Residents

Ascension Saint Joseph General Surgery Training program

Chief Residents

Jane Spann, MD

Hometown: Alpena, MI
Undergraduate School: University of Michigan
Medical School: Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine
Career Interests: Breast surgery, general surgery
Hobbies: Playing tennis, trying new restaurants, going to movies
Fun Fact: I was born in Santa Fe, NM
Why Ascension Saint Joseph - Chicago? All of our attendings are very approachable

Nicole Gherlone, MD

Hometown: Orange, CT
Undergraduate School: University of Connecticut
Medical School: Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University
Career Interests: Plastic and reconstructive surgery (UT-Southwestern)
Hobbies: Yoga, baking, skiing
Fun Fact: I'm a twin, but we're unsure if we're identical or fraternal
Why Ascension Saint Joseph - Chicago? I love the close-knit and comfortable feel of the people and program!

PGY-4

William Choi

William Choi, MD

Hometown: Cohasset, MA
Undergraduate School: Rice University
Medical School: Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine
Career Interests: MIS, colorectal, plastic surgery
Hobbies: Tennis, exercising, sleeping
Fun Fact: I was born in Jakarta, Indonesia
Why Ascension Saint Joseph - Chicago? I was looking for a hands-on program with a collegial atmosphere located in a major city.
Diana Tang

Diane Tang, MD

Hometown: Streamwood, IL
Undergraduate School: Capital University
Medical School: University of Illinois College of Medicine - Rockford
Career Interests: Minimally invasive surgery, bariatric surgery, medical education
Hobbies: Orangetheory Fitness, baking, trying new foods
Fun Fact: I'm a huge fan of the professional tennis tour
Why Ascension Saint Joseph - Chicago? Our intern year is housed solely at Ascension Saint Joseph - Chicago, allowing us to truly acclimate to being surgical residents while subsequent years facilitate great growth as we train in a variety of practice settings across the Chicago area. Plus, interns never work 24-hour shifts!

PGY-3

Johnathan Beldin

Johnathan Beldin, MD

Hometown: Marengo, IL
Undergraduate School: University of Notre Dame
Medical School: University of Illinois College of Medicine - Rockford
Career Interests: Trauma critical care, surgical oncology, general surgery
Hobbies: Alpine skiing and coaching
Fun Fact: I’m on the board of directors for a community radio station
Why Ascension Saint Joseph - Chicago? Ascension Saint Joseph - Chicago provides us the best that Chicago has to offer — a community program in a great part of the city and great exposure to academic and trauma rotations at outside institutions.
Maxwell Cocco, MD

Maxwell Cocco, MD

Hometown: Ann Arbor, MI
Undergraduate School: University of Michigan
Medical School: Central Michigan University
Career Interests: General surgery, HPB, trauma critical care
Hobbies: Exercise and fitness
Fun Fact: I rode a small motorcycle over 1,000 miles across Vietnam during medical school
Why Ascension Saint Joseph - Chicago? We are able to train in a good community hospital with robust outside academic rotations, all in a great location.

PGY-2

Jordyn Grewal, MD 

Hometown: Berthoud, CO
Undergraduate School: University of Colorado Boulder
Medical School: Creighton University
Career Interests: Trauma/Critical Care, Global Surgery 
Hobbies: Long distance running, baking, accumulating an unnecessarily large number of house plants, hanging out with my very large dog, and paddling the lake! 
Fun Fact: I have cacti that I have been growing from seeds for over a year. The tallest one is an inch and a half tall!
Why Ascension Saint Joseph - Chicago? I was drawn to the SJH program because of the faculty’s commitment to early operative experience and high levels of autonomy in the senior years. Additionally, I was seeking a program that would afford robust experiences operating in both community and academic settings. St. Joes was particularly interesting to me because of the opportunity to learn in a high-volume, high-acuity, yet lower-resource trauma center at Sinai, which will provide invaluable experiences that will translate well to my interest in practicing global surgery in low-resource regions

Akshita Patel, DO 

Hometown: Nashville, TN
Undergraduate School: University of Tennessee-Knoxville
Medical School: Lincoln Memorial University-DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine
Career Interests: Plastic/Cosmetic surgery, MIS
Hobbies: traveling, dancing, painting, exercising, fashion
Fun Fact: I’ve solo travelled to Australia and New Zealand. My name means ambition
Why Ascension Saint Joseph - Chicago? I am able to pursue surgical training in my favorite city and in close proximity to home. I wanted a program with early operative experience and a collegial environment amongst residents and attendings

