Internal Medicine Residency Program

Dialogue with the Residents

E-mail a question to the Internal Medicine Residency and one of our residents will get right back to you.

Resident Spotlights

Bill Browne, MD, Preliminary R1
Boston University

The first thing I heard about California Pacific Medical Center was, “You work hard, but they take very good care of you.” During my interview I immediately knew this was the preliminary program for me, and I could not be happier with my choice. CPMC is a community hospital with an academic sentiment. There is challenging teaching for residents, ample time to mentor Dartmouth medical students, and plentiful support for participation in case presentations or research. But most importantly, CPMC has a ubiquitous feeling of camaraderie and genuine happiness. A day seldom goes by without a friendly greeting of “Hello Doc!” in the hallways. Approachable senior attendings, friendly nurses, and happy ancillary staff are all found at the hospital, but the outgoing, industrious, and sincere residents are what truly drew me to CPMC. Plus, the Program Directors are great, the hands-on training is stellar, we are fed ridiculously well, and San Francisco is the best city ever!

Yukako Honda, MD, Categorical R1
Dartmouth Medical School

As CPMC is an affiliate hospital of Dartmouth and having graduated from there, I knew well in advance just how excellent the residency program was at CPMC. Since being here, I've noted the faculty to be top-notch and extremely dedicated to patient care, and teaching. One of the main reasons why I chose CPMC was because of how much the program directors cared about the program. On Match Day, I was pleasantly surprised to receive a phone call directly from Paul (the PD) to congratulate me! From the first day of orientation, I have felt completely at home here at CPMC. There was an instant camaraderie formed amongst my fellow interns. Even before orientation, my co-interns sent out emails to one another to meet and spend time together in SF. I feel totally comfortable with the people at CPMC; we work hard together, and at the same time, outside of work, enjoy each other's company over food and drinks. I couldn't have asked for a better program!

Sean Iwamoto, MD, Categorical R1
University of Rochester

Originally from the West Coast, I had it in my heart to return for residency. CPMC is more than a name--it feels like home! I ranked CPMC #1 for many reasons. At my interview day, everyone I met--residents, attendings, staff, nurses, and medical students--appeared very happy to be here. There are even framed photos lining the hallway to the GME office with the famous "Jumping Interns" photos. Now that I am here for residency, I am thankful everyday to be at CPMC, to be part of a stimulating community that intellectually challenges and emotionally supports every person within it. Outstanding residents and patient attendings teach each other everyday. As interns, we are given a great deal of autonomy in managing our patients. Morning reports and noon conferences are full of active learning and teaching pearls. We have the awesome opportunity to teach medical students visiting from Dartmouth, UCSF, and other schools. With diverse patient populations and disease presentations at CPMC, we see as much variety as you would at large university programs. But we take pride in also having a smaller community-based learning environment. As such, CPMC thrives as a “communiversity!" For other foodies out there, San Francisco is home to world-class fine dining, unexpectedly delicious dives, and an ever-growing food truck culture. You will not go hungry, even on a resident's salary! Good luck with the match!

Melissa Kanchanapoomi, MD,
Preliminary R1
University of California, San Francisco

Coming from UCSF, I knew about CPMC as well-balanced community-academic hybrid program. As a Preliminary candidate, I was looking for a solid medicine year with a diverse patient population, rigorous training, and evidence-based learning but not taking away from a positive supportive environment where the residents were truly happy. What impressed me on my interview day was the collaborative working atmosphere on the medicine teams and positive morale of the residents. However, it wasn't until I was a resident here that I fully come to understand just how much CPMC emphasizes team spirit, hands-on interactive learning in a safe learning environment, with support from the residents, program directors, chief residents, and attendings. I feel fortunate to be part of the CPMC community!

Laura Zhang, MD, Categorical R1
University of Chicago

My interview at CPMC made a very lasting and positive impression on me. At morning report, I was impressed by how interesting the two cases were and how engaged and smart the residents and attendings were. Throughout the interview day, I was constantly reminded of how happy the residents were and the camaraderie among everyone at CPMC - it was apparent in the way they interacted with each other and how they spoke about their experiences. I am so happy to be at CPMC. My intern year so far has been what I had witnessed and valued during my interview day: a large variety of pathology, patient diversity, dedication to patient care as well as education, and great program directors, attendings, GME staff, nurses, residents, and interns who are all supportive of each other. Attendings are wonderful, very approachable, teach well, and really encourage us to formulate our own plans and thoughts. I also feel very fortunate to have program directors, chief residents, and GME staff who are so involved in our learning and are continually trying to make our program even better than it already is.

