PGY-1: Class of 2028
Mel Calica (she/her), Tufts University
Mel grew up in Irvine, California. She attended Northwestern University in Illinois, where she graduated with a degree in Sociology and Civic Engagement, and during college she worked with grassroots organizations in Chicago to improve childhood literacy. She worked in her gap years as co-chief of medical scribes in Orange County and as a fine dining restaurant hostess for Disneyland’s California Adventures theme park. Mel attended Tufts School of Medicine in Boston. During her time there, she was president of Student Council, co-director of the Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association (APAMSA) New England region, and researcher for Maine Medical Center’s addiction medicine department. Some of her favorite service learning memories include helping underrepresented students in medicine apply to medical school, cleaning up the Boston Chinatown community, and implementing a Spanish social determinants of health survey for Greater Lawrence Family Health Center. Her medical interests include reproductive justice, global health, and correctional medicine. She is ecstatic to be returning to the west coast to provide care for underserved populations, especially Southeast Asian immigrants like her family. Outside of medicine, Mel enjoys singing, traveling, and going to Disneyland. [email protected]
Becca Dendy (she/her), University of Arizona Tuscon
Becca was born and raised in Phoenix, AZ. She moved to Connecticut for college and stayed for an extra year for healthcare policy research. Her medical journey brought her back to AZ for diabetes and obesity research at the NIH and then for medical school at the University of Arizona. She is a proud member of the Cherokee Nation and has a strong commitment to serving Native populations and connecting with local communities. In her free time, she likes to connect with family and friends, watch TV, listen to Kpop, paint with watercolor, and bake sourdough bread.[email protected]
Fabi Fernandez (he/him), UCSF
Fabi was born in Miami raised with his sister by parents from Canada and Cuba/Venezuela. At Yale University he studied anthropology, worked at a student-run free clinic, and organized with sex workers around the health-risks of criminalization. As a UCSF MD/PhD in medical anthropology he continued this work organizing with Clínica Martín Baro, White Coats for Black Lives, Do No Harm Coalition, Health Justice Commons, Interrupting Criminalization, and Healthcare Workers for Abolition. In his many years living in the Bay Area, he has fought against wage theft, evictions, and police sweeps. He has also worked to support individuals affected by police violence. He models his healing work in Latin-American liberation psychology. He grounds himself in music, spoken word, somatic practices, and ancestral healing. [email protected]
Torrey Guan (he/him), Saint Louis University School of Medicine
Torrey was born and raised in Fremont, CA. He attended Case Western Reserve University where he graduated with a degree in Biology. During his time there, he served as a Health Lead Advocate for HealthLeads, a national organization dedicated to addressing healthcare inequities by connecting patients in marginalized communities to vital health-related resources. Torrey went on to receive his Doctor of Medicine degree at Saint Louis University, where he continued his passion for working with the underserved. There, Torrey joined Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association (APAMSA) and served on the leadership team for the Saint Louis Chinese Clinic, a student-run free clinic that provided free healthcare visits for the uninsured Asian population in the local community. Additionally, Torrey also took on the role as the lead phlebotomist for the Health Resource Center (HRC), another student-run free clinic dedicated towards aiding the Saint Louis underserved communities. For his free time, Torrey enjoys exploring local good eats, going to the gym, partaking in outdoor activities, playing the oboe, cheering for the Warriors, and spending time with his family/friends and his beloved Goldendoodle, Skipper. [email protected]
Ashish Gurung (he/him), Dartmouth
Su Bin Hanh (she/her), University of South Florida
Karyssa Harris (she/her), University of Rochester
Karyssa grew up in sunny Los Angeles as the youngest of four. She moved to Rochester, New York, to attend both undergraduate and medical school. It was there that her passion for community engagement and advocacy began to grow. With this new foundation, she started to view health through a different lens. She became involved in community advocacy organizations in both her hometown and Rochester, which in turn shaped her passion for underserved medicine and mentorship. In her free time, she enjoys trying new restaurants, attending workout classes, and spending quality time with friends and family.[email protected]
Yuto Iwakuma (he/him), University of Kansas
Yuto was born in Ōita, Japan, and moved across several states—including Florida, Texas, Louisiana, and Kansas. He completed both his undergraduate and medical degrees at the University of Kansas (Rock Chalk!). During medical school, he served as one of the directors of a student-run clinic, focusing on expanding access to care and health education for Spanish-speaking and underserved communities. He was also selected as an AHEC Scholar in Washington D.C., where he provided primary care at a clinic serving marginalized populations and participated in health policy and advocacy efforts.
