CA-2 Resident Profiles
Charles Akiona, MD, MS
Preferred Name: Kawena
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Hometown: Kailua, HI
Undergraduate: University of Southern California, BA Biology
Graduate: Keck School of Medicine of USC, MS Global Medicine
Medical School: John A. Burns School of Medicine at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa
Residency: Anesthesiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Why I chose UCLA: I chose UCLA for the balance of clinical complexity even as an early trainee, supportive department including faculty and residents, and close proximity to family and the ocean. As a Sub-I watching team captains essentially function as junior attendings, I knew this program would prepare me well out of residency for any future challenging case, especially if I decide to work in a minimal resource setting back home in Hawai‘i. Not to mention being surrounded by supportive attendings who consistently push us to think about the 'why' and co-residents from all years who are there for the ups, downs and everything in-between. Lastly, I feel as though enjoying life outside of the hospital makes me a better doctor, and for that, UCLA is located in one of the most exciting yet relaxing cities in the country.
Hobbies/Interests: Spending time with my wife and our mini-Schnauzer Sunny, Surfing with my brothers and friends, Watching sunsets at the beach.
Belle Benanzea-Fontem, MD
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Hometown: Bowie, MD
Undergraduate: St. Mary’s College of Maryland, BA Biochemistry
Medical School: The Ohio State University College of Medicine
Residency: Anesthesiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Why I chose UCLA: I chose UCLA because of the amazing people here. I’ve met so many inspiring, driven, yet down to earth Anesthesiologists here. I wanted to end up somewhere I would be pushed to do my best but also be welcomed into a family and that’s exactly what I got when I matched here.
Hobbies/Interests: Academic Interests: DEI work and Recruitment; Non-Academic Interests: Food, Make-Up, Dance, Movies, Music.
Kathy Cazares, MD, MBA
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Hometown: Honolulu, HI
Medical School: Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
Residency: Anesthesiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Why I chose UCLA: Working with talented people from diverse backgrounds who have supported me and inspire me to grow professionally and personally.
Hobbies/Interests: Jogging with a podcast or audio book, Hiking, Tahitian Dance.
Lauren Ellis, MD, MS
Pronouns: She/Her
Hometown: Mercer Island, WA
Undergraduate: Stanford University, BS Biomedical Computation
Graduate: Stanford School of Medicine, MS Biomedical Informatics
Medical School: Keck School of Medicine of USC
Residency: Anesthesiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Why I chose UCLA: Strong clinical training in all fields, with the added benefit of partnerships with outside hospitals in the area to gain additional exposure in peds and OB anesthesia. Supportive department from the level of the chair, to education leadership, to coresidents - and many women in leadership positions and on faculty that I could see as role models. The perfect location!
Hobbies/Interests: Getting outside - hiking, biking, skiing, or just going for a walk around Santa Monica, Music, Going to concerts, Travel, Spending time with friends and family.
Benjamin Icard, MD
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Hometown: Kingston, WA
Undergraduate: California Polytechnic State University, BS Biology
Medical School: University of South Florida Health Morsani College of Medicine
Residency: Anesthesiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Why I chose UCLA: World-class education and sense of family.
Hobbies/Interests: Kiteboarding, Fishing/Crabbing, Surfing and Biking.
Kathryn Kim, MD
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Hometown: Schaumburg, IL
Undergraduate: Northwestern University
Medical School: University of Illinois College of Medicine
Residency: Anesthesiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Why I chose UCLA: Great training, great people.
Hobbies/Interests: Trying new restaurants in LA, Hiking, Camping, Arguing with her Amazon Alexa.
Sungsoo Kim, MD, MS, PhD
Preferred Name: Danny
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Hometown: Seoul, South Korea
Undergraduate: Yonsei University, BS Electrical and Computer Engineering
Graduate: Yonsei University, MS Electrical and Computer Engineering
The University of Texas at Austin, PhD Electrical and Computer Engineering
Medical School: Yonsei University College of Medicine
Residency: Anesthesiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Why I chose UCLA: Top clinical and research program. Great weather and sea nearby the hospital. A warm, supportive, and family atmosphere among the residents. Diverse and lovely outdoor activities, restaurants, and people.