Christina Chou, MD, R2
Case Western Reserve

I first heard about CPMC when I was applying for residency, and afterwards, when I was talking to a high school friend who did a rotation here during medical school. He loved his rotation here, and told me great things about the program. When I came here for my interview, I was very impressed at how friendly everyone was and also at the positive learning atmosphere. Everyone was enthusiastic about teaching, and never made you feel stupid or dumb if you don't know the answer to a question. The attendings and residents were very approachable. I felt great after the interview, and filling out my rank list a few months later turned out to be really easy. I knew where I wanted to go, and I'm really glad that everything worked out!

Lisa Chui, MD, R2
University of Vermont

My first 'working' memories of CPMC came as a high school volunteer and I quickly noticed the CPMC spirit of camaraderie and quality patient care. CPMC’s presence in the city was always a positive one and, while I enjoyed my time on the East Coast during medical school, I wanted (and needed) to return home for residency. Initially CPMC was my top choice based on location but during my sub-I, I saw firsthand each day how genuinely happy the residents were and how much they were able to learn in this “communiversity” with the perfect balance of service and education, bedside rounds physically fuse diagnosis with therapy; multiple academic conferences throughout the week augment your clinical repertoire, and working with medical students is an extremely positive experience enabling both to learn more from each other in exciting, enduring ways. Whether you are a medical student, intern, or resident, you are treated as an “integral” part of the medical team and given opportunities to grow in an enjoyable, dynamic, learner-centered environment. The Attendings welcome your input, the ancillary staff value your efforts, and the patients are gracious with their stories and receptive to resident care. The GME department is also top notch, extremely knowledgeable and always enthusiastic to help in any way they can. This program is truly remarkable in all aspects and I'm extremely happy to be part of the CPMC family where everyone learns and thrives with each other!

Danielle Richardson, MD, R2
Tufts University

After just a few months into intern year I was even more convinced that deciding to come to CPMC was the right choice for me. This program is unique in the way it combines patient diversity, complex cases and excellent teaching on the wards and in conferences while maintaining a supportive, collaborative and positive environment. From interactive morning report cases to multiple choice audience participation noon conferences to attending's bedside teaching rounds, I am thankful for all of the hands-on, patient centered teaching I have received here at CPMC. Most importantly are the enthusiastic people that I am surrounded by during my time here and how they shape and influence the doctor I am becoming day by day. The program directors and GME staff are ever present, easily accessible and very involved daily in our residency training. The attendings lead by example and are eager to ensure that I have picked up on essential teaching points for patients on service and in clinic. The chiefs and my fellow residents are an incredibly diverse group of young physicians who work as a team and have truly made my time at CPMC both educational and fun. CPMC is an exceptional program and I am thankful everyday I come to work that I matched here.

Shoshana Ungerleider, MD, R2
Oregon Health Sciences University

On the day of my residency interview, I was instantly impressed with CPMC. The residents appeared quite happy and excited to be at work. This was a unique experience while on the interview trail, as most residents I met at other programs seemed worn out. Now, as a resident at CPMC, I know that the enthusiasm among house staff is genuine. The quality of the teaching and overall academic environment is comparable to a university-based program with ample time each day dedicated to teaching. I very much enjoy having Dartmouth medical students on the wards, as it gives me an opportunity to mentor and teach as an intern. I also love the city setting of CPMC. San Francisco is a wonderful, vibrant city to train in with something for everyone. On my days off, I am within a few minutes of the ocean, hiking trails, world-class restaurants and excellent shopping. I am thrilled that I chose CPMC for internal medicine residency.

Susanna Tan, MD, R3
Northwestern University

Ranking CPMC #1 was an easy decision for me. Because its patient diversity, rigorous training, positive environment, and prime location, CPMC was everything I was looking for in a program. I knew it was the place that would enhance the qualities that I wanted to develop as a physician. At CPMC, the morale is collaborative and positive. Everybody from the attending physicians to the nursing staff have been entirely supportive and treat residents as colleagues. It truly is one large team working together toward the goal of great patient care. Between the program directors who are easy to approach and strong advocates of resident education, and my co-residents who are equally collaborative, hardworking, and fun loving, I am very happy to be training at CPMC!

Yile Ding, MD,
Chief Medicine Resident
University of California, San Francisco

Coming from UCSF, CPMC was a familiar place to me. Many of my classmates did various rotations at CPMC raved about the quality of teaching and mentoring at CPMC. I fell in love with CPMC when I did an ICU rotation during my 4th year. There is definitely a strong emphasis on clinical teaching and Evidence Based Medicine. But what really impressed me was the sense of camaraderie among the residents. Now as part of CPMC, I realized that this sense of camaraderie stems from the culture of this program: each housestaff member is treated with respect. There are no hierarchies among the attendings and the housestaff. Our opinions are valued and changes are made based on them. As hard as residency is, feeling supported and appreciated at all times makes it an enjoyable experience.