As a native speaker of both English and Japanese, he has remained connected to his cultural roots, volunteering within the Japanese community and working as a teaching assistant. He is passionate about providing empathetic, community-centered care—especially for underserved and diverse patient populations. Now thrilled to begin a new chapter in San Francisco, he enjoys cooking for his wife and friends, fishing, and exploring new places to eat around the city. [email protected]
Patricia Luzuriaga (she/her), Rosalind Franklin University
Patricia is a Filipino-American, born in Michigan and raised in Singapore until the age of 19. She later moved to New York City for college and earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology with a minor in Music from Fordham University. After graduation, she worked for two years as an intake coordinator at the NYU Steven A. Cohen Military Family Center, a non-profit mental health clinic serving veterans and their families—where she discovered her passion for connecting with patients and providing culturally sensitive care.
Patricia earned her medical degree from Rosalind Franklin University Chicago Medical School, where she was inducted into the Aequitas Health Equity Honor Society and served as Secretary of the Philippine Medical Association. During medical school, she volunteered as a Community Care Coordinator at her school’s Interprofessional Community Clinic, assessing patients’ social determinants of health and linking them to community resources. She also advocated for asylum seekers by writing medical advocacy letters to support their asylum applications. In her free time, Patricia enjoys singing/karaoke, playing pickleball, and drinking bubble tea. [email protected]
Erick Masias (he/him), Northwestern University
Erick was born in Mexico and grew up in Chicago, later attending Middlebury College in Vermont. After two years working of at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, he moved back to Chicago for medical school at Northwestern University. During medical school, he was the co-President of his school's LMSA chapter, conducted adolescent mental health research, and served as a mentor to premedical students through Project SHORT. Erick discovered Family Medicine while serving on the board of directors of Mobile Migrant Health Team, a student-led organization aimed at providing health assessments for a growing number of migrants arriving in Chicago. He is passionate about health equity and promoting advancement of underrepresented identities in medicine. His clinical interests include community medicine, LGBTQIA+ healthcare, adolescent medicine, and behavioral health. In his free time, Erick is a musician and avid birdwatcher. Having enjoyed the birding community while serving as a co-organizer with Chicago BIPOC Birders, he hopes to find a new birding community in the Bay Area. [email protected]
Donia Momen (she/her), Rosalind Franklin University
Natalie Pearlman (she/her), UC Davis
Natalie was born and raised in Tracy, a small town in the Central Valley of California. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Washington, Seattle (Go Dawgs!!) and received a Bachelor of Science in Cellular, Molecular, and Developmental Biology. She spent the three years after college working every job under the sun, from a substitute teacher to EMT, camp counselor, and cashier at a pumpkin patch bakery! Natalie graduated from UC Davis School of Medicine, where she was involved in Harm Reduction outreach, gender-affirming care, medical education curriculum development, and advocacy. Natalie is thrilled to be staying close to home and joining the UCSF & SFGH family. Her professional interests include teaching, gender-affirming care, mental health, obstetrics, addiction medicine, and palliative/end-of-life care (so, most of family medicine!!). When not in scrubs, you can find Natalie spending time with her loved ones, hiking with her dog and partner, exploring new places to eat, gardening, and thrifting too many vinyl records and books. [email protected]
Edgar Quintero (he/him), UC Irvine
Matthew Rodriguez (he/him), Thomas Jefferson University
Mat was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago spending most of his time in a multigenerational Filipino household in the tiny town of Huntley, IL. He attended the University of Wisconsin - Madison where he studied clarinet performance and microbiology. Madison is where Mat fell in love with community medicine during his time as a patient navigator at a local urban underserved health clinic. He continued on to medical school at Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University spending most of his time in the Urban Underserved Program and JeffHOPE, SKMC’s student-run free clinic for people experiencing unstable housing in Philadelphia. He served as JeffHOPE’s Director of Screening & Procedures where he led the screening, diagnosis, management, and coordination of care for patients in this population with sexually transmitted infections, vulvovaginitis, contraception, diabetes, and hypertension. Mat discovered his affinity to family medicine through addiction medicine in large metropolitan cities, community health interventions for the Filipinx community, immigrant & refugee health, LGBTQ+ health, and reproductive health. Through serving on the Anti-Racism in Health Co-Curricular Committee, Mat discovered his interests in incorporating social justice, advocacy, and health equity in medical education.
