The Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) program continues to flourish. In late June, Charlie Dawson, M.D., Derek McGaffey, M.D, Blake Farrar, D.O., and Joseph Fike, D.O. all graduated, each one heading to a fellowship in either pain medicine, brain injury medicine or sports medicine.
As they move to new opportunities, four new residents who were successfully matched to the program in March begin training. First-year residents include: Caleb Iehl, M.D.; Kyle Mellor, M.D.; Angela Roberts, M.D.; and Amy Yan, M.D.
Additionally, Dr. Anna Woods, a graduate of the PM&R residency program, will join the faculty in September. This is after completing her fellowship in brain injury medicine from Baylor Scott and White Hospitals in Dallas, Texas. All 16 residents are eagerly engaged in developing their clinical skills as they complete rotations at affiliated hospitals, including both campuses. In turn, the clinical volume continues to grow as our hospital consultative services develop and Madonna’s inpatient volume grows.
The PM&R program is in partnership with the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) and its clinical partner, Nebraska Medicine. Samuel Bierner, M.D., serves as a professor and department chair and is the acute rehabilitation medical director of the Omaha Campus. Michael Weaver, D.O., is the program director. The program received its reaccreditation from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) in 2024. In addition, our brain injury medicine fellowship also has approval for two fellows.
The only PM&R program in Nebraska, it’s also the first of its kind in a five-state upper Midwest region, with Madonna’s Omaha Campus serving as the primary training hospital for all 16 residents working with patients, both adults and kids, recovering from stroke, brain injuries, spinal cord injuries and other complex medical issues.
Over the past four years, graduate physiatrists have worked hard to develop their skills, forge friendships, and build and raise families, all while collaborating with care teams to help patients recover from illness or injury.
Before they left, we caught up with them to ask where they’re headed, what three things they love about Omaha, what they will miss, and for advice for future residents. Here’s what they told us.
Charlie Dawson, M.D.
Next steps:
I am headed to the University of Kentucky to complete a Brain Injury Fellowship.
Three things I love:
- My wife
- My kids
- The LA Lakers
Three things I will miss about Omaha:
- Friends
- Family
- The Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium.
Advice for future residents:
Learn from your mistakes.
Derek McGaffey, M.D.
Next steps:
I am headed to Saint Louis University to complete a Sports Medicine Fellowship. Go Bills!
Three things I love:
- Madonna cafeteria cookies.
- Carrie’s homemade cards for every holiday.
- Getting to work closely with all our staff in both clinics and on the inpatient rehab units.
Three things I’ll miss about Omaha:
- My neighborhood, in which I can walk to restaurants and parks. And ice cream.
- My RCC patients who had transitioned from the complex care clinic at Children’s Nebraska.
- Being able to walk around town on Saturdays in the fall and, without ever turning on the game, know exactly how Husker football is doing.
Advice for future residents:
There’s an ultrasound machine just sitting in clinic. It’s waiting for you to ask someone to open the door for you to use it whenever you want.
Blake Farrar, D.O.
Next steps:
I am headed to the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida, to complete a Pain Medicine Fellowship.
Three things I love:
- My amazing wife, Morgan.
- My awesome pups, Ace and Ollie.
- Saturday morning tee times.
Three things I will miss about Omaha:
- My co-residents! Yes, even you, Dr. Dawson.
- The amazing friend group that Morgan and I have here in Omaha.
- Being so close to my in-laws in Northeast Nebraska (family events, hunting and fishing with my father-in-law, and escaping the “big city” for the weekend).
Advice for future residents:
The days are long, but these four years fly by! Learn as much as you can from your attendings, co-residents, nurses, etc. Be coachable and a team player, don’t take negative feedback personally, prioritize your physical and mental health (residency is a grind, and you have to be okay putting yourself first sometimes; your patients and loved ones will thank you for it). Make time to get out and enjoy all that Omaha has to offer while you’re here! Go try that new restaurant you’ve been wanting to try, attend that concert or sporting event in town, and get out to enjoy the outdoors (weather permitting).
Joseph Fike, D.O.
Next steps:
I am headed to Virginia Mason Medical Center to complete a Pain Medicine Fellowship.
Three things I love:
- My family.
- Traveling.
- Barbequing/cooking.
Three things I’ll miss about Omaha:
- The people.
- Our neighborhood.
- The ease of life.
Advice for future residents:
Spend as much time after-hours learning as you can (i.e., self-scanning with ultrasound).