Residents

Dr. Matthew Hagele grew up in northern California near the Sierra Nevada Mountains. He earned a BS in Bioengineering at Walla Walla University before attending Loma Linda University School of Medicine where he completed his MD as well as an MA. in Bioethics. His interests in psychiatry and ethics have led to scholarly work on psilocybin assisted therapy as well as the implications of a belief in free will. He hopes to call California home for many years to come and feels blessed to work with talented colleagues and the people of San Bernardino County. Outside of psychiatry, he enjoys exploring nearby mountains, new coffee shops, and experiencing life with his wife.

Dr. Austin Huh was born and raised in Naperville, Illinois. He went to college at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan where during his sophomore year he spent a year abroad studying Spanish in Argentina, and he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Studies. He then graduated from Loma Linda Medical School and is currently enjoying being part of the LLU psychiatry family. He is undecided on what field of psychiatry he wants to pursue in the future because he's currently interested in everything! Nevertheless, he loves his free time and enjoys playing League of Legends, board games, ultimate frisbee, camping, hiking, snowboarding, and cooking.

Dr. Benjamin Robinson grew up in northern Oregon as a Boy Scout, camping every other weekend and learning to ride horses and motorcycles. He relocated to Seattle where he received a BS in human physiology with a minor in chemistry. Traveling south, he attended Loma Linda University for medical school where he also graduated with a Masters in Bioethics. While he has yet to set his specific path for psychiatry subspecialty, he is particularly interested in working with incarcerated populations. In his spare time, he continues to enjoy camping, running, and riding, all while exploring the diversity California has to offer.

Dr. My Phuong Tong is from lush Seattle, WA. Her interest in psychiatry started when she studied perceptions of mental health in Brazil, Vietnam, and South Africa as part of her study abroad experience in college. After college she served as an AmeriCorps member helping to expand access to healthcare for the underserved. She then worked as a program manager and led the implementation of complex care management using a $1.2 million HRSA grant. She completed medical school at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine and earned a certificate in Leadership in Medicine for the Underserved. Dr. Tong enjoys hiking, swimming at the beach, and exploring local neighborhoods with her fiancé.

Dr. Jenny Xiao was born and raised in San Francisco, California. She completed her undergraduate studies at UC Berkeley where she earned a BA in Integrative Biology. She finally left the Bay Area to attend medical school at Creighton University. She started her preclinical education at the main campus in Omaha before heading to the Phoenix region campus for her clinical rotations. Her interests in psychiatry include minority mental health and transitional age youth. In her free time, Dr. Xiao enjoys propagating houseplants, watching Asian dramas, attending concerts, and going on nature walks. She is currently on a mission to find the best boba in the Inland Empire.

Dr. Daniel Ko was born in South Korea and moved to Southern California when he was 2 years old. He received his BS in Human Biology from the University of California, San Diego. During college, Dr. Ko worked as a respite caregiver for children with autism and volunteered at an autism diagnostic clinic. He was also involved in research studying the therapeutic effects of lithium on bipolar disorder. While attending medical school at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, California, Dr. Ko was drawn to psychiatry’s transformative impact on patients’ health and happiness. Outside of work, he loves spending time with loved ones, visiting new coffee shops, and traveling.

Dr. Juhee Patel grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She attended the University of New Mexico, graduating with a BS in Biology. She continued her medical school journey at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, where she found her calling in psychiatry and a passion for working with underserved communities. Dr. Patel is a 3rd-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, meaning she can win an argument with her words and martial arts skills. She loves thrifting and enjoys spending quality moments with friends and family. Dr. Patel is thrilled to be in Southern California and is excited to continue her journey in psychiatry, where she hopes to make a lasting impact on her patients' lives.

Dr. Matthew Wade has spent his entire life in the Inland Empire, apart from his undergraduate years in San Diego. It was during his time in San Diego that he discovered a deep passion for philosophy, particularly existentialism and stoicism. The works of Albert Camus were especially influential, shaping his perspectives on living a meaningful life. This intersection of medicine and philosophy naturally led him to specialize in psychiatry. As a psychiatrist, Dr. Wade is dedicated to helping patients lead meaningful, fulfilling, and authentic lives. Outside of his professional life, Dr. Wade is an avid enthusiast of anime, manga, video games, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Dr. Sam Fox was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah. Upon graduating high school, he spent two years living in the Philippines on a church mission, where he discovered his love for listening to people’s stories. After returning home, he attended the University of Utah where he earned his bachelor's degree in psychology. He then attended medical school at Eastern Virginia Medical School and decided to pursue psychiatry after his third-year rotation. He has a broad interest in psychiatry and is excited to continue his training here at Loma Linda. Outside of medicine, he loves spending time with his wife and kids, all things sports, and going to the beach.

