General Surgery Residency: Residents

Home Town: Newburgh, IN

Undergrad School : University of Evansville

Medical School: A. T.  Still University- KCOM

Why Ventura? CMH has staff that cares. I love the OR staff. My co-residents are great and second family to me given how far I live from home currently. Our GME staff is very supportive. Ventura is a great place to live given the weather is nice all year around, live close to the beach, many places to hike and do outdoor activities, and not far from LA or Santa Barbara for change of scenery.

Next Adventure: Applying for Surgical Critical Care Fellowship

Medical Interests: Trauma, Surgical Critical Care

Hometown: Culver City, CA

Undergrad school: University of Michigan

Medical school: Western University COMP-Pomona

Life before medical school: Clinical research in Plastics & Reconstructive Surgery, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Why Ventura? I was a third year medical student fortunate enough to do my clinical rotations at CMH. I had an incredibly positive experience working with other medical students, residents and attendings across all disciplines and departments. Residency has been just as wonderful, from the camaraderie we have within our programs, to the opportunities we have to think critically, independently and learn from working with attendings in the OR on a daily basis. Ventura is the perfect place to be if you love to enjoy the outdoors and the ocean in close proximity to a big city, LA.

Next adventure: More surfing and running in warmer weather, and getting married in the fall

Medical interests: Everything so far! Pediatric surgery, trauma and plastics to name a few

Home Town: Las Vegas, NV

Undergrad School : University of Southern California

Graduate school/Medical School: University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine

Life before medical school: Working in a vascular surgery office, lifeguard at Caesar’s Palace

Why Ventura?  The beautiful weather, new hospital, and great people to work with make this residency a dream. My dog Bauer also loves the weather, plethora of nearby hikes, and near instant access to the beach. All the benefits of SoCal without the crowds of the big cities.

Next Adventure: Minimally Invasive Fellowship

Medical Interests: Laparoscopic and robotic surgery, bariatrics, foregut.

Home Town: Orange County, CA

Undergrad School : University of California, Los Angeles, CA

Graduate school: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA

Medical School: Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD

Life before medical school: Research Assistant, Department of Infectious Diseases, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles

Medical School: Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD

Why Ventura?  The program is community-based and intimate, making you feel like part of a large family. Everyone is genuinely happy to be here, which creates a positive work culture. Southern California is home to me, and it’s a great work-life balance to be able to drive a short distance to Los Angeles and Orange County to see family, eat amazing food, and always have something fun to do!

Next Adventure: Class trip to Puerto Rico!

Medical Interests: Global Surgery, tropical medicine, rural medicine

Home Town: Escalon, California

Undergrad School: California State University Long Beach

Life before medical school: Before medical school I spent my time working as a medical assistant at a Hematology/Oncology Clinic and enjoyed the sunny beaches of Southern California.

Medical School: Touro University Nevada

Why Ventura?  I choose Ventura because of the community both inside and outside the hospital. I like the small close-knit vibes of the hospital and general surgery program.

Next Adventure: Unsure at this time, wherever my career takes me!

Medical Interests: I love everything general surgery! Which is why I am having such a hard time narrowing down a fellowship to pursue. Currently I find interest in surgical oncology.

Home Town: Busan, South Korea

Undergrad School : University of Arizona

Graduate school/Medical School: Touro Osteopathic College of Medicine in Harlem, NY for both Masters and DO degree

Life before medical school: ED Medical scribe, Pharmacy Technician, Medical assistant

Why Ventura? Why not Ventura? Ventura is a beautiful, underrated city surrounded by the beautiful ocean and the mountains. It truly is a hidden gem with the advantage of having proximity to LA and other surrounding citites. It has a chill, small community vibe and the people are so nice. I chose to train at CMH because of the supportive learning environment it offers and the opportunity to get into the OR early on during our training.

Next Adventure: MIS Fellowship

Medical Interests: Robotic/MIS surgery, foregut surgery, hernia surgery, bariatric surgery. Also loveee general surgery! 🙂

Home Town: Thousand Oaks, CA

Undergrad School: University of California, Davis

Graduate school/Medical School: University of Central Florida College of Medicine

Before medical school: Lab research on lung cancer, Co-Director of a student run clinic in Sacramento.

Why Ventura?  I grew up in Ventura County and absolutely loved the area. Ventura is a beautiful place that is both close to the ocean and mountains with perfect weather and is close to family as well as LA. Residency has been a great experience, from the camaraderie amongst my co-residents to the immense learning opportunities from the expansive breadth of OR cases to complex medical management. Amongst the general surgery residents to across specialties, we have plenty of gatherings including Secret Santa, game nights, movie nights, or just enjoying a meal together. My co-residents are wonderful people who always build each other up and the attendings provide plenty of opportunities to think critically while extending autonomy and providing guidance.

Next Adventure: to be determined

Medical Interests: I have been unable to decide so far. I have greatly enjoyed the breadth of cases of general surgery, the excitement of trauma, the intricacy and delicate techniques of vascular surgery, the beauty and hope of pediatric surgery, and so much more. No matter what rotation I have been on so far, I always miss the appy’s, chole’s, and hernias.

