University of California, Los Angeles Scholars

Dustyn Baker, M.D.
University of California Los Angeles

Dustyn Baker, M.D. is an Internal Medicine physician who completed her undergraduate studies at UNC-Chapel Hill with a degree in Communications and minor in Chemistry and her medical degree at Duke University Medical School. She subsequently completed her Internal Medicine training at the University of Chicago Medical Center.  She has been involved in a variety of projects including interning at the Department of Health and Human Services as a program analyst during medical school and helping launch Chicago BREATHE (a neighborhood initiative in Chicago aimed at decreasing asthma admissions) during residency.  She was recently a Commonwealth Fund/Harvard University Fellow in Minority Health Policy and concurrently completed her Masters in Public Health at Harvard University in 2011.  Her long-term interests include translating health services research into legislation with a special focus on racial/ethnic health disparities.  As a scholar she looks forward to exploring potential racial and ethnic disparities that exist in the Medicare Part D appeals process and developing potential policies to address these disparities.

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Jonathan Bergman, M.D.
University of California Los Angeles

Jonathan Bergman, M.D. (VA Scholar) is a urologist at UCLA. He completed his undergraduate training at Yale, where he graduated with a degree in molecular, cellular, and developmental biology. He received his medical degree from David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and completed his training in urology at UCLA, where he served as chief resident during his last year of training. As a scholar, he plans to study the quality of end of life care in urology, and to form community partnerships to improve the understanding of the end of life process among both healthcare providers and patients.

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Kimberly Cauley Narain , M.D.
University of California Los Angeles

Kimberly Cauley Narain, M.D. is an Internal Medicine physician who completed her undergraduate studies at the University of California Los Angeles with dual degrees in Microbiology and African American Studies. Dr. Narain received her medical degree from Morehouse School of Medicine where she graduated summa cum laude with Honors in Community and Health Service. She then completed a Primary Care Internal Medicine Residency at the University of California San Francisco while conducting research on the association of Bipolar Affective Disorder with HIV progression in conjunction with the Department of Psychiatry. She recently completed a California Endowment Health Policy Fellowship at Harvard University, where she explored the effects of housing redevelopment on health. Dr. Narain’s interest includes examining the health implications of social policies and contextual factors in vulnerable populations and translating health service research findings into policy solutions. As a scholar Dr. Narain plans to investigate the effects of various social policies on the health of low income communities of color.

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Brian Yoshio Laing, M.D.
University of California Los Angeles

Brian Yoshio Laing, M.D. is a family physician who pursued his undergraduate studies at Stanford University in Biology and Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity. Dr. Laing completed his medical degree at UCSF with an area of concentration in Health Systems. He completed his UCSF Family & Community Medicine residency at San Francisco General Hospital in June 2011. Dr. Laing's research and policy interests include improving access and quality of primary care for underserved populations, health care financing and health disparities. As a medical student and resident, he addressed racial and ethnic health care disparities in the UCSF medical school curriculum, examined factors contributing to the declining primary care workforce, and piloted innovative models to deliver primary care for patients with chronic disease. As a scholar, Dr. Laing plans to pilot cost-effective health IT interventions to improve primary care access for safety-net patients.

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Katherine Neuhausen, M.D.
University of California Los Angeles

Katherine Neuhausen, M.D. is a family physician who received her undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia and her medical degree from Emory University . She completed her residency in Family and Community Medicine at the University of California , San Francisco and San Francisco General Hospital . As a medical student, she led an advocacy campaign that was pivotal to preventing the closure of Grady Hospital , Atlanta 's only public hospital. As a resident, she conducted research with the Robert Graham Center in Washington D.C. on how community health centers access specialty care. Her research and policy interests include the future of the safety net under health care reform and integrated care delivery for low-income populations. As a Clinical Scholar, she is investigating the facilitators and barriers to developing integrated systems of care for vulnerable communities through partnerships of safety-net hospitals with FQHCs. She also plans to analyze the impact of cuts in Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) funding on safety-net hospitals in California

