The Executive Team
Nick Heitkamp, MD, MSc
(he/him)
Nick a is rising PGY-1 pediatrics resident at Eastern Virginia Medical School's Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters in Norfolk, VA.
In the summer of 2020, he co-founded the FuturePedsRes organization to assist pediatric residency applicants after cancelled in-person interviews, clinical electives, and away rotation offerings due to COVID-19. Since then, pediatric residency stakeholders have realized that FuturePedsRes fills a gap in recruitment which has led to growth of the organization.
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Within pediatrics, Nick is interested in neonatology, reforming medical education, and pediatric residency recruitment. Outside of medicine, he loves to cook and bake with his fiancé and tend to his (growing) tropical plant collection.
Mekala Neelakantan, MD
(she/her)
Mekala is an incoming pediatrics resident at the University of Michigan who - although she is now a self-proclaimed Michigander - was born and brought up in the San Francisco Bay Area.
She is passionate about innovations in the MedEd space, art and literature in medicine, and bringing forth equity in pediatrics and beyond.
In her spare time, she loves listening to a good audiobook, cooking with her partner, and video-chatting with her dog.
She is one of the co-founders and executive directors of FuturePedsRes and is beyond excited to see what #PedsMatch22 brings.
Adaobi Okocha, MPH
(she/her)
Adaobi Okocha was born in Denver, Colorado and raised in Aurora, Colorado. She currently attends Meharry Medical College in Nashville, TN.
She has a strong passion for medical equity and serving underserved populations, healthcare of the African diaspora, immigrant health care, neonatology, as well as health policy and advocacy.
Outside of academics and medicine, Adaobi loves cooking, she is a foodie (a gastro-tourist as she likes to call it), and dancing!
She will be serving as one of the co-directors for FPR and will be leading the equity, social media, and webinars teams for the #PedsMatch2022 year.
Tyler Bruinsma
(he/him)
Tyler is a Minnesota native who made the move to the sweetest place on earth to study at Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, PA.
His professional interests include LGBTQ+ pediatric care, mental health, and diet & exercise as medicine.
During his free time, Tyler enjoys cooking, traveling, and spending time outdoors.
He will be focused on leading the design, research, and webinar teams for the #PedsMatch22 season.