Current Fellows
Clinical Fellows
Brittany Barba, MD | Alegra Mendez, MD | Jaclyn O'Donnell, MD | Freya Zhou, MD | Noam Margalit, MD
Nina Escueta, MD
[email protected]
Track: Geriatric Medicine
Undergraduate school: University of California-San Diego, Human Biology
Medical school: UCSF
Graduate school: n/a
Residency program: UCLA Internal Medicine
Bio
Why geriatrics? Raised by my grandmother and saw during an Aging and Public Policy class in college how prevalent ageism is in our society
What are your interests in medicine? social isolation, multigenerational housing, dementia care, caregiver strain, transitions of care
What hobbies do you enjoy? hiking, painting, drawing, urban walks, baking, reading, NYT games, trivia nights
Hidden Talent: reviving 'seemingly' dead plants
Alegra Mendez, MD
[email protected]
Track: Geriatric Medicine
Undergraduate school: University of Nebraska, Nutrition
Medical school: Tufts University School of Medicine
Graduate school: n/a
Residency program: CPMC Internal Medicine
Bio
Why geriatrics? I love getting to know my patients as people and their life stories, what matters most to them, and their support systems. It's incredibly rewarding to then work collaboratively with other disciplines to provide comprehensive care that is shaped around those priorities.
What are your interests in medicine: medical education, home visits
Hobbies: Playing soccer, baking, hiking, camping, and playing with my cat (Toast)
Hidden Talent: I'm really good at soccer and tennis
Jaclyn O'Donnell, MD
jaclyn.o'[email protected]
Track: Geriatric Medicine
Undergraduate school: Baylor University, Nutrition; Premedical
Medical school: University of Texas Medical Branch
Graduate school: University of Texas Medical Branch, MPH
Residency program: University of Nevada Reno (Internal Medicine)
Bio
Why geriatrics? During my internal medicine residency I learned to care for adults in the most general sense of the word. But because healthcare needs and complexities increase with age, my education feels incomplete with out specialized training in geriatrics.
What are your interests in medicine: I am interested in hospital medicine, specifically geriatric hospital medicine in an academic setting. I look forward to exploring various inpatient experiences like the ACE unit and the co-management services.
Hobbies: Pilates, Hiking, Rollerblading, Skiing, Baking
Hidden Talent: Semi-proficient use of power tools
Freya Zhou, MD
[email protected]
Track: Geriatric Medicine
Medical school: University of South China
Graduate school: Shantou University
Residency program: North East Medical Services, IM
Bio
Why geriatrics? I chose geriatrics because it emphasizes the humanistic side of medicine. Geriatric medicine values patients’ quality of life and their ability to remain functional in daily life, which strongly resonates with me. I enjoy advocating for older adults, providing individualized, patient-centered care, and addressing what matters most to my patients.
What are your interests in medicine? I am interested in community medicine that focuses on addressing health disparities in diverse populations. Within geriatric medicine, the PACE program especially resonates with me because of its all-inclusive, team-based approach to caring for older adults.
What hobbies do you enjoy? Gardening and hiking
Hidden Talent: My hidden talent is being the unofficial barber for my family.
Noam Margalit, MD
[email protected]
Track: Geri-Pal (Year 2)
Undergraduate school and what they studied: University of Chicago, BA, Philosophy
Medical school: University of Chicago
Residency program name and field: UCSF-Primary Care IM
Fellowship: UCSF Integrative Geriatric and Palliative Medicine
Additional Fellowship Program: Palliative care (joint fellowship)
Bio
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
Research Fellows
Chiquitha Aminsalehi, PhD | Thiago Avelino-Silva, MD, PhD | Maryanne Kim, PharmD, PhD | Ryan McMahan, MD, MAS | Mara Rosenberg, MD
Thiago Avelino-Silva, MD, PhD
[email protected]
Track: T32 Research (Year 3)
Undergraduate school, degree, and what they studied -
Medical school - University of Sao Paulo Medical School, Sao Paulo, SP
Graduate school (if any) and what they studied
- University of Sao Paulo Medical School, Sao Paulo, SP - Medical Sciences, Geriatrics, Delirium
- University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, Equity in Brain Health
Residency program name and field - Internal Medicine in Hospital das Clinicas, University of Sao Paulo Medical School, Sao Paulo, SP
Fellowship: Hospital das Clinicas, University of Sao Paulo Medical
School, Sao Paulo, SP - Geriatrics
Maryanne Kim, PharmD, PhD
[email protected]
Track: T32 Research (Year 2)
Undergraduate: Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea (Pharm.D.)
