THANK A RESIDENT DAY
February 23, 2024
To: All LLU residents and fellows, OPHTHALMOLOGY, All who rotate at
LLVA
Thank you all, each and every one of you, for being caring thoughtful and
resilient future healers of America. We are very grateful for the commitment you
have made to continued learning, healing and improving the lives of everyone
around you. We, all, at Loma Linda VA, appreciate you!
From: Staci Mendoza, Erica Reed, Danielle Lopez, Jarett Young, Marissa Diaz, Ana
Medina, Tom Edell and Hana Mikdachi, Loma Linda VHA-Medical Education office
To: Apeksha Shah, OPHTHALMOLOGY,
Dear Apeksha, thank you so much for everything you do! You serve as a
wonderful mentor to your junior residents. Thank you for sharing the gift of your
knowledge! Keep speaking up - we need you!
From: Leila Khazaeni, Ophthalmology
To: Ashley Roldan, MD, OPHTHALMOLOGY,
Thank you for being so cool and helpful. I appreciate your patience with all my
questions!
From: Jesus Salas, Ophthalmology
To: Aylin Megerdichian, OPHTHALMOLOGY,
Dear Aylin, thank you for your hard work- you have beautifully stepped into the
role of mentor to your junior residents. Keep stomping out blindness!
From: Leila Khazaeni, Ophthalmology
To: Bea Palileo, OPHTHALMOLOGY,
Thank you Bea for all of your hard work over the past 3 years- thank you for all
the sleepless nights and for putting your patients needs ahead of your own!
From: Leila Khazaeni, Ophthalmology
To: Christian Bardan, OPHTHALMOLOGY,
Chris, thank you for all your hard work over the years. You are very level headed
and methodical in your decision making in difficult cases. It is a superpower.
From: Leila Khazaeni, Ophthalmology
To: Dalbert Chen, OPHTHALMOLOGY,
Dear Dalbert, first year ophthalmology residency here is tough and you have
handled it well. You are resilient and hard working. I am impressed by your
willingness to learn from every opportunity. Keep up the good work!
From: Leila Khazaeni, Ophthalmology
To: Dalbert Chen, OPHTHALMOLOGY,
Thank you for your help and patience at the Caroline office! Good luck to you!
From: Tianna Williams, Ophthalmology
To: Dalbert Chen, OPHTHALMOLOGY,
Hi Dalbert! Thank you for involving me when I worked with you in clinic.
Something as simple as prepping injections is probably second nature to you but
taking the time to teach me how to do it properly made me feel like part of the
team. I appreciated the advice you gave me on how to be a successful applicant
and have been following it so far! When we were in the ED, I was impressed by
the way you handled potentially stressful cases. You were confident with your
skills and decision making yet maintained a calm demeanor that put the patient at
ease. Keep up the good work! I have heard this is the busiest year for
ophthalmology but you’re over half way through!
From: Weston Young, LLUSM
To: Dr. Ashley Roldan, OPHTHALMOLOGY,
She has been such a remarkably instrumental person who has demonstrated great
leadership and increased the efficiency in all the clinics she works at. Whenever I
have questions or quandaries--or even for simple life advice--she has always been
such a warm-hearted person to talk to. I don't ever feel judgement nor an ounce of
condescension in her voice. Just warm and compassionate help. She has always
been incredibly approachable and makes medicine seem much more tangible
despite all the jargon and protocols that give medicine the veil of total
inaccessibility. I just wanted to extend my UTMOST gratitude to her since she
always tries her best despite the pace and complexity of retina clinic being
difficult to manage. I hope that wherever she goes, I wish her all the best. Thank
you so much for being a wonderful person
From: Kyle, Ophthalmology
To: Drs. Ahmed, Bardan, Cho, Palileo, Shah, OPHTHALMOLOGY,
Thank you for your leadership and all of your hard work on behalf of the patients
and your juniors.
From: Ophthalmology, Ophthalmology
To: Drs. Chang, Firn, Jia, Megerdichian, You, OPHTHALMOLOGY,
Thank you for your all of your hard work. Congratulations on almost being
seniors.
From: Ophthalmology, Ophthalmology
To: Drs. Chen, Chung, Diaz Ibarra, Dowd-Schoeman, Schafer,
OPHTHALMOLOGY,
Congratulations on making it so far through first year. Thank you for all of your
hard work on challenging rotations.
From: Ophthalmology, Ophthalmology
To: Georgia Lee Schafer, OPHTHALMOLOGY,
Dear Georgia Lee, thank you for all your hard work - you are such an advocate
for your patients! You are inquisitive and insightful. We appreciate you so much.
From: Leila Khazaeni, Ophthalmology
To: Georgia Schafer, OPHTHALMOLOGY,
Hi Dr. Schafer! Thank you for letting me join you on ophthalmology consults for
my patients when I was on peds! You were very busy that month but I was
impressed how you always had a positive attitude and kept the primary team
updated.
From: Weston Young, LLUSM
To: Harris Ahmed, OPHTHALMOLOGY,
Dear Harris, thank yoh for all you have done for our profession- for all of your
advocacy work and your mentorship work with medical students across the
country. It has been an honor to collaborate with you. Continue to lift others up!!!
