Department Wellness Directors

Byron Fergerson, MD

Byron Fergerson is a Clinical Professor in the UCSD Department of Anesthesiology specializing in Cardiothoracic Anesthesia and Echocardiography. He has been studying, lecturing, and promoting physician wellness throughout his time at UCSD. He has served as the Wellness Director for the Anesthesiology department and is currently Vice-Chair of Faculty Wellness and Engagement. During this time, he has created a peer support team, designed a resiliency curriculum for CA-1s, recruited a Faculty Wellness and Engagement Committee, and provided Balint-type groups for residents.

Dr. Fergerson is currently Chair of the UCSD Departmental Wellness Director Committee (DWDC) and is active in wellness initiative development for the UCSD GME Department. He also sits on several wellness-related committees including Sanford Institute Clinical Research Application Review Committee, the HEAR Committee, the National GME Well-Being Working Group, and chairs the Resiliency Subcommittee on the Sanford Wellness Taskforce. Dr. Fergerson has received training in peer support communication, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Compassion Cultivation, and advanced training in Mindfulness facilitation. He has completed the UC Davis/Irvine Clinician Health and Well-Being Fellowship the Stanford Physician Well-Being Course both of which aim to teach how to identify and treat psychosocial problems; implement preventative health measures; and engage, treat, and monitor impaired physicians.

Dr. Fergerson is currently working on digital health tools to promote patient and physician health. Prior to coming to UCSD, Dr. Fergerson was Chair of the University of Utah Hospital and Clinics Ethics Committee as well as a member of the Hospital Medical Board.

UC San Diego Department of Anesthesiology

Minh Tran, MD

Dr. Minh Hai Tran is a Neuroanesthesiologist and the Wellness Director for the anesthesiology department at UCSD. She obtained her medical degree with honors at the University of Sydney Australia, is a Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand Royal College of Anaethetists (FANZCA), Fellowship at Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge United Kingdom, and is board certified from the American Board of Anesthesiologists (ABA). She joined UCSD in 2014 for an Internal Medicine internship followed by anesthesia residency and has been on faculty since 2018. She is passionate to support effective communication and system improvements that will provide a workplace environment that grows and meets the needs of physicians. She is an avid traveler, with a love of food, wine and dance.

UC San Diego Department of Anesthesiology

Michele Kowalski-McGraw, MD

Dr. Michele Kowalski-McGraw has extensive experience in Occupational Medicine in multiple health systems and is dually certified in Family Medicine and Occupational Medicine. Through her practice in occupational medicine, she studies how environmental factors shape health and customizes solutions to promote wellness. As Lead Physician in Occupational Medicine in the Community Care Dept., she is working to bridge Occupational Medicine and Primary Care. Her most recent project is development of CDC’s Occupational Data for Health, which will facilitate communication about work between patients and their providers to be used for improved individual patient care and population health. She is also a recent graduate of the UCSD Sanford Compassionate Communication Academy Fellowship.

Before joining UC San Diego Health, Dr. Kowalski-McGraw was the system medical director of Occupational Medicine/Employee Health at Geisinger Health. She was also associate medical director of Occupational Medicine at Lehigh Valley Health and adjunct professor, Department of Clinical Sciences at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, where her focus was on teaching primary care communication skills to students.

Dr. Kowalski-McGraw completed her residency in occupational and environmental medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and in family medicine at UM Prince Georges Hospital Center. She earned her medical degree from Temple University and a master's degree in public health from the University Of Massachusetts Amherst.

Brianne Daniels, DO

Brianne Daniels, DO, is a Staff Physician in the UCSD Department of Dermatology specializing in Dermatopathology. She believes physician and care-giver well-being is mission critical for excellent patient care. She has pursued multiple avenues of additional training to help her better contribute to wellness endeavors, including her work as a life coach as well as the Stanford Well MD/Well PhD Wellness Director's Course. She contributes to the annual Dermatology Department Faculty Retreat and ongoing departmental wellness initiatives. Dr. Daniels is looking forward to working collaboratively within UCSD as well as the greater UC system, and beyond, to bring forth effective and efficient wellness interventions for all students, staff, and faculty. As a native Californian and product of the UC education system, she cherishes the opportunity to contribute and innovate in this space.

Alicia B. Minns, MD

I have been a member of the UCSD Department of Emergency Medicine since 2004. I completed my residency in Emergency Medicine at UCSD in 2008, and a fellowship in Medical Toxicology at UCSD in 2010. I have been academic faculty since the completion of my training. In my role as an emergency physician and as a consultant in medical toxicology, I interact with almost all departments and divisions within the health system. I have served as fellowship director for Medical Toxicology since 2013.  I am originally from Detroit, Michigan. My undergraduate education is from University of Michigan, and medical school education from Tufts Medical School.

