Current Residents

Sarah Cassel
Hometown: Hastings-on-Hudson, NY (Birthplace: Brooklyn, NY)
Undergrad: Amherst College – Interdisciplinary (Sociolinguistics) BA
Medical School: Duke University School of Medicine
Languages: Spanish, Catalan

Sarah’s path to medicine was somewhat circuitous, via yoga and linguistics. After writing her undergraduate thesis in Spanglish, she took off for Barcelona, Spain, where she completed doctoral-level studies in the Catalan language, taught English, did more than her fair share of wandering, and became a yoga instructor. It was yoga that sparked a deep desire to serve and empower others in their journeys through health and disease, and through the years she has continued to lead volunteer classes in English and Spanish in various community non-profit settings. In medical school, she was thrilled to be part of Duke’s Primary Care Leadership Track, and in her research years she co-authored a VA Evidence Mapping Project reviewing the evidence base for yoga for conditions impacting veterans, designed and piloted a novel no-cost telephonic integrative health coaching program, and completed foundational training in integrative health coaching. Sarah is passionate about increasing the accessibility of compassionate, comprehensive healthcare that meets both individual and community needs, and she couldn’t be happier to be part of this outstanding program in Lawrence. She also loves ecstatic dance, learning new languages, and knitting scarves with pockets. She is grateful to have a wonderful husband and two amazing children, so now in her free time, which generally lasts about four minutes, she enjoys a moment of silence, a delicious cup of coffee, and a few deep breaths.

Olayinka “Yinka” Edwards
Birthplace: Bronx, NY
Undergrad: University of Connecticut
Med School: University of Connecticut School of Medicine
Languages: English, Basic Spanish, Very Basic Yoruba

Yinka was born in the Bronx, moved to New Jersey, but ultimately was raised in the Nutmeg State.  She had awesome adventures in Connecticut including beautiful autumns and fragrant springs. In terms of “interests”, her Christian faith is a large part of her life.  She is very interested in makeup, skincare, and hair because it is so much fun to change looks and admire the artistry of others through this medium. In terms of medicine, her interests include obstetrics, women’s health, global health, and serving urban underserved populations. She believes that the Lawrence Family Medicine Residency has done an awesome job of tailoring to the community it serves and was very attracted to that and the opportunity to explore the diversity within Family Medicine. If she had one piece of advice to give to medical students it would be to enjoy the experience. You will get to your ultimate destination soon enough – no worries!

Jesus Iniguez, MD
Hometown: Mattawa, W (born in Othello, WA)
Undergrad: Central Washington University, BA in Biology
Med School: The Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
Languages: Spanish

Jesus grew up in a small migrant farm working town. As the son of Mexican American migrant farm workers, and the tenth child in a family of eleven, Jesus has a long-standing interest in serving underprivileged and disadvantaged populations. He went to college at Central Washington University where he studied Biology, Chemistry and Anthropology. Underserved volunteering opportunities and research led him to medical school at Dartmouth where he became involved in migrant health projects and the office of Diversity and Inclusion as Class representative and Diversity Fellow. He graduated with Dartmouth’s Diversity Visionary Leadership Award. He chose family medicine with hopes to influence individual health both through support of the family and through changes in policy. His passion is to increase access to affordable services that are appropriate and effective especially to marginalized populations in a way that helps them navigate and eliminate poverty from their lives. Jesus’ medical interests include Addiction, Obstetrics, Sports medicine and healthcare leadership. He chose Lawrence because of its commitment to breaking physical and cultural barriers to care for the people in the community and for the institutions willingness to be innovative for the goal of improving the delivery of healthcare to the public. In his free time he stays in contact with his 10 siblings, enjoys the outdoors, plays music on his guitar, and cooking his mother’s traditional cuisine.

Laura Kaufman
Hometown: Tampa FL (born in Mt. Kisco, NY)
Undergrad: Vanderbilt University – Neuroscience – BA
Medical School: Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
Languages: Learning Spanish

Laura was born on Long Island, NY, grew up in Tampa, FL (not on the beach), and headed up to Vanderbilt in NashVegas for college and then medical school. She majored in neuroscience and minored in music, playing the piano. As a medical student she helped to direct the student-run free clinic, where she learned how much she valued continuity with her patients. Even though she spent medical school thinking she would go into almost every specialty, she eventually found her home in family medicine – she could treat outpatient medicine as a specialty, make the patient experience less fragmented, and work with underserved communities. She was drawn to Lawrence for the community-focused PCMH, the group visits, its integrative medicine program, and the chance to truly practice full-spectrum care. But Lawrence really stood out when she realized how much the clinic and hospital staff seemed to actually enjoy working there. She also has tried teaching herself Spanish sporadically over the years, and is excited to actually learn it once and for all. Other skills she hopes to learn this year are knitting, cheese-making, and running a half-marathon. She also enjoys skiing, rock climbing, and cookie dough ice cream.

