Alumni Notes

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Vijay Korimilli, M.D. ’07, hospitalist, joined MeritCare Hospital in Fargo, ND.  He earned a medical degree from JSS Medical College, India, and a master’s degree from the University of South Florida, Tampa. He completed his residency in internal medicine at the UND Fargo campus.

Lynelle Noisy Hawk, M.D. ’07, has established her medical practice at the Indian Health Service (IHS) Hospital in Fort Yates, ND.   A member of Oglala/Hunkpapa Lakota Nation, she has a special interest in diabetes care and women’s and children’s health.

     Originally from the Pine Ridge (SD) Indian Reservation, she completed her first two years of medical education at UND and went on to earn her medical degree from the University of South Dakota School of Medicine. She completed her residency in family medicine at the UND Bismarck campus.  Throughout medical school, she was enrolled in the Indians Into Medicine (INMED) Program. She is a member of the Association of American Indian Physicians.

Eram Shahira, M.D. ’07, hospitalist, joined MeritCare Hospital in Fargo, ND.  She earned a medical degree from Osmania Medical College, India. She completed her residency in internal medicine at the UND Fargo campus.

David Kuylen, M.D. ‘04, emergency medicine, joined St. Joseph’s Hospital and Health Center in Dickinson, ND.  He completed his residency at Synergy Medical Education Alliance in Saginaw, MI.

James Schmidt, M.D. ’04, joined Trinity Medical Group’s hospitalist program in Minot, ND.  He’s certified in cardiac, trauma, neonatal and pediatric life support.  He earned his medical degree from UND and completed his family medicine residency at the UND Center for Family Medicine in Minot.

Elena Rodgers-Rieger, M.D. ’03, pathology, joined MeritCare Broadway in Fargo, ND.  She completed her residency at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.

D.J. Hatlestad, M.D. ’02, emergency medicine, joined Medcenter One in Bismarck.  He completed his residency at the University of Missouri, Kansas City.

Kenneth Watts, M.D. ‘02, has joined the medical staff at St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center in Enid, OK.   He is a licensed general surgeon and has been a general surgery resident at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston since 2002. He received his bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from Southwestern Oklahoma State University.

     From 1996 to 1998, Watts practiced medicine at USPHS W.W. Hastings Indian Hospital in Tahlequah as a clinical pharmacist.

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Monica Mayer, M.D. ‘95, New Town, ND, presented a talk, “Medical Aspects of Lewis and Clark,” about medicinal uses of plants and herbs, at a heart health workshop in October at United Tribes Technical College in Bismarck.

      “Women – The Heartbeat of Our Nations” was aimed at raising awareness about heart diseases and stroke.  The event was sponsored by the American Heart Association, Dakota Medical Foundation and the college’s Land Grant Extension Program. 

      Mayer, a graduate of the UND family medicine program in Minot, practices family medicine at Trinity Community Clinic in New Town. 

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Byron Busch, M.D. ’88, internal medicine, joined CentraCare Health Plaza in St. Cloud, MN.   He received his medical degree from the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and completed residency at Marshfield Clinic, Marshfield, WI. He was in private practice 16 years in Billings, MT.

Patty Fahy, M.D. ‘84, recently received national praise for her focus on improving physician careers, recruiting more women into the field and enhancing workplace satisfaction.  She was featured in Business 2.0 Magazine and honored as “Health Care Manager of the Year” by The Denver Business Journal.

     Fahy is the associate medical director of HR at Kaiser Permanente Colorado and speaks nationally on the topic of physician leadership.

James Dehen, Jr., M.D. ’83, was inaugurated as president of the Minnesota Medical Association in September.  The MMA is a professional organization representing about 10,000 physicians, fellows, residents and medical students in Minnesota.  As president, he will serve as the spokesperson for the association and participate in setting policy.

     Dehen is board certified in general surgery and has been in private practice at Brainerd Medical Center since July 1988.  At St. Joseph’s Medical Center he has served as chief of surgery, chief of staff and a member of the hospital board of directors.

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Mark Odland, M.D. ‘78, was recently elected board chair for the MMIC Group in Minneapolis, MN.  He is assistant chief of surgery and interim chair of the department of surgery and director of transplant services at Hennepin County Medical Center, and surgical director of renal transplant services at Abbott Northwestern Hospital, both of Minneapolis. Odland, who served as board vice chair for a number of years, joined the board in 1996.

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Janet Gilsdorf, M.D. (B.S. Med. ‘68) wrote a book about her experience with breast cancer entitled Inside/Outside:  A Physician’s Journey with Breast Cancer.  This memoir of a physician with cancer tells the unforgettable story of when a doctor becomes a patient.

     Gilsdorf is professor of pediatrics and communicable diseases and professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan.  She is also director of pediatric infectious diseases, Mott Children’s Hospital; director of the cell and molecular biology in pediatrics training program; and director of the Haemophilus influenzae research laboratory.

     Click here to read more about Dr. Gilsdorf's book or to order a copy.

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Lucille Fostvedt, M.D. (B.S. Med. ’38), was presented with the American Cancer Society’s highest honor, the St. George National Medal of Honor, in November.  The award is given to volunteers who have made a significant contribution to the society over an extended period of time.  Fostvedt, the first female physician in Palm Springs, CA, ran cancer support groups out of her home for 25 years.