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