Shira Lerner
Hometown: Winnipeg, Canada
Undergrad: University of Pennsylvania – Biological Basis of Behavior – BA
Medical School: Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Languages: Hebrew

Shira’s passion for social justice was ignited when she had the opportunity to co-lead a chronic disease management clinic based out of one of the University of Pennsylvania’s student-run free clinics. This was her first exposure to the role a physician can play in reducing health disparities for patients and communities, and she was hooked! After college, she spent a year in New Orleans working on improving access to care for high-needs patients before moving back north to Cleveland to attend medical school at Case Western. Her biggest passion as a medical student was her work with Case Western’s student-run free clinic, which she led together with an interdisciplinary team of healthcare students. Shira graduated with the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine award and her school’s Outstanding Graduating Medical Student award. She fell in love with Lawrence for its unparalleled commitment to addressing the social determinants of health, emphasis on community medicine, the four-year curriculum, and the opportunity to learn Spanish during residency. Shira’s clinical interests include HIV/Hep C primary care; healthcare for the homeless; women’s health/obstetrics; and end-of-life and palliative care. In her free time, she is an avid reader and aspiring writer and enjoys yoga, running, biking, and exploring Somerville/Boston. She is looking forward to being inspired by, and having fun with, her co-residents.

Rachel Martin
Birthplace: Spartanburg, SC
Undergrad: Milligan College – Biology – BS
Medical School: University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine
Languages: Basic Spanish

Rachel was blessed with an idyllic childhood in the mountains of Western North Carolina and East Tennessee—full of boat races in the creek, exploring the woods around her house with her two brothers, and Woolly Worm Festivals. She also got to go with her Dad (a family medicine doc) to Mexico each year for nine years straight. While watching her Dad see patients on those early trips, her desire to practice medicine in an underserved area first took root. After high school, Rachel attended Milligan College (go Buffs!) where she played soccer and studied Biology and Humanities. There she learned the importance and beauty of service, commitment, and community involvement through the example of her friends and professors as well as her own local and international community health experiences. During medical school her interest in Family Medicine solidified as she observed how uniquely fitted Family Medicine is for service to marginalized patients and communities. Rachel is excited about GLFHC because her co-residents, the faculty, and the staff at Lawrence are committed, passionate people who are driven to serve and care for their patients/community in a way that will continue to challenge and inspire her. Also, GLFHC’s intentionality in helping its residents learn the language and culture of the community they serve adds to the program’s charm for Rachel. When not at the hospital, Rachel enjoys soccer, reading, exploring trails, church, eating ice cream, and watching Parks and Rec with Shira.

Natalie Stahl, MD, MPH
Birthplace: Ridgewood, NJ
Undergrad: Bowdoin College (BA), Neuroscience and French
Grad school: University of Washington (MPH), Community-Oriented Public Health Practice
Med School: Emory University School of Medicine (MD)
Languages: French, Spanish, some Haitian Creole

Natalie grew up in northern New Jersey in an immigrant family, as the daughter and granddaughter of two female physicians who were raised and educated in Europe (France and Vienna, respectively). After college she headed to Washington, DC for an Americorps position in the health & wellness center of N Street Village, a shelter and social services program for homeless and low-income women. She stayed N Street Village for two additional years, working as a social services case manager during the day while finishing up her pre-med requirements in the evenings. Natalie then headed across the country to Seattle to pursue a Masters in Public Health at the University of Washington. Upon graduation she spent two years as a Presidential Management fellow at the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) working in community-based chronic disease prevention and health equity, before deciding she want to go to medical school after all! While at Emory SOM she served on the board of Health Students Taking Action Together (a statewide, multi-disciplinary, student-run nonprofit dedicated to building a healthier Georgia and fostering leadership among health professional students) and was involved in student-led efforts to integrate social medicine and disparities education into the medical school curriculum. Natalie found “her people” in family medicine, and was drawn to LFMR because of its commitment to social justice and community medicine, the opportunity to fully supported in becoming a Spanish-speaking physician, and the amazing spirit of everyone working at GLFHC. She is passionate about public health, behavioral health, HIV/AIDS, and homelessness. In her free time she loves to visit her adorable niece in Boston, listen to NPR, hike, trot (“run” would be an overstatement), and play music – primarily instruments of the woodwind variety, but she’s learning the ukulele.