Dr. Daniel Resnick was born and raised in sunny Southern California. After discovering a passion for psychology and neuroscience, he chose to study them at UC Berkeley completing a double major with premed requirements on the side. For medical school he attended Western University COMP-NW located in Oregon and was always sure to explore new waterfalls during his study breaks. He’s now proud to be working at Loma Linda University pursuing his dream of becoming an addiction and child and adolescent trained psychiatrist. When he’s not on duty, you’ll probably find him exploring the local food scene or traveling with his family to enjoy some natural beauty.

Dr. Tanya Kurien was born in India but grew up in Oman before moving to Southern California at age 10. She obtained her BS in Public Health from UCSD and then spent 3 years as an In Vitro Fertilization coordinator before attending medical school at A.T. Still University, SOMA. During her time in undergrad and medical school, she developed a passion for working with underserved communities and led mobile clinics in Peru, organized health fairs in NY, and worked as a Crisis Text Counselor. Outside of the hospital, she enjoys playing the latest New York Times game, convincing anybody and everybody to go to Disneyland with her, and hunting for the best matcha in SoCal.

Sara Ahmed was born and raised in El Paso, Texas. She attended Texas A&M University for undergrad and completed medical school at the Dallas campus of the Texas A&M School of Medicine. During her clinical rotations she discovered her true calling in psychiatry—a field that resonated deeply with her sense of purpose and fulfillment. Sara is passionate about global healthcare and has been working on a grant initiative aimed at establishing a mental health clinic in Anekal, India. Beyond her professional endeavors, she finds joy in expressing her creativity through drawing, watercolor painting, and crocheting. She loves planning social events and cherishes moments with loved ones. She also enjoys going to the beach and exploring new restaurants!

Dr. Anika Iftekharuddin was born in New York and raised in California, first in Napa and later in Loma Linda, where she attended medical school. From the outset of her medical journey, Anika knew psychiatry was her calling. She continues to draw inspiration from her mother, a psychiatrist, as well as from her experiences in state hospital settings and mental health non-profits. During her psychiatry rotations in medical school, she found deep fulfillment in supporting individuals during their most challenging times. These experiences solidified her passion for the field, and the rest is history. Beyond psychiatry, she enjoys watching movies, running, and cherishing quality time with loved ones.

Combined CAP Track 
Andrea Raymundo was born and raised in Pasadena, CA, and recently completed her medical education at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, graduating from the 6-year BA/MD program. Currently being in the CAP program, she has a strong goal of being a child psychiatrist and is driven by a passion for supporting and guiding young people through their unique journeys. Andrea enjoys traveling and her current favorite place to visit is Florence, Italy. She spends her free time relaxing with her cats, watching classic sitcoms, and spending quality time with loved ones. She’s excited to bring her background and enthusiasm for life to her new role and community.

Dr. Thomas Chandy was born in the UK and moved to Southern California at the age of 3. His experience volunteering in India inspired him to pursue degrees in Urban Studies and Architectural History at Cornell University. After graduation, he worked at the UN World Food Program in Rome where he helped quantify the UN’s contributions to the Millennium Development Goals. After graduating with his Masters in City and Regional Planning, Thomas helped to create medical education platforms including Wikidoc.org, PocketMedicine.com, VeoMed, the Columbia University Psychopharmacology Forum, and RadX. He is inspired by Loma Linda's mission to train compassionate Christian psychiatrists. In his free time, Thomas loves to spend time with his wife and son at the beach, surfing, hiking, and skiing.

Combined CAP Track 
Dr. Meghana Damaraju grew up in Fairfield, Connecticut. She earned a BS in Neuroscience from Union College and then spent a gap year as a research assistant at Albany Medical College and as a medical assistant at a dermatology clinic. While attending medical school at NYITCOM in Long Island, she worked as a Crisis Text Counselor and participated in an APA-led program discussing subspecialties within psychiatry. These experiences fueled her to pursue a fulfilling career in psychiatry. Her interests include child and adolescent psychiatry, consultation-liaison, perinatal psychiatry, and autism. Outside of the hospital you can find her baking, shopping at Trader Joes or Costco, or listening to true crime podcasts!

Dr. Salisbury is originally from the small town of Sumner, Washington. He received his BS in human biology from Boise State University and his MD from California University of Science and Medicine. As a medical student, Dr. Salisbury enjoyed volunteering in his church, researching substance abuse among medical trainees, and podcast development for medical professionals. Dr. Salisbury was drawn to psychiatry because of the field’s great impact on quality of life. He is passionate about helping those struggling with substance use and caring for the spiritual needs of his patients. Outside of medicine, he loves spending time with his wife and son, being active outside, and reading with his cat.

