Year 4. September 2.
[INTRO]
Remember Your Why
Over the past month I had the chance to meet with our new chief residents and our 16 third-year primary care residents. The third-year primary care residents have just entered the health systems, health policy and advocacy block of their program and will learn much over the next year about how to use their influence as physicians to address systemic healthcare problems and advocate for their patients. Though this work has always been critical, its importance is reilluminated in the context of the many challenges our profession currently faces. Thus, to both groups, I offered some learnings begotten from my own experience as well as some “life” advice I have picked up along the way. I think we all could benefit from it no matter where we are in our careers, so I will share it with you here today.
First, whether you are a trainee who is just embarking on your journey in medicine or a longtime physician who is contemplating your next steps, consider how you could use your career to bring about change in a broken healthcare system. Training at UCLA gives us skills beyond being excellent physicians — we learn how to use our relative privilege as doctors to bring attention to care gaps and to advocate for policies that bring about positive, patient-focused change.
Second, remember that advocacy comes in many forms. The one that speaks to your heart is the one that will keep you motivated when inevitable difficulties arise. That is true even if your instinct is to take a path that seems especially uncertain right now. For instance, a question has come up for several of our trainees is whether or not health services research is a viable career option. The answer is yes. Remember that change is a long game — ask yourself how your contribution will be meaningful five years from now, not just tomorrow. Forge your path in a way that centers the “why” that led you into medicine in the first place. The further you are from training, the easier it is to forget that “why,” but keeping it front of mind through work that fuels you can prevent disillusion and burnout.
Even with a solid “why,” medicine will always be a taxing profession. That brings me to my third point: It is crucial to lean on your community to sustain you on this long path. The family, friends and colleagues who helped you arrive at this point in your career will continue to uplift you as you take your next steps.
In the face of much uncertainty, our greatest duty — to serve our patients — has not changed. We become more resilient by taking action that satisfies our longing for a sense of purpose, one that those of us who chose this profession know well. I encourage you to find a form of advocacy that aligns with both your goals and your spirit, and to remind yourself every day of the “why” that brought you here. On the days it is not enough, reach out to your community, whether that is your friends and family beyond UCLA or here in the DoM.
Residency Recruitment is On the Horizon
It may feel like our new residents just arrived, but the next residency recruitment cycle is just one month away! All of our chief residents play a role in this exciting process, and two of them are selected each recruitment season to take on more robust responsibilities. Stepping up to assist this year are Anige’r A.R. Oriol, MD, inclusive excellence chief resident, and Laura Ann Santangelo, MD, ambulatory chief resident at the VA.
For Dr. Oriol, the recruitment process is a chance to reflect on her residency experience and why UCLA was the right choice. It’s also a great occasion to exude some hometown pride.
“As a native Angeleno, I love to brag about how UCLA is home and what great opportunities the health system holds,” Dr. Oriol said. She hopes that incoming residents are curious, optimistic and relatable to the patients we serve.
“Residency can be challenging, and those qualities help build a strong, supportive community,” she added. “When residents bring enthusiasm for learning, a positive outlook and the ability to connect with both patients and peers, it creates an environment where everyone thrives.”
Dr. Santangelo looks forward to the energy and excitement that residency applicants bring to the recruitment process.
“Sometimes in the middle of a busy residency, it’s easy to get lost in the day-to-day work — but talking with applicants is such a refreshing reminder of why we chose this program and this profession,” she said. “I love hearing their stories, learning about the passions that brought them to medicine and imagining how they’ll shape the future of our residency!”
In addition to annual happenings like Discover UCLA IM, a virtual open house series, this year’s recruitment will include events to showcase resident life in L.A. and introduce applicants to the community engagement work of the department’s many resident and faculty changemakers. The team will wrap things up with a chief-led “Hot Ones” showcase that will see all the chief residents eat progressively spicier hot sauces while answering applicants’ questions.
Dr. Santangelo noted that current residents and faculty are essential to the recruitment process. Residents volunteer to host casual conversations with applicants between interviews, join evening networking events in their limited free time and give prospective future residents insight into resident life on Instagram. Faculty serve as interviewers and share their expertise in the field, “offering a window into the leaders in medicine we have at UCLA,” Dr. Santangelo said.
“Residents and faculty really make up the experience that applicants have on interview day and beyond,” she said. “Together, they showcase the collaborative spirit and incredible teaching culture that make UCLA such a special place to train.”
Please join me in thanking Dr. Oriol, Dr. Santangelo and the rest of the recruitment team and all of our faculty and trainees who plan to be part of helping us find the best and brightest residents to bring into our outstanding program! Dr. Oriol noted that we are in need of subspecialists for applicant interviews, particularly in cardiology, gastroenterology and hematology-oncology. If you are interested in participating, please reach out to Residency Recruitment and Onboarding Coordinator Tricia Barrow at TBarrow@mednet.ucla.edu.
Kindness and Community Make First Gen@DGSOM Mixer a Success
The power of community shone brightly on the evening of Aug. 16 at the eighth annual First Gen@DGSOM welcome mixer, a special gathering to celebrate students, faculty and staff throughout the medical school and UCLA Department of Medicine who are the first in their family to go to college. This year’s event was particularly meaningful in light of the challenges faced in our community and around the world more broadly, a time when friendship and camaraderie feel as important as ever.
