Current Residents
PGY-4
Christine Averill, MD
Resident IV / PGY4
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Undergrad & Major: Dartmouth College - Chemistry
Medical School: Washington University in St. Louis
Favorite LA restaurant: Phanny’s
Neighborhood: Culver City
Best weekend activity: hiking, beaching, painting, and reading
Marissa Berger, MD
Resident IV / PGY4
Hometown: Pasadena, CA
Undergrad & Major: Johns Hopkins University, Art History
Medical School: Tulane University School of Medicine
Favorite LA restaurant: Bestia
Neighborhood: Brentwood
Best weekend activity: hosting dinner parties, hiking, or driving up to Santa Barbara for wine tasting
Megan Bernstein, MD
Resident IV / PGY4
Hometown: Fremont, CA
Undergrad & Major: University of Southern California, Biology & Print Journalism
Medical School: UC Irvine School of Medicine
Favorite LA restaurant: Hardest question ever... I literally have a map of all my favorite restaurants in LA since 2010! But Urth Caffe is classic LA and never fails!
Neighborhood: West LA
Best weekend activity: It’s a tie between hanging out at the dog beach or hike & brunch!
Anita Chanana, MD
Resident IV / PGY4
Hometowns: Richmond and Hercules, CA
Undergrad & Major: UC Berkeley, Molecular Toxicology
Medical School: Stanford School of Medicine
Favorite LA restaurant: Farsi Cafe
Neighborhood: Westwood
Best weekend activity: Jumping in the ocean
Christopher Douglas, MD
Resident IV / PGY4
Hometown: Reno, NV
Undergrad & Major: University of Nevada, Reno; Biochemistry and Spanish
Medical School: University of Southern California
Favorite LA restaurant: Road to Seoul KBBQ
Neighborhood: Sawtelle
Best weekend activity: Brunch to get rid of the Sunday scaries
Alex Francoeur, MD
Resident IV / PGY4
Hometown: Cupertino CA
Undergrad & Major: UCSD Human Biology and History
Medical School: Boston University School of Medicine
Favorite LA restaurant: Sugarfish and Robertas
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
Best weekend activity: hiking in any of the beautiful regions around Santa Monica
Daniel Lee, MD
Resident IV / PGY4
Hometown: Camas, WA
Undergrad & Major: Johns Hopkins Biophysics
Medical School: University of Maryland SOM
Favorite LA restaurant: Hae Jang Chon KBBQ
Neighborhood: West Hollywood
Best weekend activity: a blend of hiking and exploring local restaurants
Arshia Surti, MD
Resident IV / PGY4
Hometown: Pinole, CA
Undergrad: MIT - aerospace engineering
Medical school: Case Western Reserve
Favorite LA restaurant: Annapurna in Culver City
Neighborhood: Culver Palms
Best weekend activity: Whale watching! Or hiking!
PGY-3
Sonal Chaudhari, MD
Resident III / PGY3
Hometown: Irvine, CA
Undergrad & Major: UCLA; Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology
Medical School: Johns Hopkins
Favorite LA restaurant: C&O Trattoria and also places in Grand Central Market
Neighborhood: Westwood
Best weekend activity: Being outside in nature
Kathleen Chung, MD
Resident IIi / PGY3
Hometown: Tehachapi, CA
Undergrad & Major: Dartmouth College, Romance Languages
Med school: Brown
Favorite Restaurant: BCD Tofu House
Neighborhood: Sawtelle
Weekend Activity: Trying new restaurants
Hannah Cundall, MD
Resident IIi / PGY3
Hometown: Palo Alto, CA
Undergrad & Major: UC Santa Cruz molecular biology
Medical School: Case Western Reserve University
Neighbourhood: Westwood
Favority LA restaurant and weekend activity: To be Discovered!
