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Current Emergency Medicine Residents


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Class of 2026
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Class of 2027
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Class of 2028
Class of 2029 Emergency Medicine Residents
Class of 2029

Class of 2026

  • Sophia Aguirre, MD

    Sophia Aguirre, MD

    Hometown: Tuscon, AZ

    Medical School: Mayo Clinic Alix

    Extracurricular interests: Hiking, working out, dancing, cooking, and watching lots of reality T.V.

    Professional interests: Patient satisfaction research, medical education, and EMS.
  • Bill Chan, MD

    Bill Chan, MD

    Hometown: Millbrae, CA

    Medical School: George Washington University

    Extracurricular interests: Spending time with friends and family, staying active (weight lifting, basketball, beach volleyball, flag-football), traveling, and drinking cold brew coffee.

    Professional interests: Health Policy, Addiction Medicine, Social EM, and Ultrasound.
  • Tyler Dohm, MD

    Tyler Dohm, MD

    Hometown: Traverse City, MI

    Medical School: Indiana University

    Extracurricular interests: Rock climbing, skiing, reading, sports (basketball/football), music, and video games!

    Professional interests: Palliative care and global health.
  • Allison Donahue, MD, MMS

    Allison Donahue, MD, MMS

    Hometown: Wayne, PA

    Medical School: Drexel University

    Graduate School: Drexel University

    Extracurricular interests: Anything outside and anything social! running, hiking, camping, playing tennis, meditation, and live music.

    Professional interests: Pediatric EM, critical care, social EM, and climate change/disaster medicine.
  • Alyssa Lane, MD

    Alyssa Lane, MD

    Hometown: Mesa, AZ

    Medical School: University of Arizona, Tuscon

    Extracurricular interests: Trail running, yoga, Pilates, hiking with my pup, woodworking, game nights, breweries, concerts, and traveling!

    Professional interests: Social EM, medical Spanish, ultrasound, global health, and austere medicine.
  • Elizabeth Luu, MD

    Elizabeth Luu, MD

    Hometown: San Diego, CA

    Medical School: UC Riverside

    Extracurricular interests: Cooking, baking, reading, playing piano, ballet, hiking, badminton, tending to my houseplants, board games, video games, binging tv, spending time with friends/family/pets, and the San Diego Zoo/Safari Park.

    Professional interests: Ultrasound, Medical Education, Simulation, and Critical Care.
  • Weston McCue, MD

    Weston McCue, MD

    Hometown: Cody, WY

    Medical School: University of Hawaii

    Extracurricular interests: Surfing, skydiving, flying (anything with wings), snowboarding, rock climbing, dogs (all of the dogs), anything outside, magnets, whitewater kayaking, and fish tacos.

    Professional interests: Aerospace and Flight Medicine, Wilderness/Expedition Medicine, Global Health, Rural Medicine, and Underserved Medicine.
  • Taylor Murray, MD

    Taylor Murray, MD

    Hometown: Superior, CO

    Medical School: University of Colorado

    Extracurricular interests: Traveling, exploring new restaurants and coffee shops, hiking, volleyball, cooking, spending time with family and friends (and most importantly with my dog Cheyenne).

    Professional interests: Social emergency medicine, global health, pediatric emergency medicine, and medical education.
  • Scott Ninokawa, MD

    Scott Ninokawa, MD

    Hometown: Fullerton, CA

    Medical School: Tulane University

    Extracurricular interests: SCUBA diving, ice climbing, weight lifting, backpacking, snowboarding, disc golf, and true crime tv.

    Professional interests: EMS, research, acute trauma care, tactical medicine, and hyperbarics.
  • Rachel Pile, MD

    Rachel Pile, MD

    Hometown: Phoenix, AZ

    Medical School: University of Arizona, Tuscon

    Extracurricular interests: Solo travel, game nights, team trivia, planning events, DIY projects, creative cooking, exploring new hobbies, and keeping my plants alive.

