Our People

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

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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

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Nidhi Kotian (she/her)

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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

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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]

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 

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Ron Hart (he/him), UC Davis

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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

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Jacqueline Truong (she/her),Drexel University

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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]

Tamaara Bostwick (she/her),UCLA Drew

Tamaara was born in Guyana and immigrated to the United States with her family. She spent most of her formative years in Long Island, New York. She attended American University in Washington, D.C., and graduated with a degree in public health and psychology. She has always been passionate about working in underserved and under-resourced communities. As an undergrad, she helped initiate the Peer Health Exchange (PHE) chapter at American University, which was an organization that trained college students to educate middle and high school students in Southeast D.C. on various health topics such as healthy relationships, substance use prevention, reproductive, and mental health. After graduating from American University, she worked at a school-based health center as a community health organizer at Montefiore Hospital in The Bronx, N.Y where she increased clinic enrollment and connected schools with community-based organizations. She worked as a community health organizer for two years before attending medical school at Charles R. Drew/UCLA. In medical school, she organized a community health fair, minority health conference, and black women physician’s empowerment event as an active member of the Student National Medical Association (SNMA) CDU/UCLA chapter. She is excited to continue her medical training at UCSF where she knows she will be able to further explore her interests in women’s health, immigrant health, health advocacy, and community engagement. Outside of medicine, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, traveling, hiking, trying new restaurants, and visiting art museums. [email protected]   

Katherine Chan (she/her), UCSF 

Katherine was born and raised in Burma until the age of 11, before immigrating to the United States with her family. She attended public schools in San Francisco and completed her BA at UC Berkeley in Public Health and minor in Global Poverty and Practice. She is passionate about working to address health disparities and inequities due to her and her family’s experiences overcoming barriers in health and education as immigrants in the U.S. During college, she served as an interpreter for Burmese immigrant women during labor and delivery and a tutor for recent Burmese immigrant/refugee students. After graduation, she attended the UCSF Interprofessional Health Post-Baccalaureate Program, where she found a community of supportive and encouraging peers and mentors. She was thrilled to attend UCSF for medical school and participated in the Program in Medical Education for the Urban Underserved (PRIME-US), where she continued to work toward her passion in mentorship, advocacy, and community engagement to serve and uplift the health and well-being of diverse, under-resourced communities. She mentored students from communities underrepresented in medicine through pipeline/pathway-programs, and led elective courses on Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) health disparities and advocacy, and Caring for the Underserved. She is excited and grateful to be with an incredible community at UCSF/SFGH in Family and Community Medicine and hopes to dive deeper into her interests in community medicine, immigrant health, mental health, and mentorship for URM students. In her free time, she enjoys being active—playing volleyball, swimming, jogging, badminton, hiking— , caring for her plants, meditation, and spending time with family and friends. [email protected]​  

Jennifer Chinchilla (she/her/ella), Michigan State

Jennifer (Jenn) is the daughter of Guatemalan immigrants and was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. After graduating as a proud San Francisco State gator, she worked for the SF Dept of Public Health on various projects to reduce health disparities in underserved and minority populations. During this time, she also worked on quality improvement measures at the Health Plan of San Mateo and campaigned for the Yes on Prop V ordinance passed in 2016. Before medical school at Michigan State University, she completed a postbaccalaureate program at UC Davis. At MSU, Jenn served in different capacities for the Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA) including: Co-Director for the Midwest Region, Policy Chair, and her chapter president. She has been involved in research investigating and improving the patient-physician relationship with limited English proficiency (LEP) patient encounters. She is a member of the Gold Humanism Honor Society and was awarded the Excellence in Public Health Award by the United States Public Health Service Physician Professional Advisory Committee. Her interests include social justice, immigration reform, health equity, and underserved medicine. She enjoys writing spoken word poetry, drinking cafesito with her partner, watching the Warriors win, and taking care of her plants and fur baby. [email protected]

Alex Coston (they/them), Tufts University

Alex grew up in Frederick, Maryland and completed their undergraduate studies in Chemistry and English at Amherst College. After graduating, they worked as a research technician studying lipid metabolism at a Tufts University laboratory. They then went on to work as a research assistant in the Cardiology Department at Tufts Medical Center, coordinating a study that focused on body composition in heart failure patients with LVADs. During their time in Boston, they fell in love with the diversity of the communities in the city and decided to stay for their medical education at Tufts University School of Medicine. It was at Tufts that their passion for advocacy and underserved communities blossomed. They worked with people experiencing homelessness through Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program. They grew passionate about working with people who have substance use disorder and advocated for safe consumption sites at the Massachusetts State House. They were part of a grassroots movement that successfully led to Tufts severing ties with the Sackler family, who founded and operated Purdue Pharma and are rooted in the opioid overdose crisis. They also pushed for a more inclusive medical school environment and curriculum, including antiracist foundations and LGBTQIA+ inclusion. They are honored to continue their training at UCSF and to fall in love with the communities that receive their care at the San Francisco General Hospital. Their clinical interests include LGBTQIA+ health and gender affirming medicine, antiracist obstetrics care, addiction medicine, and family centered full spectrum care. Outside of medicine, they enjoy being outside (hiking, biking, walking, running), reading, cross stitch, spending time with their cat Squish, and eating lots of ice cream at Mitchell’s. [email protected]​

