There are 15 candidates for the ten representative-at-large positions. Voting members of the House Officers Association will receive ballots via email on Thursday, May 18, 2023, at 9 am. The election will remain open until Friday, May 26, 2023, at 9 am.

Please read the call to action from next year's HOA president Matt Basinger and statements from each of this year's candidates. Good luck to all those who are running.

President

Matt Basinger

Emergency Medicine
HO3 » HO4

As the incoming HOA president, I have big shoes to fill. It is no secret to any house officer that this year’s progress in negotiating a new contract has been tenuous, periodically frustrating, and at times very revealing in showing all of us how much (or little) the administration appreciates our labor, long hours, and dedication to the highest quality of patient care. I would have liked for my presidential statement to be short and sweet; I only needed to say that I am excited to enforce and support a new fair contract. However, our current contract is now only six weeks from expiring, and we have more work to do to come to an agreement on a new contract. The union is working on major topics determined by our constituents and house officer staff to be important to them. We have made real progress in many avenues but have met significant resistance in others. The State of Michigan has been made aware of the potential that we will not have a new contract before our current one expires. We are still highly motivated to find a solution before June 30th. The time for protecting and supporting our fellow house officers is now. As your upcoming HOA president, I am motivated and resolved in negotiating a fair contract with equitable salary and compensation. Once signed, I will strive to protect our new contract and our rights for this coming year while enacting the new bargaining agreement.

The last three years have been very hard on all of us. We have all experienced long hours, onslaughts of jeopardy activations without any thanks, going through the unknown of the COVID pandemic and being unable to see our loved ones, seeing increasing amounts of workplace violence towards healthcare workers, increasing amounts of mental health stressors in healthcare, and experiencing almost unprecedented global inflation. The onslaught of these responsibilities and stressors has made it difficult for all of us to practice medicine, and we have not been compensated or recognized fairly whatsoever for the lifesaving work we do every day.

Your negotiations team has been working very hard to ensure your voice and opinions are heard at the bargaining table, using sound reasoning and resolve to push for the changes you want in the contract and your work environment. We have been realistic by reasonably negotiating down when appropriate. We’ve worked with the administration to meet in the middle on many topics and issues. However, equitable salary and compensation continue to be a pressing point. To date, Michigan continues to offer us packages placing our team at the 41st percentile of peer institutions for PGY-1 pay. Michigan has not given us a fair raise offer thus far, after several months of stagnation from their side at the bargaining table, even after we have made fair and good faith efforts at modifying our stance. It has been made clear that Michigan does not want to continue acquiring top talent like us if they do not want to make Michigan appealing to prospective medical students with equitable compensation to peer institutions.

The next few weeks are going to be pivotal in our journey in obtaining respectful compensation and rights from the administration. We will be communicating action items and ways to support your negotiations team. We ask for solidarity while we work to win the major items you all told us were most important. Please pay attention to all communication coming your way.

• Support your fellow house officers. We are a unit and on the same team.
• Communicate what is going on with your fellow healthcare staff. Nurses, attendings, techs, and every single member of the healthcare team must support each other, and we need to show solidarity through the next year, as well as help each other out.
• Help the union help you: when we communicate ways to take action please show solidarity with your union! Become involved, as there are many ways for all house officers to help progress negotiations. Please check your “other” email folder, as it seems Michigan Outlook has been sending some communications to that folder as well.
• Be prepared to show solidarity as negotiations continue, starting with accurate duty hour reporting. We need a fair new contract that is respectful and proportional to the amount of work and service we provide Michigan Medicine. We have strength and protection in our union.

Additionally, please reach out to me or our HOA staff if you are facing any kind of injustice. The HOA is not afraid to help. If you are reading this and are not already part of the union, then please (and I cannot stress this enough) -- join your union, we are your ally.

Let’s fight for our “Michigan Answer,”

Matt Basinger, MD
2023-2024 HOA President
PGY-3, Emergency Medicine

President-elect

Samuel Schuiteman

Internal Medicine
HO2 » HO3

I'm running to be President-elect because I've seen firsthand how important a strong union is, and I want to continue to advocate to improve working conditions and pay for house officers.

Vice President

Ilana Fischer

Otolaryngology
HO4 » HO5

I would be honored to continue to serve on the HOA Board. At Michigan, we are lucky to have a representative body that ALL residents should have, and I would love the opportunity to continue to advocate for our collective position alongside my colleagues. My priorities include ensuring that resident work policies align with and support safe patient care, standard practice, and resident well-being. As a strong union of a tertiary medical center with one of the largest resident pools in the country, I think our mission should be to lead the way in resident compensation and workplace standards. I would love to continue this work next year.

