Triple Board Alumni
When the first Triple Board programs opened in 1986, The University of Utah was selected to be one of the original programs. We are proud of our history, and our graduates, who have chosen a number of diverse careers. Below we list a few of our graduates, and offer a small window into their professional life. This list is not exhaustive, but is intended to give medical students some idea about available careers should they choose Triple Board training.
Wayne Nguyen, MD
Wayne is on the faculty of the psychiatry and pediatric departments at the University of California Irvine. He is the Director of Undergraduate Medical Education for the psychiatry department and the Medical Director of Psychiatry at the Orange County Children's Hospital. Wayne works with a chronic pain service and does research in ADHD and autism.
Anne O'Melia, MD
During her residency, Anne developed an interest in the assessment and treatment of eating disorders. After residency, she stayed with the University of Utah serving as Medical Director for Youth Services at the University Neuropsychiatric Institute (UNI) and developed a treatment protocol for specialized care of eating disorder patients in an acute general inpatient setting. In 2008, she accepted a position as Medical Director of Lindner Center of HOPE's Eating Disorders Program in Mason, Ohio, affiliated with the University of Cincinnati, where she continues her work and research in the treatment of eating disorders.
Tonya White, MD
Tonya is on faculty at the University of Minnesota and just received her first NIMH grant. She has a background in electrical engineering. Following her graduation from the Triple Board program, she completed a research fellowship in neuroimaging at the University of Iowa. Tonya has done research in children with chronic illness and consult-liaison work at the University of Nebraska.
Scott Stiefel, MD
When they made Dr. Stiefel, they threw away the mold. Dr. Stiefel loves the arts, music, film, and he brings an artist's touch to all of his work. Clinically, he took an interest in a patient population which overwhelms most doctors: Child and adult patients with multiple medical and psychiatric co-morbidities. The UNI HOME program provides primary care and psychiatric treatment to a variety of patients with disorders in neurodevelopment such as Prader Willi Syndrome.
Poonam Soni, MD
Dr. Soni graduated in the first Triple Board class nationally. She divides her time between a practice in the public mental health system and psychopharmacology research at the University of Utah Mood Disorders Clinic. Poonam remains active in Triple Board alumni/resident activities. She also provides psychiatry consults for the Shriner's Hospital in Salt Lake City.
David Einzig, MD
David works for the Children's Hospital system in Minneapolis-St. Paul. His focus is on Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, and he provides Inpatient and Outpatient consults. He also practices primary care pediatrics in an urgent care setting. Dr. Einzig returned to Minnesota (home) after his five years of Triple Board training in Utah. He is a closet Minnesota Vikings fan!
Brett Sharp, MD
While most Triple Board graduates live in urban environments and work in tertiary medical centers, Dr. Sharp chose a rural practice. In addition, Brett is one of the few doctors to split his practice, 50% primary care pediatrics, 50% child and adolescent psychiatry. The shortage of child psychiatrists in rural areas is critical, and Brett provides a thoughtful and common sense approach to any problem, in an environment with limited resources.
Debbie Bilder, MD
Debbie is interested in motivational interviewing as a method of improving treatment adherence in adolescents with chronic medical illness, particularly diabetes. She is also interested in systems of care delivery for children and adults with chronic medical and psychiatric disorders. She works in a novel medical HOME program that provides comprehensive services to patients across the lifespan with developmental disabilities and psychiatric co-morbidity.
Kristin Shadow, MD
Kristin is taking time with her baby and focusing on being a parent. She wanted a practice where she could provide good care for children with psychiatric disorders while protecting her family time. She works five half days at the outpatient psychiatric clinic of a Children's Hospital. Her clinical skills are well respected.
Howard Weeks, MD
Dr. Weeks is a graduate who has a keen interest working with both adults and teenagers, and his focus is on inpatient psychiatric care, with an emphasis on biologic psychiatry. He attends on both adult and child services. Dr. Weeks is becoming a specialist in ECT, lecturing on this topic, and providing ECT for adults with severe psychiatric disorders, and a few critically ill teenagers. Dr. Weeks teaches a Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology course.
Phillip Baese, MD
Dr. Baese has an interest in Substance Abuse Disorders in teenagers. Besides his role as an attending on the Child and Adolescent Inpatient Service at UNI, he also directs an Intensive Outpatient Program for adolescents with substance abuse disorders. He recently received an AACAP grant to pursue a research project on smoking cessation. He provides pediatric consultation for the children and adolescent inpatient psychiatry unit.
Anna Williams, MD
Anna works for Valley Mental Health, the public mental health care system for the urban Salt Lake City area. Dr. Williams supervises the child psychiatry training for adult psychiatry residents. She also serves on the Residency Training Committees for the University of Utah for the Child Psychiatry, Triple Board, and General Psychiatry programs.
Kirk Simon, MD
Dr. Simon is a wonderful teacher. His students are the residents in the pediatric, child psychiatry, and triple board programs. He supervises the busy inpatient consult-liaison service at Primary Children's Medical Center. He also runs a long-term residential psychiatry program for children with severe mental illness.
Ronda Davis, MD, PhD
As mother of two, administrator, and clinician, Ronda has always amazed her fellow Triple Boarders with her time management skills. Following her training in Utah, she moved back home to Wisconsin. She works at the Marshfield Clinic, teaches family practice residents, and specializes in treating children with autism.
Bonnie Flick, MD
Dr. Flick started her career as a Consultation-Liaison Psychiatrist at Primary Children's Medical Center, a large Children's Hospital serving a five state region. At the hospital she later served as Medical Director of both the Inpatient Child and Adolescent Service, as well as Medical Director of Social Work. Dr. Flick went on to serve as Training Director for the Utah Triple Board Program, and Division Director for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, at the University of Utah. Currently, she runs child and adolescent day treatment programs.
