Current Residents
PGY-1 CATEGORICAL
Errol Philip
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN FRANCISCO
I was born and raised in Australia and completed my undergraduate degree at the University of Melbourne. In college, I actually came to UCLA as an exchange student and met my wife, an LA native, eventually moving to the US for graduate school. I originally trained as a Clinical Psychologist, completing my PhD at the University of Notre Dame and Yale, committed to the field of Cancer Prevention and Control. After fellowship training at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, I decided to reset the clock and return to medical school to pursue training in Hematology/Oncology. Over the years, my wife and I have lived in the Midwest, New York and then San Francisco for medical school, and now are very happy to have returned to LA for my residency training. UCLA has been wonderful, with incredibly supportive faculty and fellow residents, and a real sense of community and collegiality among all those working here. So many of the UCLA faculty are leaders in their respective fields and remain committed to helping junior investigators, and thus it is a privilege to be able to train here and learn from them. On a more personal note, my wife and I and our two small children are enjoying exploring a new area of LA, from the renowned beaches to the many restaurants, and of course making the most of the year-round sunshine.
PGY-1 CATEGORICAL
Courtnie Brown
UCLA/DREW MEDICAL EDUCATION PROGRAM
Hi! I'm an LA native and went to Johns Hopkins University for my undergraduate studies. I loved my time in Baltimore, but my goal has always been to serve in and for my community. With that said, I was so excited to be back home for medical school. I attended the UCLA/Charles R. Drew Medical Education Program and loved it so much that I aimed to stay in my hometown for residency as well. As a medical student, I worked with the UCLA Internal Medicine residents often and everyone always made me feel like an integral part of the team. During interview season, it was obvious how important community building was within the program and that was exactly what I was looking for in a residency program. As a UCLA trainee, I’m provided with what feels like unlimited professional, academic, and life mentors that are always open to helping me accomplish my goals and answering any questions I may have. I am a first generation college graduate and the first doctor in my family, therefore mentorship has been a huge aspect of my journey to becoming a doctor. After residency, I plan to pursue a fellowship in Hematology/Oncology and am most interested in Breast Cancer. When I’m not taking care of patients, I can be found at my local hot yoga studio, trying a new restaurant with my partner, getting together with my co-interns, friends, and family, or re-watching my favorite shows.
PGY-2 PRIMARY CARE - COUPLES MATCH
Laura Santangelo
UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO, PRITZKER SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
My name is Laura and I’m originally from St. Louis, Missouri. I bounced around to Emory in Atlanta for college, followed by University of Chicago for medical school. While at Pritzker, I met my partner, Jay. Both being from the Midwest, we weren’t sure exactly where we would end up for residency, although I think we both secretly hoped for somewhere with easier winters. After interviewing at UCLA, the decision to move to California was an easy one. I was interested in the primary care program and the strength of the training was immediately clear. Every part of our training is intentional and focuses on advocacy, equity, and learning how to provide exceptional care to diverse patient populations. The variety in clinical sites we rotate through was also important to me. For Jay, an EKG nerd, it provided him with ample opportunities to explore a future career in Cardiology and medical education. But the point that cemented our love of UCLA was the culture and how supportive the program was of both academic and personal pursuits. Since being here, I truly feel that I’ve found a family away from home and it’s impossible to imagine being anywhere else. I have loved living in LA and exploring California. After work, I often find myself reading by the pool, going on wellness walks/hikes, and trying new restaurants with our amazing co-residents.
PGY-2 CATEGORICAL - COUPLES MATCH
Jay Shah
UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO, PRITZKER SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
Hello! My name is Jay and I was born and raised in Kansas City (Go Chiefs!) and attended the University of Kansas for undergrad. I started my medical journey at The University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine where I met my partner, Laura. I had always dreamed of moving to California but the timing had never worked out. It was a no-brainer after Laura and I fell in love with UCLA during our interview trail, as well as our visit to LA. The stars had finally aligned for us to move to California. UCLA and LA both had so much to offer both of us. As a cardiology nerd, UCLA offered me stellar internal medicine training with great mentorship, research and opportunities within cardiology to prepare me for fellowship. For Laura, they offered a robust primary care track program which aligned well with her career interests. Another reason I have loved my time here at UCLA so far is because of the culture - the camaraderie, the support, the kinship is truly palpable not just with our coresidents but also our faculty and administrators. As midwestern transplants, I don’t think it gets much better than LA. As someone who loves biking, it doesn’t get much better than biking down the beach path a couple times a week ALL YEAR long. Laura and I also love our post-work walks on the beach at least once a week even if one of us is on a tougher rotation. A great way to escape and relax after a long workday. And don’t get us started on the food scene. We’ve enjoyed the best ramen in Sawtelle, tapas and sangria in Santa Monica, and some of the best Persian food (and ice cream) in Westwood. The move from the Midwest to UCLA (and LA) has truly been one of the best!
