Current Fellows

Why geriatrics? Geriatrics focuses on the whole person and meets each patient where they are which is how all medicine should be practiced. I also appreciate the lasting relationships, creativity, interdisciplinary teamwork, and reflective practice. Older adults deserve to age with dignity and agency in an accessible, age-friendly healthcare system, and it is an honor to help them do so. 

What are your interests in medicine? My adoration and respect for my grandmother motivated me to pursue a career in geriatrics. I enjoy and seek the company of older adults as they offer wisdom and inspiration from many years of life. My grandmother’s stories of growing up on a ranch are my favorite! Also true, the field of geriatrics is intellectually satisfying. Older adults have complex health needs that require intricate coordination and sophisticated solutions. I strive to provide high-quality, evidence-based, and person-centered care to our valued senior citizens as if I were caring for my very own grandmother.

Other interests include: Community medicine, public health, minority health, healthy aging

What hobbies do you enjoy? Jigsaw puzzles and hiking.

Why geriatrics?: I love the diversity of geriatrics, and how chronological age often tells you so little about a person's functional status and reality. To me, the values embodied by the field of geriatrics are the very best parts of medicine: person-centered care, thinking deeply about what matters most for each individual we partner with, maximizing function and quality, the challenges of multi-complexity, and interdisciplinary collaboration. And I love learning from the lived-experiences, wisdom, and resilience of my older adult patients.

What are your interests in medicine?: Geriatric primary care, communication, medical education

What hobbies do you enjoy?: Biking, skiing, hiking with my husband pup, crafting 

Why geriatrics? I love the fact that geriatrics puts the patient and what matters most to them first. I'm excited to collaborate with patients, their loved ones, and our interdisciplinary team to achieve patients' goals. Additionally, I really enjoy learning about patients' stories and building longitudinal relationships.

What are your interests in medicine? I am interested in medical education and hope to practice a combination of nursing home care and primary care within geriatrics.

What hobbies do you enjoy? I enjoy being outdoors, rock climbing, camping, a cozy night in with a book, and doing all things with my 2 senior dogs (Banjo and Concha).

Why geriatrics?  During medical school I came to realize I loved working with older adults and their families. I loved geriatrics because I enjoy improving patient's quality of life tailored to their personal goals and values. I am also passionate about working with LGBTQ populations and saw a need among LGBTQ older adults in all settings but especially in primary care..

What are your interests in medicine? LGBTQ+ care, HIV, community medicine. Specifically within geriatrics I am interested in home based care, fall prevention

What hobbies do you enjoy? I like reading including poetry and non-fiction. I also enjoy birdwatching, playing video games, and spending time with my partner.

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Why geriatrics? Geriatrics and palliative care are where I consistently feel a sense of joy!

What are your interests in medicine? Medical education, medical ethics, ethics of aging, caregiving, interprofessional care, dementia care, psychoanalysis 

What hobbies do you enjoy? Cooking without recipes, hiking with my black lab

Why geriatrics? I went into geriatrics because I love working with our elders, their families, and within the community. I find geriatrics to be one of the most patient-centered specialties, making it the most enjoyable!

What are your interests in medicine? My interests within medicine are increasing health care access, chronic disease management, mental health, and gender care.  Within geriatrics, I particularly love home visits and working to support caregivers.

What hobbies do you enjoy? Reading, spending time with my loved ones, riding my bike, swimming, listening to music and attending concerts.

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Why geriatrics? I find the care of older adults to be fascinating in its complexity and rewarding in its interactions. I enjoy the creativity that comes from a multifaceted approach to care where patients, doctors, and families partner together to come up with the best plan. 

Interests in Medicine: Exploring how older adults with serious or chronic illness make medical decisions is an area of intense interest for me. Through my work in clinical and translational research, I want to continue learning how providers can help patients, families, and caregivers navigate serious illness to lead happy, fulfilling lives.

Hobbies: I'm on a mission to explore all the coffee shops in San Francisco and I always know the latest plant-based, vegetarian restaurants. I also enjoy live music and can usually be found at the Warfield, the Independent, or the SF Symphony.

Interests: Trauma/Critical Care, Emergency General Surgery, Surgical Palliative Care

Hobbies: Art museums, travel, playing pool 

Fun Fact: I was a HIV/AIDS health education/outreach volunteer in the Peace Corps in Namibia, Africa 

• What are your interests in medicine?:
  • Opioid-Free Anesthesia; economics, access, and quality of healthcare services; advanced practice registered nurses; medical billing; behavioral economics; leadership; medical missions; machine learning and advanced statistical methodologies.
• What hobbies do you enjoy?:
  • Hiking with my dog Aspen, GYM, road cycling
• Fun fact about you:
  • I'm in a PhD program, there is nothing very fun about me right now.  More to come....

• What are your interests in medicine?: I am interested in individual and systemic interventions to enhance engagement in mental health treatment, digital health, mixed-methods research approaches, mental health equity, and caregiver- and family-based interventions for mental health.
• What hobbies do you enjoy?: Hiking, backpacking and camping, dancing, improv comedy, and travel.
• Fun fact about you: I didn’t have a birth certificate until I was nearly 3 years old!

What are your interests in VAQS/medicine? My interests include: 1) improving the quality of life of older adults with chronic illness; 2) identifying risk factors for early-onset frailty and multimorbidity; and 3) examining the relationships between stress, symptom burden, and aging phenotypes in patients with chronic illness. 

What hobbies do you enjoy? I enjoy traveling and spending time with family and friends.

Fun fact about you: I have two boys and a handful of critters who keep life eventful. We care for a family of fire-bellied toads that live in a bioactive terrarium. We also have a betta fish, several snails, and a blue-bellied lizard. 

What are your interests in VAQS/medicine? Critical Care Medicine, Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome, Implementation Science 

What hobbies do you enjoy? Gardening, Hiking, and snowshoeing 

Fun fact about you: I spend 6 weeks hiking the Camino de Santiago in Spain