GME Leadership | Graduate Medical Education at Community Memorial Health System

Designated Institutional Official (DIO)

Orthopaedic Surgery

Samuel Small, DO

Originally from a small town in Michigan, Dr. Small attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and graduated with honors with a dual major in Anthropology and Zoology. Inspired by his family’s personal physician, he attended the Midwestern University’s Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine and graduated with his Doctorate in Osteopathic Medicine in 1978. He completed his post-graduate training in General Practice with the Horizon Health Systems/Henry Ford Hospital Teaching Program in Warren, Michigan.

After moving to California, Dr. Small opened a general practice in Ojai, treating a broad range of patients. He developed a special interest in musculoskeletal problems, especially of the neck and back. This interest ultimately led him to leave Ojai in1991 after eleven years of general practice and return to academia. He went on to complete an additional five years of post-graduate training; four years at the Orthopaedic Surgical Residency program at Horizon Health Systems/Michigan State University and a year-long Fellowship in Spine Surgery at UCLA.

Dr. Small is a Charter Diplomat of the American Board of Spine Surgery and a Diplomat of the National Board of Examiners for Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons. He is board certified by the American Board of Spine Surgery and the American Osteopathic Board of Orthopaedic Surgery. He has also served as a clinical instructor at UCLA and is a board examiner for the American Osteopathic Board of Orthopaedic Surgery-Spine Surgery Division. He served as the Chief of Staff at Community Memorial Hospital in Ventura, California for two years from 2009 to 2010 and is currently the Vice-President for Graduate Medical Education/DIO.

His hobbies include traveling with his wife of twenty-nine years and their two children, golf, and horseback riding.

Program Directors

Internal Medicine

Debby Carlson, MD

Debby Carlson, M.D. is the Program Director of the Internal Medicine Residency at Community Memorial Hospital. She attended Tufts University in Massachusetts before returning home to Los Angeles to attend medical school at The University of Southern California. She completed her residency and Chief residency in Internal Medicine at LAC-USC Medical Center. Dr. Carlson started her career in Ventura as a traditional Internist, following her patients in both the inpatient and outpatient settings. Having transitioned to Hospital Medicine, she is now the Medical Director of Pacific Inpatient Physicians at Community Memorial Hospital.
Orthopaedic Surgery

Thomas Golden, MD

Dr. Golden is currently the Program Director for the Orthopaedic Surgery Residency at Community Memorial Hospital. He studied engineering at the U.S. Naval Academy and Molecular Biology at the University of California, San Diego. Dr. Golden earned his medical degree from the University of Virginia School of Medicine and did an internship in Family Practice at UCLA Harbor General Hospital in California. He attended a two year Family Practice Residency at the Ventura County Medical Center and subsequently completed 4 years of specialty training in Orthopaedic Surgery at the San Francisco Orthopaedic Residency Program. He is certified through the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery. He is also an active member of the Arthroscopy Association of North America and the American Association for Hip and Knee Surgeons.

He possesses expertise in a wide range of Orthopaedic procedures specializing in shoulder, knee and hip surgery. These include joint replacements and minimally invasive arthroscopic surgeries.

Dr. Golden has served the medical community and his patients for more than 30 years. He has held several leadership positions at Community Memorial Hospital, including Chief of Surgery and Director of the Same Day Surgery Unit. In 2013, the Medical Staff elected Dr. Golden as Chief of Staff for a two year term.

Finally, Dr. Golden is an active participant in our Ventura community, contributing to several charities benefiting medical research and public education. In his free time, he is an avid runner and enjoys boating, fishing, backpacking and spending time with his wife, 3 grown children and 2 grandchildren.
General Surgery

Javier Romero, MD

Javier Romero, M.D., F.A.C.S., F.I.C.S., is the Program Director of the General Surgery Residency at Community Memorial Hospital. He attended medical school at the University of California, Davis and completed his residency and Chief residency in General Surgery at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. Following his residency, Dr. Romero completed a fellowship at Los Angeles County USC in Trauma and Surgical Critical Care. He is certified through the American Board of Surgery in General Surgery and Surgical Critical Care. Dr. Romero is currently the Director and Chair of Surgery, Director of Critical Surgical Care Services and Co-Director of Trauma Medical Services for Ventura County Medical Center.
Family Medicine

Brian Utz, DO

Dr. Brian Utz grew up in a military family, living in California, Hawaii, and Florida. After high school, he worked as a phlebotomist and lab assistant in a clinical laboratory for several years before beginning his undergraduate studies at the University of South Florida, where he majored in Biomedical Science. He graduated from medical school at the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in Bradenton Florida. Brian is dedicated to serving in international missions as well as caring for the underserved at home. He has been on several mission trips to date and plans for many more. He has also volunteered in free clinics at home. In his free time, Brian likes to cook, travel, and spend time outdoors.
Psychiatry

Joseph C. Vlaskovits, MD

Joseph C. Vlaskovits, M.D. is Program Director for the Psychiatry Residency. He also is Adjunct Faculty for the VCMC Addiction Medicine Fellowship. He was previously Medical Director of the VCMC Inpatient Psychiatric Unit and has held leadership positions on the VCMC medical staff, including Chief of Psychiatry and Chair of the Credentials Committee. He has taught family practice residents and psychologists-in-training. His present practice specialties are acute inpatient psychiatry, residential psychiatry, addiction medicine, and forensic psychiatry.

