-
Matt Abrams, M.D.
About Me: PGY-3 Resident, Psychiatry
Talk to me About: Burnout, communication, social isolation, patient care, LGBTQ+ issues, self-compassion, and work-life balance
-
Tali Azenkot, M.D.
About Me: After growing up in San Jose, CA, I went to Barnard College in New York to study dance. After realizing I was more suited for medicine, I completed my pre-reqs and moved to Seattle for my first "real job" as a clinical research coordinator. I was fortunate to train at UC Davis for medical school, residency, and a chief residency year. After eight years in Sacramento, I started a new adventure in San Diego for fellowship in hematology and oncology. You can find me walking around town, exploring coffee shops, and binging the occasional rom com.
Talk to me about: Career exploration, women in medicine, dual physician-in-training couple, dimensions of wellness.
-
Mandeep Bajwa, M.D.
About Me: Mandeep Bajwa is originally from a small town in Northern California, but has found himself in San Diego for all of his advanced training (since medical school to fellowship). He is a current fellow in pediatric gastroenterology and was a previous chief residents of the Pediatric Residency Program. He loves to hike, camping, skimboarding, SUP, and all things Harry Potter.
Talk to me about: Transitions in training, professionalism incidents, acute clinical stressors, and burnout
-
Michael Brandel, M.D.
About Me: I’m a neurosurgery resident with interests in skull base and cerebrovascular/endovascular neurosurgery. I grew up in San Diego, went to UC Berkeley for college, spent a couple years working in San Francisco before returning to UC San Diego for medical school, graduate school, and residency. My research includes big data outcome analyses, vascular flow models, and understanding molecular drivers of skull base tumor behavior. I enjoy time with my family, traveling, snowboarding, and basketball.
Talk to me about: Time management, balancing clinical and research responsibilities, teamwork, and resiliency.
-
Alexandra Grossman Moon, M.D.
About me: My passions in medicine are primary care behavioral health, physician wellness, sports medicine and athlete mental health, palliative care, adolescent medicine, and addiction medicine. My passions outside of medicine are trying new restaurants and coffee shops, spending time outside and at the beach, watching as many sports as possible, and hanging out with family, friends, and my dog, Rory!
Talk to me about: Having a partner not in medicine, having a family member with a chronic health condition and the impact it has on you as both a source of support and countertransference-wise, challenges of being the only medical professional in your family and imposter syndrome.
-
Kylie Van Hoesen, MD
About me: I’m currently a PGY4 in Emergency Medicine. I grew up in Colorado and went to University of Denver for undergrad and University of Colorado for medical school. I traded my love of the mountains for the ocean as Residency brought me to San Diego. I’m planning on staying at UCSD to do a fellowship in Wilderness Medicine. I love being outside, in the ocean, surfing, mountain biking, and exploring San Diego.
Talk to me about: Managing burnout and supporting wellness, relationships in residency, tough cases, overwhelm and stress. Would love to talk through anything on your mind.
-
Tae Wuk Ko, M.D.
About me: Born in Korea and raised in Auckland, New Zealand, I moved to Los Angeles for undergrad at UCLA. Worked in Health Information Management for a few years in Pasadena, then hopped over to Dartmouth in New Hampshire for med school. Missed the sun, so came back to sunny CA! I am currently a PGY-4/CA-3 in Anesthesiology. When not working, you can find me at the gym, relaxing at the beach, or exploring San Diego with my friends/corezzies!
Talk to me about: Resilience, expectation management, or anything else on your mind!
-
Lay Kodama, M.D.
About me: I was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, then spent time in Baltimore for undergraduate studies, and finally made it out to California for medical and graduate school at UCSF. I am now a psychiatry resident with an interest in geriatric psychiatry and research. During residency, my husband and I welcomed our daughter into the world. In my free time, I love to be with my family, play violin, and explore new cities/neighborhoods through food.
Talk to me about: Being a parent during residency; life and career transitions; challenging patient encounters; finding your professional identity; any other topics you are interested in talking about, I am here to listen and support you.
-
Justine Ku, M.D.
About me:
Talk to me about:
-
Drew Matsuura, M.D.
About me:
Talk to me about:
-
Yasamin Mohammadi, M.D.
About me: I'm Yasamin (Yasi) Mohammadi and I am excited to fulfill this role as a peer supporter. I truly believe that by working together and supporting each other we can be do our best to be excellent physicians. I was born and raised in Diamond Bar, California, lived in the Bay Area for 8 years (where I went to UC Berkeley), lived in Kansas City for medical school and spent 1 year in Fresno, California learning more about taking care of the state's most vulnerable populations. I am deeply interested and committed to working with underserved communities and love being a pediatrician because I believe truly are the promise of the future. When I am not at work, you can find me mentoring a group of middle schoolers in my community, drinking my body volume in milk tea boba, reading, sweating in hot yoga, swimming, or walking outside because I love nothing more than sunshine and a nice, long walk.
Talk to me about: Anything. While I may have had certain experiences that could help with discussing some topics, there is still so much I have yet to learn. I am ready to lend a listening ear to whatever concerns/worries/topics people may want to discuss.
-
Rohini Patel, M.D.
About me: Hi! My name is Rohini, and I’m born and raised in San Diego. So naturally, I’m a big fan of the San Diego Zoo (more specifically the Safari Park - I love the Okapi exhibit!). If I’m not at the zoo or the hospital, then you can probably find me wandering around Costco with my husband. I went to USC for college, University of Arizona for medical school and now I’m completing my last year of general surgery residency at UCSD with plans to stay here for a vascular surgery fellowship. I also completed an MPH at UCI after college.
Talk to me about: Real Housewives (any location), imposter syndrome, dessert preferences, self-confidence, anything that’s on your mind.
-
Elisabeth Plotner, M.D.
About me: My path to and through medicine has been an unusual journey! My first career was in fashion as a hairstylist and make-up artist where I loved and worked in some of the world’s fashion capitols: London, Milan, and New York City.
Several years into my fashion career, someone very dear to me was diagnosed with breast cancer. I chose to take some time to be with them through this process. After facing the medical world and experiencing the confusion and frustration of the healthcare system, I decided that I wanted to be a physician and focus on patient education and advocacy. I earned my bachelor’s degree in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention from the University of Southern California and my MD from Cooper Medical School of Rowan University.
For a quick minute, I thought I might be a breast surgeon and completed an intern year in general surgery. I realized that although I loved the OR and wanted to be able to give back to the breast cancer community, my heart and soul were in primary care, patient education, and disease prevention. I completed family medicine residency at UCSD and am now doing additional training in preventive medicine.
During this wild medical education journey, I have brought two beautiful boys into this world. In my free time, you can find me being a suburban mom, experimenting with plant-based cooking, doing yoga, keeping my cosmetology skills sharp, and occasionally tearing up a good night of bad karaoke.
Talk to me about: Non-traditional paths to medicine, changing specialties, having children during medical training, work-life struggles, infertility, pregnancy loss, navigating a loved one's illness, imposter syndrome
-
Michaela Rand, M.D.
About me: As a Los Angeles native, I am so thrilled to be back in Southern California after a 5-year stint in New York City. I completed my B.A. in English Literature at Barnard College before pursuing my M.A. in English and Comparative Literature at the Columbia University School of Arts and Sciences. Following a one-year pre-medical post-baccalaureate program at Scripps College, I attended medical school at UC Irvine. A current psychiatry resident, I am interested in consult-liaison psychiatry, conversion disorders, and psychotherapy. When not working, I enjoy baking challah, listening to showtunes, taking exercise classes, and spending time with loved ones.
Talk to me about: Interpersonal conflicts, imposter syndrome, navigating burnout, experiencing medical issues as a trainee
-
Bryan Ryba, M.D.
About Me: I completed my medical education at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine and am currently undergoing residency in Neurological Surgery at UCSD. I also went to UCSD for my undergraduate training in Physics and Molecular Biology. I have a strong interest in spine surgery. My research include multiple spine surgery topics, and I am involved in several resident committees as well.
Talk to Me About: Clinical stressors, burnout, professionalism, disputes with staff or trainees, time management
-
Minhazur Sarker, M.D.
About Me: Hello! I was born in Japan, lived in Belgium, immigrated to the United States via Pennsylvania, and eventually settled in Oregon. As a PNW native, I am definitely outside of my element here in Southern California but my resilience has definitely been built up over time. I graduated from Oregon State University, attending medical school at Oregon Health and Science University, and completed residency at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, NYC. Fate found me back on the west coast at UCSD for maternal-fetal medicine fellowship, and the rest is history. While medicine is what we all do, I believe that medicine is not and should not be who we are. Personally, I am a landscape photographer, ceramic potter, amateur chef, avid hiker, and obsessed with travel. I find these outlets are the perfect way to decompress given my otherwise stressful day to day in the field of maternal-fetal medicine caring for patients with high-risk pregnancy conditions.
Talk to me about: Physician wellness and balancing burnout, difficult patient cases, resilience, and work-life balance - oh and any and all extracurricular activities and hobbies (mine or yours or something completely new!)
-
Cassy Thanh, M.D.
About me: Originally born and raised in the San Bernadino County, I moved to the Bay Area for college at UC Berkeley (Go Bears!), stayed for San Francisco's delectable food and vibrant culture, pursued my medical education at UC San Francisco, and returned to SoCal for the next chapter of my lifelong learning career as part of UC San Diego's Internal Medicine residency program. My career interests include medical education, health equity, hospital medicine, and patient advocacy/goals of care navigation. When I'm not engaged in clinical duties, you can almost certainly find me relaxing with a milk tea, reading everything from German philosophy to romance novels, playing with my new baby, exploring the city's best food spots, and making excruciatingly bad puns.
Talk to me about: Being a woman in medicine/science, first generation in higher education and/or health profession, managing micro- and macro-aggressions in the workplace, and navigating pregnancy/new parenthood as a resident/trainee
-
Jacklyn Vargas, M.D.
About me:
Talk to me about: Self-advocacy, self judgement vs. self-growth, life balance, and the challenges of early career/residency life.
-
Pooja Vyas, M.D.
About me: Originally born and raised in Los Angeles area, I stayed in the area for college and went to USC where I studied Biology and Spanish. I moved up the coast to the Pacific Northwest for my medical training at Oregon Health & Scence University. I am so happy to be back in So Cal training in Psychiatry at UC SanDiego. Outside of work I love going to the beach, traveling, live music, and exploring all the great things San Diego has to offer.
Talk to me about: Physician wellness, navigating life stressors through residency, self-compassion, and anything else you may want to talk about
-
Jessica White, M.D.
About me:
Talk to me about: Personal loss/grief, Fatigue or sleep disorders in medicine, being a woman in medicine/science, challenging patient interactions/outcomes, anxiety and catastrophizing/feeling spread too thin.
-
Rachel Wiley, M.D., MPH
About Me: Despite now loving San Diego… I’m a Texan at heart. I grew up and trained all over Texas, before leaving to make a likely permanent move to the west coast. I’m currently a maternal fetal medicine fellow, with a particular research interest in traumatic birth experiences and postpartum PTSD. My career interests include medical education, maternal mental health and labor/delivery outcomes, and my personal interests mostly include telling my dog how cute she is, running and cooking.
Talk to me about: Transitions in training, accepting feedback, dealing with loss during residency, navigating burnout and how cute other people’s pets are.
-
Irvin Xu, M.D.
About me: I grew up in the Bay Area and went to UCLA for college, UC SanDiego for medical school, and stayed at UC San Diego for my internal medicine residency training. I’m currently interested cardiology, medical education, and ensuring people feel well supported during their training years. Outside the hospital, you can find me playing soccer, working out, rock climbing, mixing cocktails, spending time at the beach, or exploring the San Diego food scene.
Talk to me about: Work-life balance, inter-personal communication, transitions, faith
-
Emily Yang, M.D.
About me: I grew up in San Diego, went to Dartmouth for undergrad, and returned back home for medical school and residency. I am an OBGYN resident with plans to subspecialize in reproductive endocrinology and infertility. I am passionate about supporting others through life stressors during training- life doesn't stop just because you're in training! On a personal note, I lost my mom to cancer during my medical training and worked at the same hospital that she was being treated at. I also did 5 years of long-distance with my husband while we were completing our residencies in different states. Outside the hospital, you can find me going to yoga, baking, and spending time with family/friends.
Talk to me about: Work-life balance, navigating life stressors through training, dual physician-in-training couple, anything!
-
Connie Yin, M.D.
About me: I’m originally from the great state of Ohio, where I attended THE Ohio State University for undergrad and University of Cincinnati for medical school. I felt it was time to explore a sunnier part of the US and residency brought me to San Diego! Within family medicine, I’m currently interested in women’s health, geriatrics, and palliative care. Outside of work, I try to find time for daily movement and love indulging in a little sweet (or savory) treat.
Talk to me about: resident wellness, making friends in a new state outside of residency, burnout, difficult patients and/or attendings, feedback and communication, cafes and restaurants, travel and anything else on your mind!
-
Andrew Yousef, M.D.
About me: I was born and raised in Los Angeles before coming to San Diego for undergrad. I then moved to San Francisco for medical school. I knew I had to make my way back to the best city so I came back to San Diego for residency in Otolaryngology. I am currently a 5th year resident with plans to pursue a fellowship in laryngology.
Talk to me about: Surgical residencies; racial inequities; balancing a relationship in residency.
-
Sina Zarrintan, M.D.
About me: My name is Sina. I was born and raised in Iran, where I completed medical school, general surgery residency, vascular surgery fellowship, and earned a master’s in medical education and an MPH. After moving to the United States, I completed a four-year vascular surgery postdoctoral research fellowship at UC San Diego along with an MAS in clinical research. I began my vascular surgery residency at UC San Diego in July 2025.
Outside of medicine, I enjoy Persian poetry, literature, and traditional Persian music, and I value spending quality time with my wife. Since moving to San Diego in July 2021, I’ve had the chance to honor my Persian heritage while embracing American life. Both experiences have enriched my journey, personal interests, and commitment to maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
Talk to me about: Residents’ wellness, managing burnout, integrating different cultures into physician life in the United States, navigating feelings of being judged as a resident-physician, managing different prior medical experiences within the U.S. healthcare system, transitioning into the resident-physician role, refining and realigning a career in academic medicine, handling workplace conflicts, and anything else that is on your mind.
Physician Peer Supporters
Our dedicated team of GME physician peer supporters, consisting of residents and fellows, are here to listen, provide guidance, and give emotional support to GME physicians facing challenges of the medical profession.
All interactions with peer supporters are confidential and judgement-free.