Meet Our Residents
We are proud to train top residents from around the world, representing 4 continents and 14 states. We provide them an experience that combines clinical care with research opportunities, an understanding of all neurological subspecialties, as well as more in-depth training in specific programs of their choosing. Our department is stronger thanks to their dedication to our patients and their commitment to improve treatments and cure neurological disease.
PGY-4
Yasmin Ghochani, MD, PhD
Yasmin attended the University of CA, San Diego (UCSD) for her undergraduate studies, double majoring in Biochemistry/Cell Biology and Cognitive Neuroscience. As internships at The Scripps Research Institute’s MIND, and Pfizer Global R&D – La Jolla got her interested in research, she then continued to obtain her Master’s Degree at UCSD in biology with emphasis in neuroendocrinology of reproduction in the Mellon Lab. With aspirations for an academic career, she then conducted her Ph.D. studies at the University of CA, Los Angeles in Molecular Biology. Her dissertation research was more translational, as she studied the Glioblastoma perivascular niche in search of vascular mediators of tumor growth and invasion with the Kornblum lab. Newly interested in translational research, and to appease her passion to provide direct care to patients, Yasmin attended medical school at the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix. She continued to conduct research at the Barrow Neurological Institute, where she studied the safety and efficacy of various endovascular techniques and adjuvant therapies in treatment of Basilar Tip Aneurysms with Dr. Ducruet. Yasmin learned a great deal regarding neurological vascular interventions through this project and continues to have a keen interest in vascular neurology today. Yasmin has completed her PGY-1 with the UCLA Department of Medicine based at the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center. Outside of work, Yasmin is the proud Mom of her curious 6-year-old son and 2.5-year-old daughter. She is a fan of walking around town while shopping with friends and family, enjoys yoga with her kids, and is a lover of all water activities. She and her spouse also love travelling near and far and try to get out of town at every opportunity.
Erick Martínez Juárez, MD
Born in a small town called Bainbridge and raised in a migrant farmworker camp in deep rural southwest Georgia, Erick is the second of five proud children to Mexican immigrant farmworkers. After becoming the first Hispanic valedictorian of his high school, he briefly attended the United States Military Academy at West Point in New York before changing his career goals. After leaving the Academy, he enrolled at Harvard University, where he graduated with a BA in neurobiology in 2015 and became the first person in his entire family history to graduate from college. Prior to medical school, Erick spent a year in Medellín, Colombia, as a teaching fellow for former child soldiers through the Princeton in Latin America program. He also worked briefly for a growing bioplastics company near his hometown before matriculating at the Medical College of Georgia (MCG) at Augusta University. It was at MCG where he followed through with his passion for neurology. He will have completed PGY-1 with the incredible UCLA Department of Medicine based at the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center. Within neurology, Erick is currently interested in vascular neurology, movement disorders, and EDI, but he is open and excited to explore everything that neurology and UCLA has to offer! He aspires to uplift all communities, especially Latinxs and farmworkers, in earnest through medicine and (likely) public service. During his free time, Erick loves dancing to Latin music (Bad Bunny, reggaeton, cumbia, salsa, merengue, etc -- he hopes to improve his budding skills here in SoCal!), eating tacos, reppin Georgia, running, watching & playing sports, and exploring new cultures & their cuisines.
Rebecca Jules, MD
Rebecca was born and raised in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, then moved to South Florida as a teenager. Her initial interest in the neurosciences was sparked in high school during a lecture on neurotransmitters. She then attended the University of Florida where she majored in neuroscience. She remained at the University of Florida for medical school in the hopes of becoming a neurologist. After medical school, she traveled from one coast to another to complete her intern year at UCLA-Olive View and remained in LA for her neurology training at UCLA. Within neurology, her interests include global neurology in hopes to practice neurology in different areas of the world. When she is not working, her interests include going to comedy shows, exploring the diverse food scene in LA, hiking around the area, and honing her Spanish skills by binge-watching telenovelas.
Ramita Karra, MD
Ramita Karra was born and raised in Silver Spring, Maryland, and is a proud graduate of University of Maryland, College Park (go Terps!). Along with having the chance to represent her university at the College Table Tennis National Championships, she was the recipient of a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Undergraduate Research Fellowship and discovered her love for the neurologic sciences while exploring cholinergic modulation of neurogenesis in the mouse olfactory bulb. After her undergraduate studies, she spent two years as a Post-Baccalaureate Intramural Research Fellow at the National Institutes of Health, where she was introduced to neurogenetics and analyzed whole exome sequencing data from multiple neurofibromatosis type 2 tumor types. A proud moment during these years included winning the annual baking contest in her lab with espresso dark chocolate cupcakes. After graduating from the University of Maryland, School of Medicine, she found her way back to the NIH as a Post-Doctoral Intramural Research Fellow and had the opportunity to further refine her interest in neurogenetics while delving into whole genome sequencing data from patients with ALS and related disorders. She is thrilled for the opportunity to train in sunny LA, and continues to enjoy exploring hiking trails, baking, and aspiring to drink less coffee.
