Family Medicine Residency: Residents

Dr. Ambareen Ahmed was born and raised in Maryland. Dr. Ahmed completed her undergraduate degree at George Washington University.  She then worked for 4 years at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center coordinating pain management research while simultaneously completing a Masters in Biotechnology and Bioinformatics at Johns Hopkins University.  When Dr. Ahmed then went onto medical school at Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences.   Dr. Ahmed’s hobbies include playing with her adorable cat, traveling and eating, and building with Legos.

Ralph Akl is a Lebanese American who grew up attending a dual immersion French American school. There he learned how to speak French and Spanish while discovering his love for sports, specifically basketball. He then attended California State University, Fullerton and received his Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology. He was accepted in to an early linkage program to Western University of the Health Sciences where he attended medical school. While striving toward his academic and career goals, Ralph was able to enjoy his free time by backpacking through Europe twice and visiting 15 countries. He practices the healthy lifestyle he preaches by going to the gym, playing all kinds of sports, hiking in the mountains, and relaxing on the beach whenever the opportunity presents itself. He feels blessed to continue his training and participate in an exciting growth process at CMH and serving the Ventura Community!

Katherine Boehm was born and raised in Santa Barbara as the youngest of 3 children. She grew up playing soccer, dancing, spending time with family and friends, and enjoying the beautiful outdoors available locally. She went to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo to study kinesiology and nutrition. After graduating, she spent a year traveling before coming back to start medical school at Western University. Within family medicine, she is specifically interested in lifestyle medicine, sports medicine, and global health. She enjoys traveling, photography, reading, exploring new hikes, and spending time with her dogs.

Dr. Matt Cross was born and raised in Lexington, Alabama. He earned his B.S. in biology with a minor in chemistry at the University of North Alabama. He attended medical school at Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine in Auburn, Alabama. Growing up in a rural town, he has always had an interest in family medicine and knows the importance of the specialty in healthcare. In his free time, he enjoys watching and playing sports, spending time outdoors, and traveling.

Dr. Aashish Daulat was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada and spent much of his childhood competing locally and nationally as a tennis player. After high school, he attended Wake Forest University in Winston Salem, North Carolina where he completed my B.S. in Health & Exercise Science and a minor in Psychology and Chemistry. After working for a year as a tennis coach, he was accepted into medical school at Touro University Nevada where he recently received his doctorate degree in osteopathic medicine. He chose primary care due to the diversity of patients and pathology that one encounters on a daily basis and the strong, lifelong relationships that one is able to form with patients throughout their medical career. He also hope to one day pursue further training in primary sports medicine which will allow him to work closely with high school and collegiate athletes. In his free time, he loves to watch/play sports, travel, hang out with his dogs, and visit craft breweries, coffee roasteries, and distilleries. Dr.  Daulat looks forward to the next chapter in his medical career as a resident in Ventura at Community Memorial Hospital.

Dr. Daniel Duong is a first-generation born American of a Vietnamese immigrant family. It was through his humble upbringing that he developed a passion for helping the underserved community. Throughout his academic career, Dr. Duong devoted a lot of time to community service activities serving homeless and Hispanic populations around San Diego, Phoenix, and Tucson. Dr. Duong received his Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of California, San Diego and his Doctorate of Osteopathic Medicine from A.T. Still University in Arizona. Dr. Duong is pursuing family medicine due to his interest in preventive medicine and full-spectrum patient-centered care. While not studying Spanish and medicine, Dr. Duong enjoys playing the piano, cooking, working out, and attending classical concerts.

Dr. Griffin Elbert was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Biology and Chemistry at Marian University. While there, he was a three sport athlete, as well as a CrossFit trainer and nutrition coach. He received his Doctorate in Osteopathic Medicine from Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine (MUCOM) and chose to go into family medicine with an emphasis on lifestyle and sports medicine. In his free time, Griffin enjoys Olympic weightlifting and spending time outdoors with his wife and four-legged children.