Michelle Vargas
Hometown: Cayey, Puerto Rico (born in New York, NY)
Undergrad: University of Puerto Rico at Cayey-Biology-BS-Cayey, Puerto Rico
Medical School: Ponce Health Sciences University –Ponce, Puerto Rico
Languages: Spanish

Michelle was born in Harlem, New York City and grew up in Washington Heights and Lodi, New Jersey before moving to Cayey, Puerto Rico. Michelle spent the majority of her childhood and young adult life in the “ The best green city of the Americas- Cayey”. She is the daughter of a Puerto Rican father and a Colombian mother. She attended the University of Puerto Rico at Cayey where she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Biology. In college she developed a love to serving the underserved while volunteering. She received her medical degree from the Ponce Health Sciences University (formerly Ponce School of Medicine). She was drawn to family medicine because it gives the possibility to provide broad spectrum care. She was drawn to the GLFHC residency because of its community involvement, faculty, residents, and the opportunity to be involved with the Hispanic community. When she is not working, she enjoys traveling, doing crafts, spending time with her family, seeing the Colombian National team winning soccer games or crying when they lose, facetiming with her niece Emma and sleeping. She is looking forward to learning with her co-residents.

Morgan Younkin
Birthplace: St. Louis, Missouri
Undergrad: Wheaton College (IL) – Biology
Medical School: Tufts University School of Medicine
Languages: Spanish

Morgan grew up in St. Louis and will always be a Cardinals fan. He attended Wheaton College, where he studied the liberal arts and ecology, though he spent most of his time rock climbing and camping. As a student, he worked in rural community health in the Peruvian selva through a holistic community development program. Seeking a new adventure, he and his wife moved to Boston where Morgan worked in air pollution epidemiology. He became increasingly involved in his neighborhood and knew that he needed to join his passion for public health with the intimacy of clinical care. The MD/MPH program at Tufts was the perfect fit. There, he was an Albert Schweitzer Fellow and led an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program in his neighborhood. He also had the opportunity to return to Peru and live in community with like-minded mentors. Along the way he became passionate about correctional medicine, substance use, harm reduction, and local public health. He was excited to combine these interests in his MPH thesis, which involved a multi-agency public health investigation of the recent outbreak of opioid overdoses in Massachusetts. He is inspired to be training at Lawrence, a place that truly values solidarity, humility, and equity while caring for families with the comprehensive rigor made possible by full-spectrum family medicine. Morgan loves to run, backpack, play with his cat, listen to music, and chill with his wife and friends.

Elie Ata
Hometown: Methuen, MA
Undergrad:  Merrimack College, North Andover
Med School: Central Michigan University – College of Medicine
Languages: Arabic, English, Spanish

Elie was born to Lebanese immigrant parents and grew up in Methuen. He was the first in his family to pursue higher education and went to Merrimack College where he was part of the inaugural honors class where their mission was to give back to neighboring communities through service learning and continued evaluation of the human condition. During his time at Merrimack, he majored in biology and minor in chemistry, Jewish Christian Muslim relations and Spanish. Additionally, Elie volunteered at St. Mary’s in Lawrence, teaching ESL to adults and organized an after school STEM program for the grade school students. Elie moved to Michigan after being accepted to the inaugural class of Central Michigan University College of Medicine. As part of the first graduating class, Elie and his classmates worked on pioneering a primary care continuity clerkship in rural and medically underserved communities. As a student, Elie came to work at GLFHC and was thoroughly impressed with what the residents and faculty were doing, not only in the world of clinical medicine but with policy, research, and community outreach. He especially was drawn to numerous interactions with clinicians that focused not only learning for the sake of regurgitating facts but for a deeper understanding of why. In his spare time he likes to participate in outdoor activities like running, kayaking, and skiing; and occasionally indulges in mind-numbing videogames and listens to all kinds of music from jazz and blues to country and rock but has a  predilection towards 90s rap and hip-hop.

Layla Cavitt, MD
Hometown: Saint Petersburg, FL
Undergrad: University of Florida, Nutrition/Dietetics
Med School: Florida International University
Languages: Spanish, very basic Farsi

Layla grew up with her three younger brothers in an Iranian-American family. Prior to college, multiple collaborative community projects alerted her to the resource disparities that accompany growing up in a lower socioeconomic status household and married her love of diversity with a passion for service to humanity. During her undergraduate studies, she focused on nutrition as a means of disease prevention and health maintenance. After graduation, Layla worked at WIC, within the Phoenix school district’s nutrition department, and as a hospital dietitian. These experiences motivated her to pursue primary care medicine in order to broaden the care she could offer, while still focusing on health maintenance, chronic disease self-management, and healthcare advocacy. During medical school Layla participated in Stand By You, a national palliative care program, and was avidly involved in women’s health work. She found that family medicine provided the biopsychosocial framework that subsumed her seemingly disparate passions, and that Lawrence’s focus on clinical excellence within a culture of dedication to care of the underserved was the fit she was looking. During residency, Layla plans to explore rural medicine and obstetrical training, while seeking healthcare advocacy opportunities. In her free time Layla enjoys reading, playing soccer, traveling, trying new food, and spending quality time with her cat Frida. Layla enjoys eating Julia’s homemade vegetarian treats and spending car rides discussing composting…on our way to ice cream.