Outside of medicine, you can find Mat chefing up his favorite Pilipino foods, shopping at random gift shops, jamming on the clarinet, trying different coffeeshops, or photographing his plate at good foodie spots.
Mat is overwhelmed with excitement to be immersed in a large hub of Filipinx culture and to be a provider for his people. He is ready to continue pursuing his passion of providing quality, equitable care for under-resourced populations in partnership with the San Francisco community. [email protected]
Eyouab Tadesse (he/him), Wayne State University
Eyouab was born and raised in Northern California and is the proud son of Ethiopian immigrants. Growing up in the East Bay Area, he developed a deep appreciation for storytelling, education, and the importance of community care. Eyouab earned his Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from Santa Clara University, where he also trained as an Emergency Medical Technician and began exploring his passion for health education and advocacy through the Peer Health Education program. He went on to complete his Master’s in Applied Life Sciences at Keck Graduate Institute, with a focus on translational research, and led a collaborative project with Pfizer on increasing minority representation in clinical trials. During his time at KGI, he co-hosted a podcast demystifying the medical school application process, titled the ""Not So Endless Cycle"".
While in medical school at Wayne State, Eyouab was deeply involved in service, mentorship, and advocacy. He served as Junior Medical Director at the Robert R. Frank Student-Run Free Clinic, where he helped expand community outreach and led operations. He also co-created educational content on the complex relationship of race and gender in medicine through the Black Medical Association and mentored medical and pre-medical students across Detroit. His research with the Hamel lab at the Karmanos Cancer Institute centered on reducing financial toxicity in cancer care, contributing to multiple national presentations and peer-reviewed publications. As a result of his research contributions, Eyouab had the opportunity to participate in book clubs discussing health equity hosted by Karmanos throughout his medical education.
Eyouab is thrilled to return to the Bay Area to train at UCSF and continue his commitment to advancing health equity. His clinical interests include immigrant and refugee health, adolescent medicine, health literacy, and community-based advocacy. Outside of medicine, Eyouab enjoys sports, gaming, podcasting, and losing track of time in a good Dungeons and Dragons campaign! [email protected]
PGY-2: Class of 2027
Adwoa Agyarkowah (she/her), Howard
Adwoa is the daughter of Ghanaian immigrants and was born and raised in central Jersey. She grew up immersed in her Ghanaian heritage. Adwoa attended Rutgers University-New Brunswick, where she majored in Biological Sciences and double-minored in Women & Gender Studies and Nutrition. It was at Rutgers that she developed a passion for serving the urban underserved and women's empowerment. After completing her undergraduate studies, Adwoa worked as a program assistant at a group home for elderly clients with developmental disabilities. She then moved to Philadelphia, PA, to pursue her M.S. in Biomedical Studies at Drexel University. During her time in Philadelphia, she volunteered at an emergency shelter for families experiencing homelessness and conducted research on how the media has impacted the life experiences of Black women. Adwoa earned her MD at Howard University in Washington, DC. While at Howard, she was involved in numerous organizations, notably Medical Students for Africa, the Student National Medical Association, and the student council. Through her roles, she helped build community, establish mentorship within her medical school, and serve the Washington, DC community. Adwoa is excited to bring her East Coast talents to the Bay Area and be part of a program that emphasizes serving the underserved. She is passionate about health equity, addressing racial and health disparities, and providing compassionate care. Her clinical interests include women's health, adolescent medicine, addiction medicine, and immigrant/refugee health. When she is not in the hospital, Adwoa enjoys watching Housewives episodes, traveling, brunching, baking, dancing, spending time with family and friends, or embarking on her next adventure. [email protected]
Norman Archer (he/him), UCSF
Norman grew up in North Carolina in a big family hailing from The Bahamas and Canada. He went to college at the University of North Carolina, where he studied public health, nutrition, and medical anthropology. After college, he worked at a high school in Vietnam teaching English and sex education. He then moved to New York City to work on health policy and research related to HIV, housing, and substance use at a community organization called Housing Works. While attending medical school at UCSF, Norman organized with San Francisco community members and healthcare workers to interrupt the criminalization of patients and find alternatives to policing in clinical settings. He loves a good kiki, day hike, dance floor, dinner party, and international vacation.[email protected]
Thu Dao (she/her), Georgetown University
