Michael Luchi, M.D.
University of Kansas Hospital
Dr. Luchi graduated from the Baylor College of Medicine and completed his residency at Strong Memorial Hospital at the University of Rochester. After residency, Dr. Luchi was a fellow in Infectious Diseases at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. He joined the faculty of the University of Kansas in 1992 as a member of the Infectious Diseases Division. His current interests include student and resident education as well as infection control. He currently serves as the Medical Director of Infection Control at the University of Kansas Hospital.
Ahmad Batrash, M.D.
Kansas City VA Medical Center
Teaching medical residents and students has been my passion since I was in residency. This passion crystallized during my Chief Residency and Fellowship in Geriatric Medicine. When I joined the Kansas City VA Medical Center and the University of Kansas SOM faculty in 2000, the positive feedback that I received from residents and students was a strong incentive for me to excel as a teacher and educator.
As the KC-VAMC Internal Medicine Site Program Director and the Associate Program Director of the KUMC Internal Medicine Residency Program, I will continue the Program's mission and re-emphasize that learning and patient care can not be separated.
The extensive training experience at the KC-VAMC-a large tertiary care center, coupled by the scholarly KUMC offers Internal Medicine residents a unique opportunity to practice a wide variety of evidence-based medical care in an unparalleled friendly learning environment, and encourages residents to participate in many clinical or basic research projects.
Lisa Vansaghi, M.D.
University of Kansas Hospital
I joined the residency program leadership in 2004, after completing residency and a chief resident year here in our program. During my residency, and especially as chief resident, I became interested in staying in academics because I enjoy the environment of lifelong learning in academic medical centers. I had several mentors in the department whose guidance was invaluable, and could think of nothing more satisfying than the opportunity to serve as a mentor to residents. I chose to continue working with the program in an administrative capacity, in addition to my hospitalist responsibilities, because I am proud of our residency program's success and I am committed to further improvements in our inpatient training.
Applicants may find that, after a few interviews, residency programs will tend to blend together, and distinguishing between them can be difficult. I encourage applicants to consider not only tangible factors such as geography, availability of fellowship opportunities, and work schedules, but also the intangible characteristics that define a program. Perhaps the most important factor in your happiness during residency will be whether or not you can develop friendships with your colleagues, and whether or not you are treated with respect by your attending physicians. At KU, applicants will find that our residents enjoy each other's company, both inside the hospital and during their free time, and that our faculty members are engaged in the learning process, and are excited about teaching. These characteristics are difficult to convey within the confines of the interview day, but are paramount to a resident's quality of life.
Natalie Key, M.D.
University of Kansas Hospital
I've had the privilege of serving as Assistant Program Director for Ambulatory Education since April of 2003. After finishing my residency at our program in 1998, I worked at the Kansas City Veterans Administration in the Emergency Department and in Primary Care. I returned to the University of Kansas in 1999 after I realized how much I loved academic medicine and being on the cutting edge of medical education and technology. One of my dreams has always been to expand our ambulatory education program. I'm very proud of the steps we have taken in the last year, and one of the most exciting things we've done is incorporate the Yale Primary Care Curriculum into the continuity clinic experience.
My hope is that during the interview day, you will see that the University of Kansas is a very special place. I'm very proud of our program for many reasons, and I'm often asked what sets us apart from other programs across the country. I think the relationships that our residents have with our attending physicians as well as each other are unique. We've worked very hard to have a caring environment where residents are able to improve not only their medical knowledge, but also have fulfilling personal relationships with physicians who are further along in their careers. Each intern chooses a mentor who will meet with them on a regular basis throughout their residency to discuss personal and professional issues and be a support system for them. When our new interns arrive, they become part of the KU family, and that relationship lasts forever.
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