Resident Profiles
PGY-1
Kevin Arkko
Kevin Arkko has lived in Edmonton since he was 12 years old. He attended the University of Alberta for his undergraduate degree where he played football for the Golden Bears. He then completed a master’s in physical therapy and worked as physiotherapist in Calgary and Edmonton for 4 years prior to returning to the U of A for medical school. In his spare time he likes cycling and skiing with his 2-year old daughter Lumi and his wife Karly (who works as a nurse at the UAH emergency department). Kevin is thrilled to be a part of the EM program at the U of A and is looking forward to meeting all of you on shift!
Xenia Cravetchi
Xenia Cravetchi bopped around a few cities and careers, including research and coaching synchronized swimming, before an "aha" moment landed her in the UofA med program. She loves exploring the Edmonton river valley with her dog, checking out new cafes/restaurants in the city, and getting out to the mountains. Forever an optimist, even during CARMs, decided that her "chosen destiny" for the med yearbook was going to be "having a good time," so here we are!
Mikayla Fredriksen
Mikayla Fredriksen grew up in High River, Alberta and completed her undergraduate studies in Biochemistry. She relocated to Edmonton to complete her medical degree at the University of Alberta. After four years of medical school, Edmonton won her heart and she decided to stay here to complete her residency training. Her areas of interest are addiction medicine and global health which she is excited to incorporate into her training. In her free time, she loves running, playing squash, snowboarding, grabbing brunch with friends or exploring the river valley with her dog, Ivy.
Andrew Lafreniere
Andrew Lafreniere was raised in Revelstoke, BC. He grew up playing hockey and basketball while enjoying the mountains. He moved to Alberta to pursue university where he studied science prior to graduating from Nursing School. He previously worked as an RN for 6 years in CVICU in Calgary before moving to Edmonton for Medical School. He has fallen in love with Edmonton and has even converted to being an Oilers fan. He enjoys playing guitar, spending time with friends and family, watching movies, and comedy in his spare time!
Connor O'Rielly
Connor O’Reilly split his growing up between Alberta and Ontario before completing his BSc in Kinesiology at the University of Ottawa. He then headed back out West to complete a Master’s in Epidemiology and then medical school at the University of Calgary. He loves to spend his time cycling, hiking, and ski-touring with family and friends but is just as happy staying in to listen to music and cook, especially if it means he gets to use his Instant Pot (Sponsorship Pending). His areas of interest include pre-hospital and transport medicine, pediatrics, and medical education. Connor is so excited to discover everything Edmonton has to offer and share the next many years with the UofA Emergency Medicine family!'
Julia Sawatzky
Julia Sawatzky was born in Vancouver and raised in the U.S., Japan, and Germany. Julia is always up for adventure and completed her undergraduate degree in Scotland before coming home for medical school in Edmonton; a city where she has strong family roots. She is particularly passionate about global public health, and also pursued master’s degrees in epidemiology and public policy during medical school. In her free time, Julia loves exploring Edmonton’s restaurants and coffee shops with friends and family, running/paddleboarding/cross country skiing in our beautiful urban green spaces, and devouring a good book. She is super excited to be joining the Edmonton EM community and to get to know everyone over the next five years!
PGY-2
Amanda Cao
Amanda Cao is one of the fresh new R1s joining the team! She is a lifelong Edmontonian who did her undergraduate degree, a brief detour to pharmacy, and medical school training here. Amanda can therefore fully attest to the fact that it is a great city with lots to do and good food to eat. Although she's been here for almost three decades, she has never been to the river valley and hopes to see it in all its glory before residency is over. She is happy and grateful to finally retire her student status after being in University for way too long and is excited for what comes next!
Candace Hagerman
Candace Hagerman is a lifelong Edmontonian who completed her undergraduate degree in Kinesiology and Master’s degree in Medicine at the UAlberta. After a couple years of working as a research coordinator in the Division of Gastroenterology, she started medical school at the UofA where she discovered her interest in emerg! In her spare time, she enjoys running in the river valley, playing ringette with lifelong friends, and discovering new foods and craft beers around Edmonton (preferably on a patio). She is excited to get started in emerg and to get to know everyone!
