Joshua Nogar I was raised in Los Alamos, NM, but lived out-of-state after my high school graduation through medical school.  My swimming career landed me at Iowa State University, where I earned a B.S. in Biochemistry, swam at US Nationals, and tried out for the 2000 US Olympic Swimming Team.  Having never lived in a big city, I ventured to New York University for medical school, where I racked up the loans, ate great cuisines, and gained a pasty-white complexion.  When it came time to choose a residency program, I’d had enough -20 degree Iowan winters, and I needed more trees than those in NYC’s Central Park.  (Don’t even get me started about the cost of living in Manhattan.)  Needless to say, after spending the better part of a decade away from NM, I am thrilled to have matched at an awesome program full of sharp, laid back people in a place where the weather is great, the cost of living is low, and the mountains are a short drive away.  My interests include everything outdoors:  fly fishing, mountain biking, skiing, hiking, etc.  Academically, I am interested in toxicology and critical care.  If I weren’t a physician I’d be a swimming coach or fishing bum.  Also, I loathe the University of Iowa Hawkeyes.  Go Cyclones! The fish in the picture was caught during UNM’s orientation month on a stream outside Las Vegas, NM.   Back          Return to Top          EM Home

Amber Shields I was born in rural Ohio. Then on a crazy whim my music-teacher parents moved the family (my two younger brothers and me) to Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands in 1983. I graduated from high school on Kwajalein, then ended up at the University of California, San Diego studying some and surfing lots. When I finished university I spent 4 months hiking in New Zealand and Australia, then joined the Peace Corps and went to Cote d’Ivoire as a health educator. After living in a muslim village of subsistence farmers for 2 years I took my time readjusting to life in the U.S. I took a wilderness EMT course, then lived in the back of a truck for 6 months traveling around the Pacific Northwest and Canada hiking, climbing, and generally freezing my butt off. The money ran out, so I got a job doing breast cancer research in Hawaii, and worked there until I started medical school at the University of Hawaii. Hawaii has a diverse and often underserved population that has been challenging and wonderful to work with. I can’t wait for the new challenges that await at UNM – and a fair bit of playing outdoors too!       Back          Return to Top       EM Home

Benjamin Sill It has been an amazing first year.  After being away from New Mexico (I grew up in Gallup) for so long, it was incredible to be here watching the beautiful sunsets again.  I spent my undergraduate and medical school years in Utah attending Weber State University (English) and University of Utah Medical School.  I met and married my wife, Natalie, while attending Weber State.  My two little girls Maija (3) and Brielle (1) have grown so much.   They have had plenty to do in going to the zoo, camping, hiking, and just playing with their friends.  It has been an exciting year with experiences in:  attending an International/High Altitude Medicine conference in Equador (including summiting a 19,000+ peak) just prior to starting residency; teaching an AWLS (Advanced Wilderness Life Support) course and then attending a Wilderness Medicine Conference; attending Interbike, the yearly national bicycle show in Las Vegas; and then just completing my intern year. I still enjoy riding my bike, camping, and just plain getting outdoors.     Continue Next Page  Back          Return to Top        EM Home          Contact Us

Last Updated:  Joseph Culpepper