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Charles D. Scales, Jr., M.D.
University of California Los Angeles

Charles D. Scales, Jr., M.D. (VA Scholar) is a urologic surgeon who completed his undergraduate studies at the Georgia Institute of Technology with a degree in Chemistry and earned a Masters in Chemistry from Harvard University.  He is a graduate of the Duke University School of Medicine and completed his urology training at Duke University Medical Center.  Dr. Scales has previously published on utilization of prostate cancer screening in the United States, practice patterns and outcomes in the management of kidney stones, and evidence-based clinical practice in urology.  In addition, he has a strong interest in graduate medical education, and served on the Review Committee for Urology of the ACGME from 2009 – 2011.  His research and policy interests include racial and socioeconomic healthcare disparities, development and diffusion of surgical technology, evidence-based practice, and healthcare financing.  As a Scholar, Dr. Scales plans to investigate access and quality of care for urinary stone disease, with particular emphasis on socioeconomically disadvantaged populations. 

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Ashaunta Tumblin, M.D.
University of California Los Angeles

Ashaunta Tumblin, M.D. is a pediatrician who completed her undergraduate studies at Stanford University with a major in human biology and concentration in the genetics and structure of the human organism. Dr. Tumblin received her medical degree from Harvard Medical School. During her medical training, she spent one year as a participant in the National Institutes of Health Clinical Research Training Program studying biomarkers of sickle cell disease. As a Schweitzer fellow, she participated in clinical and community health measures to promote child health in Lambaréné, Gabon. She then completed the Baylor College of Medicine pediatrics residency. Dr. Tumblin has recently completed the Commonwealth Fund/Harvard University Fellowship in Minority Health Policy where she received a Masters of Public Health with a concentration in family and community health. Her primary research and policy goal is to better integrate the child health services provided through the school and health care systems. As a clinical scholar, Dr. Tumblin endeavors to enhance school readiness interventions during early childhood in order to simultaneously reduce the achievement gap and health disparities.  

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Robin Clarke, M.D.
University of California, Los Angeles

Robin Clarke, M.D. is an Internal Medicine physician who completed his undergraduate studies at Princeton University with a degree in History. Dr. Clarke received his medical degree from Cornell in New York. He then completed his residency training in Internal Medicine at the UCLA Medical Center. Dr. Clarke has worked for various organizations including Physicians for Social Responsibility where he coauthored a policy report that detailed environmental toxin exposures and advocated for a better track system to correlate these exposures with adverse health effects. His research and policy interests include strengthening the role of primary care in the health care system with a focus on improving chronic disease management in underserved populations.

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Michael Hochman, M.D.
University of California, Los Angeles

Michael Hochman, M.D. (VA Scholar) is a General Internist who completed his undergraduate degree at Princeton University in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and his medical degree from Harvard Medical School. He then completed his Internal Medicine residency at the Cambridge Health Alliance in Cambridge, MA, and then worked in the Department of General Internal Medicine at LA County Hospital. Dr. Hochman spent time in medical school doing research on the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico. He has also researched conflicts of interest in medical education and medical research. In addition, Dr. Hochman has an interest in medical journalism and has written on medical topics for the Boston Globe and several other lay publications. As a scholar, has been developing an enhanced model for primary care at the internal medicine clinics at LA County Hospital.

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Lorraine Kelley-Quon, M.D.
University of California, Los Angeles

Lorraine Kelley-Quon, M.D. is a general surgery resident at UCLA. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of California, San Diego with a degree in Biochemistry and Cell Biology. She was recognized for her accomplishments with honors in Biology, graduated magna cum laude and became a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Dr. Kelley-Quon received her medical degree from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2008. As a medical student, she was involved in promoting issues of global health and became very interested in the underserved populations of Southern California, specifically focusing on geriatric trauma care. Her current research and policy interests are focused towards exploring clinical outcomes in children requiring surgical intervention. As a scholar, Dr. Kelley-Quon hopes to assess the current state of trauma care for children in the San Fernando Valley and work towards creating recommendations for the establishment of a quality pediatric trauma care system.

