Medical Team

Faculty

The faculty has a combined 117 years of active, clinical practice. Their advice is practical, not theoretical or conjectural.

  • A. Marc Nielsen, MD, Program Director, joined the Altru Family Medicine Residency in November 2012 as assistant director. Dr. Nielsen also pursed his undergraduate and medical school education at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine. Upon completion of his medical degree in 2000, he completed his residency training in Grand Forks. Dr. Nielsen practiced at the Craven Hagen Clinic in Williston, North Dakota for twelve years before joining the Residency.
  • Andrew Gasparini, MD, joined the program in July of 2012 as an assistant director. He received his medical degree from the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences. Originally from Grand Forks, Dr. Gasparini completed his residency at the Altru family medicine residency in 2012 and has been practicing at the Family Medicine Residency since 2012.
  • Greg D.Greek, MD, served as program director from 2003-2014, joined the center in 1992. Dr. Greek was born and raised in rural North Dakota and received his MD from the University of North Dakota School of Medicine. He is a graduate of the Altru Family Medicine Residency Program in Grand Forks and was in private practice in northern Minnesota prior to joining the residency. He has a special interest in Sports Medicine, OB/Gyn and Pediatrics.
  • Fallon Hoverson MD, a North Dakota native, pursued her undergraduate and medical school education at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine. Upon completion of her medical degree in 2011, she completed her residency training in Grand Forks. In 2014, Dr. Hoverson began her practice at the Altru Family Medicine Center in Grand Forks and has since joined Altru Family Medicine Residency in 2016. Her areas of interest include obstetrics, women’s health and pediatrics.
  • Derek Lyste, MD, joined the program in July 2014 as an assistant director. He received his medical degree from the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences. Originally from Grand Forks, Dr. Lyste completed his residency at the Altru Family Medicine Residency in 2010 and had been practicing at the Family Medicine Center from 2010-2014.
  • William S. Mann, MD, served as residency program director from 1983-1996. Born and raised in Scotland, Dr. Mann received his medical degree from the University of Glasgow, Scotland, and has maintained a private practice since 1977. He served as chair of the Department of Family Medicine at UND School of Medicine from 1996 to 2003 and returned to the residency program as a faculty member in March 2002. He has a special interest in Sports Medicine.
  • Heidi Philpot, MD, joined the program in September 2006, she now serves as Associate Director. She received her medical degree from the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences. Originally from Grand Forks, Dr. Philpot completed her residency and has started her practice at the Altru family medicine residency.
  • Adam Quinn, MD, grew up in northern Minnesota and received his undergraduate and medical degree from the University of Minnesota Duluth. He joined the Altru Family Medicine Residency in June of 2018 after completing his residency and sports medicine fellowship in Grand Forks. He continues to have an interest in sports medicine and musculoskeletal ultrasound.
  • Jamie R. Roed, MD, joined the program as an assistant director in December 2005. He received his medical degree from the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences. Originally from Devils Lake, Dr. Roed completed his residency at the Altru family medicine residency in 2000 and has been practicing at the Family Medicine Center from 2000-2005.
  • Richard Clarens, PharmD, has been associated with the residency program since 1980. A North Dakota native he received his Pharmacy degree from North Dakota State University and his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Minnesota. He completed a clinical pharmacy residency in California at the Palo Alto VA Hospital, and did a clinical pharmacy fellowship at St. Paul Ramsey Medical Center.
  • Catherine Yeager, PhD, joined the Altru Family Medicine Residency in 2001. She received her doctorate in clinical psychology from UND and completed her internship at Children's Hospitals - Minneapolis. Dr. Yeager's specialties include child/adolescent therapy, infant/toddler assessment, and pediatric neuropsychological assessment.
  • Shyla Muse, PhD, joined Altru Family Medicine Residency as a co-director of behavioral science training in 2013. She received her doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of North Dakota and completed her internship at the Child and Adolescent Service Center in Canton, Ohio. Dr. Muse's specialties include pediatric therapy and neuropsychological assessment.

  • Erin Haugen, PhD, CC-AASP, received her PhD in clinical psychology from the University of North Dakota. She completed her internship at River Valley Services/Connecticut Valley Hospital in Middletown, CT and completed her residency at University of California, Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, CA. She is also a Certified Consultant of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology. Dr. Haugen's specializes in individual therapy with adolescents and adults, sport psychology consultation with individuals and teams, and psychological assessment. She joined Altru Family Medicine Residency in June 2016.

  • Becky Westereng, LRD, graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Dietetics from the University of North Dakota in 1994. She worked with the WIC program in Minot, ND and as a clinical/research dietitian at the University of Minnesota. She joined the Altru Family Medicine Residency in 2001.

Residents

PGY1

  • Tyrone Berentson, MD
  • Anthony Duncan, DO
  • Eric Jacobson, MD
  • Christen Murray, DO
  • Bruce Pehl, MD
  • Elizabeth Pehl, MD
  • Randall Thorson, MD
  • Cyril Torado, MD

PGY2

  • Jennifer Dobis, MD
  • Tara Farah, MD
  • Brady Junes, MD
  • Chad Lampe, MD
  • Laura Morgan, MD
  • Alessandra Pizzolato, MD
  • Mayuresh Rajaratnam, MD
  • Erika Stein, MD

PGY3

  • Sarah Fischer, MD
  • Joshua Greene, MD
  • Samantha Kiedrowski, MD
  • Amanda McMahon, MD
  • Maxim Mitchell, MD
  • Nicole Samson, MD
  • Lisha Sethi, MD
  • Ajaypal Singh, MD

OB Fellows

  • Jon Sticca, MD
  • Elizabeth Wood, MD

Sports Medicine Fellows

  • Tom Haroldson, MD
  • Gaurav Jaswal, MD

    Psychology Interns

    Two or three master-level psychology interns from the University of North Dakota Psychology Department, working on their doctorates, are present in the residency program. Their presence, with their faculty, adds to a strong behavioral medicine component and allows the residents to benefit from an inter-disciplinary, learning environment.

    Support Staff

    Support staff consists of full-time nurses, part-time nurses, athletic trainers, a medical technologist, a laboratory technician, an x-ray technician, and front office staff. Each resident is assigned a nurse who follows them throughout their 3-year residency. Program faculty members maintain major clinical practices at the center, and two preceptors are always present to assist residents. Residents' charts are reviewed by a preceptor who may offer constructive advice. Records are easily accessible for quality assurance projects chosen once a year by each resident.