Meet Our Chief Residents

Carlos (Tony) Casillas, MD, MPH

What is your educational background? I have a Bachelor of Arts in chemistry and psychology from California State University, Fresno. I went to medical school at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and completed a Master of Public Health at the Jonathan and Karin Fielding School of Public Health at UCLA.

What led you to medicine? I initially was interested in film. That was my major for the first three years of undergrad. It was my involvement with community outreach that led me to switch to medicine my senior year of college. I thought I could make a meaningful impact in this area. I also recognized that we don’t have a lot of Latinx physicians and thought it was important that patients be served by providers that look like them. This desire has driven a lot of my interests.

What brought you to Cincinnati Children’s? I couples-matched with my wife, who is now an emergency medicine faculty at the University of Cincinnati. In looking for programs, it was the training at Cincinnati Children’s that drew us here. We knew that it would provide us both with the greatest opportunities. In choosing a program, I had a strong sense of what I hoped my career to look like, and at Cincinnati Children’s I found faculty that had been on the journey I was looking for. It was also a program with a family feel and with unique pathology that would help set me up for a career in hospital medicine. Since being here, I have fallen in love with the city and have continued to find amazing opportunities for my career.

What do you hope to accomplish in your time as Chief Resident? One of the draws of chief resident for me was the impactful role we play in recruitment. I think it’s important that we have good representation, as we are often the first people seen during an interview day. I was inspired by seeing more and more Latinx providers, and it is something I hope to contribute to. It’s also a unique format with the virtual setting, and there is a lot of opportunity on how to maximize the prospective applicant's experience and interactions with our program. I also hope to help rebuild the community that our residency has fostered but was limited by the restrictions of the pandemic. As we are seeing cases fall and vaccination rise, we have more opportunities for the community, and I hope to support this and add to the inclusive nature so that all trainees feel supported while here.

Any other fact/highlight that you would like us to know about you? I love to travel and look forward to international travel in the near future. I also enjoy running and hope to participate in the Flying Pig in the next year.

Amanda (Mia) Harton, MD

What is your educational background? I graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in Biomedical Engineering. It was not until the end of my college career that I decided I wanted to apply to medical school. I spent some time as a math and science teacher before choosing Saint Louis University School of Medicine for my medical degree.

What led you to medicine? I have always been interested in math and science, which initially led me to the field of engineering. While I loved the problem-solving and teamwork aspects of engineering, I started to realize it lacked the humanistic and relationship-building aspects I saw in medicine. I felt like medicine would be a better fit for me long-term, and I am happy to report that it is! Once I had chosen medicine, there was never a doubt that I would choose pediatrics.

What brought you to Cincinnati Children’s? The only time I had ever been to Ohio before my interview was to visit Cedar Point during high school! Despite my venture to the Midwest for medical school, I imagined myself going back to the east coast for residency. That changed on my interview day at Cincinnati Children’s. The leadership team was open and supportive, and the residents seemed genuinely happy. I wanted to be at a big, busy hospital where I would see the full spectrum of pediatric care—from generally well children with an acute illness to the children with complex medical needs—and Cincinnati Children’s gave me everything I was looking for in a training program.

What do you hope to accomplish in your time as Chief Resident? I have a strong interest in medical education and mentoring, and I am excited to hone these skills over the next year, both in formal and informal settings. When I reflect on my biggest periods of growth during residency, they were always when I was pushed just to the edge of my comfort zone. As a chief, I hope to empower residents to push themselves to that edge, ask questions, problem solve and learn from their peers.

Any other fact/highlight that you would like us to know about you? After chief year, I will be pursuing a fellowship in neonatology. Outside of work, I enjoy baking, hiking, photography, and soccer.

Erin McCann, MD, MPH

What is your educational background? I am a proud Jayhawk from Kansas. I attended the University of Kansas for undergraduate, where I obtained a Bachelor of Sciences in Genetics. I went on to the University of Kansas School of Medicine to earn my MD. I also took an extra year during medical school to obtain a Masters of Public Health in Global Health from Harvard.

What led you to medicine? I grew up in a medical family—my dad was a family doctor and my mom was a pediatric physical therapist. I enjoyed hearing about the relationships my dad was able to build with his patients, and I loved how he became a part of their families. In high school and college, I found I was most passionate about working with children. During college and medical school, I was able to live in several other countries and experience the different healthcare systems that exist in areas with fewer resources. This experience led me toward public health and advocacy within medicine.