Graduate:
- Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea, Pharmaceutical Bioscience (M.S.)
- Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea, Pharmaceutical Health Science (Ph.D.)
Ryan McMahan, MD, MAS
Ryan [email protected]
Track: T32 Research (Year 2)
Undergraduate school: University of California, Davis; Bachelor of Science in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior; and Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Language
Medical school: University of California, San Francisco; Doctor of Medicine (M.D.)
Graduate school: University of California, San Francisco; Master of Advanced Studies in Clinical Research (M.A.S.)
Residency program name and field: Kaiser San Francisco, Internal Medicine
Bio
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.
Mara Rosenberg, MD
[email protected]
Track: T32 Research (Year 3)
Undergraduate school, degree, and what they studied - Brandeis University, BS in Physics
Medical school - Oregon Health & Science University
Graduate school (if any) and what they studied - Oregon Health & Science University: Masters of Clinical Research
Residency: Kaiser Legacy Health, Internal Medicine
Fellowship: Geriatric Medicine, UCSF
Bio
Why geriatrics? I love the focus on meeting patients where they are at and allowing their goals to guide all aspects of medical care. It is an honor to build long-lasting relationships with patients and their families and support them through life transitions.
Interests in medicine: patient-caregiver relationships, social isolation, and leveraging data analytics to improve both patient and caregiver well being.
Hobbies: I enjoy trail running, hiking, and looking for dogs to adopt.
VA Quality Scholars
Rachel Borthwell, MD, MPH | Jacqueline Carrillo, RN, MS, NP-C | Lisa Morse MS, RN, AGCNS-BC | Vadim Shteyler, MD, MAS | Eric Smith, MD | Dawn Troeger, RN, MSN, ACNP
Rachel Borthwell, MD, MPH
Track: VA Quality Scholars Program (Year 2)
Undergraduate School: UC Davis
Medical School: David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Residency: UCSF East Bay
Graduate School: MPH UCLA Fielding School of Public Health with Epidemiology Emphasis
Bio
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
Lisa Morse MS, RN, AGCNS-BC
Track: VA Quality Scholars Program (Year 2)
Undergraduate School: Shenandoah University, Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Graduate School: University of California, San Francisco
Bio
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.
Vadim Shteyler, MD, MAS
Track: VA Quality Scholars Program (Year 1)
Undergraduate school: CUNY Brooklyn College
Medical school: Harvard Medical School
Graduate School: UCSF MAS, Health data science
Residency program: Internal Medicine, Brown University
Fellowship: Pulmonary and Critical Care, UCSF
Bio
Why VAQS? Partly for the excellent training in VA-based health services research. Mostly for the people, mentors, and community.
What are your interests in medicine? Clinically, critical care medicne. Academically, how healthcare system design can better serve communities, not just individual patients.
What hobbies do you enjoy?: Playing table tennis, dancing, exploring Bay Area nature with family and friends.
Fun fact: Faced with a stall selling sardine-flavored ice cream, I bought one, and ….ate it.
Eric Smith, MD, MAS
[email protected]
Track: VA Quality Scholars Program (Year 1)
Undergraduate School: University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
Medical School: University of California, San Francisco
Graduate School: University of California, San Francisco
Residency Program: Integrated Vascular Surgery, UCSF
Bio
Why VAQS: During my surgical training, I came to the realization that many of the challenges faced in every day clinical care, such as delayed presentations, missed appointments, and gaps in preoperative optimization, at times cannot always be addressed with traditional clinical research methods. This realization helped me appreciate how quality improvement and implementation science provide complementary and often more immediate tools for identifying problems and enacting meaningful change. The VAQS Fellowship provides opportunities to engage with and learn from leaders in Geriatric care and Implementation Sciences to gain skills to make tangible differences in the care of vulnerable populations.
What are your interests in medicine?: Vascular Surgery, Vulnerable Populations, Implementation Sciences
What hobbies do you enjoy?: Cooking, Weight lifting, Houseplants
Fun fact about you: I’m learning how to DJ
Dawn Troeger, RN, MSN, ACNP
Track: VA Quality Scholars Program (Year 2)
Undergraduate: - Walden University
Residency (if applicable): UCSF - Pulmonary Critical Care
Graduate School (if applicable): UCSF, Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Program
Bio
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
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