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Christoph I. Lee, M.D.
University of California, Los Angeles

Christoph I. Lee, M.D. earned his BA cum laude from Princeton University and his MD cum laude from Yale University. He completed his residency in diagnostic and interventional radiology at Stanford University. Dr. Lee previously managed a global tuberculosis initiative for Ralph Nader in Washington, D.C. and was an analyst for the Lewin Group, a national healthcare policy research and consulting firm. He has helped lead more than ten different service organizations at the community, state, national, and international levels. Dr. Lee is the author of multiple medical board review texts distributed internationally by McGraw-Hill & Co. He is first author of several original research articles published in leading peer-reviewed journals in regards to health policy in medical imaging. Dr. Lee has served on several national editorial and executive boards and is a recipient of numerous research and leadership awards, including the 2009 American Medical Association Foundation Leadership Award. As a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar, Dr. Lee will examine diagnostic imaging from the perspectives of cost-effectiveness and quality assurance.

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Lauren Patty, M.D.
University of California, Los Angeles

Lauren Patty, M.D. (VA Scholar) is an ophthalmologist who completed her undergraduate studies at Stanford University with a degree in Comparative Literature and Human Biology, as well as an honors thesis in Medical Anthropology. Dr. Patty received her medical degree from Harvard Medical School. She then completed her residency training at the LAC+USC/Doheny Eye Institute. Dr. Patty has worked on various projects fostering sustainable healthcare interventions in developing countries such as Nepal, Bhutan, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Ethiopia. Her research and policy interests include undiagnosed eye diseases in adult Latinos and improving access to ophthalmic care, such as screening for diabetic retinopathy. As a scholar, Dr. Patty plans to develop and evaluate interventions to improve eye care delivery to at-risk populations.

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Erin Saleeby, M.D.
University of California, Los Angeles

Erin Saleeby, M.D. is an Obstetrician/Gynecologist who completed her undergraduate studies at the George Washington University with a degree in Biology. Dr. Saleeby received her medical degree and a Master's of Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School and Medicine and School of Public Health. She was a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honors Society and the Alpha Epsilon lambda Graduate and Professional Student Honors Society. At UNC, Dr. Saleeby co-founded a community-based health program in rural Honduras. She then completed her residency training at the University of California, San Francisco where she served as an Administrative Chief Resident and was involved in multiple quality improvement projects. She continues to conduct research in Honduras examining provider training and preparedness for the provision of long-acting reversible contraceptives. As a Scholar, Dr. Saleeby plans to investigate the decision-making of adolescents regarding pregnancy prevention and to design and evaluate programs for enhanced contraceptive service provision for at-risk youth.

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Luwam Semere, M.D.
University of California, Los Angeles

Luwam Semere, M.D. is an Obstetrician/Gynecologist who completed her undergraduate studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a degree in Chemical Engineering. She received her medical degree from Harvard Medical School. She then completed her training at Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Massachusetts General Hospital Integrated Residency Program in Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. Semere has been involved in research related to Female Genital Cuttings in Eritrea and Chromosomal abnormalities associated with Uterine Leiomyomata. Her research interests include disparities in immigrant women’s health, particularly regarding birth outcomes.

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Medell Briggs-Malonson, M.D., M.P.H.
University of California, Los Angeles

Medell Briggs-Malonson, M.D. (VA Scholar) is an Emergency Medicine physician who completed her undergraduate studies at UCLA with a degree in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics.  Dr. Briggs received her medical degree from Harvard Medical School and a Master’s of Public Health in Health Care Management from Harvard School of Public Health.  She then completed her Emergency Medicine training at Harbor-UCLA where she also served as Chief Resident during her last year of residency.  Dr. Briggs has worked on various projects including evaluating the leading causes of child mortality at the Department of Health and Human Services, developing community action plans to address health care disparities, and serving as a resident representative on committees to improve the distribution of health care services throughout Los Angeles County.   Her research and policy interests include racial and socioeconomic health disparities, health care financing, and emergency health services accessibility.  As a Scholar, Dr. Briggs plans to investigate the impact that declining emergency services has upon the health of low income communities of color.   

