Miesha Farahmand, MD

Hometown: San Jose, CA

Why I chose Stanford PM&R: I am so grateful to be part of a program that is at the cutting edge of research and provides excellent patient care. I am also excited to come back to the Bay Area and serve the community that raised me.

Undergraduate Education: UC Berkeley (Go Bears!)

Medical School: UC Davis

Internship: Highland Hospital

Professional Interests: Spinal cord injury and sports medicine

Personal Interests: I love to swim, hike, play music, and do ceramics (when the studios are open)

Roxana Garcia, MD, MPH

Hometown: Granada Hills, CA

Why I chose Stanford PM&R: I chose Stanford PM&R because of the wonderful community I found at Stanford and in the Bay Area in general. The faculty I met were enthusiastic and supportive, and the resident classes were cohesive, welcoming and very friendly. I also liked the unique tech-medicine collaboration opportunities and the wide breadth of resources available.

Undergraduate Education: Pomona College

Medical School: UCSF with UC Berkeley MPH. Participated in the Program in Medical Education for the Urban Underserved, a five-year MD/MPH track for those interested in health equity

Internship: St. Mary's San Francisco

Professional Interests: Interventions for chronic pain in underserved communities, traumatic brain injury and disability throughout the lifespan, integrative medicine. Advocacy in PM&R and raising awareness of physiatry within the broader general and medical community

Personal Interests: visiting all the National Parks in the U.S.; backpacking and hiking as much as possible, acquiring a pug

Fun Facts: I was in People magazine (technically, just because I have been unsuspectedly in the background of celebrity sightings. Probably comes with the territory of growing up in LA)

Cyrus Ghaffari, MD

Hometown: Davis, CA

Why I chose Stanford PM&R: Incredibly warm and welcoming environment, diverse clinical training, Bay Area location, and the lively resident culture.

Undergraduate Education: UC Davis

Medical School: Drexel University College of Medicine

Internship: California Pacific Medical Center

Professional Interests: Interventional Spine, Sports Medicine

Personal Interests: Playing soccer, surfing, snowboarding, and fantasy football

Fun Facts: I played on a semi-professional soccer team during medical school and worked at a ski resort during my gap year

Yue Meng, MD

Hometown: Shenzhen, China

Why I chose Stanford PM&R: Well-rounded training, happy and down-to-earth residents, diverse patient population, welcoming vide, Bay Area location. I also did an away rotation as a medical student and loved it!

Undergraduate Education: Harvard College

Medical School: Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell

Internship: Highland Hospital

Professional Interests: Neurorehabilitation, EMG, alternative medicine

Personal Interests: Hiking, martial arts, traveling, working out, arts and crafts, languages

Fun Facts: I worked as a part-time lab zookeeper during college taking care of spiders, crickets, scorpions, and other bugs!

Derek Schirmer, DO

Hometown: Kansas City, MO

Why I chose Stanford PM&R: I chose Stanford for the unique combination of well-rounded clinical experience, resident and faculty camaraderie and emphasis on personalized residency training. On my interview day, I met faculty and residents who were not only exceptionally talented and accomplished, but genuinely kind people who made me feel at home.

Undergraduate Education: Truman State University

Medical School: Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences

Internship: University of Missouri Kansas City

Professional Interests: MSK, Orthobiologics, Neurorehab, Longevity, Sports, Interventional Spine

Personal Interests: Tennis, Woodworking, Mountain biking, Hiking, climbing

Fun Facts: I worked on a sheep farm in New Zealand

Stephen Szeto, MD

Hometown: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

Why I chose Stanford PM&R: My interest in combining medical innovation with a career in PM&R led me to Stanford University as it allows me to stay connected with the technology community in the Bay area!

Undergraduate Education: Mathematics and Biology at the University of Toronto

Medical School: University of Toronto

Internship: University of Toronto

Professional Interests: Medical innovation, MSK, Intervention, Sports

Personal Interests: Basketball and Romi, my Shiba Inu

Fun Facts: For my medical school graduation day, I had an ECG shaved into the side of my hair!

Savannah Truehart, MD

Hometown: Springfield, LA

Why I chose Stanford PM&R: World-class education, endless opportunities to develop my individual passions and interests, mentorship, varied training sites, welcoming faculty and residents, and of course, the Bay Area!

Undergraduate Education: Southeastern Louisiana University

Medical School: Louisiana State University in New Orleans

Internship: Kaweah Delta in Visalia, Ca

Professional Interests: Sports medicine, regenerative medicine, neuro rehab, lifestyle medicine

Personal Interests: Weightlifting, indoor cycling, food, meditation, exploring California with my husband and our Golden Retriever

Fun Facts: In high school I was president of my school’s chapter of Future Farmers of America, and my team won first place in the state in Dairy Cattle Judging!