Thu was born and raised in Richmond, VA, where her parents were resettled as refugees of the war in Việt Nam. After graduating with a degree in global health, she served with AmeriCorps at an FQHC in Berkeley, CA coordinating Centering Pregnancy groups, adolescent health groups, and weekly veggie giveaways. She then moved to Việt Nam for a one-year research scholarship with the Fulbright Program, where she studied the influences on urban cesarean delivery rates in the context of rapid economic development and deeply rooted cultural norms. Motivated by her life experience and work with immigrant/refugee patients in various settings, she started medical school at Georgetown University in order to better care for the health needs of these populations. She was a part of the inaugural team that founded the Refugee Health Navigator Program and she spent time volunteering at a respite center providing aid to asylum seekers who were bussed from southern border states to DC. In her free time, she enjoys biking around different neighborhoods, reading diasporic novels, perusing thrift shops and facebook marketplace, and dabbling in ceramics. [email protected]
Tam Du (she/her),UC Riverside
Jacob Gomez(he/him),University of Rochester
Jacob was born and raised in a mixed Latine-Filipino household in Union City, in California's East Bay. He has a passion for Family Medicine and strives to provide comprehensive care to diverse and underserved patient populations. Jacob studied Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior at UC Davis, where he also engaged in community-oriented health as a provider at the Bayanihan Clinic—a student-run clinic serving Sacramento’s underserved communities, including Filipino immigrants and veterans. Jacob received his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Rochester in Western New York. There, he embraced his new community through advocacy as a Director at the Belton Health Center—a student-run clinic aimed at serving Rochester’s Black and Brown communities. He also partnered with local migrant farm worker organizations like Alianza Agricola and Mujeres Divinas to provide health education and panel sessions. In addition to his clinical and advocacy work, Jacob was president of the Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA) and a board member of the Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association (APAMSA). In his free time, he enjoys DJing, exercising, and sharing delicious meals with friends and family. Jacob is grateful to be back home in the Bay Area and is committed to bridging the connection between San Francisco’s underserved communities and the healthcare system through advocacy, strong communication, and excellent medicine. [email protected]
Hana Habchi (she/her), University of Alabama
Nidhi Kotian (she/her)
Jennifer Lai (she/her), Western University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Jennifer grew up in Palo Alto and graduated from UC Davis with a degree in Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior. During her undergraduate studies, she became a volunteer doula at the local community hospital, providing continuous physical and emotional support to laboring mothers. After graduation, she worked as a Clinic Coordinator and Health Services Specialist at Planned Parenthood, where she worked predominantly with uninsured and underinsured individuals and advocated for comprehensive primary and reproductive care. Jennifer also spent time volunteering at Mabuhay Health Center, a UCSF student-run community-based clinic predominantly serving low-income Filipino communities as a health coach, providing culturally relevant health education in an interdisciplinary setting. During medical school, she gained extensive experiences with community and street medicine teams, working with unhoused communities in LA and Kern County to navigate complex physical and psychiatric conditions focused on harm reduction practices. As a National Health Services Corp Scholar, Jennifer is passionate in underserved community medicine with an emphasis in improving health literacy through culturally congruent care. She is excited to continue her medical training at UCSF where she knows she will be able to further explore her interests in community and street medicine, reproductive care, mental health care, and mentorship. Outside of her clinical interests, she enjoys hiking through national parks, exploring farmers markets, making shrinky dink key chains, and discovering good eats. [email protected]
Sandy Li (she/her), Howard University
Sandy was born and raised in Boston by her Chinese immigrant family. She attended Harvard College where she studied Psychology and had the opportunity to serve her own community through Hepatitis B advocacy and outreach with Team HBV. After college, Sandy attended Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, DC where she continued to work with urban underserved communities. She also founded the Howard chapter of Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association (APAMSA). She took a brief hiatus during medical school to live in New York City and obtain a Master of Public Health from Columbia University. After spending so many years on the East Coast, Sandy is excited to live and work in San Francisco, where there is a thriving Toishanese and Cantonese-speaking community. Outside of medicine, she enjoys cooking, walking around the city to discover new cafes and restaurants, and dancing with friends. [email protected]
Liana Mixson (she/her), University of Wisconsin
