To acquire the education and training needed to effectively care for people with serious or life-threatening illnesses, clinical rotations provide trainees with opportunities to: 

Participate as an integral member of interdisciplinary care teamsDevelop and manage patient care plansFacilitate continuity of care

View the 2025-2026 fellow rotation schedule (PDF, 100 KB).

Fellows participate in four-hour weekly educational conferences to build their foundation of HPM knowledge, as well as grow their teaching and presentation skills with mentorship and feedback. Didactic topics include: 

• Comprehensive, complex symptom management
• Communication skills education in small group role play
• Teamwork and leadership
• Psychosocial and spiritual care
• Professional development and teaching skills

Fellows will have the opportunity to learn and teach in special sessions focused on: 

• Quality improvement
• Journal club
• Formal in-depth presentations on HPM topics of their interest

Fellows also have protected time for a weekly fellow process group to help build community, resilience and peer support skills.

The UCSD/Scripps Health hospice and palliative medicine fellowship faculty is dedicated to preparing physicians to competently work in a variety of palliative care and hospice settings, while taking an interdisciplinary approach to provide compassionate care.

The faculty is comprised of physicians, nurses, social workers, spiritual care providers and other clinicians.

Our physician faculty includes: 

• Toluwalasé “Lasé” Ajayi, MD (Program Director, UCSD)
• Holly Yang, MD (Program Director, Scripps Health)
• Enma Alvarado, MD
• Liza Anwar, DO
• Kimberly Bower, MD
• Laurence Boggeln, MD 
• Heather Bruner, MD
• Gary Buckholz, MD
• Alexa Chavez, MD 
• Sonya Christianson, MD
• Rachel Cohn, MD
• Bonnie Davis, MD
• Ami Doshi, MD
• Kyle Edmonds, MD
• Johanna Estrada, MD 
• Sarah Evans, MD
• Frank Ferris, MD
• Avnish Gill, MD
• Ruth Goodson, MD 
• Jeremy Hirst, MD
• Youngho “Paul” Kim, MD
• Vishva Lakshman, MD
• Guiyu “Lutetia” Li, MD
• Alexander Madonis, MD
• Krishelle Marc-Aurele, MD
• Matt Mason, MD
• Paula Mesarwi, MD
• William Mitchell, MD
• Robert “Clint” Morehead, MD
• Michael Montazeri, MD
• Vivian Okonta, DO, MPH
• Conner Olsen, MD
• Tamara Rubenzik, MD
• Negin Salimi, DO
• Mayra Sanchez, MD
• Stephanie Schmitt, MD
• Jaime Sellers, MD
• Kira Skavinski, DO
• Elizabeth Sophy, MD
• Nicholas Tom, MD
• David Tran, MD
• Charles von Gunten, MD
• Julia Wilkins, MD
• Greg Winter, MD
• Kathryn “Kadee” Winters, MD
• Kevin Yang, MD 
• Heidi Yeung, MD
• Stephanie Yoon, MD

Fellows in the hospice and palliative care program have previously studied across the country and right here in San Diego. Their diverse backgrounds and interests are building the future of palliative medicine and hospice care.

Alison Aronstam, MD, MS

Internal Medicine Residency, University of California, San Francisco

Han Bao, MBBS, MA

Internal Medicine Residency, Jacobi Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Kevin Han, MBBS

Internal Medicine Residency, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University

Susan Kennedy, MD

Emergency Medicine Residency, UNC - Chapel Hill

Justin Nathan, MD, MA

Internal Medicine Residency, Temple University

Katrina Sadang, MD, MPH

Family Medicine Residency, LifeLong Medical Care

Jamee Schoephoerster, MD

General Surgery Residency, Oregon Health & Science University

Elaine Yan, MD, MS

Internal Medicine Residency, New York‐Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center

Annual salary for the academic year is consistent with UCSD PGY-4 salary. For the 2025-2026 academic year, UCSD PGY-4 salary is $100,382.

An additional stipend is available for your medical license fees and an education stipend of $750.

An optional retirement account is also available.

Insurance

Malpractice insurance is provided. Health, dental, vision, life, and long-term disability insurance plans for fellows and their families are reviewed at orientation.

Counseling service

UC San Diego Healer Education Assessment and Referral (HEAR) Program offers education, anonymous stress and depression screening, referral and support to all UC San Diego Health learners and workers. In addition, HEAR offers short-term, no-cost, confidential counseling for residents and fellows and individual “check-in” meetings with trainees and non-GME physicians.

Vacation leave

Fellows receive 20 working days of paid vacation.

Sick leave

Leave for illness, family medical emergencies, maternity/paternity is allotted per UC San Diego policy.

Medical library

All fellows have access to the medical libraries at UCSD and at Scripps Mercy Hospital via their identification badge. In addition, there are online journals and links to UpToDate, DynaMed, PsycINFO, Embase, AccessMedicine, Cochrane Library, and PubMed.

For additional information on benefits, please review the benefits page and visit the UCSD policy documents for incoming trainees.