Skip to main content

Current Residents

Chief Resident

Photo of Alex ShackletteMeet Chief Resident Alex Shacklette, MD

What makes Indiana University School of Medicine special? The people! This is an almost universal answer trainees provide to this question. Our department is filled with wonderful, diverse individuals who foster an environment of learning, teamwork, and inclusion. Many of the people I work with have become friends and colleagues who make it a pleasure to come to work each day. Our attendings have an open-door policy and are very approachable whenever questions arise on a case.

IU School of Medicine is also uniquely situated with a centralized, independent pathology building near the hospitals we serve. The Path Lab is located on the beautiful Indianapolis canal, and we have many windows to enjoy the scenic view. In addition to rotations in a large academic center, residents also rotate through the VA Medical Center, Eskenazi Hospital and Riley Hospital for Children, which provide experiences in different practice settings. The IU Health system is so large that there is never a shortage of interesting cases.

Even over my relatively short time as a trainee, the Department of Pathology continues to evolve. Our department has transitioned to a fully subspecialized sign-out system, we have a new gross room with a team of experienced pathology assistants, and our department chair has placed new emphasis on digital pathology and research. Our department continues to grow with the addition of new faculty, and there are many opportunities available for teaching and leadership.

Although many things are changing, one thing remains constant. The people I work with are wonderful, and it is a joy to learn with them, and learn from them, every day. I am proud to have the opportunity to serve as executive chief resident as the program continues to evolve over the coming year.

Email chief resident Alex Shacklette

PGY 1

Photo of Dr. Eric Honaker

Eric Honaker, MD

Medical School: University of Kentucky College of Medicine

Why I chose IU for residency: I chose to train at IU for residency for many reasons. The initial impression that I had after my interaction with faculty and residents on interview day was that the program prioritizes collegiality. Furthermore, the program has an incredible support system for trainees that allows residents to flourish. There is an abundance of opportunities to be involved in medical education, leadership, and curriculum development, which are all three big passions of mine. With such a large pool of specimens and educational opportunities, I was confident that IU would provide excellent training. All these things are coupled with the fact that Indiana is a great place to live and grow a family!

Personal Interests: College Sports, Cooking, Cycling, Hiking, Movies, Video Games

Academic Interests: GI Pathology, Dermatopathology, Surgical Pathology  

Photo of Devon Rotramel

Devon Rotramel, MD

Medical School: University of Missouri - Kansas City School of Medicine

Why I chose IU for residency: IU offers its residents a well-rounded education through its expansive and varied caseload, strong AP/CP curriculum, and diverse fellowship opportunities. Along with that, the faculty, staff, and residents have fostered a supportive and collaborative work environment perfect for both professional and personal growth. When applying for residency, my top priority was to find a program where I would feel supported by my colleagues, and IU excels in this area!  

Personal Interests: I enjoy traveling, playing board games with friends, crocheting, and painting.

Academic Interests: Undecided

Photo of Cryrus Takahashi

Cyrus Takahashi, MD

Medical School: Indiana University School of Medicine

Why I chose IU for Residency: One of the main draws of the program for me was the sheer size of the IU health system which is reflected in its annual specimen volume being among the highest in the country. With University Hospital and the Simon Cancer Center, Methodist, Eskenazi, Riley Children’s, and all the other affiliated hospitals and specialty institutes across the state, I knew that IU would be an ideal place to experience the breadth and depth needed in a pathology residency. Moreover, much of the training takes place in a state-of-the-art central pathology lab overlooking the canal and complete with individual resident cubicles and a built-in parking garage. I was also impressed by how responsive leadership is to resident feedback, and I have already seen how much the program has changed from the time I rotated as a medical student just a short while ago.

