Third Year Residents

Class of 2024

Sarah Atallah, MD

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

Medical Interests: As a physician, I try to manage every patient with a holistic and all-encompassing approach to medicine. I have a special love for women’s and reproductive healthcare, but I eagerly look forward to treating patients of all ages and genders. Additionally, I take special interest in working with underserved and underrepresented populations.

Personal Interests/Hobbies: I love to travel and spend most of my vacations exploring various national parks and other countries. I enjoy hiking, kayaking, and exploring the outdoors. I am also an artist, painter, and dog lover.

Why Grand Forks/Altru: Growing up in Kansas City, Missouri, I have a special love for the Midwest and knew I would stay locally to practice. Grand Forks is a vibrant city with an outstanding community. This, in combination with Altru FMR’s heavy emphasis on women’s medicine, makes Grand Forks the perfect place to pursue my residency training.

Taylor Crothers, MD

Medical School: University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences

Medical Interests: I am interested in full spectrum family medicine, and I plan on going to practice in a rural community in North Dakota after I complete residency.

Personal Interests/Hobbies: In my free time I enjoy watching sports, mostly football and hockey. I also enjoy spending time outdoors doing different things like golfing, hunting, fishing, or being at my family's lake cabin.

Why Grand Forks/Altru: There are so many reasons why I chose Altru FMR. The biggest reason I chose this program was the people involved in the program, including the attendings, my fellow residents, and all the support staff. Going all the way back to my interview, everyone has made me feel welcomed and like a part of the family.

Xianzhang (Alice) Geng, MD

Medical School: Loma Linda University School of Medicine

Medical Interests: Substance Use Disorder treatment, women's health and reproductive care, preventative care

Personal Interests/Hobbies: I enjoy dance, especially swing dance and Latin ballroom, and reading and cooking. I love to travel when time allows and explore local restaurants.

Why Grand Forks/Altru: It's a supportive environment that fosters lifelong learning. The people here are welcoming and I hope it can be a home away from home.

Daniel Shenoda, MD

Medical School: University Cork College, Ireland

Medical Interests: Sports medicine and pediatrics.

Personal Interests/Hobbies: Outside of work I like to spend time outdoors and being active. I really enjoy playing soccer. I’m a big Liverpool FC fan. I also enjoy cooking Egyptian food.

Why Grand Forks/Altru: I chose Altru FMR in Grand Forks because I heard great things about the program and its people. I know that this program will provide me the training I need to practice Family Medicine in any setting. Grand Forks is a lovely town and the people are so friendly. It is also really close to home — Winnipeg.

Jeremy Tabernero, MD

Medical School: University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center

Medical Interests: Family Medicine.

Personal Interests/Hobbies: Cooking, outdoor sports, water sports, hiking, spending time with my family and friends.

Why Grand Forks/Altru: Grand Forks offers a unique learning environment that has a combination of rural to suburban practice with the added benefit of a truly unopposed residency. Faculty showed genuine interest in fostering my learning goals and had the wealth of knowledge to support it. The city of Grand Forks is a welcoming, fast growing and diverse community that has close ties to the residency making medical practice and private life even more compatible.

Taylor Volberding, MD

Medical School: University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences

Medical Interests: I am interested in full-spectrum family medicine, seeing patients of all ages from birth to death. I am very passionate about women's health and chronic disease management.

Personal Interests/Hobbies: In my free time, I like to explore the outdoors with my husband and our dog, Sam. We enjoy camping, hiking, and kayaking. I am also a huge bookworm, reading everything from historical fiction to thrillers to biographies.

Why Grand Forks/Altru: I chose Altru FMR because I could not think of a better place to grow into the physician that I want to become. Every day, I feel as though I am making progress and learning what it truly means to be a full-spectrum family medicine physician.

Sarah Weisenberger, MD

Medical School: University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences

Medical Interests: My medical interests include women’s health, pediatrics, and preventative care.

Personal Interests/Hobbies: In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my husband, family, and friends. I also enjoy going for walks with our dog and trying new recipes.

Why Grand Forks/Altru FMR: I had a great experience with the Altru FMR residency rotating with them as a medical student. My husband and I really appreciate the strong sense of community in Grand Forks. We are both North Dakota natives, so we are thrilled to be staying close to home.

Keminda Wijesundera, MD

Medical School: National University of Ireland, Galway

Medical Interests: Hospital Medicine, Preventative Care, Procedures

Personal Interests/Hobbies: Daily Fitness, Mindfulness Meditation, Guitarist (solo and group performances)

Why Grand Forks/Altru: Grand Forks is one of the most friendly and welcoming cities that I have come across and the staff at Altru support each other like one big family. The pleasant working environment, coupled with having access to the most cutting-edge medical technologies and resources in the country, make Altru FMR one of the best choices that an up-and-coming physician can make.