Diversity & Inclusion

Our Commitment

Our residency program is committed to informing, recruiting, and supporting prospective candidates who identify as underrepresented in medicine based on factors such as race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, and more. We are committed to creating a culture of openness, acceptance, and celebration of our collective differences and experiences.  

Our goal is to recruit and train a diverse group of future leaders committed to eliminating health disparities as clinicians, researchers, advocates, and educators. Below highlights some areas of focus:

  • Recruitment:
    • Attendance at minority medical association conferences (ex, SNMA, LMSA)
    • Host the SCORE Program, which is a funded clerkship for UIM 4th year medical students applying into pediatrics: Learn more
    • We use a holistic review of applicant files and do not have specific board score cut-offs for consideration. In addition, all intern selection committee members receive training on DEI and mitigating unconscious bias in recruitment. We use several measures to mitigate bias and promote inclusion in our recruitment efforts including suppression of photos, structured interview questions, and more.

 

  • Education:
    • Anti-racism curricular thread: learn more
    • Health Equity Advanced through Learning (HEAL) Trainings, Health Equity Rounds, and more: learn more

 

  • Health Equity:
    • Office of Child Health Equity (areas of focus: community engagement, policy participation, equity analytics, and education)
    • Residency Advocacy Council
    • Opportunities for health equity research through scholarly concentrations

Mission: Educate and empower the next generation of medical leaders to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The LEAD Program, founded in the Department of Pediatrics in 2017, is a 10-month longitudinal leadership program for residents and fellows across GME to develop leadership and scholarship skills in addressing issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), to produce leaders in academic medicine dedicated to DEI, and to improve the culture of medicine.

The +OUTlist is a resource supporting Stanford Medicine LGBTQ+ individuals in community-building, mentorship, and visibility.

Kamaal A. Jones, MD

Maya Ragavan, MD, MPH, MS

Image from UPMC

Contact

Michelle Brooks (Residency Coordinator)

E-mail: pedsres@stanfordchildrens.org
Mail: 725 Welch Road, Palo Alto, CA  94304
Phone (650) 497-8979
Born: San Jose, CA
Work: Stanford since 2005
Interests: Intersectionality in medicine, LGBT curriculum development

DEI Representatives on Residency Council

Bethel Mieso, MD (PGY-3)

Born: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 
College: San Jose State University 
Medical School: Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine 
Interests: Community health, advocacy, mentorship, live music, road trips, minimalism 

Isabel Fernandez, MD, PhD (PGY-2)

Born: Lima, Peru
College: Emory University
Medical School: University of Colorado
Interests: music (from classical to latin), arts and culture, hiking and nature, science, immunology, URIM pipeline programs and improving access to care

Angela Nguyen, MD (PGY-1)

Born: Garden Grove, CA
College: Stanford University
Medical School: UC Davis 
Interests: access to care, mentorship programs for first-gen and URM, climbing, exploring new foods/boba, board games

 

Residents

Dakota Salazar, MD

Born: Upland, CA   
College: University of California, Riverside 
Medical School: University of Central Florida College of Medicine  
Interests: Neonatology, Medical Education, DEIJ Initiatives  Cooking, Softball/Baseball, Concerts/Live Music 
 

Lisa Umeh, MD

Born: Hayward, CA   
College: University of California, Riverside 
Medical School: Howard University College of Medicine  
Interests: Mentorship/pipeline programs, healthcare administration, afrobeat concerts, international traveling, coffee shops 

Diana Pena, MD  

Born: La Habra, CA

College: University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV)

Medical School: Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV

Interests: Access to care, community health, advocacy, mentorship, increasing URM in medicine, traveling, coffee, concerts

Sasha Alcon, MD

Born: Fremont, CA
College: Dartmouth
Medical School: Hofstra/Northwell School of Medicine
Interests: My dog, swimming, hiking, baking, eating, drawing, and all things Disney

