Residents

Meet The Residents

Class of 2023
Class of 2024
Class of 2025
Class of 2026

Simisola Alalade

Hometown: Chicago/C.C.Hills, IL
High School: Rich Central
Undergraduate School: Emory University
College Majors: Anthropology and Human Biology
Medical School: Rush Medical College
Interests / Hobbies: journaling, anime/manga, thrifting, trying ramen in new cities, concerts, science fiction novels, volleyball, mentorship, social justice, women’s health, wellness
5 Year Plan: develop into a thoughtful and confident EM physician to patients across the globe, meet many new folks and learn from them, give back to the community, support my family and friends, experience joy, and remain open to wherever the universe takes me (Hellooo Cali!)

Tara Benesch

Hometown: Washington D.C. metro area
High School: Thomas Jefferson
Undergraduate School: Washington University in St. Louis
College Majors: Psychology
Graduate School: UCSF-UC Berkeley Joint Medical Program (JMP)
Graduate School Degree: M.S. in Health and Medical Sciences
Medical School: UCSF
Interests / Hobbies: being outside, lifting heavy things (sometimes for prizes), learning about new places and people, cooking, singing in my car and dancing in the kitchen
5 Year Plan: Be a humble, competent, and compassionate doctor who spreads joy and works with others to fight inequities. Finish a library book before I have to return it. Eat a lot of ice cream.

Jeremiah Cross

Hometown: Baltimore, MD
High School: Baltimore Polytechnic Institute
Undergraduate School: Harvard University
College Majors: Psychology
Graduate School: Johns Hopkins University
Graduate School Degree: MS Education
Medical School: Yale School of Medicine
Interests / Hobbies: Social determinants of health, diversity in medicine, community-engaged research, photography, stargazing, podcasts, learning to cook, the planet fitness black card spa, long car rides featuring trap music and late 90s/early 00s r&b
5 Year Plan: Become a competent and compassionate EM doc, build community with my colleagues and the people of Oakland, be the best husband I can be, maintain gratitude and awe for life and my journey now and in the future

Amy Do-Nyguen

Hometown: Irvine, CA
High School: Irvine High
Undergraduate School: UCLA
College Majors: Biology, Evolutionary Medicine
Graduate School: n/a
Graduate School Degree: n/a
Medical School: UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine
Interests / Hobbies: global medicine, healthcare disparities, wilderness medicine, playing outside - rock climbing, running, backpacking, traveling, being healthy, pretending to be healthy, most pastries, ice cream...
5 Year Plan: Becoming an empathetic and effective doctor, learning to expand my impact in and out of the hospital, climb big rocks, run long trails, travel to far away places, and keep an easy smile

Claire Hirschmann

Hometown: Seattle, WA
High School: Seattle Preparatory School
Undergraduate School: Yale University
College Major: English
Graduate School: Harvard Graduate School of Education
Graduate School Degree: Masters in Education
Postbacc: Goucher College
Medical School: University of Pennsylvania
Interests/Hobbies: Outdoor adventuring (doing, planning); dystopian teen novels (reading, envisioning myself the heroine of); games (board, lawn); reproductive health (teaching, discussing, providing); color-coordinating (closets, phone apps); breakfast sandwiches (consuming), etymology (researching, misreading social cues and assuming others are also interested in).
5-Year Plan: Be proud of the doctor I've become, have a network of people who make me feel strong, learn a lot, teach a lot, say thank you..

