Residents

Tanner Johns, D.O.  
Medical School: Kansas City University
Undergraduate: Brigham Young University
Family Life: I grew up in Sammamish, Washington, but my parents and siblings have relocated to Utah near Salt Lake City.
Hobbies: I love spending time with my wife and kids. I like reading, playing videogames, and hanging out with friends.
Professional Interests: I am interested in the neurobiology associated with psychiatric illness. I believe I would enjoy working in child and adolescent psychiatry, but I am excited to see what else I might find interesting during my residency training.
Favorite things about Tulsa: There is a lot to do in Tulsa! My family and I love going to the Gathering Place, Turkey Mountain, the parks, YMCA, and Tulsa Zoo.
Why I Chose This Program: I felt that IMPACT and the 2-2 schedule were unique opportunities that set this program apart.

Brittany Taylor, DO
Medical School: New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine at Arkansas State University 
Undergraduate: Philander Smith College
Family Life: I grew up in Monticello, Arkansas, and I still have family there that I visit regularly. 
Hobbies: I enjoy hiking, experiencing new adventures, volunteering in the community, and cooking new meals with my son. In my free time I enjoy reading or listening to self-developmental podcasts.  
Professional Interests: I am currently interested in Community Psychiatry.
Favorite things about Tulsa: Tulsa has many free parks and child playgrounds. I enjoy the Gathering Place and Tulsa Zoo. Their Zoo has a plethora of amazing animals in each exhibit. I would have to say the number of free activities for families in the community is my favorite thing about Tulsa.  
Why I Chose This Program: I am interested in pursuing a career in community psychiatry. When I found out my program has an ACT program called IMPACT, I immediately became excited because that is what I hope to help implement in areas with a shortage of Psychiatrist and an increase in mental health disparities. Another reason why I chose this program/school was because it was created to help bridge the disproportionate gap of health disparities in the community of Tulsa. A framework I expect to help build my knowledge and skills in community advocacy.

Corbin Wertz, MD
Medical School: University of Kansas School of Medicine in Kansas City, KS
Undergraduate: John Brown University in Siloam Springs, AR
Family Life: I grew up in Louisburg, KS, a smaller town just south of Kansas City. The majority of my close family lives in the KC or Wichita, KS area. 
Hobbies: I enjoy running, biking, reading, and watching movies. I also enjoy spending time with my wife and friends and taking care of our cat and two dogs.
Professional Interests: I have a lot to learn still, but right now I am interested in both inpatient and outpatient adult psychiatry and psychotherapy. I am also looking forward to learning more about addiction psychiatry, community mental health and rotating with our IMPACT team.
Favorite things about Tulsa: I like the small-town feel of Tulsa while still having so much available to do. There is a good amount of outdoors activities nearby and the cost of living is pretty affordable.
Why I Chose This Program: I liked the diversity of clinical rotation sites and the overall emphasis on resident well-being. The resident culture seemed like a welcoming environment and the attendings seemed passionate about teaching.

Rehan Zafar, MD
Medical School: University of Oklahoma College of Medicine at Oklahoma City
Undergraduate: University of Oklahoma 
Family Life: I was born in Pakistan but raised in Norman, Oklahoma and my immediate family live there, though I have extended family scattered across the US and Canada. 
Hobbies: I love reading, writing, fashion and aesthetics, consuming pop culture content, and constantly shaping a wellness routine!
Professional Interests: I have interests in neurosciences, special populations, and adolescent addiction. 
Favorite things about Tulsa:  I really love the trendiness and youthful energy of Tulsa. I enjoy the restaurants and outdoor activities like the Gathering Place. 
Why I Chose This Program: I chose the program for its wide--range clinical experiences and settings, proximity to family and friends, and the commitment of faculty and residents to social justice and cultural competency. 

Jesse Zeng, MD
Medical School: McGovern Medical School
Undergraduate: The University of Texas at Austin
Family Life: I grew up in the Houston-area and my immediate family still lives in Texas.
Hobbies: I enjoy weightlifting, film photography, and video-editing in my free time
Professional Interests: I’m keeping an open mind, but some of my initial interests include the treatment of mood disorders and PTSD, psychedelic assisted therapy, consult-liaison psychiatry, and forensic psychiatry. I am also interested in community outreach, particularly through tribal healthcare initiatives.
Favorite things about Tulsa: So far, I’ve really enjoyed the greenery of Tulsa and Turkey Mountain. The city itself also has a lot of history and many great locations for food and drink. The traffic is also much better than in Houston, so that’s been refreshing.
Why I Chose This Program: Professionally, I felt this program offered the freedom to pursue any professional interests I may develop, and the culture of the residency program has been warm and welcoming since my initial interview. Location-wise, I also wanted to get out of my home state while still being close enough to regularly visit family, and living in Tulsa offers that opportunity. 

