Bios & Photos

Dr. Nav Badesha grew up in Sacramento, California. He completed his residency in Family Medicine at Southern Illinois University. In medical school, Nav founded a Medical Enterprise called 'Medspiration', which is dedicated to the innovation of public health education, non-profit medical missions and online science communication (amassing >5 million views a month). Nav's interest in geriatrics stemmed from his intention to make a generational impact through preventative medicine and providing high quality end-of-life care.

Next Step: CEO of Medspiration and per diem outpatient Family Medicine & Geriatrics at Kaiser 

Justin Cheng was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. He graduated from UCLA with a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry. He completed medical school at FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine in Miami, FL and residency in internal medicine at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, NC. Justin’s interest in geriatrics started when he worked with Dr. Cathy Lee as an undergraduate student. He completed the MSTAR program at UCLA during medical school. He wants to pursue a career in geriatric oncology and plans to complete hematology/oncology fellowship after his fellowship in geriatrics.

Next Step: Advanced Geriatrics Fellow, West Los Angeles VA

Dr. Abriella Demanes was born and raised in Las Vegas, NV. She received her bachelor’s degree in Biology and Psychology at Boston University. She obtained her medical degree from the University of Illinois. Dr. Demanes completed her residency in Internal Medicine at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. During her medical career she became interested in healthcare disparities and working with vulnerable populations. She is planning to pursue a career in geriatrics with an interest in inpatient medicine.

Next Step: Geriatric Medicine faculty at Harbor-UCLA 

Dr. Catherine Lindsay was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. She received her B.S. and M.S. in Physiological Science from the University of California, Los Angeles, before pursuing a medical degree at the University of Utah, School of Medicine. She returned to Los Angeles to complete her residency at the UCLA Internal Medicine Primary Care Program. Her professional interests are in osteoporosis treatment and prevention, life space mobility, medical education, health systems and clinical informatics. In her free time, Catherine enjoys hiking, traveling, and playing alto saxophone.

Next Steps: Geriatrician at UCLA

Dr. Ashley Seema Manchanda was born and raised in Southern California. She graduated from UC Riverside in 2012 with a B.S. in Neuroscience. She then served with AmeriCorps as a City Year member in New York. After this, she earned her medical degree at  Western University of Health Sciences. She then completed IM residency at Harbor-UCLA, and then to Cedars Sinai where she was a fellow at the Women’s Heart Center. Ashley has a strong passion for service. She has a close relationship with her large family in India, and initially was drawn to Geriatrics because of this. Her plan is to pursue a career in academic medicine and research focused on improving quality of care and access to mental health resources for older patients from all backgrounds.

Next Steps: Assistant Professor at UCSF Division of Geriatrics 

Niousha is originally from Tehran, Iran and grew up in Los Angeles. He attended UCLA for his undergraduate degree, followed by UC San Diego School of Medicine, and Harvard School of Public Health for his MD and MPH, respectively. Thereafter, Niousha completed an internship in Internal Medicine at UC San Diego Medical Center and then took time away from clinical training to work in public and global health with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Committee of the Red Cross. He returned to do a year of Psychiatry training at USC, and then completed his Family Medicine residency training at UCLA Medical Center. Since finishing residency, Niousha has been working in urgent care in the Department of Health Services in Los Angeles County and volunteering as a forensic evaluator for asylum seekers through Physicians for Human Rights. Niousha's interests in Geriatric Medicine include inpatient care, the care of LGBTQ+ and refugee patient populations, medical education, Balint Group, Dignity Therapy, and Palliative Medicine. Niousha will be applying to Palliative Medicine to complete after his Geriatric Medicine fellowship and hopes to work in academic medicine. 

Next Steps: Addiction Medicine Fellowship at the University of Washington

Dr. Matt Mulroy was born and raised in Carpinteria, California. He graduated from Harvard College in 2012 with a Bachelor's degree in Earth and Planetary Sciences. He received an M.D. degree in 2019 from Keck School of Medicine at USC. He completed his residency in internal medicine at UCLA. As a medical student and resident, Matt conducted research in advanced care planning and lung cancer treatment. Other interests include point-of-care ultrasound and quality improvement. After fellowship, Matt plans to pursue an academic career related to geriatric primary care and hospital medicine.

Next Steps: Geriatrician at UCLA

Dr. Minori Ohashi was born and raised in Japan. She graduated from Cornell University and received her MD and PhD in Molecular Biology from UCLA. Her research focuses on aging, stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. She completed her residency in internal medicine at UCLA. She is interested in neurodegenerative diseases and their impact on memory and is planning to pursue a career in academic medicine and stem cell research.

Next Steps: STAR Postdoctoral Fellow at UCLA

Dr. Abel E. Rojas-Parra was born and raised in Tijuana, B.C.; Mexico. He graduated from the Autonomous University of Baja California School of Medicine in 2016. For the next couple of years, he worked in one of the local nursing homes in Tijuana and subsequently joined the UCLA IMG Program in 2018. He completed his residency in Family Medicine at UCLA in 2022. Abel's interest in geriatrics stemmed from his close relationship with his grandmother. His experience working with the underserved communities and local nursing homes in Baja California also solidified his decision to pursue a career in geriatrics. During his residency training, he became interested in the care, treatment, and research related to the geriatric population suffering from dementia and is planning to pursue that interest through a career in academic medicine and clinical research.

Next Steps: Geriatrician at Clinica Sierra Vista

Dr. Betsy Yang grew up spending time between Taiwan and the US. She went to UNC Chapel Hill for biology and public policy, and stayed to complete her medical degree. She completed her internal medicine residency at Kaiser Oakland Hospital in 2021. Betsy continued her interest in public health at UC Berkeley for MPH in 2022. Betsy's interest in geriatrics stemmed from her close relationship with her grandparents and mother who is a NP professor in long-term care. She is interested in improving the quality of care for older patients and hopes to bring more awareness to healthy aging.

Next Steps: Advanced Fellowship in Geriatrics at the VA Palo Alto GRECC