Year 3. May 13. Our Residents Were Grateful for Their Day Off.
As we approach the season of graduations and culminations, I reflect on the journey that our medical students and trainees have travelled and where the road will take them next. I had the opportunity to speak with our residents last week at the annual internal medicine retreat. In speaking with them, I recognized that during this period of transition, they may be experiencing stress or self-doubt about their next step. Some are facing a new year of training or completing the residency training program. Some are contemplating applying to fellowship programs in the fall. Regardless of their situation and the decisions that lay before them, I know that they are prepared and ready for the next step. I encouraged our trainees to leverage the experience that they have had at UCLA and continue to build on that on their path towards becoming physician LEADERS who will drive innovation, transform care, and advance health for all.
The trainees in our program are a compelling group who are highly regarded and sought after by our peers across the country. I am confident that as they complete our program and/or continue with subspecialty training, they will excel, and we will continue to celebrate their successes throughout their career.
So, I know this may be easier said than done, but to our trainees who are beginning new chapters I say… don’t stress. The department is proud of what you do and who you are. The service that you offer to our patients is unparalleled and we are grateful to you for that.
This is also an opportune time to express gratitude to leaders on our education team who made it possible to host a successful and rejuvenating retreat. Thank you to Assistant Director of Education Operations Nina Talverdian, Internal Medicine Program Director Dr. Lisa Skinner, and Director of the UCLA Internal Medicine Residency Primary Care Program Dr. Mina Ma. Thank you to the chief residents who are tremendous representatives of our program, the school, and UCLA. I would also like to thank Dr. Jason Napolitano and Dr. Edward Lee who generously shared their personal perspectives about their journeys in medicine with our trainees at the retreat. Lastly, thank you to faculty and fellows who stepped in to cover patient care services while our trainees participated in the retreat.
Enjoy some pictures from the retreat and brace yourselves because next year’s recruitment season is right around the corner. I am confident that we will be recruiting another incredible class of trainees who will reflect our commitment to be leaders and who will help us achieve our goals for our community.
Introducing the Incoming DoM Chief Residents
Let me now introduce you to the next cohort of department of medicine (DoM) LEADERS who will be assuming the role of chief residents on July 1, 2024. They are an impressive group who will continue to build upon our exceptional training program.
Meet the chiefs…
Lauren Caldemeyer, MD
Lauren was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana. She first made her way to the West Coast to attend Stanford University, where she competed on the women’s gymnastics team for two years and received her BA in Human Biology. After graduation, Lauren worked in cancer research before moving south to attend Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans. She then ventured west again to join UCLA’s Internal Medicine Program and is thrilled to be remaining in the UCLA IM community as a chief resident. She hopes to pursue hospital medicine. In her spare time, Lauren enjoys traveling, attending Dodgers games, reading, cooking, and exploring the vast Los Angeles food scene.
Sergio De La Torre, MD
Sergio was born and raised on the south side of Chicago. He attended Brown University and received a Bachelor of Science with honors in biological sciences. After graduation, he spent a few years in Boston conducting research in precision medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital before moving to New York City to attend Weill Cornell Medical School. As a proud Mexican American, his continued passions include addressing health disparities and improving representation in medicine.
While in residency at UCLA, Sergio has served on multiple executive board committees including David Geffen School of Medicine’s Faculty Executive Committee on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and UCLA’s Minority Housestaff Organization. In the future, Sergio hopes to remain in academic medicine and to pursue a career in gastroenterology with an interest in hepatology. Sergio is excited to serve as one of UCLA’s internal medicine chiefs and hopes to build upon this program that he already calls home.
"Mona" Xiaomeng Deng, MD
Born and raised in Beijing, Mona immigrated to the U.S. alone after graduating from high school. She started calling Los Angeles her home when she moved here to attend medical school at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. She fell in love with the UCLA internal medicine community and chose to stay for residency training. During her residency, she was a part of the Medical Education Pathway and POCUS curriculum. She is excited about her QI chief role next year and plans to pursue fellowship training in pulmonology and critical care medicine afterward. Outside the hospital, Mona enjoys escape rooms, basketball, and spending quality time with her friends.