Secretary

Liz Southworth

Ob/Gyn
HO3 » HO4

As residents, we walk the fine line between learners and employees. Our individual experiences in residency are varied and specialty-specific, but we all share a desire for work-life balance and professional development.

As a Representative-at-Large for the HOA for the past 2 years, I have enjoyed advocating for residents on the GME Wellness Committee as well as part of our negotiation team for our contract. As Secretary, I would bring my organizational skills and new insight as an administrative chief of my program to the role. I have a special interest in using social media to disseminate important information and highlight topics of interest to our membership and plan to collaborate with our staff to build our presence. I would be honored to continue to work with the HOA to ensure the University of Michigan remains an excellent institution for training. Thank you for considering voting for me for this important position.

Treasurer

Jaclyn Mauch

Plastic Surgery
HO2 » HO3

I am a rising PGY-3 plastic surgery resident. Prior to medical school, I worked in healthcare corporate strategy. I am excited to bring these skills to better advocate for my fellow residents. I have been honored to contribute to the HOA negotiations, as the board continues to fight for our needs and a fair salary. The experience has been quite eye-opening. Residents are an easily exploitable population with many unique needs. I am here to help listen and build support for those needs.

Representative-At-Large

Emily Ager

Current Board Member
Current Bargaining Team Member
Emergency Medicine
HO3 » HO4

I am a rising fourth-year Emergency Medicine resident and have served as a Representative on the House Officers Association Board for the last 2 years. It has been an honor to serve our House Officer community during this time, and I would be thrilled to continue in this role for the next academic year.

During contract negotiations this year, I have been shocked by the inability of the University to recognize the daily sacrifices House Officers make to provide exceptional patient care and their reluctance to compensate us fairly. It’s clear to me the institution only asks us to do more - more clinical responsibilities, more administrative duties, and more educational commitments - while providing us with less. They rely on our dedication, passion, and integrity to provide the “Michigan Difference,” yet have actively denied our proposed changes that stand to make a difference in our lives. Never has it been so important to have a strong HOA presence in our hospital.

My priority for the next year is to ensure that changes made in our contract during negotiations this year are effectively implemented and enforced. As an Emergency Medicine resident and rising chief resident, I interact with multiple other specialties on a daily basis and will be well-positioned to identify concerns raised by House Officers. I also have hands-on experience in relationship building, strategy development, and using available resources to bring needed change through my training in community organizing. 

I feel fortunate to be in a unionized residency and can’t imagine going through this training without union representation. It has been an honor to represent and advocate for House Officers during the last two years, and I look forward to continuing this rewarding work. Thank you for your consideration.

Katelynn Alcorn

Psychiatry
HO2 » HO3

I come from a long line of blue collar workers, and have experienced the impact of unions  firsthand from an early age. Being members of strong unions allowed my parents to have the resources to raise me and my sisters with opportunities they never had, and gave their work a greater sense of pride and dignity. I have grown up appreciating the power in worker solidarity, particularly during the most uncertain of times, demonstrated by our HOA fighting to ensure access to timely vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic for all house officers. Which shows that despite the integral part that residents and fellows play in patient care, we have to remain active and diligent advocates to remind others of this. I have been following our union negotiations closely, and it has been painful to watch our administration imply that we have too many days off, or that we do not deserve a wage to live where we work. It would be an honor to be part of our HOA board, as a representative of the life changing work we do every day at Michigan Medicine, and to be an advocate for our right to be compensated and valued appropriately for everything House Officers do for our patients and Michigan Medicine.

Elise Corden

Pediatrics
HO2 » HO3

My name is Elise Corden and I am a second-year pediatrics resident. I would like to serve on the HOA board because I am passionate about advocating for the wellness of residents knowing that resident well-being directly correlates with the support and care that we can provide to our patients. Pediatricians are acutely aware of how crucial it is to advocate on behalf of others, as advocacy is one of the pillars of our job. I have been fortunate to be able to promote the health and safety of our patients at an institutional, as well as the state level, and I look forward to the opportunity to do the same for our residents. During my time in business school, I was able to hone bargaining skills and gain experience interpreting legal documents which will enable me to discuss contract negotiations to further support our union. The Department of Pediatrics has recently enacted residency-wide changes designed to better promote the education and well-being of our cohort, and this change was fueled by residents sharing their experiences. I aim to leverage this momentum so that we may continue to elevate the voices of our co-residents and ensure that we do our part to provide fair and equitable working conditions for those who work tirelessly to take care of others.