Personal Interests: Watching movies, video game development, calligraphy

Academic Interests: Neuropathology but I am keeping an open mind


Photo of Harini Venkatraman Ravisankar

Harini Venkatraman Ravisankar, MBBS

Medical School: Vydehi Institute of Medical Sciences & Research Centre, Karnataka

Why I chose IU for residency: Doing a postdoctoral fellowship in hematopathology and a month-long surgical pathology observership at IU provided me a chance to experience firsthand the program’s positive and supportive work culture, which was truly resident-centered. The attendings and residents had a harmonious relationship and were approachable and easy to collaborate and work with. The program had a perfect balance of academic and research opportunities, offering a diverse range of cases for learning while prioritizing educational benefits for residents. Having lived in Indiana for a few years, I have grown to enjoy the Midwest vibe, its vast variety of cuisines, outdoor trails, and activities. IU was my top choice for residency as it aligned perfectly with my personal and professional goals.  

Personal Interests: Dancing, Hiking, Movies

Fellowship plans: Hematopathology, Dermatopathology, Bone and Soft Tissue


Photo of Kendall Wilson

Kendall Wilson, MD

Medical School: Indiana University School of Medicine

Why I chose IU for Residency: During my time as a medical student at IU, I was able to spend two months of electives in the Pathology department. I felt so incredibly comfortable and welcomed by both the residents and faculty. I could easily see that the residents had a strong sense of camaraderie with each other, and there was a sense of great appreciation and respect between residents and faculty as well. All of these factors created a wonderful learning environment; one in which I knew I would receive plenty of support and encouragement in my training. Although the environment was most important to me, several other aspects of the program also drew me in: there is a high case volume, many opportunities for research and teaching, several fellowships available, and immense support from the staff, including PAs, histotechs, and autopsy assistants. I am so thankful to have matched at IU, and I can’t wait to see what the next four years have in store!

Personal Interests: I love everything true crime, listening to music, reading thrillers and fantasy books, watching TV shows, getting new tattoos, doing puzzles, playing with my dog, and spending quality time with my family.

Academic Interests: Breast and gynecologic pathology, surgical pathology, cytopathology

PGY 2

Photo of Nabeel Ashram, MD

Nabeel Ashraf, MD

Medical School: Indiana University School of Medicine

Why I chose IU for Residency: Indiana is home and has been for many years. That being said, even with my biases for this region, IU is truly one of the best path programs in the country. From case volume and diversity, to fellowship options, from caring staff and great atmosphere to strong training in both anatomic and clinical pathology, IU has it all. 

Personal Interest: Television, sports, music

Academic interests: Dermatopathology, hematopathology, Surgical Pathology, Cytopathology


Photo of Patrick Azar

Patrick Azar, MD

Medical School: Indiana University School of Medicine

Why I Chose IU for Residency: As a medical student at Indiana University, I had the opportunity to spend four months rotating through the IU Pathology Department, where I spent extensive time working with the program's residents and faculty. The first thing that caught my attention during my time with the program was the genuine kindness and enthusiasm for teaching demonstrated by the residents and faculty. It was evident that the residents received ample support from their faculty and that they genuinely enjoyed being part of the program. Another factor that attracted me to the program was the remarkable diversity of cases and the wide range of fellowship opportunities it offers. IU is a wonderful program filled with friendly people in an amazing city which made the decision to choose IU an easy one.

Personal Interests: Playing board games, watching sports, trivia, running, hiking, playing pickleball, and spending time with family and friends

Academic Interests: Surgical Pathology, Cytopathology, Genitourinary Pathology


Photo of Melissa Hruby

Melissa Hruby, DO

Medical School: Marian University - College of Osteopathic Medicine

Why I chose IU for Residency: IU was my top choice pathology program after heavy consideration of both my professional and personal goals. During my interview season, I quickly realized there were numerous programs that would be incredible professional opportunities, but they fell short when it came to supporting my personal goals and fitting my personality. IU was one of these strong programs, but they also prioritized the well-being of their residents and fostered a very positive work culture which aligned with what I was looking for. I also love living in Indianapolis and wanted to continue to enjoy the city with my friends!