What brought you to Cincinnati Children’s? I knew very little about Ohio before I came for my residency interview. I participated in the couples match with my husband, and we both fell in love with our respective programs after our interviews. I was in awe of the breadth of experiences I could have at Cincinnati Children’s, from an incredible range of clinical experiences to global health mentorship and research opportunities. Most importantly though, I was impressed with the enthusiasm residents and attendings brought to work each day and the compassion they demonstrated for patients and their families. I knew that this would be a place where I could grow as a trainee while being supported by a large family of coworkers.

What do you hope to accomplish in your time as Chief Resident? I am excited about the opportunity to mentor residents, especially in areas of advocacy and health equity. I am also looking forward to recruiting new residents who embody the same ideals that brought me to Cincinnati Children’s a few years ago.

Any other fact/highlight that you would like us to know about you? After residency, I plan on pursuing primary care pediatrics in an underserved setting, and I hope to incorporate global health into my career as well. Outside of work, I enjoy cooking (almost exclusively Half Baked Harvest!), running and traveling.

Natalie Segev, MD

What is your educational background? Although originally from Los Angeles, I spent the majority of the past 12 years in the Midwest for my professional education. I was in Ann Arbor, MI, for my undergraduate degrees where I studied Spanish language and literature, in addition to cell molecular biology at the University of Michigan. I spent two gap years prior to medical school in Los Angeles obtaining my Masters in Global Medicine at the University of Southern California and working at the Terasaki Foundation Laboratory researching organ transplantation and rejection. I transitioned back to the Midwest for medical school at the University of Illinois where I met my husband, and we couples-matched here at Cincinnati Children’s for residencies in pediatrics and internal medicine-pediatrics. The Midwest has treated my husband and I well as we enjoy the crisp fall weather and the normal amounts of traffic! 

What led you to medicine? I am passionate about social determinants of health and addressing health equity. Growing up I always had a passion for children and families and figuring out how to help everyone access quality healthcare. I saw firsthand how my Spanish-speaking grandmother struggled understanding her care in an English-dominated healthcare system and how health literacy can affect health outcomes. I decided to pursue a career in medicine with these in mind.

What brought you to Cincinnati Children’s? My husband and I participated in the couples match for residency. We both fell in love with Cincinnati Children’s on our interview days. We loved the diverse patient population and pathology that residents are exposed to. I enjoy the relationship that Cincinnati Children’s has with their surrounding community but also the relationships we develop with patients that come from not only all over the country but all over the world. I feel fortunate that the residency program has such supportive mentorship for residents at every level.

What do you hope to accomplish in your time as Chief Resident? I decided to apply for the chief resident job because I have a passion for medical education and interacting with residents. As a chief we have the opportunity to be involved in medical education for residents and medical students. I also look forward to being a source of support for our residents navigating through the tough years of residency. Finally, I hope this time helps me develop valuable leadership and interpersonal skills to continue to make me a better physician, patient advocate, and person.

Any other fact/highlight that you would like us to know about you? After my chief residency, I look forward to applying for endocrine fellowships and furthering my career as a pediatric endocrinologist. I love all of endocrine, but I currently have a passion in pediatric obesity, disorders of puberty, growth disorders, and transgender care.

Richard (Rick) Taylor, MD

What is your educational background? I was born and raised in Orlando, FL. I went to college at the University of Miami (Florida). I majored in neuroscience with minors in chemistry and public health. I went to medical school at University of Central Florida and received my MD and then made my way to the Midwest.

What led you to medicine? Growing up, I was constantly exploring fields of study that might interest me for a career path. I never felt passionate about a field until I shadowed a doctor in college. I loved how science, medicine, research and patient interaction were combined into one role. I knew that with all my passions in one space, this was the career I needed to pursue.

What brought you to Cincinnati Children’s? My wife and I decided that we needed to live somewhere farther north than Orlando at some point in our lives. We didn’t know where we wanted to go, so I applied to residency programs all over the United States. After my interview day I knew that Cincinnati and Cincinnati Children’s is where we needed to be. My wife and I have fallen in love with Cincinnati and the community here and love exploring all there is to do.

What do you hope to accomplish in your time as Chief Resident? My goals are to grow in my role as a leader and grow as an educator by optimizing my teaching skills and developing curriculum. In addition, I want to help the program transition back to “normal” life post COVID-19. I hope to take advantage of this change period and make our education more robust to maximize our learning for residents.

Any other fact/highlight that you would like us to know about you? After my residency, I want to do pediatric gastroenterology. I love the variety of patients and work that you get to experience in this field. I also love medical education and plan to tailor my career towards it.

I am also a new dad! Being a dad is great, and my little boy has already made me a better pediatrician.

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