Family Med 25-26 group photo

Michael Baham blurb

Michael Baham, MD

Hometown: Camarillo, CA
Medical School: UC Irvine School of Medicine 
Pronoimces: she/her/hers

Hi all! My name is Michael Baham. I’m originally from Camarillo, CA, but I was raised throughout the Los Angeles area. I went to the University of San Francisco for undergrad where I majored in Kinesiology, and after, I completed a career-changer post-bacc program at UC Irvine. During my gap years, I worked as a before and after school teacher and as a clinical research associate with the UCLA BrainSPORT Program before completing medical school at UC Irvine.   

For me, medicine is all about community, and I was always inspired by the many family medicine physicians that centralized my family’s care and demystified the medical process for them. In medical school, I was a student in the UCI PRIME LEAD-ABC Program, where we focused on public service and advocacy within African, Black, and Caribbean. communities. I recognized that family medicine provides the unique opportunity to continue my passion for working within marginalized communities to address health inequities, while exploring my many medical interests, such as sports medicine and clinical research.   

I’m so excited and grateful to be joining the UCLA Family Medicine program! I was specifically drawn to its focus on academic and community medicine, its warm and supportive learning environment, and the opportunity to work directly with the diverse LA community.   

Outside of the hospital, I love all forms of physical activity – running, weightlifting, HIIT classes, you name it! I also love going to sports games (LA Lakers, Chargers, and Dodgers fan), trying new restaurants and cafes, and traveling with family and friends!   

Interests in FM: Underserved & Community Medicine, Advocacy, Sports Medicine, Nutrition & Lifestyle Medicine, Clinical Research, Mentorship 


Hanna Blankemeier blurb

Hanna Blankemeier, MD

Hometown: Oak Park, IL 
Medical School: Thomas Jefferson University 
Pronouns: she/her/hers   

Hi!! I'm Hanna, and I’m beyond excited to be joining the UCLA Family Medicine family! I grew up just outside of Chicago in Oak Park, Illinois - the youngest of 4 siblings – in a wonderfully chaotic and fiercely loving family that taught me how to hold my own in a group text. I studied sociocultural anthropology and pre-med at Yale University, where I also competed as a member of the swim team. A short road trip north took me to Philadelphia for medical school at Thomas Jefferson University, where I explored my passions for community health, advocacy, and the intersection of medicine and movement.         

My love for family medicine is rooted in its preservation of humanity and heart in a healthcare system that can be so unforgiving for many of our patients. I was lucky enough to grow up admiring my mother, a family medicine doctor herself and a tireless advocate for underserved communities. I saw from a young age how powerful it is to build long-term relationships with patients rooted in trust and empathy.  

As a medical student at Jefferson, I was an advocacy committee member for our student-run free clinic (JeffHOPE), worked with the Jefferson Athlete Health Organization JAHO) to reduce barriers for young people participating in sport, and led our chapter of FMIG to show students how dang cool family medicine can be! Being a former collegiate athlete myself and navigating 3 ACL surgeries following a cycling crash during my second year of medical school, I also developed a burgeoning passion for sports medicine, specifically for the care of female athletes and young people navigating pathologies that take root in energy deficient states. I joined the Female and Male Athlete Triad Coalition and engaged in research and advocacy related to improving care for the female athlete. I believe family medicine is uniquely positioned to address these challenges with the nuance and support they deserve!  

I chose UCLA for its deep commitment to health equity, robust sports medicine opportunities, and the incredible sense of warmth and purpose I felt from everyone I met here. I couldn’t imagine a better place to learn and grow.  

Outside of the hospital, you’ll find me running along the beach, exploring new cycling routes, trying new recipes with farmers market goodies, or chasing down the best coffee shops in town. 

Interests in FM: Sports medicine, integrative medicine, women’s health, community health, advocacy. 


Bret Chavarria blurb

Bret Chavarria, MD

Hometown: Bellflower, California 
Medical School: Saint Louis University SOM 
Pronouns: He/Him    

Hey Everyone! My name is Bret Chavarria, and I am excited to be training at UCLA’s Family Medicine residency. I am a Californian through and through, was raised in Bellflower before going down to the University of San Diego for college. After college, I did a post bac at Charles Drew University and worked in retail at a local Dicks Sporting Goods before shipping out to St. Louis for medical school.   