Liana was born and raised in Saint Paul, MN however, most of her family is from the special town of Selma, Alabama. She attended the University of Minnesota for undergrad where she studies Biology, Society and Environment. Liana attended the University of Wisconsin Madison for medical school. During her time there, she was the President of SNMA and the Diversity and Equity Rep through the schools student government. She was also in a program called TRIUMPH (Training in Urban Medicine and Public Health), where she did all of her clinical rotations in Milwaukee to better understand how to serve urban underserved communities. A passion of Liana is surrounding birthing disparities within the Black community and finding ways to partner with the Black community to combat it. In Milwaukee, where disparities are one of the highest, Liana worked with local leaders to better understand the disparities that exist and helped form a multidisciplinary meeting to discuss ways to collaboarte. Liana has also spent the last couple of years working to becoming fluent in Spanish and spent 2 months in Ecuador through a program called Cachamsi to continue working on her Spanish and medical Spanish. Outside of medicine, Liana loves to watch reality TV, play volleyball, go to the gym, and try new food. [email protected]
Mary Nguyen (she/they), University of Arizona
Mary has called a collection of places home from Garden Grove, CA to London, UK. She most recently and mainly calls Arizona her home. She graduated Brown University with honors in Health and Human Biology and went on to attain her Masters in Evidence-based Social Intervention and Policy Evaluation at Oxford University in the United Kingdom. After that, she spent time as a researcher at the London School of Economics on health policy. Eventually, she came back to Arizona to attend the University of Arizona - College of Medicine Tucson and graduated with distinctions in community service and integrative medicine. She spent her time working in the Southern Arizona Asylum Clinic, leading the Student Diversity Advisory Committee, working on the Admissions Committee, and organizing the First-Generation and/or Low Income MedCats student group. She is incredibly honored and grateful to be able to call San Francisco home for the next three years and serve the community here. In her free time, she loves to watch TV/movies, doze off, travel to new places, try different foods, and spend quality time with loved ones. [email protected]
Drym Oh (she/her), Rutgers University
Drym Oh grew up in New Jersey and completed the PharmD/MD Dual Degree Program at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. She earned her PharmD from the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy and her MD from Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Her passion for serving underserved communities began at a young age, inspired by her parents' involvement in their church ministry. During both pharmacy and medical school, she furthered her commitment to the community by developing various initiatives focused on health education, covering topics such as diabetes and menopause. Although new to the Bay Area, Drym is eager to apply her skills, knowledge, and passion to her new community. Her clinical interests include community medicine, procedures, and women's health, with a particular focus on menopause. Outside of her professional life, she enjoys hiking, rock climbing, attending concerts, and exploring the best restaurants that San Francisco has to offer. [email protected]
Diana Perez (she/her), Columbia University
Diana was born and raised in Chicago. She attended Harvard University where she graduated with a degree in Chemistry. Between graduating college and starting medical school, she worked as an AmeriCorps member teaching 9th-grade algebra in a Chicago public high school. Afterward, she received her medical degree from Columbia University. During her time in medical school, she was involved with the Black and Latinx Student Association as the LMSA representative, collaborated with local community activists advocating for intersex rights, and was involved in leadership of the First-Generation, Low-Income Partnership group. She is passionate about mentorship, particularly for underrepresented students in medicine, and her clinical interests include adolescent and addiction medicine. In her free time, she enjoys being out in nature, exploring new restaurants, going to the movies, and spending time with friends and family. [email protected]
Yvette Ramirez (she/her), Rush University
Carlos Torres (he/him/el), University of Wisconsin
Carlos was born and raised in Los Angeles where he attended UCLA with a degree in Neuroscience. It was here he found his passion in increasing access to equitable healthcare through his work with the UCLA Mobile Clinic Project, a free clinic for the unhoused. After graduation, he pursued a masters degree at the Loyola University of Chicago. While in Chicago he continued his work with increasing healthcare access, volunteering at the Old Irving Park Community Clinic which served the uninsured Spanish and Polish speaking communities of Chicago. He attended the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health where he served as a Latino Medical Student Association mentor to premedical students who are underrepresented in medicine and worked on the Health Equity and Activation Team to evaluate and improve how equity and inclusion was taught in the curriculum. Carlos was selected to be part of the Training in Urban Medicine and Public Health (TRIUMPH) where he completed a community health project alongside his clinical work. His project was in partnership with the Bread of Healing Clinic, a free clinic for the Milwaukee community, where he created and implemented a pipeline referral process for uninsured hospitalized patients to access a primary care home in collaboration with local hospitals and other public health organizations. Carlos is incredibly excited to move back to the West Coast (best coast) and continue his development as a physician and advocate working to tackle the barriers to equitable and just healthcare. In his free time, he enjoys playing soccer among other sports, learning people’s stories, and finding new breweries. [email protected]