Jonathan Mora
Jonathan Mora was born and raised in Edmonton and attended undergraduate, graduate, and medical school at UAlberta. He played varsity football for the Golden Bears during his undergrad and researched hepatitis B viral entry in graduate school. He is very excited that he now gets to do his postgraduate training here too! In his spare time Jon loves playing hockey, flag football, golfing, camping, hiking, traveling, and microbrewery patios.
Courtney Streu
Courtney Streu is a born and raised Edmontonian. She completed her undergraduate degree at The King’s University (Edmonton) and medical degree at the University of Alberta. Her area of interest is chronic pain and humanitarian medicine. In her free time she enjoys singing, fishing, wakeboarding, and playing with her puppy!
Fiona Tran
Fiona Tran was born and raised in Calgary. Since completing her medical school education at the UAlberta, she has managed to miss every northern light sighting in the city sky despite multiple tracker apps. She enjoys cooking various international fusion dishes and is currently learning how to achieve the optimum al dente chew for pasta noodles. During her downtime she enjoys water painting cards, going for her daily jog, and making 3D animal and plant paper models. She is excited to be part of the UofA EM family for residency and just maybe…she will finally be able to see flickers of the aurora borealis.
Megg Wylie
Megg Wylie is Alberta born and raised-- she lived in Medicine Hat, Sundre, and Red Deer before completing her medical degree at the University of Calgary. During her training Megg maintained research and advocacy commitments within women's health, addictions, harm reduction and homelessness. In her free time, she is an avid climber who is always keen to meet a new belay partner. Megg was beyond excited to match to Emergency Medicine in Edmonton in CaRMS 2022, and is really looking forward to getting to know the Edmonton Emerg Group!
PGY-3
Hope Fast
Hope Fast is a born and raised prairie girl hailing from the University of Saskatchewan. Since a wardrobe malfunction involving a ripped skirt during her MMI, Hope is relieved to be spending the rest of her medical career in scrubs. She enjoys playing sports with any team that will have her, photography, and is an avid patio-goer and brewery explorer. Don’t let her last name fool you, Hope will be slowly plodding/“running” in the Edmonton river valley this year. She is looking forward to meeting all the people and pets in the program and making Edmonton her new home!
Brenna Hansen
Born and raised in Edmonton, Brenna Hansen is returning to her hometown after attending medical school at Western University in London, Ontario. Her academic interests include addictions medicine and working with marginalized populations. Outside of medicine, Brenna loves to spend time with her husband Rory and her Great Dane, Daisy. She is a huge Lord of the Rings fan and an avid cook and foodie - she loves hosting dinner parties. She also enjoys being physically active outdoors, especially if this involves hiking, paddle boarding or spike ball. She is excited to come back to Alberta’s big blue skies, to re-discover Edmonton’s blossoming craft beer and food scene - and to meet the Edmonton EM crew!
Henry Li
Born and raised in Winnipeg, Henry Li completed his undergraduate and medical degrees at the University of Manitoba. He is excited to join the Edmonton EM family and drive up and down hills during his daily commute.
He enjoys playing a variety of sports like badminton, tennis, basketball, and volleyball, but may not be very good at any of them. After going on his first snowboarding trip during medical school, he is pumped to get on the slopes more. His goals during residency? Learn how to play the guitar and stop spending so much money on leather shoes.
He enjoys playing a variety of sports like badminton, tennis, basketball, and volleyball, but may not be very good at any of them. After going on his first snowboarding trip during medical school, he is pumped to get on the slopes more. His goals during residency? Learn how to play the guitar and stop spending so much money on leather shoes.
Jack Underschultz
Jack Underschultz is a proud Edmontonian having completed both his undergraduate degree in Finance and medical degree at the University of Alberta. Most suspect it is Stockholm Syndrome due to an unhealthy affinity to the Edmonton Oilers (next year is always our year!). However, Jack does take every opportunity to travel the world, the more off the beaten path the better, and hopes to continue to follow his passion for Global Health to all of the hidden gems in the world. Closer to home, Jack loves to catch up over a coffee, drink, and especially over any kind of sports game. He is very excited to start and meet everyone!
