2023-2024 Bios & Photos

Dr. Ezequiel Andrade was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. He received his bachelor’s degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology at California State University, Northridge. He obtained his medical degree from the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine. He completed his residency in Family Medicine at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. Dr. Andrade has a passion for working with marginalized populations and addressing health disparities. He is now pursuing a career in geriatrics medicine with an interest in academic medicine and improving quality of care for older adults.

Dr. Bae was born in South Korea and raised in Arizona. For undergraduate, he went to St. Bonaventure University in Upstate NY where he learned the importance of policy making as the President of the Class. He received his Master's degrees in Health Economics, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland. While in graduate school, he focused on population studies and big data analysis where he found passion for addressing barriers to healthcare. Dr. Bae attended medical school at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed family medicine residency at Providence St. Peter Hospital. He believes in holistic and integrative care for all. After fellowship, he plans to provide care for geriatric population focusing on quality of life. Outside of residency, he enjoys spending time with loved ones, hiking, tennis, golf, traveling, and cooking.

Mariam Fazel was born and raised in San Jose, CA. She graduated from UC Davis with a degree in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior and returned to UC Davis for medical school, earning her MD degree in 2019. She then completed her Internal Medicine residency and chief resident year at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Mariam became interested in Geriatrics and caring for older adults as a result of her close relationship with her grandmother as well as her very positive experiences working with older adults while doing clinical research in college. Mariam's career goals include educating learners and healthcare providers about optimal care for older adults in both the inpatient and outpatient setting as well as raising interest in geriatric medicine.

Dr. Elvira Sofia Gonzalez, preferred name “Sofia” is originally from Los Angeles and is excited to be returning to take care of the community that took care of her. She completed medical school at La Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara in Mexico. She completed her Family Medicine residency at Contra Costa Regional Medical Center in the Bay Area. Prior to medical school she worked as a CNA,where she became passionate about the geriatric population and recognized they are a forgotten population that deserve so much more care and attention. Dr.Gonzalez believes if you care for the eldest member of the family that means you are taking care of a household, a community. She also enjoys being out in the sun playing soccer, drawing, and spending time with family and friends.

Dr. Tammy Le was born and raised in the Los Angeles area. She graduated from Whittier Colege with a degree in Chemistry. She completed medical school in Chicago at Loyola Stritch School of Medicine in 2020 and her internal medicine residency at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in 2023. Her interests in geriatrics stemmed from the time she spent with her grandmother as a child. She is interested in working with the underserved, providing comprehensive primary care, and improving the quality of life of her older patients.

Jonathan Lyu was born and raised in Torrance, California. He graduated from UCR with a Bachelor's degree in Biology. He completed medical school at Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine and his residency in internal medicine at Olive View - UCLA Medical Center. Jonathan is enthusiastic about inspiring the next generation of geriatricians and being at the forefront of innovation and advocacy. Jonathan's career interest in the field includes community outreach, medical education, delirium prevention, dementia, and healthcare policies. In his free time, Jonathan enjoys surfing, basketball, playing guitar, reading science fiction, and exploring the food scene in Los Angeles. 

Dr. Christopher Mayorga was born and raised in Southern California. He graduated from UC San Diego with a B.S. in Human Biology before pursuing his medical degree at Western University of Health Sciences. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine at UC Riverside. Christopher’s interest in geriatrics was something he was “born” into as he grew up in a Residential Care for the Elderly (RCFE) also known as a board and care that his mother owned and operated. This privileged opportunity fostered his passion to grow, learn, and advocate while providing direct care for his elderly patients. With his unique upbringing, Christopher's passion is to continue advocating and improving the quality of life of his geriatric patients with special clinical interests in aging in place, dementia, and improving inpatient geriatric care.

Dr. Maurice Turner was born and raised in San Diego, California. He graduated from the University of Southern California in 2014 with a B.S. in Chemistry and a minor in Gerontology. He received an M.D. degree from the University of California: Los Angeles and Charles R. Drew Medical Education Program in 2020. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine at Cedars-Sinai in 2023. Dr. Turner's interest in geriatrics peaked when he participated in the UCLA Alzheimer's and Dementia Care (ADC) program with Dr. Reuben while in the MSTAR program in 2016. Dr. Turner plans on continuing his involvement with the ADC program and working with the elderly in Skilled Nursing Facilities. 

Dr. Betty Wong grew up in the San Gabriel Valley. She graduated from UC San Diego with a B.S. in human biology. She earned her medical degree at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine and returned to Southern California to complete her family medicine residency at Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital in Whittier. Her interest in geriatrics stemmed from her tight knit immigrant family. She hopes to create a dual practice that will allow her to continue practicing broad spectrum family medicine while guiding her geriatric patients through healthy aging and advance care planning.

Dr. Jayson Wright is from Santa Barbara, CA. While at Santa Barbara City College, he became an EMT and received his A.A. in Biology. He then transferred to UC San Diego where he worked as a medical assistant providing home visits and graduated in 2016 with a B.S. in Human Biology. During that time, he helped create a clinic in Tijuana and served as the first clinic coordinator. He earned his medical degree from UC Irvine School of Medicine in 2020 and most recently completed his residency in internal medicine at Cedars Sinai Medical Center. Dr. Wright plans to continue his interest in home-based geriatric medicine at UCLA. 

Geriatric Medicine-Palliative Care Fellowship, Year 1 

Dr. Kevin La was born and raised in San Jose, California. He graduated from UC Davis before attending UCSD for his MD and UC Berkeley for his MPH. His residency in Internal Medicine was completed at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles. He seeks a career in Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine to pursue his interests in patient access and literacy and impact health systems and policy. 

Geriatric Medicine-Palliative Care Fellowship, Year 2

Dr. Marielle Bolano grew in the San Francisco Bay Area. As an undergraduate at UC Berkeley, she developed an interest in medicine, public policy, and improving care for older adults who have been economically and socially marginalized. She joined a research team at UCSF investigating health needs and care delivery for incarcerated and homeless older adults. She then attended medical school at UC Davis and completed her residency and chief year in Internal Medicine at UCLA in the primary care track.  Serving and learning from her homeless veteran patients at HPACT has reinforced her academic interests and she is excited to pursue a career in Geriatrics and Palliative Care.