Home Town: Born in Queens, NY. Raised in Chula Vista, CA.

Undergrad School: Quinnipiac University. Hamden, CT.

Life before medical school: I earned a B.S. in Athletic Training, Sports Medicine and played Division I Soccer and Lacrosse. Practiced as a Certified Athletic Trainer for a short time before I channeled passion and drive I learnt from sports into starting a Nonprofit Girls Lacrosse Team, where I mentored and coached high school players.

Medical School: Midwestern University, Arizona College of Medicine. Glendale, AZ.

Why Ventura?  Ventura has a lot to offer, from outdoor activities, like hiking and the beach, to cool indoor places, like bowling. Ventura is in an ideal location between Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. Both are a quick drive away and offer even more amazing experiences. I consider myself a Californian and being a short drive away from home is perfect. Being Mexican-Filipino I like the diverse community I get to treat here in Ventura. Here at the CMH General Surgery Residency Program the residents truly want the best for each other. The positive environment that is created here, make not only you want to succeed but makes you want your fellow residents to succeed. The teamwork and family cohesion here is what makes this program amazing! The vast surgical experience/case load and the autonomy from my Attendings aids in making me the best surgeon I can be.

Next Adventure: Class trip to Puerto Rico!

Medical Interests: Excited to see which specialty speaks to me! I would like Global Surgery to be a part of my career.

Dr. Anthony McCloud was born in New York, NY raised in various locations including Chicago, IL and various cities in the South Bay in Southern, CA. He earned his B.S. in Biochemistry and Human Physiology with a minor in Business Administration from the University of Oregon. He went on to earn a master’s in biomedical science and his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona. He is a multi-sport athlete including basketball, soccer, tennis, bowling, and jiu-jitsu. He is passionate about serving underserved communities and to become a role model for Black and other minority students to pursue healthcare careers. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with family, playing basketball or any other sport, guitar, and video games. He is honored to be a part of the CMH family and excited to begin the rigors of surgical training.

Home Town: Ponce, Puerto Rico

Undergrad School: The Johns Hopkins University

Graduate school/Medical School: Ponce Health Sciences University

Life before medical school:  Enjoying what my island has to offer.

Why Ventura?  CMH was the only program that made me feel seen as more than just a number. They really took the time to know who I was as a person and were genuinely interested in me and what I could offer an already excellent program. Moving 3,406 miles away (yep I counted) wasn’t an easy choice to make, but Ventura is very much my home away from home. The weather is very similar, although slightly colder, the people here are all very polite and happy, and city adventures are only an hour-ish away. Coming here as a surgical resident is the best decision I have made in my medical career.

Next Adventure: Class trip to Puerto Rico!

Medical Interests: Vascular, Plastics

Home Town: Born Kathmandu, Nepal. Grew up Denver, Colorado.

Undergrad School: University of Colorado Boulder

Graduate school/Medical School: Rocky Vista University, Parker, CO

Life before medical school: Professional sports/Greek life photographer, Endoscopy Technician for Gastroenterology practice

Why Ventura?  I had an opportunity to rotate as an auditioning student experience how great the community is here. Our program is an extremely supportive and close-knit community. We have amazing faculty who encourage us to take ownership of our patients as well as giving us a lot of autonomy in and out of the operating room. Additionally, the city itself is hidden gem of SoCal. I fell in love with Ventura instantaneously when I visited. The weather is amazing, fantastic beaches and hikes, great food, and all the perks of Southern California without the traffic and crowds. Plus, you can’t beat the views of the sunsets over the Channel Islands from our hospital!

Next Adventure: I would love to travel on a surgical outreach trip to Guatemala/Central America. For vacation, I want to visit Hawaii for the first time!

Medical Interests: Minimally invasive surgery, community general surgery

Dr. Carrie Tackett was born and raised in central Washington. She completed her undergraduate studies at Central Washington University with a degree in biomedical sciences and psychology. She attended medical school at Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences in Yakima, Washington. In her free time, Carrie enjoys spending time with her husband and her two dogs as well as puzzles, reading and traveling.

June was born and raised in San Francisco, CA. She went to college at Cal Poly Pomona and moved to Las Vegas for medical school at Touro University Nevada. During her free time, she enjoys working out, most specifically running and Olympic weightlifting. She also enjoys reading mystery books, playing the guitar, and doing photography. She is excited to be part of the CMH GS family and looks forward to the next 5 years here in Ventura.

Home Town: Monrovia, California

Undergrad School : University of California Riverside

Graduate school/Medical School: western university of health sciences

Life before medical school: worked at GNC

Medical School: western university of health sciences

Why Ventura?  I like life at CMH because the hospital is near the beach. We also have a friendly working environment inside the hospital. My parents live in Monrovia. I also get the chance to visit them frequently.

Next Adventure: Hawaii

Medical Interests: Colorectal surgery.