Jamarie Geller

Current Bargaining Team Member
Psychiatry
HO3 » HO4

I have been honored, humbled, and galvanized by the experience of representing our esteemed members in the contract negotiation process this year. I am so grateful for all the work the HOA does to support and fight for residents at Michigan Medicine, and I would be proud to continue to contribute to these efforts as a board member.

I have experience in organized medicine and advocacy work, which has been motivated by a deep commitment to provider wellness, the desire to protect people who are vulnerable to exploitation, a sense of justice, and commitment to improving the lives of those in my community - and those people, among others - are the members of the HOA. As residents we deserve fair pay, fair treatment, and, as a floor, basic human rights.

My priorities are access to mental health and other health services, including adequate time to care for ourselves and our families, compensation that reflects the value of our work and the sacrifices, and improving our work environment. In the first year of our new contract, I will work to ensure the rights outlined are protected, and that we are looking toward the future to continue to fight for what we deserve.

Alexis Holman

Internal Medicine
HO1 » HO2

As an MD/JD resident, I would like to contribute to bridging the gap between the administration and its clinical providers. After witnessing the important advocacy measures taken by the HOA with respect to compensation this year, it would be an honor to be a part of this organization and learn more about how best to support our resident team.

Rebecca Howland

Urology
HO1 » HO2

As a urology intern, I have been lucky enough to work closely with the current HOA president, Kyle Johnson. I have seen the countless hours and meetings required to lead the HOA in negotiations. All of this hard work has only made me more interested in joining the leadership team. I am passionate about creating a working environment that is supportive, equitable, and reflects the needs of our union. We benefit from the hard work of prior years and I am excited to continue to fight for our needs.

Nadine Ibrahim

Current Bargaining Team Member
Otolaryngology
HO3 » HO4

As a rising fourth-year surgical resident, a parent, and a current member of the Bargaining Team negotiating the next HOA contract, I deeply understand the many ways that our system both enriches and hinders us as residents. Having had a child as a surgical intern, I was immediately acquainted with the stress points in a residency program that depends on the labor of residents. Prior to residency, I was the President of my medical school’s Student Council, which provided the basis for my passion to advocate for my peers. I am passionate about bringing the lessons I have learned throughout this journey to the HOA and to the active negotiations for our next HOA contract. Being one of the key members of contract negotiations has allowed me to become deeply familiar with both our previous and next contracts in a way that will allow me to serve my fellow House Officers. Throughout the contract negotiations thus far, I am proud to be able to advocate for all residents in regard to salary, safe call schedules, work hours, and for families, parents (both traditional and non-traditional), and people who are pumping when they return to work from parental leave. My unique experiences bring an important perspective to the HOA, and it would be an honor to continue to serve and work toward a better, healthier, safer, and stronger employment environment for all house officers.

Connor Knowles

Emergency Medicine » Psychiatry
HO1 » HO2

Hello house officers, my name is Connor and I'm finishing my PGY1 year in emergency medicine. As for all of us, my intern year was full of transformation and growth, the most significant of which in my journey allowed me to reevaluate the practice pattern and future I wanted within medicine. As a result of that journey, I am transitioning programs and will begin training in the Department of Psychiatry for my PGY2 year. Medicine is a career that asks us to anticipate the nexts steps before having all the information, both in our care of patients, and also in our own career journeys. Having a perspective of being a resident in two departments I hope will offer a unique perspective to the HOA board. My philosophy for us all is that no matter our department or primary job duties, from the operating room to our outpatient clinics, we as house officers deserve to have a fair and just contract, work-life balance, and be free from the threats our workforce often faces. I believe we need support as human beings first, and resident doctors second. I hope to continue building on the progress of this bargaining unit as a member of the HOA board if elected to serve. I idealize a world where residents are given what we deserve for the work we perform and the value we add to this institution every day, and one where house officers feel not only supported but empowered to find their happiest and healthiest path forward in medical training and practice.

Kat Krukowski

Current HOA Board Member
Current Bargaining Team Member
Anesthesiology
HO3 » HO4

My name is Kat Krukowski and I will be an upcoming PGY4 in the Department of Anesthesiology. I have been a board member with the HOA since 2021. This year has been particularly challenging negotiating a new contract to begin in July 2023. I have been appalled that the administration continues to use our vulnerable position as house officers to not fairly compensate us for the work and services we provide Michigan Medicine and the University. As an elected member I promise to hear your concerns and struggles and go a step further to achieve fairness in the form of action. I will continue to push the boundary and hold departments and administration accountable for wrongdoing. It’d be an honor to continue to represent all of you in my final year of training.

Joseph Linzey

Neurosurgery
HO4 » HO5

I previously served on the HOA board but did not serve this year due to time constraints. However, this upcoming year I am on research time and want to continue advocating for House Officers. As recent negotiations make clear, the Administration makes it exceptionally difficult to improve working conditions for House Officers. Residents around the United States are looking to Michigan as an example as they begin setting up their own unions at their home institutions. I want to advocate to improve House Officer wellness, education, and benefits while providing an example for other residencies about the benefits of unionization. I want to help fight to improve your experience at Michigan Medicine.

Sam Malakhovsky

Emergency Medicine
HO1 » HO2

The U of M resident community is the backbone of care at this health system and deserves the recognition and support that comes with that role. I hope to support my fellow co-residents and advocate for their needs to the fullest ability of the HOA. With the rising cost of living and inflation, combined with rising patient volumes, this advocacy is more important than ever.

Haley Marber

Child Neurology
HO1 » HO2

Our hospital system continues to strip us of our most basic human rights and dignities. We’re told this is a noble profession, that this is our calling. And while that may be true, at the end of the day, this is a job like any other. Like all workers, we demand basic protections and standards and demand the dismantling of the current abusive system. Many of us have been forced into mental health crises, overwhelmed with debt, and forced to pick between a career in medicine and having a family. We are made to feel as though an 80-hour work week is a protection when it is in reality, a frankly despicable standard, and the fact that our colleagues struggle to stay below it is unjust. It is all too easy to feel disempowered and like we have no recourse when we are unable to switch employers. This is precisely why fighting collectively is so crucial; we will only be able to change this system if we work together. I hope that as a member of our HOA board, I can fight for us to have a better quality of life, both in and outside the walls of the hospital.

Aishwarya Pastapur

Internal Medicine
HO2 » HO3

I want to advocate for equity for my colleagues and, by extension, my patients. After witnessing difficult bargaining negotiations this year regarding our contract, I want to make sure our interests continue to be well-represented and advocated for. My experience as part of our Internal Medicine House Officer Council, Equal Medicine Committee, and DEI Committee has prepared me to advocate for our needs.

Benjamin Pockros

Urology
HO1 » HO2

Why did the urology resident run for HOA board? To help our stream of negotiations flow smoothly! I have an MBA in Healthcare Management and am interested in pursuing a career in hospital leadership in the future. My goal is to use this background to help articulate the concerns of our residency union, analyze counter proposals from the hospital, and brainstorm effective negotiation strategies. I will certainly support and defend what is most important for us all: fair compensation and improved work conditions. This current negotiation cycle is an opportunity we cannot afford to lose. If elected to the board, I would be actively engaged in the negotiating process and thrilled to collaborate with every other resident who is interested in supporting our workforce.

Rachael Tesorero

Emergency Medicine
HO1 » HO2

Hello, my name is Rachael and I am one of the rising second year EM residents. I have been passionate about joining the HOA board since before starting residency at UM. The HOA was one of the top reasons I wanted to continue my training at UM after graduating from UMMS in 2022. In my short year as a member of the HOA, I have talked with many current board members and tried to be involved anywhere I could be helpful. I have also advocated to the EM residency PD and administration with contract language to help all current EM residents obtain earned meal money that was previously not provided on days with conference. EM residents would previously have conference and then work an afternoon shift, logging 14-15 hour work days without receiving the agreed upon meal reimbursement. After thorough contract review and advocacy, the program back paid all residents for AY 2022 who previously were declined those days and now includes conference hours in our 12 hour work day as agreed upon in the contract. I continue to be an open resource for my co-residents who come to me regularly with questions and have eagerly helped them to successfully obtain contractually guaranteed benefits. I am applying to be a part of the HOA board as I would like to share my passion and be a resource to the entire resident body to ensure that our dedication and hard work is valued and that our contract is upheld. Thank you for your consideration.