PGY-3: Class of 2026
Maria Acevedo (she/her/ella), UT Health Houston
Maria was born and raised in South Texas. She graduated from UT Dallas where she studied Biology and Healthcare Management to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of the healthcare system and how to improve it. During her time there, she mentored and tutored other students and volunteered as a language interpreter at various free clinics and hospitals. Before medical school, she spent a year working as a patient advocate where she helped people navigate the complex healthcare and insurance system. She attended medical school at UT Health Houston during which she served on the board of her chapter’s Latino Medical Student Association bringing underrepresented minority students together and connecting them with physician mentors and helped push for a more extensive and longitudinal social justice curriculum. A strong advocate for providing quality, patient-centered care for underserved populations and those with limited English proficiencies, she volunteered at a free clinic for Spanish speaking patients and in the post-partum unit of the county hospital providing basic medical information and resources for parents. On a national level, she led the Membership, Engagement and Recruitment Committee for the AMA Medical Student Section to amplify the student voice and organized a nation-wide mentorship program. She looks forward to caring for primarily underserved communities in her future career. In her free time, she enjoys exploring the food scene, running, yoga, baking, the outdoors, and training her dog, Pepe. [email protected]
Joshua Campista (he/him), UC Davis
Joshua grew up in San Jose and has spent much of his life in and around the Bay Area. He is a graduate from UC Berkley with a degree in Molecular Cell Biology. Prior to medical school, he was a medical assistant and worked his way up to becoming a clinic manager. This experience fostered a passion for advocating on behalf of patients and fellow health care workers. He went on to graduate from UC Davis School of Medicine, during that time Joshua invested efforts into being a co-director of Clínica Tepati - a local, free, Spanish speaking clinic. As a clinic co-director during the COVID-19 Pandemic, he helped to implement free online medical appointments for the community and advocated for reopening of many local free clinics after he and his team devised a safe reopening protocol. He is now honored to continue his training and advocacy at UC San Francisco. During his free time, Joshua spends his time with family and friends, playing soccer, trying out new restaurants, and playing video games. [email protected]
Paula Marie Cepeda (she/her),Touro University California
Paula was born and raised on the island of Guam. She left home at 18 yrs old to attend the University of San Diego, earning her undergraduate degree in Biochemistry. She then moved to the Bay Area to attend SFSU's postbacc program. While at SF State, she volunteered as a Health Advocate at SFGH, where she was immersed in urban culture and gained invaluable experiences dealing with social determinants of health. Paula has always been passionate about serving underserved communities. Her volunteer experience at SFGH, as well as her work with her local communities on Guam, were prominent driving forces as she completed medical school at Touro University California. She is excited to return to the city and build relationships with the community once again! Outside of medicine, you can catch Paula nomming on all the foods, laughing too loudly, napping too hard, singing badly, rolling her eyes, camping in her car (for fun she swears), and watching videos of puppies with her partner. [email protected]
Lawrence Garcia (he/him), Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine
Lawrence grew up in a Mexican-American family in El Monte, CA located within Los Angeles County. He attended Loyola High School of Los Angeles, a Catholic Jesuit school that, along with his family, instilled in him the value of community service and engagement. In college, he studied at the University of Miami (go Canes) where he developed an interest in physiology, neuroscience, psychology, clinical diagnostic puzzles, and health equity. After Miami, he worked in an emergency department as a medical scribe, served in AmeriCorps as a health educator / patient navigator for a homeless shelter in New York City, and coached soccer at his old high school. During medical school in Chicago, he was active in LMSA, mentored aspiring pre-medical students who are under-represented in medicine, and completed an MPH degree to further learn how healthcare providers can partner with community organizations to increase patient health. After a semi-intentional tour of the US, he is excited to be back in California at UCSF for residency. For fun, Lawrence enjoys playing soccer and other sports, rooting for Liverpool FC (You'll Never Walk Alone), chess, trying new food places, breweries, and wine bars, hiking, and exploring different city neighborhoods. [email protected]
