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Program Overview

Welcome to the UCLA-Olive View Internal Medicine Residency Program.

We, the UCLA-Olive View Internal Medicine Residency Program, train compassionate, clinically outstanding physicians while providing high quality care to the underserved.

The Residency Program provides training for 78 residents and interns in Internal Medicine, including:

  • 64 housestaff across the 3-year categorical track
  • 14 housestaff in the 1-year preliminary medicine track

The Program achieves its mission by building a strong foundation in Internal Medicine through clinical care at Olive View-UCLA Medical Center and the UCLA Health System.  This provides ample clinical training in both a safety net county hospital and university health system.  Medical education is enriched through clinical didactics, case conferences, and professional development, all of which can be accessed through this website.  UCLA-appointed faculty guide and supervise the curriculum.

Program Curriculum

In order to train outstanding physicians, the program sets forth the following general goals and objectives for housestaff during their clinical rotations.  They encompass the six domains of competency and complement additional knowledge- and skill-based objectives for each rotation.

We believe in nurturing an environment that supports learning and patient care while allowing residents to grow.  In order to maintain a safe and supportive environment, the program follows the following policies and procedures.

Program Committees

The following committees meet regularly to guide the residency program and trainees in the program.

  • Program Evaluation Committee (PEC)
  • Clinical Competency Committee (CCC): more information
  • Curriculum Committee
  • Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Antiracism Committee

Residents are represented in PEC by elected peers from each level of training.  For more information about resident participation, contact the program directors.

Program Leadership

Laxmi Suthar, M.D.
Program Director

Gezman Abdullahi, M.D.
Associate Program Director

Ashley Suraweera, M.D.
Associate Program Director

Kenneth Pettersen, M.D.
Associate Program Director

Angela Ai, M.D.
Chief Resident 2024-2025

Kevin Kurator, M.D.
Chief Resident 2024-2025

David Phan, M.D.
Chief Resident 2024-2025

Joanna Turkiewicz, M.D.
Chief Resident 2024-2025

Gustavo Chavez
Residency Program Coordinator

Ehab Salib
Assistant Program Coordinator

Core Faculty

Vincent Chan, M.D.
Pulmonary & Critical Care

Siamak Basiratmand, M.D.
Mid-Valley Primary Care

Elizabeth Canales, M.D.
Olive View Primary Care

Jeison Recinos, M.D.
Hospital Medicine

Matthew McCullough, M.D.
Hospital Medicine

Arash Nafisi, M.D.
Olive View Primary Care

Junya Kayano, M.D.
Hospital Medicine

Richard Tennant, M.D.
Olive View Primary Care

Lakshmi Sadasivam, MD
Hospital Medicine

Education Coordinators

Gezman Abdullahi, M.D.
Outpatient General Medicine Education Coordinator

Matthew McCullough, M.D.
Inpatient General Medicine Education Coordinator

Oleg Melamed, M.D.
Urgent Care Education Coordinator

Joseph Hanna, M.D.
Cardiology Education Coordinator

Nasser Mikhail, M.D.
Endocrinology Education Coordinator

Thomas Kovacs, M.D.
Gastroenterology Education Coordinator

Casey Yamashita, M.D.
Geriatrics Education Coordinator

Phillis Wu, M.D.
Hematology-Oncology Education Coordinator

Arthur Jeng, M.D.
Infectious Disease Education Coordinator

Golriz Jafari, M.D.
Nephrology Education Coordinator

Vincent Chan, M.D.
Pulmonary/Critical Care Education Coordinator

Suncica Volkov, M.D.
Rheumatology Education Coordinator

Medical Student Clerkship Directors

Jeison Recinos, M.D.
MS2 Inpatient Medicine Clerkship Co-director

Matthew McCullough, M.D.
MS2 Inpatient Medicine Clerkship Co-director

Richard Tennant, MD, FACP
MS2 Outpatient Clerkship Director

Junya Kayano, M.D.
MS4 Medicine Subinternship Director

OVM Campus Map

Policies & Procedures

Review the Housestaff Manual and program policies, including procedure requirements, professionalism, time off, and fatigue mitigation.

Evaluations & Feedback

Evaluations should be completed through MedHub.  Housestaff review evaluations biannually with the Clinical Competency Committee (CCC)

Forms

Forms for housestaff, including elective approval, mini-CEX, and travel reimbursement.

Benefits & Resources

Review information about benefits, including meals, parking, call rooms, and health benefits and resources

Wellness & Resilience

Find resources for mental and behavioral health

ACGME

Review the ACGME and RRC guidelines for Internal Medicine

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