Hobbies/Interests: Programming, Swimming, Cooking, and Dancing.
Sohee Kwon, MD, MPH
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Hometown: Seoul, South Korea
Undergraduate: Yonsei University, BS Electrical Engineering with a minor in Economics
Graduate: Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, MPH
Medical School: Pusan National University, South Korea
Residency: Anesthesiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Why I chose UCLA: The People: Friendly, supportive, and sweet people during my interview. Los Angeles: The most diverse city with wonderful weather. Research Opportunity: The major academic program with tremendous resources.
Hobbies/Interests: Hiking and Outdoor Activities, Cooking, Brewery/Winery Tours, Exploring Coffee Shops.
Stephanie Lam, DO, MS
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Hometown: Mission Viejo, CA
Undergraduate: University of Southern California, BS Biological Sciences with a minor in Business
Graduate: Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, MS Medical Science
Medical School: Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
Residency: Anesthesiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Why I chose UCLA: I chose UCLA because I really enjoyed getting to know the faculty and residents on interview day. UCLA had everything I was looking for in a residency program - an exceptional reputation, strong training, excellent research opportunities, caring faculty and residents - all in close proximity to the beach!
Hobbies/Interests: Peloton, Hiking, Baking, Trying New Restaurants, Road Trips, Board Games, Walks on the Beach, Music, Reality Television.
George Lee, MD
Pronouns: He/His/Him
Hometown: Palm Springs, CA
Undergraduate: Stanford University, BA Human Biology
Medical School: UC Riverside School of Medicine
Residency: Anesthesiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Why I chose UCLA: I chose UCLA Anesthesia for multiple reasons: High quality training with unique patient pathologies, location in Southern California (near family and friends), close sense of community and friendship amongst the residents, supportive faculty members enthusiastic about teaching, great resident benefits from a strong union, etc.
Hobbies/Interests: Outside of medicine, I’m a huge nerd and love video games, movies, anime, and comic books. I’m also really into fitness and love weight lifting and rock climbing. Finally, I love to travel and try new foods as much as possible, currently planning my next big trip!
Desmond Lowe, MD
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Hometown: Boston, MI
Undergraduate: University of Michigan, BS Neuroscience
Medical School: University of Michigan Medical School
Residency: Anesthesiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Why I chose UCLA: I chose UCLA because, despite being new to the virtual format during my interview year, I felt UCLA truly represented a family that I wanted to be a part of. Prior to residency, I lived in Michigan for my entire life and I knew moving across the country would be a major adjustment. It was important to me that I found I program that I knew I would feel supported by both admin and my co-residents while I also created a new home-away from home. UCLA has given me that and more and I couldn't be happier with my decision to come to UCLA to further my training! (... Plus the year round sun and warmer weather also helped make that decision!!)
Hobbies/Interests: I enjoy essentially doing anything outdoors! I enjoy hiking, running, going to the beach, beach volleyball, working out, boating, wine tasting, coffee shops, traveling, hanging with friends, and spending time with family.
Maegan Lu, MD
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Hometown: Atlanta, GA; San Jose, CA
Undergraduate: UCLA, BS Molecular Biology with a minor in Bioinformatics
Medical School: Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
Residency: Anesthesiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Why I chose UCLA: I chose UCLA because the current residents that I talked to before interviewing were genuinely proud and happy about being at the program! A lot of that has to do with the strong bond we develop among our class during intern year and between classes once we start CA years. The union benefits (housing/food stipend, terrific health insurance) and amazing location play a huge role too.
Hobbies/Interests: My hobbies include running and hiking around different parts of LA. This year, I completed my first 5 and 10K all sponsored by UCLA! I also enjoy exploring all the different types of diverse cuisine in LA and cooking/baking at home. Last year, my husband and I adopted a husky named Kaia and we love taking her on hikes and to nearby dog parks.