Combined CAP Track 
Dr. Amanda Khalil was born at Loma Linda Hospital and stayed local until high school. She got her BS in psychobiology at UCLA, then did a 1-year Masters in Theological Studies. Things came full circle when she was accepted into med school and residency at Loma Linda University—the same hospital where she was born. As a medical student, Amanda was involved in research projects that identified regions in San Bernardino/Riverside that suffer most from food insecurity and created after-visit summaries with resources for Social determinants of health (SDOH) factors that were implemented at various hospitals in the nation. In her free time, Amanda enjoys taking nature walks, studying theology, and creating art.

Dr. Peggy Galvez was raised in Southern California in the city of Arcadia. She attended UC Irvine for her undergraduate studies and completed medical school at Des Moines University in Des Moines, Iowa. In her third year of medical school, she was intrigued by the different stories of patients’ lives and ultimately led her to discover that psychiatry was the best field for her. Outside of work, she loves cooking, road trips in her RAV4, discovering new coffee shops and restaurants, going on hikes, exploring new dog friendly places with her beagle Milo, reading novels, and spending quality time with friends and family.

Annalise grew up in a small town in Northern California. She earned a BA in International Studies in Spanish with minors in Biology and Chemistry from Southern Adventist University and attended Loma Linda University for medical school. Her interest in psychiatry was sparked by an opportunity to teach Adolescent Depression Awareness Program classes to local high school students. As a way to combine her interests in psychiatry and lifestyle medicine, she also coordinated a plant-based cooking event to teach pediatric patients and their families about the role of nutrition in mood disorder treatment. Outside of psychiatry, Annalise loves creating new recipes, gardening, and going on runs with her husband.

Dr. Arabela Virata-Kim was raised by her maternal grandparents in the Philippines. She graduated cum laude from Columbia University with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. She completed medical school at Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine in Las Cruces, New Mexico. In her free time, Dr. Virata-Kim enjoys reading, doing early morning walks to meditate, spending time with family, watching philosophy/politics videos, and making healthy meals using her microwave.

Dr. Tania Ghazarian was born and raised in Los Angeles. She completed medical school at Western University of Health Sciences, where she discovered her passion for Psychiatry in her third-year clerkship. During medical school, Dr. Ghazarian was involved in student mentorship, psychiatric/neurological research, and community outreach. She helped create an in-hospital withdrawal protocol for pregnant women with opioid use disorder and was an educator in the Mother & Baby Substance Exposure Initiative Task Force. Her interest in substance use disorders led to an externship in addiction psychiatry through the American Psychiatric Association. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, playing with her furbaby (Kiwi), and working out.

Combined CAP Track

Dr. Hurd was born in LA and raised in beautiful Ventura county. She received her BS in Biology from UCSD and obtained her MD from Loma Linda University. While she was a student at LLU, Dr. Hurd dedicated her time to furthering resilience programs and building educational curricula for medical students. She has a special interest in childhood trauma and cultural psychiatry. Dr. Hurd is passionate about physician wellness and dismantling the stigma of mental illness in healthcare professionals. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband, watching way too much TV (Pawnee Goddesses unite!), traveling (Costa Rica is a favorite), going to Disneyland (it’s soooo close!), and continuing her quest to find the absolute best brunch in SoCal.

Dr. Kristen Kim considers sunny Loma Linda her home and has been a local since high school. She completed her undergraduate at Andrews University and spent one year abroad at Valencia, Spain, to complete her Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Studies with double minors in Chemistry and Psychology. She then graduated from Loma Linda Medical School, where she frequented Hawaiian barbecue, Ding Tea, and the beach on the weekends. While in medical school, she received the Inland Empire Medical Community Service Award, served as Psychiatry Interest Group President, worked to develop CBT demonstration videos, and published a podcast on psychotherapy for Borderline Personality Disorder with Dr. Puder. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, shopping for snacks at Trader Joes, and enjoying all the delicious food Southern California has to offer.

Yifan Lii grew up in Indiana and Bay Area, California. She earned a BS in Biochem/Cell Bio from UC San Diego, went to a two-year Bible school, then completed a PhD at UC Riverside studying plant diseases before deciding to switch careers from being a plant doctor to a human doctor. During her clinical year as a medical student at Loma Linda University, she was drawn to connecting with patients and listening to their stories and decided to pursue a residency in Psychiatry. As a medical student, she helped update the Maternal-Fetal-Medicine chapter of the Ninja’s Guide to PRITE and collaborated with faculty to develop a Spiritual OSCE for preclinical students. After work, Yifan enjoys spending time with her husband, their children, and pets. She won’t say no to a Monday crossword puzzle, trying new restaurants, checking out museums/zoos/aquariums, or a dip in the pool on a warm summer day.

