Welcome to the Grant Family Medicine Residency Class of 2022!

Sean grew up just north of Columbus in Westerville, Ohio and attended the University of Cincinnati where he majored in Biology and Mathematics with a minor in Chemistry. He continued his education at UC, attending medical school there as well. Sean thoroughly enjoyed his time in Cincinnati, especially trivia nights at Murphy’s Pub, Skyline chili, and many UC basketball games.

During medical school Sean was inspired by the passion of the Family Medicine physicians he worked with and quickly knew it was the field for him. He was drawn to Family Medicine for the ability to form meaningful, long-lasting relationships with a diverse patient population and because of his interests in primary care and underserved populations. Sean was excited to return to the Columbus area and has loved every minute of his residency training at Grant. He was drawn to Grant due to their full-spectrum scope of practice, their commitment to underserved populations, and the sense of family and community he felt on his interview day. Since being here, he has most enjoyed the sense of community among faculty, residents, and staff here at Grant, and couldn’t imagine being anywhere else for residency. His interests in Family Medicine include underserved care, mental health, and addiction medicine.

During his free time, Sean enjoys hanging out with friends and family, basketball, hiking, bar trivia nights, craft beer, and binge-watching TV. He is an avid Cleveland sports fan, and always tries to make it to a couple Indians and Browns games each year. He remains cautiously optimistic that the Browns might finally turn it around this year (as he has been at the start of every season). Sean has loved growing up and living in Ohio plans on staying in Ohio following residency.

Tory is from northwest Ohio. She attended Wellesley College and then the Ohio State University College of Medicine. She is a second-generation family medicine physician – following in her mother’s footsteps. She loves the breadth of practice that family medicine gives, allowing for a physician to tailor their practice as they change across a lifetime. Her interests under the umbrella of family medicine include addiction medicine, LGBTQ healthcare, rural medicine, and women’s health. In her spare time she enjoys reading fantasy/sci-fi books, doing hobby photography/graphic design, playing with her two cats, and spending time with her wife, Katie. 

She chose Grant after having rotated there for her surgery/OB rotations and working alongside Grant’s family medicine residents. She came back to do a sub-internship and ultimately knew that Grant was the perfect match for her for several reasons: the unopposed nature of the program as well as an amazingly welcoming and talented group of residents that affectionately refer to themselves as “the Grant family. ” She believes Grant will give her a solid foundation in all areas of medicine, as evidenced by graduating residents going on to a range of careers including ICU, hospitalist, outpatient medicine, and full-spectrum practice. 

Nateka is originally from Xenia, OH. She went to undergrad at Xavier University where she studied Biology, Chemistry, Gender & Diversity Studies and college basketball (Go X!). After completing the Summer Scholars Program at Ohio University Heritage College of Medicine, she was sure that she wanted to attend medical school there. During medical school, Nateka fell in love with Family Medicine because of the opportunity to form long-standing relationships with people. She especially appreciates the continuity of care, emphasis on preventative medicine and prioritization of education. All of these aspects form a foundation to then empower people to learn how to live their healthiest lives. She has a specific interest in Women’s Health including obstetrics. Nateka is also passionate about teaching and mentorship for students pursuing medical education. Once she met the people at Grant, she knew the program was the perfect fit for her. She genuinely felt that everyone formed a family and she is so excited to be a part of it! Outside of medicine, Nateka loves to cook, read, watch college basketball and pet all of the dogs. She likes to be active in any way and especially enjoys yoga, running, weightlifting, kayaking and hiking.

Jessica, born in South Korea, moved around frequently during her childhood, and finally settled in Cincinnati, Ohio in 6th grade. She studied Chemistry and Japanese at Case Western Reserve University, spent a couple gap years doing Alzheimer’s research, and attended University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. Her most impactful experiences during med school that led her to choose family medicine include her time spent as Co-Director of Urban Health Project, a non-profit that partners with sites aiding the underserved community across the Greater Cincinnati area, and her global health trip to various rural towns of Guatemala.

Although Grant was one of her first few interviews, she realized right away that this was where she wanted to do her residency. She chose Grant for the strong focus on providing comprehensive primary health care to the entire community, the educators that are sincerely invested in training residents to be well-rounded family physicians, and the devotion to truly support staff wellness. But most importantly, she knew that the people of Grant was the community that would perfectly embody the “family” of Family Medicine. In her free time, she likes to hang out with her family and friends, preferably with food involved, to spend time with her Korean church and choir, to run and cycle and to involve herself with music in any way she can. She’s excited to start her life in Columbus with her newly wedded husband Chris and to explore all this city has to offer!

