Current Trainees

Current Trainees

Academic Research Track Fellows

Aleksandr Gorin, MD, PhD

Undergraduate: UC San Diego
Medical School: UCLA
Residency: UCLA Medical Center
Hometown: Born in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Raised in San Diego, CA

Academic/Clinical Interests:
Immunity to viral pathogens, vaccine design

General Interests:
Most days I can be found snuggling my dog! Otherwise I enjoy eating my way around Los Angeles, hiking, and traveling to as many national parks and foreign countries as I can

Why UCLA?
So many reasons! First was the clinical diversity of a major academic center, a community hospital, a county hospital and a VA. Second were the research environment and opportunities to connect between clinical and basic researchers across the street on the undergraduate campus. And finally lifestyle - it’s hard to leave Southern California! The weather, beaches, food are all really hard to beat.

Sasha Herbst de Cortina, MD

Undergraduate: Stanford University
Medical School: University of California, Irvine School of Medicine
Residency: University of California Los Angeles     
Hometown: Westlake Village, CA

Academic/Clinical Interests:
STIs, global health, implementation science 

General Interests:
Traveling, yoga, hiking, trying out new recipes, enjoying our beautiful beaches, and spending time with my cats

Why UCLA?
My whole residency I have been grateful to work in a place with kind, warm colleagues who truly care about helping our patients. I am excited to be part of the research track to grow as a physician-scientist in global health research. 

Katherine Li, MD

Undergraduate: Princeton
Medical School: Weill Cornell Medicine
Residency: Massachusetts General Hospital
Hometown: Plainsboro, NJ

Academic/Clinical Interests:
STI/HIV prevention, global health

General Interests:
Reading sci-fi/fantasy, traveling, yoga, tea, classical music

Why UCLA?
From a training perspective, the department is clearly expanding epi and global health research and investing in research trainees. I had great conversations with my interviewers, and I really felt like I would be welcomed and supported. Moreover, I love the diversity and energy of the city and I'm looking forward to working with the patients across the five hospitals. I have never lived on the west coast before and I am super excited for this new adventure!

John Michael Sanchez, MD, PhD

Undergraduate: University of Utah
Medical School: Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine at the University of Utah 
Residency: Cedars-Sinai Medical Center     
Hometown: Torrance, CA

Academic/Clinical Interests:
Host-microbe interactions, immunocompromised infectious diseases

General Interests:
Biking, baking, videography, traveling, spending time with my wife and dog

Why UCLA?
The support for physician scientists in infectious diseases is top-notch and benefits from the large community of physician scientists across medical specialties at UCLA. Clinical infectious disease training at UCLA is excellent, in large part due to the five hospitals that we serve that reflect the diversity of Los Angeles. Most importantly, my wife is also a physician scientist fellow in dermatology at UCLA and we cannot have chosen a better place to continue our physician scientist training!

Gregory Whitehill, MD

Undergraduate: Haverford College  
Medical School: Drexel University College of Medicine
Residency: University of Pennsylvania    
Hometown: Wellesley, MA

Academic/Clinical Interests:
HIV, immunocompromised populations, immunity and immunotherapies

General Interests:
Cooking, hiking, spending time with my family and daughter

Why UCLA?
I chose UCLA for the tremendous research support available through the STAR program and diverse clinical training opportunities with multiple hospitals. My interviews gave a great impression of the program culture; the faculty and fellows I met all stood out as warm and approachable but also passionate and fulfilled. And of course coming from the northeast - the weather!

Clinical Scholar Track Fellows

Lilian Fung, MD

Undergraduate: University of California Los Angeles
Medical School: Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Medicine
Residency: Los Angeles General + University of Southern California Internal Medicine
Hometown: Garden Grove, CA

Academic/Clinical Interests:
General ID, antimicrobial stewardship

General Interests:
Staying active/working out with friends on my new ClassPass subscription, reading on my Kindle, true crime podcasts, watching videos of cute dogs, trying out new brunch/dinner spots on my days off

Why UCLA?
UCLA was my alma mater (as it was for my two other sisters) and I knew that I would want to return eventually to complete my medical training. My initial interest in medicine started with the community here and I knew that it would be the perfect place to pursue my academic/clinical interests in infectious diseases. Also, you can't beat the weather and food scene!

Anna Hardesty, MD

Undergraduate: U Utah
Medical School: U Washington SOM
Residency: Brown
Hometown: Boise, ID

Academic/Clinical Interests:
Immunocompromised and transplant ID, medical education 

General Interests:
Skiing, hiking, traveling, cooking, reading

Why UCLA?
I was drawn to UCLA for several reasons. First, the breadth of clinical experiences, patient populations and healthcare settings will help me to get the most comprehensive training possible. Second, the exposure to world class transplant ID will help prepare me for my specific clinical interests. And finally, the gorgeous location in an incredibly diverse city will make my time outside of training fun and fulfilling.

Mario Jaramillo, MD

Undergraduate: College of the Holy Cross 
Medical School: Albany Medical College
Residency: University of Arizona - Tucson
Hometown: Palm Springs, CA and North Attleboro, MA

Academic/Clinical Interests:
Medical education, antimicrobial stewardship

General Interests:
Watching and playing soccer, videogames, hanging out with my wife and my dog, exploring music and food scenes

Why UCLA?
I've lived in a lot of smaller cities in my life and both my wife and I were ready to explore a larger city and programs that have a lot of diverse opportunities to help us grow in our careers and in life! The plethora of food and music is something we are most excited about and of course all the amazing people we will meet along the way. 

