Julie Thamby

Julie (she/her/hers) was born in the deserts of Oman, and at the age of 8, decided to try something new and moved to the deserts of Phoenix, Arizona with her family. Most of her extended family still lives in the humid tropics of Kerala, India, and to stay connected to that sense of home, she headed to Houston to attend Rice University for college. 

There, she studied Cognitive Science and experienced enough rain to last a lifetime. She then continued her journey eastward to Duke University for medical school, where she experienced all four seasons for the first time (who knew fall had so many colors?) and discovered the world of Med-Peds. She was especially inspired by her mentors who were dual-trained hospitalists and perfectly at ease with complex patients of any age. Midway through med school, she took a detour to pursue an MBA with a certificate in healthcare management as she was incredibly confused by the systems she had to navigate for herself and her patients. While she may have left with even more questions, she also found hope in her peers, who were just as committed to making those systems even a little bit better. 

Julie is particularly excited by how Med-Peds physicians can work across systems to improve care delivery in both pediatric and adult populations. In choosing a residency program, she was drawn to UCLA for its proximity to her family in Arizona, the diverse patient population it serves, and the genuine warmth of the people she met in the program. She’s also excited by the opportunity to train in a wide range of healthcare settings—from county to academic to VA—and, of course, about the incredible LA food scene. 

Julie is leaning toward a career as a dual hospitalist but is keeping an open mind and looks forward to discovering new interests during residency. Over the next few years, she hopes to get involved in quality improvement, the health systems and management pathway, and mentorship. 

She is slowly getting to know LA, and her current favorite activities include hiking the Culver City Stairs, being part of her church community, exploring new restaurants, and spending time with her intern class. To decompress, she will binge watch rom-coms and K-dramas as she finds great comfort in a predictable happy ending. She’s currently watching The Summer I Turned Pretty and Beyond the Bar.

Education and Degree(s)

Medical School – Duke University

Undergrad – Rice University, Houston, TX