Family Medicine: Second Year Residents

Jacob grew up in the Bay Area of California (near Redwood City, which boasts the slogan "Climate Best by Government Test"). There, he learned to appreciate time spent outdoors and burritos at Chavez Supermarket. Throughout his childhood, Jacob was a voracious reader and writer, a music aficionado, and a competitive gymnast. His extended family's love of science and teaching influenced him greatly.

Jacob attended Brown University, where he studied Neuroscience and Bioethics. He helped facilitate a peer-to-peer sex education course with high schoolers, which solidified his love of teaching and his passion for comprehensive and inclusive health education. He worked at various campus eateries and local restaurants, and he now considers himself an obnoxious sandwich critic. During college Jacob volunteered at Clinica Esperanza, a free clinic in Providence, where he coordinated and created curriculum for the clinic's Navigantes (community health workers). After graduation, he took on a role managing the clinic operations, grant writing, health education programing, and most importantly, resetting the router (making him feel like a tech genius). Jacob's time at Clinica Esperanza played a large part in his decision to go to medical school and nourished his love for community-focused and culturally-sensitive health care. He then returned to California and worked as an emergency department scribe before starting medical school at the University of California Davis.

At UC Davis, Jacob ran the Clinical Case Discussion and Medical Ethics student interest groups. He volunteered across the school's 11 student-run free clinics and participated in research on e-cigarettes as well as mentorship in medicine. He is thrilled to start his residency at Tufts CHA and to continue to focus on his clinical interests, including harm reduction, gender-affirming care, and medical education. Outside of medicine, you can find Jacob backpacking or hiking with his partner, playing the guitar, engrossed in a board or video game, or wrangling his dog D'art into the bath.

Pronouns: He/Him/His

Catie grew up in New Hampshire, hiking, skiing, and enjoying all things outdoors. As the eldest of four siblings, her passion for teaching began at a young age, from showing her sister how to blow bubbles with gum to helping her brothers with math. She attended Tufts University for college and majored in biology. While there, she discovered an enthusiasm for research by working in a fruit fly lab, and she volunteered weekly at an after-school program as a mentor for children living in a public housing development. After graduating, Catie decided to stay in the Boston area as a clinical research assistant in the field of osteoporosis and vitamin D. It was during this time that she realized that becoming a physician combined her interests of teaching and research, all while giving her the opportunity to form deeper connections with people and her community as a whole.

Catie attended medical school at New York Medical College, where she continued to explore these interests while honing in on a passion for primary care. She had meaningful experiences working alongside patients with long-term symptoms following COVID-19 infection. She saw how important it is to evaluate the needs of a community in order to discover solutions that work for patients and their lives. Catie also spent time supporting her peers as the Family Medicine Interest Group president and as a member of the "Peer to Peer Committee," where she helped her classmates approach problems and mediate interpersonal conflicts.

Catie is excited to join Tufts FMR at CHA to become a family doctor who is also a life-long learner and advocate. She looks forward to serving a diverse population alongside colleagues who care deeply about health equity. Catie's interests in Family Medicine include comprehensive women's healthcare, addiction medicine, LGBTQ+ care, and teaching. In her spare time, Catie enjoys playing board games, eating pizza, printmaking, visiting art museums, and spending time outside!

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Mara grew up in Chicago after moving to the US from Romania at the age of one. She stayed for college at the University of Chicago, where graduated with Honors in Biology with a specialization in Cell and Molecular Biology. There, she developed an interest in translational research, working to develop neutralizing antibodies against anthrax toxins. After college, she continued to explore her interest in bench research at the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard. She and her team discovered a link between certain vaginal bacterial communities and the risk of HIV acquisition among young women in South Africa.

At Harvard Medical School, Mara discovered her love for family medicine and primary care. She served as student director of a student-faculty collaborative clinic at MGH-IMA, member of the HMS admissions committee, and alternate student director for the board of the Massachusetts Academy of Family Physicians.

Mara is delighted to continue her medical training as a resident at Tufts FMR at CHA, with an interest in full spectrum outpatient family medicine and special interests in prenatal, post-partum and breastfeeding medicine. Outside of the clinic, Mara enjoys Zumba, exploring nature, and spending time with her daughter.

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Younglak was born in Seoul, South Korea and immigrated to Winchester, Massachusetts with his family. His family moved to the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois around middle school. He earned a bachelor's degree in psychology at Northwestern University in Illinois. After college he worked as a tutor and did some backpacking around Europe and Japan and Korea.

He completed medical school at the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2022. During his time at UIC he developed a passion for working with underserved populations. During his time at UIC he saw the disparities in healthcare through his work with the local student free clinics and student-run covid initiatives and the need to advocate for patients, address the social determinants of health, and the need for excellent primary care providers. His work as president of the local Asian Pacific American Student Association (APAMSA) allowed him the opportunity to work with local community leaders in the Chicago Chinatown, Vietnamese, and Korean communities and organize health fairs to meet their needs.

Younglak is thrilled to have matched at Tufts/Cambridge Health Alliance Family Medicine Residency and to be coming back home to Boston after many years. He is excited to work at a program filled with people committed to health equity and social justice. In his free time he enjoys playing cello and guitar, playing videogames, chugging coffee, exploring restaurants, and trying to get his cat Joy to love him.

Pronouns: He/Him/His

Lia is originally from right here in Malden, MA! Before her family moved over the town line to Melrose, she built many happy memories buried in books at the Malden public library, performing classical music with her family, and playing in Trafton Park with her three big brothers. She went to Harvard University for undergrad where she studied psychology and classics. There, she also volunteered on an eating disorder hotline and co-directed the ballet company.