Natasha Abadilla, MD

Born: Kekaha, Kauai, Hawaii
College: Stanford University
Medical School: Stanford School of Medicine
Interests: Anything involving the ocean, cooking fancy budget meals, performing stand-up comedy, creative writing, taking my dog Reeses on adventures, binge watching rom coms & bad reality tv

Lauren Rivkin, MD

Born: Chicago, IL
College: Duke University
Medical School: University of Illinois College of Medicine - Rockford
Interests: Public health, travel, cooking, trivia, true crime podcasts

Adrian Chavez Delgado, MD, MAEd

Born: Los Angeles, CA   
College: University of California, Los Angeles 
Medical School: Stanford University  
Interests: Cooking and medical education 
 

Ria Pal, MD

Born: Newark, NJ. Grew up in San Luis Obispo, CA
College:
 University of Rochester
Medical School:
 University of Rochester
Interests:
Reading/writing, cooking/eating, street art from graffiti to murals, social justice

Lakshmeeramya Malladi, MD

Born: New Orleans, LA
College: Arizona State University
Medical School: University of Arizona - Tucson
Interests: Reading, cooking, arts & crafts

Brendan Wesp, MD

Born: St. Louis, Missouri
College: UNC-Chapel Hill
Medical School: Georgetown University School of Medicine
Interests: Traveling, eating, playing with my pupper, basketball, and cycling

Catherine Raney, MD

Born: Mill valley, CA
College: Claremont McKenna College
Medical School: Perelman School of Medicine at The University of Pennsylvania
Interests: Ultimate frisbee, cooking, salsa dancing, reading, snowboarding, writing

Maite Van Hentenryck, MD

Born: Providence, RI
College: Brown University
Medical School: Stanford University
Interests: Swimming, cycling, drawing, hiking, reading

Priscilla Mendoza, MD

Born: Lindsay, CA
College: University of New Mexico
Medical School: University of New Mexico
Interests: Hiking, camping, traveling, dancing salsa, karaoke!

Faculty

Carrie Rassbach, MD, MA

Program Director, Pediatrics Residency Program
Clinical Associate Professor, Pediatric Hospital Medicine
Born: Walnut Creek, CA
College: UC Berkeley
Medical School: Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
Interests: medical education, coaching autonomy, patient-centered care

Baraka Floyd, MD, Msc

Clinical Assistant Professor, General Pediatrics, Associate Chair of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Department of Pediatrics
Born: Indianapolis, Indiana
College: Pepperdine University
Medical School: Morehouse School of Medicine
Training: Stanford 
Interest: Social determinants of health, parenting, behavior, and mental health

Carmin Powell, MD 

Clinical Assistant Professor, Pediatric Hospital Medicine, Watsonville Community Hospital
Born:
Monterey, CA
College: Stanford University, Biomechanical Engineering
Medical School: Ohio State University
Training: Stanford
Interests: pediatric hospitalist medicine, innovation in medical education and actively involved with leading diversity programs.

Becky Blankenburg, MD, MPH

Clinical Professor, Hospital Medicine. Associate Chair of Education, Department of Pediatrics
Born: Sacramento, CA
College: Caltech
Medical School: University of Chicago
Training: University of California, San Francisco (Residency and Chief Residency), University of California, Berkeley (MPH)
Interests: Pediatric Hospital Medicine, Innovation in Medical Education, How learners learn in the clinical environment, Communication with patients and families

Lahia Yemane, MD

Clinical Associate Professor, General Pediatrics, Associate Program Director, Advising and DEI, Assistant Dean, Diversity in GME (Office of Diversity in Medical Education)
Born: 
Dallas, TX
College: University of Texas at Austin
Medical School:  University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center 
Training: Stanford
Interests: medical education, JEDI, primary care for underserved

Fernando Mendoza, MD/MPH

Professor Emeritus, General Pediatrics and Associate Dean of Minority Advising and Programs at Stanford Medical School
Born: San Jose, California
College: San Jose State University
Medical School: Stanford School of Medicine
Training: Stanford (Residency), Robert Wood Johnson/Stanford (Fellowship), Harvard (MPH)
Interests: Research in areas of health disparities, particularly involving Hispanic and immigrant children, diversity in the pediatric workforce, increasing URM faculty in medical schools.

