Second-Year Fellows

Phani Akella, MBBS

EDUCATION:
Medical School: MediCiti Institute of Medical Sciences, India
Residency: Mclaren, Flint, MSU-Flint, MI

I am born and raised in India, moved to Kentucky for a master’s in public health (MPH). I finished my residency in Michigan, worked in Louisiana for a couple of years, and then moved to Kansas City for my wife’s training to be an endocrinologist.

I would consider myself relatively new to Kansas City but thoroughly enjoyed it so far. It has everything a big city has to offer. Lots of parks, greenery, and good food. I love spending time outdoors with my son and daughter, we are mostly on our bikes in the evening. We all love to travel.

The fascinating spectrum of problems caused by microorganisms involving every organ system and the challenge of identifying and connecting these dots to make the right diagnosis is what attracted me to ID. The best part is the satisfaction obtained from curing someone of their infection.

Tori Kunkel, MD

EDUCATION:
Medical School: University of Kansas School of Medicine
Residency: University of Tennessee Health Science Center

I am from Overland Park, KS, and I am so excited to come back to Kansas City after finishing residency in Memphis! My parents and younger sister still live in Kansas. You can always catch us at a Chiefs home game or a Train concert at Starlight.

What I love about KC is that there’s something for everyone, from football to BBQ to breweries. Most of my free time is spent reading, taking care of my collection of houseplants, and experimenting with new latte recipes.

I chose ID because it is so rewarding to be able to cure and control infections that range from minor to life-threatening. I love the mix of seeing patients in the hospital and the clinic, and there is great continuity that allows me to establish long-term relationships with my patients.

Jason Sakizadeh, MD

EDUCATION:
Medical School: University of Minnesota Medical School
Residency: University of Minnesota

I grew up in Minnesota, and I’m a triple-Gopher- doing undergrad, medical school, and residency at the University of Minnesota. I like KU’s clinical opportunities, program culture, and collaboration with faculty.

I enjoy the social aspect of the specialty from having to fully learn details of patient’s lives and collaborate, and I like the detective work of having to use all diagnostic tools at your disposal (history, exam, tests) to come up with an appropriate plan. I have an interest in antimicrobial and diagnostic stewardship.

I enjoy outdoor activities in my free time hiking and biking. I root for the Twins in baseball (I’ll of course root for the Royals when they aren’t playing the Twins). I also play saxophone in a community band, so I will be looking for a band to join in Kansas City.

First-Year Fellows

Lei Alena Dagat, DO

EDUCATION:
Med School – AT Still University of Health Sciences
Residency - University of Pittsburgh Medical Center - Lititz

I’m originally from the Philippines, and moved to Iowa with my family when I was young. I've visited Kansas City several times before and really enjoyed exploring the city and the surrounding areas and looking forward to calling the city home!

My husband and I love going on adventures and are constantly exploring. We love traveling, trying out new cooking recipes or restaurants, going to museums and concerts. We host frequent game nights and potlucks with our friends and family. 

I chose ID because it is highly collaborative in nature, allowing us to work with a multitude of specialties. We are not limited to just one organ system.

Ben Horton, DO

EDUCATION:
Medical School: AT Still University of Health Sciences
Residency: NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital

I was born in Kansas City and grew up around Overland Park. My family still lives in Kansas and I have always enjoyed the area. I love listening to Jazz at the Green Lady Lounge, hiking around the Arboretum, and going to the KC Zoo with my family.

I have a wife as well as two kids. We keep very busy and enjoy going for walks and finding new places to eat out. I enjoy some occasional Netflix, and can probably be considered an expert in the movie Frozen at this point. 

Infectious Disease allows me to incorporate my passion for microbiology with patient care to make a large difference in patients’ lives. It is a field that gets to treat some of the most interesting pathology in the hospital and allows for a large amount of detective work in finding the source of complex and diverse illnesses from a wide variety of pathogens.

Skyler Trieu, MD

EDUCATION:
Medical School: University of Kansas School of Medicine
Residency: University of Arizona, Tuscon, AZ

I grew up in the greater KC area in Overland Park, KS. I left for undergrad at Colorado College in Colorado Springs, came back to KC for med school, left for residency at the University of Arizona in Tucson, and now am excited to be coming back for ID fellowship! KC will always have a special place in my heart - I love how versatile the city is (especially the food scene) and think it's just the right size.

In my free time I enjoy learning to cook recipes from around the world, listening to podcasts and audiobooks, playing frisbee, running, biking, and indoor rock climbing. I enjoy spending time with my family.

I chose a career in ID because I love the day-to-day investigative work, the storied history of the field, the unique patient populations served by ID doctors, and the nuances of antimicrobials and microorganisms.