Residents PGY-2 Bios

I immigrated from Nicaragua at the age of 10 and have lived and completed all of my studies within the Inland Empire. I attended the University of California at Riverside, where I completed a BS in biochemistry, a post-baccalaureate program and an MD degree from medical school. My path to medicine was non-traditional, which allowed me to venture into the world of education as a teacher’s aide, after school tutor, substitute teacher and mentor for undergraduate students. I enjoy working with people of all ages and have a special interest in underserved communities, advocacy, community outreach and patient education/empowerment. I was drawn to Loma Linda FM residency program for their focus on whole person care and great involvement within my community. My interests outside of medicine include spending quality time with my family and friends, watching series on Netflix, traveling and trying new foods. I also love the outdoors, and my favorite everyday activity is walking with my husband and my dog. 

I was born in South Korea, but was raised in Orlando, Florida. I attended Andrews University and then came to LLU to study medicine. My goal is to implement whole person care to continue the teaching and healing ministry of Jesus Christ. I love the outdoors, going on adventures, and spending time with family and friends!

I was born and raised on the beautiful island of Penang, Malaysia before coming to the United States in 2010 for college. My interest in medicine began at a young age as I grew up near the Penang Adventist Hospital where my parents worked. It was there that I learned the importance of service and the far-reaching impact that health care can have especially to those in need. In 2014, I graduated with a B.A. in Music (piano emphasis) with pre-med at La Sierra University and I'm blessed to have attended medical school at the Loma Linda University School of Medicine. With huge interests in Lifestyle Medicine and practicing whole person care, I am thrilled to be staying here for residency to be trained to “further the healing and teaching ministry of Jesus Christ.” I am excited to be working with the like-minded faculty and residents here who truly realize that medicine is so much more than caring for the body, and that addressing the mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects are paramount to quality patient care. Outside of medicine, I find great joy from spending time with family and friends, experimenting in the kitchen, traveling, road biking, hiking, and playing the piano, violin, viola, and flute. 

A Southern California native through and through, I was born in Torrance and spent my childhood in that area. At the beginning of 6th grade, I moved to a small, newly developing community in East Highland. I grew up with the community, seeing the buildings, homes, and shopping areas spring up amongst the orange groves and hills. I completed college at UC Riverside with a bachelor’s degree in biological science and minor in creative writing. I continued to stay local and completed medical school at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona. I was overjoyed when I found out that I would be attending family medicine residency at Loma Linda. I am excited that I will continue to be training in the Inland Empire, where I consider home. I love learning about and listening to people’s stories, and I hope that I may help my future patients to navigate medicine – promoting health in mind, body, and spirit - in their own lives and circumstances as a family medicine physician.

I grew up in the small town of Albany, GA. Due to some medical problems and surgeries, I never graduated high school and obtained my GED. My interest in medicine began when I was 16 years old and began lifting weights. I discovered that I not only loved learning this information and applying it to my weight training, but I also loved being able to teach information to others. After obtaining my undergraduate Biology degree from Valdosta State University, I attended the Medical College of Georgia. While at MCG, I had the opportunity to return to my home town for my clinical years. It was during this time that I began to understand all the health disparities and socioeconomic difficulties that plague my home town. This served to further strengthen my passion for education, but also led me to develop a passion for caring for the underserved and addressing health inequality.   My personal passion for health and fitness has continued to grow. I now actively compete in strongman and have successfully competed at the national and international level of the sport. I plan to merge my passion of medicine and strength athletics in a practice that emphasizes lifestyle medicine as the first line medicine. I am ecstatic to have obtained this opportunity in a place that I feel is both the capitol of lifestyle medicine and caring for the underserved. 

I am a Las Vegas native by way of Chicago. I obtained my bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Nevada Las Vegas and earned my medical degree from Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. My passion in medicine involves connecting deeply with my patients, creating community outreach programs and volunteering with the underserved both locally and internationally. My career interests include women’s health and wellness, adolescent sexual health, sports and lifestyle medicine, health disparities amongst underserved communities and preventative health care with an emphasis on balanced nutrition, exercise and patient education. My goal is to combine my love for health, fitness and ministry with medicine. In my spare time I enjoy spending quality time with my incredible husband, visiting my family, dancing, cooking, outdoor adventures and Crossfit. I am committed to serving, empowering and educating the most vulnerable patient populations to promote healthier patients, families and communities. 

