Our People

 

 

PGY-2: Class of 2025

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]

Oscar Echeverria (he/him), UCLA Geffen

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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]