Kush Fansiwala, MD
Kush was born and raised in Albany, New York before venturing to the big city for undergrad, majoring in Economics with minors in Chemistry and Public Health from New York University. He stayed at NYU for medical school before traveling across the country to join the amazing UCLA internal medicine community. During residency, Kush has had a particular interest in evidenced-based medicine and research, parts of the internal medicine curriculum which he hopes to continue to bolster as a chief. After chief year, Kush plans to pursue a fellowship in gastroenterology. In his free time, he enjoys going on hikes with his dog, golfing, and playing pickleball with his co-residents.
Tina Kantaria, MD
Tina is originally from the Bay Area and stayed close to home for her undergraduate studies at UC Berkeley, where she received a degree in microbial biology. Despite her Bay Area pride, she could not resist the draw of coming to UCLA for medical school. Here, she found a newfound interest in quality improvement and medical education, and most importantly, an inspiring and compassionate community in the UCLA IM program residents. As a rising chief, she is excited to build further on her interest in QI and is grateful to have the opportunity to give back to her community of co-residents, mentors, and patients who have taught her so much. Outside of work, you can find Tina keeping up with the latest movies, enjoying picnics at LA’s many farmers markets, and searching for the best pasta in town.
Christopher Lees, MD
A native Southern Californian, Chris was born and raised in Thousand Oaks and later attended the University of Southern California where he studied human biology. After traveling up to the Bay Area to earn his medical degree from the UCSF School of Medicine, he returned to Los Angeles to join UCLA’s incredible Internal Medicine Residency Program. He has enjoyed working in the Medical Education Pathway and hopes to continue and grow his passion for teaching while serving as a chief resident. He plans to continue his training by pursuing a fellowship in cardiology. You can catch Chris playing tennis, exploring LA’s endless food scene, and rooting for his USC Trojans and Lakers.
Marcus Munoz, MD
Marcus grew up in Monroe, Washington in the beautiful and slightly rainier Pacific Northwest. He fell in love with California while attending Stanford University and studying Human Biology with a concentration in Infectious Disease and Epidemiology. After undergraduate studies he moved to Iowa for medical school where he continued to foster his interest in neglected tropical diseases researching leishmaniasis. He was ecstatic to return to the West Coast and move to Los Angeles for internal medicine residency at UCLA where he continues to be involved in the global health track. He is interested infectious disease, critical care medicine, and medical education. In his free time you can find him outdoors with family and friends trying to catch waves in the Pacific Ocean or trout in the streams of the Sierra Nevada.
Justin Song, MD
Justin was born in New Jersey and grew up in Orange County and San Diego. He majored in Molecular Biology at Princeton University and received his MD at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Justin was excited to return to the west coast for residency at UCLA and enjoyed participating in cardiology clinical research and in the Health Systems Management Pathway. He likes to spend his free time exploring restaurants, reading, hiking, and playing/watching basketball and soccer.
Kyle Udd-Garnica, MD
Kyle Udd-Garnica was born in California and spent his early years roasting in the Phoenix sun before returning home to LA where he attended USC and received his undergraduate degree in Economics. Kyle didn’t have to stray too far for his medical training, and he received his MD from UCSD. After 4 years in the marginally cloudier weather, he was ecstatic to remain close to home and complete his residency at UCLA. He is passionate about medical education and point-of-care ultrasound and joined both the medical education pathway and evening ultrasound seminar series during residency to pursue his interests.
Kyle is planning to pursue a cardiology fellowship with an interest in general cardiovascular health, primary and secondary prevention of coronary artery disease and a special interest in Sports Cardiology. When not in the hospital Kyle finds ways to stay active - either weightlifting, hiking, running, rowing, playing basketball or snowboarding. He loves spending time with his wife Natalie and chasing after their two small children, Daniel and Adrian.
Nathan VanderVeen, MD
Nate was born and raised in Southwest Michigan but feels right at home in sunny southern California! He grew up in rural Allegan, MI in a family of funeral directors before moving to Ann Arbor to study biochemistry and Spanish at the University of Michigan. A Fulbright brought him to Brazil for a year before medical school at Western Michigan University, and finally, home to UCLA for a combined Internal Medicine-Pediatrics residency. Nate is passionate about medical education, caring for medically complex young people and adults, and global health, and he hopes to become an academic Med-Peds hospitalist after serving as an RR/SM Chief. When he is not at the hospital, you can find Nate biking to/from a tennis court, fielding health-related questions about his friends’ kids, and eating street tacos around LA.