Growing up, I always knew I wanted to help people. I thought I might be a lawyer at first, but found Medicine as a possibility after I broke my leg playing baseball as a teenager. That opened the door, but I knew this was the path for me after losing a parent from a heart attack. It really started as a goal to try and help other families from having to go through the same thing we did at that time. That goal is still at the foundation of what I do, but has expanded a lot since finding family medicine.   

I knew that I wanted to come back home after medical school. I missed the sunshine, tan, and California burritos way too much. UCLA stood out amongst all the programs in So-Cal because they offered a good mix of the major academic setting where I could do research in Sports medicine and work with other residents. At the same time, they offer a community feel in some rotations where I can work with those who are underserved and may not trust the medical system as it exists. Not to mention, the faculty and residents on interview day were amazing and made me feel at home right away.   

Outside the hospital, I like to lay low. I love getting together with old high school friends for a movie, trivia night or video games. On Sundays, I will be posted on a couch watching football.   

Interests in FM: Sports Medicine, Preventive Medicine, Medical Education 


Miyu Fujita blurb

Miyu Fujita, MD

Hometown: Santa Monica, CA 
Medical School: Georgetown University School of Medicine 
Pronouns: she/her/hers   

Hi everyone! My name is Miyu Fujita (pronounced like "me & you"), and I’m incredibly excited to join the UCLA Family Medicine Residency. I was born in Japan and grew up in Santa Monica, where I first volunteered at the Venice Family Clinic as a high school student. Even then, I dreamed of one day returning to serve this community as a physician, so matching at UCLA truly feels like a full-circle moment. I completed my undergraduate degree at Georgetown University, where I majored in Human Science and minored in Theater and Performing Arts.   

After graduating, I moved to Japan, where I spent six years exploring different career paths—working in grief care for children affected by the 2011 tsunami, building wellness communities, managing co-working spaces, and teaching yoga. Supporting children through grief taught me how deeply trauma, environment, and social context shape health. I also learned the importance of listening without assumptions and creating space for safe, honest dialogue—especially when working with children navigating complex family dynamics and the societal stigma faced by families displaced by the Fukushima nuclear disaster. My work as a freelance yoga instructor reinforced the idea that mind and body are deeply interconnected, and that true wellness comes from addressing all aspects of a person’s health. These experiences strengthened my commitment to whole-person, community-rooted care and sparked my desire to pursue Psychiatry or Family Medicine.   

During medical school at Georgetown, I co-founded an integrative medicine interest group, led the psychiatry club, mentored fellow students, and volunteered at a student-run free clinic providing developmental screenings for children. I also participated in the Longitudinal Integrated Curriculum, a six-month continuity program that offered firsthand insight into the rhythms and relationships of primary care. These experiences, along with my passion for preventative and integrative medicine, building long-term patient relationships, and advocating for patients, solidified my commitment to Family Medicine. I’m drawn to the field for its breadth, its emphasis on whole-person care, and the compassionate, community-minded people it brings together.   

I chose UCLA to be close to family and for its unique blend of academic excellence and strong community focus. I’m excited to learn from incredible faculty, grow as a leader, and advocate for patients in a vibrant, diverse city. I’m especially drawn to opportunities within the East-West Medicine Department, where I can continue exploring integrative care while deepening my interests in behavioral health, women’s health, and caring for underserved communities. Outside of the clinic, I’m a longtime yoga instructor and love curating experiences through movement, music, and storytelling. You can often find me enjoying various forms of movement (yoga, lifting weights, dancing), DJing for friends, enjoying yummy eats, attempting surfing, or hiking/camping in nature. I’m so excited to grow and learn in this next chapter alongside my wonderful co-residents and explore all that the vibrant and beautiful Los Angeles community has to offer!   

Interests in FM: Integrative medicine, women’s health, community medicine, palliative care, global health, LGBTQ+ health 


Wesley Gong blurb

Wesley Gong, MD

Hometown: Fremont, CA 
Medical School: Keck School of Medicine of USC 
Pronouns: He/him  

Hey, my name is Wes. Now that we’re well acquainted, don’t be a stranger if we ever run into each other! I

 was born and raised in Fremont, California – a tech-predominant suburb in the Bay Area – by communities that were often fortunate enough to rarely need to think about access to resources or worry about being rejected by the systems built around them. These inequities in need of change, however, were only amplified when I arrived at USC to pursue my undergraduate degree. In my search of ways to tip the scales, I became very involved with pro-bono tutoring services for my peers and the surrounding community members within South Central LA. In medical school, I proudly co-founded a non-profit organization that provided pro-bono medical school admissions counseling to students who couldn’t afford traditional resources. As a volunteer at the Keck Human Rights Clinic at USC, I helped develop the Justice-Involved Case Review Project where we connected physicians with attorneys representing patients facing human right violations. 

