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Family Medicine Residency Program

Welcome to the Desert Regional Family Medicine Residency program. We are excited to start a new community-based program with a central focus on evidence-based medicine and community service. Our mission is to prepare residents to provide the highest quality and personalized care to the residents of the Coachella Valley that is patient, family, and community centered.

We are located in the resort city of Palm Springs within the Coachella Valley, part of the Inland Empire of Southern California. We serve a very diverse patient population with a particular focus on the medically underserved and most vulnerable populations. Our program is dedicated to teaching the next generation of physicians to serve the community with social responsibility to improve health, wellness, and access to healthcare.

Our faculty are committed to education with a true dedication to excellence. They bring a diversity of experiences that enhance the well-rounded curriculum that is offered. Coupled with training at a Level 1 trauma center and state-of-the-art outpatient facilities, our program is equipped to provide residents with an outstanding training opportunity that will not only enable them to develop strong clinical skills but also provide leadership experiences that enable them to become health advocates within the community.

First Year Residents

Danielle Ray Anciro, MD

Hometown: Floral Park, NY

Hobbies: Exploring New Places, Cooking, starting and (hopefully) completing random art projects

Reason for Choosing DRMC: Proximity to family, amazing vibe of the places the people.

Photo of Danielle Ray Anciro, MD
Robert Beben, MD

Hometown: Irvine, CA

Hobbies: Travel and Gardening

Reason for Choosing DRMC: I choose DRMC because it's to close to home and I've always wanted to experience the Desert.

Photo of Robert Beben, MD
Alec Breazeale, MD

Hometown: Portland, OR

Hobbies: Exercise, Basketball, Golf, Enjoy the outdoors

Reason for Choosing DRMC: I chose DRMC because it is a community program with amazing faculty, and of course sunshine! Palm Springs is heaven for golfers and those who enjoy exploring outside.

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Philip Campos, DO

Hometown: Fountain Valley, CA

Hobbies: Basketball, Running, Swimming

Reason for Choosing DRMC: The environment and people the city is full of energy and things to do, and a community I want to serve. The people I have met are very welcoming and supportive.

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Anahita Ghorbani, MD

Hometown: Philadelphia, PA

Hobbies: Swimming, Cooking , Hiking, Fantasy book club

Reason for Choosing DRMC: I chose DRMC for several reasons. The community-based program offers extensive exposure to a wide variety of pathologies, ensuring a well rounded & comprehensive medical training. The residents treat each other with respect & support, which creates a nurturing and collaborative environment. Additionally, the city's proximity to my family allows me to maintain a strong personal support system.

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Roghin Ibrahim, DO

Hometown: San Diego, CA

Hobbies: Hiking, Doing puzzles and exploring different coffer shops in the area.

Reason for Choosing DRMC: I choose DRMC because of my interview with the faculty and residents, they showed how much they care and the environment was welcoming. Plus location is ideal! 

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Le-Anne Montejo, MD

Hometown: Palo Alto, CA

Hobbies: Yoga, Hiit Classes, Baking, Cooking, Traveling, Golf

Reason for Choosing DRMC: Close to family, great place to live, and lots of opportunities to grow and help the community!

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Andrew Moore, MD

Hometown: San Diego, CA

Hobbies: Cooking, Running Reading

Reason for Choosing DRMC: The broad range of experiences and training for multiple populations. A strong training program with many different opportunities in a diverse community.

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Marcellina Nwosu, MD

Hometown: Missouri City, Texas

Hobbies: Travelling, Hiking, Singing, Skiing

Reason for Choosing DRMC: Strong teaching and didactics. Diversity, Involvement in research, Community outreach and involvement.

Photo of Marcellina Nwosu, MD
Fouzhan Pejmanian, MD

Hometown: Laguna Niguel, CA

Hobbies: Pottery Painting, Gardening and Cooking

Reason for Choosing DRMC: Because of its welcoming faculty, who are both skilled and genuinely invested in residents success. The supportive learning environment and also extensive community outreach opportunities.

Photo of Fouzhan Pejmanian, MD
Tatevik Takhmazyan, DO

Hometown: Northridge, CA

Hobbies: Drawing, Dancing, Hiking

Reason for Choosing DRMC: DRMC faculty and Residents are very welcoming and are committed to providing a wonderful learning experience, Located in Palm Springs, I'm excited to serve the community here and have warm weather all year!

Photo of Tatevik Takhmazyan, DO
Shwe Hlang Win, MD

Hometown: Myanmar

Hobbies: Cooking, Hiking

Reason for Choosing DRMC: I choose DRMC because of strong diductic and curiculum, Welcoming faculty, Family type working environment, diverse patien population, location and close to my Family and Friends.