Julia Cooper
Hometown: New York, NY
Undergrad: Swarthmore College, PA
Medical School: University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
Languages: American Sign Language-Basic, French-Advanced

Originally from the Bronx, Julia grew up passionate about urban farming and conducted plant genetics research for her honors major in biology at Swarthmore College. However, a growing interest in longitudinal relationships and community based work convinced her to shift her focus from crops to clinical medicine as a way of providing for the underserved. Julia spent a VISTA year at Project HOME, a homeless housing and advocacy organization in Philadelphia, and then entered medical school at the University of Rochester. There, she enjoyed caring for homeless patients on street rounds, providing smoking cessation counseling in the student-run free clinics, and promoting primary care careers through the school’s Primary Care Progress chapter. Julia is honored to be joining the passionate and progressive community at GLFHC and to pursue her particular interests in homeless care, addiction medicine and behavioral health. She speaks French and is excited to learn Spanish and Haitian Creole. Still a botanist at heart, she enjoys hiking, gardening and concocting vegetarian treats. Under Jamie’s beneficial influence, she is coming around to the idea that dogs are as good as cats.

Jamie Ellis
Hometown: Phoenix, AZ
Undergrad: Northeastern University – Psychology – BS
Medical School: University of Vermont Medical School
Languages: English, learning Spanish

Jamie grew up in Phoenix, Arizona where she spent her time playing a variety of sports, keeping up with her two older brothers and taking care of as many pets as her parents would allow her to have. Leaving the desert in search of new adventures, she moved to Boston, Massachusetts to attend Northeastern University for college where she fell in love with seasons (and snow). She majored in psychology and explored a few different career paths through the Northeastern co-op program before she found medicine through a volunteer job at the Mount Auburn Emergency Department. She attended University of Vermont College of Medicine where she found herself invigorated by every patient encounter and relished the breadth of opportunities family medicine has to offer. She was lucky enough to rotate at Greater Lawrence Family Health Center during her 4^th year of medical school where she developed an affection for the wonderful patient population and was impressed by the current residents. She is excited to tackle the new challenges of residency and looks forward to learning Spanish.  Jamie wishes to practice full-spectrum family medicine and medical interests include addiction medicine and obstetrics. Outside of medicine, she enjoys spending time exploring the outdoors with her two rescue dogs, watching the latest Disney or Pixar movie and trying new restaurants. Jamie aspires to be as well-hydrated and have the impressive lung and bladder capacity as Caroline!

Caroline Komanecky
Hometown: Northborough, MA
Undergrad: Colgate University – Hamilton, NY – Biochemistry
Medical School: Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University – Philadelphia, PA
Languages: learning Spanish

Caroline is originally from central Massachusetts and is excited to be back in New England after spending many years away in the farmland of upstate New York for undergrad, and, most recently, Philadelphia for medical school. Her passion for medicine, and family medicine in particular, was first inspired by working in Boston before medical school in case management at a medical respite center for people experiencing homelessness. Her love for family medicine continued to grow in Philadelphia, as part of the urban underserved primary care and population health tracks, and most markedly by her work with Prevention Point, the city’s syringe exchange program, in various capacities, including as a weekly mobile outreach medical clinic director. She was drawn to Lawrence for the opportunities to learn from like-minded and inspiring residents and faculty, train at a community health center, speak espanol, and practice truly full-spectrum multi-generational primary care. Outside of medicine, Caroline loves all things outdoors – running, biking, hiking – and improving her art-making and cat-parenting skills with the help of Becky.

Rebecca “Becky” Lee
Hometown: Cambridge, England and Concord, Massachusetts
Undergrad: Wesleyan University (MA) – Chemistry, Certificate in Molecular Biophysics
Medical School: Tufts University School of Medicine
Languages: Spanish, French, Basic Hindi

Half-Italian American and half-Chinese, Becky spent the majority of her childhood in Cambridge, England before moving with her family to Concord, Massachusetts. While studying at Wesleyan University, Becky divided her time between the chemistry lab and the art studio, studying both drug design and oil painting. Her interest in public health and medicine began after she worked as a teacher and health educator in a small village in Northern India for a summer. From the beginning of her medical school tenure, Becky was drawn to community-focused healthcare. During her first two years of medical school, she spent one day each week with the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Street Team, developing a deep interest in both homelessness and addiction medicine. She co-founded the Student Coalition on Addiction, an organization focused on improving education on addiction in the health professions, advocating for better services & treatment availability at the city and state level, and promoting student involvement in community activism. She graduated medical school with the Tufts University Presidential Award for Civic Life. Becky was drawn to Lawrence for its extraordinary commitment to social justice and community empowerment. Her passions within medicine include homeless health, addiction medicine, family planning and global medicine. She enjoys making art, practicing her ukulele, going on road trips and spending time in museums and with her cat, Nimu (although not necessarily at the same time). Becky is not the strongest at understanding logistical details when it comes to residency, however, and relies on her co-resident Yeri to tell her where to show up to work on any given day as well as how to eat healthy (kale salad). They share a mutual love for watching videos of Layla’s dance moves and eating Tuhin’s cooking.