Monica Gutierrez, MD
Resident III / PGY3
Hometown: Cathedral City, CA
Undergrad & Major: UCLA, psychobiology
Medical School: UC Riverside SOM
Favorite LA restaurant: Grimaldi’s Pizzeria
Neighborhood: Mar Vista
Best weekend activity: hiking, snowboarding, home cooked dinner and a movie
Jennifer Park, MD
Resident III / PGY3
Hometown: Hartford, CT
Undergrad & Major: University of Rochester, Biomedical Engineering
Medical School: University of Connecticut
Favorite LA restaurant: To Be Discovered
Neighborhood: Westwood
Best weekend activity: finding a nice view and setting up a hammock
Lakshmi Ramachandran, MD
Resident III / PGY3
Hometown: Troy, MI
Undergrad & Major: Northwestern University - Communication Sciences & Disorders; double minor in Spanish & International Studies
Columbia University, Teachers College - MS in Neuroscience & Education
Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health - MPH in Health Policy & Maternal Child Health
Medical School: Western Michigan Homer Stryker MD School of Medicine
Fav LA Restaurant: The Butcher's Daughter
Neighborhood: West LA
Best Weekend Activity: Hiking
Michael Richardson, MD
Resident III / PGY3
Hometown: Los Angeles
Undergrad & Major: Washington University in St. Louis, History major
Medical School: Stanford
Favorite LA restaurant: Hara Sushi on Wilshire
Neighborhood: Beverly Hills
Best weekend activity: watching the sun set over the beach!
Jamie Temko, MD
Resident III / PGY3
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Undergrad & Major: Brown University, Neuroscience
Medical School: University of California, Irvine School of Medicine
Favorite LA restaurant: Cafe Vida
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
Best weekend activity: hiking
Deanna Wong, MD
Resident III / PGY3
Hometown: Orinda, CA
Undergrad & Major: Northwestern University, majored in Biological Sciences
Medical School: UCLA
Favorite LA restaurant: Yuko Kitchen
Neighborhood: Sawtelle
Best weekend activity: hiking in the Pacific Palisades
PGY-2
Elaine Chan
Resident II / PGY2
Hometown: San Francisco
Undergrad & Major: Scripps College for Womyn, Biochemistry
Medical School: UCLA DGSOM
Favorite LA restaurant: Summer Rolls, Ma Dang Gook Soo, Local Kitchen and Wine Bar
Neighborhood: Mar Vista
Best weekend activity: biking to the beach, organizing for social justice
Maria Paula Arias, MD
Resident II / PGY2
Hometown: Cartagena, Colombia
Undergrad & Major: Johns Hopkins University - Neuroscience
Medical School: Johns Hopkins University
Favorite LA restaurant: if you don’t have one so far, or any restaurant you’re hoping to try – Blue Fish Tacos
Neighborhood: Brentwood
Best weekend activity: Beach volleyball, hiking with our dog, cocktails by the pool, hanging out with fellow residents!
Demetra Hufnagel, MD
Resident II / PGY2
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Undergrad & Major: Yale University, Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology
Medical School: Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
Favorite LA restaurant: Kiwami or Roscoe's
Neighborhood: West LA
Best weekend activity: A picnic at the Hollywood Bowl or a hike in the Palisades followed by brunch!
Alexandra Mardock, MD
Resident II / PGY2
Hometown: Laguna Hills, CA
Undergrad & Major: Rice University: French Studies, Biochemistry minor
Medical School: UCLA School of Medicine
Favorite LA restaurant: Home cooked meals with friends
Neighborhood: Sawtelle
Best weekend activity: Anything outdoors--volleyball, surfing, backpacking, a good picnic--and spending time with my co-interns!
Rachel Martel, MD
Resident II / PGY2
Hometown: Maplewood, NJ
Undergrad & Major: Tufts University, English and Community Health
Medical School: NYU Grossman School of Medicine
Favorite LA restaurant: I’m currently working my way through the restaurants on Sawtelle Boulevard!
Neighborhood: Sawtelle
Best weekend activity: Brunch and a walk on the beach
Jocelyn Sajnani, MD
Resident II / PGY2
Hometown: Overland Park, Kansas
Undergrad & Major: University of Kansas, Genetics
Medical School: University of Kansas
Favorite LA restaurant: TBD! Looking forward to exploring more!
Neighborhood: Westwood
Best weekend activity: (short) hike plus brunch, and the beach for sunset
Lauren Sanchez, MD
Resident II / PGY2
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Undergrad & Major: Swarthmore College, Psychology and minor in Art History
Medical School: Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Favorite LA restaurant: Seoul Tofu House
Neighborhood: Santa Monica (5 streets from the beach!)
Best weekend activity: (Starting off the day with a beautiful hike, then a beachside brunch followed by beach activities, maybe some biking or roller skating or simply soaking up some sun, and then finish off the day with live music and dinner with friends and/or family!