After college, Lia worked as a clinical research coordinator at the Brigham and Women's Cardiovascular Genetics Clinic and volunteered as a hotline counselor for the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center. She loved developing her voice in counseling and exploring the healing interdisciplinary threads of science and art. In her spare time she continued playing piano, dancing, and cuddling her two standard poodles.

Delighted to stay in Boston, Lia matriculated to Tufts University School of Medicine. She discovered her interests in medicine were broad, including behavioral health and psychiatry, reproductive justice, and pediatrics. She is particularly passionate about trauma-informed care, weight-inclusive care, and wellness practices. She continued volunteering as a rape crisis counselor, and her service was recognized by her induction to the Tisch College Honos Civicus Society. As she learned more about the role a physician can play in supporting their resilient communities, she found her way to family medicine! She is thrilled to return to her hometown of Malden to continue her training with the CHA Family Medicine Program.

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Antonio is a Puerto Rican-Salvadoran-American who grew up in sunny South Florida. He graduated from the University of Florida, majoring in biochemistry and minoring in health disparities in society and jazz studies. Committed to healthcare for all, Antonio volunteered at the UF Equal Access Clinic, a student-run free clinic. He also co-founded the UF RESULTS advocacy group, meeting with state government to advocate for global health legislation.

Antonio completed his medical education at Tufts University School of Medicine, where he served as student body president, student co-chair of the medical school reaccreditation committee, and member of the admissions committee. An advocate for diversity and inclusion, Antonio has maintained a focus on equity throughout his leadership work. In addition, he has sought opportunities to mentor minority students. Antonio served as a volunteer science teacher at Eugene Wright Middle School (Chelsea, MA) and as program coordinator of the TAHSS Program, a medical summer program for underrepresented high school students. Upon graduating, Antonio received the TUSM Honos Civicus award in recognition for his commitment to community service.

Antonio is currently a family medicine resident at his dream program, Tufts/CHA Family Medicine. He is most excited to strengthen his practice in reproductive and sexual health, integrative medicine, and lifestyle medicine.

In his free time, Antonio enjoys the arts of every kind, including photography, painting, and playing jazz saxophone.

Pronouns: He/Him/His

Juan or Juanito, a first-generation Cuban American, was raised in Miami, Florida. He completed his undergraduate education at Florida International University (FIU) in Miami, Florida. He later attended the University of Rochester Medical Center for a post-baccalaureate research program in Immunology in Rochester, New York. Juan returned to FIU to obtain a graduate degree in Public Health focused on Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, where his passion for LGBTQ health blossomed. He later worked for about five years in public health focused on HIV prevention and treatment (including PrEP and nPEP), health disparities, and cultural competency in healthcare. As a public health advocate, he was involved in multiple LGBTQ health projects, including expanding access to STI testing and treatment to LGBTQ youth in South Florida through a local community-based organization focused on providing various social and health services. He also helped create an LGBTQ clinical elective at the FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, where he eventually enrolled as a medical student. During his medical school career, he continued to be involved in multiple initiatives, including community outreach events focused on sexual health and contributing to curricular changes in educating medical students on sexual health topics. Through his passion for public health interventions, he was further involved in other areas of medicine, such as diabetes group medical visits and Telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic. He truly enjoys community engagement and working together with community partners to address health disparities. As the current Student Representative for the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM), he continues to be involved in academic medicine through various avenues, including finding ways to promote diversity and inclusion in academic medicine and continuing to support professional development for medical students, residents, and faculty.

Juan is highly excited to join the Tufts CHA family for the next three years as he embarks on a new journey to become a public health Family Medicine physician focusing in areas such as HIV primary care and Reproductive Health!

Juan enjoys jogging (excited to find new tracks in the Boston and Malden area), cooking (my favorite is BBQ and Caribbean cuisine), nature photography, dancing, and spending quality time with his cats and partner.

Pronouns: He/Him/His

Tulsi spent her childhood in the heart of North Carolina, where access to both mountains and sea fostered her love for outdoor exploration and adventure. Growing up, her perspective was often influenced by the experience of her immigrant parents and grandparents as they navigated American society. Observing her grandfather's experience in healthcare sparked her curiosity in the role culture and English literacy play in the quality of healthcare received. This led her to study International Studies with a Global Health focus at East Carolina University. After studying abroad in Spain and Argentina, Tulsi used her Spanish language skills to facilitate a health literacy project for migrant farmworkers in Eastern NC that aimed to improve their understanding of and ability to engage with the health system.

Tulsi continued to serve the Eastern NC community through medical school at the Brody School of Medicine at ECU. There, she helped lead a student-run free clinic and explored the quality improvement world as a Healthcare Transformation and Leadership Distinction Track Scholar. She also partnered with leaders of the Obstetrics department to improve the standardization of cesarean section deliveries at their hospital through implementation of a quality bundle. One of Tulsi's favorite memories during medical school is attending the North Carolina Academy of Family Physicians conferences with her classmates and witnessing the vibrant sense of community among family physicians at various stages in their careers.

Tulsi is overjoyed to be joining this community, particularly at Tufts FMR! Some of her interests include reproductive health, LGBTQ+ health, immigrant health, and group visits. She is excited to learn family medicine in an environment that prioritizes social justice and health advocacy.

In her free time, you can find Tulsi planning a trip to her next bucket-list hike and in the kitchen (poorly) attempting to follow in her grandmother and mother's catering legacy. She also enjoys Peloton cycling, hammocking, and exploring new cities and restaurants.

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers