Chief Residents Bios

One of my first memories ever was watching old tapes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar throw down his classic skyhook. In fact, I’m pretty sure my dad made me learn Kareem’s name before my own, so yes, I’m a born and bred Angeleno who loves the Lakers, Dodgers, and even that LA traffic, and I’m so grateful to have been a SoCal kid my whole life! At UCI, I majored in biology and minored in sociology, which ignited my passion in addressing community health and social injustice. In between undergrad and med school, I worked for Alzheimer’s Association and spent a few years lobbying for local and statewide policies to protect our seniors, a cause that is very dear to my heart. I then went on to medical school at WesternU, where our curriculum emphasized humanism, compassion, and patient-centered care — everything that is important to me in medicine, especially family medicine! Now here I am at Loma Linda, where the philosophy echoes what I learned and valued in medical school. I also get to work with a group of intelligent, kindhearted, unique individuals in the settings of a FQHC, community hospital, and academic center all rolled into one — a grand slam, if you ask me. When I get a free minute, you can usually find me at a concert/show/music festival, stomping up a hiking trail, checking out new restaurants and coffee shops, and visiting family and friends in LA.

I was born and raised in Los Angeles, where dreams are as abundant as sunshine and pollution.  I’ve always been quite the dreamer, with fantastical ideas of what my future would bring.  When I moved to Michigan for my undergraduate degree, I was convinced I would become an international businesswoman, traveling to new and exciting locations on corporate money.  During my year abroad in Argentina, my career goals took a sharp turn.  I switched to a degree in Psychology, after realizing that I wanted to pursue a career that was more service-oriented.  Eventually, this led to my acceptance into Loma Linda School of Medicine, where I first heard about the combined Family and Preventive Medicine program.  As medical school continued, I developed a passion for underserved communities, lifestyle medicine, patient advocacy, and health policy.  It became clear to me that I wanted to approach medicine at both a patient level and a systems level. I’m excited to be in a program that will equip me to do just that, while also focusing on whole-person care.  In my free time, I enjoy being outdoors, hiking, playing volleyball, reading, photography, and attempting art projects.