Emergency Medicine Residents

Noelle Ahmed, M.D.

Hometown: Dothan, AL 

College: Auburn University 

Medical school: University of South Alabama College of Medicine 

Bio: I was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and briefly lived in Portland, Oregon, before moving to my hometown of Dothan, Alabama. In college, I majored in accounting and became pre-med right before my senior year. 

What do you like about Mobile: The warm weather and the beautiful old oak trees

What do you like about the residency: I like the wonderful EM faculty and the impressive new emergency department.

Hobbies: K-dramas, froyo, exercising, and hanging out with friends and family

Fun fact: I once played an old man in a school play. 

Harvey Browning, D.O.

Hometown: Talladega, AL

College: BSN, Jacksonville State University; MSN, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Medical school: Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine - Auburn

Bio: I worked as a nurse and then as a nurse practitioner prior to medical school. 

What do you like about Mobile: City amenities with a small town atmosphere

What do you like about the residency: The balance of autonomy and supervision

Hobbies: Hiking, reading

Fun fact: I have hiked over 40 miles on the Pinhoti Trail.

Caleb Cantrell, M.D.

Hometown: Smithville, TN

College: Tennessee Tech University

Medical school: University of Tennessee

Bio: Married to my high school sweetheart with a son and a dog. 

What do you like about Mobile: Beach proximity, seafood, and cost of living

What do you like about the residency: I appreciate the top-notch faculty with diverse training experiences and interests. 

Hobbies: Going to the beach, any outdoor activity, chasing my toddler around while trying to do said activity

Fun fact: If I couldn’t be a doctor, I would be a marine biologist. 

Kaitlyn Hall, M.D.

Hometown: Irving, TX 

College: Southern Methodist University

Medical school: University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine

Bio: After majoring in mechanical engineering with a biomedical specialization in college, I switched my career path and found my passion in practicing medicine. I became the first physician in my family and have an interest in critical care.

What do you like about Mobile: I like being close to multiple beaches to explore in what free time I have. 

What do you like about the residency: I like the interest of the faculty members in teaching/mentoring, the experience/acuity of a level 1 trauma center, and the close relationship we have among our residents.

Hobbies: Baking, group fitness classes, kayaking, lighthearted TV shows

Fun fact: I used to be in the Texas Girls' Choir and have traveled both within the U.S. and to China and Thailand to perform.

Gregory Heidel, M.D.

Hometown: Brentwood, TN

College: University Tennessee, Knoxville

Medical school: Meharry Medical College

Bio: Illinois born. Tennessee raised. Mobile trained. San Diego makes it in there somewhere also. 

What do you like about Mobile: Great people, great food, and great outdoors; less hurricane season.

What do you like about the residency: USA has a family feel with the confidence that comes with having world-class training to handle anything on the other side of residency, from rural to other tertiary academic centers.

Hobbies: Previously everything fun; like waterskiing, backpacking, and scuba diving. However, these days being used as a jungle gym by my daughter occupies much of that time.

Fun fact: Specialization is for insects.

Carly McRae, M.D.

Hometown: Fairhope, AL

College: University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa 

Medical school: University of South Alabama College of Medicine 

Bio: I have been married for 4 years to my husband, Michael, and we have two dogs  

What do you like about Mobile: I love being near the water! Even driving past it every morning improves my day.

What do you like about the residency: All of the faculty and upper-level residents are really enthusiastic about making the residency as good as it can be, and they have been so helpful and welcoming to us as interns. Since it is a new EM program, they are also incredibly receptive to resident feedback!  

Hobbies: Anything outside! I especially love the beach, boating, and swimming.  

Zach Aggen, M.D.

Hometown: Athens, AL

College: University of Alabama at Birmingham
Medical school: University of South Alabama College of Medicine 

Bio: Married father of four, Army veteran, taught high school science 

What do you like about Mobile: The people

What do you like about the residency: No longer being a medical student

Hobbies: Running, biking, hunting, gardening

Fun fact: I have 649 unread emails. 

Jeremy Bourget, D.O.

Hometown: Timmins, Ontario

College: Liberty University, VA

Medical school: Campbell University, NC

Bio: I grew up in northern Ontario and made my way to Virginia to continue my studies and compete in track/cross-country. I had some early exposure to emergency medicine while working as a nurse aide during my gap year. Since then and after completing my medical school rotations, it became evident to me that EM was where I envisioned myself long-term.

What do you like about Mobile: Mobile is a beautiful community. Every street has so much greenery and a lot of areas are historic. The proximity to the beach is a plus. We have only received warm welcomes since being in Mobile. 

What do you like about the residency: It's cliché for many EM programs to say they’re a family; however, I felt this to be very accurate since coming to USA. I’ve had an ample amount of support from faculty and fellow residents. It seems like everything done is to better the learning experience for the next group of residents and better the program as a whole. 

Hobbies: Running, exercise, basketball

Fun fact: With only a few exceptions, all of my classes before undergrad were taught in French. 

Lily Brooks, M.D.

Hometown: Huntsville, AL

College: Mississippi State University

Medical school: University of South Alabama College of Medicine

Bio: Born and raised in Alabama, I spent much of my childhood exploring the outdoors. While attending university and medical school, I used my free time traveling and hiking across the world.

What do you like about Mobile: The beach!

What do you like about the residency: Getting to work with such a supportive group of people

Hobbies: Hiking, video games and watching movies

Fun fact: I have been to 23 national parks and plan on seeing them all!

Riley Coots, M.D.

