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PGY-3

calvin au

calvin au

jessie davis

jessie davis

nnaemeka diribe

nnaemeka diribe

laleh ghaffarian

laleh ghaffarian

kimberly kolibas

kimberly kolibas

william lee

william lee

quentin nelson

quentin nelson

veralyn vanderkraan

veralyn vanderkraan

Calvin Au

I was an avid spearfisherman and would shoot fish to eat

 

Hometown: San Jose, CA
Undergrad: UCSD
Medical School: Western University
 

Hobbies: Hiking, traveling, biking, weight lifting/working out, fishing, snorkeling, meal prep
If Not ER: Family medicine, Internal Medicine/Critical Care
If Not a Doctor: Teacher

Favorite Band: Blink 182
Favorite Book: Calvin & Hobbes
Best Star Wars Character: Ewoks
Favorite Sports Team: San Francisco 49ers
Best of Palm Springs: The people and year-round pool weather!

Worst of Palm Springs: The summer heat (esp getting into your car after it’s been sitting out in the sun)

Jessie Davis

My significant other and I won a jigsaw competition

 

Hometown: Gig Harbor, WA

Undergrad: Central Washington University, Ellensburg, WA
Medical School: Pacific Northwest University, Yakima, WA
 

Pets: Phoebe (cat/true owner of the house)

Hobbies: Backpacking/hiking, yoga, rock climbing, running, kayaking, reading/writing, jigsaw puzzles, escape rooms
If Not ER: OMT!
If Not a Doctor: Working as a scribe for one too many years before being introduced to the wonderful world of backpacking. Upon discovering the bliss of carrying all bare necessities on my back, I would have saved as much as needed to fuel this habit and eventually complete the major long distance trails within the United States (PCT, AT, CDT, etc.…). After walking these paths, my hair would be too tangled/unkempt to acceptably return to the working world. Thus, I would have headed very north, very south, or hopped on a plane across the pond and lived out my days exploring the rest of the planet. My funding would of course come from the hefty earnings provided by placing 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in small town jigsaw puzzle competitions.

Favorite Band: Kaleo, Hozier, Bishop, Tracy Chapman, The 1975
Favorite Book: All the Light We Cannot See, The Twelve
Best Star Wars Character: General Organa #strongindependentwoman
Favorite Sports Team: Portland Timbers
Best of Palm Springs: Summertime, all the time!

Worst of Palm Springs: Attempting basic human functions  (breathing, walking, exercising) in 125 degree heat

Nnaemeka Diribe

Soft, squishy, gummy food textures always bring me close to vomiting

 

Hometown: Enugu, Nigeria
Undergrad: Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Nigeria
Medical School: Western University
 

Hobbies: BJJ, watching UFC and soccer, gym, being super lazy
If Not ER: Internal Medicine
If Not a Doctor: Teacher or Software engineer

Favorite Band: Coldplay 
Favorite Book: Animal Farm
Best Star Wars Character: Doc Vader
Favorite Sports Team: Man U (Clippers close 2nd)
Best of Palm Springs: No more dressing up!!! / Great people all around

Worst of Palm Springs: I am probably going to melt.

Laleh Ghaffarian

I am absolutely terrified of snakes

 

Hometown: Salt Lake City, Utah
Undergrad: University of Utah
Medical School: Lincoln Memorial University
 

Pets: A Chinese Shar-Pei and 3 cats

Hobbies: Travel, scuba diving, mountains, laying in my hammock, pizza, eating bizarre things, cooking bizarre things 
If Not ER: Radiology
If Not a Doctor: Dive Master

Favorite Band: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Frank Ocean, Linkin Park, Kid Cudi
Favorite Book: Kite Runner
Best Star Wars Character: R2 D2
Favorite Sports Team: Cavaliers, really anywhere Lebron goes
Best of Palm Springs: Accessible to mountains, beaches, and awesome food

Worst of Palm Springs: The summer heat

Kimberly Kolibas

I am terrified of snakes

 

Hometown: Somis, CA
Undergrad: Cal Lutheran University
Medical School: Rocky Vista University

 

Pets: A mini Australian Shepard named Emma
Hobbies: Tennis, running, hiking, horseback riding, surfing, snowboarding
If Not ER: Infectious disease
If Not a Doctor: Veterinarian

Favorite Band: Imagine Dragons, Florence and the Machine
Favorite Book: Being Mortal by Atul Gawande
Best Star Wars Character: Uh… Harry Potter
Favorite Sports Team: Denver Broncos
Best of Palm Springs: Living close to the Indian Wells tennis tournament

Worst of Palm Springs: The HEAT

William Lee

My mother was an English Lit major and named me after Shakespeare

 

Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Pets: 1 Maltese - I won’t show you a picture of my child (when I have one someday), but I will show you a picture of my dog
Undergrad: UCLA
Medical School: Western University
Hobbies: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Dancing, Eating, Reading
If Not ER: Family Medicine
If Not a Doctor: A Junior College Science Professor

Favorite Band: Linkin Park (first two albums)
Favorite Book: Tuesdays with Morrie
Best Star Wars Character: It’s embarrassing to say, but I have never watched a single Star Wars movie. 
Favorite Sports Team: Mixed martial arts fights (e.g., UFC, Bellator). My favorite fighter is Fedor Emelianenko. 
Best of Palm Springs: Learning from the best in the game

Worst of Palm Springs: HOT!

Quentin Nelson

I lived in France as a kid

 

Hometown: Park City, Utah
Undergrad: Westminster College, SLC, UT
Medical School: Kansas City University


Hobbies:Skiing, Road Biking, Running, Cooking
If Not ER: Critical Care
If Not a Doctor: Anything at Costco

Favorite Band: The Strokes
Favorite Book: Omnivores Dilemma by Michael Pollan
Best Star Wars Character: Ewoks
Favorite Sports Team: Utah Utes
Best of Palm Springs: Can’t beat the location

Worst of Palm Springs: Expensive

Veralyn Vanderkraan

My last name does not match anyone else’s in my family. My mom filled out my sister’s birth certificates in the proper Dutch way (Van Der Kraan), but my dad filled out mine all as one word for whatever reason

 

Hometown: Oxnard, California
Undergrad: UCLA
Medical School: Western University


Pets: R.I.P. Marshmallow – beloved hamster, 2004-2004

Hobbies: Baking, traveling, hiking, scrapbooking
If Not ER: Anesthesia
If Not a Doctor: Pastry chef

Favorite Band: Coldplay
Favorite Book: The Glass Castle
Best Star Wars Character:  
Chewbacca but only because of Chewbacca Mom (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3yRv5Jg5TI )
Favorite Sports Team: UCLA college football (Go Bruins!)
Best of Palm Springs: Amazing program filled with great people and trauma, Tramway,  Joshua Tree, looking forward to first Coachella festival
Worst of Palm Springs: The summer heat, heat and more heat

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