Psychiatry Residency: Residents

Dr. Anu Bodla was born in India and raised in the SF Bay Area. After high school, she moved to Bangalore, India, to attend M.S. Ramaiah Medical College. Dr. Bodla has had a long-standing commitment to community service. During her time in India, she volunteered at a free clinic, where she realized that there is an increased need for psychiatric care in the community setting. After medical school, Dr. Bodla continued to explore her passion for mental health, traveling to Houston, Chicago, and New York to complete psychiatry externships. She also volunteered for the National Sexual Assault Hotline, which she plans to continue during residency. In her spare time, Dr. Bodla enjoys playing board games, hiking, traveling, spending quality time with her family and friends, and reading science fiction novels. Dr. Bodla is delighted to return to California to pursue her dream of becoming a psychiatrist. She looks forward to exploring Southern California during her four years at CMH.

Dr. Nathalie Herrera was born and raised in Bogota, Colombia. After high school, she attended the Pontifical Xavierian University where she graduated as a Medical Doctor. She enjoyed all her rotations as a student, but early in her career she knew that working in mental health was her long-life calling. After medical school she spent a year serving as rural physician in underserved communities, and then returned to the Pontifical Xavierian University, this time to specialize as a psychiatrist. Afterwards, she worked as general psychiatrist for a year in both, outpatient and inpatient settings.

Eager to continue learning and working to improve quality of life of the population through psychiatric medicine, she came to the United States and went on the pursuit of her goal of continue thriving as a professional and delivering services as a physician. Dr. Herrera participated in research and put her efforts into exploring and developing an understanding of diverse topics to impact the global well-being of patients and their support network; she also volunteered with UCLA’s flying Samaritans initiative, providing primary care attention at places and communities that she never thought she would be able to reach. As she embarks in the adventure of becoming a psychiatry resident for second time, she is excited and ready to serve the community of Ventura. Outside medicine, Dr. Herrera enjoys live music events, discovering new restaurants, spending time with her family and dancing.

Hometown: Napa, CA

Undergrad: University of California, Davis

Graduate school: Tulane University

Life before medical school: I spent a year in New Orleans with AmeriCorps/City Year teaching small groups of middle school students math and science. I later worked as a tutor in the Bay Area.

Medical School: University of Queensland (Ochsner Clinical School)

Why Ventura? CMH offers small cohorts with hands-on training in a variety of clinical settings. After attending both an undergraduate and medical school with large class sizes, I appreciate the focused attention that I receive in a small residency program. The patients at Hillmont Psychiatric Center are seriously ill, which makes for great training. Core faculty are fantastic.  My co-residents are awesome. Ventura is scenic.

Next Adventure: buying a small motorcycle to ride around the mountains and then forensic psychiatry fellowship!

Medical Interests: treatment-resistant mood disorders, postpartum depression/delta subunit-containing GABAA receptors, MAOIs, serotonin toxicity, forensic psychiatry, psychodynamic psychotherapy.

Hometown: Milwaukee, WI

Undergraduate School: The University of Puget Sound; Tacoma, WA

Graduate school/Medical School: Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific Northwest; Lebanon, OR.

Life before medical school: Hospitalist scribe and winemaker in San Francisco, CA.

Why Ventura? It is hard to imagine myself experiencing a better fit during the interview process. The mix of a supportive cast of faculty and residents with a familial-style learning environment made me feel instantly welcome. Additionally, the opportunity to be a part of and help shape a new and blossoming program was especially attractive. I can’t wait to start the next chapter of my career in Ventura!

Next Adventure: Continuing my interests in creative writing, travel, and learning to surf!

Medical Interests: Cross-cultural psychiatry, interventional psychiatry, addiction medicine.

Home Town: Thousand Oaks, CA

Undergrad School: UC Berkeley, BA in Integrative Biology

Graduate school/Medical School: USC Keck School of Medicine, MS in Global Medicine

Life before medical school: Dr. Janet Lee-Coomes grew up in Ventura County before moving to Northern California to complete her bachelor’s degree in Integrative Biology at UC Berkeley. After interning with a surgery center in Ireland, Dr. Lee-Coomes became interested in medicine and global health. Inspired by her experience and her many travels, Dr. Lee-Coomes completed a Master of Science degree in Global Medicine at USC Keck School of Medicine, where she focused on narrative medicine, cultural diversity in medicine, and international healthcare. She then went on to attend medical school at California Northstate University, where she discovered a passion for psychiatry. During her time as a medical student, Dr. Lee-Coomes was co-chair on the Wellness Committee and a crisis hotline volunteer for the Trevor Project. Her interests include cultural psychiatry, global mental health, AAPI , Hispanic, and LGBTQ+ mental health, consult & liaison psychiatry, and psychotherapy. Dr. Lee-Coomes is excited to return home to Ventura County and to be closer to family. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling with her husband, visiting theme parks, DIV crafting, sewing, knitting , cosplay, exploring local craft breweries and wineries, board games, hiking, and reading fantasy fiction novels.

Medical School: California Northstate University College of Medicine

Why Ventura? I grew up in Ventura County and have always wanted to return home to Southern California and my roots. I love that I get to be closer to my family and am eager to explore the new things in the Ventura area that have developed while I was gone!

Next Adventure: Traveling the world with my husband and loved ones whenever we can!

Medical Interests: Cultural psychiatry and global mental health (especially Asian American & Pacific Islander, Hispanic, and LGBTQ+), consult & liaison psychiatry, inpatient and outpatient management, psychotherapy.

