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 4^th 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.

Inclusion:
- GME Diversity Committee host events and programming to promote community building and professional development
- Bias-reporting mechanism
- DEI representatives on residency council
- Statement on Residents with Disabilities

Leadership Development & Mentorship:
- Support our pediatric resident’s participation in various UIM career development programs, such as APPD Advancing Inclusiveness in Medical Education Scholars (AIMS) Program, APA New Century Scholars Program (NCS), and AMSPDC Frontiers in Science (FIS)
- Connect with opportunities to mentor diverse pre-health and medical students in our departmental and ODME pipeline programs
- Leadership Education in Advancing Diversity (LEAD) Program: learn more
  - Three LEAD groups have successfully published their workshops in MedEdPORTAL, an open-access journal of teaching and learning resources in the health professions (peer reviewed):
  - Do I Belong Here? Confronting Imposter Syndrome at an Individual, Peer, and Institutional Level in Health Professionals
  - Increasing Health Care Workers’ Proficiency with Using Professional Medical Interpretation: Workshop
  - Words Matter: An Antibias Workshop for Health Care Professionals to Reduce Stigmatizing Language

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.

Resources

There are many offices, programs, and resources across our department, School of Medicine, and University that you can utilize:

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}

Two Stanford Pediatrics Residency Alumni Selected for Inaugural AMA-SHLI Medical Justice in Advocacy Fellowship

Stanford pediatric resident Mehreen Iqbal: Her passion for healing

Read article

Exploring how physicians can handle discrimination by patients

Read article

Microaggressions in medical training: Understanding, and addressing, the problem

Read article

How to combat impostor syndrome: Lessons from the Diversity & Inclusion Forum

Read article

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

Susanna Jain, MD

Born: Sacramento, CA

College: UC San Diego

Medical School: Oakland University

Interests: access to care, school-based health, school-to-prison pipeline, community partnership, exploring San Francisco neighborhoods, completing the Amazon 100 Books to Read in A Lifetime list

Bethel Mieso, MD

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

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

Residents

Monique De Araujo, MD, MPH

Born: São Jose dos Campos, São Paulo, Brasil
College: UNC- Chapel Hill
Medical school: UNC-School of Medicine
Interests: Travelling, learning about different cultures, experimental cooking, trying new foods, advocacy, global health

Salma Dali, MD

Born: Sudan, Africa
College: Yale
Medical School: Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine
Interests: Cake decorating, running, plant propagating

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

Priscilla Mendoza, MD

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

Clarice Nguyen, MD

Born: Orange County, CA
College: Stanford University
Medical School: UCSF
Interests: Underrepresented in medicine, mentoring, medical education, pain and palliative care, cooking, live music

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

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

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

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

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