PGY-3 PRIMARY CARE
Dan Stokes
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
I grew up in the Boston area in a bicultural home where I would speak Portuguese with my mom and English with my dad. Each summer, we visited my grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins in central Brazil. After college, I moved to Rio de Janeiro and enrolled in a master's program in epidemiology at the Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública. In Philly, where I went to medical school, I worked with student groups on racial justice and equity and on improving medical education around substance use disorders and harm reduction. I spent an extra year working with doctors in the emergency medicine department on research utilizing natural language processing to amplify and understand patient voices and perspectives. While interviewing, I met folks at UCLA doing impressive work in all these areas. In the primary care program, I saw a community of residents who were committed to building health equity and to living full lives both within and outside of medicine. It was also important to me to work in a public safety net system, and I appreciated the opportunities I would have to work at Olive View both inpatient and outpatient through the Olive View/Santa Clarita primary care track. Moving forward, I am applying to geriatrics fellowships, and I hope to build a career where I can divide my time between outpatient clinical practice and community-partnered research. Outside of the hospital, I love to cook and bake, tend to my small but growing plant collection, hang with my cat Loaf, and play ultimate (Frisbee), beach volleyball, bird watch, and hike. The opportunity to spend my time outside of the hospital outdoors at all times of year was another big draw for me in choosing UCLA, and I typically bike to work when I am on rotations at the VA/SM/RR!
PGY-3 PRIMARY CARE
Cameron Hines
UCLA/DREW MEDICAL EDUCATION PROGRAM
Hello! I'm from the San Joaquin Valley (born and raised), originally from the small town of Visalia and then later moved to Bakersfield. I went to the University of California San Diego for undergrad, my second home, where I met my wonderful wife and started my medical journey. For medical school I had the privilege of attending UCLA/Charles R Drew University, the only HBCU on the West Coast! I was so blessed to then be able to continue my training here at UCLA for Internal Medicine, in the amazing VA/SM Primary Care Tract! I had so many opportunities throughout medical school to see how great UCLA was for Internal Medicine and Primary Care, but my interview and speaking with residents really sold me. My favorite part of being here is how close and welcoming everyone is. My career interests are split between establishing a career in Academic Medicine and Medical Education or possibly private practice with my amazing father-in-law in Temecula, CA. Regardless of where I practice, I also plan on fostering my passion for EDI and providing excellent care to underserved and minority communities. Outside of medicine, I love a good hike, relaxing and playing my latest game on my PS5, or indulging in my favorite activity, brunch!
PGY-3 CATEGORICAL
Kaustav Shah
VANDERBILT SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
Hi everyone! I was born in Central New Jersey to immigrant parents from Mumbai, India. For college, I headed down to Durham, North Carolina where I studied Biomedical Engineering at Duke University (Go Blue Devils!). After Duke, I worked for a year back in the NYC/NJ area in management consulting to gain some experience on the management side of healthcare. I then headed back south to start medical school at Vanderbilt where I developed my passion for internal medicine and quality improvement. While interviewing at programs remotely, UCLA stood out for residents that enjoyed spending time with each other, incredible clinical training spanning academic, county and VA facilities, and a strong culture in general internal medicine and health services research. Living in LA has been a great experience with year-round access to sunny beaches, hikes, amazing food and drink and an amazing group of co-residents. Once you come to Southern California, it is hard to imagine being anywhere else! I love to spend my free time playing and watching sports, being outdoors, trying new vegetarian cuisine and traveling both locally and abroad, all of which I have been able to do while a UCLA resident. I am interested in healthcare delivery and using technology to improve healthcare outcomes and excited to see where this path takes me after finishing residency, most likely a mix of academics, health systems leadership and entrepreneurship while practicing general internal medicine. Feel free to reach out with any questions!
PGY-3 CATEGORICAL
Gracie Himmelstein
MOUNT SINAI ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
I grew up in Cambridge MA, and got my undergraduate degree in public policy and international affairs from Princeton. After college I spent a year working as a ski instructor in Telluride, CO, then moved to NYC for medical school at Mount Sinai. The summer after my first year of medical school I worked on a research project, which I ended up presenting at the annual Population Association of America conference. While at that conference I discovered a whole group of researchers studying what I was interested in – the bidirectional relationship between social-structural factors and health – but doing it using much more sophisticated methods and data than I did. I set my mind on obtaining training to do that sort of research, and after my third year of medical school took a leave of absence to return to Princeton to pursue my PhD in demography and social policy. When I returned to medicine from my PhD I was intent on finding a residency program which would provide me world-class clinical training and allow me to continue to hone my research interests at the intersection of demography and medicine. UCLA offered the perfect combination of clinical excellence and access to top researchers in demography, public health, and health services. Outside of work, the fantastic weather, ample outdoor activities, and access to some of the best food in the world has also driven home that UCLA was the right choice for me.
PGY-4 MEDPEDS
Julian Lejbman
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
Hi! I'm originally from Las Vegas and have been planning my escape since, with part one being attending college at the University of Pittsburgh then spending two years doing TBI research at the NIH. As a medical student at the University of Pennsylvania, I worked to improve access to primary care among pediatric patients experiencing homelessness, build a mental health resource network at a gender clinic for trans and gender non-conforming youth, and spent time at Puentes de Salud, a clinic for undocumented Latinx immigrants in Philadelphia. I wanted the ability to care for these communities across the lifespan and chose Med-Peds, and came to UCLA because of the diverse patient population and the opportunity to train at county and community hospitals in addition to the traditional academic medical center. I'm also motivated to serve as a mentor for other first generation, Latinx, and LGBTQ+ trainees, and wants to ensure trainees feel a sense of belonging and support in medicine. Despite my desert upbringing, I have no tolerance for heat and am grateful every day for the West LA breeze. I enjoy bike rides along the beach, surfing with co-residents, and group boba breaks at work in the name of “team building.”
INTERNAL MEDICINE RESIDENTS 2023-2024
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