 “I love the diversity of culture and experiences in Los Angeles; you can truly meet people who have done anything and everything, and from all over the world.” | PGY-3Lovelee BrownDartmouth Medical SchoolComing from a military family, I spent my early childhood in a number of cities/countries, but thankfully finally settled in sunny California. I love the diversity of culture and experiences in Los Angeles; you can truly meet people who have done anything and everything and who are from all over the world. I feel that UCLA is a place that allows me to further my interests in serving equitable health care to people of all walks of life and increasing diversity within the physician workforce to meet the needs of our ever changing society. As a National Health Service Corps Scholar, I plan on living out this passion for equitable health care by serving in low resource areas post-graduation. I love traveling, trying new foods, solo karaok-ing in my car, and spending time with family and loved ones. |
 ‘…my colleagues are truly master clinicians and inspiring in every way. Every day I consider myself lucky to work with them.’ | PGY-3Vivy TranAlbert Einstein Medical SchoolI was born and raised in Los Angeles but like to attribute my fast-talking pace to my time in New York during medical school. My husband is also from New York, so we now consider both coasts home. I love UCLA because my colleagues are truly master clinicians and inspiring in every way. Every day I consider myself lucky to work with them. Since being at UCLA, I've been participating in research in colorectal cancer screening, inflammatory bowel disease, and interventional gastroenterology. Because of my mentors at UCLA, I am now applying to a fellowship in GI. During my time off, you will definitely find me either at the beach falling off my surf board or in the kitchen experimenting with new recipes. |
 “In my two-plus years at UCLA, I've met some amazing mentors who have helped me discover and explore my interests in hospital medicine…” | PGY-3David LiJohns Hopkins Medical SchoolMy name is David, and I'm a current PGY-3 here at UCLA. I was raised in Toronto, Canada and went to medical school at Johns Hopkins. Fun fact: my interview day at UCLA was only the second time I had ever visited California. Having escaped an early December blizzard on the East Coast to attend my interview here, I was blown away by the palm trees, beach culture, and tropical weather. My interview day reinforced that this was the right program for me - the perfect mix of clinical rigor, academic opportunities, and wellness culture. In my two-plus years at UCLA, I've met some amazing mentors who have helped me discover and explore my interests in hospital medicine; I've had access to protected research time and dedicated funding through the ProSTAR research track; and I've made lifelong friends along the way. I've loved my time here so much that it wasn't even a question that I would stay in LA after graduation to work as a hospitalist. In my spare time, you'll find me exploring bars/restaurants in my neighborhood in West Hollywood, hiking along Runyon Canyon, and checking out the top-rated dim sum places on the East Side. |
 “…I’ve enjoyed being able to work with the underserved population of homeless veterans.” | PGY-3 CoupleMaura WilliamsTufts UniversityHi! I grew up in Connecticut and lived in Boston for a while prior to moving out to LA. As a lifelong New Englander, I appreciate LA’s warm and sunny January days, especially after a long shift in the hospital. I couples-matched here with my husband, Will, and have been part of the primary care track at the VA, where I’ve enjoyed being able to work with the underserved population of homeless veterans. I came to UCLA because of the people I met on my interview day; the environment here seemed very collegial. I’m happy to report that my impression on interview day was correct! My favorite part of UCLA has been the incredible friends and mentors I’ve met during training. Much like Will, a highlight of my time in residency has been the opportunity to spend two months in Malawi as a part of the global health track. Moving forward, I’m planning on working as a hospitalist for a few years while deciding whether to specialize. Outside of residency, I like playing basketball (including on our residency team), baking, hiking, practicing my Spanish, and running at the beach. |
