Class Notes

Retired in San Clemente. Still keeping up with continuing education with membership in AMA, CMA, OCMA, AAFP, etc. Participate at UCI and more. Former Associate Clinical Professor dept Family Practice at UCI. Former Medical Director for Blue Cross, Cigna, MetLife, Travelers, and more. -Norman Charney, MD class of 1962

Hard to believe it's been 55 years since graduation. I was still working until the pandemic, now sheltering at home. Life is good. Hope all of you are doing well, keeping safe, and enjoying the fruits of your labor. With wonderful memories, my best to you. -Stanley Kopelow, MD class of 1965

I’m looking forward to seeing as well as hearing class of ‘67 grads. My rotating internship was at Walter Reed General Hospital in Washington, DC followed with a 4-year residency in Otolaryngology at Reed. As was the pattern of surgical subspecialty training in the Army in those years, the first year of residency was akin to general surgery and was served in one of the many station hospitals around the country. I was at Fort Ord, CA in Monterey for that year and then returned to Washington for the last 3 years. Post residency, I was assigned to Fort Carson in Colorado Springs 1972-75. With fulfillment of my military obligation, my wife, Kimberly and family and I remained in the Springs until 2006. I retired to Bend, OR where our son lives with his wife and family as well as Tacoma, WA near our daughter and her family. -John Hohengarten, MD class of 1967

Dr. See is a Board Certified Internist, a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology and pioneer of the specialty of Interventional Cardiology. Dr. See has served as Chief of Staff, Vice-Chief of Staff, Chief of Medicine, Chief of Cardiology, Cath Lab Director and other elected Medical Staff positions at Southern California and Nevada Hospitals. He has been on the Medical Staff of the Western Medical Center, Anaheim, from 1983 to the present. Dr. See has been a Scientific Advisor for many biotechnology companies and has participated in dozens of clinical trials in cardiovascular disease and diabetes. This has been done while engaged in maintaining an active practice of medicine continually since 1976. He is an active member of the California and Orange County Medical Association. Dr. See, his wife of 42 years, three sons and seven grandchildren share their gratitude of the endless opportunities we enjoy by living in America. -Jackie R. See, MD, FACC class of 1968

Dr. Greene has recently published a medical/historical novel, The Class of 1969 about a married couple in medical school during the turmoil of the late 1960's. His book's website is www.medicalschool1969.com. He is currently a resident of Lima, Ohio practicing hematology-oncology. He has recently taken the boards in hospice and palliative medicine and hopes for a late life career change. In the past ten years he has been physician director at City of Hope National Medical Center and medical director of the Dorothy E. Schneider cancer center in San Mateo, California. He is married to MaryJo, a palliative care nurse. His two grown children live in California. -Henry Greene, MD class of 1969

Currently living in Seattle WA. Currently single with four grown daughters distributed widely. Boarded in Family Medicine with an MPH from Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences in Maryland. Public Health Service in Seattle for three years. Practiced Family Medicine in Olympia and Seattle over the years. Spent nine years as a Foreign Service Officer in Africa, the Middle East and in Washington DC from 1982 to 1991, then joined U of Washington Department of Family Medicine for six years in Seattle. Finished my medical career working mostly for PREMERA Blue Cross as a Medical Director addressing appropriate utilization management. It has been an amazing experience with little to regret and lots to cherish! -Peter Amory West, MD

Dr. Yonchar is enjoying retirement after many years of private practice in Internal Medicine in Orange. She is currently Treasurer of the UCI-SOM School of Medicine Alumni Association. -Jevelyn Yonchar, MD class of 1972

Still in practice but limited. Still teaching at UCI: derm, dermpath, and dermatoscopy. Had three great decades running marathons and ultramarathons (Western States and Leadville). Also competitive in Ride and Tie. Coincident with that, have ridden endurance for four decades, including the Tevis Cup 100-mile ride and 1200 miles of the Pony Express Trail in 2001. Current horse is a 10-year-old mustang mare that was rescued from a slaughter house. Now spend 3 days a week riding with my wife (a better rider) of 34 years, Debby Lyon, a retired Spanish teacher, dentist, and family and marriage counselor (over achiever). We live on 25 acres with some of our horses, dogs, cats, and tortoises. We have one daughter and two grandchildren with whom we enjoy scuba diving on exotic vacations. I am in excellent health with one joint replacement (right hip) and maybe more to come. I am a grateful member of Alcoholics Anonymous (19+ years) and wrote and published The Sobering Truth to help non-physicians understand the health consequences of drinking alcohol. Life is very good! -Robert Jeffrey Herten, MD

