Residency Update
Newsletter Fall 2021
UCLA Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency Program
Celebrating our 65th year of training and mentoring residents, the UCLA Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency Program excels at providing training through a mixture of clinical experience, didactic material, research and investigative pursuits. As we look at the year ahead, we are excited to share that our new MIGS (Minimally Invasive and Robotic Surgery) Fellowship will be incorporated into our residency curriculum, expanding the breadth of clinical and research opportunities for our residents to 7 sub-specialties. “At UCLA OBGYN we take pride in providing our trainees with exposure to all ACGME subspecialities within obstetrics and gynecology early in their career,” explained Dr. Erica Oberman, Associate Clinical Professor and Residency Program Director.
We continue to expand our curricular focus on the Office of Inclusive Excellence. UCLA Obstetrics and Gynecology, in partnership with UCLA Health and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, strives to create a learning and working environment that is inclusive and supportive of all of our trainees. Currently, 2 residents actively serve on the departmental Office of Inclusive Excellence. By way of our curriculum and department culture, we are committed to addressing healthcare disparities and training our physicians to care for a diverse patient population.
Our curriculum is also expanding to engage our residents to critically think about quality improvement systems from the onset of their residency. UCLA Obstetrics and Gynecology is one of the first residency programs nationwide to implement a new patient safety initiative developed in collaboration with ACGME. By looking at larger systems and safety issues, their work highlights the improvements that we can make as a department and translates in to better patient care.
The UCLA Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency Program leadership team includes:
, Residency Program Director
, Assistant Program Director for Research
, Assistant Program Director for UCLA Santa Monica
Masaru Negi, MD, Assistant Program Director for Olive View – UCLA Medical Center
Michelle Han, MD, Assistant Program Director for Olive View – UCLA Medical Center
Meet Our New UCLA Obstetrics and Gynecology Residents
Ten new residents joined the UCLA Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in July 2021 for their first year of residency.
Maria Paula Arias, MD
Dr. Arias completed her medical education at the Perelman School of Medicine, where she fulfilled various leadership roles, including serving nationally as the APGO Student board member and locally as the OBGYN Upperclassmen Chair of the Perelman School of Medicine OBGYN Interest Group. Dr. Arias is interested in minimally invasive gynecologic surgery, OBGYN medical education, and increasing access to and quality of care for underserved patient populations. She enjoys playing beach volleyball, hiking with her dog, and Latin social dancing.
Elaine Chan, MD
Dr. Chan completed her medical school training at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, where she was an active member of Students for an Anti-Racist Curriculum, the Health Justice Internship, and the Structural Racism Tutorship. Her interests lie in health equity, building community, and radical joy.
Demetra Hufnagel, MD
Dr. Hufnagel completed medical school at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. She is incredibly excited to return to her hometown and the hospital where she was born for her training. Outside of the hospital, she enjoys discovering new hikes and coffee shops with her partner.
Alexandra Mardock, MD
Dr. Mardock received her medical degree at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, where she was very involved with the Mobile Clinic Project and clinical outcomes research in the field of gynecologic oncology. She is thrilled to stay at UCLA for four more years and looks forward to working with incredible mentors and serving a diverse patient population across the multiple sites. Outside of the hospital, she loves beach volleyball, surfing, hiking, and spending time with friends and family.
Rachel Martel, MD
Dr. Martel received her medical degree from NYU Grossman School of Medicine. During her residency, he will continue to pursue her research interests in reproductive endocrinology. She is looking forward to serving the diverse women of Los Angeles and exploring the LA food scene.
Jocelyn Sajnani, MD
Dr. Sajnani completed her medical degree at the University of Kansas School of Medicine. She has research interests in health disparities and medical education. As a Kansas native, she hopes to explore all the beaches and mountains her new home has to offer. In her spare time, she also enjoys cooking.
Lauren Sanchez, MD
Dr. Sanchez completed her medical degree at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, NY where she served as Women’s Health Coordinator and subsequently Chair of Clinical Teams on the executive board of ECHO (Einstein Community Health Outreach) Free Clinic. She is passionate about health equity, promoting justice, and serving underserved communities. Her hobbies outside of medicine include dancing, singing, crafting, taking care of her plants, and spending quality time with friends and family.
Delaney Scollan, MD
Dr. Scollan received her medical degree at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Jersey. From her previous work for a maternal and pediatric healthcare nonprofit in rural Nicaragua, to her role with Planned Parenthood in NY, Dr. Scollan is particularly interested in the program’s care for underserved communities and in the Family Planning training program. Originally from the east coast, Dr. Scollan is excited to enjoy and embrace all that sunny California has to offer.
Jessica Van Fleet, MD
Dr. Van Fleet received her medical degree from the Keck School of Medicine at USC. During residency, she is most looking forward to caring for the underserved communities of Los Angeles. When not at work, she enjoys being outdoors.
Annie Yau, MD
Dr. Yau received her medical degree from Weill Cornell Medical College with Honors in Research and Service. She is looking forward to delivering babies and enjoying beautiful LA outside of the hospital!