Meet Our Residents

Our residents are essential to the UCSF Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, bringing diverse backgrounds and a strong commitment to patient care. As they progress through their five-year residency, they become integral members of our clinical and research teams, contributing to innovative studies and participating in complex surgical procedures. Their dedication not only enhances the department's capabilities but also prepares them to be future leaders in the field of otolaryngology. We are proud to support their development as they shape the future of head and neck surgery.

Residents by Class Year

PGY-5 Residents

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Jacquelyn K Callander, MD 

Hometown: Toms River, New Jersey

Undergrad: University of Pennsylvania

Medical School: University of California San Francisco

Outside Interests: Running, skiing, hiking & backpacking, podcast-listening, exploring SF's dog-friendly restaurants and breweries

Research Interests: Markers of type 2 inflammation in chronic rhinosinusitis, surgical outcomes, sinonasal tumors, olfactory dysfunction, laryngeal sensation in obstructive sleep apnea

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Shayan Fakurnejad, MD

Hometown: Moraga, CA

Undergrad: University of California, Berkeley

Medical School: Stanford University School of Medicine

Outside Interests: Music, cooking, soccer, Bay Area sports

Research Interests: Reconstructive surgery, surgical outcomes of microvascular reconstruction, gender-affirming facial surgery

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Danielle Gillard, MD, MAS

Hometown: San Diego, CA

Undergrad: Tufts University

Medical School: University of California San Diego

Outside Interests: Yoga, hiking, dogs, dancing, trivia 
Research Interests: Cost-effectiveness research, genetics of hearing loss

 

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Michael Lindeborg, MD

Hometown: San Clemente, CA

Undergrad: Harvard University

Medical School: Harvard Medical School

Outside Interests: Traveling, snowboarding, batch cooking, and following famous YouTube chefs. 
Research interests: global health, health disparities, craniofacial, oncology

 

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Spenser S. Souza, MD

Hometown: Castaic, CA

Undergrad: Cornell University

Medical School: Tulane University School of Medicine

Outside Interests: Snowboarding, Hiking, Golfing, Mindfulness and Mindful Meditation, Surfing, Reading, Cooking, and all Gustatory Pursuits

Research Interests: Racial and Socioeconomic Disparities in Healthcare, Surgical Outcomes Research, Head and Neck Oncology, Role of the Oral Cavity Microbiome in Head and Neck Oncology

PGY-4 Residents

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Alyssa Civantos, MD

Hometown: Miami, FL

Undergrad: University of Pennsylvania

Medical School: Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

Outside Interests: travel, yoga, movies/tv, baking and eating dessert, spending time with family and friends 

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Edgar Ochoa, MD

Hometown: Michoacán, Mexico / Sacramento, CA

Undergrad: University of California, Davis

Medical School: University of California, San Francisco

Outside Interests: Live music, listening to podcasts, traveling, documentaries, spending time with friends and family 

Research Interests: Head and neck oncology and reconstruction, health services research, quality of life outcomes

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Evan Patel, MD

Hometown: Longmeadow, MA

Undergrad: Yale University

Medical School: Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Outside Interests: Snowboarding, basketball, watching stand-up comedy, exploring the outdoors

Research Interests: Tumor immunology, cochlear implants, facial reconstruction, medical devices

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Ana Marija Sola, MD

Hometown:  Saratoga, CA

Undergrad: University of California, Davis

Medical School: University of California, San Francisco

Outside Interests: All things soccer, reading, gardening, watching Food Network

Research Interests: Pediatric hearing loss, automated speech processing, head and neck cancer outcomes, quality of life 

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Taylor Erickson, MD

Hometown: Ann Arbor, MI

Undergrad: Cornell University

Medical School: University of Michigan Medical School

Outside Interests: Running, biking, skiing, Peloton, international travel, podcast-listening

Research Interests: Health services research, surgical outcomes, improving the continuum between undergraduate and graduate medical education

PGY-3 Residents

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Nikhil Arora, MD

Hometown: Arlington, Texas

Undergrad: Dartmouth College

Medical School: Keck School of Medicine of USC

Outside Interests: singing, violin, skiing, soccer, cooking, eating new foods, anything fitness related to counteract the previous interest

Research Interests: social determinants of health, surgical management and outcomes, professional voice

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Shaghauyegh Azar, MD

Hometown: Irvine, CA

Undergrad: UCLA

Medical School: UCLA

Outside Interests: tennis, traveling, hiking, live music, skiing, boba, Trader Joe’s

Research Interests: head and neck cancer prevention, health disparities, quality of life outcomes, voice physiology and quality

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Alexandra Bourdillon, MD

Hometown: Cupertino, CA

Undergrad: Stanford University

Medical School: Yale University

Outside Interests: Soccer, hiking, listening to audiobooks, hackathons, soap carving

Research Interests: Bioinformatics, machine learning models, radiographic biomarkers

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Emma Djabali, MD, MS

Hometown: Marseille, France

Undergrad: Fordham University

Master of Science: Georgetown University 

Medical School: University of Florida College of Medicine

Outside Interests: pasta making, skiing, traveling, yoga, exploring the San Francisco food scene 

Research Interests: patient-reported outcomes and patient-centered care in Head and Neck Oncology, aesthetic and patient-centered outcomes in Head and Neck reconstructive surgery, noise-induced hearing loss