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Second Year Residents

Trent James Dale, DO

Hometown: Las Vegas, NV

Hobbies: Hiking, camping, literature, dinner parties and exploring coffee shops

Reason for Choosing DRMC: To be part of an institution that makes being involved in helping the local community and underserved a top priority.

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Behnam Kachouei, DO

Hometown: Ontario, CA

Hobbies: Reading, obstacle course races, spending quality time with family, acquiring new skills, explore and practice knowledge that uplift human values

Reason for Choosing DRMC: A partially unopposed program that maximizes learning opportunities and is close to home

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Justin Kleinman, DO

Hometown: San Diego, CA

Hobbies: Cooking, free diving, fishing, kayaking, running

Reason for Choosing DRMC: Excellent opportunity to learn and practice of family medicine with a wide variety of patients, close to home, great community.

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Akshitha B. Kolla, MD

Hometown: South Riding,VA

Hobbies: Photography, tennis, traveling

Reason for Choosing DRMC: The opportunities available to care for underserved populations, supportive and knowledgeable faculty, and vibrant art and culture of Palm Springs in the heart of Coachella Valley.

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Camilo Neacato, MD

Hometown: West Covina, CA

Hobbies: Muay Thai, playing guitar, hiking, biking

Reason for Choosing DRMC: Close to my family, community and beautiful location

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Navpreet Singh, MD

Hometown: Bay Area, CA

Hobbies: Basketball, weight lifting, and medicine

Reason for Choosing DRMC: Warm beautiful scenery and very welcoming faculty

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Erik Tatos, MD

Hometown: Burbank, CA

Hobbies: I love to move (lift, hike, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, basketball). I also enjoy history, cinema, stand-up comedy, Sinatra & cooking. I love spending time with family and friends.

Reason for Choosing DRMC: DRMC was a top program for me, but it wasn't until I met all the people behind the program, that I knew it was my dream program. They never made me feel like a stranger and took time to make me feel welcomed. Most importantly, the relationship they had amongst one another was something I knew I wanted for my medical journey.

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Bryant Tran, DO

Hometown: Orange County, CA

Hobbies: Traveling, trying new food, music festivals, watching and playing new sports including basketball, football, tennis, pickleball, golf.

Reason for Choosing DRMC: The faculty and positive experience

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Nandini Vadlamani, MD

Hometown: (City, State) Charlotte, North Carolina

Hobbies: Motivational Speaking (Life Coaching). Kick-Boxing, Investing (Stock Market), Painting

Reasons for Choosing DRMC: At DRMC, I knew I can excel not only as a competent doctor but also as a compassionate individual, seizing opportunities to care for underserved populations amidst the vibrant art and culture of Palm Springs in the heart of Coachella Valley. With compassionate faculty and mentors, it provides a healthy environment for personal and professional growth.

 

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Demetrios Vorgias, MD

Hometown: (City, State) Redwood City, California

Hobbies: Gardening, Cooking, Baking, playing video games, working out.

Reasons for Choosing DRMC: A lot of places SAY they are like a family. Here, they actually are. The residents and faculty have a very close bond with each other. The faculty seems to take a genuine interest in teaching and helping residents grow as doctors. I feel like this place gives me my best chance to grow and become the best doctor I can be.

 

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Paul Geejun Yang, DO

Hometown: Oakland, CA

Hobbies: Going to the gym, watching football and basketball, playing games with friends

Reason for Choosing DRMC: Strong inpatient experience, opportunities to serve the community, welcoming faculty and admission, kind and friendly co-residents

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Third Year Residents

Cecil Acosta, DO

Hometown: Glendale, CA

Hobbies: traveling, weightlifting, making sushi, playing volleyball, working on/detailing cars.

Reason for Choosing DRMC: Location, sense of community, and to be close to home!

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Aida Gholami, MD

Hometown: Shiraz, Iran

Hobbies: Cooking and baking, Listening to podcasts, watching movies, spending time with friends

Reason for Choosing DRMC: Clinical exposure to a variety of pathologies, being part of a friendly and supportive team

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Stanimira Kartolova, MD

Hometown: Los Angeles, CA

Hobbies: Travel and cooking

Reason for Choosing DRMC: Beautiful California desert and diverse community

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Alice Kim, MD

Hometown: Los Angeles, CA

Hobbies: Golfing, petting pups, K-beauty sheet masking

Reason for Choosing DRMC: The sense of family within the program, the passionate and compassionate attendings, the plethora of golf courses

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Chan Hee Lee, MD

Hometown: San Jose, CA

Hobbies: Golf, swimming, yoga, meditation

Reason for Choosing DRMC: Unique location, excellent program and people, while being closer to family.

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Enrique Novales, MD

Hometown: Palm Springs, CA

Hobbies: Music, outdoors, martial arts.