Dr. Vlaskovits received his MD degree from the University of Pécs, Hungary, in 2005 and completed his residency in Psychiatry at the University of New Mexico in 2011, including serving as chief resident at the Albuquerque VA Medical Center. He completed a Fellowship in Forensic Psychiatry at Case Western Reserve University in 2012. He is board-certified in Psychiatry, Forensic Psychiatry, and Addiction Medicine. He is a member of the American Psychiatric Association, Southern California Psychiatric Society, American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, and American Association of Directors of Psychiatry Residency Training. He has published two articles on bioethics and forensic psychiatry.

Associate Program Directors

Internal Medicine

Steven Barr, MD

Dr. Barr is the Associate Program Director for Internal Medicine at Community Memorial Hospital. He is a lifelong Californian, having graduated from the University of California, Davis, followed by medical school at the University of Southern California, and residency in the internal medicine primary care track at the University of California Irvine Medical Center. After serving in the National Health Service Corps in a community clinic in East Los Angeles, he practiced in two multi-specialty groups in Modesto before moving to Ventura in 2005. He is currently located at the Midtown Medical Group Multi-specialty Clinic on Brent Street. He is board certified in Internal Medicine and a Fellow of the American College of Physicians. Before joining the faculty at CMH, he taught at USC and the Ventura County Medical Center Family Practice Residency program. He has an interest in wilderness medicine and was a long-time member of the Wilderness Medical Society and the National Ski Patrol.
Orthopaedic Surgery

Emily Benson, MD

Emily Benson, MD is an orthopedic trauma surgeon who specializes in complex long bone and peri-articular fractures. She is originally from San Antonio, Texas and completed her schooling and training in New England. She obtained her undergraduate degree at Brown University and her medical doctorate at Boston University. She completed internship and orthopedic surgery residency at the University of Massachusetts. After finishing her orthopedic residency, she completed an additional orthopedic trauma fellowship with San Diego Orthopedic Trauma and Fracture Specialists. She is currently serving as Director of the Orthopedic Surgery Department at the Ventura County Medical Center and Associate Program Director for the Community Memorial Hospital Orthopedic Residency Program. She is an active member of the Orthopedic Trauma Association and served on multiple committees. Her interests include global orthopedics, and in 2018, she developed a non-profit organization called Viet Cal that is an orthopedic exchange program between the United States and Vietnam. Each year she takes a team of orthopedic surgeons and residents to remote areas of Vietnam to collaborate with local orthopedic surgeons on challenging cases. Her hobbies include surfing, triathlons, and spending time with her family.
Family Medicine

Michelle Daucett, DO

Dr. Michelle Daucett is the Family Medicine Program Director. She received her BS degree from the University of Oregon and her DO degree from Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific. She completed a rotating internship at OSU Medical Center in Tulsa, OKlahoma before going on active duty in the US Air Force. After completing Emergency Medicine and Flight Medicine training, she served at the USAF Hospital at Tinker AFB, Oklahoma City and completed board certification by ACOFP.

She returned home to Ventura County in 1995 and spent the next 20 years practicing family and emergency medicine, serving as the Medical Director for the Santa Paula Hospital Emergency Department from 2006-2015 before joining the CMHS GME team in the inaugural year. In her role as Program Director, she also precepts residents and students at the Midtown Medical Clinic.
Psychiatry

Leslie A. Horton, MD, PhD

Leslie A. Horton, M.D., Ph.D. is Associate Program Director for the Psychiatry Residency. She is also the Lead Psychiatrist for the Ventura County Medical Center Inpatient Psychiatry Unit and is the Lead Psychiatrist for medical student education in psychiatry. Her prior academic appointments include Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, Keck School of Medicine, and Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of Southern California, 2001-2008. Her prior professional activities include psychiatrist for the Los Angeles LGBT Center, 2013-2015; Medical Director, Anne Sippi Clinics of Los Angeles and Bakersfield, 2009-2016; and psychiatrist for Amanecer Community Counseling Services, Los Angeles, 2009-2013 where she provided psychiatric care to homeless populations in downtown Los Angeles.

