Name: Kristina Adachi (PGY-2)
Hometown: Los Angeles
Medical School: UC San Diego
Undergraduate School: Stanford
Other Degrees: MA from Stanford
Hobbies: painting, drawing, going to art museums, jogging, going to the beach,traveling, cooking, hanging out with friends
Why UCLA? I wanted to be close to my family in LA. I liked the exposure to different patient populations and subspecialties, plus the friendly atmosphere of the program.

Name: Payal Amin (PGY-3)
Hometown: Diamond Bar, CA
Medical School: George Washington University
Undergraduate School: UCLA
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: reading, art, outdoor activities, working out
Why UCLA? The people, the area, the program, makes UCLA the perfect place to be.

Name: Lisa Arcilla (PGY-2)
Hometown: Lakeville, MN
Medical School: University of Minnesota
Undergraduate School: University of Notre Dame
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: I love exploring LA! Finding fun places to go for happy hour and exotic dinners while getting to know my co-residents has become my favorite passtime. I enjoy being active as well with yoga, running, and rollerblading along the ocean.
Why UCLA? After spending my entire life living in the midwest, it was time to migrate south. I interviewed at 6 programs in California, and I chose UCLA because I felt it had the most to offer: an ideal location, a well rounded experience, and amazing colleagues. I wanted a residency program that offered a diverse learning experience through various hospital settings and patient populations but still felt like a close knit group of residents. UCLA residents not only support each other at work, but truly enjoy spending time together outside of the hospital as well. UCLA is the program where I found exactly what I was searching for.

Name: Maria Arizmendi (PGY-3)
Hometown:
Medical School: University of Illinois, Chicago
Undergraduate School:
Other Degrees:
Hobbies:
Why UCLA?

Name: Kelly Benedict (PGY-3)
Hometown: Tempe, AZ
Medical School: University of Arizona
Undergraduate School: University of Arizona
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: Running, the beach, shopping
Why UCLA? Interesting patients, diversity, excellent teaching, always sunny, beach/pool weather on post call days!

Name: Ryan Breuer (PGY-2)
Hometown: Massapequa, NY
Medical School: SUNY Stony Brook School of Medicine
Undergraduate School: Cornell
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: sports, the beach, parties with friends
Why UCLA? Came to UCLA for the program's commitment to enriching education, the southern California atmosphere, and the lack of humidity

Name: Gina Capodanno (PGY-1)
Hometown:
Medical School:
Undergraduate School:
Other Degrees:
Hobbies:
Why UCLA?

Name: Adrian Castro (PGY-2)
Hometown: El Monte, CA
Medical School: University of Southern California
Undergraduate School: Harvard University
Other Degrees: California Secondary Biology/Life Science Full Teaching Credential
Hobbies: Spending time with family, international travel, basketball, hiking/camping, spending time at the beach (beach volleyball, etc.)
Why UCLA? I chose UCLA because I believed CHAT would give me an opportunity to maintain a strong focus/career cultivation in public health/community medicine, while having the opportunity within the general residency to practice in four healthcare settings each with very different patient populations and educational experiences.

Name: Angela Chang (PGY-1)
Hometown:
Medical School:
Undergraduate School:
Other Degrees:
Hobbies:
Why UCLA?

Name: Kiran Chaudhary (PGY-3)
Hometown: South San Francisco, CA
Medical School: New York Medical College
Undergraduate School: UCLA
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: traveling to other countries; i.e experiencing different cultures/cuisines/languages/etc
Why UCLA? I came to UCLA because of my interest in international health (did an MPH and plan on pursuing a fellowship/work in Australia/Africa after residency), given the opportunities there are at UCLA to do abroad electives and to work with fabulous mentors like Lee Miller and Alice Kuo, who both have significant international experiences and connections. The fact that we also have wonderful residents was the icing on the cake!

Name: Leian Chen (PGY-2)
Hometown: Plano, TX
Medical School: UCLA
Undergraduate School: Harvard
Other Degrees:
Hobbies:
Why UCLA? As a med student at UCLA, I saw the sense of camaraderie within the residency program, both among the residents and the faculty. There is an attitude of everyone helping each other out, and being friends in addition to co-workers. Everyone also values having lives outside of work, which is especially important for one's sanity during intern year no matter where you go!