Jamal Jefferson

Hometown: Washington, DC
High School: St. Albans School
Undergraduate School: Williams College
College Majors: Biology
Graduate School: MBA from The Simon Business School
Medical School: University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
Interests / Hobbies: basketball, squash, hiking, running, and podcast on politics, history and economics
5 Year Plan: Continue to fill my mind with all medical knowledge to be a well train EM physician, fill my body with endorphins from exercise and good food (especially from my crockpot) , and fill my soul by being a caring and compassionate physician, partner and human-being

Robert Kim

Hometown: Westchester, NY
High School: Byram Hills High School
Undergraduate School: Washington University in St. Louis
College Majors: Anthropology and Public Health
Medical School: SUNY Downstate
Interests / Hobbies: searching for the best fried chicken, board-game nights, sun-bathing, thrift shopping, dancing wildly, social medicine, physician wellness, and LGBT health
5 Year Plan: learn to be a humble, thoughtful, compassionate, and competent EM doc and patient-advocate / create deep and loving roots within my partner, my family, my friends, and my work / be happy and joyful

Brian Lentz

Hometown: Iowa City, Iowa
High School: Iowa City West High School
Undergraduate School: University of Southern California
College Majors: Biological Sciences
Graduate School: University of Southern California
Graduate School Degree: MS in Marine and Environmental Biology
Medical School: Johns Hopkins
Interests / Hobbies: Biking, giving surf lessons, swimming, running, climbing, skiing, wishing I had a couple huskies and a cat, anything in/on/near the ocean, hiking/backpacking, periodically trying to improve my Spanish, coffee, hot sauce, cooking, medical education, wilderness medicine.
5 Year Plan: Adopt an animal, explore Oakland, learn as much as I can from the incredible people around me, spend time in the sun, be a good uncle, watch The Wire.

Nadir Zaidi

Hometown: Carmel, Indiana
High School: Brebeuf Jesuit
Undergraduate School: Georgetown University
College Majors: Biology
Graduate School: Loyola Marymount University
Graduate School Degree: Masters in Urban Education
Medical School: Weill Cornell Medical College
Interests / Hobbies: Basketball, reading fiction, dancing Bollywood and bhangra, scuba diving
5 Year Plan: Explore the Bay Area, travel, be a good husband/son/brother/friend, enjoy life, serve my patients, learn as much EM as possible

Jose Acosta

Hometown: Kerman, CA
High School: Kerman High School
Undergraduate School: Fresno State
College Major: Biology
Medical School: UC Davis School of Medicine
Interests/Hobbies: Traveling, sports, eating good food, video games, social justice, healthcare disparities, music, mentorship, quality time with family and friends, diversity in medicine, learning about different cultures.
5 Year Plan: Learn as much as possible, become the best doctor I can, maintain well-being physically and mentally, make lifelong friends, explore and serve the Bay area, stay true to myself, make my family and community proud, be a good son/brother/friend/partner, invent something, be happy, have fun, tie my interests together in a meaningful and happy career.

Alexandra Friedman

Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
High School: University School of Nashville
Undergraduate School: Yale University
College Major: Political Science
Graduate School: University of Cape Town
Graduate School Degree: MSc in Emergency Medicine
Medical School: UCSF
Interests/Hobbies: exploring (wilderness/backpacking, new food, new places), global health equity, playing musical instruments by myself, elevating everyone’s spice tolerance/cooking for big groups, chasing sunshine, community empowerment, dumplings
5 Year Plan: grow into a compassionate and competent EM doctor, cultivate a garden with that East Bay sunshine, embed myself in a new community, and see my family as much as possible

Megan Heeney

Hometown: Omaha, NE
High School: Marian High School
Undergraduate School: Saint Louis University
College Majors: International Studies and Theology
Medical School: Mayo Clinic School of Medicine
Interests / Hobbies: social medicine, punning, improving access to mental healthcare, experiencing musical theater, making kombucha, drinking coffee, finding delicious vegetarian food, playing board games and card games- especially Settlers of Catan, Hanabi, Euchre and Spades.
5 Year Plan: Become a compassionate, energetic, prepared EM Physician, be a thoughtful partner, celebrate my amazing coworkers, enjoy living in the Bay area especially being surrounded by passionate people, community organizations and nature, build community.