Dr. Horton received her MD degree from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA in 1985, interned in Pediatrics at the University of Chicago Hospitals, 1988-1989, and completed her residency in Psychiatry at the University of Southern California LAC+USC Medical Center in 2001. She is board-certified in General Psychiatry. She is a member of the American Psychiatric Association, the Association of LGBTQ Psychiatrists, and the American Anthropological Association. Dr. Horton received a PhD in Anthropology from UCLA in 1996, with an emphasis in medical anthropology and psycho-cultural studies. She is particularly interested in how culture shapes hallucinations and delusions. She has published two articles on the assessment and treatment of patients with suicidal behaviors
Orthopaedic Surgery
Internal Medicine

Hannah Robinson, DO

Dr. Hannah Robinson grew up in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia and attended college at Virginia Tech, where she earned a B.S. in psychology and a B.A. in interdisciplinary studies with emphases in gender studies and religious studies. Looking for a change of scenery, she moved to the Bay Area to attend Touro University – California where she earned a D.O. as well as an M.P.H. with an emphasis in global health. During this time, she fell in love with West Coast weather and culture. She also enjoys hot yoga, backpacking, cycling, and cooking. She feels very fortunate to be living in Ventura and to be part of Community Memorial Health System, and she looks forward to learning and working with her patients, colleagues, and the faculty and staff at CMH.
General Surgery

Shawn Steen, MD

Shawn Steen, MD, FACS completed medical school at the University Of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver, CO. He went on to a residency in general surgery at the Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, TX and is a board certified general surgeon. Dr. Steen then moved to California spending two years completing a specialty fellowship in complexsurgical oncology at the world-renowned John Wayne Cancer Institute in Santa Monica where he served as the Chief Administrative Fellow and authored numerous publications and studies in the field of oncology. He has a breadth of experience in practice in the Southern California area having performed complex general surgery and surgical oncology at the Los Robles Hospital in Thousand Oaks, Providence Holy Cross Hospital in Mission Hills, Antelope Valley Hospital in Lancaster, and was an Assistant Clinical Professor of Surgery at the City of Hope National Cancer Center in Duarte. Dr. Steen has acted as the Director of Surgical Oncology at the Ventura County Medical Center since 2014 and has helped train surgical residents since the inception of the Community Memorial Hospital General Surgery Residency. He has also acted as the Associate Program Director for the CMH General Surgery residency since 2018. Dr. Steen’s clinical interests are in malignancies of the breast, skin, and abdominal organs. He performs oncoplastic breast surgery and is well versed in the sentinel lymph node technique for both breast and skin malignancy. He is one of few surgeons in the area with extensive experience in complex pancreas and hepatobiliary surgery. Dr. Steen looks forward to working at CMH more and can be reached for consultations through his office at Midtown Medical Group.

Administrative Support

Administrative Director of Graduate Medical Education

Alberto Kywi

Alberto Kywi graduated from the University of Southern California with a bachelor degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering and a master degree in Biomedical Engineering with an emphasis on hospital systems. He spent the first ten years of his career as a director of Management Engineering at various health systems, followed by a 25 year career in healthcare information technology, culminating with his retirement from Cottage Health System in Santa Barbara, CA as a Vice President of Information Technology and CIO in 2015. In late 2017 he was recruited as the Administrative Director of Graduate Medical Education at Community Memorial health System.

Director of Medical Education

Michelle Azimov, MD

Dr. Azimov graduated Phi Beta Kappa from University of Michigan with a Bachelor’s of Business Administration. She received her MD from University of Michigan Medical School. She earned membership in Alpha Omega Alpha and graduated cum laude in 1997. She completed residency training in internal medicine at University of Michigan Medical Center and is Board Certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and a Fellow of the American College of Physicians. She has worked as a hospitalist in private practice, as hospitalist teaching faculty at Ventura County Medical Center, as Associate Program Director for the Internal Medicine residency at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, and as the Institutional Educational Officer for Community Memorial Health System, where she is currently Director of Medical Education. She also serves as Chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. She currently practices as a hospital medicine consultant caring for hematology-oncology inpatients. She loves teaching residents and has contributed to publications for several medical publishers, including MedStudy and Tarascon. She enjoys learning languages and speaks conversational Spanish. She also likes to read mysteries, watch movies, travel, bake, and spend time with her family.

Director of Operations

Director of Behavioral Health and Resident Well-being

Psychology

Ronda Doonan, PsyD

Ronda Doonan, Psy.D. is Director of Behavioral Health and Resident Well-Being for Graduate Medical Education, Community Memorial Health System, and Psychologist for their Internal Medicine and Family Medicine Resident Continuity Clinics. She also is Founding Faculty Member for the Family Support Services training program at Ronald McDonald House in Los Angeles, Inland Empire, Pasadena, and Palo Alto, CA. She is Adjunct Assistant Professor of Social Medicine and Healthcare Leadership, College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA. Prior academic appointments include Instructor, Assistant Professor, and Associate Professor, California School of Professional Psychology, Alliant International University, Los Angeles, CA, 2006-2016.

Dr. Doonan received her PsyD degree from the California School of Professional Psychology in 2004 and completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Vista Del Mar Child and Family Services–Julia Ann Singer Center, Los Angeles, CA in 2006. She is a member of the American Psychological Association and the Psi Chi National Honor Society in Psychology. She is the author of seven articles and book chapters.