Yeri Park
Hometown: Pomona, CA
Undergrad: University of California, San Diego – Biochemistry and Cell Biology
Medical School: Virginia Commonwealth University/Medical College of Virginia\
Languages: English, Korean, basic Spanish

Yeri Park is an avocado-loving, corgi enthusiast native Californian with a whole lot of Seoul. Originally from Korea, Yeri moved to sunny Southern California in her youth with her family where she gained a fine appreciation for the Pacific Ocean, flip flops and carne asada fries. She attended the University of California San Diego, where she developed her passion for working with underserved patients and having awareness of social determinants of health. She flew across the country and attended Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine as one of the Family Medicine Scholar Training and Admissions Track scholars, in which she learned how the world of family medicine fits into our current healthcare system. This led to her position as a Regional Coordinator for Family Medicine Interest Groups (FMIGs) for the AAFP to provide resources for medical students to lead successful FMIGs at their schools. It was all of these experiences together that helped her learn to celebrate diversity of all kinds and to pursue family medicine. Only family medicine offered her the ability to become an integral member of her patients’ lives and an agent for social change. Her interests include women’s health, addiction medicine, mentoring/teaching and advocating for her patients. She chose Lawrence because she saw the commitment and passion for GLFHC’s mission statement from everyone involved with GLFHC. She knows that her co-residents, faculty and community members will be excellent guides for her continued path to work with the underserved communities and is excited to learn Spanish from her patients. When Yeri is not wearing a white coat, she can be found at the gym, aggressively meal-prepping on a Sunday evening, or on the town exploring with her friends. She hopes to learn all the facts of the Freedom Trail, become a food connoisseur and have a list of Boston restaurant recommendations like Tuhin.

Tuhin Roy
Hometown: Danville, CA; San Francisco Bay Area
Undergrad:   University of California, Berkeley – Economics and Molecular Cell Biology
Medical School/MPH: Tufts University School of Medicine
Languages: Spanish, French, Bengali

Tuhin grew up in sunny San Francisco Bay Area, and attended UC Berkeley (GO BEARS!). While growing up, he was drawn to the diverse cultures of the Bay Area, mostly through the exploration of food. In college, he explored and pushed his understanding of the community around him through different community engagement and leadership programs. He was involved in several global health projects, which sparked his interest in understanding the disparities in healthcare access both at home and abroad. Undecided between a path in public health or medicine he decided to explore both at Tufts University School of Medicine’s MD/MPH program. There, he continued his commitment to community service and exploration of global health, but also fostered newfound interests in policy, social justice, and advocacy. While he is still surprised by New England winters and the price of avocados on the East Coast, he was attracted to Lawrence because it well integrated all of his interests and stood out in its dedication to training physicians to be the best possible resources for their patients in underserved settings, helping to close the disparities in healthcare that made him passionate about medicine in the first place. His clinical interests are broad and varied, which makes him even more certain that Family Medicine at Lawrence is the perfect fit. At this time, he is looking forward to exploring his interests in adolescent health, addiction medicine, HIV care, and academic medicine. When not delving into nearly every clinical interest possible, he enjoys finding new places to eat, exploring different corners of Cambridge with his neighbor Sumana.

Sumana Setty
Birthplace: Springfield, MA
Undergrad: Brandeis University- Biology and Neuroscience BS
Medical School: New York Medical College
Languages: Telugu

Sumana grew up in Shrewsbury, MA where she quickly realized that she had a love of science and music. Her passion of science brought her to Brandeis University, where she threw herself into research and teaching. In her spare time, she continued with voice lessons and expanded her musical repertoire to include opera where she had originally just learned classical music. At the end of her senior year she put on her own senior music recital. She was not sure what she wanted to do after graduation, but she loved teaching, so she landed herself the Wilcox Fellowship at Concord Academy (CA). At CA she taught two sections of freshman biology to a group of lively 9th graders and during her second year there, she was given the additionally responsibility in the Academic Support Center where she worked one on one with struggling students. The two years that she spent at Concord Academy reinvigorated her love of science and inspired her to use science to help people on both a micro and macro level. This lead her to New York Medical College (NYMC). Her four years at NYMC were spent immersed in community service and any educational opportunity she could get her hands on. It seemed only fitting that family medicine was the best fit for her and when she interviewed at Lawrence she knew that it had everything she cared about. Outside of medicine, Sumana continues to sing (at the very least during car rides), rock climbs, and loves going on adventures. And two of her favorite activities include eating mint chip ice cream with Jen and playing with her dog Hudson.