Name: Andrew Cheng (PGY-1)
Hometown: Placentia, CA
Medical School: University of Michigan
Undergraduate School: University of California, Berkeley
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: Biking, cooking, exploring LA restaurants/markets/food trucks, karaoke, oboe, flute, embracing geekdom
Why UCLA? Strong subspecialty programs, opportunities for research, diverse patient population, variety of clinical settings, close to home

Name: Alan Chin (PGY-2)
Hometown:
Medical School: University of California, San Diego
Undergraduate School: UCLA
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: To be honest, my hobbies run on the "geeky" side. I play a lot of video games: I own an Xbox 360 - playing my fair share of Rock Band (always looking for other enthusiastic players), and I own a Nintendo Wii - so if you like waving a controller around, th
Why UCLA? I chose UCLA because I felt that the residents were a wonderful group of intelligent and enthusiastic people - a place where I was able to work with people that will help keep a smile on your face, even while on call. It also didn't hurt that I am a true blue Bruin from undergrad, so, coming back to UCLA was a wonderful opportunity.

Name: Sun Choo (PGY-2)
Hometown: Garden Grove and La Palma, CA
Medical School: University of California, Irvine
Undergraduate School: University of California, Berkeley
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: entertain my 4 dogs, love to read, watch movies, go to the beach, long dinners
Why UCLA? I love that there are multiple sites because it provides a diverse patient base, no better place to live then southern california, the number of residents is great to provide good coverage and a great diverse group of people to work with, the opportunity to work with amazing faculty, the type of care is both general and specialized

Name: Katherine Chung (PGY-2)
Hometown: Arcadia, CA
Medical School: Albert Einstein
Undergraduate School: University of Califonia, San Diego
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: dancing, rollerblading, baking, cooking, eating
Why UCLA? Proximity to family and friends was definitely a plus, but what cinched the deal was how genuinely nice the residents were. I could see myself getting along w/ them as coworkers and hanging out w/ them at the fabulous beaches and restaurants in LA!

Name: Peter Chung (PGY-3)
Hometown: Seoul, Korea
Medical School: Columbia
Undergraduate School: Harvard
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: Guitar, Guitar Hero, comic books
Why UCLA? Hoping to get into a car accident with Britney Spears!

Name: Christopher Chyu (PGY-1)
Hometown: Hacienda Heights, CA
Medical School: University of Illinois, Rockford
Undergraduate School: UCLA
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: Volleyball, Golf, Eating, Skiing, Snowboarding, Scuba diving, hiking, Cooking, Basketball, music, dancing, TV.
Why UCLA? Nice people. Great hospital. Good teaching. Different sites with different experiences/patient populations. It's Los Angeles.

Name: Ryan Coller (Chief Resident)
Hometown:
Medical School: Johns Hopkins University
Undergraduate School:
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: Travelling, exploring, cooking (and eating!), basketball, running, being outdoors, playing music, reading, going out on dates with my wife.
Why UCLA? I chose UCLA because of the CHAT program, smart and relaxed residents, great complement of tertiary/quaternary care mixed with community pediatrics (and my wife might leave me if we didn't come to California).

Name: Brianna Cowan (PGY-4 (Med-Peds))
Hometown:
Medical School: U Wisconsin
Undergraduate School:
Other Degrees:
Hobbies:
Why UCLA?

Name: Celia Cruz (PGY-3)
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Medical School: SUNY Downstate
Undergraduate School: University of Southern California
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: running, dancing, trojan football, shopping
Why UCLA? i love the people i work with, and i definitely think it was the best decision/fit for me.

Name: Eric Curcio (PGY-4 (Med-Peds))
Hometown: Colonia, NJ
Medical School: UMDNJ - New Jersey Medical School
Undergraduate School: Cornell
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: Exploring LA, going to hockey games (which are really cheap out here), planning happy hours, going to the beach
Why UCLA? Why not? With relatively few strings attached, I felt like this was probably the last little block of life where I'd be able to move to a different place, and having never been to the west coast, it seemed like a great choice. With a strong balance between UCLA's pediatrics and medicine program it really worked well from a med peds perspective. And there's a lot worse places to live than sunny southern california...

Name: Emily Curran (PGY-2)
Hometown: Troy, MI
Medical School: Wayne State University
Undergraduate School: Michigan State University
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: Yoga, spinning, watching bad TV, hanging with my husband and fellow interns, going to the beach!
Why UCLA? Amazing residents (everyone is fun and smart)!! Variety of experiences (tertiary, community, and county hospitals). Very supportive team structure, conducive to learning. Excellent chiefs! Being q5 at UCLA. Cheap married housing. And of course, southern California.

Name: Amin Davari (PGY-1)
Hometown: Irvine, CA
Medical School: Chicago Medical School
Undergraduate School: UCLA
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: hiking, backpacking, camping, traveling, skateboarding, eating candy
Why UCLA? The residents, the attendings, and the setting. I was attracted by the prospect of working with the most amazing people in the most beautiful place in the world. Plus, I bleed blue and gold.

Name: Shaival Dave (PGY-2)
Hometown: Alameda, CA
Medical School: University of Pittsburgh
Undergraduate School: University of California, Berkeley
Other Degrees: University of Pittsburgh (PhD)
Hobbies:
Why UCLA?