    Professional interests: Pediatric emergency medicine, social emergency medicine, global health, child welfare, and survivor advocacy.
  • Nicholas Simon, MD

    Nicholas Simon, MD

    Hometown: Kamuela, HI

    Medical School: University of Hawaii

    Extracurricular interests: Surfing, being outdoors, sneaker collecting, sampling hot sauces, and supporting local breweries.

    Professional interests: Social emergency medicine, ultrasound, indigenous health, and global health.
  • Kylie Van Hoesen, MD

    Kylie Van Hoesen, MD

    Hometown: Evergreen, CO

    Medical School: University of Colorado

    Extracurricular interests: Anything outdoors; skiing, biking, climbing, hiking (excited to get into surfing and paddle boarding!), park hangs with friends, coffee shops, cooking, fitness, and traveling.

    Professional interests: Global health, wilderness medicine, social emergency medicine and wellness.

Class of 2027

  • Matthew Baniqued, MD

    Matthew Baniqued, MD

    Hometown: Cerritos, CA

    Medical School: Hackensack Meridian

    Extracurricular interests: Cooking, hiking, weight-lifting, tennis, video games, sneaker collecting, travel, and finding the best places to eat.

    Professional interests: Medical Education, Administration, Quality Improvement, Clinical Informatics, and serving the underserved.
  • Stevin Bienfait, MD

    Stevin Bienfait, MD

    Hometown: Norcross, GA

    Medical School: University of Illinois

    Extracurricular interests: Playing pick-up soccer, hanging out with friends, and being outdoors. Excited to try surfing out! 

    Professional interests: Health Tech, Quality Improvement, and Ultrasound.
  • Sarah Chaides, MD

    Sarah Chaides, MD

    Hometown: Pasadena, CA

    Medical School: Wayne State University

    Extracurricular interests: Rock climbing, backpacking/camping, biking, snowboarding, traveling, soccer, eating tacos, going to too many concerts, and petting other people's dogs.

    Professional interests: Sports Medicine, EMS and Disaster Medicine, and Wilderness Medicine.
  • Eric Chen, MD

    Eric Chen, MD

    Hometown: San Diego, CA

    Medical School: Indiana University

    Extracurricular interests: Cooking, playing sports/weight-lifting, going out and trying new restaurants/bars, getting 2nd to last place at trivia nights.

    Professional interests: Social EM, Simulation, Disaster Medicine, and Medical Education.
  • Philip Fallah, MD

    Philip Fallah, MD

    Hometown: Redmond, WA

    Medical School: University of Washington

    Extracurricular interests: Cooking, eating, staying active (lifting, running, hiking, snowboarding, spikeball, basketball), fantasy football heartbreak, game nights, having an irrational fear of sharks, and doing things despite having irrational fears about them (surfing???).

    Professional interests: Addiction & Pain Medicine and Community Health
  • Megan Keys, MD

    Megan Keys, MD

    Hometown: San Jose, CA

    Medical School: UC Irvine

    Extracurricular interests: Any crafty activities (recently Cricut crafts and knitting), spending time outdoors especially with my husband and two dogs, finding tasty sour beers, and playing old Nintendo video games.

    Professional interests: Medical Education, EMS, and Pediatric Emergency Medicine.
  • Avi Patel, MD

    Avi Patel, MD

    Hometown: San Jose, CA

    Medical School: Tufts University

    Extracurricular interests: Hiking/camping, snow sports, tech/new technologies, space/aviation, and cinematography.

    Professional interests: EMS, Critical Care, Wilderness Medicine, Admin/Operations, and Health Tech/Informatics.
  • Aarish Shahab, MD

    Aarish Shahab, MD

    Hometown: Chicago, IL & Columbia, MO

    Medical School: University of Illinois

    Extracurricular interests: Photography, Travel, Hiking, Scuba Diving, Skydiving, Game nights, and Bubble tea.