My early career decisions were shaped by my commitment to equity and justice, but I was drawn to medicine because of the profession’s natural tendency towards advocacy. Ultimately, it was through my interactions with my fellow students and community members that drove my ever-growing love for the longevity and relationship building that makes me feel so at home in the field of Family Medicine. It is my humble opinion that to bear the responsibility of being a patients’ Family Physician is also what allows the incredible opportunity of also becoming their greatest advocate. I chose UCLA to train at a strong academic institution with a combined commitment to providing care to vulnerable communities as a way to honor the sanctity of my responsibility towards those communities and patients of my own. 

Outside of the hospital, I live an active lifestyle (my presumption is: we just met either on the court or at the gym and you’ve googled me). I’m also really big on music, though I’m told it’s the boring kind. 

Interests in FM: Reproductive Health & Reproductive Justice, Obstetrics, Carceral Health, Healthcare in Low-Resource Settings, LGBTQ+ Care, POCUS/Emergency Ultrasound 


Nicollette Mojica-Concklin blurbr

Nicolette Mojica-Concklin, MD

Hometown: Houston, Texas 
Medical School: UT Health San Antonio Long School of Medicine 
Pronouns: she/her   

Hey y’all, I’m Nicolette! I’m a born and raised Texan who escaped to the west coast for the better weather, better primary care training, and more inclusive environment. I grew up in Houston, Texas, and then spent 4 wonderful years at UT Austin where I received my bachelor’s in biology. After that, I went to UT Health San Antonio for medical school and my MPH.   

Since undergrad, I’ve worked on amplifying marginalized voices and making our health care system more equitable and value-based. From helping my neighbors in Austin enroll in ACA Marketplace insurance, to spending a summer in Washington, DC working in health policy, I’ve tackled these things at the smallest and largest scales. I’ve found that I’m happiest when I get to do one-on-one clinic work and community-based public health work in tandem.   

My passion for advocacy and health equity are also what brought me to family medicine. FM allows for continuity of care that is patient-centered. I’m able to form relationships with my patients that allow us to work together to address the genetic and the social determinants of their health. Family docs are also amazing advocates – probably because they know their patients’ needs so well! I chose UCLA because like me, the residents have a wide variety of interests and they are given support and resources to explore them. They are becoming the physicians and people that they envisioned themselves becoming. Residents are also a tight-knit group and seem truly well and happy, which allows them space to have fun learning and growing!   

Speaking of having fun, when I’m not working, you can find me in the dance or yoga studio, or outside hiking and taking in the beautiful scenery. I’m especially excited for all the national parks nearby! I also never miss a Longhorn football game. I’m a big sports fan so I’m happily adopting the Bruins as my west coast team!   

Interests in FM: public health and advocacy, sports medicine, community medicine, lifestyle medicine, integrative medicine   


Tira Oskoui blurb

Tira Oskoui, MD

Hometown: Bay Area, CA 
Medical School: UCLA 
Pronouns: she/her    

Hello! My name is Tira. I’m originally from the San Francisco Bay Area where I grew up in a close-knit, multicultural Iranian American family. My interest in medicine is rooted in my own family’s experience navigating my mother’s stage IV cancer when I was young. For college, I attended Tufts University, where I studied community health, volunteered at free clinics, worked at the city health department, and completed a thesis exploring questions related to end-of-life decision-making. After graduating, I lived in Washington, DC for a couple years where I worked as a clinical research coordinator in neonatal neurology. I loved my time on the East Coast but was thrilled to return to California to start medical school at UCLA.   

During medical school, I tutored anatomy, volunteered with the UCLA Mobile Clinic and the Los Angeles Human Rights Initiative, and explored my interest in narrative medicine. I was editor-in-chief of The BEAT Magazine of Arts and Literature and hosted the Gold Humanism Honor Society’s Night of Storytelling, with the purpose of creating outlets for self-expression and fostering connection among the healthcare community. I also led a research project exploring ways to increase access to and engagement in family-centered rounds for caregivers of pediatric patients, with ongoing initiatives in the hospital stemming from this work. The culmination of these experiences led me to Family Medicine, where I hope to build long-term, sustainable relationships with individuals, families, and communities, using my medical knowledge to prevent and treat illness and advocate for my patients.   