 “…the experiences I’ve had [in Malawi] have been among the most interesting, educational, and fulfilling of my life.” | Will LewisHarvard Medical SchoolHey all. Maura and I were lifelong east coast-ers until we came out to UCLA and saw what it was like living among swaying palm trees and smiling people in perpetual warmth and sunshine. Spoiler alert: it's not terrible. I grew up in Philly and then for a decade, lived in Boston, where I went to BU for college and Harvard for medical school. Before residency, I did research on medical devices for low-resource settings. One of the things that most enticed me about coming to UCLA was the global health pathway and the opportunity to spend two months delivering care in Lilongwe, Malawi. It turns out that my excitement was not misplaced, as the experiences I've had there have been among the most interesting, educational, and fulfilling of my life. Outside of residency, I play jazz piano, obsess over espresso, work on my side hustle in software development (I have a vein-finder app), and marvel at the glorious weather while silently wondering when the next earthquake is going to hit. Maura and I are planning to move back to the east coast after residency for family reasons, where I am hoping to pursue a second residency, with the aim of building a career as an educator and researcher at the intersection of medicine and dermatology. |
 “…I immediately felt like I created a home away from home; from the co-resident family I’ve made to the amazing mentorship I quickly gained!” | PGY-2Samira NourbakhshGeorge Washington UniversityHi! My name is Samira and I’m currently a PGY-2 in the UCLA Primary Care Track (Olive View/ Santa Clarita). I’m originally from Maryland and am a recent East-Coaster turned West-Coaster. I never thought I’d leave the DC/Maryland area but came to my UCLA interview and fell in love with the program! While intern year can be rough, I immediately felt like I created a home away from home; from the co-resident family I’ve made to the amazing mentorship I quickly gained! During my intern year I was even able to join my worlds and travel back to DC with a group of my co-residents to attend the SGIM (Society for General Internal Medicine) Annual Conference! My favorite thing about UCLA is being surrounded by fun, passionate, caring, and dedicated people--from the ancillary staff to my co-residents to my attendings; I really feel like we’re all a team! |
 “I am interested in innovative research and technology and am fortunate to explore these interests through clinical care, research mentors, and formal teaching in the Health Systems and Management Pathway.” | PGY-2 CouplePerry WuUniversity of IowaI was born in China and moved to NorCal to live with my grandparents when I was 3. I went to Berkeley for undergrad, where I met my wife, Marielle. We couples matched from different medical schools to come to UCLA! I was able to be closer to her and my family in the Bay Area for a year during medical school as a Sarnoff Cardiovascular Fellow doing research on dilated cardiomyopathy. That year, we adopted a puppy and named her after the genome editing tool my lab used, CRISPR-Cas9. That’s right, she is Cas9 the canine. Marielle and I knew UCLA would be the perfect new place for the three of us. In addition to the clinical rigor, diverse patient population, and supportive environment, UCLA provides residents with room for exploration and career development. I am interested in innovative research and technology and am fortunate to explore these interests through clinical care, research mentors, and formal teaching in the Health Systems and Management Pathway. Outside of the hospital, my favorite activities include rock climbing (currently recruiting for our interest group), taking our dog out for hiking adventures, drinking unhealthy amounts of boba (just had my A1C checked recently and it was fine though), beach volleyball during the summer, and snowboarding in the winter. |