Name: Sayumi DeSilva (PGY-1 (Med-Peds))
Hometown:
Medical School:
Undergraduate School:
Other Degrees:
Hobbies:
Why UCLA?

Name: Molly Dorfman (PGY-1)
Hometown: Tustin, CA
Medical School: Tulane U SOM
Undergraduate School: Wellesley College
Other Degrees: MPH, Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health
Hobbies: Cooking, writing music criticism, having adventures, film photography, running
Why UCLA? Great residents and faculty, multiple sites, culture, access to resources, location, weather

Name: Lisa Ehrensberger (PGY-3)
Hometown: Laguna Hills, CA (born in Honolulu, HI)
Medical School: University of California, Irvine
Undergraduate School: University of California, San Diego
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: international traveling, going to the beach, watching movies, cooking
Why UCLA? Diversity of patient population and clinical experiences. Intelligent and fun residents. Approachable and distinguished faculty. Location and weather.

Name: Liana Eng (PGY-1)
Hometown:
Medical School:
Undergraduate School:
Other Degrees:
Hobbies:
Why UCLA?

Name: David Feazell (PGY-1)
Hometown: Oxford, OH
Medical School: University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Undergraduate School: University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: Sports (participant and fan)
Why UCLA? Balanced Program, People, Reputation, Location

Name: Natalie Gallant (PGY-3 (Genetics))
Hometown:
Medical School: University of Southern California
Undergraduate School:
Other Degrees:
Hobbies:
Why UCLA?

Name: Cecily Gallup (PGY-3 (Med-Peds))
Hometown:
Medical School: U Maryland
Undergraduate School:
Other Degrees:
Hobbies:
Why UCLA?

Name: Cambria Garell (PGY-1)
Hometown:
Medical School:
Undergraduate School:
Other Degrees:
Hobbies:
Why UCLA?

Name: Emily Granath (PGY-2)
Hometown:
Medical School: University of Texas, Houston
Undergraduate School:
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: running on the beach, hiking, cooking for friends, enjoying the wonderful weather.
Why UCLA?

Name: Inessa Grinberg (PGY-3)
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Medical School: University of Chicago
Undergraduate School: University of California, Santa Cruz
Other Degrees: PhD in genetics
Hobbies: Mom to 3 year old, running, anything outdoors
Why UCLA? Playing with my 4 year old son, running, swimming, anything outdoors Why UCLA? Great program! Great location.

Name: Diana Guse (PGY-1 (Med-Peds))
Hometown:
Medical School:
Undergraduate School:
Other Degrees:
Hobbies:
Why UCLA?

Name: Bianca Gwinn (PGY-2)
Hometown: Denver, CO
Medical School: Baylor University
Undergraduate School:
Other Degrees: Bocconi University (MS in Health Policy, Management, and Economics)
Hobbies: Traveling, cooking, reading, skiing, rollerblading, enjoying the outdoors
Why UCLA? I loved the concept of the CHAT program and all it had to offer in terms of learning how to administer health care for different patient populations, learning how to advocate for underserved communities and learning about health systems policy. I also really liked the people whom I met when I came for my interview. I also wanted to come to Los Angeles because my fiance lives here. I love LA weather- much improved from steamy Houston :)

Name: Mark Hanudel (PGY-2)
Hometown: Roanoke Rapids, NC
Medical School: Harvard
Undergraduate School: Yale
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: Hanging out with my wife, going to the beach, basketball.
Why UCLA? The wonderful people in the program, the tremendous variety of clinical experiences, interesting pathology, and awesome location!

Name: Nurul Hariadi (PGY-3)
Hometown:
Medical School: Children's Hospital of Michigan
Undergraduate School:
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: I really enjoy the beauty of nature. But above all, I love to spend time with my daughter & husband, that simple
Why UCLA? it's a great program that offers unique opportunity to experience high quality training in all different settings: academic/subspecialty-based university hospital, community-based hospital, & county facility

Name: Ivet Hartonian (PGY-2 (Ped-Neuro))
Hometown:
Medical School: St. Louis University
Undergraduate School:
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: Sports, I'm a big college basketball/football fan!!!!!!
Why UCLA? L.A. is my home and this is the community I want to serve in the future and I'm interested in the academic opportunities that UCLA offers

Name: Jayme Heath (PGY-1)
Hometown: Santa Fe, NM
Medical School: University of New Mexico
Undergraduate School: University of New Mexico
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: Fitness, going to the beach, pot-lucking with my co-interns, sight-seeing in LA, hiking...
Why UCLA? I believe that there is truely one program and one class for every individual, and I think that UCLA is where I was meant to be. The people here are great and I know I have already made life long friends. I'm still undecided as to where my career in pediatrics will take me, so i wanted a program that allowed me to experience a lot of different subspecialities in addition to gen peds. I love that we have a children's hosp within a large academic institution, but also the opportunity to rotate through community sites. And of course, being able to go to the beach post call is a plus!

