Residents
Class of 2021
Shirin Aghazadeh, D.O.
Shirin Aghazadeh, D.O. Shirin was born and raised in upstate New York.
She went to undergrad at University at Buffalo and medical school at Touro
University Nevada. In her free time, she enjoys being with family and
friends, traveling, singing, and hiking.
Jamshid Akhavan, M.D.
Jamshid was born and raised in McKinney, Tex. He then went on to study
molecular biology at the University of Texas at Dallas, followed by medical
school at the University of Texas Medical Branch. In his free time he
enjoys hiking, cooking, movies and bird watching.
Isabel Bedoyan, M.D.
Isabel was born and raised in Glendale. She studied Physiology at the University
of California, Los Angeles, earned her Master’s degree in Kinesiology
at California State University, Northridge, and attended medical school
at St. George’s University on the beautiful island of Grenada. With
excitement, she returned home to Glendale for residency, where she is
completing her third year as Chief Resident. Outside of work, she loves
to spend time with her husband, 1-year-old daughter Olivia, and doggie
Tommy. Whether it’s playing (and mostly winning) at board games,
attending live sporting events, or watching competitive cooking shows
like Beat Bobby Flay, Isabel loves a good game of anything really, where
her competitive nature can run wild.
Karissa Chow, M.D.
Karissa was born in Connecticut, grew up initially in North Carolina, but
mostly in Orange County, California. She studied Biological Sciences at
the University of California, Irvine, and then attended medical school
at Wright State University BSOM in Ohio. She is now living out her residency
years happily in Southern California, where she is completing her last
year as Chief Resident. Her professional interests include women's health
and preventative medicine. During her spare time, she enjoys watching
Netflix, weightlifting, going to aquariums, and drinking smoothies.
Stephen Huynh, D.O.
Stephen is a third-year resident who was born and raised in the Bay Area.
He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, for undergrad
– Go Bears! He went to Touro University California for medical school
where he found his passion for preventative medicine. Pre-COVID, he spent
his spare time hiking, camping, traveling, and exploring Los Angeles.
Jhonatan Leal, M.D.
Jhonatan was born and raised in Mexico. He attended medical school at the
Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolas de Hidalgo Facultad de Ciencias
Medicas. In 2016, he moved to Los Angeles, where he is currently completing
his family medicine residency. In his free time, he likes to watch movies,
work out and spend time with family and friends.
Talin Meshefedjian, D.O.
Talin has spent all of her life in Southern California in order to stay
close to her family, which she values most. She went to Pepperdine University
for her undergraduate studies and graduated magna cum laude in Biology.
Between college and medical school, she worked as the head of management
at a Porsche design company, where she developed her passion for business,
law, and cars. One of her favorite responsibilities was to represent the
company in legal suits against large corporations; she never lost a single
case. During this time, she was accepted at Western University College
of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific in Pomona, Calif. She graduated
in 2018 and matched into her top-choice family medicine residency program
at Adventist Health Glendale. During her free time, she enjoys mastering
the fine line between humor and professionalism, actively avoiding exercise,
going to her favorite local restaurants to eat ad nauseam, and most of
all spending time with her family.
Narek Torosyan, D.O.
Narek was born and raised in Glendale. He attended the University of California,
Los Angeles, for his undergraduate degree in Ecology and Evolutionary
Biology. He attended the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine for medical
school and is now happy to be back in his hometown serving the community.
In his free time, Narek enjoys playing guitar and piano, listening to
and discovering new music, hanging out with his dog and cheering on the Lakers.
Class of 2022
Mane Aleksanyan, M.D.
Mane was born and raised in Armenia, went to the University of California,
Los Angeles, for undergrad, then worked as Polysomnographic technician
and clinical research coordinator before starting medical school at St.
George's University. She is enjoying every bit of the Adventist Health
Glendale residency program. Outside of work, she enjoys art, hiking, biking,
and most of all, she enjoys being a mom to two mischievous boys.
Natalie Boone, M.D.
Natalie was born in Dallas, spent her childhood in various places in the
United States, and ended up back in Dallas. She graduated from the University
of Texas at Austin, where she studied Biomedical Engineering and English.
She then attended medical school at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston,
where she also completed the Medical Ethics Pathway. Having checked various
Texas cities off her list, she ventured out to California with her two
cats for her family medicine residency. She enjoys traveling, exploring
new cities, reading, playing the piano, attending Orange Theory classes
(pandemic permitting), cross-stitching, and baking for her co-residents.
Brooke Harmssen, D.O.
Brooke completed her undergraduate education at the University of California,
Santa Cruz, as a game design major before coming to the realization that
she wanted to be a doctor and, therefore, did not need to know how to
code a calculator. After graduating with considerable debt, and a BS in
a major that no longer exists, she went on to work as a gaming specialist
at Best Buy, which she rather liked. In 2014, she was miraculously accepted
into medical school and began studying at Touro University California.
After graduating, she was accepted into a general surgery residency program
and trained for one year as a surgical resident before deciding that this
was a horrible mistake. In 2019, she serendipitously accepted a position
at Adventist Health Glendale's family medicine residency, which was a
great decision and she has been happy ever since.
Adanma Nwachuku, M.D.
Adanma came all the way from Los Angeles. She got her undergraduate degree
in Biochemistry from the University of California, Riverside. She then
decided to return to Riverside for medical school where she was highly
involved in the wellness department and Student National Medical Association.
When she finishes residency, she hopes to pursue an OB fellowship. In
her spare time she loves to watch Asian dramas, eat French fries, and
travel all over the world (if there’s a long weekend she’s gone)!
Daisha Ortega, M.D.
Daisha was born and raised in Los Angeles. She earned her undergraduate
degree in biological sciences from California State University, Fullerton.
Daisha worked as an EMT before attending medical school at Ohio State
University College of Medicine. After barely surviving Ohio’s winters,
Daisha is extremely happy to be back at home in sunny California. In her
free time, Daisha enjoys caring for her animals, listening to music, dancing
and going on adventures.
Anita Sahagian, D.O.
Anita was born and raised in Redlands, Calif. She earned her Bachelor's
degree from California State University, San Bernardino, while working
as a research assistant at the Loma Linda Veterans Affairs hospital, which
she loved. She inched her way west for medical school at Western University
of Health Sciences in Pomona, Calif., before settling in Glendale for
residency to stay close to family and friends. In her free time, she loves
attending rock concerts, taking too many pictures of her dog, and making
poor attempts at learning the ukulele.
Maria Teresa Sanchez, M.D.
Maria was born and raised in Pasadena, Calif. Maria went to Johns Hopkins
University for undergrad and The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public
Health for graduate school. Maria then moved to San Francisco to conduct
public health research, but soon realized she would rather focus on the
health of individuals than populations. Maria went to University of Illinois
at Chicago for medical school where she developed a strong interest in
family medicine. She matched at Adventist Health Glendale and now works
only minutes from her childhood home. Shortly after starting residency,
Maria gave birth to a sweet baby girl who fills her life with so much
love, happiness, and laughter!
Molly Wilkerson, M.D.
Molly grew up in the wonderful college town of Bloomington, Ind. She left
the humidity and snow of the Midwest to attend Pomona College in Claremont,
Calif., where she majored in Neuroscience and fell in love with living
in near-constant sunshine. She went straight from college to the Keck
School of Medicine of USC where she co-founded the Geriatrics Student
Interest Group. Pre-pandemic she enjoyed taking dance classes around Los
Angeles, going to the beach with friends and getting double digit hours
of sleep each night. Now she spends much of her free time on Etsy looking
at outfits for her future greyhound(s) and still gets an absurd amount of sleep.
Class of 2023
Jaehee Choe, D.O.
Jae was born in South Korea, but grew up in New York and Connecticut. When
he was 13 and just learning to talk to girls, his father thought it would
be a wonderful idea to move the family back to rural South Korea so Jae
could spend his teenage years in an all-boys school learning calculus.
(Love you dad!) He went to undergrad at Sogang University in Seoul where
he majored in political science and learned important life skills, such
as deflection and procrastination. After his parents talked him out of
becoming a professional martial artist, he moved to San Francisco and
worked as an accountant before being accepted at Arizona College of Osteopathic
Medicine. He loves being back in California, living close to Koreatown
and training alongside his fellow residents. In his free time, he enjoys
chilling with his dog, dabbling in Olympic weightlifting, and eating.
Sometimes, he does all three things at the same time.
(Alice) Xianzhang Geng, M.D.
Alice Geng was born in China and raised in Alhambra, California. She was
part of a high school choir that toured in Thailand and Indonesia, and
played violin out of parental expectations. She went to Westmont College
in Santa Barbara and developed a love of boogie boarding and social dancing
(swing, salsa, and bachata). She acted in college and directed a student
production of Himmelweg during a study-abroad program in Europe. Throughout
medical school at Loma Linda University, she volunteered at a summer camp
for Central Alaskan Yup’ik teens in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta as
a first aid provider and camp counselor. There, she became interested
in the field of adolescent medicine and changed her desired specialty
from ophthalmology to primary care. Her favorite shows are Archer and
Community, and she enjoys doing DIY home decor.
Aris Melkonian, M.D.
Aris Melkonian is a third-generation Iraqi-Armenian who was born and raised
in Iraq. He graduated from University of Baghdad College of Medicine and
practiced medicine in his home country for six years. In 2016, Aris immigrated
to the United States, where he immediately started working hard to complete
his U.S. medical licensing qualifications. His goal for residency was
to stay as close to the great community of Glendale as possible and, thankfully,
he was able to achieve that by matching at his top-choice program: Adventist
Health Glendale. Aris speaks fluent English, Armenian and Arabic. He enjoys
volunteering at the Glendale Free Clinic in his spare time. He also spends
his weekends exploring new restaurants and outdoor activities.
Andrew Nguyen, D.O.
Andrew was born and raised in San Jose, Calif. He completed his undergraduate
degree in biological sciences at the University of California, Irvine.
He then attended medical school at Touro University California in the
Bay Area. He is excited to be back in SoCal to experience the weather
and beaches (with social distancing of course). His hobbies include traveling,
hiking, weight lifting and playing badminton.
Naira Sargsyan, D.O.
Naira was born in Armenia and raised in Glendale. She attended the University
of California, Irvine for her undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences.
She then went on to pursue a Master’s degree and ultimately her
medical degree from the Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine where
she also founded the university’s first arts and humanities journal,
Thrive. Naira is happy to be back in Glendale, providing care for the
city that helped shape her. She is especially interested in women’s
health and pediatrics. She enjoys spending time with her family, binge-watching
shows, and being outdoors.
Laura Spanko, D.O.
Laura was born and raised in San Jose, Calif. She earned her undergraduate
degree in Biology at the University of Oregon where she also played club
lacrosse. She moved to New York City after college to perform virology
research at Mount Sinai before going to medical school at Touro College
of Osteopathic Medicine in Harlem. She is excited to be back in California
and to have the opportunity to provide medical care and resources to the
community of Glendale. Laura likes to spend her free time outdoors - hiking,
biking, playing tennis and relaxing on the beach.
(Sophia) Yifei Sun, D.O.
Sophia was born in Beijing and raised in Chino Hills, Calif. She completed
her undergrad at the University of California, San Diego, with a degree
in Physiology & Neuroscience and worked for a couple of years prior
to attending Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, Calif.,
for medical school. Her hobbies include: sleeping, eating good food (Korean
BBQ), taking her two golden retrievers out to hike or a playdate, and
driving to Mammoth Mountain for weekend snowboarding trips.
Victor Tin, D.O.
Victor is a first-year resident who was born and raised in the San Fernando
Valley. He went to the American Jewish University in Los Angeles for undergrad,
where he majored in Bioethics. He then attended the University of New
England College of Osteopathic Medicine in Maine, while spending his third
and fourth years in New Jersey. He decided he didn't want to be a popsicle
every winter, so he moved back west and is now happy to be part of the
Adventist Health Glendale Family Medicine Residency Program! His interests
include drawing, movies, listening to music, going to shows, working out,
outer space, social justice, playing with his dogs, and cheering on the
Los Angeles Lakers.