 “I am interested in Geriatrics, health policy, and primary care for underserved populations…When Perry and I went to the Primary Care Welcome Dinner at Dr. Ma’s house, we knew we picked the right place!” | Marielle BolanoUniversity of California, DavisI grew up in the Bay Area with a large family that finds a reason to get together and eat great food almost every weekend. I managed to stay in NorCal with this support network until residency, but during interviews, I knew UCLA would be the perfect place to grow. My husband and I couples matched from different medical schools and really wanted a program that would be a strong fit for the both of us. This was a bit tricky since we have different academic interests—he was doing a Cardiology research fellowship in basic science, and I am interested in Geriatrics, health policy, and primary care for underserved populations. We had quite the dream wish list—clinical rigor, academic opportunities, good people, and a place where we could see each other happy. We had a gut feeling UCLA was all of those things. When Perry and I went to the Primary Care Welcome Dinner at Dr. Ma’s house, we knew we picked the right place! Everyone was so down to earth and close knit—you could tell you were joining a family. We are always grateful to have teammates at the hospital who make the hard work enjoyable. On our days off, you’ll find us hiking, playing with our dog, hanging out with co-residents, and still eating great food. |
 “UCLA was at the top of my match list because of its rigorous training and diversity of clinical sites coupled with the people and supportive environment.” | PGY-2Salam BeahThomas Jefferson UniversityMy name is Peter Salam Beah, but everyone just calls me Salam. I'm from Silver Spring, Maryland and lived in the Maryland area until medical school. I went to medical school at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. UCLA was at the top of my match list because of its rigorous training and diversity of clinical sites coupled with the people and supportive environment. I remember feeling very at home with the residents during my interview dinner. My big interests are addressing health care disparities in Gastroenterology (future GI or Hepatology fellow I hope) as well as improving Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion here at UCLA and in the medical field in general. I've gotten to take part in quality of care projects involving patients with cirrhosis and patients with IBD. I have also been involved with the GME and Residency EDI efforts. Outside of medicine I love to cook and bake and earned the moniker Chef Doc Salam. I'm also a huge live music fan, museum frequenter, and beach napper. |
 “Training at UCLA allows for the perfect blend of clinical rigor with diverse training sites and patients from all walks of life…” | PGY-1Shirin PoustchiRobert Wood Johnson Medical SchoolBorn and raised in New Jersey, I went to school at Rutgers University through the PharmD/MD program at the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy and Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. I made the move across the country to continue my training at UCLA after being blown away by the commitment, dedication, and sincerity of the residents and faculty I met on my interview day. The culture of the program shined throughout my interview day, and I knew this was the place for me. Training at UCLA allows for the perfect blend of clinical rigor with diverse training sites and patients from all walks of life with a superb and genuine culture at one of the premier health services research institutions in the country. My research interests are design-thinking, healthcare system science, and health policy. I am specifically interested in exploring the dynamic between communities and healthcare institutions in order to address social determinants of health and improve practice models of primary care. I hope to continue to build a career that will allow me to blend clinical care and leadership of care systems redesign. |
 “My favorite UCLA moment was bonding with my favorite VA patient – buying him his daily ice cream, sitting with him when there was some down time, and listening to his colorful stories and jokes.” | PGY-1Gavin HoGeorgetown UniversityI grew up in beautiful, foggy San Francisco. After spending many years on the East Coast, it’s great to be back west. I enjoy playing golf and basketball – shout out to Hoop Diuretics, our resident rec league team! I was drawn to UCLA because the program focuses on both training strong generalists (for example, the Primary Care tracks) and being at the forefront of many of the subspecialty fields. Also, the interview dinner was by far my favorite one. There was an obvious sense of community and camaraderie among the residents, and I wanted to be a part of that! My favorite UCLA moment was bonding with my favorite VA patient – buying him his daily ice cream, sitting with him when there was some down time, and listening to his colorful stories and jokes. Also, there are so many amazing places in LA! On a typical day off, you may find me on the beach doing absolutely nothing, then in Sawtelle or Koreatown eating Asian food for dinner. |
