Residency Program About Us Curriculum How to Apply Message from the Program Director Our Faculty and Leaders Our Residents Preliminary Program Resident Life Training Sites Our Faculty and Leaders Division of General Internal Medicine & Primary Care, Department of Medicine Home Research Research: Clinical Departments Medicine: Divisions Medicine: General Internal Medicine & Primary Care > Education & Training > Residency Program > Our Faculty and Leaders Meet Our Team of Experts The education of our residents is the biggest priority of our internal medicine faculty. From our leadership to our newest faculty members, all are dedicated to guiding and mentoring the next generation of physician leaders. We invite you to get to know our faculty and hope to meet you soon. Program Leadership Afshan Baraghoush, MD Program Director, Internal Medicine Residency I am excited to welcome you to the UCI Internal Medicine Residency program! I have had the honor of serving as the residency program director since July 2020, a few months into the COVID pandemic. It was amazing to guide our residents as they served the needs of our patients and community throughout the pandemic. It is a pleasure to reshape our program through the evolving landscape of healthcare and medical education in the post-pandemic world. I love creating innovations in medical education with our leadership team, rounding on our incredibly diverse patient population and restructuring our training program as we continue to expand at UCI Health. The best part of my job is our trainees. Watching their personal and professional growth over their three years with us makes me proud and continuously humbles me. Outside of the hospital, you will find me exploring the great OC outdoors with my husband and our young son and daughter. Program Director’s Message Karen Schugt Fremen, DO Associate Program Director Program Director, Preliminary Medicine Program In my pre-medicine life, I was a junior high school teacher. It was a job I loved, but it failed to challenge my intellectual side. As a former UCI resident, chief resident, faculty of UCI and now associate program director, I have been able to fulfill all my passions. I love caring for patients daily, but even more, I love teaching and mentoring the future of medicine. I pride myself on leading by example, and physician wellness is a special passion of mine. I believe you can’t truly care for others’ well-being unless you first address your own. Being an internal medicine physician is an amazing job that many strive for, yet few bring to fruition. I am honored to be part of the UCI Internal Medicine Residency leadership, and I look forward to changing the world of medicine for the better through you. Samuel Lai, MD Associate Program Director As a resident, chief resident and now faculty member at UCI, it has been a wonderful pleasure to learn from and teach the residents in our program. The joy is in seeing each of them grow into independent, empathetic and scholarly physicians. My hope for you is that you can sense our positive, encouraging and collegial environment leading to this maturation. If you can sense that, then you have gotten the main drive of our program. Welcome to UCI, and I can’t wait to meet you! Bavani Nadeswaran, MD Associate Program Director UCI Ambulatory Clinics As an associate program director, I find joy in knowing that I am helping to shape the next generation of physicians. As I strive to perfect my relationship with our residents, I am mindful of the awesome responsibility I have undertaken. I believe it is imperative to not only impart knowledge or relay facts, but to instill a love of learning and to develop critical, analytical thinking skills in our residents. I’m proud to be part of the UCI Internal Medicine Residency program’s commitment to producing lifelong learners. Bao Joseph Vu, MD Associate Program Director Site Director, VA Long Beach As a graduate of the residency program here, it is my honor and dream come true to continue working alongside our amazing faculty to guide future generations of young physicians through their residency. I hope to continue to foster the culture of camaraderie and education for you all that made my own residency experience so amazing. Come join me to learn not only the nuances of medicine, but how to approach and succeed in this new chapter in your life that, for many of you, will be your first official real experience working. I look forward to meeting you! Fady Youssef, MD Associate Program Director Site director, Long Beach Memorial I joined the program leadership in 2019, and it has been a great opportunity. As a former UCI undergraduate student, medical student, resident, fellow and staff physician, I have enjoyed my training at UCI. My goal is for you to have as good an experience as I did. You will interact with me on your Long Beach Memorial rotations, our community-based tertiary care center. Looking forward to meeting you! Masha Barsky, MD Associate Program Director Before my medical career, I