Noelle Kobayashi, MD
Noelle Kobayashi is a native of Southern California. She grew up in Orange County where she played soccer, hit the slopes, and spent too much time trying to capture lizards in an attempt to emulate her childhood hero Steve Irwin. She attended undergrad in Colorado majoring in Biomedical Sciences. While in Colorado she used her free time to hike, snowboard, go to concerts with friends, and shower her three fur babies with love. During her gap year she joined a stem cell research lab at UCI and became a hot yoga instructor. She decided the weather in California was just too unpredictable, so she moved across country to Ohio to attend THE Ohio State University for medical school where she developed a passion for education and health care equity. Her interest in neurology stemmed from watching family members develop Parkinsons disease and this interest was solidified during her Neurology clerkship. She is thrilled to be back in Southern California closer to family (the cross-country flight with a dog and two cats was never fun to coordinate) and is looking forward to putting all of the winter coats and parkas in a box in the closet that doesn’t get touched until the snowboard comes out!
Amir Molaie, MD
Amir was born in Los Angeles and grew up with an early interest in the brain, inspired by his father’s work as a Neurologist. He studied neuroscience at UC San Diego, and subsequently worked on various related endeavors, including within the UCSD Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study, the UCSF Cognition and Addiction laboratory, and as a Master’s Student at Tufts University, before pursuing his medical degree at Tufts. There, he furthered his interest in all things Neurology with research projects in Neuro-Ophthalmology and Vascular Neurology. Amir is delighted to be back on the West Coast to complete his training at UCLA. In his spare time, he enjoys traveling & watching stand-up comedy.
Alvin Singh, MD
Alvin was born in and spent the majority of his life in Chicago. He went on to obtain a Bio-Psych double degree from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign and his Masters in Global Health from Northwestern University. He then worked for 2 years managing world-wide clinical trials in both industry and academia, while learning more about neurology from a clinical research perspective. During his MS1 year at the Chicago Medical School, Alvin was fortunate to receive a scholarship to attend the 2018 AAN Annual Meeting in Los Angeles, where he felt his connection to neurology deepen. Then, as fate would have it, he would couples match in LA with his wife, who is training in Internal Medicine at Harbor-UCLA. Alvin completed his intern year at UCLA-Olive View and is excited to begin his Neurology residency at UCLA. Given his first-generation, low-income upbringing, he is passionate about working with underserved populations through the lens of neurology. In his spare time, he can be found watching college basketball, sampling LA’s best foods/cocktails, cooking alongside his wife, or being a cat dad to Leo.
Emily Tillmaand, MD, PhD
Emily was born in Upstate New York and moved around in New York and the Midwest before settling in Southwestern Ohio as a teenager. She first showed an interest in Neurology in elementary school proclaiming that “the best way to use your brain is to study the brain!” However, she decided to study Chemistry at John Carroll University in Cleveland, OH for her undergraduate education. There, she also worked as a resident assistant, spent her summers on basic science research and ran for/captained the cross country and track teams. After college, she worked as a research technician at the Cleveland Clinic, where she first encountered the career of a Physician Scientist and felt that it was a great fit for her. With this new goal in mind, Emily headed to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to complete her MD/PhD, this time melding her love of the nervous system with chemistry, studying the neurochemistry of primary sensory neurons particularly as it relates to pain and itch sensation. Her clinical rotations also reinforced her desire to evaluate and treat patients with neurological disorders. She completed her intern year with the UCLA Department of Medicine and is honored to train with UCLA Neurology. Throughout it all, Emily continues to run competitively, garden, find new ways to reduce her carbon footprint and intermittently tap into her joy of performing in choirs and musicals.
Vanessa Vides, MD
Vanessa is from Las Vegas, NV but spent some of her early childhood in northern NJ where she was born. She was awarded the Governor Guinn Millennium Scholarship to attend the University of Nevada Las Vegas where she double majored in Biochemistry and Biotechnology. Initially, it was Vanessa’s deep interest in Medical Oncology and the Medical Humanities that compelled her to pursue a career in medicine, Neurology would come to captivate her interest later on in medical school. She attended The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine where she obtained her medical degree. She graduated with honors and was formally inducted into the AOA Honor Society in 2021. Vanessa was awarded the American Society of Hematology MMSAP Scholarship which facilitated her research at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA. Under the guidance of her mentor Dr. Saar Gill, she completed correlative studies on a clinical trial that assessed the safety, feasibility, and response rates of patients with CLL who were treated with CAR T cells in combination with Ibrutinib. Vanessa was also very involved in medical education during her time at Penn State where she functioned as the curriculum chair for her class. Vanessa also deferred her first year of medical school to help Penn State co-create a new medical curriculum for its new regional campus. Vanessa completed her Internal Medicine Internship at The Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a Harvard Medical School teaching hospital. Vanessa’s professional interests include Neuro-Oncology, Neuro-Cardiology, medical education, and the medical humanities. Vanessa’s other interests include spending time with her yellow lab Maddux, running long distances, reading, poetry writing, playing the piano, and expanding her Chuck Taylor shoe collection.
