Maija B. Sanna, MD
- Internal Medicine|
- Geriatric Medicine
About
Dr. Maija Sanna is a primary care physician and geriatrician who practices in Torrance. Her guiding principle is to treat the whole patient. She understands that her patients’ culture, belief system and family can affect their attitudes and preferences for care, and always keeps this in mind when developing individualized plans to address each patient’s unique health needs. She believes that when patients and doctors work together, they can come up with safe and healthy options that respect the patients’ independence and personal goals.
Dr. Sanna grew up in the Midwest and California and attended medical school at New York Medical College. She then completed both her internal medicine residency training and her fellowship in geriatrics at UCLA.
After completing her training in 2010, Dr. Sanna joined the UCLA Santa Monica primary care teaching practice, where she helped to train the next generation of primary care doctors. In addition to her primary care work, she was also part of the UCLA geriatric clinic practice, with both outpatient and hospital care responsibilities. In August 2019, she moved to South Bay, where she has been providing primary care and geriatrics services ever since.
When she’s not working, Dr. Sanna enjoys participating in various outdoor activities with her husband and three children, including hiking, going to the beach and gardening.
Languages
Education
Medical Board Certifications
Fellowship
Residency
Internship
Degree
Recognitions
- Super Doctors® Southern California Rising Stars 2019
Locations
Palos Verdes Primary & Specialty Care
Torrance Lomita Primary & Specialty Care
Areas of Focus
Research
Publications
- Sanna MB, Reuben DB. Transforming chronic care for older adults: guided care and the elusive triple aim. J Gen Intern Med. 2013 May;28(5):603-4. doi: 10.1007/s11606-013-2358-8. PubMed PMID: 23377845; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3631065.
- Tarbell KV, Lee M, Ranheim E, Chao CC, Sanna M, Kim SK, Dickie P, Teyton L, Davis M, McDevitt H. 2002. CD4(+) T cells from glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD)65-specific T cell receptor transgenic mice are not diabetogenic and can delay diabetes transfer. J Exp Med. Aug 19;196(4):481-92
- Sanna M*, Pedotti R*, Tsai M, DeVoss JJ, Steinman L, McDevitt H, Galli SJ. 2003. Severe anaphylactic reactions to glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) self peptides in NOD mice that spontaneously develop autoimmune type 1 diabetes mellitus. BMC Immunol. Feb 22; 4(1):2 * authors contributed equally to this work.
- Kim SK, Tarbell KV, Sanna M, Vadeboncoeur M, Warganich T, Lee M, Davis M, McDevitt HO. Prevention of Type I Diabetes Transfer by GAD65 peptide 206-220-Specific T cells. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2004 Sep 28;101(39):14204-9
In the News
- Take Control of Your Healthcare in 2014 (Santa Monica Mirror)
- Maintaining Independence In Your Golden Years (Santa Monica Mirror)
Insurance
- Aetna
- Anthem Blue Cross
- Blue Shield of California
- Centivo
- Cigna
- First Health
- Health Net of California
- Interplan (part of HealthSmart)
- Medicare Advantage
- MultiPlan
- UFCM Health System
- Prime Health Services
- Private Healthcare Systems (PHCS)
- TRICARE
- UnitedHealthcare
The list of healthcare plans above may not be comprehensive and could change.
Please contact your benefits coordinator or health insurance company directly to verify coverage.
Visit our health insurance information page for more details.
Recognitions
- Super Doctors® Southern California Rising Stars 2019