Lloyd Visser
A lifelong Albertan, Lloyd Visser hails from the calm and wind-free city of Lethbridge. Prior to academia, Lloyd completed a trades apprenticeship to become a Journeyman Carpenter, a career which spanned everything from residential construction to remote oilfield camp jobs. Outside of work, Lloyd enjoys anything outdoors and staying active - competitive powerlifting/bodybuilding, camping, hiking, SCUBA, rock climbing, adventuring, and sports of any flavour. Indoors, he may be found reading (philosophy, history, fantasy), building things, or (endlessly) meal prepping. He is beyond excited to begin residency, and to get to know everyone!
Allyson Wrubleski
Born and raised in Camrose, Allyson Wrubleski completed her Bachelor of Science at Augustana in physical education with a special interest in feminist theory and sport; she subsequently moved to Edmonton for medical school. Prior to the pandemic, she travelled lots, including hiking to Mount Everest Base Camp in Nepal and hiking to see the Silverback gorillas in Uganda. She also loves baking, running, good comedy, and sunny patios with friends. Her latest pandemic purchase is her new Saint Bernard puppy, Baloo! She cannot wait to join the EM family in Edmonton!
PGY-4
Kyle Anderson
Born and raised in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Kyle completed his undergraduate and medical degrees at the University of Saskatchewan before venturing West to join the Edmonton Emergency Medicine family. With a motor that doesn't’t stop (but occasionally slows down) Kyle is an avid fan of physical activity, whether it be exploring the great outdoors or getting a bit too competitive while playing sports. A coffee and craft beer enthusiast, Kyle is always prepared to catch up over a drink, especially if food is involved. His greatest weakness? Uncontrollable late-night snacking.
Stephanie Del Alba
Stephanie is a born and raised Edmontonian but has been away for the past few years for med school in Calgary and modelling in Toronto/Miami. Her main academic area of interest over the past few years has been addictions and working with other marginalized populations. In her free time she enjoys skiing (just took her AST1 in Dec!), fashion/photography, travelling around in her camper van, and get togethers with friends. She is very excited to be back working in her hometown and can’t wait to get to know each of you over the years!
Melissa Pyrch
Melissa is one of the incoming PGY-1's in Emerg! Her name is Melissa, but most of her friends call her Mel. She is from a little tiny town in Southern Alberta called Taber, which happens to be the corn capital of Canada! She did her undergrad in Montreal before coming to the UofA for medical school and says she guesses that she is a true Edmontonian now! She loves to get a little too competitive at board games or a good old game of spikeball. And recently, she has gotten really into road biking and exploring our great city on two wheels! She can't wait to get started and meet everyone!
Stephanie Schindler
Born and raised in Istanbul, Stephanie moved to Canada to complete her post-secondary education at UBC Okanagan. Prior to attending medical school in Kelowna, she formally completed her Master's degree in Alzheimer's disease research and informally studied all the wine varietals that the Okanagan has to offer. She loves travelling, learning new languages and all things food related. She also enjoys being outdoors and is looking forward to running and biking in the River Valley!
Michael Taylor
Michael is one of the incoming PGY1's in Emergency Medicine. As a man of two provinces, he spent the first few years of hi life in Edmonton before leaving for Ontario in '93. It wasn't until 2014 that he rediscovered Alberta when his (painfully long) educational journey brought him back; He's been here ever since, but his family is still rooted in the Greater Toronto Area. Edmonton is now his second home, with plenty of new-found family. He enjoys writing acoustic folk songs and occasionally subjecting audiences to his performances. He also loves bicycling, camp fires, and hopes to try stand-up comedy at some point in the future!
Ryan Yip
Ryan is really looking forward to meeting and working with you all. He is originally from BC, but went to university in London, Ontario followed by medical training in Ottawa. He is excited to head back out west and experience the Alberta lifestyle! In his spare time, he enjoys playing ultimate frisbee, soccer, badminton, tennis, squash, and hitting up the gym. He is also a big foodie and is looking forward to exploring what Edmonton has to offer!