Personal interests: I like to travel internationally, scuba dive, and propagate plants in my free time. I also enjoy trying new things in Indy and attending concerts, sporting, and social events with my friends.

Academic interests: Undecided

Photo of Hannah Hyaduck

Hannah Hyaduck, MD

Medical School: Central Michigan University School of Medicine

Why I chose IU for Residency: When considering where I wanted to train for residency it was important for me to find a program where I would feel supported as a learner and as a person. I was also looking for a program that would offer me a complete educational experience with a wide variety of cases, a strong AP/CP curriculum, fellowships I was interested in, and opportunities to teach. IU’s program checked every single item on my list. During my interview I felt so welcomed (even over zoom) and could tell that the culture in this program was fantastic. I liked that the residents were happy, and that the faculty genuinely cared about the residents and their success. The program size, in-house fellowships, and integrated curriculum were exactly what I was looking for. I was also very excited by the opportunities to teach and work with medical students. On top of all of that, Indianapolis seemed like such a great place to live with all the restaurants, public outdoor spaces, and reasonable cost-of-living. I am so thankful I matched at IU!

Personal interests: Some of my hobbies include painting, hiking/camping, cooking, gardening, absolutely spoiling my cat, and target archery.

Academic interests: I am currently most interested in Cytopathology, Surgical Pathology, Renal Pathology, and Medical Education.


Photo of Josh Kocemba

Josh Kocemba, DO

Medical School: Marian University

Why I chose IU for Residency: I attended medical school in Indianapolis and formed a strong connection with the city. Then, during my fourth-year rotations, I was fortunate to spend two months rotating with this program. Instantly, I felt welcomed by the residents and staff, they included me in case discussions and gave excellent feedback to help develop my skills. The facility is top-notch and each resident gets a roomy space with their own computer and microscope. Also, since this is the main lab for all of IU, there is a great magnitude of cases, yet despite that I felt that the residents were well-supported by PAs, grossing assistants, and histotechs. I am thrilled to have matched here, a city that I am happy to call home at an institution I am proud to be a part of.

Personal Interests: I enjoy trail running at Eagle Creek, biking the Monon Trail, and playing complicated board and card games.

Academic interests: GI Pathology, Breast Pathology, Dermatopathology, and Forensic Pathology


Photo of Daisy Maharjan

Daisy Maharjan, MBBS 

Medical School: College of Medical Sciences, Bharatpur, Nepal

Why I chose IU: I got an opportunity to do an observership at IU for a month. It was a great experience. I was very much impressed by the culture here. Everyone - residents, fellows, faculty, and staff were helpful and supportive. For my residency training, I was looking for a program with a high volume and diversity of cases, strong academics, a wide range of in-house fellowships, and teaching opportunities. IU has all of these to offer to its trainees. Trainees at IU get to work in different hospitals in both sub-specialized and generalized pathology sign-out settings. Also, Indianapolis is a wonderful city with an affordable cost of living.

Personal Interests: Reading novels, cooking, listening to all kinds of music.

Academic interests: Gynecologic Pathology, GU Pathology, GI pathology


Photo of Haliman Olaniyan

Halimat Olaniyan, MD

Medical School: University of Cincinnati College of Medicine

Why I chose IU: The people! From my interview day experience, it was really clear that IU path is one big family. Everyone I talked to shared the same sentiment about working hard, taking good care of each other, and having fun along the way. I really resonated with those values and felt supported by everyone I interacted with from my interview day to now.

Personal interests: I’m a huge foodie and I love to travel, mainly to explore new food and see the sites. I’m also a big fan of Disney/Marvel, romcoms, musicals, anime, and binge worthy shows. I also really enjoy reading, writing, and taking lots of pictures.

Academic interests: I am really interested in transfusion medicine, learning how to run a blood bank, and working with apheresis patients. I am especially interested in sickle cell disease.

