Our 2021-22 chief residents, Drs. Jake Melendrez, Annie Tran, and Ryan Gamlin.
Welcome, and thank you for your interest in our program! The UCLA Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine residency provides a superlative training experience in an unmatched environment, producing clinicians who are prepared for practice in any environment or subspecialty of anesthesiology (and who have the time and energy to enjoy living in Los Angeles while doing it!).
Our principal clinical site is the Ronald Reagan-UCLA Medical Center, located on UCLA’s campus in Westwood. The facility and staff attract complex patients from around the state, country, and world, and we have the distinction of being named among U.S. News and World Report’s top three hospitals in the nation. Our incredible case complexity and volume is enhanced by partnerships with Santa Monica Hospital, the West Los Angeles VA, Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, Miller Children’s and Women’s Hospital in Long Beach, and UCLA-Olive View -- each augmenting our clinical experience with diversity in clinical environment, patient populations, and techniques in anesthetic management.
UCLA residents go on to careers in academics and private practice, routinely securing fellowships and jobs in the most competitive programs and desirable groups in the country. We are supported by an outstanding faculty, many of whom have well-earned reputations as visionaries within our specialty, including leaders of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, California Society of Anesthesiologists, and American Board of Anesthesiology. Multiple faculty members hold significant extramural grant funding, including K01 and R01 grants. Collectively, the faculty serves as a powerful accelerator for residents interested in careers in academic leadership, research, clinical administration, quality improvement, or informatics.
We are exceptionally fortunate to train and serve as chief residents under the leadership of Department Chair Maxime Cannesson, MD, PhD, Vice Chair of Education Judi Turner, MD, PhD, and Program Director Jack Buckley MD. All are tireless resident advocates who maintain an active connection to the experiences of our trainees through continued work in the operating room. Our residents come from a wide variety of backgrounds, with a departmental ethos that values and respects diversity in every form. We have a robust Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion program which actively solicits resident participation and input.
Finally, no discussion of our program would be complete without talking about where we live and work: Los Angeles! While everyone knows about the beaches (perfect weather all year!) and food (any cuisine from around the world, available any time of day or night!), those less familiar with the area may be surprised to know that we also have the world’s largest urban wildland, the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area in our “backyard”. In Los Angeles, you can surf and ski in the same day, with multiple mountain ranges, hiking, running, skiing, snowboarding, cycling, and rock climbing all within range for an afternoon, weekend, or weeklong trip. Many residents run, walk, or cycle to work, and UCLA’s numerous recreational facilities provide a variety of indoor, outdoor, and aquatic options for recreation and adventure.
There is no “one kind” of UCLA Anesthesiology resident! We value colleagues who are compassionate, committed to world-class patient care, and excited to build on our department’s long tradition of excellence. We love it here and are happy to share with you why!
Sincerely,
2021-2022 Chief Residents
UCLA Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
