Divyanshu Chopra, MD

Transitional Year
Government Medical College Amritsar

Born and raised in Punjab, India, she attended medical school at GMC Amritsar, where she developed a strong foundation in medicine. She practiced as a general physician in India before immigrating to United States. Her passion for neurology is evident in her dedication to pursuing a career in this field. Inspired by the works of Oliver Sacks, she is committed to spreading awareness about various neurological disorders in society. In the United States, she has enriched her experience by participating in numerous observerships and tele rotations in neurology and has authored several peer-reviewed articles. When she’s not delving into the complexities of the human brain, she enjoys traveling and spending quality time with her family. She envisions a future where she can combine her love for neurology with a passion for teaching and academic involvement after completing her neurology residency.

Sterling Falkenstein, DO

Transitional Year
Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific

Dr. Sterling Falkenstein was born and raised in Portland, Oregon in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. His interest in medicine stemmed from seeing those around him struggle with health literacy and wanting to help make his community a better place. Prior to medical school, he graduated from Portland Community College with a degree in Radiography and spent almost 10 years working as an X-Ray Technologist, including one year spent working in the Cardiac Catheterization Lab. During his time as a Radiographer, he worked towards and graduated Cum Laude from Portland State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Science with a minor in Community Health. Dr. Falkenstein went on to graduate from Western University of Health Sciences COMP-NW in Lebanon, Oregon and has since come to California to continue his training and expand his skills. In his free time, Dr. Falkenstein likes to spend time with his two wonderful children, socialize with friends, go camping, eat out at restaurants, watch movies, and play video games.

Taylor Gardner, MD

Transitional Year
University of Queensland School of Medicine

Taylor earned his B.S. in Biological Sciences from the University of California, Irvine and his master’s in Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine from the University of Southern California. Taylor studied medicine at the University of Queensland-Ochsner Clinical School of Medicine. This academic partnership allowed Taylor to complete his first two years of basic sciences in Brisbane, Australia and it afforded an early introduction to clinical activity at the Princess Alexandra Teaching Hospital and at clinics and hospitals in Queensland’s Gold Coast. Taylor returned to the United States and completed his third- and fourth-year medical school clinical rotations in New Orleans at the Ochsner Medical Center. Taylor enjoys painting, playing tennis, and traveling with his family.

Judah Glogauer, MD

Transitional Year
Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, McMaster Univ.

Judah attended medical school in Canada and began a residency in Pathology before realizing his true passion lay in direct patient care. He then relocated to the US to be closer to family. He is very excited to be a resident in the Transitional Year program here at Mission Community Hospital. Afterwards, he intends to pursue a residency in Internal Medicine. Outside of medicine, he enjoys spending time with family.

Tim Iwuoha, DO

Transitional Year
Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine

Dr. Iwuoha was born and raised in Seattle, WA. He went to the University of Washington, graduating with his Bachelor of Science in public health. While in college, he had the honor and privilege of studying abroad in Chile, in South America, where he learned about the different healthcare and health insurance systems, as well as herbal and traditional medicine. Between college and medical school, he worked as a clinical research specialist and CNA in assisted living and acute care settings. He went on to earn his medical degree from the Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences-College of Osteopathic Medicine. In his free time, he enjoys watching and playing sports, especially basketball, traveling, and spending time with loved ones.

Gilhad Khanian, MD

Transitional Year
Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion Israel Institute of Technology

Dr. Gilhad Khanian was born and raised in West LA, spending most of his days taking camping trips throughout the southwest. Before medical school, Dr. Khanian earned a BA in from the University of California, Los Angeles, then graduated from the Technion American Medical school in Haifa, Israel. He has a passion for community growth, highlighted by his dedication to the Ruach Tova clinic in Haifa and his organization of student led tutoring in Technion. Outside of academia, Dr. Khanian spends his time hiking throughout Southern California, playing sports near the beach, or spending quality time in the kitchen.

Afshin Pirzadeh, MD

Transitional Year
Iran University of Medical Sciences

Born in Iran, I had the unique experience of spending my early childhood years in the USA before returning to my home country. My passion for medicine led me to pursue my medical school in Iran and after that I dedicated four years to serving patients in both inpatient and outpatient settings. My journey then brought me back to the USA, where I embarked on postdoctoral research at UCLA’s prestigious Kidney Transplant Research Center. During this time, I contributed to the field by publishing several peer-reviewed articles on kidney transplantation. Outside of my professional life, I enjoy swimming and going to the gym and have proudly earned several swimming medals during high school and medical school. My goal is to provide quality healthcare to underserved and underprivileged communities, ensuring that everyone has access to the care they need.

