2022-2023 Chief Residents

Dr. Valerie Kastens Harwell was born and raised in Oklahoma City, OK. She moved to Norman to attend the University of Oklahoma and graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor's degree in Biochemistry in 2015. She moved back to OKC to attend the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, graduating with distinction in 2019. She elected to remain at OU for Internal Medicine residency, which she completed in June 2022. Dr. Harwell is passionate about resident advocacy and medical education, and after completing chief year plans to continue her career in academic general internal medicine. As a native Oklahoman, she feels fortunate to have witnessed the incredible growth and change that Oklahoma City has gone through over the last 20 years, and enjoys taking advantage of all the city has to offer, from new restaurants to shows to paddle boarding and kayaking. Dr. Harwell lives with her husband and their two cats in northwest Oklahoma City.

 

Dr. Stephen Pilkington was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He graduated from Jenks High School in 2011 with his then girlfriend and now wife, and went to the University of Oklahoma where he studied Psychology and Spanish, graduating summa cum laude in 2015. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine in 2019 and completed his Internal Medicine residency at the University of Oklahoma in June 2022. Dr. Pilkington is an ardent supporter of fostering a fun work environment and focusing on the mental wellbeing of the amazing residents in the Internal Medicine department. Upon completion of his Chief Resident year, Dr. Pilkington will be moving back to Tulsa to join an outpatient general internal medicine practice. In his free time, he enjoys reading fantasy novels, annoying his wife, walking his dogs, playing basketball, and beating his friends in fantasy football.     

 

Dr. Caleb St. Laurent is a native Oklahoman born and raised in Moore, OK with a deep appreciation for the people of this great state. He moved away to Fort Worth, Texas to attend Texas Christian University on a full ride scholarship where he majored in Biology and History. After graduation, he moved back home to attend the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, graduating in 2019. He stayed at OU primarily due to the outstanding culture that has been cultivated within the Internal Medicine program. He truly believes that a good education can be obtained at most institutions in 2022, but it's the people you're around that will shape your career going forward. He has a fascination with Gastroenterology and is currently applying for a fellowship in this field. Dr. St. Laurent lives with his beautiful wife, son, and dog in Edmond, OK where he enjoys working in his garage, learning about new technology, reading about philosophy and psychology, and going to the park to school his one-year-old in basketball.

Dr. Veena Gujju is the VA Chief Resident in Quality and Safety for 2022-2023. Although she was born in California, she grew up mostly in Dallas, Texas. In 2018, she graduated medical school from Sri Ramachandra University in Chennai, India. She completed her Internal Medicine residency at the University of Oklahoma in June 2022. Throughout her residency, she became keenly interested in caring for and improving the patient experience of oncology patients, as well as providing cost effective patient care. Her current job responsibilities include leading systems redesign at the Oklahoma City VA medical center, guiding internal medicine residents in quality improvement methodology via hands-on projects, and utilizing lean methodology and HRO principles to help reduce waste and improve efficiency. Her future career interests are combining a career in hematology oncology and quality improvement/patient safety. In her free time Dr. Gujju enjoys working on artistic projects, particularly knitting, sewing, and acrylic painting.