Medicine Grand Rounds- Dr. Leslie Appleton, Dr. Megan Hoppens, Dr. Michael Rydberg, Dr. Aaron Fried, and Dr. Casey Birschbach presents: “Year In Review: Chief Residents.”

Leslie Appleton, MD, MPH

Inpatient Chief Resident 

Leslie Appleton is a native Arizonan who earned her MD MPH from the University of Arizona College of Medicine–Phoenix. She earned her BA in politics from Pomona College, after which she joined President Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign in Chicago. In 2013, Leslie began working for the federal government, holding positions in both the White House and the US Department of Health and Human Services. She is an avid reader and otherwise enjoys cooking, playing sports, enjoying the outdoors, and seeing the world.

Casey Birschbach, MD

Outpatient Chief Resident

Casey grew up in the small town of Deerfield, Wisconsin and studied biology and global cultures at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She taught seventh-grade math and reading in Milwaukee for a year before returning to the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health for medical school. There, she developed her interests in Internal Medicine and medical education. She journeyed down south to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for her residency in Internal Medicine and now serves as the Ambulatory Chief Resident for the program. Following her Chief Residency year, she plans to pursue primary care. In her free time, Casey enjoys cooking, true crime podcasts, and exploring local restaurants with her husband, Ryan.

Aaron Fried, MD, MBA

Inpatient Chief Resident 

Aaron grew up outside of Los Angeles before completing his undergraduate work in Biology and Hispanic Studies at Boston College. He spent one year with a biopharmaceutical research team in Boston before moving yet again for medical school, this time to the Midwest. At Creighton University, Aaron completed a dual MD/MBA degree program and was inducted into the AOA and Gold Humanism Honor Society. Now in North Carolina, Aaron stays busy outside of work with his two young daughters, Addison and Elise, and his wife, Katie. They love to explore the outdoors, eat their way around the Triangle, and have game nights with family and friends. Aaron also loves to play basketball, golf, table tennis, surf, and snowboard. His academic interests include medical education, health process innovation, and quality improvement, and he plans to pursue a career in hospital medicine.

Megan Hoppens, MD

Med-Peds Chief Resident

Megan was born in Fort Collins, CO, and attended Tulane University for her undergraduate work in Neuroscience. Not ready to leave New Orleans, she continued her training at LSU School of Medicine. In medical school, Megan was inducted into AOA and was an active member of the Flu Fighters Band and founding member of the Dermatones Accapella Group. She enjoyed the rich culture of New Orleans food and music, as well as frequent fishing trips with her dad. She couples matched with her classmate and now husband, Mark Hoppens, at UNC for residency. During her 4th year of residency, she welcomed a beautiful baby girl and her pride and joy, Diana Marie. After her chief year, Megan plans to pursue a career in primary care with a particular interest in medically underserved patient populations and outpatient procedures. During her free time, Megan enjoys listening to live music any chance she gets, hiking with her family, and traveling to new places.

Michael Rydberg, MD

Wake-Med Chief Resident

Michael is a Minnesota native who attended Davidson for college, studying biology and ultimate frisbee. After working in Charlotte for a year doing research and quality improvement work, Michael went to the University of Chicago for medical school. He was torn between urology and medicine and spent 2 years in Urology residency at the Cleveland Clinic before deciding to follow his heart and switch to medicine. He is currently the UNC chief resident at WakeMed. Following the chief year, Michael will pursue fellowship training in geriatrics.

Outside of the hospital, Michael enjoys spending time with his wife and young son, playing all the sports, and spending time outdoors.