Naa-Akawa was raised in  Northern Virginia (Gainesville/Haymarket area). She attended the University of Virginia where she double  majored in African American Studies and Kinesiology with a concentration in Sports Medicine. She went on to complete the MEDPREP program in Carbondale, IL before matriculating at Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine.

Naa-Akawa choose Family Medicine because of the wide scope of practice and ability to form long lasting relationship with her patients.  Her interests in include women’s health, improving the health of underserved communities, and mental health. Naa-Akawa was drawn to Grant because of the welcoming diverse environment, strong obstetric training and commitment to serving underserved populations.  She is confident that her training at Grant will prepare her for wherever her career takes her.

In her free time Naa-Akawa enjoys spending time with family and friends, cooking, binge watching shows on Netflix, and traveling.

Eugene was originally born in Moscow, Russia and was raised in Cleveland, Ohio. He attended the University of Pittsburgh for his undergraduate studies, where he obtained a degree in Biological Sciences and a minor in History. Eugene returned to his home state to attend the University of Toledo College of Medicine in Toledo, Ohio. It was here where he found his passion for Family Medicine. During medical school, Eugene participated in three medical mission trips, and hopes to continue his mission work in the future. His interests within Family Medicine include everything, from inpatient medicine to caring for the underserved to women's health. He chose Grant for residency due to the broad scope of training and, most importantly, the wonderful people at Grant!

Outside of medicine, Eugene has a very close relationship with his friends and family, and enjoys spending as much time with them as possible. He also has an incurable case of travel itch, and enjoys traveling abroad whenever he is able to. Eugene's other passions in life include reading, hiking, eating sushi, and rooting for all Cleveland sports teams (regardless of their record that season).

Nicole is a second-year resident from the wild and wonderful state of West Virginia. Although she’s a Mountaineer, she’s no stranger to the Columbus-area and graduated from Denison University in Granville, OH. Nicole received her medical degree from Marshall University (Go Herd!) and is excited to return to central Ohio to be part of the Grant Family. Her interests are patient advocacy and healthcare rights for all people, diversity in medicine, and treatment for those with substance use disorders. She chose Grant Medical Center to be surrounded by passionate physicians while receiving excellent training in the field of Family Medicine. In her free time, Nicole enjoys reading, biking, DIY projects (most recently woodworking!), exploring Columbus, and spending time with her friends and family.

Cody grew up in Georgetown, OH, a small town in southern Ohio.  He attended Centre College in Danville, KY before completing medical school at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. When he’s not studying, you can find him reading up on the latest Cincinnati Bengals’ news, spending time with his fiancé, visiting family, or doing anything outdoors. Cody was drawn to Family Medicine because of the lifelong relationships he will be able to build with his patients. Growing up in a rural town, Cody is especially interested in underserved populations and addiction medicine. After interviewing with Grant, he knew this would be the program that would prepare him to be a well-rounded, knowledgeable family physician. The residents and faculty were welcoming and Cody could see how passionate they were about their patients and the place they worked. He excited to start this new chapter for the next three years!

Esther was born and raised in Dayton, OH, living in the city of Xenia for the majority of her life. She attended Kettering College for her undergraduate degree in Human Biology and then headed to Ohio University for medical school, where her love for family medicine blossomed. Esther enjoys the breadth (and depth) of family medicine as well as the longitudinal relationships she can have with her patients. Within Family Medicine, women’s health (OB), pediatrics, and addiction medicine have been some of her favorite topics. Grant was an obvious choice for her because of its excellent faculty as well as training in full-spectrum family medicine. Her hobbies include spending time with her husband and family, playing with her cat, cooking, baking, and exploring new places.

Maggie is a native of Canfield, a small town in Northeast Ohio. She attended Marietta College, where she majored in biochemistry and minored in leadership studies. She greatly values the liberal arts education she received there and the relationships she cultivated with both mentors and friends. Maggie attended Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Dublin campus and is excited to be staying in Columbus. The atmosphere, well-rounded training, and emphasis on underserved populations are just a few of the reasons she chose Grant. Her interests within family medicine include LGBTQ+ health and addiction medicine.

Outside of medicine, Maggie enjoys traveling. Her latest trip was to Salta, Argentina to visit her nephew, Felipe, and she hopes to return soon to meet Baby Emma. Maggie is an avid fan of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team. She traveled to the 2015 World Cup in Canada and dreamed of being in France for the 2019 World Cup. Luckily, she cheered loud enough from afar that the team clinched the back-to-back World Champions title. Maggie also enjoys going to concerts, reading, being outdoors, and attending open mic nights to hear her partner, Whitley, perform. Maggie and Whitley are cat moms to the two best cats, Derby and Nuki.