Shatara Townes, MD Appointed DoM’s Associate Program Director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
The department is thrilled to announce the appointment of Dr. Shatara (Tara) Townes as the new associate program director for equity, diversity, and inclusion (APD EDI) for the UCLA Department of Medicine. Dr. Townes is a remarkable physician whose journey to this position has been nothing short of inspiring.
Dr. Townes graduated from UCLA with a double major in physiological science and biology before pursuing her medical degree at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. A first-generation college graduate, Dr. Townes co-founded the UCLA Health Equity Hub and has been deeply involved in advancing initiatives to promote equity and inclusion throughout her academic and professional career.
Dr. Townes is currently completing her residency where she served as one of the Ronald Regan/ Santa Monica UCLA Hospital chief residents and as the EDI chief resident. During residency, she enjoyed being involved in the Medical Education Pathway where her project focused on strategies for efficacious development of pipeline programs for URiM students. During her chief residency, she spearheaded the development of a revamped EDI curriculum, and she is poised to bring this expertise to her new role as APD EDI.
As the APD for EDI, Dr. Townes will lead the following initiatives: mentoring residents, driving curriculum and collaboration to realize our values and commitment to training future leaders in medicine who represent the diversity found in the communities we serve. We asked her about her journey in medicine and her future goals as she embarks on this tremendous opportunity. She shares the following:
What drew you to the field of medicine and leading equity, diversity, inclusion programs at UCLA?
Raised by a single mother within an under-resourced and marginalized community, has provided me with a unique perspective. My journey has afforded me an intimate understanding of the formidable challenges encountered by individuals who may have faced similar circumstances. Maturing in a city renowned for its cultural diversity has been an enriching experience that goes beyond merely broadening my ability to relate to residents. The multifaceted nature of this city has instilled in me the importance of cultural competency through exposure to a broad spectrum of traditions, languages, and perspectives. In essence, my life's narrative uniquely equips me to not only identify with, but also deeply understand the diverse perspectives within our program.
What are a few of your goals/or vision for EDI in the DoM?
As I look to the future, my vision for advancing EDI priorities within the residency program is founded on four pillars: recruitment, mentorship, curricular innovation, and strategic collaboration with the greater Los Angeles community. I believe that by fostering a mentorship culture that emphasizes individual potential, we create an environment where residents from diverse backgrounds feel supported and empowered to excel. Through innovative curriculum development, we can ensure that EDI principles are seamlessly integrated into the educational experience, preparing residents to navigate the complexities of a diverse patient population. I look forward to the opportunity to continue working on our curriculum, with the hopes of incorporating community-based activities for residents as I am excited about our strategic plan for community engagement and hope to forge new clinical opportunities designed to enrich comprehension of the distinctive healthcare needs within our under-resourced communities in Los Angeles. Offering hands-on experience is pivotal for cultivating empathy, cultural competence, and a holistic perspective on healthcare disparities.
Congratulations, Dr. Townes. We look forward to working with you to reach our goal of developing leaders who will drive the future of medicine and health sciences.
DoM Hosts Affiliate Department Chairs
One of the unique aspects of our department, is the strong affiliations that we have with other health care partners, that play an integral role in the training of our residents, fellows and medical students. This collaboration is built on fostering productive relationships with their leaders.
On February 13, Vice Chair for Affiliate Programs Dr. Soma Wali, welcomed the chairs of medicine from our community partners throughout the state. I enjoyed welcoming Dr. Ralph Garcia-Pachecho, the newly appointed Chair of Medicine at Kern Medical, the UCLA-affiliated program located in Bakersfield to UCLA and his new role. During the meeting, we discussed the implementation of the strategic plan and Dr. Brent shared about plans for a new online journal for faculty. I was joined by Executive Vice-Chair for Faculty Dr. Jose Escarce and Director of Academic Personnel Arlene Bieschke who shared criteria for academic advancement for faculty in the health sciences series.
We enjoyed hearing from each affiliate chair who shared news about the status of the academic and clinical programs at their institutions and future opportunities for collaborations between us. It was a productive meeting and reminds me of the strength of our community presence and commitment to providing the best patient care to all those we serve.
Lastly, I would like to wish a Happy Mother's Day to the mothers and mother figures in the DoM who celebrated over the weekend. I hope you were able to enjoy your special day.
Dale
P.S.
LA is all about brand awareness. Our residency retreat was no exception.
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