Name: Nicole Hetzer (PGY-1)
Hometown: Mukilteo, Washington
Medical School: UCLA
Undergraduate School: Stanford
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: running, beach volleyball, traveling
Why UCLA? The people here really make the program. I can't imagine myself anywhere else.

Name: Jessica Hochman (PGY-2)
Hometown: Agoura Hills, CA
Medical School: Boston University
Undergraduate School: UCLA
Other Degrees: MA in Medical Science, Boston University
Hobbies: running, hiking, swimming, playing Texas Hold'em, listening to music, singing in my car on the way to work, wine tasting, going out to dinner, exploring LA/its surroundings, and spending time with family, friends, and my hubby Mike.
Why UCLA? I've been a Bruin at heart ever since I can remember. I grew up attending UCLA sporting events, UCLA family camp, and then UCLA as an undergraduate. I think I may even bleed powder blue and gold. Suffice to say, joining the Pediatric UCLA residency program seemed like a natural fit!

Name: Elena Hsieh (PGY-2)
Hometown:
Medical School: UCSF School of Medicine
Undergraduate School:
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: cooking, knitting, rock climbing, weight lifting, playing with my daughter
Why UCLA? tri-campus program, gives you a different perspective of academic medicine (UCLA), private practice (Cedars) and county (OV)

Name: John Huang (PGY-2)
Hometown: Camarillo, CA
Medical School: UCSD
Undergraduate School: Harvard
Other Degrees: Harvard School of Public Health, MPH
Hobbies: tennis, piano, guitar, beach
Why UCLA? I was most excited about UCLA because of the CHAT program. I am pursuing a career in public health and wanted to be surrounded by people who approached health care with a similar mindset. Also, I love L.A., and I love the people in this program.

Name: Jenny Hung (PGY-2)
Hometown: Rosemead, CA
Medical School: Albert Einstein
Undergraduate School: UCLA
Other Degrees:
Hobbies:
Why UCLA? First of all, I was extremely excited to be returning to my undergrad college. But more importantly, I enjoyed working with the residents and attendings at Cedars as a fourth year medical student and was very pleased with my interview day and meeting Dr. Barrow and company. I felt that the residents had a good balance between work and their social lives and felt truly happy to be working at UCLA.

Name: Cathy Hwang (PGY-3)
Hometown: Richfield, MN
Medical School: Drexel
Undergraduate School: University of Pennsylvania
Other Degrees: Columbia University, MPH
Hobbies: Hiking, eating, reading, yoga, pilates
Why UCLA? CHAT and friendly residents

Name: Sarah Kemble (PGY-4 (Med-Peds))
Hometown: Honolulu, HI
Medical School: UCSF School of Medicine
Undergraduate School: Harvard
Other Degrees: Peace Corps Namibia
Hobbies: Biking (to work, too!), hiking, surfing, cooking, exploring corners of LA
Why UCLA? Stellar Med-Peds program, socioeconomic and culturally diversity of LA, I really liked the residents here, growing International Health program

Name: Brian Kim (PGY-1)
Hometown:
Medical School:
Undergraduate School:
Other Degrees:
Hobbies:
Why UCLA?

Name: Janice Kim (PGY-1)
Hometown: San Francisco, CA
Medical School: UC San Diego
Undergraduate School: Dartmouth College
Other Degrees: MPH
Hobbies: What can I say? I basically live a block from the beach. Even though I was scared that living in LA would mean I'd become a slave to my car, I walk to the Santa Monica farmer's market and people watch, to affordable yoga classes, and jog (occasionally).
Why UCLA? CHAT and the people. I was looking for programs with strong community pediatrics programs and felt like CHAT was a good balance of curriculum + projects. Also peds here is a big program where everyone seems to like being here and working with each other. When I was interviewing, I was told by one resident how "there's just something to be said about going to working everyday with your friends."

Name: Lauren Kim (PGY-1)
Hometown: Oak Park, CA
Medical School: George Washington University
Undergraduate School: UCLA
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: I love to EAT, cook, read, and watch ridiculous reality television
Why UCLA? I love the city and wanted to be close to my family. great comraderie between residents. good balance between bread and butter pediatrics and more specialized care.

Name: Henry Kirolos (PGY-3 (Med-Peds))
Hometown: La Habra Heights, CA
Medical School: UCLA
Undergraduate School: University of California, Riverside
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: Most of my free time I spend doing various services at a Coptic Orthodox Church in West Covina. I also surf, scuba, and snowboard
Why UCLA? LA and UCLA Med-Peds had everything I needed right next to home!