It is amazing that 3 of my classmates ended up in Sacramento after graduation, two of whom worked with me in the Sutter system, and one at UCD. Over the years, I have met many other UCI graduates and have taught some in my role as Clinical Professor of Neurology at UCD and Director of Neurology rotation for FP residents at Sutter Medical Center. The Irvine-Sacramento connection is strong. -William J. W. Au, MD class of 1975

I am really interested to hear what you all have done since graduation. I have no complaints but my life went in an unexpected direction. Ended up in academic emergency medicine, and surprisingly enough, enjoyed it a great deal, even in spite of the usual nonsense found in academia. After retiring from that position, again ended up a stranger in a strange land. I am now the EMS medical director for Orange County. Truth is stranger than fiction. Look forward to speaking with my classmates. -Carl Schultz, MD class of 1978

After graduation, I did my internal medicine residency at UC Davis, then stayed on an extra year as chief resident along with Bob Quadro. I went into solo practice in internal medicine in Sacramento and a few years ago got boarded in Hospice and Palliative Care. I've done volunteer medical work in Mexico, Fiji and India. I still have my internal medicine office, but am also the medical director for Seasons Hospice up here in Sacramento. I got married in 1989 and my wife and I enjoy meditation, scuba diving, and laughing a lot. .I miss many of you! -Howard J. Homler, MD

Twenty years ago, I started and currently operate 2 cytopathologist-performed and interpreted ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration and core-needle biopsy clinics in Los Angeles and Orange counties I host over 2000 imaging-guided biopsies a year and perform the microscopy. I have published articles about my work and teach multiple CME courses throughout the country and internationally for several pathology societies. I have lectured at hospitals and universities as a visiting professor. In 1999, I earned an MBA from UC Berkeley. In 2015, I received a certificate of recognition from Congress for my work helping college students get into medical school. In 2016, I was named the Distinguished Alumnus of the UCI SOM. In 2019, I was the recipient of the Yolanda Oertel Interventional Cytopathologist of the Year Award from the Papanicolaou Society of Cytopathology. Today with COVID-19, the primary care physician and specialist perform a telehealth visit and never actually see the patient. Patients with a mass are sent to me for a biopsy. So, the first doctor to see the patient in-person and perform a physical is the pathologist. The referring doctors ask me to give the diagnosis to the patient and tell him or her not to come back if it is benign. Sometimes, they even ask me to treat the patient or refer to a surgeon if needed! The world has turned upside down due to COVID-19! On the side, I have a certificate in personal financial planning from UCLA Extension (plus 11 other business certificates), refereed (and taught) high school football for 12 years, and was associate producer and (minor) actor in several independent movies (including Star Trek Renegades on You Tube). I am invested in a new Three Stooges movie and a story about Vincent Chin. They are still in the planning stages. Life is short, so do everything possible. -David Lieu, MD class of 1979

I am celebrating my 25th anniversary in private practice this month. I opened the doors on October 1, 1987 on the day of the Whittier earthquake. It has been a good 25 years. I still love doctoring. Managing an office not quite as much. Healthcare has changed dramatically since the 1980s. I have weathered many storms. In the interval, I have served as the founding President of the newly reformed UCI Medical College Alumni Chapter, the Medical Director for the Orange County Correctional Service, nearly every office one can hold as a medical staff officer for Placentia-Linda Hospital including Chief of Staff, and numerous medical directorships at LTC facilities and chairmanships of UR committees. I am currently an alternate delegate for the OCMA, scheduled to attend the CMA annual conference in Sacramento next week. I am Vice-President of the Orange ACO, the only physician-owned ACO in Orange County currently participating in the Medicare Shared Savings Program. I continue to teach UCIMC students in my office through the preceptorship program as I have for over a decade. It was a great pleasure to get away from my usual hectic schedule this year to scuba dive and explore the waters and jungles of Belize, hike the redwood forests of Northern California and enjoy the beauty of the Canadian Rockies. Wishing you all continued good health and happiness. -Christopher Lundquist, MD class of 1980

