Current Residents

FIRST-YEAR RESIDENTS

Vanessa Knoedler, MD • New York Medical College

Welcome to our lovely program. My name is Vanessa and I'll be your intern for the year. I'm a Minnesotan originally - from a town called Twig, far up in the northland. I left the Midwest to attend Swarthmore College in Philadelphia, PA where I studied Biochemistry and French - taking some time to live in Grenoble, France along the way. Then I went on to perform research at Boston children's Hospital in neonatal neuropathology. The next move was to medical school at New York Medical College, studying in Manhattan. And now I've settled into this great program in the lovely city of Chicago. I'm a downhill skier and lover of our fine sports teams. We residents are a friendly outgoing group that enjoy all our experiences here at Mercy. Feel free to come and visit anytime.

Emily Strehle, DO • Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine of Midwestern University

I was born and raised outside of Boston (go Red Sox!) and went to College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. After college, I spent two years doing research in Boston. I moved to Chicago for medical school and went to Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine. My husband and I decided to stay in Chicago for residency and I am so happy to be at Mercy. Everyone here is very supportive and we all work really well together. From the first day we are given a lot of autonomy in respect to the care for our patients. When I am not at work, I love enjoying Chicago - the restaurants, the lake, and farmers markets! The rest of my family lives on the east coast and I still get to see them pretty often although I do miss Fenway Park and fresh seafood!

Lauren Swords, MD • University of Texas Medical School at San Antonio

I grew up in tiny town outside of Corpus Christi, TX and then went to the University of Texas at Austin for undergraduate. A short drive down the highway, I attended UT Health Science Center in San Antonio for medical school. I have never lived outside of Texas and have so far enjoyed my time in Chicago very much. Mercy has a small program with lots of opportunity and personalized attention. I came from a large academic program and have seen and done more as an intern here than I would have experienced back home. When not working, I have enjoyed exploring my new home in Chicago—the museums, zoos and delicious food. I also enjoy watching Dirty Jobs and spending time with my husband and three cats.

SECOND-YEAR RESIDENTS

Fernando Mahmoud, MD • Universidad de Buenos Aires

Fernando Mahmound, MD My name is Fernando Mahmoud, I am from Buenos Aires, Argentina. I attended the University of Buenos Aires School of Medicine for 7 years. and then I started my residency in Ob/Gyn, at Alejandro Posadas National Hospital. I finished my residency in 2002 and then became an attending at the same hospital. My family and I decided to move to the States and I applied to residencies. Mercy hospital was the 1st interview that I had, and the friendly environment, the close relationship between attendings and residents surprised me. They told me about the research opportunities and well I couldn't resist putting Mercy as my first option for the Match. Another important thing, the City of Chicago is beautiful place to live, with a lot of activities, concerts, beach, restaurants and a lot, a lot more.

Jennifer Moreira, MD • Ross University

Jennifer Moriera, MD Hi there! I was born and raised in the western suburbs of Chicago. I attended Loyola University Chicago for my undergraduate training. After doing some traveling around the country during my clinical rotations in medical school, I decided that no city compared to what Chicago has to offer. I decided to join the Mercy family because of the friendly and supportive people I met and I have never thought twice about my decision. Everyone works as a team to provide our community with the best Women's health care. I love the people I work with and am impressed with the education that I am receiving. I live in the downtown area and take every opportunity to enjoy it as much as I can. In my free time, I enjoy hanging out by the lake, trying new restaurants, traveling, shopping and spending quality time with my family and friends.

Evelyn Rodriguez, MD • University of Illinois College of Medicine - Peoria

Evalyn Rodriguez, MD I was born and raised on the south side of Chicago. I am the oldest of two daughters--my sister works at Mercy too! I went to college at the University of Chicago. After graduating, I took some time off to teach eighth grade science in Los Angeles as a part of Teach for America. I graduated from the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria. I'm glad to be back home in Chicago at Mercy for my residency training. Our program has a real family feel. We all work together as a team. The attendings enjoy teaching, the nursing staff is excellent, and the residents work hard and play hard as well. During my precious free time, I enjoy sleeping in, dining out, watching movies, hanging out with family and friends, dancing, and most importantly traveling around the world (I still have a lot of land to cover). I am also proud to be the shortest member of the Mercy team. Come see what we have to offer!

THIRD-YEAR RESIDENTS

Alyssa Beckmann, DO • Des Moines University

Alyssa Beckmann, DO I was born and raised in Waterloo, IA. I attended Loras College in Dubuque, IA for my undergraduate training and then Des Moines University Osteopathic Medical Center. Although I am an Iowa girl at heart, I decided to make the move to the big city and have loved my time here in Chicago. In my free time, I enjoy working out, reading, singing and spending time with family and friends. I was drawn to Mercy because of its supportive environment and excellent resident training.