Name: Mike La (PGY-2 (Med-Peds))
Hometown:
Medical School: Oregon Health Sciences U
Undergraduate School: UCLA
Other Degrees:
Hobbies:
Why UCLA?

Name: Elizabeth Lai (PGY-2)
Hometown: Orange County, CA
Medical School: UCLA
Undergraduate School: University of California, Berkeley
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: hiking, kayaking, whitewater rafting, relaxing/biking at the beach
Why UCLA? Los Angeles, weather, combined training at different sites allows different career options

Name: Christina Lam (PGY-3 (Ped-Genetics))
Hometown: Pleasanton, CA
Medical School: UCLA
Undergraduate School: Cal Tech
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: Ballroom, Video Games, Movies
Why UCLA? Multiple Campuses, Peds-Genetics Program

Name: Mailinh Le (PGY-3)
Hometown:
Medical School: UCLA
Undergraduate School:
Other Degrees:
Hobbies:
Why UCLA?

Name: James Lee (PGY-1)
Hometown: Born NYC, but raised in Orange County, Calif.
Medical School: Michigan State University College of Human Medicine
Undergraduate School: University of California, Berkeley (the best university in the world)
Other Degrees: 2nd degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do.
Hobbies: Watching and playing most all sports (especially Cal), snowboarding, hiking, scuba, skydiving, EATING, traveling, spending time with Jenn [Su, my wife], and of course hanging out with people I like; fighting over the microphone playing Rockband.
Why UCLA? In addition to the wonderful weather and family being close, UCLA offers me solid experiences in general pediatrics to the most subspecialized care that I will come across. It prepares me for whatever route I end up taking (specializing or generalizing) with the confidence that I have seen the rarest things that exist in Pediatrics. But most importantly, UCLA had the friendliest, most enjoyable group of residents that I came across during my interviews and I wanted to work with people like that. Plus, I really missed good Korean, Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese food while I was out in the midwest for school.

Name: Michael Levy (PGY-2)
Hometown: Farmington Hills, MI
Medical School: Wake Forest
Undergraduate School: University of Michigan
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: Reading, working out, traveling
Why UCLA? I love UCLA for the people in this program, and the chance to live and work in a big,diverse city

Name: Kellie Lim (PGY-3)
Hometown: Warren, MI
Medical School: UCLA
Undergraduate School: Northwestern University
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: reading, watching movies, shopping
Why UCLA?

Name: Karen Lin (PGY-1)
Hometown:
Medical School:
Undergraduate School:
Other Degrees:
Hobbies:
Why UCLA?

Name: June Liu (PGY-1)
Hometown:
Medical School:
Undergraduate School:
Other Degrees:
Hobbies:
Why UCLA?

Name: Jessica Lloyd (Chief Resident)
Hometown:
Medical School: UCLA
Undergraduate School:
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: running, biking, and shopping and going to dinner or happy hour with fellow residents
Why UCLA? The best thing about our program is the people... we have a really fun, supportive, and caring group of residents and I honestly look forward to work where I get to see my wonderful friends!!

Name: Stacey Lowen (PGY-3)
Hometown: Santa Ana, CA
Medical School: UCLA/Drew
Undergraduate School: UCLA
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: My hobbies include spending free time with my husband and kids at the UCLA pool, beaches, local museums, concerts, musicals, movie and TV show premiers, BBQs, dog parks and much more. I have other hobbies but the list is getting lengthy.
Why UCLA?

Name: Eyong John Ly (PGY-2 (Med-Peds))
Hometown: San Diego, CA
Medical School: Brown University
Undergraduate School: Brown University
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: Traveling, cooking, listening to NPR, playing basketball and soccer.
Why UCLA? UCLA offers a great breadth of training in a variety of settings with an incredibly diverse population. I have been exposed to some high acuity patients which I never saw in medical school. Outside the hospital, the city has been great an offers limitless diversions.

Name: Michael Madanat (PGY-3)
Hometown: Diamond Bar, CA
Medical School: Tufts University
Undergraduate School: University of California, San Diego
Other Degrees: Georgetown University M.S. physiology; Tufts MBA
Hobbies: Traveling, sports, being outdoors, barbecuing/cooking, cars
Why UCLA? Lots of family and friends nearby, amazing location, beautiful weather, good first impression of faculty and other residents, world-class reputation, perfect balance of children's hospital and comprehensive medical center.

Name: Elizabeth Meade (PGY-3)
Hometown: Tacoma, WA
Medical School: University of Washington
Undergraduate School: University of Washington
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: live music, travel, hiking, wine, baking things for other people so I don't eat them, kickball/margaritas with fellow residents
Why UCLA? amazing residents, the holiday schedule, the weather, and the Starbucks inside Cedars (reminds me of home!).