PGY-1

Daniel Henley, MD

Daniel Henley, MD (Categorical)

Hometown: Winfield, IL/Cleveland, TN/Arlington, MA
Undergraduate School: Grove City College, Grove City, PA
Medical School: University of Illinois College of Medicine - Peoria
Career Interests: Rural General Surgery, Surgical Critical Care, HPB, Surgical Oncology
Hobbies: Movies, board games, sports
Fun Fact: I was born in Berlin, Germany
Why Ascension Saint Joseph - Chicago?  1. A strong resident run community surgery program with lots of early hands-on opportunities to develop surgical skills 2. Being in a great part of Chicago getting to experience everything the Second City has to offer. 3. Tight-knit group of residents who enjoy getting to work and hang out
Erikl Knecht, MD

Erik Knecht, MD (Categorical)

Hometown: Hinsdale, IL
Undergraduate School: Auburn University
Medical School: Chicago Medical School at RFU
Career Interests: Undecided
Hobbies: Snowboarding, cooking
Fun Fact: I have two beagles, Steve and Katherine
Why Ascension Saint Joseph - Chicago?  Great experience, great people, and great city
Mohamad Alzein, MD

M. Mohayad Alzein, MD (Preliminary)

Hometown: Orland Park, IL
Undergraduate School: University of Illinois - Chicago
Medical School: Northwestern University
Career Interests: Interventional Radiology, Oncology, MSK (Indiana University)
Hobbies: Gym, piano, reading
Fun Fact: I’m closing in on seeing 30 live stand-up comedy shows
Why Ascension Saint Joseph - Chicago?  I wanted to build a strong foundation in general surgery in Chicago and have early hands on experience with procedures that will help me as an interventional radiologist.
Parker Woldt MD

Parker Woldt, MD (Preliminary)

Hometown: Oshkosh, WI
Undergraduate School: University of Wisconsin - Madison
Medical School: Loyola University of Chicago Stritch School of Medicine
Career Interests: Radiation Oncology; CNS, GU brachy, Lung
Hobbies: Gardening, reading, gaming with friends and family (board, tabletop, PC)
Fun Fact: I have an adorable and spoiled Toy Poodle named Jax who gets to take walks while riding in a stroller due to neuro issues
Why Ascension Saint Joseph - Chicago?  General Surgery at SJH is a program where people genuinely care about each other’s well-being. Birthdays are remembered and achievements (big and small) are celebrated with sincere enthusiasm. We look out for one another and step in for support when someone gets overwhelmed. Communication is open and honest, mutual respect is the standard, and disagreements are handled with kindness and understanding. This is a program where people feel safe to be themselves and to grow knowing they’re surrounded by others who have their back.

Residency Alumni

2025
  • Trauma/Surgical Critical Care Fellowship —Cook County Health; Chicago, IL
  • General Surgery; Chicago, IL
2024
  • Minimally Invasive/Bariatric Surgery Fellowship —Menorah Medical Center; Kansas City, KS
  • Trauma/Surgical Critical Care Fellowship —University of California Riverside; Riverside, CA
2023
  • Global Surgery — World Medical Mission; Papua New Guinea
  • Vascular Surgery Fellowship — Eastern Virginia Medical School; Norfolk, VA
2022
  • Breast Surgery Fellowship — Cleveland Clinic; Cleveland, OH
  • Endocrine Surgery Fellowship — University of Calgary; Alberta, Canada
2021
  • General Surgery — Chicago, IL
  • Minimally Invasive Surgery Fellowship — Saint Luke's Health System, Kansas City, MO
2020
  • Surgical Critical Care Fellowship — Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA
  • Plastic Surgery Fellowship — University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA
2019
  • General Surgery — Pasadena, CA
  • General Surgery — US Navy, Great Lakes, IL
2018
  • Minimally Invasive Surgery Fellowship — University of Texas, Austin, TX
  • Houston Vascular Surgery Fellowship — Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, MI
2017
  • Breast Surgery Fellowship — University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA
  • Rural General Surgery — Edenton, NC