PGY-3
Mallory Blackwood, MD
Mallory was born & raised in Richmond Virginia, where she spent most of her time in theater. She gained a late-blooming interest in neuroscience thanks to the liberal arts requirement at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, where she matriculated into the film department, but graduated with a psychology degree and minor in Neuroscience. Upon graduation, she delved further into clinical neuroscience at Univeristy College London, where she completed a masters in clinical neuroscience. Although London remains one of her favorite cities, her interest in neurostimulation and neuroimaging brought her back to the states as a research assistant at John’s Hopkins. Resolved to pursue a clinical career, she then returned to Virginia’s Appalachian region for medical school at Virginia Tech (and for some decent biscuits). There she spent 4 years hiking, running and researching Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation before matching to UCLA for residency. She did her PGY1 medicine year at our very own west LA Veterans Hospital. When not I’m the hospital, she can be found climbing rocks, chilling at the beach or attempting to perfect a laminated pastry!
Adrianna Carrasco, MD
Adrianna was born in San Jose, California and is the second of five children. She studied neurobiology at the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to medical school, she explored behavioral neurology through clinical research within the areas of autism, sensory processing disorders then Alzheimer’s and dementias at the University of California, San Francisco. After living in northern California all her life, Adrianna sought new horizons on the East Coast and went to medical school at Eastern Virginia Medical school (EVMS). During her time there, she collaborated with fellow researchers at EVMS and New York University to identify and characterize proteins involved in plaque formation in rapidly progressive Alzheimer’s cases. She is also passionate about understanding and addressing healthcare disparities. Her prior research includes analyzing a government antipsychotic deprescription initiative for dementia patients and its effects across different ethnoracial groups. After five years of living on the East Coast, she is happy to be back in California for her neurology training. When she is not working, you can find her rock climbing, learning to surf, hiking, or attending music concerts.
Sama Elrahi, MD
Sama was born and raised in Houston, Texas. She attended Houston Community College and later the University of Houston, majoring in Biochemical and Biophysical Sciences. After completing her undergraduate studies, she worked as a pharmacy technician for five years. Witnessing the struggles faced by her patients in affording and understanding their medications, she felt compelled to become a better advocate through Medicine. She attended medical school at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, graduating as salutatorian and inductee into both the Alpha Omega Alpha and Gold Humanism Honor Societies. A specialty quiz unexpectedly catapulted her into a neurology elective that ignited her interest. Through her consistent work with the neurology department, she earned an American Academy of Neurology Medical Student Prize for Excellence. She was so confident that UCLA Neurology was the perfect program for her that she embarked on an adventure to Los Angeles, despite never having visited before. Even her mischievous cat managed to break out on the plane from Houston to LA! She completed her internship at Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, a county safety net hospital. She is passionate about Headache neurology and improving quality of life for patients with these debilitating disorders. As a first-generation immigrant with a low-income upbringing, she is passionate about promoting health equity, working with underserved populations, and improving access to neurological care. Outside of medicine, Sama finds joy in music, especially metal, live shows, cooking, mixology, video games, and playing with her chonky cat.
Sebastian Green, MD
Sebastian was born and raised in London, England. Age 18, he attended the University of Bristol for his medical degree before continuing onto University College London (UCL) in 2017 to complete the UK Foundation Programme within the National Health Service. At UCL he began his clinical research career, studying the neuropsychopharmacology of cannabidiol with Dr. Michael Bloomfield, and doing epilepsy research at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square. Sebastian carried this academic inquiry onto the University of Oxford, where he completed his master’s degree in neuroscience in 2020 graduating top in his class. Here he wrote two theses; one investigated the longitudinal relationship between cerebral blood flow and cognitive performance with Professor Sana Suri, and the other investigated the role of GABA activity in motor learning with Professor Charlotte Stagg. He then returned to the University of Bristol working with Professor Liz Coulthard to review the utility of sleep-tracking devices in Alzheimer’s disease. He moved to UCLA in 2022 and completed his intern year with the UCLA Department of Internal Medicine. Sebastian has adapted well to California living and spends most of his free time hiking in the Santa Monica mountains, driving his convertible sports car, and learning to surf. He has held onto some of his cultural roots, and still enjoys talking about the weather and playing piano as an Associate of the Royal Schools of Music.
Mahdieh Hosseini, MD
Mahdieh was born in Washington DC. She is the daughter of a Mexican-American mother and Iranian father and grew up partly in DC and partly in Tehran, Iran. She attended college at Johns Hopkins University where she graduated with honors in Chemistry. Her fascination with the nervous system developed during college when she performed research in mouse models of Alzheimer’s Dementia. She moved to Philadelphia for medical school at Temple University. To explore her passion for neuroscience research she took a year of independent study to participate in the NIH Medical Research Scholars Program where she worked under the mentorship of Dr. Mark Hallett. She studied the use of non- invasive neuromodulation including TMS and tDCS in treating focal dystonias, as well as PET imaging to understand cholinergic disturbances in movement disorders. In addition to neuroscience research, she is passionate about caring for underserved communities.