Indigo Gill (she/her), University of Rochester
Indigo Gill grew up in the Atlanta, GA metro area. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Xavier University of Louisiana where she studied biology/chemistry and earned honors in English. She then completed her Master’s in Human Nutrition at Columbia University. Through Xavier's early assurance program, she matriculated into the University of Rochester School of Medicine. There, she found her love for family medicine and obstetrics. Upon her graduation, she was selected for the Kenneth Woodward Memorial Award for students who have outstanding prospects for careers in improving the health status of underserved patients. She is proud to be a UCSF FCM resident; as it provides her the opportunity to foster humanity into medical spaces. When she is not in the clinic or hospital, she can be found journaling, enjoying live music, going to the movies, reading fiction, sipping tea, or taking a nice walk. [email protected]
Ron Hart (he/him), UC Davis
Tresne Hernandez (they/them/elle), University of Rochester
Tresne grew up in Maryland and Upstate New York and completed their undergraduate studies at Wesleyan University in the Science in Society Program. In the six years between graduating college and medical school, they were a childbirth support person at a Federally Qualified Health Center, led program development and evaluation for a nonprofit focused on children’s development, trained people in full-spectrum reproductive support, and were a payaso in hospitals. At San Francisco State University, they completed a Pre-Health Professions Program, and they also worked in the San Francisco General Hospital system. They are dedicated to reproductive justice, including full spectrum care, the health of LGBTQIA+ people and gender affirming medicine, and research/quality improvement to shift systems towards greater equity. They feel grateful and honored to return to working in San Francisco with incredible people who are also committed to contributing to a more just health care system. When not in their scrubs, you may find Tresne dancing, singing, hiking, being a perpetual beginner at mandolin, or tending to the ever-growing tendrils of their climbing wall plants.[email protected]
Efreim Joseph Morales (he/him), University of Arizona-Tucson
Efreim Joseph (Joe for short) is a first-generation immigrant, born and raised in the Philippines. He spent his early teenage years in New York City but calls the Sonoran Desert his home. He attended the University of Arizona where he completed his undergraduate, graduate and medical degrees. Prior to medical school, he worked in public health research, was a high school anatomy instructor and a phlebotomist that served Downtown Tucson. In medical school, he sought clinical experiences in the Navajo Nation and along the US-Mexico Border—communities that remind him of his own culture, family and upbringing. He earned distinctions in Community Service and Integrative Medicine and was inducted as an inaugural fellow of his school’s local chapter of Aequitas Health—Health Equity Honors Society. He aims to combine his experiences to help reduce disparities in healthcare and education and deliver compassionate care in San Francisco and beyond. His other clinical interests include geriatrics, exercise and nutrition, and primary care sports medicine. Outside of residency, he looks forward to explore local nature, watch wildlife, reconnect with his Filipino roots, and enjoy good eats with good company. [email protected]
Keonnie Parrilla (he/him/el),UT Southwestern
Keonnie Parrilla was born in Guatemala City and immigrated to Houston, TX in early childhood. He attended UT Austin and completed a B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Chemistry. During his undergraduate studies he was an advocate for the College of Liberal Arts through student government as well as a member and mentor for the Joint Admissions Medical Program (JAMP), a Texas program designed to help underrepresented minorities gain acceptance to medical schools. He matched to UT Southwestern in Dallas for medical school and focused his time on working in the student-run free clinics as well as diversity and inclusion organizations like Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA). Keonnie is passionate about reducing healthcare disparities and enjoys mentoring students. He was accepted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society for his commitment to medical humanities. His clinical interests include community medicine with an emphasis on Spanish-speaking patients, procedures, and sports medicine. He may have left Texas but you can still find him proudly rooting for the Houston Astros and Houston Rockets. He also enjoys bicycling, live music, and hunting for the best Birria tacos in SF. [email protected]
Sean Poole (he/him), Touro University Nevada
Sean Poole was born in San Jose, California, and raised in San Jose, CA/ Flagstaff, Arizona. He graduated from Northern Arizona University with a degree in Biomedical Sciences and attended Touro Nevada College of Osteopathic Medicine. He is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, having served as a community health volunteer for two years in Paraguay. He lived in an agricultural community of 150 people working with the local high school and health post, sharing awareness about hypertension, diabetes, nutrition, and sexual health among other things. Ask him about tereré and chipa, but not dengue. His academic interests: Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine, in which he received Touro's Excellence in OMM award, sports, ultrasound, and integrative medicine. His personal interests: Spending time with his wife and son, movies at the theatre, anime, investing, crypto, and basketball. He enjoyed his days traveling abroad and wishes to work with Doctors without Borders down the road. [email protected]