Jeffrey Herrala

Hometown: Andover, Minnesota
High School: Anoka High School
Undergraduate School: U.S. Air Force Academy
College Majors: Biology & Mandarin Chinese
Medical School: Harvard Medical School
Interests / Hobbies: Public & Community Service, Recruitment & Mentorship, Ultrasound / Training our pup Quinn, capturing meaningful events via film & photo, enjoying wind, water, and snow-fueled activities, traveling to appreciate the magnificence of our world’s cultures, languages, and cuisines, instigating the occasional and inexpert freestyle rap sesh.
Previous Lives: Swim instructor, chemistry tutor, skydiving jumpmaster
5 Year Plan: Become the most skilled, caring, and joyful physician I can be. Contribute to equity inside and outside the ER. Nourish relationships with my partner, our families, and lifelong friends. Learn to kiteboard without an injury worthy of an HGH trauma activation.

DaShawn Hickman

Hometown: Columbia, SC
High School: A.C. Flora
Undergraduate School: Yale University
College Majors: Biomedical Engineering
Graduate School: Case Western Reserve University
Graduate School Degree: M.S. in Biomedical Engineering/PhD in Pathology
Medical School: Case Western Reserve University
Interests / Hobbies: Dancing/Choreographing, Traveling, making videos documenting my travel, hiking, leading
5 year plan: I plan to be a clinically excellent, culturally humble, socially conscious emergency medicine physician-scientist who is using my training to provide outstanding medical care, perform world-class translation research and working to eliminate health disparities while effortlessly balancing an amazing personal life with my partner, family and friends

Claire Lamneck

Hometowns: Los Altos, CA; Denver, CO; St. Pete, FL; Tucson, AZ
High School: Shorecrest in St. Pete, FL
Undergraduate School: Tufts University
College Major: Biology
Graduate School: Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health
Graduate School Degree: MPH (Social Behavioral Sciences)
Medical School: University of Arizona College of Medicine-Tucson
Interests / Hobbies: Gardening, rock climbing, hiking & napping with my dog. Public health, LGBTQ+ health, border health issues.
5 Year Plan: Absorb wisdom from all those around me, learn EM the Highland way, stay connected to myself & my people, immerse myself in the East Bay

Azad Molla Hosseini

Hometown: Montreal, Canada
High School: Desert Mountain
Undergraduate School: University of Arizona
College Majors: Economics, Political Science
Graduate School: James E. Rogers College of Law at the University of Arizona
Graduate School Degree: J.D.
Medical School: University of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucson
Interests / Hobbies: Asylum and refugee law, human rights law, global health, medical-legal partnerships. In my free time I love to explore, go camping, watch motorsports, play hockey, soccer, and basketball.
5 Year Plan: Continue to learn every day from each interaction to become the most compassionate, caring, and knowledgeable physician that I can be; develop lasting relationships with my colleagues and staff at Highland; and to be involved in improving the community both inside and outside the hospital.

Aravind Addepalli

Hometown: Toronto, Canada
High School:St. Francis Xavier
Undergraduate School: McGill University
College Major: Anatomy & Cell Biology and Economics
Medical School:Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Interests/Hobbies:Music - hip hop/techno/house/soul/rock, national parks, landscape/travel photography, perfecting art of brewing coffee while being snobby about it, winning basketball intramurals, weight-lifting to reach elusive 1000-lb club, running (slowly), reading crisp prose, liberation medicine, health capacity building
5 Year Plan: To strive to learn EM in a manner that will make my family (blood and otherwise) and myself proud, embrace and become a productive part of the Oakland community, work in global/public health, and cultivate personal growth.

Alexander Ayala

Hometown: Sacramento, California
High School: West Campus HS
Undergraduate School: Occidental College
College Major: Kinesiology
Medical School: Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Graduate School: Northwestern University The Graduate School; Masters in Public Health
Interests / Hobbies: Picking up heavy things and putting them back down, supporting Liverpool FC, watching Formula 1, binging Curb Your Enthusiasm, Better Call Saul, and Succession, and feeding my caffeine dependence.
5 Year Plan: Learn how to be a great EM doc, continue reading and learning about injustices within our communities, and build the foundation of a career that blends my clinical and public health interests. Deadlifting 600 pounds would also be cool.