She loves the outdoors and nature, spending time with family and friends, restaurants with good views and international traveling.
Adnan Husein, MD
Adnan Husein was born and raised in Toronto, Canada. He pursued a Bachelor of Medical Sciences degree at the University of Western Ontario where he earned an honors specialization in interdisciplinary medical science. His initial interest in neuroscience was sparked during a lecture on visual pathways in an undergraduate elective, ‘The Physiology of Senses’. Upon graduation, Adnan ventured to Chicago, where he attended the Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University, earning his medical degree. Throughout his education, Adnan was always captivated by the intricate workings of the human mind, and the impact of neurological disease processes on cognition, behavior, and function. His ultimate decision to pursue neurology was based on a desire to understand the mind-brain connection and how we can improve the way patients interact with the world. Adnan had the opportunity to contribute to significant research focusing on the contemporary neurological outcomes of medically managed asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis. Adnan has a strong passion for medical education and mentorship, recognizing the essential role of physicians as educators within their communities and to their patients. Outside of medicine, Adnan’s interests reflect the diverse spirits of the cities he has lived in. As a former improvisational actor, he cherishes the dramatic arts and often indulges in the comedy scenes on his days off. Embracing the natural beauty of Los Angeles, Adnan takes full advantage of the city’s stunning oceans and mountains, regularly enjoying beach days and hikes. He is also an avid sports fan, a passionate traveler, and an adventurous foodie — always eager to explore different cuisines, particularly when enjoyed on a sunny patio.
Elaine Ramirez, MD
Elaine was born and raised near Houston, Texas. She attended college at the University of Texas at Dallas where she discovered an interest in neurology while majoring in neuroscience and working in a regenerative neurobiology laboratory. During these four years, she also collaborated with a non-profit based in Washington, D.C. to increase accessibility to cost-effective medication for neglected tropical diseases. Her interest in health inequities and our healthcare system brought her to Austin where she had the opportunity to pursue an MD/MBA at the University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School and McCombs School of Business. She stayed in Austin another year to complete her preliminary year in internal medicine and be close to family. Having spent her whole life in Texas thus far, Elaine is excited to move to California for her neurology training at UCLA. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, trying new restaurants, listening to live music and visiting national parks.
John Thompson, MD
John was born in Tennessee and spent his early childhood there before moving to Minnesota in middle school. Despite the snow, he stayed in Minnesota and completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Minnesota, majoring in Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Philosophy. While there, he worked in the lab of Dr. Christy Haynes developing analytical techniques to quantify inflammatory, bioactive lipids produced by cells in response to nanoparticles and allergens. At this point, John had it with dark winters and moved out to beautiful, sunny, and completely devoid-of-snow Southern California to purse his MD-PhD as part of the UCLA-Caltech Medical Scientist Training Program. He completed his PhD at Caltech in the lab of Dr. Linda Hsieh-Wilson, studying how protein glycosylation affects neuronal signaling and metabolism. He also designed novel chemical and mass spectrometry techniques to detect and characterize dynamic sugar modifications across cells and tissues. Throughout his training, John was continually struck not just by the persistent enigma that is neuroscience, but also by just how profound an effect neurological disease can have on a person. He decided to pursue neurology residency (still in sunny Southern California) at UCLA where he is excited to continue exploring his dual passions for understanding the brain and helping people heal from neurological insults. In his spare time, John enjoys hiking, backpacking, snowboarding, and arguing with his wife (a cardiologist) about whether the heart or the brain is more important (obviously the brain).
Edith Yuan, MD
Growing up in Taipei, Taiwan, Edith has an innate love for boba (though her favorite drink is passionfruit green tea without boba). She moved to Laguna Niguel, California, when she was 10 years old and discovered the joy of playing the violin. She continued playing throughout college and medical school, where she was a violinist in the Baroque Ensemble and the Los Angeles Doctors Symphony Orchestra, respectively. At UC Berkeley, Edith graduated with honors from the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology with an emphasis in neurobiology and minored in music. After college, Edith conducted 2 years of research in neuro-oncology under the mentorship of Dr. Anders Persson. She continued her research at USC Keck School of Medicine in Dr. Frank Attenello’s laboratory. During her research year, Edith participated in the American Brain Tumor Association Research Fellowship and was presented the Rubinstein Award. Her projects have focused on investigating the roles of lncRNAs in modulating glioblastoma resistance to temozolomide. In her free time, she loves to explore new restaurants, attend classical music concerts, watch reality TV shows, and go to Disneyland.