Megan Rodrigues (she/her), University of Kansas
Megan is originally from Overland Park, Kansas and is a proud Jayhawk, having completed both undergrad and medical school at the University of Kansas. In college, she studied Biochemistry with a minor in Political Science. During this time, she helped lead a service organization that was committed to educating students on ethical volunteerism and sustainability. Through this, she was able to advise a medical non-profit in creating a structural competency training module for their volunteers working abroad. After traveling and seeing similar international challenges being reflected back home, Megan became more interested in domestic initiatives to help her local underserved communities. She began to work at her school's student run free clinic as a community resource navigator to get patients connected to specialty care and any safety-net services they may need. Megan is a type 1 diabetic, and through her own experiences has developed a strong interest in addressing the psychosocial factors that impact the management of chronic diseases, especially those affecting minority populations. She is thrilled to be at UCSF and hopes to continue to participate in advocacy and learn more about public policy to create healthier environments and more affordable healthcare. Outside of medicine, Megan enjoys playing rec volleyball and tennis, baking gluten free treats, and watching movies! [email protected]
Tri Tran (he/him), Howard University
Jacqueline Truong (she/her),Drexel University
David Weign (he/they), Brown
David was born to a family of Vietnamese refugees and spent his childhood between San José, California and Dallas, Texas. He received his undergraduate degree from Brown University in anthropology, where he came to recognize the power of community organizing as a form of resilience against systems of oppression. Remaining in Providence, Rhode Island, he attended Warren Alpert Medical School and built on his previous experiences to support immigrants, refugees, as well as individuals experiencing homelessness. When not working, he is likely experimenting with a new recipe, tending to his plants, or spending time in the great outdoors, all in the company of friends and family.[email protected]
Leadership
Cory Johnson, MD, Residency Program Director
*Bio coming soon*
Lydia Leung, MD, Residency Program Associate Director
Lydia Leung, MD, has been associate director for the residency program since 2015. Lydia has been actively working on reviewing and revising the longitudinal arch of the residency’s outpatient didactic curriculum. She has largely focused on identifying teaching that has been negatively impacted by race-based decision making through a re-examination of the body of research that results in recommendations that could deepen health inequities. With constant feedback from residents and faculty, what is giving her life is the robust and case-based dialogue on what it means for all family physicians to unlearn, and subsequently forge a path forward that builds a more nuanced, relationship-centered, and anti-oppressive way of being a healer. She is passionate about medical education, mentorship of underrepresented in medicine trainees, and supporting a residency culture that fosters lifelong learning in service of centering the marginalized. And always, doing it all with deep love. ❤ Click here for more information. [email protected]
Randy Jackson, MD, Residency Program Associate Director
Randy Jackson Jr., MD, currently serves as one of our associate residency program directors. He believes strongly in the power education and advocacy, not only for students and residents but for patients and members of the community. That is what attracted him to UCSF, as their philosophy on medical education and restorative practices have supported his journey. As the first in his family graduate high school and attend college, he benefited greatly from access to pipeline programs focused on supporting minority students in science and math. He brings experience from helping to develop outreach and pipeline programs to his current work and hopes to continue to build upon that presence here. He fell in love with Family Medicine because of the variety of roles and settings this specialty allows you to practice in as he works across multiple settings including outpatient continuity clinic, urgent care, and inpatient medicine. His current role allows him the opportunity to work within education, clinical research, direct patient care, and community engagement. While certain structures in medical education have made it difficult to find space and support for diversity and inclusion work, he has focused his teaching efforts to better understand and develop a growing environment in this space. He has strong interests in mentorship and advising of residents and medical students as well as advocating for medically and educationally underserved communities. As a former teacher and coach, he finds purpose in fostering good team dynamics and supporting those around him. Click here for more information. [email protected]