Dr. Ariella Maghen is a Los Angeles native, and completed her Bachelors in Psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles. Following her undergraduate education, she moved to Israel to earn her MD at the Technion’s Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine. Dr. Maghen has been featured as an editorial contributor in The New England Journal of Medicine and published multiple first-author papers on non-directed (altruistic) living kidney donors as a researcher in the Department of Urology at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine. Dr. Maghen volunteers as a Crisis Text Counselor and in her free time, she enjoys oil painting, hiking, yoga, traveling, and discovering new coffee shops.

Dr. Nassi Navid was born and raised in Tehran, Iran into a loving, close-knit, and academic family. He entered the business world at an early age while studying diligently to get into the best medical school in the country, Tehran University of Medical Sciences. He graduated with both Doctor of Medicine (MD) and Master of Public Heath (MPH) degrees in 2010. Afterwards, Dr. Navid worked for seven and a half years as a primary care physician, mostly in rural under-served areas of Iran, while simultaneously helping a few start-up companies in the healthcare industry to run flourishing businesses. He also obtained a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree in Marketing in 2015, from Tehran University School of Entrepreneurship. In 2017, he was blessed with the opportunity to come to the United States and went on in the pursuit of his lifetime dream of becoming a psychiatrist. He volunteered for several months to do inpatient psychiatry externships in different cities in order to gain clinical experience in the United States. Dr. Navid also did research at the Mood and Anxiety Program at the University of Maryland, focusing on biological factors of suicidality and preventive measures of suicidal attempts. He is eager to serve the community of Ventura as the first entering class of residents of Psychiatry at CMH. Outside of Medicine, Dr. Navid practices daily mindfulness, enjoys meditation after a long hike, playing the electric guitar, and is involved in the art of Persian calligraphy.

Dr. Justin Nguyen grew up in Ventura County and received his bachelor’s degree in psychobiology at UCLA, where he became involved in student activism and oversaw programs that promoted recruitment and retention of students of color in higher education. Dr. Nguyen later attended medical school at Touro University California College of Osteopathic Medicine while serving in many leadership roles in the California Physicians Alliance (CaPA), Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association (APAMSA), and California Medical Association (CMA). He then completed a transitional year residency in Ocala, Florida before joining the CMH psychiatry residency program. Dr. Nguyen is excited to return to Ventura County, and is particularly interested in cultural psychiatry and transitional-age behavioral health. He enjoys reading about history, politics, psychology, and personality theory, and in his free time also watches anime, plays video games, listens to music, and visits breweries/wineries.

Home Town: Teaneck, NJ

Undergrad: Yeshiva University

Life before medical school: Psychology major. Emphasis on Jewish studies. Tennis team.

Medical School: Sackler School of Medicine, Tel aviv, Israel

Why Ventura? Ventura, and especially CMH, is an extremely warm place, where it is the norm to greet people when you pass them in the hallways or on the street, I compare it to “a big Trader Joe’s.” There is a small-town feel in which strong bonds are created between faculty, residents, and patients. The beautiful scenery provides a great backdrop for all of this to occur.

Next Adventure: Child psychiatry fellowship (still applying). Off to Australia with my wife and our new daughter Evie to visit the in-laws.

Medical Interests: Child psychiatry, emergency psychiatry, psychodynamic therapy

Home Town: Harleysville, Pennsylvania

Undergrad School: University of Delaware

Life before medical school: I didn’t take any gap years between medical school and undergrad, but I went on a 6-week road trip through 19 countries in central Europe and the Balkans after undergrad before starting medical school.

Medical School: Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA

Why Ventura? I was drawn to this program because of the community setting, the diverse academic backgrounds and expertise of the faculty, and how welcoming and kind the residents are. The opportunity to work collaboratively with the family medicine residents and addiction medicine fellows to learn addiction psychiatry and serve patients experiencing homelessness is also a major strength, since that is the patient population I’m most passionate about serving. In caring for those patients, being in a smaller city in community hospitals allows me to more easily coordinate and collaborate with other providers caring for the patient, as well as be familiar with any community services they access to best support them in their recovery.

I’m also living a lifelong dream by living on the Pacific Coast. I love the beach, spending time outside, hiking, camping, and learning about wildlife and marine life. There are great coffee shops and restaurants in Ventura, and I enjoy learning about viniculture and tasting new wine, so having Santa Barbara nearby is an added bonus.

Next Adventure: My goals after residency include obtaining additional training in addiction psychiatry and/or perinatal psychiatry so I can use this much-needed expertise while practicing as a general psychiatrist in a community setting. I also hope to have an active role in political advocacy and public policy affecting mental health care.

Medical Interests: I’m most passionate about addiction psychiatry, perinatal and women’s mental health, and supporting patients experiencing homelessness. I’m particularly interested in how community organizations and local systems of care can be optimized and leveraged to provide psychiatric treatment to patients most marginalized by the shortcomings of the current healthcare system.

Dr. Paul Zimmer hails from the great state of Wisconsin and grew up in the small town of Minocqua. He received his bachelor’s degree in Chemistry with an emphasis in Biomolecular Science from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and subsequently attended medical school at the Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Indianapolis, Indiana. Dr. Zimmer has a particular interest in specializing in child and adolescent psychiatry and plans to pursue and additional fellowship in Behavioral Neurology/Neuropsychiatry. Ultimately, it is his goal to work closely with patients on the Autism spectrum and their families to provide the multidisciplinary care and support that they deserve. When not in the clinic, Dr. Zimmer enjoys participating in as many outdoor activities as possible. Whether it is hiking, camping, hunting, fishing, snowboarding, watersports, or even yard work; as long as he is outside, you will always find him with a smile on his face.