UC San Diego Department of Emergency Medicine

Rachna Subramony, MD

Dr. Rachna Subramony is currently a full-time physician in the Department of Emergency Medicine at UCSD. She is passionate about clinical medicine, Emergency Ultrasound, medical student education, and physician well-being. She serves as the Wellness Co-Director for the Emergency Department. Her goal is to promote the professional fulfillment, resilience, and well-being of the faculty by utilizing discussion groups and creating a culture of respect and open bidirectional communication. She hopes to conduct further research in physician well-being to help identify root causes of burnout and pursue change. To prioritize safe patient care and help all our physicians perform optimally, she also serves on the Medical Staff Physician Well-Being Committee with the goal of early interventions and providing appropriate resources for treatment, rehabilitation, and monitoring for physicians struggling with medical, cognitive, mental health or substance abuse that could be a threat to providing quality patient care. To promote patient safety and attainment of the highest quality of clinical care, she also serves as a Physician Enhancement Program (PEP) mentor and has received training in peer support and have been recognized as a Tier 2 Peer Supporter to help serve and maintain the health and wellness of our UCSD family. 

UC San Diego Department of Emergency Medicine

Julie Çelebi, MD

Dr. Julie Çelebi is the Director of Wellness for Graduate Medical Education (GME) and an Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Family Medicine, with a secondary appointment in the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health. Dr. Çelebi completed her residency in Family Medicine at O'Connor Hospital in San Jose, Calif., and earned her medical degree from Michigan State University College of Human Medicine. She also holds a Master of Science from Wayne State University. She practices the full breadth of primary care for patients of all ages, with special interests in reproductive health, LGBTQ+ healthcare, and care for the medically underserved. In addition to her role as Wellness Director for the Department of Family Medicine, Dr. Çelebi also serves as a Well-Being Educator for the American Academy of Family Physicians. She is passionate about educating and mentoring medical students, residents, and other colleagues in medicine. Dr. Çelebi co-directs the Compassionate Action and Real Engagement in the Community (CARE) course at the School of Medicine and is a co-leader for the Sanford Institute's Center for Compassionate Communication Affiliate Faculty program.

Dr. Çelebi is grateful for her longtime partner and two young children. She enjoys hikes with her family, crafting poetry and reflective writing, and finding clarity and peace through yoga, dance, and meditation.

UC San Diego Department of Family Medicine

Arthi Balu, MD

Joe Diaz, MD

Joseph Diaz grew up in San Antonio, Texas, and received his MD from UT Health San Antonio in May 2015. He completed his internal medicine residency training at UCSD in June 2019 and is board certified in internal medicine. He is currently an Assistant Clinical Professor in the division of General Internal Medicine; associate medical director for the UCSD UPC primary care clinic site in La Jolla; and wellness committee co-director for the division of General Internal Medicine and the Department of Medicine. His interests include providing high quality care in the primary care setting; teaching medical students and residents; and devising ways to mitigate provider burnout. Outside of work, he enjoys ocean swimming, surfing, playing soccer, running around beautiful San Diego, and has an inexplicable fascination with Napoleonic era geopolitics.

UC San Diego Department of Medicine

Martin Pham, MD

Martin H. Pham, MD, is a board-certified neurosurgeon who focuses on the neurosurgical evaluation and treatment of spinal disorders. This includes adult scoliosis and spinal deformity, complex spinal reconstruction, robotic and minimally invasive spine surgery, motion preservation of the spine, spine tumors, and spine trauma.

As an assistant professor in the Department of Neurological Surgery, he leads the neurosurgery visiting student clerkship as course director and serves as a mentor for the master clinician program in surgery. In these roles, Dr. Pham teaches medical students, neurosurgical residents, and spine fellows at the UC San Diego School of Medicine.

He is published extensively within the field of spinal conditions and has an active interest in the development of minimally invasive surgical techniques with robotics platforms to advance safer evidence-based spine care. He has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed research publications, abstracts, and textbook chapters, and has presented his work at the national and international level.

Dr. Pham completed a fellowship in robotic, spinal deformity, and motion preservation surgery at Columbia University's New York-Presbyterian Daniel and Jane Och Spine Hospital. He also enfolded a fellowship in minimally invasive and complex spinal surgery at Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California (USC), where he completed his residency in neurological surgery. Having completed spine fellowship training with both neurosurgeons and orthopedic surgeons, Dr. Pham has a comprehensive understanding of the spine that allows him to tailor his treatment to each individual using a wide range of available surgical and nonsurgical options.