Hometown: Bardstown, KY

College: Western Kentucky University

Medical school: University of Kentucky 

Bio: Born in Michigan and moved to Kentucky in high school. I grew up building houses with my parents and built my first home in 2006. I am a big nerd who enjoys reading books like "The Lord of the Rings" and "Wheel of Time" in addition to building a gaming computer a few years ago.  

What do you like about Mobile: The food is amazing. 

What do you like about the residency: The brand-new emergency room is incredibly nice, and the attendings have been wonderful.

Hobbies: Video games, tennis, reading

Fun fact: I have a family pizza recipe that includes hand tossed home-made dough.

Mackenzie Link, M.D.

Hometown: Melbourne, FL

College: University of Florida

Medical school: University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine

Bio: I grew up in Florida and lived there most of my life. I worked at an ophthalmology office and as an ED scribe before medical school.

Hobbies: Running, reading, cars, tennis

Fun fact: I’ve lived in four different states over the past seven years.

Soterios (Channing) Stroud, D.O.

Hometown: Savannah, GA

College: Georgia Southern University - Armstrong Campus

Medical school: Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine

Bio: I was born and raised in Savannah, GA; moved to Idaho for medical school and outdoor endeavors. I’m a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy HPSP program. 

What do you like about Mobile: Affordable living, JH CrossFit, nice beaches nearby

What do you like about the residency: Brand new ED, faculty invested in our success, newer program open to making the things better for its trainees

Hobbies: CrossFit, anything outdoors, traveling, mentoring, breweries, spending time with my girlfriend and dogs

Fun fact: I’m a great Greek dancer!

Samuel Anich, D.O.

Hometown: McKinney, TX

College: Wake Forest University

Medical school: Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine

Bio: I was born in the Dallas, Texas area and lived there until moving to North Carolina for undergrad where I majored in biophysics at Wake Forest. After undergrad, I worked as an EMT and ER tech in Sarasota, Florida before starting medical school at ACOM.

What do you like about Mobile: Great food, all the giant oak trees, and living in Midtown.

What do you like about the residency: I wanted an academic program with a county/safety-net feel, and I found it in USA.

Hobbies: Hiking, climbing, darkroom photography, generally tinkering with stuff

Fun fact: You heard about Pluto? That’s messed up. 

Mark Azmy, M.D.

Hometown: Upland, CA

College: University of California, Riverside

Medical school: St. George's University School of Medicine

Bio: Born and raised in Southern California, ended up in the Caribbean for medical school. Always wanted to do emergency medicine but ended up doing family medicine in Tampa right out of medical school. So, I am doing the very normal thing ... a second residency. 

What do you like about Mobile: The seafood, the Southern hospitality, and proximity to outdoors

What do you like about the residency: It is a tight-knit, supportive group, and I have access to everything I need to become an excellent EM doc.

Hobbies: Video games, hiking, cooking, and travel

Fun fact: I trained in martial arts for eight years and at one point was at least conversational in four languages.

William Craig, D.O.

Hometown: Naches, WA

College: Central Washington University

Medical school: Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine

Bio: I am from a very small town in the mountains of Washington state. I am the first of my family to attend college. My family includes three children ages 13, 10 and 4. 

What do you like about Mobile: I like the size of Mobile. It is not a huge city, but it offers a wide variety of culture and entertainment. I also enjoy being so close to the beach!

What do you like about the residency: Our faculty is the best! It’s like being in a large family being at USA, and I didn’t feel that way at other hospitals.

Hobbies: I like playing golf, going fishing, going to the beach with my family, trying different restaurants, and playing my PlayStation. 

Fun fact: My full name is William Robert Craig, which roughly translates to Billy Bob Craig.

David Monaco, M.D.

Hometown: Huntsville, AL

College: University of Alabama Birmingham

Medical school: UAB Heersink School of Medicine

Bio: Born in Huntsville, and enjoyed all the things Rocket City had to offer. Went to UAB for undergrad and started a hockey team. Between medical school and college, I worked for a busy EMS service.

What do you like about Mobile: Mobile is undoubtedly an easy-to-navigate city with good restaurants, outdoor sports, and the cost of living.

What do you like about the residency: Program leadership is receptive to its residents. Faculty foster an environment of teaching and mentoring both on and off shift. 

Hobbies: Ice hockey, baking, and video editing

Fun fact about yourself: I can skate backwards.

Michelle Nguyen, M.D.

Hometown: Pensacola, FL 

College: Florida State University 

Medical school: University of South Alabama Whiddon College of Medicine

Bio: Born and raised in Pensacola, Florida, went to Florida state for undergrad (Go Noles!) Attended USA COM. Second-generation physician. Hope to go back to Pensacola and work as an ER doc. 

What do you like about Mobile: Proximity to the beach and proximity to home

What do you like about the residency: New facilities, engaging faculty, and cool co-residents  

Hobbies: Traveling, hiking, scuba diving, Step & sculpt, and FSU football 

Fun fact: I’ve been to 25+ countries.

Ann Walker, M.D.

Hometown: Mobile, AL

College: Sewanee: The University of the South

Medical school: University of Medical and Health Sciences 

Bio: I’m originally from Mobile, so it’s nice to be home for residency. I studied international relations as an undergrad and worked a variety of jobs before matriculating to medical school including as a research assistant at the World Affairs Council, horseback riding instructor, ski instructor, and ophthalmic technician. 

What do you like about Mobile: Being able to say “y’all” without turning heads.

What do you like about the residency: There is a growth mentality here that is infectious in a supportive close-knit group of physicians.

Hobbies: Riding horses

Fun fact: I spent a summer in Spain hiking the Camino de Santiago!