    Professional interests: EMS, Palliative Care, Pain Management, and Global Health.
  • Christine Stafford, MD, MS

    Christine Stafford, MD, MS

    Hometown: Gardena, CA

    Medical School:  Tufts University

    Graduate School: USC

    Extracurricular interests: Outdoor activities (SCUBA diving, hiking, skiing, volleyball), reading, and traveling.

    Professional interests: Women's Health, Hyperbaric Medicine, and Wilderness Medicine.
  • Louie Wang, MD, MS

    Louie Wang, MD, MS

    Hometown: HangZhou, China and Flushing, NY

    Medical School: UC Los Angeles

    Graduate School: UC San Diego

    Extracurricular interests: I am a big foodie! You can probably catch me in the kitchen trying a new recipe or sampling the local mom&pops. Otherwise, I like to take nature/landscape photographs, play video games, and lift weights.

    Professional interests: Ultrasound and Medical Education, but I recently gained interest in EMS & Disaster Medicine as well.

Class of 2028

  • Sarah Alzaabi, MD

    Sarah Alzaabi, MD

    Hometown: Abu Dhabi, UAE

    Medical School: United Arab Emirates University

    Extracurricular Interests: Exercise, hiking, road trips, reading, spending time with friends and family.

    Professional Interests: Global health, social medicine, critical care, sports medicine, and wellness.
  • Connor Babbush, MD

    Connor Babbush, MD

    Hometown: Los Angeles and San Diego, CA

    Medical School: University of Arizona, Tucson

    Extracurricular Interests: Snowboarding, climbing, keeping REI in business, exploring new countries, La Puerta happy hours, live music, cooking, making cocktails for friends, still starting every Padres season with “This is going to be our year.”

    Professional Interests: Rural Medicine, Ultrasound, and Social EM.
  • Robert Burns, MD

    Robert Burns, MD

    Hometown: Thousand Oaks, CA

    Medical School: UC Davis

    Extracurricular Interests: Spending time with my wife, family and friends, surfing, snowboarding, being outdoors, bbqing, and playing/watching most sports.

    Professional Interests: Rural medicine, medical education, sports medicine, flight medicine, and underserved.
  • Julia Hermann, MD

    Julia Hermann, MD

    Hometown: Los Angeles and San Diego, CA

    Medical School: University of Southern California

    Extracurricular Interests: The outdoors! (hiking, camping, skiing...), gardening, cooking/baking, and art (painting, drawing, crafting).

    Professional Interests: Wilderness medicine, education/simulation training, and pediatric EM.
  • Max Kaito, MD

    Max Kaito, MD

    Hometown: Los Angeles & Torrance, CA

    Medical School: Nova Southeastern University

    Extracurricular Interests: Tennis, pickleball, running, board/video games, car karaoke, brewery-hunting, and finding cute dogs to pet!

    Professional Interests: Medical education, administration, ultrasound, critical care, and palliative medicine.
  • Michael Kortz, DO, MBA

    Michael Kortz, DO, MBA

    Hometown: Denver, CO

    Medical School: Kansas City University

    Graduate School: Rockhurst University Helzberg School of Management

    Extracurricular Interests: Time with close friends and family, any outdoor activity (hiking, camping, diving, skiing, etc), reading, fitness, aerospace/astronomy, philosophy, traveling, museums, and music.

    Professional Interests: Aerospace and Extreme Environments Med, Wilderness Med, Dive Med, EMS, Critical Care, Research and Education, Health Policy, Global Health, Neurotrauma, Human Enhancement and Neuroprosthetics
  • Sai Maddike, MD

    Sai Maddike, MD

    Hometown: Chicago, IL & Martinez, CA

    Medical School: Northwestern University

    Extracurricular Interests: Cooking, tennis/pickleball, lazing on the beach, and trivia nights.

    Professional Interests: Addiction medicine, social EM, and pain management.

