Fellows

Residency: University of Florida, Pensicola
Medical School: Manipal College of Medical Sciences (MCOMS), Nepal

Bio:  Hi everyone! I am Snehaja. I am originally from the Southern coast of India and moved to Florida for my Residency. Growing up, I visited California for most of my summer vacations and these are some of my favorite childhood memories. Since then, it was my dream to move to California and I'm thrilled about this dream coming true. Neonatology fascinates me and I find taking care of babies incredibly rewarding. Outside work, you can find me experimenting in the kitchen, or snapping away at life's little moments with my camera. I love singing, dancing, and learning new art forms. I am a family-oriented person and I try to spend most of my free time with them. They are my biggest support system and I am so grateful to have them in my life.

Research: TBD

Residency: Loma Linda University
Medical School: Meharry Medical College

Bio: Alexis (Lexi) was born and raised in Southern California and attended Azusa Pacific University for undergrad before moving to Nashville, TN to complete medical school at Meharry Medical College. She says that she was very happy to be able to move back home to complete my pediatric residency here at LLU!  Lexi is a very family-oriented person and loves to spend free time doing absolutely anything with them.  She is a first-generation college student and so thankful for all the sacrifices her parents have made to help her get to where she is today. She tells us that she is SO excited to be able to say that she is part of the LLU NICU team, which has been her dream since she applied for medical school.

Research: Characterizing HIE risk categories to identify the most weighted contributor in determining outcomes.

Residency: Loma Linda University Health
Medical School: Loma Linda University School of Medicine

Bio: Peter was born in Pohang, South Korea, but moved to Brentwood, Tennessee when he was 5 years old. He attended Southern Adventist University and then moved to Loma Linda in 2016 for medical school, followed by Pediatrics residency. During residency, he got married to his wife, an Oncology Pharmacist at LLU.
Although he wouldn't necessarily describe himself as a foodie, he loves to eat and loves exploring new restaurants with his wife. He is a sucker for Korean BBQ and is always down for a BBQ outing. If he has the energy, he also likes to play basketball.  He was first introduced to the NICU as a senior medical student, and after just 2 weeks knew that was where he wanted to be and has not looked back since. Throughout his years at LLU, he’s had so many opportunities to learn from all of the patients, families, and staff/faculty.

Research: Investigating the impact of early high protein delivery on VLBW/ELBW infant growth and development

Residency: Trinity School of Medicine, St Vincent & the Grenadines
Medical School: Saint Peter’s University Hospital, New Brunswick, NJ

Bio: Hello all! My name is Matthew Chow, but most people call me Matt. I was born in Hong Kong but grew up in SoCal and attended University of California Riverside for undergraduate. I completed medical school at Trinity School of Medicine. I then moved to New Jersey for my pediatric residency at Saint Peter’s University Hospital. I love spending my free time outdoors, mostly hiking, but I’m open to anything. I also love exploring cities, eating, gardening and cooking."

Research: TBD

Residency: Rutgers Health Children’s Hospital of New Jersey
Medical School: St. George’s University of Medicine, Grenada

Bio:  Bijal was born and raised in New Jersey but excited to make this transition to west coast life at LLU. Fitness and health are big parts of her life but when she has extended time off, you'll find her on the next flight out of the US to try cuisines around the world. 

Research: Linking cardiac physiology and epidemiologic risk factors to functional echo findings in neonates with cyanotic heart disease

Residency: University of Florida
Medical School: Bangalore Medical College and Research Inst.

Bio: Sahana is from Bangalore, India, where she also went to medical school, and left home for the first time for Peds residency in UF-Pensacola! It was definitely a learning experience, living by herself in a new country! Sahana loved neonatology ever since she first rotated as a med student and is so excited to be finally on the path to be a neonatologist.  She’s more of an artistic person and loves to paint, read mystery fiction, and relax and read on the beach. She loves everything Disney, Harry Potter, and has  her very own Star Wars lightsaber.  Sahana loves traveling and exploring new cultures.  Her dream is to travel all over the world, but her goal is to see all of the west coast during her fellowship training years.
Sahana adores her family and miss’s them very much, as they are her No. 1 supporters and to get her where she is today.

Research: Dexmedetomidine for pain control in neonates undergoing gastrointestinal surgeries.

