Residents
Thomas Russell, MD
PGY 7
Dr. Thomas Russell was born in Manhattan and raised in Connecticut. He obtained a B.S. in both Biopsychology and Biomedical Engineering from Tufts University in Medford, MA. He then did a research year at Yale University studying flow cytometric identification of fibrocytes in scleroderma lung disease. He attended medical school at State University of New York Upstate Medical University where he obtained both his M.D. and M.S. in Physiology, successfully defending his thesis titled “The Effects of Stem Cell Factor and Granulocyte Colony Stimulating Factor Treatment in Traumatic Brain Injury.” His neurosurgery interests are still evolving. In his spare time, he enjoys running and weight training. He is also an automobile enthusiast and an avid computer hobbyist.
Nolan Winslow, MD
PGY 7
Nolan Winslow was born in Rochester, Minnesota. Prior to attending Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, he spent many years working with developmentally challenged youth and adults, children with epilepsy, and participated in a professional musical career as a drummer in a band. Nolan attended medical school at the University of Iowa Carver College. He enjoys wildlife and being outdoors, and currently is interested in many aspects of neurosurgery — from skull base anatomy to epilepsy/functional stimulation of the cortex. Faith is a big part of Nolan’s life.
Jonathan R. Garst, MD
PGY 6
Dr. Jonathan Garst was born in Chicago and raised in Peoria, IL. He attended Purdue University where he graduated with highest distinction with a B.S. in Biochemistry. After, he obtained his M.D. from Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. During medical school, he was involved in research projects studying alternate surgical treatments for trigeminal neuralgia as well as risk factors for facial nerve weakness after resection of acoustic neuroma. During his free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and dog, hunting, and fishing. Boiler up!
Sven Ivankovic, MD
PGY 5
Dr. Sven Ivankovic was born in Clemson, South Carolina with family roots in Croatia. He attended Furman University in Greenville, SC where he competed on the NCAA Division I Men’s Tennis Team during all four years and graduated magna cum laude with a B.S. in Neuroscience. After, he obtained his M.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville where his research interests involved improving outcomes in patients with Parkinson’s disease as well as meningioma treatment outcomes and recurrences. During his free time, he enjoys tennis, automobiles, boating activities, and Clemson football.
Taylor Sommer, MD
PGY 5
Dr. Taylor Sommer was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. Before attending college, Taylor spent two years in Sweden as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Upon arrival home he obtained a degree in neuroscience from the University of Utah, graduating cum laude and with the Undergraduate Research Scholars Designation award for his work in behavioral neurobiology. Taylor subsequently attended medical school at the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine. His neurosurgical interests remain broad, but he is attracted to open vascular and peripheral nerve surgery. Outside of the hospital, Taylor enjoys playing golf and basketball. He also snow skis, bakes desserts, and closely follows the Utah Jazz and University of Utah football and basketball teams.
Robert Dunwoody, MD
PGY 4
Dr. Robert Dunwoody was born and raised in Armuchee, Georgia. He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Georgia with a B.S. in Genetics as well as Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. For two years after college, he worked for the USDA researching DNA vaccination of poultry for Newcastle Disease virus. He earned his M.D. from Mercer School of Medicine in Savannah, Georgia, where he was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society and received the honor of Outstanding Student in Biomedical Sciences. He enjoys hiking, kayaking, and spending time with his wife and cat.
Jacqueline Boyle, MD
PGY 3
Dr. Jacquie Boyle was born and raised in the Chicago suburbs. She graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a B.A./B.S. in Biology and Spanish literature and language. During medical school, she spent a year at the NIH in the Neurological Surgery Branch as part of the Medical Research Scholars Program studying metabolism in Cushing’s Disease adenomas. She earned her M.D. with honors from University of Illinois in Peoria College of Medicine. In her spare time, she enjoys riding and spending time with her horses.
William Miller, MD
PGY 3
Will was born in Goshen, Indiana and grew up playing baseball and tennis. He attended Manchester University, North Manchester, IN, where he played baseball and graduated with a degree in chemistry. He obtained a master’s degree and attended medical school at the University of Toledo, Ohio. During his time at UT he became fascinated by nervous system tumors and their treatments. When not at the hospital he enjoys hiking and camping (which is surprisingly good in the Peoria area) and watching football, baseball, basketball and tennis.
Jacques Lara-Reyna, MD
PGY 2
Dr. Jacques Lara-Reyna was born in Portoviejo, Ecuador. He obtained his medical degree from the Universidad Católica de Santiago de Guayaquil. He was involved in pediatric neurosurgery and intraventricular endoscopy research at Weill Cornell. He then joined the Department of Neurosurgery at Mount Sinai in New York as a pre-residency clinical fellow and later in the Department of Surgery, where he completed his intern year. Dr. Lara-Reyna’s academic interests include open and endovascular neurosurgery, innovation, and development of medical devices. He enjoys biking, playing tennis, heavy metal, and spending time with his family.
Tristan Mackey, MD
PGY 1
Tristan grew up in Lancaster, SC and then moved to Columbia, SC to attend the University of South Carolina, where he graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Public Health and a minor in Spanish. He distinguished himself further at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville in Greenville, by being inducted into both Alpha Omega Alpha and the Gold Humanism Honor Society. Tristan has a passion for health policy and advocacy, and now serves on the Illinois State Medical Societies’ Governmental Affairs Council and the Peoria County and City Joint Commission on Racial Justice and Equity. He currently has an interest in pediatric neurosurgery. In his free time, Tristan enjoys hiking, spending time outdoors, biking, and hanging out with his Schnauzer, Jayden.
Stephanie Salovesh, MD
PGY 1
Stephanie Salovesh was born and raised in Illinois. She obtained her undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, majoring in Molecular and Cellular Biology, and received her medical degree from the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine where she was involved in research and community service. Stephanie enjoys playing sports, especially volleyball, basketball, and swimming, and spending time with her family and three dogs.