Obstetric Anesthesiology

Many faculty members in the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine are involved in the care of Labor and Delivery (L&D) patients. UCLA anesthesiologists provide obstetric anesthesia services at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center (RRUMC) in Westwood Village, at the Santa Monica - UCLA Medical Center, and at Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital (MLKCH). The Division of Obstetric Anesthesiology includes faculty members who specialize in obstetric anesthesiology and devote time to teaching and research in the field in addition to patient care.

At the RRUMC, faculty members typically work in a multidisciplinary, collaborative, academic environment to educate UCLA anesthesiology residents and medical students. An attending anesthesiologist remains in the hospital around the clock to guide labor analgesia and handle emergencies. In the Westwood L&D unit (a.k.a. The BirthPlace – Westwood), there are 12 rooms for laboring patients alongside a six-bed fetal diagnostic/triage area and a 13-room maternity suite.

Watch epidural video

We expect an annual volume of 1500-2000 births/year, including a wide variety of high-risk referral patients in need of tertiary care. A majority of laboring women receive labor epidurals from our service, but UCLA offers other pain management therapies for the labor and birth experience including nitrous oxide. We support each mother’s choices for pharmacologic and/or non-pharmacologic pain management.

UCLA anesthesiology residents rotate to other local hospitals, including the Olive View – UCLA Medical Center and Long Beach Memorial Hospital. Long Beach Memorial has a very high case volume which provides a fast-paced, rich educational opportunity for residents honing their skills.

UCLA faculty work without residents in the Santa Monica L&D unit (a.k.a The BirthPlace – Santa Monica) and at MLKCH. At these locations, we see very different patient populations. While the growing obstetric practice at The BirthPlace – Santa Monica is located in an affluent area, MLKCH is located in a historically-underserved area of South Los Angeles with a catchment area that is roughly 70% Hispanic and 30% black. Our active participation there helps fulfill our social mission to bring excellent obstetric anesthesia care to a diverse population of patients.

Anesthesiology Grand Rounds lecture "OB Anesthesia Myth-busting: Impacts on Clinical Care". Visiting professor Joy Hawkins, MD

Catherine Cha, MD
Assistant Clinical Professor
Medical Director of Obstetric Anesthesiology for Santa Monica-UCLA
[email protected]
Fellowship-trained at Cedars Sinai

Lynn Choi, MD
Assistant Clinical Professor
Fellowship Program Director
[email protected]
Fellowship-trained at Brigham and Women's

Jason Hirsch, MD
Assistant Clinical Professor
[email protected]
Fellowship-trained at UCLA

Joe C. Hong, MD
Associate Clinical Professor
Executive Vice Chair
[email protected]

Richard Hong, MD, FASA
Associate Clinical Professor
Chief of Obstetric Anesthesiology
[email protected]
Fellowship-trained at the University of Michigan

Jennifer Lucero, MD, MA
Associate Professor
Vice Chair for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
[email protected]
Fellowship-trained at UCSF

Judi Turner, MD, PhD
Clinical Professor
Vice Chair for Education
[email protected]

Sapna Satyanarayan-Victor, MD
Assistant Clinical Professor
[email protected]
Fellowship-trained at Stanford

Cristianna Vallera, MD
Assistant Clinical Professor
Medical Director of Obstetric Anesthesiology for Martin Luther King, Jr.
[email protected]
Fellowship-trained at Johns Hopkins

Colleen Yen, MD
Assistant Clinical Professor
[email protected]
Fellowship-trained at NYU