Jennifer Wolf
Hometown: Hyde Park, NY
Undergrad: Binghamton University
Medical School: Wayne State University School of Medicine
Languages: Learning Spanish

Jennifer grew up in Hyde Park, NY in the beautiful Hudson Valley. She attended college at Binghamton University where she majored in Neuroscience and minored in Global Studies. She then moved out to the Midwest and spent a brief stint as a scribe in an emergency department before starting medical school at Wayne State University in Detroit, MI. Eager to jump right in to clinical medicine, she began volunteering at a student-run free clinic in the city. During her time there she saw firsthand the barriers that people in underserved communities encounter on a daily basis and the impact it has on their health and well-being. This fueled her passion for working with underserved populations, and wanting to become more involved, she became one of the students to run the clinic during her second year. Jen was also very active in her school’s chapter of World Health Student Organization and went on trips to Ecuador and Haiti. There were many factors that contributed to her choosing family medicine as a specialty, but most important was a gut feeling she would have when surrounded by family medicine physicians – something just felt right. Lawrence really stood out as a program for Jen because of their strong training in obstetrics, Spanish language curriculum, and a deep commitment to the community that they serve. She is so excited to finally be back in a place close to real mountains (sorry Michigan!) so she can resume hiking and skiing. Her other favorite pastimes include exploring local restaurants, and hanging out with her husband and dog, Hudson. If you’re ever wondering what’s going on inside Jen’s head, just ask Elie – there’s a good chance he’s thinking the same thing.

Zoe Becker, MD
Hometown: Maplewood, NJ
Undergraduate: Haverford College – East Asian Studies – BA
Medical School: Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons
Languages: Spanish, some Mandarin, very basic Hindi

Zoe was brought up in Maplewood, NJ, in a family and town big on activism and community service. Her personal interest in global work with underserved populations started early, and she undertook her first endeavor living and working abroad in Mexico at the age of 17. Since then, she has worked in several countries in Latin America as well as in China and India, along the way discovering and pursuing family medicine as a way to combine her loves of science, social justice, and learning about various languages and cultures. In medical school, she was part of a primary care track and also served for 4 years as a student clinician and board member at a student-run clinic in Harlem. Much of her past work has focused on sexual and reproductive health, and she continued pursuing this interest at medical school by developing a women’s health program for her student-run clinic. She is very excited to be at Lawrence, where she looks forward to receiving full-spectrum training alongside passionate, community-minded colleagues while providing linguistically- and culturally-appropriate care. Outside of the clinic or hospital, you’ll often find her dancing salsa or bachata, at the gym, spending time with friends and family in the area, or thinking up new nicknames to differentiate herself from the other Zoe.

Lance Braye, MD, MPH
Birthplace: Bronx, NY
Undergraduate:  The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina – Biology – BS
Graduate School: Medical University of South Carolina –  MPH in Health Behavior and Health Promotion
Medical School: Medical University of South Carolina
Languages: Basic Spanish, Basic Haitian Creole

Lance spent four years in the Bronx before growing up in Walterboro, SC. After graduating from Colleton County High School as a saxophone playing defensive end that could sprint 800 meters, he attended The Citadel, where he conducted microbiology research, sang on the gospel choir, and edited creative and academic publications. After meeting the love of his life and graduating with a passion for singing and writing, he attended the Medical University of South Carolina. Although he aspired to become an orthopedic surgeon, Lance became horrified by the complications of chronic diseases that were ubiquitous in his hometown and fascinated with the notion of preventing them. He realized during this time that Family Medicine was the true essence of being a physician, and allowed him to heal not just his patients but also the community while preventing disease.  Attending the Paul Ambrose Scholars Program eventually led to his MPH in Health Behavior and Health Promotion while his interest in social justice was refined by working with local Black Lives Matter groups. Despite never having been to Massachusetts until his interview, Lance chose GLFHC because of its commitment to training outstanding physicians in a challenging environment and empowering the community it calls home. Plus, he really needed to work on his Spanish. Although being a New York Yankees and Carolina Panthers fan around here is challenging, he stays sane by spending time with his wife, Paris, and indulging in sports, video games, music, cooking, and the outdoors.

