Residents | Kaiser Permanente Undergraduate & Graduate Medical Education Northern California

PGY-4

Brittany Abeldt, MD
Chief Resident

Brittany Abeldt, MD
Chief Resident

Undergraduate School

University of California, Santa Barbara; Santa Barbara City College; University of San Francisco

Medical School

Wright State University, Boonshoft School of Medicine

Professional Interests

Psychotherapy, General Adult Psychiatry, Psychotic Disorders, PTSD, Addiction

How I Thrive

Hanging with friends and being outdoors! I’ve been enjoying East Bay’s beautiful weather and amazing food. I love playing volleyball, hiking, rollerblading, and biking. I also like concerts/music festivals, scary movies, and playing ukulele.

Heidi Stahl, MD
Chief Resident

Heidi Stahl, MD
Chief Resident

Undergraduate School

University of California, Berkeley

Medical School

Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine

Professional Interests

immigrant & minority mental health, general adult psychiatry, mood disorders, and community psychiatry

How I thrive

For fun I like to garden, hike, play volleyball and tennis, cook, and hang out with friends

Emilio Esquivel, MD

Emilio Esquivel, MD

Undergraduate School

De Anza College; University of California, Berkeley

Medical school

University of California, San Francisco

Professional interests

Community psychiatry, integrative psychiatry, addiction psychiatry, consult & liaison, palliative care

How I thrive

Hanging out with friends, family, my partner, and cat Stanley, preferentially over a pot of loose-leaf tea. To keep myself active, I thoroughly enjoy rock climbing, bouldering, both indoor and outdoor, and occasional basketball.

Shawyon Sedaghati, DO

Shawyon Sedaghati, DO

Undergraduate School

University of California, Riverside

Medical School

Western University of Health Sciences, College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific or just COMP

Professional Interests

child and adolescent psychiatry, addiction medicine, mental health policy and advocacy

How I Thrive

Exploring the vast array of culinary offerings here in the East Bay. Cooking dishes inspired by my cookbooks. Collecting books and eventually reading them. Spending quality time with my lovely and incredible fiancée, and of course, my supportive co-residents!

Ariel Wilson, MD

Ariel Wilson, MD

Undergraduate School

University of California, San Diego

Medical School

University of Virginia

Professional interests

Adult Outpatient Psychiatry, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy

How I Thrive

I enjoy spending time outdoors with my dog (hiking, going to the beach), volleyball, yoga, cooking/eating, reading, and writing!

PGY-3

Jay Annam, MD

Jay Annam, MD

Dorothy Bowers Wu, MD

Undergraduate School

Rutgers University

Graduate School

Manhattan School of Music

Medical School

University of New Mexico School of Medicine (including PGY1)

Professional Interests

Integrative, interventional and psychodynamic frameworks for clinical psychiatry. Humanistic and positive psychology. Health equity.

How I Thrive

Being in stillness and in flow states with art, music, narratives, children, animals, nature, food, movement and sacred spaces

Alexander Cody, MD

Alexander Cody, MD

Undergraduate School

Columbia University in the City of New York

Medical School

University of Cincinnati College of Medicine

Professional Interests

Addiction Medicine, Artificial Intelligence in Psychiatry, Emergency Services

How I Thrive

Soccer, golf, skiing, exploring the city and eating good food

See profile on My Doctor Online

Shannon He, MD

Shannon He, MD

Undergraduate School

Northwestern University

Medical School

Keck School of Medicine of USC

Professional Interests

Emergency psychiatry, interventional psychiatry, cultural psychiatry, minority and underserved mental health, LGBTQ+ psychiatry

How I Thrive

Spending time with my family, friends, and pets, arts and crafts (e.g. drawing, wood whittling), exploring new food/local restaurants, hiking, TV/movies, playing sports

Alex Maben, MD

Alex Maben, MD

Undergraduate School

Stanford University

Medical School

University of Nebraska College of Medicine

Professional Interests

Community psychiatry, general psychiatry as well as multiple psychiatric subfields, medical education theory & implementation

How I Thrive

Hiking through nature, cooking a variety of cuisines, and walking around different parts of the Bay Area. Spending quality time with friends, family, and my partner. Drinking tea, listening to music, and enjoying the outdoors.

Alan Shu, MD

Alan Shu, MD

Undergraduate school

University of California, Berkeley

Medical school

University of Washington

Professional interests

Child/adolescent, consultation-liaison, LGBTQ+, peri-natal, public/community

How I thrive

Traveling, exploring new restaurants/bars, cooking, hanging out with friends

PGY-2

Alec Allee-Munoz, MD

Alec Allee-Munoz, MD

Undergraduate School

The George Washington University

Medical School

Keck School of Medicine of USC

Professional Interests

LGBTQ+ Mental Health and Advocacy, Cultural Psychiatry, Addiction Medicine

How I Thrive

In another life I was a professional pianist. Hobbies include parsing through a tricky Chopin Etude, exploring queer culture throughout The Bay, hiking, and traveling. I find joy in studying, practicing and utilizing Spanish, frequently listening to audiobooks or podcasts in Spanish.

Samantha Avila, MD

Samantha Avila, MD

About Me

Samantha Avila double majored in Chemistry and French at Williams College. She completed a Master of Science in Biochemistry at the University of Paris, Diderot, through a Fulbright research grant. She completed her MD at Duke University School of Medicine. She is interested in child and adolescent psychiatry.

How I Thrive

I balance my time with training for the NYC marathon and enjoy spending time outdoors. I am fluent in Spanish and French and enjoy spending time with family and friends speaking these languages, hiking, and bouldering with friends and resident colleagues at KP.

Franz Belz, MD

Franz Belz, MD

Undergraduate School

University of Texas at Austin - Biomedical Engineering

Medical School

Duke University

MPH University

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Professional Interests

Becoming an excellent community psychiatrist with a side hustle of systemic change (~ advocacy, community engagement, quality improvement, and practice-relevant research).

How I thrive

Staying active: climbing, basketball, volleyball, rollerblading, biking The Outdoors: any mode of locomotion through Mother Nature Making Music: playing piano with a loop pedal and singing pop renditions Cuisine: backyard-to-table cooking, cooking international street food Advocacy: advocating for systemic change to facilitate access to and promote mental health Podcasts: The Happiness Lab, Hidden Brain, Think Fast Talk Smart, Codeswitch, Spanish Duolingo

Amaka Ehirim, MD

Amaka Ehirim, MD

Taylor Henderson, MD

Taylor Henderson, MD

Undergraduate School

Baylor University

Medical School

The University of North Carolina School of Medicine

Professional Interests

Reproductive Psychiatry, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, health policy, and improving health equity for marginalized patient groups– especially Black Americans.

How I Thrive

Thriving for me is a balance of learning, connection, and creativity. Yoga and roller skating with my dog keeps me active, while museums and art galleries fuel my creative side. I thrive on meaningful conversations with friends and new faces, and I express myself through fashion, curating outfits that feel as unique as I am.