From: Leila Khazaeni, Ophthalmology
To: HARRIS AHMED MD, OPHTHALMOLOGY,
Thank you Dr. Ahmed for your great help during Retina Interviews; it was funny
how you knew lots of candidates for Retina and Cornea; you made those
candidates feel at home. Appreciate your kind greetings when we cross our path
from time to time
From: ANA POLANCO, ADMIN ASSIST., SR, OPHTHALMOLOGY
To: Hyelin Yoo, OPHTHALMOLOGY,
Hyelin, I still vividly rrneour zoom interview when you were applying for
ophthalmology residency. You have stepped into the role of mentor and advisor to
your junior residents so seamlessly. Your positive attitude is infectious. Your
passion for ophthalmology and for teaching is palpable. Keep stomping out
blindness!
From: Leila Khazaeni, Ophthalmology
To: Hyelin You, OPHTHALMOLOGY,
Hi Hyelin! I somehow end up working with you at least one day every time I
rotate through ophthalmology. I appreciate that you always take time to teach me
relevant points no matter how busy your schedule is. Your encouragement and
positive feedback of LLU's ophthalmology program is one of the reasons I am
hoping to be a future resident here. I admire the attention and care you give your
patients and hope to provide the same for my patients someday. LLU is lucky to
have you as a resident doctor!
From: Weston Young, LLUSM
To: Hyelin You, OPHTHALMOLOGY,
Thank you for always being on top of tasks and keeping the communication open,
I am happy to have gotten the chance to work with you and am proud of the hard
work you put in!
From: Jessica Ruiz, Pediatric Ophthalmology
To: Jason Jia, OPHTHALMOLOGY,
Jason! Thank you for all your hard work and dedication in providing excellent
care to your patients :)
From: Donata Jia, 4800
To: Jason Jia, OPHTHALMOLOGY,
Dear Jason, it’s been shading to watch you grow and develop as an
ophthalmology resident. You are diligent, hard working and self-motivated. We
appreciate you so much!
From: Leila Khazaeni, Ophthalmology
To: Kim Firn, OPHTHALMOLOGY,
Dear Kim, you have a way of finding interesting cases. Never lose your passion
for medicine. Even if it’s a case that’s more dermatology related than
ophthalmology as REi says, “never stop exploring”. Thank you fir all your
hard work!
From: Leila Khazaeni, Ophthalmology
To: Loma Linda University Ophthalmology, OPHTHALMOLOGY,
Thank you for your dedicated efforts; you play a crucial role in our healthcare
system. Your contributions are integral to our ability to assist those in need and
offer hope to others. Continue your outstanding work, both now and in the future.
From: Ali Mahdavi Fard, Ophthalmology
To: MARIALEJANDRA DIAZ MD, OPHTHALMOLOGY,
Thank YOU Dr. Diaz for your gracious smiles and kind greetings when you come
to the Academic Office. Your personality puts a smile on my face! Gracias!
From: Ana Polanco, Admin Assistant, Sr., OPHTHALMOLOGY
To: Marib Akanda, MD, OPHTHALMOLOGY,
Thank you for your patience with all the questions that I ask. I am very
appreciative of your willingness to help me with my work. Thank you for
everything you do, doc!
From: Jesus Salas, Ophthalmology
To: Mariealejandra Diaz Ibarra, OPHTHALMOLOGY,
Dear Alex, it is not easy to do another round of training. You are handling it with
grace. We are so lucky to have you in our program. Thank you for all your hard
work.
From: Leila Khazaeni, Ophthalmology
To: Matthew Chang, OPHTHALMOLOGY,
Matthew, thank you for having a positive attitude and an infectious smile under
all circumstances! Please don’t lose your enthusiasm for being a physician and
an ophthalmologist!
From: Leila Khazaeni, Ophthalmology
To: Matthew Chang, OPHTHALMOLOGY,
Hi Matthew! I appreciate your smile and positive attitude. Thank you for the
positive and constructive feedback you have provided for my research project! I
have been implementing changes per your suggestions and hope to have
something you can use in the near future. I think you would be excellent in
academics if that’s a route you decide to take someday.
From: Weston Young, LLUSM
To: Meenakshisundaram Subramanian, DO, OPHTHALMOLOGY,
A million thanks for always being courteous and patient with my many questions.
Very appreciative and thankful for all that you do, doc!
From: Jesus Salas, Ophthalmology
To: Soungmin Cho, OPHTHALMOLOGY,
Thank you Soungmin, for all of the hard work you do. You work tirelessly and
make it look easy. We appreciate you so much! Your junior residents look up to
you. It is lovely to witness.
From: Leila Khazaeni, Ophthalmology
To: Sung Han Chung, OPHTHALMOLOGY,
Dear Sung Han, you tackled the consult service at the beginning of the year like
no other PGY 2 has in recent memory. You are a great resident. It’s a long road.
You are doing great. We are lucky to have you
From: Leila Khazaeni, Ophthalmology
To: Tyler Dowd-Schoeman, OPHTHALMOLOGY,
Dear Tyler, thank you for all your hard work! You are diligent and have a wealth
of knowledge. You are amazing at teaching and mentoring medical students (I
have a few memories from your very early rotation on peds this year). Keep up
the good work, keep advising others and sharing your knowledge!
From: Leila Khazaeni, Ophthalmology
To: ALL RESIDENTS AND FELLOWS, ALL PROGRAMS,
We appreciate each and every one of you for all your hard work and dedication.
We are proud to be a part of your Graduate Medical Education journey and are
always here to support you any way we can!
From: Everyone at the GME Office