I am so happy to be staying at UCLA for residency. I chose UCLA FMRP first and foremost because of the brilliant, compassionate people and strong culture of support. I was also drawn by the unique blend of academic and community medicine, diversity of training sites, and opportunities in my areas of interest including palliative care and medical education.   Outside of medicine, I like to cook/eat, practice yoga, spend time with my partner and our cat, and explore all that LA has to offer (food, concerts, movies, flea markets, beach volleyball etc!).   

Interests in FM: palliative care, reproductive health, community medicine, medical education  


Lizette Silva blurb

Lizette Silva, MD

Hometown: Los Angeles, CA 
Medical School: California University of Science and Medicine (CUSM) 
Pronouns: she/her/hers     

Hi everyone, I’m Lizette! I’m originally from the San Fernando Valley. I received my bachelor’s degree in Cell and Molecular Biology at California State University, Northridge. During undergrad, I facilitated health workshops at local high schools through a non-profit organization called Peer Health Exchange, participated in research in the Takahashi Lab at CSUN, and volunteered as a Care Extender at UCLA Santa Monica (full circle moment)!   

After graduating, I moved to the Inland Empire and attended medical school at California University of Science and Medicine (CUSM). I continued to foster my passion for health education and community service by constructing health modules and teaching elementary and middle school students. During my first summer in medical school, I had the opportunity to do a 6-week internship with the NMF’s Primary Care Leadership Program in Houston, TX. After seeing its scope of practice and the relationships built between physicians and their patients, it was during this time where I decided to pursue Family Medicine.   

I chose UCLA for its supportive environment, its unique blend of community and academic medicine, and its opportunity to work in various healthcare settings. I believe that UCLA’s diverse experiences will equip me to become a well-rounded family physician. Lastly, I also chose UCLA due to its proximity to my friends and family! On my free time I like to work out, do outdoorsy activities (hike, go to the beach, etc), read, cook and crotchet! I also like to explore different cities and try new food spots!   

Interests in FM: Adolescent medicine, women and reproductive health, community medicine, community engagement, advocacy. 


Anna Stephan blurb

Anna Stephan, MD

Hometown: Glen Ellyn, IL 
Medical School: Georgetown University School of Medicine 
Pronouns: she/her/hers   

Hi all! My name is Anna and I am so grateful to be a Family Medicine resident at UCLA! I was born and raised in a western suburb of Chicago by my amazing parents and three older siblings. I went to Boston College for undergrad where I double majored in Theology and Psychology and was involved in an A Cappella group, mentorship and service clubs, and worked as an EMT. After college, I served with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in Washington, D.C. where I worked at a hospice and respite home for people experiencing homelessness and living with HIV. I was thankful to be able to stay in D.C. for medical school and maintain a relationship with this community. At Georgetown I was in the Health Justice Scholar Track, volunteered at the free clinic, held mentorship roles, sang at church, and started an interfaith club rooted in the Jesuit values of Georgetown.  

I have always felt called to pursue medicine because I was drawn to the deep, trusting relationships you build with patients, often at their most vulnerable moments. I admire the responsibility of a physician to accompany, advocate, empower, and show genuine concern and care for others. I chose Family Medicine after reflecting on three questions that a famous Theology professor at Boston College would pose for making decisions: “What are you good at?”, “What brings you joy”, “What does the world need you to be?”. Family medicine aligns best with who I am and what I value, and I love its genuine focus on the patient, their unique context, and the community. I was drawn to the emphasis on health justice and equity, the breadth and depth of clinical knowledge, the longitudinal relationships, the flexibility to explore diverse interests, and the passionate, authentic people in the field. I chose UCLA because of how down to earth, intelligent, and dedicated the people were to their patients and the work that they do. I loved UCLA’s balance between academic and community medicine, exposure to diverse patient populations and clinical sites, focus on underserved care, and commitment to training leaders and educators.   

Outside of medicine I love being active outside (walking, running, hiking), gratitude journaling, singing, playing piano/ukulele, Facetiming my 3 nephews, and being with the people that I love!   

Interests in FM: Community medicine, HIV medicine, Street medicine, Palliative care, the intersection of spirituality and illness, Preventive medicine, Academic medicine.