Name: Kiran Mitha (PGY-2)
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Medical School: University of California, San Diego
Undergraduate School: UPenn - go Quakers!
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: reading, traveling, broadway shows, trying new restaurants, dancing, and of course sleeping :)
Why UCLA? loved the residents and attendings, CHAT program, love LA, diverse experiences in multiple hospital settings

Name: Bryan Mitton (PGY-2)
Hometown: Biloxi, MS
Medical School: University of Cincinnati
Undergraduate School: University of Illinois
Other Degrees: University of Cincinnati, PhD
Hobbies: Racquetball; weightlifting; oil painting; nationally-ranked chess player
Why UCLA? I'm interested in a career in academic medicine, and UCLA has an excellent record of helping young investigators obtain initial grant funding and subsequently developing active research programs. The training is the 'best in the west'... and above all... it's Los Angeles! This program was my top choice and I have enjoyed my time here so far very much.

Name: Natalie Muth (PGY-1)
Hometown: Yorkville, IL
Medical School: University of North Carolina
Undergraduate School: UCLA
Other Degrees: MPH (Nutrition) - University of North Carolina
Hobbies: Playing with my 1-year-old son, spending time with my husband and family, running, traveling, and writing.
Why UCLA? The CHAT program is what sealed the deal. I also love the diversity of patients that we interact with working at 4 very different hospitals. And, of course, UCLA was such a fantastic place to spend my undergraduate years that I'm thrilled to be back.

Name: Rashmi Narayan (PGY-3)
Hometown: Chicago suburbs
Medical School: University of Rochester
Undergraduate School: University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: travel, public markets, cooking, wine, reading, live music, salsa
Why UCLA? CHAT! And because the residents seemed like they had a lot of fun in and out of the hospital.

Name: Mandana Neil (PGY-1)
Hometown:
Medical School:
Undergraduate School:
Other Degrees:
Hobbies:
Why UCLA?

Name: Kelly D. Newgent (PGY-3)
Hometown: Fort Collins, CO
Medical School: University of Colorado
Undergraduate School: Colorado State University
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: Spending time with family and friends, reading, snowboarding, going to the beach, wine tasting, shopping
Why UCLA? Multiple sites, great people, large program, patient diversity, wide range of pathology

Name: Pamela Nguyen (PGY-3)
Hometown: Tustin, CA
Medical School: University of California, Davis
Undergraduate School: UCLA
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: CHAT (i.e., involvement with the community)
Why UCLA?

Name: Melissa Orkin (PGY-2)
Hometown: Calabasas, CA
Medical School: UCLA
Undergraduate School: University of Southern California
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: hanging out at the beach, reading, hiking, watching my favorite tv shows
Why UCLA?

Name: Eric Paschall (PGY-4 (Med-Peds))
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Medical School: University of Michigan
Undergraduate School: Pomona College
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: Cooking, running, piracy, ice fishing
Why UCLA? I was impressed by the residents, including categorical pediatric, CHAT, and med-peds residents. CHAT and med-peds in particular have an emphasis on advocacy and health services that attracted me

Name: Eric Peters (PGY-1)
Hometown: Blue Springs, MO
Medical School: University of Michigan
Undergraduate School: University of Missouri
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: Exploring LA (especially the beaches), food and drinks with friends
Why UCLA? The CHAT program, the large faculty involvement in international health, the patient population (especially at Olive View).

Name: Kimberly Peterson (PGY-1)
Hometown: Stockton, CA
Medical School: UCLA/Drew
Undergraduate School: Stanford
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: Lacrosse, Backpacking, Swimming, Soccer, Tennis, Reading, Gardening, Cooking
Why UCLA? The CHAT program was unique about UCLA's program. You learn about community resources and insurance nuances, things that underserved patients have to navigate to access health care.

Name: Helen Phan (PGY-2)
Hometown: Sunnyvale, CA
Medical School: Creighton University
Undergraduate School: University of San Francisco
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: Cooking, eating, tennis
Why UCLA? the various patient populations we get to work with; everyone is very helpful; great classmates; like the larger class size; LA is a great city to live in!

Name: Alan Quillian (PGY-3)
Hometown:
Medical School: New York Medical College
Undergraduate School:
Other Degrees:
Hobbies:
Why UCLA?

Name: Ashwini Reddy (PGY-3)
Hometown: Colleyville, TX (DFW area)
Medical School: Baylor University
Undergraduate School: Austin College
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: Running, working out, and traveling (esp. during residency!).
Why UCLA? I picked UCLA because of the q5 schedule at UCLA, the variety of patient populations at the different hospitals, the awesome people that I get to work with, and I LOVE the weather!!