As a native southern Californian, I am ecstatic to be back in California starting my residency with Loma Linda’s Family Medicine Department! I was born and raised in Orange County and received my undergraduate education from UCSD where I majored in Environmental Biology. I then spent three years in the biopharmaceutical industry working as a research associate in vaccine formulations research and development. When I found myself more invested in patient care than I could provide through clinical trials, I changed paths and set my sights on the humbling, yet defining field of medicine. I spent the past seven years living in New Jersey where I attended UMDNJ for my M.S. in Biomedical Sciences- Neuroscience, followed by four unforgettable years at RowanSOM for medical school. I have much love and gratitude towards New Jersey for all the amazing people I have met and owe my immense personal growth into a passionate and capable physician to my time in the Garden State. However, I have no doubt that it is God who has provided me a path back to my home state where I can be near my family and serve the diverse communities of Southern California. I am mostly thankful for the opportunity to share not only my medical training, but also my spiritual growth and faith with patients from all walks of life. My goals during residency are to continuously and humbly expand my medical knowledge and patient care competency, open my eyes to the vast array of barriers to healthcare so that I may seek solutions and improvements, and learn what it truly means to serve as the hands and feet of our Great Physician.  My hobbies and interests include running marathons, crockpot cooking, trying anything and everything coffee related, and of course, traveling and experiencing the vast world at our fingertips. Ultimately, I hope that my passion for travel and my heart for God’s mission for me continues to stir my desire for global medical outreach and serving all those whose needs I can meet. 

Born in South Korea, I immigrated to the US when I was five years old and spent my childhood in Santa Barbara. I dreamed of becoming a doctor since I was in preschool and took my first steps towards making that dream a reality in college by moving to Los Angeles to study biology and environmental science at UCLA. Upon graduating, I further pursued my calling and attended medical school at Western University of Health Sciences.  

I am so grateful that my journey has now led me to a family medicine residency at Loma Linda University. Family medicine is a primary care specialty that promotes continuity of care and embodies a comprehensive skillset that will allow me to adapt to the specific needs of any patient. At LLU, I look forward to serving and advocating for my patients with a mission-centered, whole person care perspective.

In my spare time, I enjoy watching YouTube videos, catching up on Korean culture, karaoking to K-pop music, playing board games, discovering cute cafes, traveling the world, and gastronomically exploring Southern California with my fiancé, Paul. 

I was born in Illinois and spent my early formative years in Taiwan and China. Growing up with mission-minded parents, I always have difficulty answering the question “where is home?” After 9 years in Asia, my family returned to the U.S., where my sister and I experienced how it is like being immigrants and faced the challenge of learning a new culture and language as well as navigating through complicated systems such as our healthcare. After 3 years in SoCal, our family moved to St. Paul, Minnesota, where my interest in learning about the human body began in high school, which subsequently led me to doing a pre-med track at Bethel University. I went on and received my medical training at Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University and fell love with family medicine in the beginning of third year. I discovered my passion in working with patients across all ages and cultural backgrounds through my rotations, church, an elective at a refugee clinic, and being a counselor at a camp for inner city children and youth. I see family medicine as a great way to serve people from all walks of life and to engage the local and global community.  I am passionate about advocating for my patients and engaging them in their healthcare. I enjoy spending time with family and friends, playing the piano, photography, playing board games, and enjoying nature.

After spending the first 8 years of my life growing up in Southern California, my parents and I moved to the Central Valley and have been living there ever since. My dad has worked as a pastor and junior high school math teacher and my mother has worked as physical therapist while also homeschooling me for the majority of my primary education. For my undergraduate studies, I attended Pacific Union College in the Napa Valley, where I majored in Chemistry with an emphasis in Biochemistry. I subsequently attended Loma Linda University School of Medicine and graduated after four years of hard work and perseverance. As a medical student, I was drawn to Family Medicine because of the focus on the patient as a whole person, not just as a diagnosis. I believe that effective patient care begins with relationship. When a patient has complete trust in their provider, the road to preventing disease and achieving optimal health is not only easier, but also longer-lasting. My desire in life is to be used as a vessel to serve my patients and connect them with wholeness, renewal, and restoration, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Some of my hobbies include classical guitar, music directing and production, beatboxing, basketball, running, cycling, hiking, snow-skiing, traveling, and community and church involvement.