Emergency Medicine Residency Program

Welcome New and Prospective Residents

On behalf of the Department of Emergency Medicine here at Desert Regional Medical Center, welcome to our site. It is with much anticipation that we welcome our new residents and look forward to growing a strong teaching program committed to resident education. We realize that a residency program ultimately becomes woven into the fabric of a candidate’s life and sets the foundation for the rest of their career. The aim here is to give our residents an experience that will form this foundation and provide all of the tools they will need going forward.

We are a family of independently-driven, collectively strong, compassionate individuals who build each other up and catch each other when we fall. We train clinically excellent, resilient emergency physicians who can handle anything, anywhere, anytime. We seek coachable individuals who are adaptable, reliable, hardworking, thrive on challenge, and who focus not on what they can take, but what they can give. We find grit, enthusiasm, humility and dedication to be of the utmost importance. We work hard, play hard. Together we are DRMC emergency medicine.

We are an ACGME approved, three year teaching site servicing the Coachella Valley. The program will accept ten residents per year. It is our goal to provide exceptional medical care, education and an environment that fosters personal growth in our residents.

Thank you for your interest in our program, please contact us with any questions.

Sincerely,
Joel Stillings, D.O.

Joel Stillings, D.O.

Program Director
Desert Regional Medical Center Emergency Medicine Residency

Current Positions:

• Emergency Medical Services Director/Attending Physician
• Desert Regional Medical Center, Palm Springs, CA
• Attending Physician, Saint Bernardine Medical Center, San Bernardino, CA

Board Certification: Emergency Medicine

Residency: Emergency Medicine, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, Colton, CA

Medical Degree: D.O., Western University of Health Sciences Pomona, CA

Faculty Appointments:

• Clinical Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA
• Clinical Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine, University of Riverside School of Medicine, Riverside, CA

Applications

The Department of Emergency Medicine participates exclusively with the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) and can be found on the Electronic Residency Application Service. You may apply through the dean's office at your medical school, or through the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates.

Interviews

Scheduled in October through December, on Wednesdays and Thursdays and are offered to applicants who have submitted an application through ERAS. (Applications sent by fax or email will not be reviewed.)

The interview day starts at 9:00 a.m. and concludes by 2:00 p.m. The itinerary includes:

• Weekly didactic lectures
• Interviews with four faculty including program leadership
• Tour of DRMC
• Lunch with the residents and faculty

Information for International Medical Graduates (IMGs)

• DRMC training programs are competitive and do not meet the hard to fill criteria required for Visa (Temporary TN work status, temporary H-1B and J-1) sponsorship.
• Passing scores on the first attempt of USMLE steps 1 and 2 are required.
• Applicants should have graduated from medical school within five years and must meet the accreditation requirements of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education for licensure.
• ECFMG certification is not required at the time your application is submitted but is required to start residency.

Emergency Medicine Curriculum

The curriculum for Desert Regional Medical Center has been designed to meet ACGME accreditation standards and utilize the clinical strengths of the hospital faculty to produce quality trained physicians.  The hospital has elected to use 13, four-week arrangement for rotations.

Didactic Curriculum

The didactic curriculum is delivered through a combination of conferences, seminars, journal clubs, case studies, grand rounds, mortality and morbidity conferences. Four-hour sessions with two hours devoted to didactic lecture, one hour devoted to skills, and one hour are devoted to reading assignments, mortality and morbidity review, and case presentations that occurs weekly. Journal club, educational activities, and written exams occur on a monthly basis. Oral board simulation occurs on a quarterly basis. The in-service exam occurs on a yearly basis. Residents are expected to maintain active certification in ACLS, BLS, ATLS, and PALS.