Joia Brosco

Hometown: Diego Martin, Trinidad & Tobago
High School: St. Joseph's Convent Port of Spain
Undergraduate School: University of Pennsylvania
College Major: Health and Societies, with a concentration in Public Health
Medical School: University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine
Interests/Hobbies: having a steady census of at least 5 DIY projects that take over the house, practicing yoga preferably ashtanga, tending to my thriving (?) plant family, begging my little puppy for more cuddles, dancing, dancing, laughing really hard, and more dancing
5 Year Plan: To grow into a competent, caring EM doc, hold onto my inner child's sense of humanity and wonder, and be a super good neighbor, friend, sister, daughter and wife to loved ones near and far

Raghav Goyal

Hometown: New Hyde Park, NY
High School: Herricks High School
Undergraduate School: SUNY Binghamton / Oberlin College
College Major: Comparative Literature
Medical School: Larner College of Medicine
Interests/Hobbies: speaking my truth even at risk of it being bruised or misunderstood, bikes, books, stick and poke tattoos, meditation, podcasts, bougie IPAs, and Dole mandarin oranges in 100% fruit juice.
5 Year Plan: be kind and present for my partner, my family, my friends, be a great teammate for my co-interns, new Highland family, and Ohlone/"Oakland" community, interrogate and confront my colonizer status, and get as good at medicine as I can, so I can advocate for the alternative.

Kristen Hancock

Hometown: Carson, California (Los Angeles County)
High School: Junipero Serra High School
Undergrad: UC Berkeley College Major: Molecular & Cellular Biology and Sociology
Medical School: Michigan State University College of Human Medicine
Interests/Hobbies: Amazon shopping, exploring the Bay Area, trying new restaurants, quality time with friends and family, traveling, dancing, youth mentorship (especially at-risk youth) and social justice.
5 year plan: My goal over the next 5 years is to learn as much as possible from all of my favorite people at Highland and develop the skills to practice emergency medicine anywhere in the world!

Chloe Solomon

Hometown: New York, NY
High School: United Nations International School
Undergraduate School: University of Toronto, Canada
College Major: Psychology
Graduate School: Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Graduate School Degree: MS, Biomedical Research
Medical School: Rush Medical College
Interests / Hobbies: Exploring neighborhoods, eating foods from around the world, long walks, camping, pilates, laughing, TV binging, thinking about adopting a dog
5 Year Plan: Learn emergency medicine the Highland way to become the most badass, compassionate, and skilled emergency physician for my community. Learn how to best advocate for and empower survivors of violence. Eat at every Ethiopian restaurant in Oakland. Stay close with friends & family. Enjoy that West Coast sunshine!

Alexandra Walton

Hometown: Albany, NY
High School: Academy of the Holy Names Undergraduate School: Johns Hopkins University
College Major: Molecular and Cellular Biology
Medical School: University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Interests/Hobbies: Cooking, running, playing volleyball and spending time outdoors.
5 Year Plan: Become a compassionate EM doctor. Explore Oakland and learn more about the community that I live in. Make a conscious effort to make time for friends, family and hobbies outside of medicine. Visit national parks and run the Napa to Sonoma half marathon.

Omonivie Agboghidi

Hometown: Moreno Valley, Ca
High School: Canyon Springs High School
Undergraduate School: University of California, Berkeley
College Major: African American Studies/Public Health
Medical School: Wright State University Boonshoft SOM
Interests / Hobbies: I love listening and dancing to AfroBeats, hip hop, and R&B music. Enjoy improv and stand up comedy. Interested tech and cool tech gadgets
5 Year Plan: In 5 years I hope to become a passionate, confident and innovative EM Physician ready to handle any emergency that comes my way. I want to continue my work in diversifying the healthcare workforce and mentoring underrepresented students. On this journey, I plan to enjoy my family, friends and all the gems Oakland has to offer.

