5/5/2026
Physician Innovators Ready for Residency
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Physician Innovators
Ready for Residency
Members of the Class of 2026 credit CI MED's unique curriculum with preparing them to excel in medical residency and beyond.
Neddie Byron
General Surgery, Inova Fairfax, Virginia
Byron says the rich clinical exposure she gained at CI MED, and the emphasis on relating to each patient as a unique person, set her up for success in the demanding, hands-on specialty of general surgery.
The clerkships here at CI MED really mirror the responsibilities for someone on a sub-internship.
Managing 4-5 patients at a time and balancing that with the OR – it was another level, but I took it in stride. CI MED really prepared me for that.
Neddie Byron, CI MED Class of 2026
Micah Silberstein
Urology, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL
Silberstein says he’s excited to work as part of a team in the OR in a specialty that is both highly technical and innovation-forward.
He credits the clinical and educational skills of two mentors – Dr. Glen Yang at Carle Foundation Hospital and Dr. Benjamin Leak at Carle BroMenn – with giving him the foundation to pursue residency at one of Illinois’ top-ranked teaching hospitals.
I had a lot of opportunity, a lot of hands-on experience, and it prepared me well to act independently, to think critically, and to act with the patient at the center of all my decisions.
I really am grateful. I’ve had such a good experience here.”
Micah Silberstein
Nafisa Mostofa
Anesthesiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
Mostofa developed a passion for anesthesiology in her second year at CI MED while shadowing her Carle Health mentor. She looks forward to the role of ‘pilot of the room’ in the operating room. In the future, she is considering a fellowship in pediatric anesthesiology.
The last four years, CI MED has truly changed my life. The amount of support I get from this school is incredible, and none of this would be possible without the amazing faculty and my classmates. Being at Mayo now, my opportunities are endless, so I’m so ecstatic.
Nafisa Mostofa (pictured right with Dr. Kris Carpenter)
Aditya Vaidyam
Neurology, Yale
Vaidyam's goal as a physician is to work with patients who have acute, debilitating neurological problems and to
‘give them back their life.’
He credits CI MED’s innovation culture with positioning him to achieve his goals.
The innovation and research that I’ve been doing for the last four years wouldn’t have been possible anywhere else. But it’s because of the culture, the clinical practice, and the clinical faculty that I really shaped into the physician that I wanted to be.”
Aditya Vaidyam