Photo of Utz, Kelli

Kelli Utz, MD

Resident (Class of 2027)

Combined Internal Medicine-Pediatrics Residency

« Med-Peds Residency

About

I am super proud to be an Illinois lifer as one might call me. I was born and raised in the small town of Effingham, IL. You may recognize it as the location of a huge cross at the intersection of I-57 and I-70. I am extremely passionate about rural medicine and would love to eventually return to my small hometown as a med/peds doctor. Outside of medicine, I love to stay active with weight lifting or walks. I wouldn't consider myself a "foodie" but I very much enjoy going to new restaurants and trying lots of different foods and drinks. Last but certainly not least I love all things in the "ber" months. Pumpkin-flavored anything, Christmas music, sweatshirt weather and bonfires are a few of my favorite things!

Why I Chose Peoria

As super generic as it sounds one of the biggest pulls to go to Peoria was all the support and mentorship everyone provided for me while I completed my sub-internship in my fourth year. Another huge pull for me was being able to start networking throughout my residency so that when I did return to my small community I would already have some connections throughout the state where I could refer patients for more specialized care.

Education

Medical School: University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford

Undergraduate: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign