He is a general surgery resident at UT Houston. He enjoys spear fishing, traveling, running marathons, hiking, motocross/ATV riding, snowboarding, and spending time with friends.
Seán Lyne, MD
Originally from Brandon Ireland, Seán graduated from Westminster College in Utah, where he studied neuroscience and graduated with honors. After scoring in the 98th percentile on his MCAT, he matriculated to The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine in 2017. He scored 266 on USMLE Step 1 and matched into neurosurgery at Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He has been a teaching assistant in multiple courses for undergraduate students as well as in anatomy, clinical pathophysiology, and therapeutics in medical school. He is passionate about compassionate clinical neurosurgery, cerebrovascular research, and mentoring his students. In his free time, he plays soccer around the city of Chicago and runs along the lakeshore. He also enjoys spending time with friends, reading, and visiting family in Ireland.
Sitharthan Sekar, MD
Originally from Tampa, Florida, Dr. Sekar studied Microbiology at the University of Florida. After scoring in the 99th percentile on his MCAT, he attended Duke University School of Medicine from 2015-present. He scored 258 on USMLE Step 1. He is an internal medicine resident at Duke and hopes to eventually pursue a fellowship. He is passionate about the interaction between imaging and patient care, research, professional development, and most of all, medical education. In his free time, he enjoys being a Cameron Crazie and can often be spotted in the front row of a Duke basketball game.
Stephanie W., MD
Originally from Los Angeles, Stephanie graduated from California Institute of Technology, where she studied chemistry and played Division III basketball and water polo. She also tutored students in chemistry and was a teaching assistant for the freshman chemistry lab. In 2018, she matriculated to California University of Science and Medicine where she serves as a peer tutor, peer mentor, and anatomy lab TA. She scored 264 on USMLE Step 1 and 269 on USMLE Step 2 CK. She is passionate about research, teaching, and mentorship, and has a wealth of experience helping students prepare for medical school and USMLE exams. In her free time, she enjoys playing basketball, rock climbing, creating air fryer recipes, listening to podcasts, and dogs.
ANKI DECK CREATORS
Tyler Bauman, MD
Dr. Bauman grew up in Albany, Wisconsin, a rural town of 900 people. He studied medical microbiology and immunology at the University of Wisconsin from 2009-2013. After scoring in the 98th percentile on his MCAT, he attended Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine from 2014-2018. He scored 260 on USMLE Step 1, 267 on USMLE Step 2 CK, and passed Step 2 CS. He completed a transitional year resident at Scripps Mercy in San Diego is currently a dermatology resident at the University of Cincinnati. In his free time, he enjoys basketball, weightlifting, surfing, and reading. Dr. Bauman is also a Guru for MedSchoolGurus.
Francis Deng, MD
Dr. Deng grew up in Northern Virginia. He studied human developmental and regenerative biology at Harvard College, where he was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa as a junior and graduated magna cum laude. After scoring in the 99th percentile on the MCAT, he attended Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine on a full-tuition merit scholarship from 2012-2016, graduating as a member of Alpha Omega Alpha. Previously a junior editor of First Aid for the USMLE Step 1, he scored 265 on USMLE Step 1, 264 on Step 2 CK, and 251 on Step 3. He completed a preliminary medicine internship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and is now a resident in diagnostic radiology at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Deng remains interested in medical education at all levels and can be found on Twitter @francisdeng.
