Leadership | Residency Program | Department of Medicine | University of California, Irvine | Residency Program | Department of Medicine | School of Medicine

Department of Medicine > Residency Program > Applicants > Leadership

Program Leadership | Chief Residents | Meet the Faculty

Program Leadership

		Afshan Baraghoush, MD PROGRAM DIRECTOR Welcome to UCI! I joined the residency leadership several years ago after completing residency training at Cedars Sinai and serving as a hospitalist at UCLA. Here at UC Irvine, you will usually find me running around the medicine wards. I also have the pleasure of organizing our resident rotations at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, a community based tertiary care center, where our residents get exposure to private practice world. My passions within medical education lie in medical simulations and point of care ultrasound. You can also find me heavily involved with SHM, ACP and SGIM. I look forward to working with you!
		Karen Schugt Fremen, DO ASSOCIATE PROGRAM DIRECTOR PROGRAM DIRECTOR, PRELIMINARY MEDICINE PROGRAM In my pre-medicine life, I was a Junior High School teacher. It was a job that I loved but it failed to challenge my intellectual side. As a former UCI resident, chief resident, faculty of UCI, and now Associate Program Director I have been able to fulfill all my passions. I love caring for patients daily, but even more I love teaching and mentoring the future of medicine. I pride myself on leading by example and physician wellness is a special passion of mine. I believe that you can't truly care for others wellbeing unless you first address your own. Being an Internal Medicine Physician is an amazing job that many strive for, yet few bring to fruition. I am honored to be part of the UCI Internal Medicine Residency Leadership and I look forward to changing the world of medicine for the better through you.
		Robert Kaplan, MD SENIOR ASSOCIATE PROGRAM DIRECTOR As I near the end of my second decade as an associate program director and third decade as a faculty member at UCI, I continue to be energized by being part of the “Aha!” moments of students and residents connecting something for the first time, by the shared everyday work of patient care, and most especially by the remarkable personal and professional development we see in our trainees over the three years of residency. Welcome!
		Samuel Lai, MD ASSOCIATE PROGRAM DIRECTOR As a resident, chief resident and now faculty member at UCI, it has been a wonderful pleasure learning from and teaching the residents in our program. The joy is in seeing each of them grow into independent, empathetic, and scholarly physicians. My hope for you is that you can sense our positive, encouraging, and collegial environment leading to this maturation. If you can sense that, then you have gotten the main drive of our program. Welcome to UCI and I can't wait to meet you!
		Bavani Nadeswaran, MD ASSOCIATE PROGRAM DIRECTOR, UCI AMBULATORY CLINICS As an Associate Program Director I find joy in knowing that I am helping to shape the next generation of physicians. As I strive to perfect my relationship with our residents, I am mindful of the awesome responsibility I have undertaken. I believe it is imperative to not only impart knowledge or relay facts, but to instill a love of learning and to develop critical, analytical thinking skills in our residents . I'm proud to be a part of the UCI IM Residency Program's commitment to producing lifelong learners.
		Susan Sandor, MD, PhD ASSOCIATE PROGRAM DIRECTOR, LONG BEACH V.A. AMBULATORY CLINICS Being a part of the professional and personal growth of our residents as an Associate Program Director has been the most exciting and fulfilling part of my professional life. Building relationships with young colleagues, helping to improve their skills to be independent physicians while guiding them on the path to becoming empathetic, caring, and successful professionals makes every single day of my work rewarding.
		Joseph Bao Vu, MD, ASSOCIATE PROGRAM DIRECTOR SITE DIRECTOR, LONG BEACH V.A. As a graduate of the residency program here, it is my honor and dream come true to continue working alongside our amazing faculty to guide future generations of young physicians through their residency. I hope to continue to foster the culture of camaraderie and education for you all that made my own residency experience so amazing. Come join me to learn not only the nuances of medicine, but how to approach and succeed in this new chapter in your life that, for many of you, will be your first official real experience working. I look forward to meeting you!
		Fady Youssef, MD ASSOCIATE PROGRAM DIRECTOR SITE DIRECTOR, LONG BEACH MEMORIAL I joined the program leadership in 2019 and it has been a great opportunity. As a former UCI undergraduate student, medical student, resident, fellow and staff physician I have enjoyed my training at UCI. My goal is that you have as good of an experience as I did. You will interact with me on your Long Beach Memorial rotations, our teaching community-based, tertiary care center. Looking forward to meeting you!
		Susan Altmayer PROGRAM COORDINATOR I can't help but smile every June as I watch our residents begin their next journey. I reflect back on the time I have spent with these physicians and what they have accomplished to get where they are today. It is a joy and privilege for me to be part of a team whose passion and aspiration is to discover, teach and heal.