PGY 3

Photo of Justin Meyer

Justin Meier, MD

Medical School: St. Louis University

Why I chose IU: I chose IU because I wanted to go to a program that would provide me with enough diversity and number of cases to become a great diagnostician. I also wanted a large program with enough residents to provide coverage in the case of needed absences and to provide a good support structure for each other. Finally, I wanted a program where all the residents were happy and enjoyed spending time with each other outside of work.

Personal Interests: Fly-fishing, video games, listening to metal, watching Netflix

Academic interests: Cytopathology, Hematopathology, Surgical Pathology


Photo of Nicholas Bolster

Nicholas Polster, MD

Medical School: Indiana University School of Medicine

Why I chose IU for residency: During my third and fourth years of medical school I spent an extensive amount of time working with pathology residents and faculty at IU, and I noticed that on top of being knowledgeable and helpful, everybody here was happy. Faculty genuinely care about the well-being of their residents and are always available to talk and take feedback into account. I was further drawn to IU by the emphasis here on teaching, whether it be driven by attendings during case sign-out or QC conferences, or by residents themselves working directly with medical students. On top of all this, IU has a top-notch facility, a massive volume of cases, and a multitude of fellowships.

Personal Interests: I enjoy birding, running, reading, board games, video games, and spending time with friends and family.

Academic Interests: Surgical Pathology, Dermatopathology, possibly Gastrointestinal Pathology

Photo of Obaid Rehman

Obaid Rehman, MBBS

Medical School: Army Medical College, National University of Sciences and Technology

Why I chose IU: IU easily ticked off all the boxes in my criteria for an ideal residency program. The solid curriculum, adequate program size, large volume and diversity of cases (being the primary Pathology residency program in Indiana), teaching and learning opportunities, adequate elective rotations, and the myriad opportunities for fellowships are only some of the factors that pulled me in. Above all, what really stood out for me were the extremely amiable and friendly people who I met during my interview, be it the faculty members, the residents, or the program coordinators: everyone was so kind and welcoming that I instantly knew I would feel at home in this program!

Personal interests: I enjoy making bad puns, listening to music, song-editing, birdwatching, and (casual) PC gaming.

Academic Interests: I am keeping an open mind, but fields that I find particularly interesting include Hematopathology and Medical Kidney.


Photo of Reem Youssef

Reem Youssef, MBBCh

Medical School: Faculty of Medicine Zagazig University

Why I chose IU for residency: I applied to the IU pathology program because it has everything that I am looking for in a residency program. Besides the strong recommendations, I have received from a previous fellow and the current residents, IU has excellent case volume, diversity, faculty expertise, different work settings, and multiple in-house fellowships. The people are extremely friendly and helpful. Also, there are ample opportunities to gain additional experience in teaching since IU is the largest medical school in the US. All these factors made my decision very easy to choose the IU pathology program to help me attain my goal of becoming an excellent pathologist.
After matching, I was impressed even more with the flexibility and support, I have received from the program. Everyone is helpful, which made me confident that I made the right decision. Indianapolis is a nice place to live with lots of activities and restaurants to visit.

Personal Interests: Travelling, watching movies, spending time with family and friends

Academic Interests: Dermatopathology.

PGY 4

Photo of Mohamed Bikhet

Mohamed Bikhet, MBBCh

Medical School: Faculty of Medicine Cairo University

Current Position: CP Scheduling Chief

Why I chose IU for residency: I applied to IU because it has a strong reputation with an impressive diversity of cases and knowledgeable faculty. I had an outstanding interview experience with the IU pathology faculty; I perceived an overwhelmingly friendly environment which made me confident that IU would be the perfect place to train and thrive. On the academic level, IU health has six hospitals operating under the same roof, offering a large volume of surgical cases, plenty of strong in-house fellowships, and the opportunity to train in both academic and community settings, ensuring that all trainees are well-rounded and strong pathologist. There is no doubt that any aspiring pathologist will be looking for such a setting to train. The program is well structured that all residents get high-yield and exceptional training while keeping wellness and life balance. I feel very satisfied choosing IU pathology, and I feel fortunate to have matched here.