PGY-5
Alex Wilson
Alex grew up on a small blueberry farm in Pitt Meadows, BC. His rural
upbringing instilled a love for the outdoors, as well as a fondness for animals
and gardening. He is an avid aquarist and loves returning home to visit his
family and dogs. He is a POCUS pro and also interested in simulation. In his
free time, Alex enjoys making hot sauce and playing board games. He is kind
hearted, thoughtful, and always willing to lend a hand or an ear.
upbringing instilled a love for the outdoors, as well as a fondness for animals
and gardening. He is an avid aquarist and loves returning home to visit his
family and dogs. He is a POCUS pro and also interested in simulation. In his
free time, Alex enjoys making hot sauce and playing board games. He is kind
hearted, thoughtful, and always willing to lend a hand or an ear.
Edward Mason
Though Ed grew up playing soccer in the Vancouver rain, he’s learned
to embrace the Alberta winters by attempting to bike commute year-round.
When not cracking dad-jokes, he enjoys playing board games, reading about
obscure topics on Wikipedia.org and exploring the River Valley trails.
Mountain biking trips have been a highlight of residency (although his
co-residents agree that Ed’s “bin system” could use some work).
to embrace the Alberta winters by attempting to bike commute year-round.
When not cracking dad-jokes, he enjoys playing board games, reading about
obscure topics on Wikipedia.org and exploring the River Valley trails.
Mountain biking trips have been a highlight of residency (although his
co-residents agree that Ed’s “bin system” could use some work).
Erin Sachs
Hailing from Vancouver, Erin is the multi-talented renaissance woman
of the group. She is very active and loves to spend time outdoors. She is also
an impressive cook (you are truly missing out if you haven’t had the
opportunity to taste her baking), accomplished cellist, and Zwift fanatic. We
don’t know how she does it all! She is extremely thoughtful, kind, supportive,
and is one of the easiest people to talk to.
of the group. She is very active and loves to spend time outdoors. She is also
an impressive cook (you are truly missing out if you haven’t had the
opportunity to taste her baking), accomplished cellist, and Zwift fanatic. We
don’t know how she does it all! She is extremely thoughtful, kind, supportive,
and is one of the easiest people to talk to.
Nicholas Sajko
When he’s not running a code in the ED, you can find Nick cuddling with
his cat Max (née Molly, before Nick realized he was a boy; long story…),
snowboarding in the winter, or mountain biking in the summer. His medical
interests include critical care and toxicology. Despite being born and raised in
Halifax, Nick has somehow never gone fishing. If you want to get into his good
books, just buy him an aperol spritz at the bAARRR.
his cat Max (née Molly, before Nick realized he was a boy; long story…),
snowboarding in the winter, or mountain biking in the summer. His medical
interests include critical care and toxicology. Despite being born and raised in
Halifax, Nick has somehow never gone fishing. If you want to get into his good
books, just buy him an aperol spritz at the bAARRR.
Sarah Weicker
Sarah is a self-professed cat lady and house plant enthusiast from
North Vancouver. When she’s not arguing with Ed about physics or
babysitting someone’s cat, she can be found hunting for the world’s spiciest
burrito. A secret genius, Sarah has a Masters in Chemistry which comes in
handy in explaining some of the more obscure Rosen’s intros to her
co-residents.
North Vancouver. When she’s not arguing with Ed about physics or
babysitting someone’s cat, she can be found hunting for the world’s spiciest
burrito. A secret genius, Sarah has a Masters in Chemistry which comes in
handy in explaining some of the more obscure Rosen’s intros to her
co-residents.
Stephanie Pilieci
As the only Edmonton local in the R3 group, Stephanie was quick to
make the rest of her cohort feel at home in YEG and can be found scouting out
local brunch spots, boutique stores, and the best places in the city to go for
walks. She is a Harry Potter nerd and a proud Hufflepuff. Steph is a kind,
supportive, and dedicated clinician and friend. She has a passion for medical
education and is without a doubt the most organized chief.
make the rest of her cohort feel at home in YEG and can be found scouting out
local brunch spots, boutique stores, and the best places in the city to go for
walks. She is a Harry Potter nerd and a proud Hufflepuff. Steph is a kind,
supportive, and dedicated clinician and friend. She has a passion for medical
education and is without a doubt the most organized chief.