  • Michael Orcutt, MD

    Michael Orcutt, MD

    Hometown: Casper, WY

    Medical School: Marian Unviersity

    Extracurricular Interests: Distance running, mountain biking, knitting, surfing, and playing live music.

    Professional Interests: Harm reduction, toxicology, and EMS/ community oriented medical intervention.
  • Byron Rosenthal, MD

    Byron Rosenthal, MD

    Hometown: Los Angeles & San Diego, CA & Shenzhen, China & Paris, France

    Medical School: Georgetown University

    Extracurricular Interests: Boxing/Muay Thai, drawing, video games, catching the perfect wave for 2 seconds before wiping out🤙

    Professional Interests: Social EM, Peds EM, and EMS.
  • Jeremy Santiago, MD

    Jeremy Santiago, MD

    Hometown: Riverside & San Diego, CA & Fayetteville, NC

    Medical School: UC Riverside

    Extracurricular Interests: Overlanding, mountain biking, camping, autocross, woodworking, working on cars, and spending time outdoors with my three dogs.

    Professional Interests: EMS, Tactical medicine, Disaster medicine, Ultrasound, Critical Care, and Rural Medicine.
  • Theresa Sonka, MD

    Theresa Sonka, MD

    Hometown: Corpus Christi & Houston, TX

    Medical School: University of Texas Southwestern

    Extracurricular Interests: Sitting on the beach, Hanging out with friends, Exploring restaurants, Movies, and Sand volleyball.

    Professional Interests: Ultrasound, Medical Devices, Global Health, and Social EM.
  • Serena Tally, MD

    Serena Tally, MD

    Hometown: Maplewood, NJ

    Medical School: UC Irvine

    Extracurricular Interests: Hiking, rock climbing, yoga, roller skating, thrift-shopping, live music, macrame, figuring out pop songs on the guitar, reading a juicy mystery/thriller novel, and binging true-crime podcasts or atrocious reality TV.

    Professional Interests: Social EM, Global Health, Harm Reduction, Wilderness Medicine, Ultrasound, and Medical Education.
  • Theresa Thomas, MD

    Theresa Thomas, MD

    Hometown: Inver Grove Heights, MN & Phoenix, AZ & San Diego, CA

    Medical School: Creighton University

    Extracurricular Interests: Surfing, breakfast burritos, climbing, sleeping in weird places, and trying to keep my houseplants alive.

    Professional Interests: Global emergency medicine and ultrasound in limited resource settings.
  • Bianca Yugar, MD

    Bianca Yugar, MD

    Hometown: Diamond Bar, Monterey Park & West Los Angeles, CA & Jersey City, NJ

    Medical School: Rutgars New Jersey Medical School

    Extracurricular Interests: Karaoke, road trips, concerts/music festivals, trying out new pilates/barre studios, running at a snail's pace, finding the best boba spots, and soaking up the sun with my two Pomeranians (Gizmo & Bean).

    Professional Interests: Toxicology, Border Health, Event Medicine, and Pain Management.

Class of 2029

  • Sophia Bylsma, MD

    Sophia Bylsma, MD

    Hometown: Arroyo Grande, CA

    Medical School: UC San Diego

    Extracurricular Interests: Thrifting, fancy houseplants, any live music, baking, scuba diving, and finding the best chocolate croissant.

    Professional Interests: Palliative care, Social EM, Global Health, and Ultrasound 
  • Juan (Martin) Day, MD

    Juan (Martin) Day, MD

    Hometown: Dallas, TX

    Medical School: Texas A&M

    Extracurricular Interests: Travel and backpacking, outdoor adventures, music festivals, staying active, spending time with family, friends, and my sphynx cat Homer.

    Professional Interests: Global Health, Border Health, Wilderness Medicine, Critical Care, Palliative Care, Event Medicine, and Hyperbaric Medicine
  • Sophie Dickinson, MD

    Sophie Dickinson, MD

    Hometown: Dana Point, CA

    Medical School: UC Santa Barbara

    Extracurricular Interests: Backpacking with our pup, bike touring, baking, playing soccer, surfing, and all other things ocean related!