PGY-2
Alexa Ciarolla, MD
Alexa was born and raised in Palos Verdes, CA. After graduating from the United States Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science in history and a Russian minor, she completed nuclear power training in Charleston, South Carolina, and Ballston Spa, New York, before serving as a junior officer onboard a submarine stationed out of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. She then attended medical school at UT Southwestern and had her first exposure to neuroscience as a pre-clerkship student. This evolved into a desire to pursue neurology and help patients and their families with their journey through life-altering neurological disorders. While in medical school, she contributed to research in both neuroimaging in subjects with psychosis and neuromonitoring in TBI. She also planned and implemented a curriculum for a leadership elective for pre-clerkship students. She was inducted into GHHS and served as AOA co-president. Upon graduation, she was awarded the American Academy of Neurology Medical Student Prize for Excellence in Neurology and the Roland C Reynolds Pathology Award. She is thrilled to be back in Los Angeles for residency training and completed her internship at nearby Olive View-UCLA Medical Center. Her academic interests include neurocritical care and medical education. Outside of work, she is an avid F1 fan and enjoys sailing, running, Pilates, finding the best boba in LA, and watching TV on the couch with her cats Calvin and Hobbes.
Megan Cheng, MD
Megan was born and raised in Ithaca, New York until the age of nine, when she moved with her parents back to their home country of Taiwan. This move and her (initial) illiteracy in Chinese sparked her interests in education, memory, and linguistics. When she moved back to the US to attend Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, she majored in neuroscience and minored in linguistics. She also participated in research studying reward circuit deficits underlying comorbid schizophrenia and substance use. After college, she worked as a clinical research coordinator in the Trauma and Burn Surgery department at Children’s National in Washington, DC, studying the use of checklists in trauma activations and other quality improvement measures. Luckily, her gap years did not convince her to deviate from a career in neurology. She decided to attend medical school at UCLA DGSOM and discovered that the west coast hype is well-deserved! She is thrilled to be staying at her home program for residency and is currently completing her IM intern year at the West LA VA. Her academic interests in neurology include headache, neuroimmunology, and movement disorders – as well as dispelling the neurophobia that so many medical students experience. Outside of medicine, she enjoys recreating recipes from her childhood in Taiwan, trying out new restaurants in LA, watching Kdramas (and learning Korean), playing badminton, and dancing around her apartment (where no one is watching)! She is also a proud cat mom to Kamo (Japanese for duck - yes, she named her cat Duck).
Brendan Cohn-Sheehy, MD, PhD
Brendan is a Santa Monica native who has long been fascinated by how the brain supports our complex life experiences. This fascination led him on a whirlwind tour of the University of California, from UCLA (high school lab assistant), to UC Berkeley (B.A. in Psychology with Honors), to UCSF (clinical neuroimaging research), to UC Davis (M.D./Ph.D. Program), and back to UCLA (Resident Physician in Neurology). Brendan aims to eventually serve as an academic neurologist with a focus on neurodegenerative diseases that impact cognition and behavior, and with a mix of clinical, research, and teaching responsibilities. In particular, he hopes to build on his doctoral research in the cognitive neuroscience of human memory, to develop diagnostics and interventions for early-stage cognitive decline. Outside of these pursuits, Brendan tries to compose a bit of jazz and fiction while two little dogs vie for his attention.
Matthew Du, MD
Matthew grew up in Orange County, CA, then Dallas, Texas where his family resides today. After attending Princeton University for his undergraduate studies, he spent his gap year living and working in Lawndale, one of Chicago’s most underserved neighborhoods, at a federally qualified health center. He learned what it meant to love one’s neighborhood while seeking its welfare in creative ways such as helping the health center launch a transportation program for patient appointments as well as raise awareness for its aquaponics farm that provides fresh produce and jobs for the community. He then attended medical school at the University of Chicago where he developed a love for neurology in his third year. His passion for neurology comes from the unique burden patients with neurological disease experience and the opportunity to help these patients navigate their illness journey. Matthew hopes to combine his passions of community health, doctor-patient communication, and clinical and virtue ethics as a neurologist. Finally, Matthew is an avid violist and guitarist who loves to connect with others through musical performance, including his patients. He feels so blessed and honored to be receiving his neurology training at UCLA and now lives with his wife, Whitney, and dog, Penny, in the great city of Sherman Oaks in the San Fernando valley.
Maia Giombetti, MD
Maia was born in Qingyuan, China and raised in small-town Peckville, Pennsylvania. She majored in biological sciences and health professions with a minor in human development and family studies at The Pennsylvania State University. During her time there, she discovered her passion for global health and volunteered in several non-profit mobile medical clinics abroad in Panama, Nicaragua, and Honduras. She then went on to attend Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine where she furthered her interests and decided on pursuing neurology after working with strong female physicians in the field. She was thrilled to have matched at UCLA Neurology and completed her medicine internship at their county hospital, Olive View - UCLA Medical Center. She is excited to continue her medical training and foster her passions for global health, women's neurology, and diversity, equity, and inclusion for both patients and health care professionals. Outside of medicine, she enjoys journaling, cooking and discovering new food scenes in LA with her husband, Ryan, as well as watching Kdramas and Kpop videos while cuddling with her dog, Zara.