 “I felt the health science/clinical informatics opportunities were particularly strong, and I'll be pursuing the Health Systems & Management Pathway, QI scholarship, and the Resident Informaticist Program during my training here.” | PGY-1Michael AhlersVanderbilt UniversityHi there! My name is Mike Ahlers and I'm an intern. I grew up in Le Mars, Iowa, attended Vanderbilt University for medical school, and now am on a new adventure here at UCLA! I came to UCLA for a number of factors - namely the diversity and strength in clinical training experiences (having tertiary academic, VA, and county hospital experiences) and also the culture of the way the residents interact with each other. I felt the health science/clinical informatics opportunities were particularly strong, and I'll be pursing the Health Systems & Management Pathway, QI scholarship, and the Resident Informaticist Program during my training here. In my spare time, I play pick-up basketball (you can play outside year-round here) and hit up the many hiking trails nearby. If you have some extra time in LA, I highly recommend getting out to the beaches - either Venice or Manhattan! |
 “I have found at UCLA that the people here are not only nice, they deeply care—about patients, learning, our healthcare system, and each other.” | PGY-1Laura SantosoUniversity of MassachusettsBorn and raised in Massachusetts, I left behind my favorite efficient coffee supplier that is Dunkin Donuts and came to train in the Golden State. I have found at UCLA that the people here are not only nice, they deeply care- about patients, learning, our healthcare system, and each other. It's pretty special to be surrounded by good humans who are also fierce clinicians and engaged advocates. UCLA is also an institution that can support my interests in engineering and design, and the diversity of Los Angeles is hardly paralleled. Outside of the hospital, I can be found moving in the ocean, mountains, Home Depot, or a boxing gym. Any outdoor adventure and I'm there! Ice cream and podcasts are also important. My life wouldn’t be complete without with my amazing husband, family, and friends. |
| PGY-1 | Medical School |
| Michael Ahlers | Vanderbilt |
| Refka Al-Beyati | George Washington |
| Sriram Anbil | UT San Antonio |
| Roshni Bhatnagar | Northwestern |
| John Bosco | New York Medical College |
| Matthew Carroll | Georgetown |
| Shawna Chagoury | University of Arizona |
| David Chen | Cornell |
| Evaline Cheng | UCSD |
| Courtney DeCan | University of Washington |
| Ken Dekitani | Saint Louis University |
| Neal Dixit | Tulane |
| Elias Fanous | UC Riverside |
| Kathleen Fenerty | Indiana University |
| William Flavin | Loyola |
| Mary Fok | University of Alabama |
| Aleksandr Gorin | UCLA |
| Andrew Gregg | Cornell |
| Cameron Henneberg | Boston University |
| Gavin Ho | Georgetown |
| Preetha Iyengar | University of Louisville |
| Yejoo Jeon | Yale |
| Nikhita Kathuria | UCLA |
| Mark Kelly | University of Wisconsin |
| Katelyn Klein | Georgetown |
| Noah Kojima | UCLA |
| Philip Kozan | Albert Einstein |
| Alina Kung | UCSF |
| Sung Hyun Lim | UCLA |
| Catherine Lindsay | University of Utah |
| Tracey Liu | Mount Sinai |
| Jocelyn Lo | Columbia |
| Colin McCrimmon | UC Irvine |
| Matthew Mulroy | USC |
| Shaya Noorian | Albert Einstein |
| Minori Ohashi | UCLA |
| Rachel Ohman | UCLA |
| Robert Pedicini | Tufts |
| Brittney Pham | Drexel |
| Jennifer Plotkin | Johns Hopkins |
| Shirin Poustchi | Rutgers RWJ |
| Preeti Prakash | Baylor |
| Renee Rao | USC |
| Utpal Sandesara | University of Pennsylvania |
| Laura Santoso | University of Massachusetts |
| Rachel Sarnoff | NYU |
| Katherine Seibert | Albert Einstein |
| Brandon Smith | Brown |
| Samantha Sovich | Ohio State University |
| Marina Sprague | UCLA |
| Adrianna Stanley | Dartmouth |
| Katherine Stricker | George Washington |
| Nadeem Tabbara | George Washington |