Ryan McWhirter, MD, MS
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Hometown: Millbrae, CA
Undergraduate: UC Davis, BS Biological Sciences
Graduate: Tufts University School of Medicine, MS Biomedical Sciences
Medical School: Albany Medical College
Residency: Anesthesiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Why I chose UCLA: I chose UCLA for the variety of complex cases, the patient population, and the camaraderie of the department. I like that I feel like I am part of a big team of anesthesiologists all working together to take care of a very diverse patient population. Another big draw was the location in Los Angeles and the beautiful sunny weather.
Hobbies/Interests: I enjoy cooking and trying new restaurants. I try to cook as much as possible when I’m not at work, and my favorite cuisines to cook are Greek and Italian food. I also like traveling and going to the beach. I recently went to Spain, and touring through the multiple cities and their delicious foods and wines was one of my favorite parts of the trip.
David Miller, MD
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Hometown: San Diego, CA
Undergraduate: UC Davis, BS Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior
Medical School: Albany Medical College
Residency: Anesthesiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Why I chose UCLA: My fourth year Anesthesiology rotations were impacted by COVID so I never had the chance to do an away rotation at UCLA. In fact, my first time stepping foot on the hospital grounds was during my orientation in June. One thing I immediately realized is that this place felt like home after being away from the west coast for four years of medical school. The sun was shining, it was 70 degrees, and the people around me were happy. I chose UCLA was because the program is not only a one of the best programs in the country, but it also happens to be near my friends and family in Southern California. My wife is from LA and I am from San Diego, so this felt like the perfect program because of the location and the excellent clinical training. During my interview season, I got the impression from residents here that this program was the most well rounded in terms of clinical workload with clinical experience and competence that the residents had by the time they finished their training. We also have excellent benefits made possible by the resident union that allow us to live relatively comfortably in such a high cost of living city like LA. For example, my wife and my newborn daughter are on my health insurance plan, and we don't pay a single cent in premiums. It only cost $200 for my wife's c-section and my daughter's week-long NICU stay! Now that I've been here for a year and a half, I can still say I'm very happy with my choice to attend this program. I look forward to going to work each day because I get to work with such amazingly talented and down to earth residents and attendings. UCLA graduates are also highly coveted in the Southern California market, so choosing UCLA was a no brainer for me.
Hobbies/Interests: I love to spend time with my wife, daughter, two poodle mix dogs, my family, and my friends. We live in a residential area in Westwood and we love getting outside to go on walks or to the park almost every part of the year. I also love to scuba dive, run, ride my Peloton, cook new foods, and play video games.
Dikran Nalbandian, MD, MS
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Undergraduate: UCLA, BS Physiology with a minor in Film
Graduate: Keck School of Medicine of USC, MS Global Medicine
Medical School: Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine at Florida International University
Residency: Anesthesiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Why I chose UCLA: UCLA is a world class institution that treats some of the most unique and challenging pathologies in the country. I knew training here would me there would be nothing I could not handle after residency. Carrying that name would also open my job and fellowship prospects after residency which is a big priority for me. LA is a great place to live and be, a home to diverse neighborhoods and communities. There is a pocket of this city for everyone no matter where you come from. Every night of the week there is something going on for those who are willing to seek it out. It also did not hurt that as an LA native, I would be able to come back home to friends and family.
Hobbies/Interests: Spending time with friends and family,Travel, Working on my Car, Playing Videogames, Paddleboarding, Sailing.
Shaun Pak, MD
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Hometown: Fullerton, CA
Undergraduate: UC Irvine, BS Biological Sciences
Medical School: John A. Burns School of Medicine at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa
Residency: Anesthesiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Why I chose UCLA: Growing up around Los Angeles, I knew I wanted to come back home and ultimately settle down to serve the community that shaped me to who I am today. UCLA was the ideal program in its location, excellent training, and diversity of patient population. During my interview, I also noticed the camaraderie that the residents had with each other and the department as a whole; it's safe to say that I have come to know some of the most amazing colleagues that I will call friends for the rest of my life. Outside of work, Los Angeles has so much to offer! You can't beat the food, weather, and traffic.