Henry Ashworth

Hometown: Ventura, California
Ventura High School/Foothill Technology High School Undergraduate School: Eckerd College
College Major: Philosophy and Biochemistry
Medical School: Harvard Medical School
Interests / Hobbies: Skipping instead of walking, Hugging friends and family, Late night dancing, Early morning adventures, Being in, around, or on any body of water (puddles included), Playing the bass, Trying to speak Nepali or Spanish but end up speaking Spanpali.
5 Year Plan: Become the most thoughtful and loving human I can be by learning from those around me and my patients. Work as an EM doc in a community setting while trying to implement disruptive programmatic innovations.

Lily Berrin

Hometown: Sacramento, California
High School: Rio Americano High School
Undergraduate School: Occidental College
College Major: Cognitive Science and Spanish
Medical School: University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Interests / Hobbies: Exploring recipes in the kitchen, baking everything but especially cakes, running, biking, swimming, hiking, backpacking, traveling and eating all the foods
5 Year Plan: Reconnect with the vibrant Oakland community in and out of the ED. Learn from my patients, peers, and teachers how to be a compassionate EM physician. Make the ED a better place for geriatric patients. Be a caring and supportive daughter, sister, partner, and friend to my loved ones. Go on more backpacking trips and do another triathlon. Continue to appreciate California sunshine and produce!

Nadia Gaber

Hometown: Memphis, TN
High School: Lausanne Collegiate School
Undergraduate School: Harvard College
College MajorHistory & Literature / Women, Gender & Sexuality
Medical School: UCSF
Interests/Hobbies:Premier league football (Liverpool!), local art, last-minute dinner parties, thrifting, interior design
5 Year Plan: Making sure I become the doctor I would like to see in a crisis, giving back to my adopted hometown of Oakland, deepening relationships, exploring new horizons, finishing my manuscript, bringing environmentalism to medicine, finishing my miscellaneous sewing projects, getting my dog to run Lake Merritt again.

Carmen Lee

Hometown: Oakland, CA
High School: Head-Royce
Undergraduate School: Yale (+ postbaccalaureate at Bryn Mawr)
College Major: Ethics, Politics, and Economics + International Studies
Medical School: UCSF
Interests / Hobbies: Climbing, meditation, outdoor yoga, any and all live music, arts + crafts, vegetables, too many pets 5 Year Plan: Loving and serving the community where I grew up and where I worked in public schools, learning and loving my incredible new community of providers and friends, research and advocacy to help build a more just health care ecosystem, ultrasounding everyone I know and machine learning, epidemiology

Jordan Mullings

Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
High School: Nova High School
Undergraduate School: University of Florida (Go Gators!)
College Major: Economics
Graduate School: University of Florida
Graduate School Degree: Master of Business Administration (MBA)
Medical School: George Washington University
Interests / Hobbies: Dancing, playing basketball, listening to podcasts, traveling with my wife
5 Year Plan: Embrace mission/adventure & build community as I live, work and worship in Oakland; maximize every personal and professional growth moment, be physically fit enough to still dunk a basketball.

Joanna Ortega

Hometown: Berkeley, CA
High School: Berkeley High School
Undergraduate School: UC Santa Barbara
College Major: Global Studies
Graduate School: UC Berkeley, MPH
Medical School: UC Davis
Interests / Hobbies: Anything that involves being outside (hiking, camping, swimming!), cooking and eating delicious food, weightlifting, traveling, trail running, and spending time with family and friends.
5 Year Plan: Enjoy this incredible journey as much as possible, learn a lot, be an advocate for my patients, explore the beautiful outdoors in the Bay Area, make new friends, have fun, and always be kind.

Andrew Wang

Hometown: Hockessin, DE
High School: Charter School of Wilmington
Undergraduate School: University of Southern California
College Major: Neuroscience Medical School: Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Interests / Hobbies: Nodding to and dancing to live music (house/techno/experimental electronic), vinyl collecting, looking at and creating art, climbing, hiking, cooking, baking, dessert with every meal, hanging out with my disabled cat named Pia, global health, health equity, LGBTQIA+ health
5 Year Plan: Learn emergency medicine from some incredible human beings, serve and uplift the Oakland community, make time for those that I love, and cherish the nature around me