| Julia Tong | UC Davis |
| George Tran | Duke |
| Katie Truong | OHSU |
| Jane Wang | Johns Hopkins |
| Jiexi Wang | USC |
| Stephanie Wang | UCLA |
| Jamie Yabuno | UC Irvine |
| Allen Yu | UC Irvine |
| Stanley Yuan | UCLA |
| Alexander Yuen | UCLA |
| Yuliya Zektser | UCLA |
| PGY-2 | Medical School |
| Melissa Abel | Duke |
| Abigail Arons | UCSF |
| Ishan Asokan | Vanderbilt |
| Jassimran Bainiwal | USC |
| Chesca Barrios | UCLA |
| Shire Beach | UCSF |
| Peter Salam Beah | Thomas Jefferson |
| Marielle Bolano | UC Davis |
| Houda Boucekkine | University of Miami |
| Adam Braun | UCLA |
| Karissa Britten | UCLA |
| Aileen Bui | Brown |
| Aaron Burkenroad | Albert Einstein |
| Neha Chandra | UCSD |
| Jessica Channick | Tufts |
| Weijia Chua | UC Davis |
| Adam Custer | SUNY Upstate |
| Kimberly Dang | UCLA |
| Gwenyth Day | Wake Forest |
| Pooja Desai | UC Riverside |
| Jose Escobar | UCLA |
| Jeffrey Fujimoto | UCLA |
| Patrick Holman | Chicago Medical School |
| Kieran Holzhauer | University of Illinois |
| Nicholas Hornstein | Columbia |
| Sarah Jensen | UCLA |
| Christina Kaba | George Washington University |
| Nathan Kim | Stanford |
| Puneet Kumar | UT Southwestern |
| Phuong Le | Washington University |
| Wendi LeBrett | UCSD |
| Richard Leuchter | UCLA |
| Christina Lin | UCSD |
| Jonathan Lin | University of Rochester |
| Mark Looman | University of Illinois |
| Sarina Lowe | NYU |
| Jessica Lucier | UCLA |
| Megan May | Johns Hopkins |
| Megan McConnell | UCLA |
| Margaret Mongare | Stanford |
| Sami Natour | University of Virginia |
| Bao Sean Nguyen | USC |
| Benjamin Noor | NYU |
| Samira Nourbakhsh | George Washington University |
| Daniel O'Brien | USC |
| Nathaniel Pedley | Columbia |
| Eian Prohl | Brown |
| Soniya Rabadia | UCSD |
| Harman Rahal | UCLA |
| Brenda Ramirez | UCLA |
| Noah Ravenborg | George Washington University |
| Sarah Schoenbrun | University of Washington |
| Emily Schwitzer | Duke |
| Paul Shao | UCLA |
| John 'Jack' Sharp | UC Davis |
| Asaad Traina | University of Vermont |
| Jeannie Tran | Albert Einstein |
| Wen-Ching Tran | UCSF |
| Megan Trieu | UCLA |
| Rebecca Tsevat | Columbia |
| Annie Wang | UCLA |
| Eric Wu | University of Hawaii |
| Perry Wu | University of Iowa |
| Zhenzhen 'Jane' Xu | Yale |
| Monica Zell | Albert Einstein |
| PGY-3 | Medical School |
| Farah Abdi | UCLA |
| McKenna Archer | USC |
| Elizabeth Asfaw | UCLA - Drew |
| Michael Barish | OSHU |
| Jonathan Barthelet | Stony Brook University |
| Christopher Berg | UCLA |
| Rani Berry | Albany |
| Lovelee Brown | Dartmouth |
| Michelle Chong | University of Miami |
| Rachel Dajani | Case Western Reserve |
| Holly Dieu | East Carolina University |
| Zekun "Zack" Feng | Chicago Medical School |
| Emily Fireman | UCSD |
| Jonathan Garcia | UC Irvine |
| Julianna Gardner | Baylor |
| Daria Gaut | UCLA |
| Laura Glassman | Tufts |
| Samuel Gordon | University of Colorado |
| Prerna Gupta | UCLA |
| Brian Hagan | Albert Einstein |
| Nika Harutyunyan | UNC-Chapel Hill |
| Rosa Hernandez | Dartmouth |
| Daniel Hoesterey | Columbia |
| Samuel Jackson | UCLA |
| Rahul Kamath | Baylor |
| Miriam "Mimi" Kennelly | University of Washington |
| William Lewis | Harvard |
| David Li | Johns Hopkins |
| Jiwen Li | Baylor |
| Andrea MacDonald | Duke |
| Adrian Mayo | Temple |
| Sean McCarthy | UCSF |
| Eric Mendez | UCSD |
| Nathaniel Meyer | University of Pennsylvania |
| Christopher Miller | University of Illinois |
| Michael Nakazawa | University of Pennsylvania |
| Whitney Nelson | Tulane |
| Amir Razmjou | Medical College of Wisconsin |
| Joshua Rezkalla | University of South Dakota |
| Ana Rivera | Washington University |
| Jesse Ross | University of Alabama |
| Evan Shih | UCLA |
| Thomas Sibert | Drexel |
| Adam Singer | UCLA |
| Camille Soroudi | UCLA |
| Jesse Sun | UNC-Chapel Hill |
| Jayasree Sundaram | UCSD |
| Saumitra Thakur | NYU |
| Marguerite Thorp | Harvard |
| Vivy Tran | Albert Einstein |
| Jonathan Urena | Columbia |
| Shilpa Vasishta | University of Chicago |
| Nicholas Villano | UCLA |
| Ziwei Wang | UCSD |
| Rebecca Wellmann | University of Chicago |
| Maura Williams | Tufts |
| Caleb Wilson | UCLA |
| Jamie Yao | UCSF |
| PGY-4 | Medical School |
| Ethan Greenblatt | LSU |
| Amos Lichtman | U Massachusetts |
| Casey Nagel | U South Florida |
| Michael Troy | UNC-Chapel Hill |