Hiroya Ono, MD, PhD
(Peds Neurology)
Hiroya was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan. He earned his MD from Juntendo University and completed his pediatric neurology residency at the National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry in Tokyo. He then completed his PhD at Tohoku University, focusing on epilepsy research. Hiroya furthered his expertise as an epilepsy research fellow at Wayne State University. He moved to Los Angeles to join the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, where he completed two years of general pediatrics. Hiroya has a keen interest in integrating his skills and research to advance epilepsy treatment in children and has been working with Dr. Hiroki Nariai to study this field. He is dedicated to optimizing the quality of life for children with epilepsy through his clinical research.
Outside of his professional life, Hiroya enjoys spending time with his baby, wife, and Chihuahua. He practices Systema, a Russian martial art, to refresh his mind and body.
Ashni Patel, MD, MS
Originally from a small town in rural Illinois, Ashni learned to love traveling and exploring the world at a young age. She attended Washington University in St. Louis where she majored in Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology. It was there that she developed a unique understanding of the brain and a curiosity that drove her towards medicine. She continued her education at Chicago Medical School where she learned more about the field of Neurology and its intriguing intersections with women’s health. She was thrilled to join UCLA Neurology which gave her the opportunity to escape the midwestern winters while also pursuing the field of Neurology with the most inspirational cohort. Outside of medicine, she spends her time outdoors soaking up the California sunshine and enjoying the proximity to a real beach (sorry Lake Michigan).
Jasmin Sanchez, MD
(Peds Neurology)
Jasmin Sanchez is currently in her third year of residency and just starting her first year in adult neurology! She is a Southern California native born in Whittier, CA and spent her early childhood growing up in Huntington Park and Montebello before moving to La Puente, CA where she spent most of her childhood. UCLA football games are a tradition in her family as her father grew up working the football games at the Rose Bowl stadium with her great grandfather. And so the tradition continued and so did her desire to become a Bruin. She received her Bachelors degree in Neuroscience at UCR where she spent 3 years in Dr. Nicholas DiPatrizio's laboratory researching effects of the endocannabinoid system on food intake, specifically in mice on a Western high fat diet. She then moved halfway across the country to Indiana to complete her medical degree at IUSM, go Hoosiers! During this time, she began to work in Dr. Jason Hinman’s laboratory at UCLA through the MSTAR program (Medical Student Training in Aging Research) where they explored biomarkers for stroke. Jasmin’s interests include headache and concussion, Neuro-oncology and whatever else happens to spark her interest during the rest of her training. Her passion is in mentorship specifically for pre-medical students (check out her YouTube/Instagram Channel Medlife Experience)! You can catch her as a guest speaker at high schools across the country sharing her personal journey into medicine and pearls that she has learned along the way. She is also co-founder of the Pathoknowledge program for high school students across the globe to participate in weekly sessions with guest speakers in different specialties of medicine where they also get first look into real life cases. Her hobbies include sun-soaked beach days (Laguna beach is my favorite), pilates, walks with her best pup of 12 years Scruffy, rooftop lookouts, and spending quality time with family and friends.
Clare Schrodt, MD
Clare grew up in Louisville, Kentucky before moving to St. Louis to join the Medical Scholars Program at Saint Louis University. While an undergraduate, she majored in Neuroscience with a minor in Theology, spending all remaining free time exploring the food scene of St. Louis. As she matriculated into the SLU School of Medicine, she became more interested in the intersection of diet, environmentalism, and medicine, and she focused her extracurricular time on researching and volunteering with populations facing food insecurity in the greater St. Louis area. As a medical student, she helped initiate the SLUSOM academic support and peer tutoring program, led guided weekly meditation for medical students, and was selected as an AOA officer of her class. Her academic interests include the gut-brain connection and microbiome intervention, and she also hopes to spend her career studying and working to optimize medical education in the clinical setting. Outside of work, you can find Clare trail running around LA, skiing at Big Bear, creating vegetarian recipes to share with family and friends, and searching high and low for the best burrito in West LA. She participated in the couple's match with her fiancé, who is an Interventional Radiology resident at UCLA, and more importantly, is her unshakeable partner on the pickleball court.
Mahima Sukumar, MD
Mahima was born in Tamilnadu, India and spent time in Malaysia before moving to New Jersey when she was six years old. After growing up in the Garden State, she went onto the Johns Hopkins University to study Neuroscience and dived into research at the Martinowich Lab at the Leiber Institute for Brain Development looking at the molecular basis of psychiatric disorders. After getting a master’s in Biophysics and Physiology at Georgetown University, she worked at a refugee resettlement agency in Philadelphia coordinating healthcare for New Americans through AmeriCorps. She then attended the Frank H. Netter M.D. School of Medicine where she continued to grow as an advocate in medicine. She is looking forward to exploring LA and continue her training in neurology after completing her preliminary medicine year in Conneticut. Outside the hospital, she loves writing short stories, hiking with her Leonberger, Mario, and hosting game nights friends with her partner, Kalind.