Kathryn “Katie” De La Rosa, MD
Hometown: Chesapeake, VA
Undergraduate: Dartmouth College
Medical School: University of Michigan Medical School
Languages: conversational Spanish

Katie was born in Virginia to parents in the Navy, so she grew up with a little southern, a little New England, and a little West Coast/best coast influence. She attended Dartmouth College where she majored in Biology and minored in Spanish language and literature. After college, she ventured to the Midwest and spent a year in Chicago working as a first year corps member for City Year Chicago where she spent her days tutoring and mentoring 9^th graders in a local high school. She enjoyed the Midwest so much, she stayed to attend medical school at the University of Michigan. During medical school, Katie was involved in a handful of community outreach programs including a summer track and field program for area youth, a mentorship program for high schoolers interested in STEM careers, a community conference about women’s health topics, and a program that promotes healthy food choices for middle schoolers. She found that family medicine offered the kind of connection to community that she wanted to bring to her practice as a physician. She is so excited to be back in New England for residency, where she can hike a mountain any time she wants. She is especially excited to be here in Lawrence and to get to know the community here. In her free time, Katie enjoys activities of all kinds including running, cycling, hiking, and playing ultimate Frisbee. She also cannot pass up a good cup of coffee or bar of chocolate.

Zoe Gordon, MD, MPH
Hometown: Shaker Heights, Ohio
Undergraduate: Colgate University – Biology – BS
Graduate School: Case Western Reserve University – MPH
Medical School: Rush Medical Center
Languages: Advanced Spanish

Zoe aka “Gordita” grew up in Shaker Heights, Ohio and is a passionate Cleveland sports fan – Go Cavs! She attended Colgate University where she studied Biology and Spanish, spending a semester abroad in the Dominican Republic. It was here where Zoe fell in love with the vibrant Dominican culture, community and food! Zoe interned at Boston Health Care for the Homeless and continued working there as an addiction program specialist after graduating college. Working side by side with teams of case managers, nurses, physicians, case managers she discovered the intersection between public health and medicine: primary care. In medical school she was part of a four-year Family Medicine Leadership curriculum, founded a student-based inpatient tobacco cessation counseling program and became a strong advocate for a universal health care system. In her spare time, Zoe enjoys cooking, board games (especially Settlers of Catan!), salsa dancing, playing tennis and petting other peoples’ dogs.

Helen Jin, MD, MBA
Hometown: Wichita, KS
Undergraduate: University of Kansas
Medical School/Graduate School: Boston University School of Medicine, MD and MBA
Languages: Basic Spanish, fair Mandarin Chinese

Helen Jin grew up in Wichita, Kansas with Chinese immigrant parents, a younger brother, and dog. She continued to stay in the state flatter than a pancake for undergraduate studies at University of Kansas (at the same time as Cara!), where she studied Biochemistry. During college, she volunteered at a sliding scale clinic where she found medicine as an engaging way to apply science to improve the lives of individuals and communities. As an AmeriCorps volunteer after college, she was drawn to curriculum optimization of her CNA classes for non-native English speakers. In medical school, she saw how similar gaps in healthcare quality create care disparities for underserved communities. To break down these barriers, she started to learn about healthcare quality improvement and applied those concepts to the development and evaluation of hot-spotting programs at FQHCs. To further her education in QI, she pursued an MBA within the dual-degree program at Boston University. She fell in love with the unique culture at GLFHC- how residents, MAs, faculty, nurses, and administration-is deeply focused on providing the best care possible for the Lawrence community with active community outreach and reflective continuous improvement. To relax, she makes pottery and walks her dog. She is also always on the look-out for a good thrift store deal.

Rebecca Joseph, MD, MPH
Hometown: Wellesley, MA
Undergraduate: Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, PA
Medical School /Graduate School: Tufts University School of Medicine – MD/MPH
Languages: English, Spanish

Rebecca grew up in Wellesley, MA. During high school she got involved with Amigos de las Americas, a youth leadership non-profit that works through the Americas. With AMIGOS she had the opportunity to spend time throughout Latin America, which sparked her love for the region and allowed her to explore community development and public health. She attended Bryn Mawr College where she majored in Biology, minored in Spanish, and spent a lot of time playing soccer. After college she returned to Boston to serve as an AmeriCorp member with Community HealthCorps. She spent the year at Brookside Community Health Center in Jamaica Plain, MA working on a variety of community health initiatives with the health center’s largely latino patient population. Her experience in AmeriCorps also introduced her to Family Medicine. She was lucky to attend medical school at Tufts University School of Medicine where she was a member of the dual degree MD/MPH program. While at Tufts, she worked at the student-run free clinic as a Sexual and Women’s Health Counselor and participated in the Tufts Student Service Scholars program for students interested in providing healthcare for underserved populations. She was attracted to the Lawrence Family Medicine Residency because it combines strong, full-spectrum training with a focus on community health and social justice. Outside of medicine, Rebecca enjoys running, rock climbing, and spending time with her husband and their dog, Bodhi.

