Class of 2015
Xavier Bermudez
Universidad de Guadalajara
Pomona Valley Medical Center Family Medicine Residency Program
Dr. Xavier Bermudez attended the University of Guadalajara and received his medical degree in 2010. During his last year of medical school, he completed his social service in the Public Health Department of the University of Guadalajara. In December 2011, he was accepted to the UCLA International Medical Graduate Program. After completing the program, he worked as a research assistant and clinical record analyst at UCLA. He also continued working with the program to assist peers in preparing for the USMLE Step 2 Clinical Skills examination and provided orientation to incoming scholars. Dr. Bermudez will begin his Family Medicine residency training at Pomona Valley Medical Center in June 2015. He is very excited about the opportunity to work with underserved populations and be the first-line of contact for such patients.
Alanna Chig
Universidad Autonoma de Baja California, Tijuana
Glendale Adventist Family Medicine Program
Dr. Alanna Chig was born and raised in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. She obtained her medical degree from Universidad Autonoma de Baja California. During her social service year she had the opportunity to provide primary care to a small fishing village of 6,000 people in her home state, and fell in love with community and preventive medicine. Later on, she participated in a research study that assessed the health needs of orphan children in the city of Tijuana and realized the importance of reaching out to vulnerable populations. At this point in her career, she was convinced that Family Medicine was her passion and decided to pursue residency training in the U.S. Dr. Chig joined the UCLA International Medical Graduate Program in February of 2013 and graduated in 2014. She will begin her residency training in June 2015 at the Glendale Adventist Family Medicine Program. She is very grateful for the opportunity to expand her medical knowledge and at the same time care for an underserved community.
Carla de Leon
Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico
UC Riverside Family Medicine Program at the Riverside Regional Medical Center
Dr. Carla De Leon Gonzalez was born and raised in Mexico City. She attended medical school at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, the largest university in Latin America. Upon graduation, she spent a year as the sole health care provider to a rural community in the mountains of Northern Mexico, a priceless lesson on the importance of primary care. After this invaluable experience, Dr. De Leon decided to continue her medical training in Internal Medicine. She completed two years of Internal Medicine training where her fascination with renal conditions grew. This fascination convinced her to pursue a Nephrology fellowship, which she completed in 2011. Dr. De Leon moved to the United States and noted how linguistic and cultural barriers prevented underserved Latino' s access to adequate medical care. With primary care serving as the gateway to quality medical care, she realized that she could best serve the Latino community by pursuing a career in Family Medicine. In June 2015, Dr. De Leon will begin Family Medicine training residency at the UC Riverside Family Medicine Program at the Riverside Regional Medical Center.
Julio Meza Estrada
Universidad Evangelica
UCLA Family Medicine Residency Program
Dr. Meza-Estrada was born and raised in El Salvador. He graduated Cum Laude from Universidad Evangelica de El Salvador. After graduating from medical school, he was accepted into a surgical residency and completed an internship at the Hospital Militar Central in El Salvador. He left El Salvador to pursue his dream of becoming a U.S. licensed family physician. While in Los Angeles, Dr. Meza-Estrada worked as a medical assistant instructor and program director, training students to work in the areas of San Fernando, North Hollywood and Los Angeles. In 2014, he was accepted as a UCLA International Medical Graduate Program scholar. Dr. Meza-Estrada will begin residency training in June 2015 at the UCLA Family Medicine Residency Program. He is eager to utilize his medical knowledge and language skills in underserved areas of California.
Olga Meave
Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara
Clinica Sierra Vista Rio Bravo Family Medicine Residency Program
Dr. Olga Meave was born and raised in Hermosillo, Mexico. She attended Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara and graduated with honors in 2008. During her last year of medical school, she provided preventive, primary and urgent care to the community of Zapopan, Jalisco where she was awarded for her excellent work and leadership. After graduating from medical school, she practiced as a general physician for over two years in her hometown before moving to the United States to pursue her dream of becoming a U.S. licensed family physician. While in the U.S., Olga prepared for the medical boards, worked as a medical assistant for physicians of different specialties, and volunteered at Methodist and St. Mary's Hospitals. Dr. Meave is a graduate of the UCLA International Medical Graduate Program. In June 2015, she will begin Family Medicine residency training at Clinica Sierra Vista Rio Bravo in Bakersfield.
Habakuk Michel
Escuela Latinoamericana de Medicina (ELAM)
UCLA Family Medicine Residency Program
Dr. Michel was born and raised in Saint Marc, Haiti. At age twelve, he was treated for injury at the Albert Schweitzer Hospital by Dr. Chauvet Exe, a renowned surgeon. While in high school, he learned of Cuba' s excellent reputation for medical school and through the Haitian government he earned a scholarship to study medicine in Cuba. In 2006, Dr. Michel graduated with honors from the Latin American School of Medicine. Upon graduation, he returned to Haiti and worked with the underserved at the same Albert Schweitzer Hospital where he was initially inspired to study medicine. He completed a Preventive Medicine residency then served as Medical Director of the L'sEstere Medical Center and coordinated the tuberculosis and malaria programs. In 2009, he moved to the United States and joined the U.S. Navy, where he spent 20 months on active duty. In August 2014, he was accepted into the UCLA International Medical Graduate Program. Dr. Habakuk will begin his training at the UCLA Family Medicine Residency Program in June 2015. His long-term goal is to be a medical officer in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Gloria Monsalve
Universidad Industrial de Santander
Northridge Family Medicine Program
Dr. Monsalve was born and raised in Colombia where she attended medical school at Universidad Industrial de Santander, one of Colombia 's top universities. She completed her clinical rotations in Santander Hospital, a hospital dedicated towards caring for the underserved. After graduating, she preferred to expand her skills and knowledge as a family doctor in the small village of Guavata. While there, she discovered her passion for Family Medicine and a desire to increase access to health care in underserved communities. In order to improve her clinical skills, she moved to the United States to pursue a residency in Family Medicine. She considers herself fortunate to have been selected as a UCLA International Medical Graduate Program scholar and looks forward to beginning her residency at the Northridge Family Medicine Program.