Personal Interests: Photography is my favorite hobby, especially astrophotography, stargazing, and cosmology. I also enjoy watching anime, playing tennis, and video games 

Fellowship plans: Transfusion Medicine at Stanford (2025-2026)

Photo of Guohua Liang

Guohua Liang, MB, PhD

Medical School: Yanbian University Health Science Center

Current Position: Associate Chief Resident

Why I chose IU: IU was the best choice for me because I wanted to train at a medium-sized residency program with a solid curriculum (i.e., strong in both AP and CP training). As the only pathology residency training program in Indiana, I believe IU can provide not only a large volume, but also a variety of cases. In addition, during the interview, I had a strong feeling that the faculty truly take care of trainees. For instance, even though I was just one of the hundreds of applicants, the interviewers took the time to give me useful suggestions about future career development. When I submitted the rank order list, I also considered my family. Many suburbs around Indianapolis are nationally top-ranked as family-friendly cities (for example: safe, good public-school system and relatively low living cost).

Personal interests: I love cooking (Korean and Chinese cuisine) and I enjoy inline skating.

Fellowship plans: Gastrointestinal Pathology at Vanderbilt University (2025-2026) 

Photo of Azadeh Samiei

Azadeh Samiei, MD

Medical School: Shiraz University of Medical Sciences

Current Position: Education Chief

Why I chose IU for residency? IU is one of the most reputable academic medical centers with a robust pathology program. It offers everything that I was looking for in a residency program. An integrated AP/CP curriculum, large volume and diversity of specimens, excellent faculty in diverse subspecialty areas, and a well-organized department were among the key factors why I chose IU. The friendly and collegial environment in this department is proof that this department values resident wellness as well as education.
As a pathology resident, I will work at different hospitals that provide diagnostic services to much of Indiana. This experience will expose me to a wide range of specimens and broaden my knowledge and skills.

Personal interests: My favorite hobbies are hiking, travelling, photography and painting. I also enjoy spending time with my family and friends and attending concerts, sports and social events.

Academic interests: Dermatopathology, Cytopathology, Surgical Pathology

Photo of Alex Shacklette

Alex Shacklette, MD

Medical School: University of Louisville School of Medicine

Current Position: Executive Chief Resident

Why I chose IU: In a year where student exposure to residency programs was entirely virtual, IU really went the extra mile to highlight the impressive quality of their facilities, program, and staff. I was fortunate to work with several pathologists who had ties to IU during medical school, and I was confident that I would receive excellent training that would prepare me to be a great pathologist. IU also provides diverse fellowship opportunities, and the cost of living in Indianapolis is very affordable, which made it an easy choice to rank as my top program.

Current positions: Resident Curriculum Committee

Personal Interests: Tabletop games, painting miniatures, fantasy football, and game nights with friends

Fellowship plans: Molecular Genetic Pathology at University of Utah

Photo of Muhammed Shaheen

Muhammad Shaheen, MBBCh

Medical School: Alexandria University Faculty of Medicine.

Current Position: AP Scheduling Chief

Why I chose IU for Residency: It all goes back to the observership that I was lucky enough to get right before the COVID pandemic. The program had been recommended by a previous fellow as one of the top programs in pathology, and he was right about it. People here work very hard and have fun at the same time. The great jump in knowledge and skills of residents going from PGY1 to PGY4 is a testimony to the strength of the program. I learned a lot just by listening to the case presentations at the 4 pm daily surgical pathology QC conference. There is also ample opportunity for research. The residents are all very motivated and very well equipped with a wide range of resources to help them reach the expected level of competency. I knew during my observership that If I had a dream of becoming a good pathologist one day, IU was going to support me by all means. That is why I chose IU.

Personal interests: Languages and foreign cultures, books, cooking, and of course, cats.

Fellowship plans: Pediatric Pathology at Cincinnati Children's Hospital (2025-2026)