was in the clinical research world in Boston. I quickly learned that clinical research was insufficient to feed my passion, as I was more interested in interacting with the research subjects than the data itself, and thus transitioned into medicine. When I entered medical school at UCI, I fell in love with internal medicine and focused on expanding my skills as a physician. It was not until my time in residency that I found something I am even more passionate about: teaching and mentoring medical students and residents. I was so excited to join the UCI hospitalist family, where the residents are the heart of the hospital. I am even more thrilled to join the Internal Medicine Residency program leadership as an associate program director. I am dedicated to creating a positive learning climate that allows for both personal and professional growth. I am delighted to help create new programming opportunities for UCI internal medicine residents. On a personal note, my door is always open, and I love to hear from residents to just chat or help with any problem as best I can. I genuinely believe we have the most dedicated and empathetic residents, and it is my honor to serve on the program’s leadership team! Program Support Staff Susan Altmayer Program Coordinator I can’t help but smile every June as I watch our residents begin their next journey. I reflect back on the time I have spent with these physicians and what they have accomplished to get where they are today. It is a joy and privilege for me to be part of a team whose passion and aspiration is to discover, teach and heal. Anca Gociu Program Analyst Being part of the Internal Medicine Residency program has been one of the best experiences. I get to work with some of the kindest and most hardworking individuals. I began with the program in 2022 and have been able to witness the passion and drive our leadership has for teaching and mentoring our residents. I am forever grateful for the opportunity to be part of the team! Marylin Rios Program Assistant I have been with the program for almost a year now, but it has been a pleasure to work alongside wonderful individuals. The program leadership are genuine and strive to always provide their residents quality in all that they do. Chief Residents Christine Fung, MD I am originally from Ohio and attended The Ohio State University for undergrad and medical school. Since I matched at UCI for residency, I have been enjoying the great food, beautiful weather, awesome nature parks, hiking and beaches. My residency training was hard but gratifying, and I have been rewarded with strong clinical skills and eternal friendships. By completing a chief year, I have been able to bring new ideas to the residency curriculum, as well as continue mentoring and working with residents. Outside of work, I enjoy traveling with my husband and toddler, visiting new parks and trying delicious food. Medical School: The Ohio State University Lindsey Hendricks, MD I’m originally from Wisconsin and am a big fan of cheese. I couples-matched to UCI and was thrilled to be in a location with ample access to the outdoors. My residency was one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences through the pandemic. I made lifelong friends and grew as a physician and educator. I decided to do a chief year to gain more experience in teaching and mentoring trainees, and I’ve loved my time. Medical School: Rosalind Franklin University Neil Jariwalla, MD I grew up in the Bay Area and completed medical school at the Medical College of Wisconsin before returning to sunny California for residency. The support and guidance I received from my program directors, faculty, co-residents and chief residents during my time at UCI, combined with my passion for teaching, motivated me to pursue a chief year. Mentoring the next group of UCI residents has been incredibly fulfilling and rewarding for me. In my free time I enjoy bowling, watching the NHL, eating delicious food and hanging out with my residency friends (especially my seniors). Medical School: Medical College of Wisconsin Samuel Ji, DO My time at UCI was really great overall. There was a genuine sense of community and camaraderie among my co-residents, attendings and overall hospital environment. The environment offered a great deal of both personal and professional growth, and I felt like I became a strong physician while having quality time with my wife and two kids. I wanted to do a chief year to improve our residency and resident wellness through quality improvement and being a leader and resource for the residents. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my family, barbecuing and exercising. Medical School: Touro University California Matthew King, MD Originally from Northern California, I attended medical school in Boston and knew I wanted to complete residency in Southern California. UCI Health’s position as both an academic medical center and a community safety net hospital was very appealing to me, as I felt this model would provide me with a rigorous and well-rounded experience. My motivations for pursuing a chief year were twofold: to cement a strong foundation in internal medicine before pursuing advanced training and to continue building my leadership and education skill sets. I was so pleased with my time here that I chose to complete a cardiology fellowship at UCI. In my free time I enjoy rock climbing, weight lifting, cycling, baking, trying new cuisines and traveling. Medical School: Boston University Megan MacDougall, DO I grew up in the suburbs of Los Angeles, attended college at NYU and moved back to California for medical school at Western University. UCI was everything I wanted in a program: an academic medical center, excellent fellowship matches and an unbeatable location. The part of my training I am most fond of was the lifelong friendships I made. Whether it was bonding over Thai food during night float, relying on their unwavering support while working in the ICU during the COVID pandemic or catching up with my cohort during our golden weekends, these experiences shaped me into the physician I am today, and I am eternally grateful for these memories. As a resident, I noticed how the faculty and chief residents never stopped trying to improve our program. Inspired by their dedication, I chose to be a chief resident to continue their legacy of advocating for residents. I wanted the opportunity to contribute to the advancement of medical education and patient care at UCI and our training sites. In my free time, I enjoy reading op-eds, doing Pilates and hanging out with my elderly cat Gladys. Medical School: Western University of Health Sciences Peter Nguyen, MD I was born and raised in Orange County and was thrilled to come back to UCI for residency. I loved meeting everyone at UCI, including my awesome co-residents, faculty and mentors. Everyone has been influential in my growth and helped me achieve my goals. I loved mentoring new interns and supporting their careers. I decided to do a chief year to find creative solutions to our residents’ problems. I also spent this year highlighting and showcasing what UCI and Orange County have to offer, including our beautiful beaches and food scene! Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my wife, daughter and cats; playing video games; and eating yummy food. Medical School: Eastern Virginia Medical School Meet the Leaders Videos Join us for a series of insightful interviews with Program Director Afshan Baraghoush, MD, as she speaks with our esteemed faculty and leaders. Discover their experiences, insights, and visions for the future of our program through these engaging videos. Alpesh Amin Program Director Afshan Baraghoush, MD, interviews Department Chair Alpesh Amin, MD, about what UCI has to offer trainees, faculty and staff, and the community, and what makes the Internal Medicine Residency program special. Watch the Video Masha Barsky Masha Barsky, MD, a hospitalist at UCI School of Medicine, talks to Program Director Afshan Baraghoush, MD, about coming back to UCI as a faculty member after completing her MD at UCI, the Resident as Teacher curriculum and the simulation curriculum for the residency. Watch the Video Garrett Cohen Garrett Cohen, MD, former chief resident for the Internal Medicine Residency program, speaks with Program Director Afshan Baraghoush, MD, about why he came to UCI for residency, what he enjoyed during his experience as a trainee and the role of the chief residents in the program. Watch the Video Omar Darwish Program Director Afshan Baraghoush, MD, speaks with Omar Darwish, MS, DO, director of point-of-care ultrasound for the Department of Medicine, about training opportunities for residents in point-of-care ultrasound and future program goals. Watch the Video Israel De Alba Israel De Alba, MD, MPH, speaks with Program Director Afshan Baraghoush, MD, about his background and journey to medicine, why UCI is a good fit for him, his research in health disparities and barriers to care, and his work volunteering in the community. Watch the Video Cameron Harding Cameron Harding, MD, third-year medicine clerkship director, speaks with Program Director Afshan Baraghoush, MD, about what brought him to UCI from Kentucky, his expertise in opioid use disorder, the UCI Medical Center addiction consult service and recent innovations in the clerkship. Watch the Video Bindu Swaroop Program Director Afshan Baraghoush, MD, interviews Bindu Swaroop, MD, chief of medicine at the VA Long Beach Medical Center and former residency program director, about curricular enhancements in the residency program, the strength of the program and her views on mentorship. Watch the Video Miki Watanabe Infectious disease specialist Miki Watanabe, MD, speaks with Program Director Afshan Baraghoush, MD, about her early impressions of UCI, what types of cases are seen on the infectious disease consult service, UCI’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and her approach to educating the next generation of physicians. Watch the Video