Caroline Barham, MD (they/them/theirs
Medical School: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Undergraduate: University of Wisconsin – Madison
Hobbies: I enjoy hanging out with my dog, playing video games, and seeing live music.
Professional Interests: I enjoyed general adult and geriatric psychiatry during medical school, however I’m still deciding on my future specialty.
Favorite things about Tulsa: There are so many good restaurants here in town. It takes 10-20 minutes to get anywhere and traffic is almost non-existent.
Why I Chose This Program: I am non-binary, and it was obvious to me that this program values diversity and representation during my interview. The atmosphere is very welcoming. Our program director has created a resident library dedicated to learning about social justice in psychiatry. The residents get along well and are supportive of each other. The faculty and staff are always interested in helping us learn and grow as psychiatrists, not just in us completing our work for the day. I really appreciate the 2-2 schedule that allows us to start working in clinic our 2nd year and continue to longitudinally see our patients through our 4^th year.

Chimezie Okolocha, DO
Medical School: Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Undergraduate: Indiana University Bloomington
Family Life: I grew up in Northwest Indiana where my immediate family currently resides.  I’ve spent about 6 months of my life in Nigeria where my extended family lives
Hobbies: I enjoy health and fitness related activities like strength training and Orange theory.  During my free time I like spending time with friends and family.  I also enjoy financial management and combat sports like UFC.
Professional Interests:  I’ve been curious about how other people thought since I was a child which ultimately lead me to this field.  As of now, I do not have a specific area of interest in psychiatry but I’m looking forward to absorbing as much as I can in these next four years.
Favorite things about Tulsa: I’ve only been here for 6 days but so far the food scene seems great and many of the people I’ve met are down to earth! Gas is under $5 which is bad but good considering most other places in the US.  
Why I Chose This Program:  During the interview, the faculty and residents I spoke with were so welcoming.  I wanted the opportunity to work with the compassionate program director, Dr. Walker.  Also, the program highlighted the importance of wellness and work life balance.  

Meherzad 'Zad' Rahimi, MD
Medical School: University of Oklahoma College of Medicine
Undergraduate:  University of Oklahoma
Family Life: I moved to Tulsa by myself, but my immediate family lives in Norman. I have a younger sister who is an attorney in Edmond and we are extremely close.
Hobbies: I love music. I am both a classically trained violinist and drummer! I am a huge foodie. I love playing video games, hitting the gym, and learning about different types of cars. 
Professional Interests: My interests in psychiatry are extremely broad. My research interests include novel treatments in psychiatry such as psychedelic assisted psychotherapy, ECT, and TMS. I also am fascinated my sports psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry, and forensic psychiatry.
Favorite things about Tulsa: Tulsa has a small-town feel, and you can drive from anywhere in Tulsa to the opposite side of Tulsa in less than 20 minutes!
Why I Chose This Program: I had an absolutely wonderful time interviewing in Tulsa and there are a million reasons why I wanted to come here. The culture of this program is exceptional. The program director cares highly about resident diversity and is actively involved in anti-racism committees. I absolutely loved the 2x2 schedule, and the breadth of clinical settings and extremely strong psychiatric research makes it clear that the Tulsa Psychiatry program is second to none in Oklahoma.

Mary 'Grace' Thetford-Harvey, MD
Medical School: University of Oklahoma College of Medicine
Undergraduate: University of Central Oklahoma
Family Life: My husband and I recently moved to Tulsa from Oklahoma City. I was born and raised in the Tulsa area so most of our extended family lives here as well.
Hobbies: Spending time with my husband, family, and friends, exploring new places and restaurants, reading/listening to a good book, and pretty much anything outdoors.
Professional Interests: My research interest includes the field of Forensic Psychiatry. I am also interested in Emergency Psychiatry and Consult & Liaison Psychiatry.
Favorite things about Tulsa: The beautiful outdoors! Tulsa is such a great place to be outside. I also love that it’s close to so many of my family and friends.
Why I Chose This Program: The wide variety of training sites, diverse patient population, and family-like environment. I truly feel fortunate to be here!