Dr. Catherine Liu was born in Illinois and spent much of her childhood in Oregon before later moving to Southern California. She attended the University of California, Irvine, where she received a BS in Quantitative Economics and a minor in statistics. After college, Catherine completed a year of AmeriCorps with the American Red Cross. She then attended medical school at Kansas City University where she became interested in psychiatry after her third year medical school rotation. In medical school, she was actively involved as a group facilitator where she helped to lead support groups for adult survivors of abuse and trauma. She has a broad range of interests in psychiatry and is keeping an open mind regarding further psychiatry sub-specialities. In her free time, she enjoys trying new restaurants, traveling, re-watching Arrested Development, and playing video games.

Dr. Isaac Mitchell grew up in Sandy, Oregon, and attended Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, Idaho, where he was team captain for the track and cross country teams. Isaac earned his MD at Loma Linda University. He was drawn to psychiatry because of the many opportunities it offers to listen to patients' stories and talk about what matters most to them. As a medical student, Isaac performed bench neuroscience research and led a research project investigating spirituality, meaning, and emotional well-being in medical students amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. When not working, he can most often be found at home, spending time with his wife and son. Isaac enjoys running, reading and writing and has a blog, Fresh Press.

Dr. Ariel Odlum was born in Illinois, but grew up in West LA. She attended University of Michigan (Go Blue!) for undergrad where she received a BS in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience. She then received her MD from California University of Science and Medicine and is excited to be continuing her training at Loma Linda University. Her interests include child and adolescent psychiatry, cultural psychiatry, and providing quality care for underserved populations. She is also invested in supporting and encouraging those who are underrepresented in medicine and increasing diversity of all forms in the field of psychiatry and health care as a whole. In her free time, Dr. Odlum enjoys reading, baking, watching action movies, painting her nails, and listening to true crime podcasts. She is not afraid to drive out of her way to get a good California burrito and will never say no to anything passion fruit flavored.

Dr. Akash Patel is a Loma Linda Lifer, born here at our very own medical center and raised down the street at Loma Linda Academy. He received a BS in Business Administration with an emphasis in Healthcare Management at Pacific Union College in Napa Valley. He then earned his MD from Loma Linda University School of Medicine. Dr. Patel’s current interests include medical student and resident education stemming from tutoring, mentoring, and creating an updated ANKI flash card deck from Loma Linda’s PRITE Question Guide as a fourth year medical student. When not working, Dr. Patel enjoys watching Netflix and anime with his wife, playing basketball, sharing delicious meals with friends and family, and pretty much all things Pokémon.

Combined CAP Track 
Dr. Maria Shibatsuji grew up in the Bay Area and graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a BS in Biology and a minor in Psychology. During her gap years, she was a behavioral therapist for children and spent a year of service in Baltimore, where she cared for heart failure patients, taught nutrition classes, and conducted health screenings at a soup kitchen. These experiences sparked her passion for addressing mental health stigma and health inequities. During medical school at Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine, she served as co-president of the Psychiatry Interest Group. She aspires to devote her career to children and pregnant/postpartum patients. Maria enjoys writing, trying new pastry shops, and spending time with Mika, her furbaby.

Karah Sterris was born and raised in Southern California. She graduated from California State University, Fullerton, with a degree in Psychology, then pursued medicine at Loma Linda University School of Medicine. Before medical school, she spent over ten years as a youth sports coach and also worked as a substitute teacher. During medical school, she mentored pregnant teens and engaged in research geared toward empowering expectant mothers. When on clinical rotations, she found the most meaning in connecting with patients and their families as they shared their stories, which led to her pursuit of a career in psychiatry. She enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter, gardening, cooking, playing/watching sports, and exploring nature.

Dr. Grewal was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her journey took her to Arkansas for medical school, but she eventually returned to the West Coast to pursue a career in psychiatry. Today, she is delighted to be a part of the Loma Linda family, where she is dedicated to providing compassionate and competent care to her patients. Dr. Grewal's interests within psychiatry include addiction, community psychiatry, and advancing mental health equity. Her passion for helping others extends beyond the clinical setting, as she also enjoys connecting with her community. In her free time, she can be found hiking, traveling, browsing the aisles of Costco, savoring a warm cup of chai, and revisiting her favorite TV shows like Ted Lasso.