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Dr. Alejandra Casillas
University of California, Los Angeles

Alejandra Casillas, M.D. is an internist who completed residency in the Internal Medicine Primary Care program at the University of California San Francisco, and was chief resident at UCSF. She received her undergraduate degree at Harvard College in neurobiology and also completed her MD at Harvard Medical School, where she co-directed a community clinic mentoring program for "at-risk" minority adolescents. While in residency at UCSF, she worked on a project comparing mental health measures between immigrant and non-immigrant groups across various ethnic populations. She presented this research at SGIM 2008. As a scholar, she has worked with the Los Angeles County Office of Women's Health on messaging about the HPV vaccine among minority women. Currently she is working with the California Medical Association Foundation on a statewide ethnic media campaign for cervical cancer prevention, targeted towards Latinas in California, as part of a national cervical cancer-free initiative. Her interests involve community medicine and systems issues in the delivery of health care, and health messaging and media efforts, particularly for vulnerable immigrant populations.

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Rebecca Dudovitz, M.D.
University of California, Los Angeles

Rebecca Dudovitz, M.D. received her undergraduate degree from the University of California, at Davis with a major in philosophy. Afterwards, she attended UCLA medical school where she earned her MD. She completed her pediatrics residency at UCLA in the Community Health and Advocacy Training (CHAT) Program and stayed on as chief resident before entering the Clinical Scholars Program. Her research interests include investigating the relationship between academic achievement and health outcomes and adolescent substance use prevention.

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Elise Lawson, M.D.
University of California, Los Angeles

Elise Lawson, M.D. (VA Scholar) is a general surgeon who received her undergraduate degree from Harvey Mudd College and her medical degree from Stanford University. She has completed 2 years of general surgery residency at UCLA and will finish her training after completion of the Clinical Scholars Program. Dr. Lawson’s research interests include methods of surgical quality measurement, use of quality improvement methodologies (six sigma, lean, etc) in a surgical setting, and improving shared decision making between surgeons and patients through the use of appropriateness criteria and risk calculators. After residency, Dr. Lawson plans to pursue fellowship training in colorectal surgery.

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Lenard Lesser, M.D.
University of California, Los Angeles

Lenard Lesser, M.D. completed his family medicine residency at Tufts University Family Medicine Residency at Cambridge Health Alliance, where he was chief resident.   He graduated from Cornell University with a degree in nutritional sciences and then continued to medical school at the University of Rochester.  He is an alumnus of the Pisacano Leadership Scholars Program, which recognizes future leaders in family medicine.  He currently works on nutrition advocacy for the National Physicians Alliance.  His research interest is in policy solutions to obesity and poor nutrition, with a particular focus on how marketing influences how much people eat.  In his spare time he enjoys racing is bicycle. 

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Demetria Malloy, M.D.
University of California, Los Angeles

Demetria Malloy, M.D. (VA Scholar) completed her undergraduate studies at Stanford University in human biology in 2000 and her medical school education at Tufts University School of Medicine in 2005. She went on to complete a residency in internal medicine at the Cedars Sinai/UCLA-VA combined internal medicine residency program and then served as chief resident over that program for the 2008-09 year.  She is interested and currently pursuing research in health disparities, provider-patient communication, and medical adherence issues.  Other interests include philanthropy/charity, traveling and sports.

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Raymond Perry, M.D.
University of California, Los Angeles

Raymond Perry, M.D.is a pediatrician who received his undergraduate degree in physiology and neurobiology from University of Maryland- College Park and his medical degree from Emory University.  He completed his residency in pediatrics at the University of Chicago.  His primary research interests are in adolescent health, as well as in the use of new media resources—particularly text messaging-- for health awareness.  His fellowship work has involved collaboration with public health organizations and high schools to evaluate preventive sexual health interventions for teens.  He is also interested in studying health disparities and barriers to health services utilization, particularly among minority adolescent males and young men.

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