Rashini Jayaratne, MD

Undergraduate: University of California San Diego
Medical School: Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine
Residency: Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center
Hometown: Walnut, CA 

Academic/Clinical Interests:
Antimicrobial stewardship, medical education 

General Interests:
Reading, yoga, walks with friends, board games 

Why UCLA?
I chose UCLA for the diverse clinical settings, diverse patient population and supportive faculty members. I am also excited to be close to family and continue to explore all the amazing restaurants LA has to offer. 

Neil Modi, DO

Undergraduate: UConn
Medical School: NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine
Residency: Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Hometown: Norwalk, CT

Academic/Clinical Interests:
STIs/PrEP/HIV treatment, hepatitis/HCV co-infection, antimicrobial stewardship, emerging pathogens, LGBTQ+ health

General Interests:
Traveling, cooking, photography, trying new restaurants/cuisines, watching movies, sending memes

Why UCLA?
Having trained at Cedars-Sinai, I had amazing interactions with the UCLA fellows and attendings as a resident. I was able to witness UCLA's collegiality, warm teaching environment, and the breadth of diverse pathologies and patient populations firsthand. Being a multicampus program, UCLA's ID fellowship stood out to me for the opportunities for mentorship, exposure to multiple training environments and, finally, for its location. I am so excited to continue my journey at UCLA and spend a few more years on the west coast!

Chelsea Morinishi, MD, MPH

Undergraduate: UC Riverside
Medical School: UC Riverside
Residency: California Pacific Medical Center
Hometown: South San Francisco, CA

Academic/Clinical Interests:
Antimicrobial stewardship, ID Critical Care, social determinants of infectious diseases 

General Interests:
Sampling different cuisines, teas, and sweets; sustainable fashion, textile design, and A24 films

Why UCLA?
UCLA encompasses so much of what I was looking for in a fellowship program: many QI opportunities in antimicrobial stewardship, strong transplant ID exposure, and a diverse patient population. When I was a sub-intern on the Medicine wards at Olive View, I worked with an ID fellow and attending who were inclusive and encouraged my early interests in ID. As an incoming ID fellow, I am eager to return to UCLA and share the same spirit of mentorship with other trainees.

Jessica Roth, MD

Undergraduate: Northwestern University 
Medical School: University of Illinois College of Medicine
Residency: Advocate Lutheran General Hospital
Hometown: Northbrook, IL

Academic/Clinical Interests:
Immunocompromised and transplant ID, sexually transmitted infections, antimicrobial stewardship

General Interests:
Hiking, cooking, yoga, spending time with my dog, traveling

Why UCLA?
I am looking forward to my training at UCLA due to the wide range of clinical experiences offered at multiple training locations across the diverse city of Los Angeles. I also value the collegial culture of the program and its supportive faculty.

Meher Singha, MBBS

Medical School: Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore
Residency: University of Connecticut
Hometown: Born in Seoul, South Korea, Raised in New Delhi, India

Academic/Clinical Interests:
HIV, medical education, public health and global health

General Interests:
Music, reading and travelling every opportunity I can!

Why UCLA?
I chose UCLA, for the diverse patient population, the access to a wide variety of patients from all walks of life, and the ability to work for and learn from the inner city population. Having trained in a program with diverse patient populations, I wanted a similar experience, and UCLA with its five hospitals and LA's cultural diversity was the perfect fit. And finally, living in Southern California with the best weather, food and beaches made the decision even easier!

Lucy Tran, MD

Undergraduate: University of California San Diego  
Medical School: St. George's University School of Medicine
Residency: Arrowhead Regional Medical Center
Track: Clinical Scholar Track     
Hometown: Monterey Park, CA

Academic/Clinical Interests:
Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, Antimicrobial Stewardship, Public Health and Social Determinants of Infectious Diseases 

General Interests:
Exploring new restaurants and cuisines, traveling, hiking, gardening and hanging out with my dog

Why UCLA?
UCLA multi-campus hospital program provides exposure to different patient populations offering the most diverse training one can hope for. Also, I love the passion and enthusiasm exhibited by the faculty and fellows in providing the best patient care. I am excited to grow into a leading ID specialist with the support of the UCLA family and serve my own Southern California community.

Michelle Yousefzadeh, DO, MPH

Undergraduate: U Southern California
Medical School: Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine
Residency: Mount Sinai Medical Center, Florida
Hometown: Los Angeles, California

Academic/Clinical Interests:
Antimicrobial stewardship, Hospital Epidemiology, Public Health

General Interests:
Skiing, Trying new restaurants, Farmers' markets, Cooking

Why UCLA?
The Infectious Disease faculty at UCLA are leaders in their field. I am excited to learn from them as we engage patients from all socioeconomic backgrounds through the multicampus fellowship program.

Combined ID/Preventive Medicine Trainee

Hera Maryam, MD

Undergraduate: UC Berkeley
Medical School: Washington U in St. Louis School of Medicine
Residency: Inova Fairfax Internal Medicine  
Hometown: Irvine, CA

Academic/Clinical Interests:
Health policy

General Interests:
Reading, creative writing

Why UCLA?
Great variety, opportunity to pursue health policy!