Chase Fauer was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. He grew up playing golf, basketball, and skiing. When Chase is not on the golf course, he enjoys connecting with his family and friends through playing online video games. Due to receiving a sports related head injury as an adolescent, Chase became interested in studying traumatic brain injuries. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering at Arizona State University. During his undergraduate studies, Chase researched and engineered novel ways of treating traumatic brain injuries. Chase then received his doctorate in Osteopathic Medicine from Midwestern University in Glendale, Arizona. Within Family Medicine, Chase’s passions involve sports medicine, integrating osteopathic manipulative treatment in sports related injuries, and preventative medicine.

Born to a Chinese-American, Air Force Major father and a loving Filipino-immigrant mother in Colorado Springs, CO, service and hard work became her guiding foundation. Kristyna primarily grew up in Las Vegas, NV and moved to Miami, FL after high school graduation. There she studied Biology at the University of Miami and worked in a fast-paced and multicultural environment, deepening her understanding of disenfranchised communities. A few years later, she was called by the Cascade mountains and relocated to gorgeous Oregon to attend WesternU COMP-NW for osteopathic medical school training.

In her free time, Kristyna loves all things yoga, practicing her mediocre Spanish skills, and playing sports. She is a travel junky, a movement optimist, a Spikeball addict, enjoys intermediate status as a snowboarder and volleyball player, and more recently, a beginner surfer! Day-to-day, she is fueled by good music, healthful nutrition and laughter with friends.

Yoga trained in India, she plans to teach her patients and colleagues how to incorporate mindfulness practices, such as meditation, to optimize self-care and to cope with practitioner burnout. She is wholeheartedly grateful to call California home and is honored to serve the Ventura community. Always seeking truth and leading with compassion, Kristyna is an adventurer, knowledge seeker and wellness warrior. She currently envisions a bright future in global and integrative medicine.

Mariam Gheissari was born and raised in San Diego, CA. She attended the University of California, Irvine where she earned a B.A. in Art History. She worked at Rady Children’s Hospital, San Diego, in the quality management department, which ignited her interests in healthcare and medicine. While completing her pre-medical coursework, she explored women’s health as a birth doula and prenatal educator at San Francisco General Hospital, and became passionate about social determinants of healthcare access. She carried her experiences in pediatrics and women’s health with her to medical school at the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine in Lewisburg, WV. She had the privilege of living in the “coolest small town in America” and as a lover of the outdoors enjoyed exploring the beautiful Appalachian Mountains. As a medical student, she received a peer-nominated leadership award for organizing the LGBTQ Health Series and hosting the first Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Series. Her professional interests include women’s health, health disparities, and preventative care. Dr. Gheissari is thrilled to join the CMHS family, and build lasting relationships with her patients. Outside of medicine, she enjoys traveling, hiking national parks, yoga, art museums, and striving to match her parents’ Greek and Persian culinary skills.

Dr. Chelsi Hoshiwara attended the University of Arizona where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences and continued her education at A.T. Stil University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona.  She has a big heart for the under-served and had the opportunity to serve in many organizations including Habitat for Humanity where she helped build brick houses in a village located in Guangzhou, China. After residency, she hopes to volunteer and serve the homeless population whether that be through a clinic or mobile RV unit. She also has an interest in Hospice care. She loves spending time with her husband and two adopted dogs Kaylo and Cooper and can’t wait to introduce them to the sunny days on the beach. When she is not exploring with her dogs, she enjoys playing pickleball, tennis, and visiting her favorite place on Earth, Disneyland!

Andrew Mace (he, him) grew up in sunny Southern California before heading north to pursue a degree in neuroscience at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Upon graduating UCSC, Andrew spent the next four years exploring a wide variety of medical interests, surfing the central coast, and making memories abroad. Andrew returned to medical school at Des Moines University in Iowa, where he was further encouraged to pursue a career in family medicine. He seeks breadth and variety in his practice and hopes to build lasting relationships with the patients he meets. In his free time, you might find him driving the coast in search of waves, walking his pit bull, Babe, or losing a game of cribbage to his partner, Richon.

