Class of 2027

Nancy Abarca, M.D.
Hometown: South Gate, California
Undergraduate Institution: University of California, Berkeley
Medical School: Michigan State University College of Human Medicine
Hobbies/Interests: Cooking, working out and traveling
Clinical Interests: Interventional Pain Medicine and Traumatic Brain Injury
Why Mary Free Bed: I decided to come to Mary Free Bed because I will have the opportunity to treat a diverse population with different health care needs that will challenge me every day to grow as a person as well as a clinician. In addition, the clinical and non-clinical staff are very supportive and knowledgeable. I’m excited to learn as much as I can from them and put it into practice to provide high quality care to all my patients.
What’s great about Grand Rapids: Reconnecting with old friends, trying new restaurants and exploring Michigan’s natural parks and recreational areas.

Justin McCarthy, M.D.
Hometown: Grand Rapids, Michigan
Undergraduate Institution: Michigan State University
Medical School: Michigan State University College of Human Medicine
Hobbies/Interests: Outside of work, I enjoy family time and trips, home construction projects, MMA, golf and chess.
Clinical Interests: Sports Medicine, Spine Medicine, Brain Injury Medicine
Why Mary Free Bed: I appreciate the friendly, homey feeling of the hospital. Also, the residency program is dedicated to fostering a healthy environment for patients and staff alike.
What’s great about Grand Rapids: Wonderful city for raising a young family. Great schools, great weather, great food, great people

Anh-Dao Tran, D.O.
Hometown: Grand Rapids, Michigan
Undergraduate Institution: University of Michigan
Medical School: Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Hobbies/Interests: Yoga, jiu-jitsu, novel fruits and vegetables
Clinical Interests: General Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Cancer Rehabilitation
Why Mary Free Bed: We’re truly a team here. There’s nothing better than knowing your colleagues have your back.
What’s great about Grand Rapids: Nostalgic childhood memories: picking cherries in the orchard, ice-skating at Rosa Parks Circle downtown, wakeboarding on Green Lake, sliding down Silver Lake sand dunes.

Donovan Wilcox, M.D.
Hometown: Muskegon, Michigan
Undergraduate Institution:  University of Michigan
Medical School: Wayne State University School of Medicine
Hobbies/Interests: Skiing, surfing, playing and watching any/all sports (Go Blue!), music.
Clinical Interests: Spinal Cord Injury, Traumatic Brain Injury, Sports Medicine
Why Mary Free Bed: I rotated here as a medical student and was impressed by the combination of high-level patient care, education, resident wellness and overall culture. I think the residency program is well-balanced with great exposure to the wide world of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation!
What’s great about Grand Rapids: I think Grand Rapids is the perfect city size for residency: big enough that there’s tons to do (concerts, festivals, breweries, food), and small enough that everything is accessible, convenient, and there’s still great outdoor access (trails, golf courses, LAKES). Also, the people are the best.

Class of 2026

Michelle Andary, D.O.
Hometown: East Lansing, MI
Undergraduate Institution: Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, IN
Medical School: Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Hobbies/Interests: Being outdoors, Michigan State events, and spending time with family and friends
Clinical Interests: General rehab, Brain injury and Spasticity
Why Mary Free Bed? I loved being part of Mary Free Bed both as a family member of a patient and as a medical student. Mary Free Bed emphasizes the importance of collaboration of staff members, patients and the patient’s families to best help the patient achieve his or her goals. Very excited to be part of the Mary Free Bed team!
Favorite Part About Grand Rapids: Being close to Lake Michigan and visiting all of the breweries!

Frederick Heitjan, M.D.
Hometown: Hershey, PA
Undergraduate Institution: United States Military Academy
Medical School: Pennsylvania State College of Medicine
Hobbies/Interests: Guitar, golfing, & skiing
Clinical Interests: Spinal cord injury, Complex medical care, & Cancer rehab
Why Mary Free Bed? I wanted to train with a PM&R program that was as committed to excellent training and medical care as it was to involvement in its community. It was clear throughout the interview process that everyone at Mary Free Bed ‐ including its patients ‐ are proud to be part of the MFB team.
Favorite Part About Grand Rapids: I’m excited to live in a walkable city with great food, great beer, and great
golf!

