Community Medicine - Fellows

Medical School

Western University COMP

Residency Training

California Hospital Medical Center Dignity Health

Layla was born to a large, diverse family in bustling Los Angeles where she was raised and attended the University of Southern California (Go Trojans!). At USC, Layla studied Health Promotion and Disease Prevention and served as a fellow in addiction medicine through the Keck School of Medicine. Through her research and extracurriculars, she came to witness the discrepancies in health care equity and access to those who were the most disadvantaged and in need of medical aid. It was at USC where her passion for community medicine and treating marginalized populations first began. She continued her medical education at Western University of Health Sciences and pursued her family medicine residency training at Dignity Health- California Hospital and Eisner Federally Qualified Health Centers Clinic, a bustling community hospital center serving the urban, downtown Los Angeles area. During her training, she learned to be resourceful at navigating patients’ needs and empowering patients’ medical autonomy as well. Layla is excited to join the Kaiser System and focus on her fellowship in community medicine for the next year, hoping to learn how to become a strong advocate for the community as a whole, to represent the largest number of patients. Through this fellowship, she hopes to mentor other aspiring medical professionals to serve their community as well! In her free time, Layla loves to hike the various outdoor Los Angeles trails, get outdoors, travel to new places and watch her college alma mater during football season!

Medical School

Western University COMP

Residency Training

Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles

Medical School

Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine

Residency Training

Adventist Health White Memorial

Emily Macias is a first-generation physician originally from Portland, Oregon. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish from Oregon State University and her medical degree from Oregon Health & Science University. Between her university studies and medical education, Emily spent time volunteering as a tutor and mentor for junior high and high school students while working as a medical scribe at a community clinic focused on providing care to underserved and underinsured Spanish-speaking patients, many of whom were migrant farmworkers. During medical school, she continued to find opportunities to volunteer with underserved communities which included coordinating and participating in a monthly student-run free clinic and administering health screenings at multiple migrant camp outreach clinics; she also co-created a curriculum for medical students regarding the impacts of immigration policy on health outcomes. Her desire to work with underserved Spanish-speaking communities led to her relocating to Los Angeles for her Family Medicine residency training, which she completed at Adventist Health White Memorial in Boyle Heights. During residency, she continued to participate in community outreach events focused on patient education and empowerment. Emily is very excited to be joining the KP Community Medicine Fellowship Program through the Pediatric Department as she plans to work with children as part of her outpatient Family Medicine practice. In her free time, Emily enjoys traveling, spending time in the kitchen with her husband, exploring new cafes and restaurants, gardening, knitting, and snuggling with her cat Señor Montes.

Medical School

Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine

Residency Training

University of California, Irvine

Chhai is a Southern California native who grew up in Riverside with his supportive Cambodian refugee parents and younger sister. He was raised in an environment of different immigrant/refugee families from diverse backgrounds who were also trying to navigate America’s many systems, including healthcare. Chhai graduated from the University of California, San Diego with degrees in Psychology and Neuroscience/Physiology, where he developed a fascination with science and medicine in the context of how it shapes the day-to-day lives of people and their families. During high school and into college, he participated in multiple medical mission trips, including free clinics in Tijuana, which further fueled his passion for medicine and helping underserved communities. He found his calling in the holistic view of care in Family Medicine while attending the Frank H Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac in Connecticut. During his residency at UCI, he found joy in helping families similar to the one he grew up with, and continues to develop his interests in healthcare relating to immigrants and refugee health, addiction medicine in primary care, and healthcare policy. When he’s not helping patients, he enjoys running, playing pickleball, exploring new restaurants with his wife, and everything coffee.

Medical School

University of California, Davis School of Medicine

Residency Training

Harbor UCLA Medical Center

Cristina Monterroza is originally from San Francisco and grew up in a mixed raced Salvadoran/American household. While studying General Biology at UC San Diego, she joined the student-run organization Chicanos/Latinos for Community Medicine. This sparked her interest in community health and advocacy for underrepresented minorities. Through this experience, she decided to pursue a career in medicine. Before medical school, she joined the Peace Corps and was stationed in Guatemala. Her project focused on improving preventative health education in rural elementary schools to combat the rate of morbidity and mortality from communicable diseases. She developed a deep appreciation for community medicine and grassroots community health improvement efforts from working with other community organizers, nonprofit organizations, and local physicians. She was delighted to be accepted to the UC Davis School of Medicine for her medical education, where she pursued her interests by being involved in Organized Medicine and student-run clinics. She later completed her residency at Harbor UCLA, where she was able to care for underrepresented Latino minorities in a county system. During her residency, she learned how to navigate healthcare systems and advocate for patient needs. Cristina hopes to partner with community members during her fellowship to implement preventative health strategies and focused health education related to chronic disease management. She is also looking forward to developing as a teacher and a mentor. In her free time, Cristina enjoys reading, playing the guitar, salsa dancing, and riding her bike on beach trails.