PGY-4 Class

Jaye Estrada, MD, MPH

MD: Indiana University SOM
MPH: Indiana University SPH
BS: UC Irvine

Where are you from? Where do you consider to be your hometown?
I grew up in Hacienda Heights, which is a city in Los Angeles County.

Why did you choose our program?
I chose UCLA-GLA VA Psychiatry because of the overall warmth from the residency program and the ability to train at a premier institution with access to the vast array of resources that UCLA provides. It was also nice to back in my hometown of Los Angeles.

What is your favorite part of this program (so far)?
My favorite part of this program so far has been the overall sense of community that I get amongst the residents and faculty. Whenever I need help, I know someone will be there.

What are your psychiatry interests?
My interests include psychosis, health policy, law and forensic psychiatry. My MPH capstone project focused on creating a prediction model (a logistic regression) for recidivism, based on social determinants of health, and post-incarceration mental health treatment.

What are your hobbies and favorite things to do in LA?
My hobbies include going on walks and attending classical concerts.

Harinee Maiyuran, MD

MD: Icahn SOM Mount Sinai
BS: California Institute of Technology

Where are you from? Where do you consider to be your hometown?
I was born in Melbourne, Australia, where I grew up until I was 6, at which point I moved to Irvine, CA, which I consider my home town. I was in NYC for med school. And, my ethnicity is Sri Lankan. I’m a little all over the place, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Why did you choose our program?
I chose our program because of the people I met during my interview day. From our fully female, child and adolescent psychiatrist led, incredible leadership team, to the residents I met throughout my interview experience. Everyone was incredibly down-to-earth and really genuinely wanted to get to know me, which I truly appreciated. We also have great work life balance. This specialty is too hard to do without some semblance of normalcy. What my friends at other programs call “golden weekends,” I call… “weekends.”

What is your favorite part of this program (so far)?
As I expected, the people. I feel so supported by our leadership team. They sacrifice so much of their time and energy for our professional and personal growth. The other classes of residents have also been very welcoming and supportive, especially while on call!! Plus, being back near the beach is great for my own sanity…and after 4 years in NYC, something I’ll never take for granted.

What are your psychiatry interests?
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Autism, and Medical Education.

What are your hobbies and favorite things to do in LA?
The beach. Beaching. Places with sand and water. Seeing my family in OC. Spending with friends from undergrad who I haven’t seen in ages. And getting fried chicken sandwiches at any and all opportunities to do so. Main Chick is the best one so far…thankfully it’s also the closest!! Howlin’ Rays is a close second.

Chan Park, MD, MS

MD: UC San Francisco SOM
MS: UC Berkeley
BS: UC Los Angeles

Where are you from? Where do you consider to be your hometown?
Originally from South Korea, I spent my teenager and young adulthood years in LA. I spent majority of my 20's in SF, and they all are home to me as those places watched me grow in different phases.

Why did you choose our program?
The location, patient population and the faculties! I have families in LA, and coming back home while working with underserved patient population was my priority. VA residency program also allows me to access the opportunities to connect with resources at an academic institution at NPI. During the interview, I sat in the psychosis clinic didactic with Dr. Yang , and I absolutely loved her nuanced and thoughtful explanation of antipsychotics. I remember thinking that I want more of such teaching to become the psychiatrist I want to be.

What is your favorite part of this program (so far)?
My co-residents and Tuesday didactics! And that includes both my co-interns and more senior residents. Upperclass residents of both NPI and VA have been my go to mentors during the inpatient psychiatry rotations, and have stepped in various situations to make transition smoother for me. My co-interns are wonderful support network for each other on difficult days, and we balance each other in dad jokes and in knowing that we can count on each other. Tuesday didactics always inspire me to look forward to future rotations with different topics in psychiatry!

What are your psychiatry interests?
I have too many. My current interest is marginalized population, and that can be perceived in many different ways. I'm interested in Child and Geriatric psychiatry, as well as community psychiatry. I also have background in working with TMS and EEG, and interventional psychiatry also interest me.

What are your hobbies and favorite things to do in LA?
Going to the beach and jumping into the water have been my favorite thing to do as a kid and as an adult too! Trying new food scenes and working out have been my pleasures during the weekdays. I also love gardening and walking through the nursery is a new hobby as well.

Mani Vahidi, MD, MS

MD: UC Los Angeles DGSOM
MS: Cedars-Sinai MHDS
BS: UC Irvine

Where are you from? Where do you consider to be your hometown?
I was born in Iran and moved to southern California when I turned 4 years old but I consider Los Angeles to be my hometown.

Why did you choose our program?
I felt like it was the perfect fit for me. I saw many opportunities for things I was interested in, psychotherapy training, clinical research, and working with a patient population who are underserved. In addition, the faculty are awesome and I felt like the learning environment was conducive to my learning style. There is a perfect balance of autonomy and supervision.

What is your favorite part of this program (so far)?
So far, I love how supportive everyone is. I constantly feel supported by my co-residents and the faculty whether it has to do with patient care, navigating CPRS, or just general life stuff. There are always people available to answer any of my questions, whether in person, on the phone, through text, WhatsApp, email, etc.

What are your psychiatry interests?
I am interested in working with patients dealing with substance use disorders so I am considering doing an Addiction fellowship after residency.

What are your hobbies and favorite things to do in LA?
Since COVID, my partner and I have made it a goal to do at least 30 minutes of workouts at home at least 5x/week ranging from yoga to calisthenics. We also love hiking, doing paint night, and just watching movies at home. My favorite thing to do in LA used to be trying new restaurants, but now we cook new foods at home. I recently made a creamy dill chicken with roasted garlic asparagus and oven-roasted rosemary potatoes. I also used to play basketball pickup game 2-3 times a week, but since COVID, I had to stop for now.