Laura Bachrach, MD

Professor, Pediatric Endocrinology
Born: Boston, MA
College: Harvard
Medical School: Tufts Medical School
Training:
UCSF/Stanford (residency), Hospital for Sick Children and University of Toronto (fellowship)
Interests: Pediatric endocrinology, mentoring, resident wellness, and improving continuity of pediatric care in chronic disease. Facilitator of SCORE (URM visiting medical student program).

Recent Alumni

Susanna Jain, MD

Born: Sacramento, CA
College: UC San Diego
Medical School: Oakland University 
Interests: Specialty: General Pediatrics

Monique De Araujo, MD, MPH

Born: São Jose dos Campos, São Paulo, Brasil
College:
UNC- Chapel Hill
Medical school:
UNC-School of Medicine
Specialty:
 Pediatric Emergency Medicine

Salma Dali, MD

Born: Sudan, Africa
College: Yale
Medical School: Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine
Specialty: Hospital Medicine

Bradford Nguyen, MD

Born: Sacramento, CA
College: Stanford University
Medical School: UC San Diego School of Medicine
Specialty: Hospital Medicine

Vania Joyeux Singleterry, MD

Born: San Francisco, California
College: University of San Francisco
Medical School: Meharry Medical College
Specialty: Pediatric Emergency Medicine

Kamaal Jones, MD

Born: White Plains, NY
College: Cornell University 
Medical School: Loyola University Chicago
Specialty: General Pediatrics

Ashley Landsman, MD

Born: San Antonio, Texas
College:
 Texas A&M University
Medical School
: Texas A&M University
Specialty: General pediatrics

Luisa Fernanda Valenzuela Riveros, MD 

Born: Bogotá, Colombia
College: Merced College, UC Davis
Medical School: UC Davis
Speciality: Endocrinology

Hannah Valino, MD, MPH

Born: Manila, Philippines
College: UCLA
Medical School: UC Davis
Specialty: General Pediatrics

Myrna Mungal, MD 

Born: Born in Bay Area, hometown Cupertino
College: Santa Clara University
Medical School: UCSF
Specialty: General pediatrics

Jayme Congdon, MD, MS

Born: Phoenix, AZ
College: Arizona State University
Medical School: UC Berkeley – UCSF Joint Medical Program
Specialty: Academic General Pediatrics  

Ezinne Emeruwa, MD

Born: Riverside, CA
College: Princeton University
Medical School: Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
Specialty: Cardiology

Alejandro Borquez, MD

Born: Tijuana, Baja California
College: Dartmouth
Medical School: UC Davis
Specialty: Cardiology

 Amanda G. Sandoval Karamian, MD

Born: South Pasadena, CA 
College: Yale University 
Medical School: University of Southern California 
Specialty: Neurology

Alejandra Barrero-Castillero, MD, MPH

Born: Mexico City, Mexico
Medical School: Anahuac University School of Medicine, Mexico
Graduate School: Boston University, MPH in International Health and Biostatistics
Specialty: Neonatology

Alexis Toney, MD 

Born: Walnut Creek, CA
College: UC San Diego
Medical School: UC San Francisco
Specialty: Hospitalist

Autumn Ivy, MD, PhD

Born: Los Angeles, CA
College: California State University, Los Angeles
Medical School: University of California, Irvine
Specialty: Neurology

Chinyelu Nwobu, MD/MPH 

Born: Houston, TX      
College: Florida State University
Graduate School: Tulane University School of Public Health
Medical School:  University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center 
Specialty: Hospitalist

Jessica Marie Valdez, MD

Born: Washington, DC
College: University of New Mexico
Medical School: University of New Mexico
Specialty: Hematology & Oncology

Deborah Holland, MD

Born: Wichita, KS 
College:
 Notre Dame
Medical School:
University of Kansas 
Specialty: Hospitalist

Catharyn Turner, MD

Born: Colorado Springs, CO/ Washington D.C. 
College:
 Bryn Mawr College
Medical School:  University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine 
Specialty:
Child & Adolescent Psychiatry