I left the West Coast to do my surgery residency at Tufts in Boston with plans to return. Did vascular surgery fellowship at Lahey Clinic, married a woman from Boston, and never went back. We have 3 children and a grandson. I’m now a suit. President of Winchester Hospital, just north of Boston. It’s a member of Beth Israel Lahey Health. I’m grateful to UCI-CCM for opening doors for me. I developed some great friendships. -Richard Weiner, MD class of 1981

Throughout my career, I’ve been an agent of change. Even now at age 72, I am helping our California state prison system train our medical providers learn how to assist their inmate patients “effectively“ deal with their SUD (Substance Use Disorders), truly the biggest elephant in our living room. It’s about time! The personal impact on the patients and that on society at large is indeed huge. Looking forward to really retiring in a couple of years. -Joseph Chudy, MD

Dr. Nahabedian is a professor of plastic surgery at Georgetown University Hospital. His primary interests are breast reconstruction and microvascular surgery, but he enjoys aesthetic and melanoma surgery as well. -Maurice Nahabedian, MD class of 1987

Rimal Bera, MD is Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California, Irvine Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Bera earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology from the University of California, Irvine, and a medical degree from the UCI in 1987. He completed his psychiatry residency at the University of California, Irvine in 1991. He has been a Full Time Faculty at the University of California, Irvine since 1991. In 2014 Dr. Bera was the recipient of the Orange County Medical Association Physician of the Year Award. He is President of the UCI School of Medicine Alumni Chapter. -Rimal Bera, MD

I'm in private practice in Anaheim - internal medicine / infectious disease - here's my website : www.pkhemka.com I would love to hear from classmates and friends. -Pankaj Khemka, MD class of 1991

I'm working as a family physician in a community health center in Seattle, still doing prenatal care and delivering babies as well! Married to David True, MD PhD with 2 kids, now 20 and 24! Between the pandemic and dealing with the huge exposure of structural racism, it's been a pretty rough time, yet we're well, enjoying the garden, the lake and the surrounding mountains. We attended a massive march with so many docs and health care providers in the region with Doctors for Justice several weeks ago. We need to make some changes! -Sarah Hufbauer, MD

FP/OB practice at Forks Community Health Systems in Washington state with part-time clinical work and part-time administrative work as Medical Director for the outpatient clinics in Forks, WA and Clalllam Bay, Wa. Past work has been in urgent care and FP/OB in Hawaii. On associate clinical faculty for University of Washington Medical School and Washington State University Emery College of Medicine. -Faron Bauer, MD

Mother of 4 grown children. Currently practicing traditional Internal Medicine in a tertiary care hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. -Lina S Bissar, MD class of 1993

Dr. Rejan McCaskill has recently been elected as the Governor-elect Designee (GED) for her region for the American College of Physicians (ACP). ACP is a diverse community of internal medicine specialists and subspecialists with 160,000 members in countries across the globe, making it the largest medical-specialty society in the world. Dr. McCaskill will complete a year of training as a Governor-elect and then will start her four-year term as Governor in the Spring of 2024. As Governor, Dr. McCaskill will serve as the official representative of the College for the California Southern 2 Chapter, providing a link between members at the local level and leadership at the national level. -Rejan McCaskill, MD class of 1999

Live in Santa Monica with wife and 3 kids, work in Santa Monica in private practice - Sleep and Pulmonary Medicine. Miss the simple life of medical school and all of you guys! -Daniel Norman, MD class of 2000

After four years of practice in Riverside, Dr. Zainabadi recently came back home to Orange County. Dr. Zainabadi has joined the Surgical faculty at Kaiser Permanente in Irvine. -Kambiz Zainabadi, MD class 2001

My dermatology private practice, Newport Beach Dermatology and Plastic Surgery, is opening a second location in San Juan Capistrano January 2023, welcoming our 5th Board-Certified Dermatologist to the practice. I gained an additional board certification this year in Micrographic Dermatologic Surgery. Gordon and I celebrate 27 years of marriage with our 5 beautiful kids in April! -Anne Marie McNeill, MD, Class of 2002