He is a member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, the North American Spine Society, and AOSpine North America. Additionally, he serves on the National Spine Health Foundation's Medical and Scientific Advisory Board.

UC San Diego Department of Neurological Surgery

Natalie Guido-Estrada, MD

Dr. Natalie Guido-Estrada is a neurologist at Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego and an associate clinical professor in the department of neurosciences at UC San Diego. She serves on the Doctor Wellness committee at Rady Children's Hospital and is the Wellness Director for the Department of Neurosciences at UCSD.  Dr. Guido-Estrada is board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology with special qualifications in child neurology. She is also certified by the United Council for Neurological Subspecialities in Headache Medicine. Dr. Guido-Estrada received her undergraduate degree from Stanford University and her medical training at UC Davis. She completed her pediatric neurology residency at Phoenix Children's Hospital and her pediatric neurology fellowship at The Barrow Neurological Institute at Phoenix Children's Hospital.

Dr. Guido-Estrada practices as a general child neurologist, providing care for a variety of neurological disorders in both the hospital and clinic settings. Additionally, she specializes in treating complex headache patients and has a procedure clinic at Rady Children's for Botox injections for the treatment of chronic migraines. She is the co-director of the Rett Syndrome Multidisciplinary Clinic and also serves as the Neurology Division Education Liaison. Dr. Guido-Estrada is active in the curriculum creation and clinical teaching for UC San Diego medical students, visiting medical students and other medical specialty residents and fellows who complete rotations in neurology. She is a member of the Child Neurology Society, the American Academy of Neurology and the International and American Headaches Societies.

UC San Diego Department of Neurosciences

Jerasimos Ballas, MD, MPH

Associate Professor, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine

Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences

I’m a board certified Maternal-Fetal Medicine specialist interested in a broad spectrum of high-risk conditions in pregnancy, including prenatal diagnosis and treatment of abnormal placentation, adverse social and environmental determinants of health and fetal origin of disease. 

One of my main goals is to improve access to quality, evidence-based healthcare to the most vulnerable pregnant patients in San Diego.  I have developed a specific interest in caring for patients with substance use disorders, which has further fueled my desire to help create a healthcare system with greater compassion and urgency in dealing with medical, social, economic, ethical, and legal complexities.

I obtained my Medical Degree at the State University of New York, Downstate in Brooklyn, NY and completed my OB/GYN residency at State University of New York, Stony Brook in Long Island, NY.  Upon completing my Maternal-Fetal Medicine fellowship at UCSD, I moved to Houston, Texas and took my first faculty position at Baylor College of Medicine when my wife, Dr. Regina Troxell, matched for her Pediatric-Neurology residency.   In 2018, we returned to San Diego where I joined the Maternal-Fetal Medicine faculty at UCSD and my wife transitioned to private practice.  We have a daughter named Violet who keeps us on our toes and is growing up loving all the wonders San Diego has to offer. 

My family has helped me create a goal for harmony in life, which extends to my work as Department Wellness Director for the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences.  With personal wellbeing and self-care at the core, I hope to be a part of the system-level changes needed to ultimately create an environment of physician safety and wellbeing at UCSD and beyond.  

UC San Diego Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences

Catherine Liu, MD, PhD

Catherine Y. Liu, M.D., Ph.D., is a board-certified ophthalmologist who specializes in reconstructive and cosmetic surgery of the face, with special emphasis on the eyelid and periorbital region. She is one of a select number of surgeons worldwide to have completed an American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (ASOPRS) fellowship, with specialty training on the reconstruction of the eyelid, orbit, and lacrimal system.

Dr. Liu completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Pennsylvania. She then earned an M.D. and Ph.D. in Cell Biology from Albert Einstein College of Medicine. After a transitional year internship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, she completed her ophthalmology residency at the University of California, Irvine. She then completed her specialty training in oculofacial plastic surgery at the Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary.

David Granet, MD

David B. Granet, M.D. MHCM FACS FAAP is the Anne F. Ratner Professor of Ophthalmology and Pediatrics, Vice Chair of the Viterbi Family Department of Ophthalmology at UC San Diego where he is the Director of the Abraham Ratner Children’s Eye Center at the Shiley Eye Institute.  The author of over 170 articles and book chapters, he is the founder of the International Pediatric-Ophthalmology Internet discussion group, a past Chair of the Section on Ophthalmology for the American Academy of Pediatrics and co-editor of their book on Ophthalmology for the Pediatrician.  He has run a fellowship training program for both North American and International trainees for over 20 years and currently serves as a Program Advisor for the UC Irvine Customer Experience Course.

