OB/GYN Residents

Connie Chung, MD

Birthplace: Los Angeles, CA
Medical school: Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA.
Education: University of California, Irvine, BS Biological Sciences.
Hobbies: Snowboarding, traveling, dancing, keeping her succulents alive, spending time with family and friends.
Language(s) spoken: English and Korean.
Personal accomplishments: Traveled to six countries during her four years at medical school. Received the Howard Schneiderman Prize at UC Irvine’s Excellence in Research Symposium. Rode the longest zipline in Latin America (5,260 ft).

Samantha “Sammi” Dewald, MD

Birthplace: Jacksonville, NC
Medical school: University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA.
Education: University of Michigan, BS Cell and Molecular Biology.
Hobbies: Spending time with family and friends, fitness, cooking, watching all kinds of sports (especially Michigan football), being outdoors, and petting as many dogs as possible.
Language(s) spoken: English
Personal accomplishments: Spent a month in Costa Rica doing sea turtle and primate conservation work while in college. Manager of the Women’s Clinic at the UCSD Student Run Free Clinic. Trained at a boxing club for three years while in medical school before deciding to transition to something a little less injury provoking!

Shannice Mabandla, MD

Birthplace: Loma Linda, CA
Medical school: Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, CA.
Education: Union College, Lincoln, NE, BS International Rescue and Relief.
Hobbies: Spending time with family and friends, hiking, camping, singing, and salsa dancing.
Language(s) spoken: English and Spanish.
Personal accomplishments: Enjoys international development and helping underserved communities. Traveled to over 10 countries assisting with various development projects. Lived in a mud hut in Chad, Africa for one year giving public health lectures and working in a local hospital. Belongs in a gospel singing group and is recording an album.

Sarah Simko, MD

Birthplace: Torrance, CA
Medical school: University of Miami, Miami, FL.
Education: University of California Los Angeles, BS Physiological Science.
Hobbies: Singing, listening to live music, spending time with friends, surfing, hiking and attempting to make various vegetarian recipes.
Language(s) spoken: English and Intermediate Spanish.
Personal accomplishments: Learned how to make cheese enchiladas from scratch (sauce, tortillas, and all). Received an award for her community assessment work on a Ngobe community in Panama. Featured in a picture on the muggle quidditch Wikipedia page.

3rd Year Residents

Jessica Ehly-Yu, MD

Birthplace: Clovis, CA
Medical school: Frank H. Netter School of Medicine, Quinnipiac University, Hamden, CT.
Education: University of California, San Diego, BS.
Hobbies: Hiking, crocheting, cooking and drawing.
Language(s) spoken: English and Chinese (Cantonese).
Personal accomplishments: Finished several work-in-progress crochet projects and taught my husband how to crochet while in lockdown during COVID-19 pandemic. Conquered my fear of heights by hiking Angel’s Landing at Zion National Park. Managed to get my dog, Callie, and cat, Mango, to get along and live together (mostly peacefully).

Asal Homayouni, MD

Birthplace: Santa Barbara, CA
Medical school: California Northstate University College of Medicine, Elk Grove, CA.
Education: University of California, Berkeley, BA Integrative Biology.
Hobbies: Reading, writing, watching hockey, cycling, and spending time with friends and family (both the 2 legged and 4 legged kind).
Language(s) spoken: English and Farsi (Persian).
Personal accomplishments: Bested my father in a match of backgammon 3:2. I wrote a 52,000 word science fiction novel during National Novel Writing Month. I rescued and rehabilitated my cat Nala, now she’s a healthy and happy indoor kitty.

Natalie Shammas, MD

Birthplace: Los Angeles, CA
Medical school: Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC.
Education: University of Southern California, BS Neuroscience.
Hobbies: Hiking, yoga, and spending time with family & friends.
Language(s) spoken: English, Spanish and Arabic.
Personal accomplishments: Spent a month in Ecuador working in a GYN clinic and taking Spanish lessons. Traveled to the lowest elevation in North America, Death Valley’s Badwater Basin. I have watched nearly every episode of the Real Housewives franchise.

Anna Yates, MD

Birthplace: Shreveport, LA
Medical school: Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Shreveport, LA.
Education: Louisiana Tech University, BS Biology.
Hobbies: Singing, cross stitching, volleyball, photography, baking bread, and traveling.
Language(s) spoken: English, and Spanish.
Personal accomplishments: Member of a percussion group that performed across America, as well as in Mexico and Canada. Built a robot and coded it to navigate a maze and sing the national anthem. Loving mom to my rescue pup/coyote, Kenya.

Katie Young, MD

Birthplace: San Diego, CA
Medical school: University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, San Diego, CA.
Education: University of California, Los Angeles, BS Biochemistry.
Hobbies: Yoga, indoor cycling, going to concerts, roller skating, baking, and watching TV.
Language(s) spoken: English, and Intermediate Spanish.
Personal accomplishments: Started a club called Medical Students for Fast Food (MSFFF). Won a hula hoop contest at an IKEA grand opening. Took aerial skills classes while in medical school despite being afraid of heights.