Alex Murdoch was born and raised in Santa Barbara, CA. He is the third of six children and loves spending time with his family. He grew up surfing nearby Rincon Beach with his dad and two brothers. He went to Utah to attend Brigham Young University where he majored in business management with an emphasis in entrepreneurship. He became very interested in medicine after experiencing some personal health challenges around that time. He is grateful that these motivated him to go to medical school and feels they provided him with empathy for those who are ill. Alex is a big proponent of lifestyle medicine and looks to incorporate good nutrition, exercise, sleep and stress management into the care of all his patients. He enjoys playing guitar, growing vegetables, baking sourdough bread and studying languages.

Dr. Nataliya Panivska was born in Ukraine and moved to the U.S. where she grew up in Northridge, CA, and pursued competitive ballroom dancing. She attended the University of California, Santa Cruz where she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. During her undergraduate studies, Nataliya continued to teach and compete in ballroom dance. She later attended Touro University, Nevada where she received her Doctorate in Osteopathic Medicine. While in medical school, Dr. Panivska chose to further pursue family medicine because she was drawn to its versatility and emphasis on preventative care and women’s health. She is ecstatic to begin her family medicine residency at Community Memorial Hospital. In her free time, Nataliya enjoys cooking, salsa nights, and spending time with her friends.

Dr. Joey Papador was born and raised here in Ventura, California. He is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley where he earned a degree majoring in Integrative Biology and minoring in Music. After graduating, he returned to Ventura and worked as a clinical research coordinator at the Pediatric Diagnostic Center where he focused on Cystic Fibrosis research. He received his Doctorate of Osteopathic Medicine from Western University of Health Sciences. Joey has found a passion for Family Medicine and is thrilled and honored to care for a community that has been so impactful and meaningful to him. In his free time, he enjoys playing his guitar and trumpet, birdwatching, and spending time outdoors.

Dr. Andrew Singh was born in San Diego, California. He graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz with a B.S. in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology. Prior to attending medical school he also graduated from San Jose State University with a Professional Masters of Biotechnology while simultaneously researching small cell lung cancer at Stanford University. He then worked as a researcher for several years in the biotechnology industry focusing on developing therapeutics for Alzheimer’s disease and a variety of autoimmune disorders. Dr. Singh attended medical school at Touro University Nevada. His passion for patient care and the opportunity to establish lifelong relationships is what drove him to pursue family medicine. In his free time Dr. Singh enjoys spending time with his girlfriend and their cat, cooking, exercising, traveling and exploring different cultures and cuisines. He is excited to join the residency team at CMH due to their strong academic focus and family atmosphere.

Dr. Marisa Strobridge was born and raised in San Diego, California and received her undergraduate degree from University of California, Irvine. Following graduation, she worked as a behavioral therapist for children and adults with developmental disabilities and Autism Spectrum Disorders for three years. She went on to receive her Doctorate in Osteopathic Medicine from the Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine (AZCOM). She is thrilled to be back in Southern California and considers it a privilege to serve the Ventura Community.

Some of her medical passions include women’s health, mental health, osteopathic manipulative medicine, pediatrics, and LGBTQ+ medicine. She is dedicated to the pursuit of wellness both amongst her patients and within the medical community. She believes health equity and social determinants of health are just as important as healthcare itself and she plans to continue learning on these subjects throughout her career.

She has many hobbies, but dancing, baking, live music, and being outside are her favorites. She loves to travel and experience new cultures, customs, and ways of thinking. She has a large family that she is close with, even though they live all over the country. On a day to day basis, she finds joy in the little things, like walking the dog with her husband and laughing with friends and family whenever she can.

Dr. Clark Wilkey was born and raised in St. George, Utah. Growing up with Zion National Park in his backyard, he developed an appreciation for nature and the outdoors. Clark loves to travel, has backpacked Europe twice, and has been to five continents. He enjoys playing tennis, snowboarding, and golfing. He completed undergraduate studies at Southern Utah University earning bachelor’s degrees in Nutrition and Spanish. Clark attended medical school at Rocky Vista University in Denver, Colorado. Prior to medical school, he worked for a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) as a certified application counselor. As he worked with this specific patient population, Clark developed a passion for preventive medicine and primary care. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter finding new places to adventure and explore.