Samantha Beck, MD
Medical School: University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
Undergraduate: Oral Roberts University
Family Life: My husband and I live with our dog and cats. 
Hobbies: I enjoy reading, watching movies, board games, and playing with my dog. One of my favorite pastimes is spending time with family. 
Professional Interests: Maternal mental health, treatment resistant depression, nutritional psychiatry. 
Favorite Things About Tulsa: All of the wonderful people! And the farmer’s market. 
Why I Chose This Program: I chose this program because of the supportive and education-focused environment, as well as the variety of clinical experiences available. I am confident in the quality of training I will receive and I am thrilled to be a resident at OU.

Rachel Crist, MD
Medical School: University of Kansas School of Medicine
Undergraduate: University of Kansas
Family Life: I grew up in a small town in Kansas. I’m excited to be living in Tulsa with my husband.
Hobbies: In my free time I enjoy reading, spending time with family and friends, eating at good restaurants, and exploring new places.
Professional Interests: Prior to starting medical school, I planned on going into psychiatry. My rotations in medical school reinforced my love for psychiatry. Currently, I do not have one specific area of interest; I am just looking forward to learning as much as possible about all different aspects of psychiatry.
Favorite things about Tulsa: I haven’t had the opportunity to do much yet in Tulsa, but I’ve already found a few restaurants that I really like. I am excited to explore and learn more about Tulsa. 
Why I Chose This Program: I chose this program because I felt like everyone in the program was very close and supportive of one another.  I feel like there are a lot of really unique aspects including having the opportunity to see patients in outpatient clinic for two years and the IMPACT program. I also liked that there are a variety of rotation sites so there are a lot of diverse opportunities. Overall, the main reason I chose the program is because I like the people and I like the idea of being part of a close-knit program that emphasizes resident wellness.  

Servando Sanchez, MD (he/him/his) 
Medical School: McGovern Medical School
Undergraduate: Saint Edward’s University
Family Life: I come from the Rio Grande Valley in south Texas. I have family there; in Austin, TX; Houston, TX; and in southwestern Michigan.
Hobbies: In my free time I enjoy reading, going on walks around my neighborhood or at a nearby park, and spending time with friends/family.
Professional Interests: At this point, I am simply looking forward to learning about/experiencing the different fields in psychiatry, so that I can discover what I’d like to do after residency.
Favorite things about Tulsa: So far my favorite thing about Tulsa is the lack of traffic, especially when compared to Houston, TX. I greatly appreciate not having to sit in traffic for hours each day.
Why I Chose This Program: I chose this program because the residents, faculty, and staff I interacted with during my interview were all extremely friendly and open. I saw everyone that was part of the program joking with one another, and it was obvious they cared for each other. I got the sense that they looked out for one another like a big family, and this type of friendly and supportive environment is exactly what I was looking for in a residency program.

Alexis Steinhart, MD
Medical School: University of Oklahoma College of Medicine 
Undergraduate: University of Georgia
Family Life: My parents and brother live just outside of Oklahoma City. My fiancée and I have been enjoying our new home in Tulsa. We love that we are still close to family but are also able to enjoy experiencing a whole new city!
Hobbies: In my free time, I really enjoy exploring new places, whether it’s a new city or just a new shop or restaurant around town. I also love hiking, camping, and just relaxing with a good book.
Professional Interests: I am particularly interested in treatment-resistant depression (TRD). I am also fascinated by the novel therapies that are beginning to emerge in psychiatry, such as psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. During my third year of medical school, I wrote a paper on esketamine therapy for TRD, and I am eager to continue delving into the available research on novel approaches to helping patients with TRD.
Favorite Things About Tulsa: There are tons of great restaurants here. There is a great live music scene and a lot of entertainers perform in Tulsa. Also, the people here are really friendly and down-to-earth!
Why I Chose This Program: I chose this program because the residents and faculty clearly support one another and the culture here is overwhelmingly positive. I really like the 2-and-2 schedule, which allows for a blend of inpatient and outpatient experiences. Also, Tulsa is a fun and energetic city with plenty to do. I am genuinely so grateful to be a part of this program!