“I think I stayed the latest that I’ve stayed at any First Gen mixer so far, because we all felt like we needed to be with people,” Alejandra Casillas, MD, MSHS, who founded First Gen @ DGSOM nearly 10 years ago and remains a faculty advisor, said. “Right now it's hard to have the bandwidth to do things like this, but everyone who came was so glad they went.”
More than 100 people turned out for the mixer, which featured a keynote speech by Monica Sifuentes, MD, FAAP, vice chair of the department of pediatrics at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. She reflected on her journey leaving East Los Angeles to attend Harvard for undergrad and UCSF for medical school, where she struggled with imposter syndrome as a first-generation college student, and what she has learned over her 40-year career in academic medicine — a world she never imagined she would fit into when she first started out.
“You deserve to be here at DGSOM just as much as the person sitting next to you in this lecture. We all must work hard,” Dr. Sifuentes said. “We each have our strengths and our challenges, but be true to yourself, open to new experiences and see where you thrive. You'll know it when you feel it.”
To faculty attendee Carlos Irwin A. Oronce, MD, MPH, PhD, a DGSOM professor, health services researcher and hospitalist at the VA, Dr. Sifuentes’ speech was a reminder of just how common it is for first-gen students to lack a sense of belonging when they start out in medicine — and how they ultimately come to find each other.
“I think the theme of the first-gen community is perseverance — but not just perseverance, a sense of community,” Dr. Oronce said. “Shared experience and the ability to know that you're not alone in all of this is super important.”
While past mixers were subsidized by the department, the current budget freeze on events has limited event resources. First-gen faculty filled in the gap, donating the money needed to buy pizza and more.
“It wasn’t fancy, but it was delicious, and everybody was so happy,” Dr. Casillas said. She was grateful that all the faculty who attended chose to stay for the entire evening, including DGSOM Vice Dean of Inclusive Excellence Dave McIntosh, PhD, and was especially moved by the generosity of staff members in the DGSOM Office of Inclusive Excellence who picked up food and stayed late to clean up.
“The staff was doing this out of the kindness of their own heart — they didn't have to do that. That's not part of their job,” Dr. Casillas said. “To see them go the extra mile was a good reminder that people really do care.”
Thank you to all the faculty and staff who turned out to make this year’s First Gen mixer a success. This kind of community-building is what makes the DoM a great place to work and what will help us prevail over challenges. Enjoy the recap video below!
DoM LEADERS Travel to Bakersfield to Kick Off New Kern Medical Clerkship Site
After two years of careful planning and collaboration, I am proud to share that DGSOM students will soon begin rotating through UCLA affiliate Kern Medical in Bakersfield as a new site for the UCLA DGSOM internal medicine clerkship, a vital training ground for medical students to integrate their knowledge with clinical skills. Program leaders made final preparations and offered a preview of what’s in store for the clerkship during a special meeting at Kern Medical on Aug. 14. In attendance from the DoM were Executive Vice Chair for Education Jodi L. Friedman, MD; Tyler Larsen, MD, co-chair of the internal medicine clerkship; Executive Clerkship Coordinator for Internal Medicine Sarah Chun; and Gregory Brent, MD, senior executive academic vice chair. The group was hosted at Kern Medical by Chief Medical Officer and Chief Medical Information Officer Glenn E. Goldis, MD; Amir Berjis, MD, designated institutional official; Chair of the Department of Medicine Ralph Garcia-Pacheco, MD; and Internal Medicine Program Director Kasey Fox, DO, along with other educational leaders, faculty and trainees. Kern is a longtime educational partner of UCLA, hosting 120 residents and fellows as well as DGSOM clerkships in psychiatry, obstetrics and gynecology and emergency medicine.
The day’s events included a group tour of the outstanding facilities for medical students, the ward team rooms, and a state-of-the-art simulation center. In a noon conference with Kern Medical Department of Medicine faculty and trainees, Drs. Larsen, Friedman and Brent, presented material on the internal medicine curriculum; UCLA department of medicine residency and fellowship programs; and our educators’ approach to giving trainees feedback and preparing narrative evaluations, along with updates for faculty on the strategic plan and resources available in education, community engagement and faculty scholarship.
The DoM is also looking forward to bringing Kern Medical residents to UCLA. In addition to the launch of the internal medicine clerkship, which will officially begin in October, this fall will also see residents at Kern Medical begin coming down to UCLA for a geriatrics rotation. We are exploring other opportunities for Kern Medical residents and fellows to join rotations at UCLA and our other affiliate hospitals as well.
Congratulations to the team behind this valuable new clerkship, and I look forward to meeting new residents and fellows from Kern Medical when they come through our wards this fall!
Meet Our New Wellness Champions
The well-being of our people in the DoM is fundamental to our ability to carry out our missions. DoM Wellness Champions are a key component of our commitment to alleviating burnout and helping our faculty thrive in their demanding careers. They set division wellness goals and share critical wellness information, actively contributing to our department’s strategic wellness pillars. They are also committed to providing support and connecting faculty with the appropriate resources to ensure a comprehensive approach to well-being.
I am pleased to introduce to you our Wellness Champions for 2025-2026. You will see some familiar faces along with some new ones. With their leadership, I am confident that we will continue to make significant strides in fostering a supportive environment where everyone can reach their greatest potential. To our new champions, I look forward to working with you all!
[PS]
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