Emergency Medicine Program Faculty

• Joel Stillings, DO
  Program Director
• Michelle Mouri, DO
  Assistant Program Director
• Ryan Roten, DO
  Assistant Program Director

Babak Khazaeni, MD

Medical Director/Chairman
Desert Regional Medical Center Emergency Medicine Residency

Current Position: Medical Director/Chairman, Desert Regional Medical Center

Board Certification: Emergency Medicine

Residency: University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI

Medical Degree: MD, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Faculty Appointments:

• Clinical Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA
• Clinical Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine, University of Riverside School of Medicine, Riverside, CA

Core Faculty

Jacqueline Le, MD

Assistant Medical Director/Core Faculty
Desert Regional Medical Center Emergency Medicine Residency

Current Position:  Assistant Medical Director/Core Faculty – Emergency Medicine Residency Desert Regional Medical Center

Board Certification: Emergency Medicine

Residency: Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA

Medical Degree: MD, University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine, Chicago, IL

Faculty Appointments:  

• Clinical Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA
• Clinical Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine, University of Riverside School of Medicine, Riverside, CA

Michelle Mouri, DO

Assistant Program Director/Core Faculty
Desert Regional Medical Center Emergency Medicine Residency

Current Position:

• Assistant Program Director/Core Faculty
• Core Faculty – Emergency Medicine Residency Desert Regional Medical Center

Board Certification: Emergency Medicine

Residency: Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, Colton, CA

Medical Degree: DO, Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Vallejo, CA

Faculty Appointments:  Clinical Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA

Ryan Roten, DO

Assistant Program Director/Core Faculty
Desert Regional Medical Center Emergency Medicine Residency

Current Position:

• Assistant Program Director/Core Faculty
• Core Faculty – Emergency Medicine Residency Desert Regional Medical Center

Board Certification: Emergency Medicine

Residency: Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, Colton, CA

Medical Degree: DO, Western University of Health Science, Pomona, CA

Faculty Appointments:

• Clinical Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA
• Clinical Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine, University of Riverside School of Medicine, Riverside, CA

Jeff Baker, DO

Clerkship/Director/Core Faculty
Desert Regional Medical Center Emergency Medicine Residency

Current Position:

• Clerkship Director/Core Faculty
• Core Faculty – Emergency Medicine Residency Desert Regional Medical Center

Board Certification: Emergency Medicine

Medical Degree: DO, Western University of Health Science, Pomona, CA

Residency: MLK Drew Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA

Faculty Appointments:

• Clinical Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA
• Clinical Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine, University of Riverside School of Medicine, Riverside, CA

Grant Nelson, MD

Ultrasound Director/Core Faculty
Desert Regional Medical Center Emergency Medicine Residency

Current Position:

• Core Faculty – Emergency Medicine Residency Desert Regional Medical Center
• Ultrasound Director/Core Faculty – Emergency Medicine Residency Desert Regional Medical Center

Board Certification: Emergency Medicine

Residency:

• Emergency Medicine, John Hospital & Medical Center, Detroit, MI
• Emergency Ultrasound Fellowship, Wayne State University/Detroit Medical Center/St. John Hospital & Medical Center, Detroit, MI

Medical Degree: MD, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI

Suneil Agrawal, MD

Core Faculty
Desert Regional Medical Center Emergency Medicine Residency

Current Position: Core Faculty – Emergency Medicine Residency Desert Regional Medical Center

Board Certification: Emergency Medicine

Residency:

• Emergency Medicine, University of California, Fresno – Community Regional Medical Center

Medical Degree: MD, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA

Andrew Givner, MD

Core Faculty
Desert Regional Medical Center Emergency Medicine Residency

Current Position: Core Faculty – Emergency Medicine Residency Desert Regional Medical Center

Board Certification: Emergency Medicine

Residency:

• Emergency Medicine, Loma Linda University Medical Center and Children’s Hospital

Medical Degree: MD, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA

Micah Wittler, DO

Core Faculty
Desert Regional Medical Center Emergency Medicine Residency

Current Position:

• Core Faculty – Emergency Medicine Residency Desert Regional Medical Center

Board Certification: Emergency Medicine

Residency: Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, Colton, CA

Medical Degree: DO, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA

Faculty Appointments: 

• Clinical Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA
• Clinical Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine, University of Riverside School of Medicine, Riverside, CA

Non-Core Faculty

• Brian Anderson, MD (Emergency Medicine)
• Nnameaka Diribe, DO (Emergency Medicine)
• Eugene Hu, MD (Emergency Medicine)
• Asim Iqbal, DO (Emergency Medicine)
• Heng Lee, DO (Emergency Medicine)
• Jonathan Nichol, DO (Emergency Medicine)
• Eric Ory, MD (Emergency Medicine)
• Sonia Reyes, MD (Emergency Medicine)
• Albert Wang, DO (Emergency Medicine)

First Year Residents

Second Year Residents

Third Year Residents