Aichel Nateras
Universidad Autonoma de Baja California, Tijuana
Family Health Centers of San Diego
Dr. Aichel Nateras was born and raised in Ensenada, Mexico. She grew up in a medical family, her mother is a nurse and her father is a gynecologist. In 2012, Dr. Nateras graduated from the Autonomous University of Baja California. During her last year of medical school, she provided primary care to an underserved community in Tijuana where she felt rewarded for her service and discovered her passion for Family and Community Medicine. After graduating from medical school, she was accepted into the UCLA International Medical Graduate Program in 2013. Dr. Nateras is very excited about providing bilingual and multicultural health care to underserved populations in California and will begin her residency training at the Family Health Centers of San Diego in June 2015. She envisions herself serving as a bridge between Latino populations and the U.S. medical system to improve health care outcomes and address health disparities. Her long-term goal is to improve border medicine and complete a fellowship in Geriatrics, Addiction Medicine or HIV Medicine.
Jorge Otanez
Universidad Autonoma de Baja, California, Tijuana
University of California, San Diego Family Medicine Residency Program
Dr. Otanez was born and raised in Tijuana, Mexico. He received his medical degree in 2010 from the Universidad Autonoma de Baja California where he graduated with honors. During his social service year, he focused on attending to the health of rural communities by providing primary care and implementing preventive health programs. After his service year, he worked as a general practitioner for the Mexican Health Department providing care to underserved communities and implementing the Mexican governmental program Oportunidades. In November 2012, Dr. Otanez was selected as a UCLA International Medical Graduate Program and during the program, he served as a peer mentor. In the future, he hopes to become a faculty member at one of California' s Family Medicine training programs. In July 2015, he will begin his Family Medicine residency at the University of California, San Diego.
Arlenis Perez
Instituto Superior De Ciencias, Medicas de, La Habana
Clinica Sierra Vista Rio Bravo Family Medicine Residency Program
Dr. Barroso graduated from the Institute of Medical Sciences of Havana in 2005. Thereafter, she completed a combined Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine residency-training program where she provided care to disadvantaged communities in Cuba, Pakistan, Indonesia and Venezuela. In December 2011, Dr. Barroso was admitted to the UCLA International Medical Graduate Program. In June 2015, she will begin residency training at the Clinica Sierra Vista Rio Bravo Family Medicine Residency Program in Bakersfield.
Guillermo Saenz
Universidad Autonoma de Baja California, Mexicali
Kaiser Permanente, Fontana, Family Medicine Residency Program
Dr. Guillermo Saenz Zavala was born in the border town of Mexicali, Baja California. He graduated high school in Calexico, California and subsequently attended medical school at the prestigious Universidad Autonoma de Baja California at Mexicali. During his social service year, Dr. Saenz served a rural indigenous community of about 1,500 people at Cucapah El Mayor, about one hour south of his home in Mexicali. In 2012, Dr. Saenz was selected as a UCLA International Medical Graduate Scholar. He now looks forward to becoming a family physician and being better able to give back to a larger and more diverse community. In June 2015, he will begin his three-year Family Medicine training at Kaiser Permanente, Fontana.
Omar Salamanca
Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara
Clinica Sierra Vista Rio Bravo Family Medicine Residency Program
Dr. Salamanca was born and raised in San Diego, California. He earned a Bachelor's degree from the University of California at San Diego majoring in Molecular Biology. After receiving his B.S, he graduated the Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara School of Medicine. During the last year of medical school, Dr. Salamanca provided care to a rural population of 1100 in El Chico, Jalisco. While there, he provided primary care, urgent care and most importantly taught his patients the importance of preventive medicine. In 2014, Dr. Salamanca was selected as a UCLA International Medical Graduate Scholar. He now looks forward to pursuing his career in Family Medicine and providing high quality health care to his community. He will begin his three-year Family Medicine residency training at Clinica Sierra Vista, Bakersfield.
Luz Yee
Universidad Autonoma de Baja California, Mexicali
Mercy Merced Family Medicine Residency Program
Dr. Luz Yee was born and raised in Mexicali, Mexico. She attended medical school at the Universidad Autonoma de Baja California and graduated with honors in October 2010.During the last two years of medical school, she provided primary care to 25-30 patients daily, and it was during this time that her interest in underserved communities grew. After five years of medical practice, Dr. Yee moved to California with her husband and joined the UCLA International Medical Graduate Program. In 2015, she graduated from the UCLA International Medical Graduate Program and will begin residency training at the Mercy Merced Family Medicine Residency Program in June 2015. She is eager to work and apply her medical knowledge and multilingual skills for the benefit of her patients.