Reason for Choosing DRMC: For the opportunity to serve my hometown

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Christian Olafsen, MD

Hometown: Apple Valley, California

Hobbies: Escape Rooms, Trying new Restaurants, Playing Apex Legends with my younger brothers.

Reason for Choosing DRMC: Close to my family, beautiful city, the awesome tramway, and the weather is never cold.

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Chum Lim Yau, MD

Hometown: Bermuda Dunes, CA

Hobbies: Soccer, Strength and conditioning

Reason for Choosing DRMC: The faculty and staff are welcoming, supportive and friendly. Residents are being well taken care of and our learning every day are maximized. Being a local from the Coachella Valley, it is truly a blessing to be close to home. I am so grateful to be a part of the DRMC family medicine program!

Photo of Chum Lim Yau, MD
Kamran Zinati, MD

Hometown: Los Angeles, CA

Hobbies: Watching movies & soccer games, music, gym, spending time with my family, hanging out with friends to play Backgammon, cards and exploring new restaurants.

Reason for Choosing DRMC: For the friendly & welcoming faculties/residents, supportive learning environment and to be close to home and my family in LA.

Photo of Kamran Zinati, MD

Continuity Clinic

The New Family Medicine Center is a newly remodeled, greater than 13,000 sq. ft. structure that will serve as the headquarters for the new Family Medicine Residency program, providing care to patients and an educational platform for training and research. The two-story facility includes 20 exam rooms, a triage room, family counseling room, smart classroom and two procedure rooms.

Curriculum Overview

About the Program Curriculum

The DRMC Family Medicine residency program is a three-year program that provides outstanding training for residents by providing excellent patient care with compassion and leadership skills.

PGY-1

  • Inpatient Medicine — Two months
  • Night Float — Two months
  • Cardiology — One month
  • Family Medicine Essentials — Two weeks
  • Family Medicine Center — One month
  • Obstetrics — One month
  • Pediatric/Newborn Medicine — One month
  • General Surgery — One month
  • Sports Medicine — One month
  • Otorhinolaryngology (ENT) — Two weeks
  • Nephrology — One month
  • Podiatry — Two weeks

PGY-2

  • Inpatient Medicine — Two months
  • Night Float — Two months
  • Emergency Room — One month
  • Geriatrics — One month
  • Infectious Disease — One month OMIT
  • Obstetrics — One month
  • Pediatric Outpatient — One month
  • Behavioral Science — One month
  • Dermatology — Two weeks
  • Family Medicine Center — One Month
  • Elective - 1 month

PGY-3

  • Inpatient Medicine — Two months
  • Pediatric Emergency Room — One month
  • Family Medicine Center — One month
  • Gynecology — One month
  • Musculoskeletal — One month
  • Pediatric Outpatient — One month
  • Electives — 5 months
  • Noon Lectures

Noon Lectures

The family medicine conference is held once weekly on Tuesday afternoons. Topics are varied and evidence-based, covering the entire spectrum of medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, behavioral science and psychiatry.

Afternoon Workshops

The last Thursday of the month is set aside for resident business and learning. During this time, the residents have protected time with the chief resident and program director to discuss any burning issues of the day.

This afternoon also includes learning time for hands-on workshops like suturing, joint injections, casting, colposcopy, etc.

Application Information

The program participates in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) and accepts applications only through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS).

The program offers ten new positions each year.

Minimum Requirements

Residency applicants must pass the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 with no more than one (1) failure and 2 Clinical Knowledge (CK) with no failures.

COMLEX Level 1 no more than one (1) failure and COMLEX Level 2 Clinical Exam with no failures.

Must be graduated from medical school within the last five years.

Three letters of recommendation (LORs)-one letter must be from a family medicine physician.

US citizen and/or permanent resident.

To be considered a competitive applicant to our program, we highly recommend applicants have USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 scores of greater than 210.

As soon as applicants are accepted into a residency program, they are required to apply for a Postgraduate Training License (PTL) from the Medical Board of California (MBC). Please visit the Medical Board of California website for further information.

International Applicants

All applicants must possess a valid work permit prior to the date the rank order is submitted to the matching program or prior to a position being offered. This can be met with United States citizenship or permanent residency. We do not sponsor H1 or J1 visas.

International medical school graduates are required to submit the following additional documentation:

  • ECFMG Standard Certification with valid date.
  • Score for examinations used to qualify for the ECFMG certificate.

A completed application includes ERAS common application form, a dean’s letter, transcript, USMLE transcript or Complex transcripts, a personal statement, and three letters of recommendation, preferably including one from a department of medicine chair (or designee). Our program number is 1200500768

Qualified applicants are invited for interviews and visits from late-October through January. To increase your chances of securing an interview date, we recommend submitting an application before November 15.

Contact

Family Medicine Residency
DRMC Family Medicine Center
555 E. Tachevah Drive
Palm Springs, CA 92262