Past Fellows By Year
Carlos Mikell, MD
I was born in Hawaii, but grew up in Northern California between Shasta, Humboldt County, and finally Sacramento. I went to American River Jr College and transferred to UC Davis. After graduating from UCSF for medical school, I ventured out of California for residency at Cook County Hospital, but I prefer my winters a week long and in Tahoe, so I came back to California. My ultrasound interests include cardiac and resuscitation ultrasound, using ultrasound as a teaching tool across all levels of learners, and regional anesthesia. Outside of the hospital I enjoy cooking a new recipe, riding/working on my bikes, going to a grungy music venue, and being a cat dad.
Joseph Stegemen, MD
I’m an Illinois native coming to Highland via Texas, where I was a diver and biology major at TCU followed by medical school at UT Southwestern, and Boston, where I completed emergency medicine residency at Mass General and Brigham and Women’s. In the ED, my main clinical interest is ultrasound guided nerve blocks. I’m a firm believer that most problems can be solved with some well placed bupivacaine. Outside the department you can find me biking to a brewery or smoking a brisket and watching college football.
Akash Desai, MD
I am a Bay Area native who completed my undergraduate studies at UCLA in Psychobiology (Go Bruins!), medical school at Keck USC, and emergency medicine residency at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. In my two gap years between college and medical school, I returned to the Bay to research the neurological implications of HIV at the Memory and Aging Center at UCSF. My professional interests include Emergency Ultrasound (duh), the intersection of ultrasound with International/Global Health and medical education, and the application of regional anesthesia in emergency medicine. My personal interests include DJing, discussing philosophy, exploring nature, and learning how to maintain physical and mental fitness (i.e. “wellness”) in day-to-day life. I have an identical twin brother Sagar who graduated medical school at UCSF in 2020, so if you think you’re seeing double, you just might be!”
Kaitlen Howell, MD
I am from Tennessee where I studied biology and German at Middle Tennessee State University. After a Fulbright scholarship in Germany evaluating neurologic outcomes after cardiac arrest, I attended Harvard Medical School where the snow and cold taught me how much I need sunshine! I fell in love with Highland during my subinternship rotation and am thankful to have been able to complete residency here. My clinical passions are point-of-care ultrasound (especially for vascular access and echocardiography), on-shift teaching, and learning the finer points of EKGs. Outside of work I enjoy growing unusual fruits, learning about other people’s experiences, and watching sci-fi. I used to draw and write poetry and hope to pick those back up during fellowship.
Nathaniel Leu, MD
“I was born and raised in San Mateo and am excited to be returning to the Bay Area for my ultrasound fellowship. I went to college at UC Davis, med school at Eastern Virginia Medical School, and most recently completed my EM residency at Cook County Hospital in Chicago. Over the next year I hope to hone my skills with the probe and needle while dipping my feet into research and teaching. During my spare time I enjoy brewing kombucha, board gaming, and indoor rock climbing.
Max Sobrero,MD
Cody Shultz, MD
Elaine Yang,MD
2019-2020
Graham Becherer-Bailey, MD
Robert Farrow, MD
Zahra M Ghazi Askar, MD
Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Stanford,CA
Ashkon Shaahinfar, MD
US Director Children’s Hospital, Oakland
2018-2019
Andrea Dreyfuss, MD
AHS- Highland
David Martin, MD
AHS- Highland
2017-2018
Julie Gesch, MD
Faculty, AHS Highland
Poornima Yechoor, MD
Faculty, AHS Highland
Zahra M Ghazi Askar, MD
Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Stanford,CA
Ashkon Shaahinfar, MD
US Director Children’s Hospital, Oakland
2016-2017
Edwin Dietrich, MD
AHS-Highland
Joyce Wang, MD
2015-2016
Charmiane Lieu, MD
Brown Emergency Medicine
Gerin River, MD
AHS-Highland
2014-2015
Brian Johnson, MD
AHS- Highland
Emily Lovallo, MD
AHS-Highland
2013 – 2014
Oron Frenkel, MD
AHS- Highland
Christine Riguzzi, MD
AHS- Highland
2012 – 2013
Andrew Herring, MD
AHS – Highland
US Faculty, AHS – Highland, Oakland, CA
Jacob Miss, MD
UCSF / SFGH
Dominican Hospital, Santa Cruz, CA
2011 – 2012
Caitlin Bailey, MD
AHS – Highland
US Faculty, AHS – Highland, Oakland, CA
Daniel Mantuani, MD
AHS – Highland
US Faculty, AHS – Highland, Oakland, CA
2010-2011
Allison Mulcahy, MD
AHS – Highland
Doctors Without Borders (MSF);
US Faculty, U of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM
Aparajita Sohoni, MD
AHS – Highland
US Faculty – AHS – Highland, Oakland, CA;
California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC)
2009-2010
Jennifer Carnell, MD
AHS – Highland
US Director – Baylor University, Houston, TX
Jason Fischer, MD, MSc
AHS – Highland
Pediatric EM Fellowship,
Children’s Hospital Oakland
US Director – Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON
2009-2010
Jennifer Carnell, MD
AHS – Highland
US Director – Baylor University, Houston, TX
Jason Fischer, MD, MSc
AHS – Highland
Pediatric EM Fellowship,
Children’s Hospital Oakland
US Director – Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON
2008-2009
Sachita Shah, MD
Harvard (MGH-Brigham)
US Director – U of Washington, Seattle, WA;
Director of US Education – Partners in Health (PIH)
Nate Teisman, MD
AHS – Highland
US Director – UCSF, San Francisco, CA
2007-2008
Marybeth Johnson, MD
Loma Linda
US Faculty – UC San Diego, San Diego, CA
Carmen Partida, MD
AHS – Highland
US Faculty – UCLA/Olive View, Los Angeles, CA
2006-2007
Martine Sargeant, MD
UCLA/Olive View
US Director – SFGH, San Fransisco, CA
Otto Liebmann, MD
AHS – Highland
US Director – Brown University, Providence, RI
2005 – 2006
Jeff Chen, MD, MPH
Yale University
Summit/Alta Bates Medical Center, Oakland, CA
Michael Stone, MD
AHS – Highland
US Director – Brigham & Women’s/Harvard, Boston, MA
2004 – 2005
Ralph Wang, MD
AHS – Highland
US Faculty – UCSF, San Francisco, CA
Arun Nagdev, MD
Kings County Hospital
US Director – ACMC – Highland, Oakland, CA