    Professional Interests: Border Health, EMS, Wilderness Medicine, and Palliative Care
  • Mycah Freudiger, MD

    Mycah Freudiger, MD

    Hometown: Dallas, TX

    Medical School: University of Texas Southwestern

    Extracurricular Interests: Hanging out with my dog, rock climbing, sand volleyball, and doing anything outside!! I also love vintage clothing :) 

    Professional Interests: Addiction, LGBTQ+ health, and EMS
  • Claire Golba, MD

    Claire Golba, MD

    Hometown: Kettering, OH

    Medical School: University of Cincinnati

    Extracurricular Interests: Hiking, sand volleyball, swimming, cooking, and doing whatever I can to be outdoors. 

    Professional Interests: Sports Medicine, Wilderness Medicine, and EMS
  • Sohini Halder, MD

    Sohini Halder, MD

    Hometown: Irvine, CA

    Medical School: UC San Francisco

    Extracurricular Interests: Reading epic fantasy novels, cheffing up recipes from different cuisines, learning about mixology and cocktail-making, working on my pickleball serve, relaxing in the outdoors, and spending time with my husband exploring San Diego and the world! 

    Professional Interests: Global Health and Asylum Medicine, Rural Medicine, EMS/Disaster Medicine, Social EM, LGBTQ Health Advocacy, and Medical Humanities 
  • Julia Jobanputra, MD

    Julia Jobanputra, MD

    Hometown: Denver, CA

    Medical School: Creighton University

    Extracurricular Interests: Skiing, hiking, workout classes, pickleball, reading, cooking, trying new restaurants, ice cream, hanging out with friends and family.

    Professional Interests: Social EM, Critical Care, Ultrasound, and Global Health
  • Rachel Knapp, MD

    Rachel Knapp, MD

    Hometown: Carlsbad, CA

    Medical School: University of Southern California

    Extracurricular Interests: Hiking, rainy days, beach bonfires, crocheting, and propagating tropical plants. 

    Professional Interests: Critical Care, Wilderness Medicine, Toxicology, and Medical Education
  • Hoang (Tommy) Ngo, MD

    Hoang (Tommy) Ngo, MD

    Hometown: Los Angeles, CA

    Medical School: USF Health Morsani

    Extracurricular Interests: Volleyball, piano, video games, cooking, drawing, and music festivals.

    Professional Interests: Toxicology, Social EM, and Ultrasound
  • Subathra Raj, MD

    Subathra Raj, MD

    Hometown: San Jose, CA

    Medical School: Loyola University

    Extracurricular Interests: Running, strength training, yoga, hiking, snowboarding, trying new restaurants, singing (badly) in my car, shower, and apartment, and spending time in the sun.

    Professional Interests: Medical Education, Critical Care, Global Health, and Community Health 
  • Matthew Van Ligten, MD

    Matthew Van Ligten, MD

    Hometown: Orange, CA

    Medical School: Mayo Clinic Alix

    Extracurricular Interests: Reading fantasy books, playing DND, hiking, and backpacking. 

    Professional Interests: Medical Education and Critical Care
  • Kevin Vo, MD

    Kevin Vo, MD

    Hometown: Phoenix, AZ

    Medical School: University of Phoenix - Arizona

    Extracurricular Interests: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, bouldering, listening/making music, board games, and video games.

    Professional Interests: Point of Care Ultrasound, Critical Care, Social Emergency Medicine, and Medical Education
  • Olivia Yale, MD

    Olivia Yale, MD

    Hometown: Truckee, CA

    Medical School: UC Irvine

    Extracurricular Interests: Health and wellness, weight training, running, skiing, exploring new countries, scuba diving, and waterskiing.

    Professional Interests: Global Health, Disaster Medicine, EMS, and Wilderness Medicine