Yuxing Xia, MD, PhD
Yuxing was born in Hunan province in China and grew up around the suburbs of Philadelphia. He went to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor where he majored in Biology and Creative Writing and Literature through the Honors program. He worked in several neuroscience labs before embarking on the MD-PhD path.
He decided to attend the University of Florida (UF) for his combined MD-PhD training. He joined Dr. Benoit Giasson's lab at the Center for Translational Research on Neurodegenerative Diseases (CTRND) and was affiliated with the McKnight Brain Institute (MBI). For his PhD research, he studied microtubule dysfunction and aggregation of tau protein in Alzheimer's disease models and also worked on several projects involving alpha-synuclein in Parkinson's disease.
For his main thesis project, he studied the tau S320F/P301S aggregating mutations (SPAM) and discovered a role of phosphorylated tau in gut enteric neuron dysfunction and cell death. Of note, he defended his PhD thesis on April 1st. Throughout the years, his research has been supported by a F30 fellowship through the National Institute on Aging, the Toffler Trust, the Bryan-Robinson Foundation, and the Clinical Translational Science Institute at UF.
Yuxing is excited to join UCLA for neurology residency and to explore Los Angeles. In his free time, he enjoys biking along the beach, running, reading poetry, and playing chess.
PGY-1
Dylan Calame, MD
VA Intern
Dylan was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he grew up snowboarding and spending weekends in the mountains. He attended the University of Oregon for college, graduating with dual degrees in Biology and Philosophy. Fascinated by the intersection of these two fields, Dylan developed a passion for neuroscience and understanding the human brain. At the University of Oregon, he conducted neuroscience research in the Westerfield lab, studying Usher syndrome in zebrafish. After graduation, he worked at a clinical genetics laboratory in Salt Lake City for a year while applying to medical school. He then enrolled in the MD-PhD program at the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine. During his PhD in Abigail Person’s lab, Dylan used behavioral tracking, high-density electrophysiology, and optogenetics to uncover mechanisms of cerebellar control in skilled forelimb reaching movements in mice. He also worked on more clinically oriented projects, building applications for mixed-reality headsets to elicit and track movement in neurological exams, aiming to improve the accuracy and ease of diagnosing and tracking neurological diseases. Outside of his professional pursuits, Dylan is an avid rock climber and loves exploring the beaches and trails around LA for running and hiking. Most of all, he enjoys spending time with his wife and friends and is excited to explore LA with them, one taco truck at a time.
Kristine Khieu, MD
VA Intern
Kristine grew up in Northern California and attended the University of California, San Diego, where she studied Bioengineering. At UCSD, she was honored with the Bioengineering Student of the Year award and received the Universities Space Research Association scholarship for her research on the effects of a zero-gravity environment on spinal muscles. After completing her undergraduate studies, Kristine co-founded a medical tech start-up, creating a device to aid patients recovering from lower-extremity surgery. Her passion for education led her to teach for Tritons for Sally Ride Science and the San Diego Air and Space Museum. Kristine earned her medical degree from Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine, where she was inducted into the Gold Humanism Society. She is now thrilled to be training at UCLA, where she aims to combine her love of neurology with her enthusiasm for engineering, innovation, and teaching. In her free time, she enjoys exploring Los Angeles with her family and friends, always on the lookout for the best ice cream in California.
Neva Lundy, MD
VA Intern
Neva was born and raised in Los Angeles before escaping her three younger brothers to complete her undergraduate degree at the University of Notre Dame where she majored in Biological Anthropology. After graduation, she headed to the UK to continue studying anthropology and to complete a Masters in Evolutionary Medicine at the University of Durham. After graduation, she moved back to the United States to work in medical technology and medical product procurement. A few twists and turns later (that included working on a documentary film and working at a high-profile Hollywood public relations firm), she realized medicine was the best path to make the social impact that she wanted. She completed a Post Baccalaureate at Loyola Marymount University and drove across the country to brave hurricanes and dual MD/MPH at the University of Miami. She is excited to be back in California with only earthquakes and fires to worry about. She is passionate about public health policy, systems change, patient-centered care and goals-of-care discussions between doctors and patients. She is part of the West LA VA prelim crew and enjoying spending time with our country’s veterans. Outside of the hospital, you’ll find her running on the beach or curled up with her nose in a book. She is always looking for new books to read or happy to give book recs if you’re looking for a new one!
Christina Ramsey, MD
VA Intern
Christina Ramsey is a Los Angeles native who grew up in Inglewood, California. She is a graduate of the University of Southern California, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. She has shown a commitment to bridging educational barriers in underserved communities through her work with CDU Mobile STEM Labs, CDU Saturday Science Academy, USC Neighborhood Academic Initiative, USC Iridescent, and USC Joint Educational Project. As a medical student at the UCLA/CDU Medical Education Program, Christina enjoyed her involvement in the Charles Drew Pre-Medical Mentoring Program helping to support underrepresented students wanting to pursue a career in medicine. Her academic interests include stroke rehabilitation, health equity, and medical education. Outside of work, Christina loves a good binge on Netflix and enjoys the wonderful foods LA has to offer. She is very much looking forward to reuniting with her husband, who is a podiatry student in New York!