Simone DeShields (she/her), Loma Linda

Simone was born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in Southern California. If you hear loud Jamaican music in the Mission District, there is a chance it is a direct result of her proud Caribbean upbringing. She is not only appreciative of her heritage, but also her intersectionality that has allowed her to navigate through academia with a unique perspective. Simone graduated from UCLA with a B.S. in Psychobiology and minor in Society & Genetics. Throughout her undergraduate experience she was committed to and valued her involvement in URM and community centered organizations. At Loma Linda University, where she received her MD/MPH, she was able to integrate her passion for minority health and social justice by developing and implementing a curriculum addressing racism as a public health crisis. She is very passionate about advocacy and looks forward to working towards equitable outcomes for her patients, especially those historically marginalized and mistreated by systemic injustice. Out of scrubs, she lives to spend time with her loved ones (especially her mother, sister, and partner) and enjoys good food, yoga, nail art, Prince (the purple one), and her cat, Nina. [email protected]

Dreana Jett (she/her), Temple University

Dreana is originally from Providence, Rhode Island. She earned her undergraduate degree from Howard University, in Washington, D.C. She strives to fulfill the Howard University Motto of “Truth and Service.” Following her undergraduate, she attended the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. She is enthusiastic about using public health and policy to dismantle systemic racism and achieve health equity. She was an SNMA Region VIII Political Advocacy Liaison. Additionally, she served two terms as the Pennsylvania Academy of Family Physicians student representative to the Government & Practice Advocacy Committee. Dreana was a 2021 AAFP Foundation, Family Medicine Leads Emerging Leaders Institute Scholar. She collaborated with other health professionals, community organizers, and sex workers to create a workshop for providers to deliver trauma-sensitive comprehensive care for people that do sex work. Dreana also participated in a fellowship at the Temple University Center for Urban Bioethics. As a fellow, she conducted addiction medicine research and coordinated multiple community projects. She is a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. Outside of medicine, Dreana enjoys candle-making, cooking, and attending live music events. She is grateful to be among inspirational and passionate innovators at UCSF and SF General Hospital. [email protected]

Vivian Ling (she/her), Michigan

Vivian was born and raised in San Francisco. She studied History of Science with a focus on the history of medicine at Harvard. After college, she worked in health policy and strategy at the Advisory Board Company in DC, with a focus on population health and primary care. She then attended University of Michigan Medical School, where she also completed an MPH in health policy and management. Vivian is unbelievably ecstatic to not only return home after (too) many years of snow, but also to finally serve the city she loves in the company of amazing family medicine colleagues who are similarly dedicated to making the health care system more just for everyone. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, dancing, playing volleyball, and spending time with family and friends. [email protected]

Alphonse Liu (he/him), Nova Southeastern

Alphonse was born and raised in the city of San Francisco. He earned his bachelors degree from UCLA and his medical degree from Nova/Southeastern University of Health Sciences. Prior to medical school, he worked at the non-profit federally qualified health center NEMS to help care for and coordinate care for the uninsured and underprivileged communities in San Francisco. Alphonse is excited to return to his hometown to help serve those in his community and city. [email protected]

George Matta (he/him), Boston

George is a Californian through and through. He grew up in Oceanside, CA within San Diego County and spent most of his adult life in the Bay Area. He is the son of Lebanese immigrants who sought refuge in the US during the Lebanese Civil War. While in college at UC Berkeley (Go Bears!), he studied Public Health and researched nationwide disparities in jail and prison health services with Community Oriented Correctional Health Services in Oakland. He also spent a year as an AmeriCorps member teaching preschool in Chinatown, Oakland. Prior to medical school, he was a research analyst here at SF General, studying the impacts of health technology and the electronic health record on patient-clinician communication, especially with patients who have limited English proficiency and limited health literacy. During medical school in Boston, he focused on curricula building for medical student community engagement in bridging neighborhood needs with a local community health center. His professional interests include immigrant and refugee health, community medicine, QI and implementation science, patient-clinician communication, geriatrics, queer health, mental health, and teaching! Outside of the hospital, you can catch him biking around the city, reading at a park with a cardamom bun in hand, or in front of the TV catching up on all 13(?) seasons of Dr. Who. [email protected]

Abhinaya Narayanan (she/her), UCLA Geffen

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Armando Navarro Jr.(he/him/el), UC Riverside