Hobbies/Interests: Going out to Bars and Restaurants with Friends, Walking my Dog, Soccer, Basketball, Watching TV, Golf, Listening to Music and Podcasts, and Eating Good Food.
Mishan Rambukwella, MD, MBA, MS
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Hometown: Canoga Park, CA
Undergraduate: University of Southern California, BS Biomedical Engineering with a minor in Music
Graduate: University of Southern California, MS Biomedical Engineering
Tufts University School of Medicine/The Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University, MBA
Medical School: Tufts University School of Medicine
Residency: Anesthesiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Why I chose UCLA: So many reasons, but to name a few: the culture (amazing clinical training in a supportive environment), the people (my co-residents are some of the smartest yet down-to-earth and fun people I've met), the location (self-explanatory).
Hobbies/Interests: Beach, Hiking, Playing in a Community Wind Ensemble, Board Games, USC Football
Joshua Sadik, MD
Preferred Name: Josh
Pronouns: He/Him
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Undergraduate: UCLA, BS Psychobiology
Medical School: David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Residency: Anesthesiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Why I chose UCLA: Supportive, enthusiastic, and curiousity-driven environment fostered by both faculty and residents.
Hobbies/Interests: Judaism plays an essential role in my life, and the Jewish community of UCLA and Los Angeles as a whole continues to shape the person I am today. I'm an avid tennis player, and like watching the game too, and I love finding new and beautiful courts in SoCal and beyond to play on. I'm a big book reader, mostly of fiction.
Kirolos Sami, MD
Preferred Name: Kiro
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Hometown: El Minya, Egypt and Huntington Beach, CA
Undergraduate: UC Irvine, BS Biological Sciences with a focus on Physiology
Medical School: Meharry Medical College
Residency: Anesthesiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Why I chose UCLA: The program had everything I was looking for to be the best Anesthesiologist that I can be including tough cases, great subspecialty exposure. Our amazing resident union with all the amazing perks and being close to beautiful nature and my family!
Hobbies/Interests: Soccer, Hiking, Ping-Pong, Video Games, Cars.
Sam Snider, MD
Hometown: Memphis, TN
Undergraduate: Vanderbilt University, BA Neuroscience
Medical School: Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine, Arizona
Residency: Anesthesiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Why I chose UCLA: UCLA offers stellar clinical training in all anesthesia subspecialties while also prioritizing resident exposure to diverse practice settings and patient populations. The faculty are universally warm and enthusiastic, and the program leadership goes above and beyond to help residents get the most out of their training.
Hobbies/Interests: Mountain Biking, Reading Fiction, DIY Projects, Cooking for Friends and Family.
Kathryn Wagstaff, MD
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Hometown: Sacramento, CA
Undergraduate: UC Berkeley, BA Public Health
Medical School: Medical College of Wisconsin
Residency: Anesthesiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Why I chose UCLA: UCLA provides exceptional, well-rounded resident training, as we are exposed to diverse and challenging clinical experiences throughout the program. Faculty and co-residents are dedicated to each other's success which creates a very support environment within and outside the operating rooms. Additionally, living in Los Angeles has many perks including beautiful beaches, scenic hikes, professional sporting events, and unending food options!
Hobbies/Interests: I love going to the Beach, Hiking, and Enjoying time off with my wonderful co-residents!
Allison Woods, MD
Pronouns: She/Her
Hometown: Apple Valley, CA
Undergraduate: UCLA, BS Ecology and Evolutionary Biology with a minor in Spanish
Medical School: David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Residency: Anesthesiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Why I chose UCLA: I chose to stay at UCLA for the learning opportunities I knew that I would get here, the people, and the location!
Hobbies/Interests: Going to the Beach, Working Out, Reading.