During medical school my father was diagnosed with Parkinson's which was a great significance considering he had struggled to get his California dental license for over 10 years. So because of that diagnosis I ended up becoming a general practitioner and I'm a hospice medical director. I work for a company and we were making house calls before covid-19 now we are doing virtual visits but we are part of the nation's largest ACO. Looking forward to seeing everybody in catching up. I'm currently happily married with two kids and living in Michigan. -Ramin Rafie, MD

Navi & her husband Biren moved back to California after many years on the east coast for her husband's new faculty position at UCLA. They welcomed their daughter Reina on August 12 and are enjoying parenthood. -Navreet Kamdar, MD class of 2004

I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the NYU Langone Fertility Center. Recently, I was named Reproductive Endocrinologist and a member of the Clinical Advisory Board for P.volve, a provider of functional fitness for women. -Shannon DeVore, MD, Class of 2012

Current status: I'm relocating to Boise, Idaho this week with my partner, Dr. Nate Grimm, who's an adult/pediatric orthopedic sports medicine surgeon (the market was really hard to find jobs for two physicians right now!). We'll be there for at least 2 years for his job. My AI work: Meanwhile, I'm still working as Chief Medical Officer for my company, Centaur Labs. Because of COVID, as a company, we're all remote until at least January 2021. However, that being said, we've been very active as a company (!) working on a few COVID specific AI projects with different hospitals and companies. Actually, in the fall, I'm starting a very small teaching role at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. I'll be apart of the ultrasound group there, and specifically working on some of the AI opportunities in the ED. I mention this because I've been working on a COVID specific NIH grant opportunity as both a new faculty member there, as a result of my company experiences. It's been amazing to see the AI work we do at my company facilitate the efforts we're trying to achieve as frontline providers and see my two worlds collide. I like to say I have the best of both worlds: practicing clinically and then working on improving medicine through technology. My clinical work: In general it's been a surreal experience to be able to be a first responder/healthcare provider during COVID (I've now practiced in Mystic, CT, Greenwich, CT and Boise, ID) so I feel like I'm chasing COVID! The Northeast was hit really bad back in April/May. I ended up getting emergency credentialed just to work 2 months at Greenwich in order to help the staffing there. There were weeks where I'd intubate every shift, and I was living out of hotels and driving long commutes. But now it seems like the West is getting more impacted from my first few shifts in Idaho. I've been working mostly in rural or community hospitals over the last year, so it will be great to get back into academics come the fall. I hope that clarifies things a little. It sounds a bit chaotic partially because it is, as COVID has changed a lot for everyone. So I'm just going with the flow! I'm thankful for my work and for my health and for the support system I have. I appreciate your interest in our work. I can elaborate a little bit more on our AI work if needed. Basically we facilitate large dataset annotations at scale through a collective intelligence method we use. It's similar to what Mechanical Turk meets medical imaging would be, but with a gamification twist. We're backed by Y Combinator, Accel, MIT delta v, and Global Founders Capital and we have worked with hospitals like Brigham, Memorial Sloan Kettering, and several others. Additional information can be found here: centaurlabs.com -Chanel Fiscetti , MD class of 2015

Wishing the best for class of 2016! I am finishing UC Irvine Ophthalmology residency in 2020 and will be doing a 1 year cornea fellowship at Oregon Health and Sciences University in Portland, OR for the 2020-2021 year. -Priscilla Vu, MD class of 2016

I was a resident in IM at UCI from 1973 to 1976 and then on faculty at UCI. I was recently listed in Modern healthcare’s listing of the 50 Most Influential Physicians at #17. -Larry Wellikson, MD Residency Alumni

In addition to her Private Practice in Adult, Adolescent, & Child Psychiatry and Psychoanalysis, Dr. Debra Hill has an underwater production company. Her Production Company, Oceanvideo Productions: DIVE IN TV, recently won a Silver Telly Award for her documentary short, called "From Bullets to Bubbles..." ,about a group of Disabled War Veterans who rebuild their war torn lives by learning to scuba dive through the Disabled Veterans Scuba Project. It follows their progression from physical disability and pain, emotional withdrawal, isolation, and severe depression to a renewed sense of self confidence, comradery, hope, and relief from pain as they enter the deep to pursue the edgy sport of scuba diving. I am excited to announce that at last I have a website for my Private Practice in Adult, Adolescent, and Child Psychiatry. Please check it out: www.debrahillmd.com. -Debra Hill, MD Fellowship, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 1989