Name: Gavin Roach (PGY-2)
Hometown: Rochester, NY
Medical School: Albany Medical College
Undergraduate School: Messiah College
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: running, eating out, sleeping in, drinking lots of coffee, going to the gym, watching TMZ, parking cars, celebrity-spotting in WeHo
Why UCLA? the people are great, the weather is awesome, and there is always something to do in LA

Name: Jorge Rodriguez (PGY-3)
Hometown:
Medical School: University of California, Davis
Undergraduate School:
Other Degrees:
Hobbies:
Why UCLA?

Name: Catherine Ross (PGY-1)
Hometown:
Medical School:
Undergraduate School:
Other Degrees:
Hobbies:
Why UCLA?

Name: Thomas Ryou (PGY-3)
Hometown:
Medical School: Stanford
Undergraduate School:
Other Degrees:
Hobbies:
Why UCLA?

Name: Mary Saphyakhajon (PGY-1)
Hometown:
Medical School: Georgetown
Undergraduate School: UCLA
Other Degrees:
Hobbies:
Why UCLA?

Name: David Schidlow (Chief Resident)
Hometown: Merion, PA
Medical School: Temple
Undergraduate School: Brandeis University
Other Degrees: Temple, Master of Music
Hobbies: Cardiology, quality improvement, international medicine, and language barriers in medicine
Why UCLA? UCLA offers the broadest spectrum of care for pediatric patients, ranging from outpatient well child care through complex patients requiring tertiary and end-of-life care. UCLA affords training in academic, community and county-affiliated settings, keeping residency consistently educational and interesting. The pediatric residents and faculty are collegial, intelligent, compassionate and are good friends to each other. It is a pleasure to be part of this program

Name: Megha Shah (PGY-1)
Hometown:
Medical School:
Undergraduate School:
Other Degrees:
Hobbies:
Why UCLA?

Name: Jane Shay (PGY-3)
Hometown:
Medical School: University of California, Davis
Undergraduate School:
Other Degrees:
Hobbies:
Why UCLA?

Name: Daniel Shrey (PGY-2 (Ped-Neuro))
Hometown: Cincinnati, OH
Medical School: University of Cincinnati
Undergraduate School: Northwestern University
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: Skiing, backpacking, music, ultimate frisbee, trying new foods
Why UCLA? Amazing city, new part of the country, diverse population, world-renowned training program

Name: Milica Simpson (PGY-3 (Med-Peds))
Hometown: Chatsworth, CA
Medical School: Georgetown
Undergraduate School: University of Michigan (Go Blue!)
Other Degrees: Masters in Physiology and Biophysics
Hobbies: Running, baking, crocheting, tennis, wine, travel, hanging out with friends
Why UCLA? My family is here and so is the weather! I needed a break from shoveling snow and to get back to the beach.

Name: Namita Singh (PGY-3)
Hometown:
Medical School: UCLA
Undergraduate School:
Other Degrees:
Hobbies:
Why UCLA?

Name: Patricia Staley (PGY-1)
Hometown: "the 'burgh" aka Pittsburgh, PA
Medical School: Penn State Hershey COM
Undergraduate School: Colorado College
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: anything outside (skiing, hiking, kayaking, ultimate etc), cooking, reading, music
Why UCLA? No other program offered such a huge range in clinical settings and then there is CHAT which is an incredible program for anyone interested in community health/advocacy/underserved medicine whether you are fellowship bound or not.

Name: Jennifer Su (PGY-1)
Hometown: Arcadia, CA
Medical School: UC Irvine
Undergraduate School: UC Berkeley
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: Traveling, eating, cooking, exploring different cuisine, teasing James, board and water sports, watching TV, playing with my dogs, and of course, sleeping.
Why UCLA? 1. Great training and amazing faculty 2. Unbeatable location 3. Year-round sunshine 4. Super-smart and friendly co-residents!

Name: Barbara Szajda (PGY-3)
Hometown:
Medical School: University of Connecticut
Undergraduate School:
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: biking, hiking, snowboarding, learning Cantonese, trying new restaurants, visiting with family, watching my brother's movies
Why UCLA? I have found role models in attendings as well as the residents around me. It's good to be working with a team of people I like and admire.

Name: Candice Taylor (PGY-3)
Hometown: Diamond Bar, CA
Medical School: USC
Undergraduate School: UCLA
Other Degrees: UCLA School of Publich Health (MPH)
Hobbies: Dancing, community service, spending time with family and friends, and constantly trying to find a reason to be thankful.
Why UCLA? I came to UCLA because of the diverse opportunities and work environments the program enables you to train in, as well as the institutionalized chance to strengthen my ability to address the socio-economic needs and barriers challenging underserved and minority youth and communities through the CHAT program.