Jan Schilling, MD

Transitional Year
Universität Hamburg Medizinische Fakultät

Dr. Schilling grew up in a small town in northwestern Germany. His year of social service at a home for elderly people after high school put him on the path to pursue a career in medicine. After graduating from medical school at the University of Hamburg and defending his dissertation he went on to pursue a career in research at the Department of Anesthesiology at the University of California, San Diego, where he completed his postdoctoral fellowship and continued to work as an assistant project scientist. His publications focus on the role of caveolin proteins and mitochondrial biology in cardiac and neuronal degeneration and aging, anesthetic neurotoxicity, as well as pain. Since his passion is to combine his research with clinical medicine, he took the opportunity to work and research on a project designing a transdisciplinary model to treat complex chronic pain in underserved populations in the Inland Empire in Southern California. With starting his transitional year residency, his journey and dream of working as a clinician is coming full circle, and he is excited for the path ahead. In his free time, he loves spending time with his wife and dogs, and he enjoys bodysurfing, cooking, yoga and meditation.

Shail Shah, DO

Transitional Year
Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine

Dr. Shail Shah grew up in India and later moved to the United States, where he pursued his undergraduate studies in biological sciences at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ. He went on to earn his medical degree from Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in Middletown, NY, becoming the first in his family to graduate from medical school. Dr. Shah relocated to Los Angeles for the Transitional Year program, with aspirations to specialize in Radiology, particularly interventional radiology with a focus on neurointervention. In addition to his medical career, Dr. Shah has a passion for sports. He was a semi-professional cricket player in New Jersey and remains an avid fan of the sport. Outside of medicine, he enjoys staying active by going to the gym, watching anime, and exploring the diverse culture and vibrant neighborhoods of Los Angeles.

Shivran Singh, MD

Transitional Year
Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland School of Medicine

Growing up in the Caribbean, Shivran experienced the stark contrast in the availability of resources and opportunities between the developing and developed world. This sparked in him, the desire to help those unable to help themselves. Since graduating from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), he has worked as a junior doctor in both hospital and community settings in a variety of countries including the Republic of Ireland, Trinidad and Tobago and Australia. Now, he hopes to pursue training in General Surgery with an interest in global surgery and being able to expand the impact of modern-day advances in operative interventions to those who need it the most. Outside of hospital, Shivran enjoys keeping active by frequenting the gym, running and cycling. He also hopes to make the most of his time in the City of Angels by indulging in the vibrant music scene, big acts and concerts here in Los Angeles.

Ouria Tahamtan, MD

Transitional Year
Urmia University of Medical Sciences Faculty of Medicine

Dr. Tahamtan was born and raised in Tabriz, Iran, completed her medical education at Urmia University of Medical Sciences, and pursued further training as an Internal Medicine resident at Tabriz Medical University. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, she devoted herself to combating the disease, serving as a resident and researcher. Her efforts led to the publication of her work in prestigious journals such as JAMA, BMJ, Thrombosis, and the European Journal of Medicine. Dr. Tahamtan maintains a healthy work-life balance through daily exercise and enjoys activities like art, biking, and painting.

Nikolas Toksoy, MD

Transitional Year
Istanbul Universitesi, Istanbul Tip Fakultesi

Nikolas studied medicine at Istanbul Faculty of Medicine in Türkiye, which is where he is from. Right after his graduation, he worked as a postdoctoral associate at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine for a short time. He loves scuba diving and has completed over 200 dives across the Mediterranean and Aegean seas and he is hoping to see the underwater kelp forest on Catalina Island. Nikolas is an aspiring neurologist with a particular interest in multiple sclerosis, neuro-intensive care, and stroke medicine.

Wenlin Zhang, MD, PhD

Transitional Year
Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University

Dr. Wenlin Zhang was born and raised in Sichuan, China, and attained her medical degree at Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China. She earned her PhD in vision science at Indiana University Bloomington and completed postdoctoral training in ophthalmic genetics and vision science at the Stein Eye Institute, UCLA. Dr. Zhang has received numerous awards from various professional associations acknowledging her research contributions to the field. Dr. Zhang is a first-generation medical school graduate and a first-generation immigrant to the U.S. Before joining the Transitional Year program at Mission Community Hospital, she led an AAV gene therapy program for Congenital Hereditary Endothelial Dystrophy, funded by the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health and the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine. Her professional interests include gene therapy research and advocacy for medically underserved rare disease communities. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her two sons and family.