Alice Kaufman, MD
Birthplace: Medford, MA
Undergraduate:  Smith College, Northampton MA – Anthropology
Medical School:  Tufts University School of Medicine
Languages: good Spanish, basic Italian
Alice is a Massachusetts lifer. Born and raised in the Boston area, she ventured west for college, but then came straight back to Greater Boston. She was raised by two allied health professionals which fueled her interest in health care from a young age. After graduating college she worked at Boston Medical Center in the department of Cancer Care. She worked in clinical research, but also helped out with the cancer survivorship programs, running weekly activities and groups for cancer survivors. Upon entering medical school, Alice joined the Tufts Students Service Scholars; an amazing group that became the friends and mentors that bolstered her along through medical school and inspired her to peruse a career in underserved medicine. During medical school she also developed an interest in research around social determinants of health, particularly food insecurity. She chose to come to Lawrence to continue her focus on underserved care and the strong OB training. In free time she enjoys spending time with her family, folk dance, and folk music.

Cara Smith, MD
Hometown: Topeka, KS
Undergraduate: University of Kansas – Applied Behavioral Science, concentration in Community Health and Development
Medical School: Howard University College of Medicine
Languages: Basic Spanish

Cara is a Jayhawk, born and raised in Kansas. She attended the University of Kansas – with Helen! – and graduated with a degree in Applied Behavioral Science and a concentration in Community Health. She then ventured east to Washington, DC for a term of Mennonite Voluntary Service. For her service, she taught math and computer classes fulltime at Briya Public Charter School, which simultaneously educates two generations of English language learners (parents and their children) from within a comprehensive health and social service organization for immigrants. After witnessing her students’ devotion to their families’ wellbeing, Cara started medical school at Howard, an institution dedicated to the health of its community and reducing disparities for people of color, where she co-directed the student run free clinic, served as President of the Family Medicine Interest Group, and reaffirmed her goal of becoming a community-centered family physician. She chose Lawrence for its unique combination of full-spectrum medical training, participation in an Accountable Care Organization, Spanish education, and commitment to health equity. Within medicine, Cara is interested in women’s health and obstetrics. Outside of medicine, she enjoys audiobooks, exploring the great outdoors, and cheering fanatically for Kansas basketball games.

Ryan Walker, MD, MPH
Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, FL
Undergraduate: University of Miami− Biology, Psychology − BS, BA
Med School/Graduate School: Tufts University School of Medicine –  MD/MPH
Languages: Basic Spanish

Ryan was born and raised in sunny South Florida (Fort Lauderdale) where she lived with her great-grandmother, grandmother, and mother. She is a first-generation college graduate, and obtained her Bachelors of Science in Biology and Bachelors of Arts in Psychology and has minors in Chemistry, Women’s and Gender Studies, and Public Health from the University of Miami. After graduating college, Ryan elected to do a service year as an AmeriCorps Member with City Year Miami, where she worked with high school students and provided math and reading interventions, whole class support, and tutoring services. Thereafter, she obtained her MD/MPH from Tufts University School of Medicine. While at Tufts, Ryan continued to pursue her interests in service, mentorship, and public health through involvement with Tufts Student Service Scholars (TS3) program and Student National Medical Association (SNMA). Ryan is excited to continue her training at Lawrence, a place that embodies innovation, integration of public health and medicine, and partnership with patients and community.   Ryan has specific interests in women’s health, adolescent health, educational and health disparities, and community medicine.  She is a National Health Service Corps Scholar and Gates Millennium Scholar. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her significant other and family, playing card games, traveling, and trying new foods.

Sara White, MD, MPH
Hometown: San Diego, CA
Undergraduate: University of California, Los Angeles: Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology (B.S.) and Spanish (B.A.)
Graduate School: Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health – MPH in Global Health
Medical School: University of California, San Diego School of Medicine
Languages: Spanish, basic French, and basic Koine Greek

Sara is a native of San Diego, California. Aside from being a gorgeous and perpetually sunny place to grow up, its proximity to Mexico gave Sara an introduction to many things she would learn to love: living in a multicultural community, speaking Spanish, caring for the underserved, and, of course, street tacos. Frequent encounters with inequalities and a growing understanding of what causes them matured her fascination with biology and the human body into a desire to practice medicine among under-resourced communities. During her undergraduate training Sara studied for a semester in Ecuador, where she learned more about the challenges of providing quality healthcare in developing urban environments. Throughout her medical and MPH training she took advantage of as many opportunities to participate in and learn about global health as she could, including volunteering at the student-run free clinic in San Diego and health fairs in Mexico, studying transmission-blocking malaria vaccine acceptance in Peru, and helping develop strategies to combat Female Genital Mutilation in Somaliland. She hopes to continue to be a part of the movement that improves healthcare around the world during her time here in Lawrence and beyond. When not at work, Sara enjoys spending time with her husband, reading, crocheting, cooking vegetarian food, traveling to new places and learning new languages, late nights with her church community, finding creative ways to exercise without losing a knee, and long, deep conversations about the important things in life.