Rohan Rao, MD
VA Intern
Rohan is a SoCal native, born and raised in Orange County, CA. He attended college at Georgetown University where he majored in neurobiology and minored in theology & mathematics. While working in the lab of Dr. Kathleen Maguire-Zeiss focusing on synucleinopathies, he gained an appreciation for the intricacies of the CNS through microscopy and Cajal's illustrations. His next stop on his cross-country tour of the U.S. was the University of Cincinnati for medical school. Under the mentorship of Dr. Soma Sengupta and Dr. Daniel Pomeranz Krummel, theoretical cellular neuroscience became grounded in patients' experiences as he explored neuro-oncology clinics and research. In particular, he investigated focused ultrasound as a drug delivery method for GBM and precision oncology with small molecule inhibitors. He gives special thanks to the ABTA, AAN, AOA, and University of Cincinnati for supporting his research and making him feel welcome in the neurology community. He is thrilled to join UCLA Neurology and participate in the thriving academic community. Non-medical interests include getting overly competitive at Santa Monica pick-up basketball games, pretending to be a LA food critic on Beli, and being an unreasonably optimistic Lakers fan.
Irma Zhang, MD
VA Intern
Irma was born and raised in San Francisco, CA. She attended Johns Hopkins University, majoring in neuroscience and minoring in creative writing. There, she found her dual passion for scientific exploration and human connection. She attended medical school at Georgetown University School of Medicine, where she pursued a longitudinal track in Literature and Medicine. During that time, she also conducted research in therapeutic treatment for tremor in patients with Parkinson’s Disease, and amyloid imaging for patients with Lewy body dementia. She also developed an interest in medical education and helped create a new clinical research program for her school. She is so thrilled to come back home to CA and continue her neurology training at UCLA! In her free time, Irma is an avid birder (her favorite bird is the common raven), hiker, and sci-fi geek. She finds great joy in exploring new restaurants, and cooking/baking for her friends and loved ones.
Joyce Lee, MD, MS
OV Intern
Joyce H. Lee, MD, MS was born in Tainan, Taiwan, and immigrated to East Los Angeles at age 8. She earned her B.S. in Physiology and Neuroscience at UC San Diego and interned at Janssen Pharmaceuticals. She then completed an M.S. in Bioethics at Columbia University and worked at NYU School of Medicine’s Department of Neurology on research related to Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC). She decided to give up both coasts to attend medical school in the Midwest at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Joyce has been involved with the Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association (APAMSA) for nearly a decade, holding various leadership roles, including being the National President. She has focused on improving the health of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders with her fellow co-medical students and pre-health students. Her interests include neurosciences, research, bioethics, and medical humanities. After her neurology residency, she plans to specialize in neurocritical care and neurointerventional radiology. In her free time, Joyce enjoys spending time with her husband, family (including their 12yo corgi), and friends. She loves exploring new restaurants, gaming on her Nintendo Switch and PS5, and outdoor activities like beach trips and hiking.
Jerry Shen, MD
OV Intern
Jerry was born and raised in San Jose, California, where his family continues to reside. He then attended Washington University in St. Louis for his undergraduate studies, where he first developed an interest in neuroscience while working in a laboratory studying brain shape changes in elephantfish. Jerry graduated with a degree in biology with a specialization in neuroscience, then stayed in St. Louis working as a medical technician and seeing a diverse range of patients across the greater St. Louis metropolitan area. He then moved even further eastward for medical school at Tufts University. During his time in Boston, he was thrilled to confirm his interest in neurology through the wonderful mentors and experiences he was able to have at both Tufts and UCLA during a sub-internship. He is considering specializing in neurocritical care, vascular neurology, or neurorehabilitation and his academic interests include medical education in the clinical setting and health inequities in neurology. Jerry is honored to return to the west coast and be a part of an incredible residency program at UCLA! He is currently completing his preliminary year at Olive View Medical Center. Outside of medicine, you can find Jerry running and hiking across the streets, beaches, and mountains of Los Angeles, rock climbing, attending concerts, reading fiction, and eating everything possible!
Anjali Upadhyaya, MD
OV Intern
Anjali was born in the suburbs of Chicago and moved to India when she was 8 years old. She graduated with a degree in Computational and Systems Biology from UCLA where she also worked for four years at a neurology lab. She then attended Sidney Kimmel Medical College in Philadelphia where she rediscovered her love for neurology. She's thrilled to be returning to UCLA for residency and feels incredibly grateful to be working alongside such smart and compassionate people. In her free time, she enjoys tending to her houseplants (she's very attached to her money tree), rating books on Goodreads, and going to Indian classical dance workshops.