Alexander Rose, M.D.
Hometown: Rockford, Illinois
Undergraduate Institution: Bradley University
Medical School: St. George’s University
Hobbies/Interests: Running, Golfing, Cooking, trying new restaurants & breweries, fitness, trivia, tennis and corn hole.
Clinical Interests: Sports Medicine, Interventional Spine, Musculoskeletal, Pediatrics
Why Mary Free Bed? The facilities are incredible, in particular the prosthetics lab. Additionally, what stands out to me is how approachable everybody is.
Favorite Part About Grand Rapids: I am very excited about living in Grand Rapids! Convenient access to so many nature trails, especially the trail around Reeds Lake and the proximity to Lake Michigan!

Andrea Fromson, M.D.
Hometown: Lake Orion, MI
Undergraduate Institution: Michigan State University
Medical School: Michigan State University College of Human Medicine
Hobbies/Interests: Pickle ball, tennis, yoga, reading, environmental efforts
Clinical Interests: Pediatrics, pain/palliative care, spasticity management
Why Mary Free Bed? I was introduced to Mary Free Bed during my first year of medical school when my friend invited me to attend the Mary Free Bed ‘Thrive’ Gala. As I observed the staff interact, I could tell that they truly cared for one another and valued every team member. Their dedication and passion had a meaningful impact on patient recovery, and I was eager to be a part of it. The positive work environment and abundance of resources that Mary Free Bed offers makes this the ideal place to learn and build my foundations as a PM&R physician. I am also interested in academic medicine and am looking forward to engaging with medical students at my alma mater.
Favorite Part About Grand Rapids: I love the abundance of Broadway shows and concerts that come through
town! There are also many great spots to go on walks, my favorites are the Heritage Hill neighborhood and
Reed’s lake. The lakeshore is only a short distance away and makes for the perfect day trip!

Class of 2025

Antonis Costeas, M.D.
Hometown: Larnaca, Cyprus
Undergraduate Institution: Rutgers University, New Brunswick
Medical School: St. George’s School of Medicine, Grenada, West Indies
Hobbies/Interests: Fishing, reading fiction, cooking, video games
Clinical Interests: General Rehab, electrodiagnostics, spasticity, pain, brain injury
Why Mary Free Bed? Well-rounded program with a strong leadership and an excellent mission statement.
What’s great about Grand Rapids? All the restaurants and breweries!

Salina Halliday, D.O.
Hometown: Chelsea, MI
Undergraduate Institution: University of Michigan
Medical School: Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Hobbies/interests: Triathlon, hiking/camping, travel, painting, rock climbing, music
Clinical interests: Sports Medicine, adaptive sports
Why Mary Free Bed? I have always heard amazing things about Mary Free Bed from my previous career and had a great deal of respect for the program before even entering medical school. I couldn’t believe how helpful the staff was and how invested the attendings were in their patients and in the education of their residents. The residents were down to earth, kind and worked well together with a generally positive outlook.
What’s great about Grand Rapids? It is the perfect combination of a large city and small town. There are adorable coffee shops, small and large music venues, sports arenas/teams, and virtually any class that you look for will be available (painting, yoga, dancing, pottery, rock climbing).

Rahul Nalamasu, D.O.
Hometown: San Jose, CA
Undergraduate Institution: Pitzer College
Medical School: Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific
Hobbies/Interests: Cooking, Baking, Dancing
Clinical Interests: Sports, Spine, Pain, Stroke
Why Mary Free Bed? When I rotated here 2 years ago, I fell in love with the culture of the hospital as a whole and its unrelenting emphasis on building community both within its walls and outside of them.
What’s great about Grand Rapids? It has the amenities and opportunities of a big city but with the kindness and feel of a small, tight knit community.

Mackenzie Sacks, D.O.
Hometown: Indianapolis, IN
Undergraduate Institution: University of Evansville
Medical School: Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Hobbies/Interests: Hiking/biking, kayaking, really anything outdoors!
Clinical Interests: Medically Complex Rehab, Fall Prevention, Adaptive Sports
Why Mary Free Bed: I was looking for a program where residents were supported, not just by each other, but by staff and administration. I wanted to be primarily in one location, working with a variety of different faculty who were experts in their fields. As a medical student, I saw how well the residents got along, the caliber of resident education by faculty, and how supportive the faculty were with resident education.  Mary Free Bed provides an excellent work life balance.