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Michelle Florentine, MD

Hometown: Los Angeles, CA

Undergrad: Cornell University 

Medical School: Sackler School of Medicine

Outside Interests: Music, martial arts, bouldering, volleyball, camping 

Research Interests: Health inequities, pediatric hearing loss

PGY-2 Residents

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Maimuna Ahmad, MD

Hometown: Westford, Massachusetts

Undergrad: Tufts University

Medical School: University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School 

Outside Interests: Traveling, hiking, exploring, eating (also cooking), spending time with friends and family 

Research Interests: Medical education, patient-reported outcomes, quality of life outcomes

Patrick Barba, MD

 

Patrick Barba, MD

Hometown: San Diego, CA

Undergrad: Princeton University

Medical School: UC San Diego

Outside Interests: Anything outdoors, hiking, skiing, travel, pickleball

Research Interests: global health, surgical education, pediatric otolaryngology 

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Arushi Gulati, MD

Hometown: Pasadena, California

Undergrad: University of Southern California

Medical School: University of California, San Francisco

Outside Interests: cooking, embroidery, collecting houseplants, finding new cafes, reading in the park

Research Interests: surgical decision-making, patient-reported outcomes, surgical innovation, sleep surgery, reconstructive outcomes

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Eric Kidong Kim, MD

Hometown: Daegu, South Korea / Monterey, CA

Undergrad: Northwestern University

Medical School: University of California, San Francisco

Outside Interests: Singing and playing music, traveling, playing with dogs, California beaches

Research Interests: Otology and neurotology, global health, medical education

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Rex Lee, MD

Hometown: Long Beach, California

Undergrad: University of California, Los Angeles 

Medical School: University of California, San Francisco

Outside Interests: jogging, singing, scuba diving, cooking, spending time with friends and family

Research Interests: preclinical models of head and neck cancer, precision medicine, targeted therapy, serious illness communication, functional outcomes, and quality of life after ablative/reconstructive surgery

PGY-1 Residents

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Emily Honzel, MD. 

Hometown: Bloomington-Normal, IL

Undergrad: Northwestern University

Medical School: Columbia University 

Outside Interests: music (performing, listening, singing, dancing - you name it), traveling, hiking

Research Interests: laryngeal innervation, vocal health, head and neck microbiology, surgical outcomes

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Isaac Solomon, MD 

Hometown: Corona, CA

Undergrad: Pomona College

Medical School: UC San Diego

Outside Interests: Bowling, pickle ball, snorkeling/scuba diving, eclipse chaser, playing card games

Research Interests: Patient safety and quality improvement, alternative payment models, surgical outcomes, and medical education

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Ashley Stone, MD

Hometown- Kyoto, Japan 

Undergrad- Princeton University 

Medical School- Albert Einstein College of Medicine 

Outside Interests- running, cooking, exploring new restaurants with friends 

Research Interests- social determinants of health, quality improvement 

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Woodi Woodland, MD

Hometown: Fairfax, Va  / Brentwood, Tn

Undergrad: University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Medical School: University of Tennessee Health Science Center 

Outside Interests: Bookbinding, reading, lifting, nutrition, roller skating, music, and baking

Research Interests: DEI within medicine, health disparities, antibiotic stewardship, medical devices

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Agnes Zhu, MD

Hometown: Bloomington, Indiana 

Undergrad: University of California - Berkeley 

Medical School: Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine

Outside Interests: Running, tennis, hiking, skiing, trying new restaurants, cooking, reading 

Research Interests: Head and Neck cancer, Facial Aesthetic Surgery, Artificial Intelligence in Medicine 

Incoming Residents

Ana Arauja, MD. 

Hometown: Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil

Undergrad: Duke University

Medical School: Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine

Outside Interests: Running, triathlon, tennis, skiing, traveling, exploring new SF restaurants

Research Interests: Head and neck cancer, global health, medical education

Lauren Tucker, MD 

Hometown: Fullerton, California

Undergrad: Yale University

Medical School: Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

Outside Interests: Running, film photography, hosting movie nights, trying new recipes, scuba diving

Research Interests: Hearing loss's impact on cognition and mental health, voice disorders, endoscopic surgery outcomes, quality improvement

Melissa White, MD

Hometown- Somerset, NJ

Undergrad- Duke University

Medical School- Duke University School of Medicine

Outside Interests- Reading romance novels, indoor cycling, watching reality TV, doing puzzles, cooking and baking

Research Interests- Health disparities, global health, quality of life

Sophie Yu, MD

Hometown: Sunnyvale, CA

Undergrad: University of California-Berkeley

Medical School: Harvard Medical School

Outside Interests: Skiing, jogging, drawing, baking, watching reality TV, and being a cat mom!

Research Interests: inflammatory endotypes of chronic rhinosinusitis, impact of environmental pollutants on the upper airway, chemosensory disorders, and medical education

Connie Zhou, MD

Hometown: Pleasanton, CA

Undergrad: Duke University

Medical School: University of California, San Francisco

Outside Interests: Dancing, baking soft cookies, hiking, pretending to be lactose tolerant

Research Interests: Tumor-immune microenvironment, minimal residual disease, impactful community outreach, surgical education