Claudia Algaze, MD 

Born: Santiago, Chile. Grew up in Puerto Rico.
College: 
 UCLA 
Medical School:
 Universidad Central del Caribe School of Medicine in Puerto Rico 
Specialty:
Cardiology

Clarice Nguyen, MD 

Born: Orange County, CA
College: Stanford University
Medical School: UCSF
Specialty: Pediatric Anesthesia

Nancy Rivera, MD, MS

Born: Modesto, CA
College:
UC Davis
Medical School: UC Davis
Specialty: Hospital Medicine

Alexander Ball, MD MPH

Born: Reading, UK
College: 
UC Irvine
Medical School: 
Stanford School of Medicine
Specialty:
General Pediatrics

July Lee, MD

Born: Mexicali, Baja California (Mexico)
College: Stanford University
Medical School: UCSD
Specialty: Emergency Medicine

Alyssa Honda, MD 

Born: Honolulu, HI
College:
 Santa Clara University
Medical School: 
University of Hawaii
Specialty: General pediatrics

Mabel Peinado Fabregat, MD

Born: Mexico City 
College: Universidad Anahuac
Medical School: Universidad Anahuac
Specialty: Academic General Pediatrics

Helen Pu, MD 

Born: Flushing, NY
College: Bowdoin College
Medical School: Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell
Specialty: General Pediatrics

Antonio Jose Escobar, MD 

Born: Boyle Heights, CA 
College: University of Southern California 
Medical School: Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California
Specialty: Cardiology

Chisom Agbim, MD

Born: Denver, CO
College: University of Denver
Medical School: University of Colorado School of Medicine
Specialty: Emergency Medicine

Maria Castellanos, MD 

Born: Ocotal, Nicaragua
College: University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Medical School: Howard University
Specialty: Hematology-Oncology

Dennis Spencer, MD, PhD

Born: Baltimore, MD
College: Morehouse College
Medical School: Cornell University (MD/PhD)
Specialty: Gastroenterology

Melissa Martin, MD 

Born: Los Angeles, CA
College: Stanford
Medical School: UC San Francisco
Specialty: Gastroenterology

Anjali Deshmukh, MD, JD

Born: Ann Arbor, Michigan
College: Dartmouth
Medical School: Vanderbilt
Specialty: General Pediatrics

Kaitlyn Le, MD 

Born: Vietnam
College: University of Utah
Medical School: UCLA
Specialty: Hospitalist

Rachel Goldstein, MD 

Born: New York, NY (grew up in Brooklyn)
College: Muhlenberg college (yay small liberal arts)
Medical School: University of California San Francisco
Specialty: Adolescent Medicine

Jenna Nolan, MD

Born: San Diego, CA
College: University of California, San Diego
Medical School: Harvard Medical School
Specialty: General Outpatient Pediatrics

Abi Pitts, MD

Born: Washington State. Raised in Los Angeles, CA            
College: Stanford University 
Medical School:  UCSF School of Medicine
Specialty:
General Outpatient Pediatrics

Marissa Aillaud, MD

Born: Mexico City, Mexico 
College:
 San Diego State University
Medical School:
Stanford University 
Specialty: General Outpatient Pediatrics

Elizabeth Mannino Avila, MD

Born: San Diego, CA 
College:
 Davidson College
Medical School:
  Duke University School of Medicine 
Speciality: Hospitalist

Mauricio Palau, MD 

Born: Palo Alto, CA 
College:
 Duke University
Medical School: Case Western Reserve Medical School 
Specialty: Neonatology

Sidharth Mahapatra, MD, PhD

Born: Bangkok, Thailand 
College: Knox College
Medical School:
  Rosalind Franklin Univeristy - MD/PhD
Specialty: Critical Care

Monica Eneriz-Wiemer, MD

Born: San Fernando Valley, Southern California
College: Stanford University
Medical School: Stanford, active member of Latino and Native American student organization
Specialty: Academic General Pediatrics