Name: Zarin Tejani (PGY-2)
Hometown: Long Beach, CA
Medical School: UCLA
Undergraduate School: University of Pennsylvania
Other Degrees: Cal State Long Beach -Teaching Credential
Hobbies: eating mangos, cooking fish dinner, wikipedia
Why UCLA? so much diversity of people and patients and great co-workers

Name: Christopher Thrash (PGY-1 (Med-Peds))
Hometown: Albertville, AL
Medical School: University of Alabama Birmingham
Undergraduate School: Auburn University (War Eagle!)
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: occasional jogger, lifting weights, shooting hoops, ultimate frisbee, going to the movies, cooking breakfast, laying on the beach, watching college football and professional baseball
Why UCLA? fell in love with the laid back California attitude, sunshine, great food and produce, and obviously a very well-recognized and respected institution

Name: John Tran (PGY-1)
Hometown:
Medical School:
Undergraduate School:
Other Degrees:
Hobbies:
Why UCLA?

Name: Diana Tu (PGY-2)
Hometown: Fremont, CA
Medical School: Albert Einstein
Undergraduate School: University of California, Berkeley
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: bake, cook, eat at a new restaurant every week, snowboard although I'm rusty after being in med school, camping/hiking, traveling (next on the list is Greece)
Why UCLA? 1) the existence of the CHAT program which in addition to the curriculum, offers amazing mentorship opportunities by CHAT faculty; 2) the other residents at UCLA are super friendly and super smart; 3) Faculty have been great to work with and the teaching we get from them is top notch.

Name: Julia Tzeng (PGY-3)
Hometown:
Medical School: Tufts University
Undergraduate School:
Other Degrees:
Hobbies:
Why UCLA?

Name: Alon Unger (PGY-3 (Med-Peds))
Hometown: Phoenix, AZ
Medical School: UCSF School of Medicine
Undergraduate School: Arizona State University
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: global health and travelling, foreign languages and foreign ideas
Why UCLA? med-peds and sunshine!

Name: Kamala Vallabhaneni (PGY-1)
Hometown: Canton, MI
Medical School: University of Michigan
Undergraduate School: University of Michigan
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: Cooking, eating, exploring LA, hiking, and traveling
Why UCLA? CHAT

Name: Andrea Vannatta (PGY-3)
Hometown: Culbertson, MT
Medical School: University of Washington
Undergraduate School: University of Montana
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: Anything active - swimming, running, hiking, ultimate frisbee, snowboarding; also love watching movies and taking trips with my son - and we love sushi
Why UCLA? my fellow residents; international experiences; sunshine

Name: Mridula Watt (PGY-2 (Med-Peds))
Hometown: Kingsport, TN
Medical School: University of Tennessee
Undergraduate School: Rhodes College
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: Cooking, attending theater, going to art galleries with my husband, strolling on the beach
Why UCLA? great housestaff camaraderie, CHAT, solid training experience, to be close to family

Name: Nikki Webb (PGY-1)
Hometown: South Portland, ME/Poway, CA
Medical School: University of Michigan
Undergraduate School: UC Berkeley
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: Vegetarian cooking, exploring LA, playing with my kitten and spending time with my boyfriend when time permits, swimming, hiking.
Why UCLA? I chose UCLA Peds for a lot of reasons, including proximity to family and friends, but the biggest factors influencing my decision were the CHAT program and the diversity of patient populations provided by the 4 campuses. Patient advocacy and community outreach, particularly in underserved populations, are the core features of the work that I hope to do in my future practice, and so the ability to do this kind of work and to develop essential skills and tools in these areas during residency, made UCLA an ideal choice for me when ranking programs. So far, I'm very pleased with my choice, and I can't wait to see what the rest of my residency will hold.

Name: Lindsay Wells (PGY-2 (Med-Peds))
Hometown:
Medical School: Indiana University
Undergraduate School:
Other Degrees:
Hobbies:
Why UCLA?

Name: Ajay Yadlapati (PGY-1 (Med-Peds))
Hometown: Chicago
Medical School: Rush University
Undergraduate School: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: Basketball, Football, Baseball, Golfing, Dodgeball, Bartending, Movies, Wine Tasting, Going out new restraunts and bars
Why UCLA? Plenty of reasons...California weather, Diversity of clincial experinces at various sites, Great friendly residents and much more.

Name: Christine Yeh (Chief Resident)
Hometown: Pacific Palisades, CA
Medical School: Tufts University
Undergraduate School: University of Pennsylvania
Other Degrees: University of Pennsylvania (MA); UC Berkeley School of Public Health (MPH)
Hobbies: Hiking/camping, swimming, skiing
Why UCLA?

Name: Joanna Yeh (PGY-2)
Hometown:
Medical School: UCSF School of Medicine
Undergraduate School:
Other Degrees:
Hobbies: Does sleeping count?, Food, Going to new places, traveling, roller bladding (on the beach? hopefully one of these days...), tennis, ice skating.
Why UCLA? sunny happy weather; vicinity to beautiful beaches; friendliness of residents and attendings