Delaney Scollan, MD
Resident II / PGY2
Hometown: Auburn, NY
Undergrad & Major: Skidmore College, Biology Major, Spanish Minor
Medical School: Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Jersey
Favorite LA restaurant: Shin-Sen-Gumi in Sawtelle is fantastic for ramen (especially the spicy dandan men!) and dangerously close to my house. As an east-coaster, I’ve seriously been enjoying the plentiful green bowls, grain bowls, acai bowls and smoothies here in SoCal!
Neighborhood: West LA / Sawtelle and really loving it!
Best weekend activity: The geography here is amazing. The beach and hiking and outdoor venues are awesome, and I can’t wait to explore it all and eventually take a scenic drive up PCH to Big Sur.
Jessica Van Fleet, MD
Resident II / PGY2
Hometown: Orange, CA
Undergrad & Major: UCLA, Biology
Medical School: USC Keck School of Medicine
Favorite LA restaurant: Night Market in Silverlake
Neighborhood: Brentwood
Best weekend activity: hiking or going to the beach
PGY-1
Rachel Acree, MD
Resident I / PGY1
Hometown: San Diego, CA
Undergrad & Major: Georgetown University, Human Science
Medical School: UCLA
Favorite LA restaurant: This is impossible, but Sugarfish, Tsujita, and Brothers Cousins Tacos are a few places I love!
Neighborhood (currently living in): Santa Monica
Best weekend activity: Off-leash hike with my dog and partner!
Sabrina Alexander, MD
Resident I / PGY1
Hometown: Newark, NJ
Undergrad & Major: Cornell University, Human Development
Medical School: Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Favorite LA restaurant: I can't wait to try Cafe Gratitude and so many others!
Neighborhood (currently living in): Sherman Oaks
Best weekend activity: Watching the sunset from anywhere with great views
Brittany Bergman, MD
Resident I / PGY1
Hometown: Spokane Valley, WA
Undergrad & Major: Gonzaga University (Go Zags!); Biology
Medical School: University of Washington SOM
Favorite LA restaurant: Hermanito
Neighborhood (currently living in): Westwood
Best weekend activity: Morning hike and brunch with an afternoon picnic on the beach!
Karina Gomez, MD
Resident I / PGY1
Hometown: Colorado Springs, CO
Undergrad & Major: Claremont McKenna College, Molecular Biology
Medical School: University of Colorado School of Medicine
Favorite LA restaurant: All food is great
Neighborhood (currently living in): Rancho Park
Best weekend activity: Quality time with my dog Jerry
Alexander Gould, MD
Resident I / PGY1
Hometown: Millburn, NJ
Undergrad & Major: Washington Univ. in St. Louis; Global Health & the Environment / Psychology
Medical School: Brown
Favorite LA restaurant: Don't make me choose just one! I've been here for 1 month and already have so many. Today, my answer is Father's Office.
Neighborhood: Brentwood
Best weekend activity: hike --> breakfast burrito --> pool/beach
Sandy Hoang, MD
Resident I / PGY1
Hometown: Falls Church, VA
Undergrad & Major: University of Virginia - Art History, Biology
Medical School: Washington University in St Louis
Favorite LA restaurant: Sugarfish, Cofax Coffee, Tatsu Ramen
Neighborhood (currently living in): West Hollywood
Best weekend activity: hiking, hanging out with friends
Vignesh Ramchandran, MD
Resident I / PGY1
Hometown: Newtown, PA
Undergrad & Major: Johns Hopkins University, Biomedical Engineering
Medical School: UC Irvine School of Medicine
Favorite LA restaurant: Tsujita
Neighborhood (currently living in): Mar Vista
Best weekend activity: Going on hikes followed by brunch
Jessica Rivas, MD
Resident I / PGY1
Anais Stepanian, MD
Resident I / PGY1
Hometown: La Canada, CA
Undergrad & Major: University of California-Davis, Neurobiology
Medical School: Loyola Stritch School of Medicine
Favorite LA restaurant: Firefly
Neighborhood (currently living in): Living with my family in Sunland and planning to move closer to Reagan soon
Best weekend activity: A nice bike ride and discovering new restaurants
Monica Stretten, MD
Resident I / PGY1