Please join us in congratulating the six energetic and talented residents who have been selected as the J. Willis Hurst Internal Medicine Residency Program’s 2020-2021 Chief Residents. They were selected from an exceptionally strong class based on input from residents, faculty, and stakeholders across the Department of Medicine. Each year, our chiefs serve as exemplary resident role models who exude intellectual curiosity, inspire curiosity in others, provide top-notch patient care, and invest in our program and our people. This group’s outstanding leadership and enthusiasm for resident education will enrich the legacy of our training program.
Please see below for additional information and hospital assignments for the 2020-2021 Chief Residents.
Liz McCord
Title: Ambulatory Chief Resident
Medical School: LSU SOM in New Orleans
College: New York University
Hometown: New Orleans, LA
Why did you choose to train at Emory?
“I fell in love with Emory for its exceptional training in both medicine and psychiatry! I did an away rotation at Emory during my 4th year of medical school and was moved by the compassionate and quality care provided to those with severe medical comorbidities and mental illness.”
Tell us about a favorite experience during residency.
“Being a part of the Global Health Residency Scholars Program and spending March 2019 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia working in the local hospitals.”
Tell us a fun fact about yourself.
“I have a black belt in Harry Potter trivia.”
Amalia Aldredge
Location: Emory University Hospital Midtown
Medical School: University of Washington
College: McGill University
Hometown: Seattle, WA
What are you most excited about for Chief Year?
“I can’t wait to teach and continue to encourage innovative teaching that keeps residents engaged. I’m also looking forward to seeing the behind-the-scenes work that goes on every day and how I can best work to continue to improve our resident experiences!”
What is your favorite thing about our program?
“I love how we’re pushed to become independent in our management of patients. This creates such strong relationships with our patients, especially our primary care patients, as we truly take ownership of our care. This is all done in such a supportive environment in a way that has helped me grow from a very quiet, timid intern to a much more confident resident.”
Tell us a fun fact about yourself.
“I eloped on a whim in Vietnam.”
Chris Massad
Location: Emory University Hospital
Medical School: Morehouse SOM
College: Georgia Institute of Technology
Hometown: Marietta, GA
What’s been your favorite residency experience?
“My most memorable experience was getting to tell a patient that I took care of for a month on the heart failure service at EUH that he had finally got the heart he was waiting for on the last day of the rotation. Such a special, truly life-altering and life-giving moment to revel in with the patient after a long fought wait for transplant. It was the single greatest piece of news I’ve given a patient so far.”
Why did you choose to train at Emory?
“I chose Emory because I knew I would be getting premiere training at four different hospitals that each offer something different to a strong clinical program. This was icing on the cake that is its excellent reputation, wonderful interactions with faculty and residents during my interview, and it being close to home!”
Tell us a fun fact about yourself.
“When I’m not spending time with my beautiful wife and daughter, I enjoy spending time in my garage woodworking and building things for family and friends!”
Patrick Zakka
Location: Atlanta VA Medical Center
Medical School: American University of Beirut
College: American University of Beirut
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
What is your favorite thing about our program?
“This program feels like a family more than a residency program. I come to work with colleagues who I am excited to work with every day. You know you are part of a community who truly cares about your success and well-being. The best part about it is we are privileged to be able to take care of a truly special population of patients.”
What are you most excited about for Chief Year?
“I am so excited to give everything back to the program that has helped and continues to help build me to become the best physician I can be. I look forward to guiding future residents of this program towards their goals as smoothly as possible.”
Tell us a fun fact about yourself.
“I collect sneakers and am a big Los Angeles Laker fan.”
Hima Veeramachaneni
Location: Grady Memorial Hospital
Medical School: University of Missouri Kansas City
College: University of Missouri Kansas City
Hometown: St. Louis, MO
Why did you choose to train at Emory?
“I fell in love with the mission and the purpose of Grady in Atlanta as well as the leadership of the program. I wanted to be a part of the workforce that is serving this underserved population and devoting time to making a difference. The diversity and the ideals that were set forth by the leaders of this program were unparalleled compared to any other program in the country and I wanted to learn from and be a part of that program.”
What is your favorite thing about our program?
“I love the family that I have created here at Emory. Being from a completely different state and never living in Atlanta, I was very nervous regarding how life would be. However, from day 1, I felt that I was well supported and truly made life-long friends and mentors here.”
Tell us a fun fact about yourself.
“I previously drove for Uber in Kansas City and learned a great deal about people’s personal stories during that experience.”
Eli Wilber
Location: Grady Memorial Hospital
Medical School: Emory University SOM
College: Duke University
Hometown: Charleston, SC
What are you most excited about for Chief Year?
“Having an entire year to focus on teaching and giving back to the program that has helped me to grow so much.”
What’s been your favorite residency experience?
“I had a patient with end-stage heart failure at Grady who was having a prolonged hospitalization. One day, we were sitting near the window in his room looking at the Atlanta skyline and he started pointing out the hotels he had performed at as part of a boy band when he was young. He could not walk across the room but his face lit up telling the story and when he started singing he looked more comfortable then I had ever seen him.”
Tell us a fun fact about yourself.
“I spent the summer before college working as a fisherman for SC DNR, which included wrestling sharks!”
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