Sharon F. Handelsman, MD • Southern Illinois University

Sharon F. Handelsman, MD
I was born and raised in this beautiful city of Chicago and had a rewarding career as a nurse-midwife. With the love and support of my family, especially my husband and son, I fulfilled my life long dream of becoming an obstetrician-gynecologist. I have an undergraduate and a master degree from the University of Illinois, and a doctoral degree from Rush University. However, my most cherished degree is my medical degree from Southern Illinois University - School of Medicine. My first OB/GYN residency interview was at Mercy and it left an impression that I carried with me to all other interviews. The faculty and residents seemed so committed to providing the best education in a nurturing and supportive environment. This has proven to be the case and I am very pleased to be part of the Mercy family. Of course, when not working or sleeping, the advantage of living in the Chicago area is that one can enjoy the many activities available in this city by the lake.

Julie Vu, MD • University of Texas Southwestern Medical School at Dallas

I was born and raised in Houston, TX, and went to University of Texas in Dallas for my undergraduate education. I stayed in Dallas to attend medical school at UT Southwestern where I first fell in love with ob/gyn. Moving to Chicago for residency has been my first experience living outside of Texas. As much as I love hot Texas weather, Chicago definitely has a lot more to offer in culture and activity. My experience at Mercy has been great, working with very supportive staff and residents. My interests outside of medicine include yoga, modern dance, and travel.

FOURTH-YEAR RESIDENTS

Caroline Eng, MD • Texas Tech University School of Medicine

I was born and raised in Houston, TX. Although I love it there, even down to the 100% humidity and the mosquitoes, I wanted a change of pace, so I went to Northwestern University to study biomedical Engineering, where I first became acquainted with Chicago. For the medical school, I went to Texas Tech, where cattle are abundant and basketball is king. As much as I enjoy the rural life, I missed what Chicago had to offer, so I'm back. I like movies, particularly Indie films, and almost all kinds of music. I think Mercy has been a good fit for me, and everyone's been great. Come check it out!

Victoria Ochoa, DO • Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine

Victoria Ochoa, DO I grew up in the south suburbs of Chicago. I am married to an amazing husband and I have two terrific children. My son is 7 years old and my daughter is nine months old. I attended the University of Illinois at Chicago for my undergraduate training and then the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine. I enjoy running and spending time with my family, which usually includes something that involves soccer. The nurturing and friendly atmosphere of Mercy is what influenced me to choose this program. My experience thus far has been exceptional. The obstetrics and gynecology program at Mercy has provided everything that I was seeking in a residency program.

FIRST-YEAR RESIDENTS
Vanessa Knoedler, MD • New York Medical College
	Welcome to our lovely program. My name is Vanessa and I'll be your intern for the year. I'm a Minnesotan originally - from a town called Twig, far up in the northland. I left the Midwest to attend Swarthmore College in Philadelphia, PA where I studied Biochemistry and French - taking some time to live in Grenoble, France along the way. Then I went on to perform research at Boston children's Hospital in neonatal neuropathology. The next move was to medical school at New York Medical College, studying in Manhattan. And now I've settled into this great program in the lovely city of Chicago. I'm a downhill skier and lover of our fine sports teams. We residents are a friendly outgoing group that enjoy all our experiences here at Mercy. Feel free to come and visit anytime.

Emily Strehle, DO • Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine of Midwestern University
	I was born and raised outside of Boston (go Red Sox!) and went to College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. After college, I spent two years doing research in Boston. I moved to Chicago for medical school and went to Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine. My husband and I decided to stay in Chicago for residency and I am so happy to be at Mercy. Everyone here is very supportive and we all work really well together. From the first day we are given a lot of autonomy in respect to the care for our patients. When I am not at work, I love enjoying Chicago - the restaurants, the lake, and farmers markets! The rest of my family lives on the east coast and I still get to see them pretty often although I do miss Fenway Park and fresh seafood!

Lauren Swords, MD • University of Texas Medical School at San Antonio
	I grew up in tiny town outside of Corpus Christi, TX and then went to the University of Texas at Austin for undergraduate. A short drive down the highway, I attended UT Health Science Center in San Antonio for medical school. I have never lived outside of Texas and have so far enjoyed my time in Chicago very much. Mercy has a small program with lots of opportunity and personalized attention. I came from a large academic program and have seen and done more as an intern here than I would have experienced back home. When not working, I have enjoyed exploring my new home in Chicago—the museums, zoos and delicious food. I also enjoy watching Dirty Jobs and spending time with my husband and three cats.

