Julia Dahlke, MD, University of Kansas City School of Medicine; Samantha DeLuca, DO, AT Still University Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine; Kennet Sorenson, MD, UNMC; Lauren Weber, DO, Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine; Spencer Zaheri, MD, Louisiana State University School of Medicine-Shreveport will join the Department of Psychiatry as interns on July 1, 2026.
Dr. Daniel Gih, Vice-Chair for Education in the Department of Psychiatry, said all five are great additions.
For Dr. Sorenson, who will graduate from UNMC College of Medicine on May 9, 2026, staying in Omaha was always Plan A.
“I’m very excited. This was exactly how I wanted (Match Day) to go, so, yeah, no complaints here,” Dr. Sorenson said. “In my time here, the teachers have been really supportive. I felt really comfortable here at UNMC, and I know that I will continue to get great training in residency.”
With the five new trainees, the department’s resident count is 20. While seven graduated from medical programs at UNMC or Creighton, the remainder of the interns and residents have come from all over the United States.
“Historically, our program does have a pretty wide national reach in terms of applicants applying to us,” Dr. Gih said. “In the last couple of years, we’ve matched people from South Dakota, Illinois, Kansas, Colorado, Texas, Hawaii, Kentucky, Louisiana, Florida, and then this year on our list, we’ll add Missouri.”
There are many local ties in the new group. While Sorenson is the only UNMC graduate in the group, Dr. Dahlke is an Omaha native, Dr. Weber was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Dr. Zaheri’s wife is part of the family medicine program at Offutt Air Force Base in Bellevue, Nebraska.
On May 14, the Psychiatry Residency Program will celebrate the graduation of George Blankenau, MD; Jacob Givens, MD; Harrison Greene, MD; Casey Reihe, MD; and Mukanya Tchombela, DO. Also, third-year resident Charlotte Ritchie, MD, will head to Stanford University College of Medicine for a child fellowship.
After graduation, Dr. Blankenau will join the UNMC faculty in July 2026. Dr. Givens (Addiction Medicine) and Dr. Greene (Forensic) will begin fellowships at the University of Colorado.
Dr. Gih said the Psychiatry Residency Program continues to have “a perfect record” in placing residents in highly respected fellowships.