Armando Navarro Jr. was born and raised in South Gate, CA to an immigrant Mexican family. He spent his summers alongside his father at their family restaurant and began to notice the various health disparities that affect Latinx communities. He attended UC Riverside for where he received his B.S. in Biology. During his undergraduate studies he became a Medical Spanish Translator for the Riverside Free Clinic. He began to notice the disparities that the Latinx community of Riverside was identical to the one's he experienced in South Gate. Upon graduation he joined the Health Corps at an FQHC named AltaMed Health Services where he coordinated various health fairs, mobile unit outreach events and fundraising events for underserved communities of Los Angeles and Orange Counties. He returned to UC Riverside for medical school and focused his time on founding a free clinic for migrant farmworkers in the Eastern Coachella Valley, known as the Coachella Valley Free Clinic (CVFC). Armando is passionate about Latinx health both in and out of clinical settings and enjoys mentoring students. He is excited to join UCSF in his personal mission to combat health disparities that underserved communities face. His clinical interests include community medicine, integrative medicine, and immigrant health. When not providing patient care, you can find him at a baseball game rooting against the SF Giants in his Los Angeles Dodgers gear. He also enjoys bicycling, photography, and exploring all the food SF has to offer. [email protected]

Naiby Rodriguez (she/her/ella), Arizona- Tucson

Naiby grew up in Yuma Arizona. She is the daughter of Mexican immigrants who instilled in her a love for humanity, showed her the value of compassion, and the importance of serving her community through actions. They planted the seed of service, and over time it bloomed into passion and a devotion to medicine. She attended The University of Arizona for college, where she majored in Physiology and subsequently where she received her medical degree. Throughout her undergraduate career Naiby helped lead mentorship and outreach efforts for students and communities underrepresented in STEM especially those tied to her hometown of Yuma. While in medical school, Naiby was involved in the Anti-Racism in Medicine Committee where she advocated for and helped establish standards for recruitment and retention of a diverse cohort of students enhancing outreach efforts to increase the pipeline of diverse students. From personal experience, she deeply understood the importance and value of having diverse medical providers to better reflect the patient populations we serve. As the co-chair for her school's Latino Medical School Association (LMSA) chapter, she helped create opportunities for underrepresented students to introduce them to the medical field by hosting student panels and taught them basic clinical skills. Being raised in a rural community, Naiby understood the virtues and shortcoming of rural medicine, wanting to explore this medicine no longer as a patient but now as a provider, she completed part of her medical training throughout rural Arizona. Here she gained a better understanding of patient's barriers to care. Naiby is thrilled to be joining the UCSF/SFGH family where she looks forward to growing and learning from her peers but most importantly connecting with the community and her patients. She hopes to bring a practice that incorporates her Mexican heritage but most importantly one that reflects the core values of compassion, integrity, and humility taught by her parents. Outside of medicine, she enjoys spending time with friends and loved ones, baking, hiking, writing, reading, and working on jigsaw puzzles. [email protected]

Pierrot Rutagarama (he/him), Rochester

Pierrot was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to a Congolese mom and Rwandan father. His first experience with FM was at a refugee camp in Benin West Africa where he was diagnosed with malaria and treated by a primary care physician. This shaped his interest in primary care and global health work. He attended the University of Rochester School of Medicine where he participated in SNMA, the Refugee Student Alliance, and conducted public health research in rural Malawi. On his free time Pierrot is the founder and Creative Director of Ruta, a business that creates medical wear designed to celebrate identity. Pierrot also enjoys to work out, go on hikes, and host social events with friends and loved ones. He is excited to work in San Francisco with the urban underserved populations. [email protected]

Elaine Wang (she/her), George Washington

Elaine's roots are established in Redmond, Washington, a suburb outside of Seattle, where she grew her gratitude for family, community, and nature. Softball (and a need for sunshine) brought her to Claremont McKenna College, a small liberal arts school in Southern California, for her undergraduate studies. While pursuing a major in biology, she happened upon and fell in love with ethnic studies. She traded in her glove and cleats for a stack of Asian American Studies books, thus beginning her journey of critically examining structures and institutions that shape individual experiences, particularly in mental health and in immigrant/refugee communities. Medical school brought her to Washington, DC, where she became more deeply involved immigrant health and justice, developing medical-legal partnerships in community clinics and engaging in legislative advocacy with Doctors for Camp Closure. She is thrilled to be back on the West Coast and living in SF, where dogs outnumber children and Asian foods are abundant. She is humbled and honored to grow alongside a family of residents who inspire her to continue striving for health equity and justice through community work. Outside of the hospital/clinic, you can find Elaine among her houseplants, grabbing noms with friends, napping, meandering through a farmer's market, getting crafty, or petting pups. [email protected]

Diana Coffa, MD, Residency Program Director

Diana Coffa, MD, has been director of our residency program since 2014. She believes that medical education can become a space where we trainees deepen their understanding of and respect for themselves, their communities and their patients. While the current structures of medical education don’t facilitate the creation of that space, she is committed to supporting her own residency in becoming a healing, generous, challenging, honest, and accountable community that helps every one of its members grow. She believes in the power of community process and takes a collectivist approach to teaching and patient care. In addition to family medicine, Dr. Coffa is board certified in Addiction Medicine. She has co-authored national guidelines on the treatment of opioid use disorder in pregnancy and on the use of medications for opioid use. She believes, both in residency education and in substance use disorder treatment, that people’s autonomy, agency, and strength must be centered in order to allow for growth and maturation. Click here for more information. [email protected]

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]