Title: Clinical Associate Professor
Employer: SIU School of Medicine, Department of Family & Community Medicine
Previous Roles: Resident Physician, SIU Decatur Family Medicine Program 2012-2015
Johnny Tenegra obtained a Bachelor's Degree in Integrative Biology with Distinction in 2005 and a Master's Degree in Biology from the University of Illinois in 2007. He later earned an MD from Ross University School of Medicine in 2011.
Johnny has been an academic family physician for ten years in Decatur, Illinois. His practice encompasses full-spectrum family medicine, which includes caring for both children and adults, working in outpatient clinics, seeing patients in hospitals and nursing homes, and performing procedures such as ultrasounds and skin biopsies.
In his current role, he serves as the Director of Point of Care Ultrasound and Faculty Development for the SIU Department of Family & Community Medicine. Johnny has a keen interest in leadership development, having been a former Illinois Leadership Center coach and chairing the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM) Emerging Leaders Fellowship for academic family physicians. Additionally, he conducts research in medical education, focusing on simulation with medical students and residents, incorporating point-of-care ultrasound into residency education, and faculty/leadership development.
Johnny's degrees in Integrative Biology and Biology have provided a strong foundation for his medical career. The rigorous academic training and research experience, along with mentorship from Dr. Carla Caceres and her lab, have been instrumental in his ability to practice medicine comprehensively and effectively. His education has also been pivotal in his roles involving leadership and development within the medical community.
Johnny is enthusiastic about connecting with current IB students through informational interviews, career questions, and mentorship programs. He aims to re-establish outreach efforts to pre-med students through workshops and talks, similar to those previously conducted with the RSO UIUC Hearts. Johnny hopes to explore opportunities for contributing to the School of Integrative Biology through workshops or panels and aims to create a sustainable relationship between his residency program and the IB department. He recalls how past workshops influenced participants' career choices in family medicine and is eager to continue such impactful initiatives.
Here is just a few things current IB students have had to say about Johnny:
"A prior misconception I had was that for someone to do well in the med school journey, they would probably major in MCB and do research that probably revolves around what speciality they would want to do in order to be a strong applicant. However, Dr. Tenegra proved that this was not necessary, and would in fact make him stand out more as an applicant. This was reassuring to meet someone in real life who has the same major as me and still has a pre-health career, and that his undergrad research experience didn’t exactly have to be related to the specialty he does now. I was worried about this because I felt my undergrad research experience for a semester analyzing baboon eye socket volume wouldn’t add much to my portfolio. This reassures me that being an IB major has huge perks and makes me stand out a bit more! Hearing more about Dr. Tenegra’s medical school experience was also super cool. It’s interesting that the social circle of peers that are in the same specialty can be incredibly small compared to in undergrad, and that is the general norm. This is super cool to learn and now this sort of information/adjustment won’t come as a shock to me later on when I (hopefully) am in optometry school!"
"The class session with Johnny Tenegra was refreshing and insightful. He seems very passionate about his career and knowledgeable. The application process is something I have been anxious about for a while and I’m glad it was broken down. It’s important to keep an open mind when applying and searching. Certain criteria don’t mean you are unable to complete the job, but it is important to make sure you assess your own skills and how well you think you’d fit. "
"I really liked it when Johnny mentioned that if we look at the things and the applications and what they have to offer us and we say it sounds great to us, we are really shooting ourselves in the foot. I feel like what we learn from this is that we should do things that align with our values so we could get the enlightenment out of it. I also liked the point of accepting failure and learning from it, and what influence it has on us now, given that we may want to explain that to a company or someone if we are asked at some point in our lives."
"Listening to Johnny Tenegra talk, a lot of different things either changed in my brain or kind of clicked. His life story was very interesting and not completely traditional. That might be my biggest take away about who I want to be as a professional. Often times, I find myself comparing my path to the traditional path of becoming a PA, however Johnny Tenegra taught me that it is okay to follow a different path. Just because you have an idea of what you want to do or who you want to be does not mean that you have to stick to that goal. Life takes us down many different paths and we may experience things that change our initial perspective of what we thought we wanted to do. "