SECOND-YEAR RESIDENTS
Fernando Mahmoud, MD • Universidad de Buenos Aires
	My name is Fernando Mahmoud, I am from Buenos Aires, Argentina. I attended the University of Buenos Aires School of Medicine for 7 years. and then I started my residency in Ob/Gyn, at Alejandro Posadas National Hospital. I finished my residency in 2002 and then became an attending at the same hospital. My family and I decided to move to the States and I applied to residencies. Mercy hospital was the 1st interview that I had, and the friendly environment, the close relationship between attendings and residents surprised me. They told me about the research opportunities and well I couldn't resist putting Mercy as my first option for the Match. Another important thing, the City of Chicago is beautiful place to live, with a lot of activities, concerts, beach, restaurants and a lot, a lot more.

Jennifer Moreira, MD • Ross University
	Hi there! I was born and raised in the western suburbs of Chicago. I attended Loyola University Chicago for my undergraduate training. After doing some traveling around the country during my clinical rotations in medical school, I decided that no city compared to what Chicago has to offer. I decided to join the Mercy family because of the friendly and supportive people I met and I have never thought twice about my decision. Everyone works as a team to provide our community with the best Women's health care. I love the people I work with and am impressed with the education that I am receiving. I live in the downtown area and take every opportunity to enjoy it as much as I can. In my free time, I enjoy hanging out by the lake, trying new restaurants, traveling, shopping and spending quality time with my family and friends.

Evelyn Rodriguez, MD • University of Illinois College of Medicine - Peoria
	I was born and raised on the south side of Chicago. I am the oldest of two daughters--my sister works at Mercy too! I went to college at the University of Chicago. After graduating, I took some time off to teach eighth grade science in Los Angeles as a part of Teach for America. I graduated from the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria. I'm glad to be back home in Chicago at Mercy for my residency training. Our program has a real family feel. We all work together as a team. The attendings enjoy teaching, the nursing staff is excellent, and the residents work hard and play hard as well. During my precious free time, I enjoy sleeping in, dining out, watching movies, hanging out with family and friends, dancing, and most importantly traveling around the world (I still have a lot of land to cover). I am also proud to be the shortest member of the Mercy team. Come see what we have to offer!

THIRD-YEAR RESIDENTS
Alyssa Beckmann, DO • Des Moines University
	I was born and raised in Waterloo, IA. I attended Loras College in Dubuque, IA for my undergraduate training and then Des Moines University Osteopathic Medical Center. Although I am an Iowa girl at heart, I decided to make the move to the big city and have loved my time here in Chicago. In my free time, I enjoy working out, reading, singing and spending time with family and friends. I was drawn to Mercy because of its supportive environment and excellent resident training.

Sharon F. Handelsman, MD • Southern Illinois University
	I was born and raised in this beautiful city of Chicago and had a rewarding career as a nurse-midwife. With the love and support of my family, especially my husband and son, I fulfilled my life long dream of becoming an obstetrician-gynecologist. I have an undergraduate and a master degree from the University of Illinois, and a doctoral degree from Rush University. However, my most cherished degree is my medical degree from Southern Illinois University - School of Medicine. My first OB/GYN residency interview was at Mercy and it left an impression that I carried with me to all other interviews. The faculty and residents seemed so committed to providing the best education in a nurturing and supportive environment. This has proven to be the case and I am very pleased to be part of the Mercy family. Of course, when not working or sleeping, the advantage of living in the Chicago area is that one can enjoy the many activities available in this city by the lake.

Julie Vu, MD • University of Texas Southwestern Medical School at Dallas
	I was born and raised in Houston, TX, and went to University of Texas in Dallas for my undergraduate education. I stayed in Dallas to attend medical school at UT Southwestern where I first fell in love with ob/gyn. Moving to Chicago for residency has been my first experience living outside of Texas. As much as I love hot Texas weather, Chicago definitely has a lot more to offer in culture and activity. My experience at Mercy has been great, working with very supportive staff and residents. My interests outside of medicine include yoga, modern dance, and travel.

FOURTH-YEAR RESIDENTS
Caroline Eng, MD • Texas Tech University School of Medicine
	I was born and raised in Houston, TX. Although I love it there, even down to the 100% humidity and the mosquitoes, I wanted a change of pace, so I went to Northwestern University to study biomedical Engineering, where I first became acquainted with Chicago. For the medical school, I went to Texas Tech, where cattle are abundant and basketball is king. As much as I enjoy the rural life, I missed what Chicago had to offer, so I'm back. I like movies, particularly Indie films, and almost all kinds of music. I think Mercy has been a good fit for me, and everyone's been great. Come check it out!


Victoria Ochoa, DO • Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine
	I grew up in the south suburbs of Chicago. I am married to an amazing husband and I have two terrific children. My son is 7 years old and my daughter is nine months old. I attended the University of Illinois at Chicago for my undergraduate training and then the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine. I enjoy running and spending time with my family, which usually includes something that involves soccer. The nurturing and friendly atmosphere of Mercy is what influenced me to choose this program. My experience thus far has been exceptional. The obstetrics and gynecology program at Mercy has provided everything that I was seeking in a residency program.