Residency: Loma Linda University Health
Medical School: Loma Linda University School of Medicine

Bio: Andrei was born and raised in Romania for the first decade of his life, then moved to Montreal, Canada. He moved down to California in 2015 to attend Loma Linda University School of Medicine and loved it so much that he stayed on as a resident, chief resident, and now a fellow here at LLU.

He has always loved physiology (as well as pathophysiology by extension) and neonatal/infant pathology, so he was naturally drawn to the NICU. Outside of work, his favorite past times are eating out and travelling (especially to warm, sunny beaches). Other than that, he enjoys cooking, working out, and spending time with loved ones (especially when food is involved!).

Research: Evaluating the Impact of Social Factors in Predicting Developmental Outcomes in Infants < 32 weeks gestation or < 1500 grams

Residency: Kaiser Permanente LAMC
Medical School:  Sackler School of Medicine, Israel

Bio: Shaina was born and raised in Southern California. She grew up in LA and went to UC San Diego for undergrad and graduate school. She loves sunny beach cities and adventures, so decided to go to Tel Aviv University for medical school where she had an amazing time! After such an incredible experience, she was thrilled to come back home to LA for residency.
She loves the outdoors and is in continuous pursuit of clear skies and beautiful nature. In her free time, she loves to hike or go to the beach. On her more restful days, she enjoys the simple pleasures of gardening or just sitting outside with a good book and a cup of matcha.
She is also a huge fan of dancing- if there is music playing, she is probably moving! She has dabbled in many different types of dance; she grew up dancing at her family’s Persian parties, enjoyed hip hop and dancehall during college and medical school, and most recently she has been learning salsa and swing dancing. “It is such a fun form of expression and can be so liberating.”

Research: Bonding and Second Banded Parents of NICU Babies

Residency: Touro University of Osteopathic Medicine
Medical School: University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV)

Bio: Tim Golia was born and raised in Covina, CA and has been living in Las Vegas for the last seven years for medical school and residency. He studied and played baseball at Mt Sac and Long Beach State. He enjoys spending time with his family first and love being called a father and husband before anything else. His two daughters are Gianna (4) and Lilah (6mo). Other than that, he enjoy being outdoors, watching sports, going to the beach, and anything/everything Disney. He has two brothers who were NICU babies (32 wk and 24wk) and hopes to help other babies and families as has been done to his family.

Research: TBD

Residency: University of South Alabama
Medical School: Adichunchanagiri Institute of Medical Sciences

Bio: Chaitra “Chai” (latte) was born and raised in Mysore, India. After medical school she traveled around New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and Texas for about a year doing rotations and research before pediatric residency. In her free time, Chai loves to go on solo trips and try new cuisines. Korean is her favorite cuisine (she can eat Bulgogi and Sundubu Jigae all day every day).  She loves to watch Korean serials, read webtoons, and visit beaches often with an ice cream in her hand. It always gives Chai immense satisfaction to take care of the tiny humans, for it is challenging and rewarding. 

Research: MIRNA in Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy study.

Residency: Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteo Medicine
Medical School: Kirk Kerkorian University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV)

Bio: Ann was born and raised in the Bay Area, soaked up the sun and sea at UC Santa Cruz for undergrad, sunned even more in the Inland Empire for medical school, and got extra toasty during Las Vegas summers for residency. Although she will always love outpatient peds (and practiced for 2 years after residency), her heart belongs in the NICU. She wouldn’t be who she is today without her supportive family, partner (entomologist and top cook!), super-rad 13-year-old daughter, and her ride-or-die besties. She is obsessed with all things soft and fluffy (she loves all fur babies, but also stuffies, cozy socks, faux fur), wildlife viewing (moose are one of her fave ungulates), exploring gardens and mountain lands, and all things Sanrio. Some guilty pleasures include watching anime, Wikipedia / YouTube spirals, and perusing Costco.com. She is both grateful and excited to be a part of neonatology team at LLU!

Research: TBD

Residency: University of Toledo
Medical School: University of Queensland SOM+

Bio: Caroline will tell people that she is from Bay Area, California, but she has been exploring places for the past couple years. She went to Australia for medical school, spent two years in New Orleans for clinical rotations, before completing her residency in Ohio. Caroline believes life is definitely a circle, bringing her back to Southern California for fellowship. She and her family are thrilled to write her next chapter in Southern California. Outside of work, she and her husband both love to cook and eat. The pandemic has definitely put a hold on her biggest passion – road trips but resuming now that they are surrounded by great scenic natures in Southern California.

Research: Post Ligation Syndrome after PDA closure.