Dr. Granet is a graduate of the Yale University School of Medicine where he was a President of his class. He selected New York University Medical Center for his residency in ophthalmology where he served as a chief resident.  Dr. Granet subsequently completed a special two-year fellowship in pediatric ophthalmology and ocular motility disorders at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.  He also completed a Master’s degree in Health Care Management at Harvard University.

Bryan Leek, MD

Bryan Leek, MD, is an orthopedic surgeon specializing in Sports Medicine and Upper Extremity Surgery, completing fellowships in both these disciplines.  He splits his time between a busy clinical practice and working as a team physician for the San Diego Padres and UC San Diego Athletic Department.  Outside of work he enjoys spending time with his wife, two children, and dog and enjoys running, surfing, and travel.

Kenneth Vitale, MD

Anthony Magit, MD

Anthony Magit is a Clinical Professor of Otolaryngology and the Medical Director for the UCSD Office of IRB Administration. Dr. Magit specializes in Pediatric Otolaryngology, having graduated the UCSD School of Medicine prior to completing his residency at Duke University and a fellowship in Pediatric Otolaryngology at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. Dr. Magit joined the UCSD faculty in 1992 and has served as the Rady Hospital Chief of Staff and the Director of the UCSD Human Research Protections Program. He academic interests include telemedicine, research ethics and clinical ethics. He is currently the Chair of the Rady Children’s Hospital Physician Well Being Committee. Dr. Magit’s interests outside of work include hiking and traveling with his wife, as well as spending time with his two grown children and granddaughter.

UC San Diego Department of Otolaryngology

Farnaz Hasteh, MD

I have been working at the UCSD pathology department for 15 years now and I am truly grateful for having had the opportunity to serve our patients and teach and mentor the next generation of doctors and pathologists. As someone who has always been health-minded and cares about the wellbeing of my colleagues, I was selected as the new wellness ambassador/director on behalf of the Department of Pathology. I have initiated multiple projects to not only make the work area more pleasant but also to do my part in helping to reduce the causes of physician burnout.

UC San Diego Department of Pathology

Ami Doshi, MD

Dr. Ami Doshi is a palliative medicine physician and pediatric hospitalist at Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego. She serves as Vice Chair for Faculty Development and the Well-Being Director for the Department of Pediatrics, in which she is Clinical Professor in the Division of Hospital Medicine.

Dr. Doshi is actively involved with the education and mentorship of pediatric fellows and residents from UC San Diego and the Navy Medical Center San Diego as well UC San Diego medical students. Her academic interests are in palliative medicine, communication, and physician well-being. She has created and disseminated curricula for trainees and attending physicians to foster primary palliative care and communication skills, and to promote compassion in medical students and continues to find joy in teaching compassionate communication and applying these skills to her clinical and faculty development work.

After earning her undergraduate degree in psychobiology at the University of Southern California, Dr. Doshi completed her medical training at University of California, Irvine and continued her pediatric residency at UC San Diego, where she completed her pediatric hospital medicine fellowship. She completed her palliative medicine training through Harvard School of Medicine’s Program in Palliative Care Education and Practice. She was formerly the inaugural Galinson Family Endowed Chair in Palliative Care and is a recipient of the Doris A Howell Award for Advancing Palliative Care.

She is motivated by empowering her patients, colleagues and trainees to grow, thrive, and fulfill their potential and live their best life.

UC San Diego Department of Pediatrics

Savita Bhakta, MD

A board-certified Psychiatrist, she has been a faculty member at the UC San Diego School of Medicine since 2015, working in DOP as an Associate Clinical Professor. She served at the UC San Diego School of Medicine as the Clinical Foundations Co-Director representing the Department of Psychiatry from 2017-2021. She is currently the Interim Medical Director of the UC San Diego Health's College Mental Health Program (CMHP) which provides comprehensive mental health care for UC San Diego college students.

She earned her medical degree and completed her psychiatry residency at Lokmanya Tilak Municipal Medical College and General Hospital (LTMMC & GH) in Mumbai, India, before moving to Yale University, New Haven for a postdoctoral research fellowship. She then completed her psychiatry residency training at Northwell Health/Hofstra University-Zucker Hillside Hospital in Glen Oaks, N.Y., before moving to San Diego for a Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC) fellowship at the VA San Diego Healthcare System.

Her clinical work now focuses on using mindfulness and yoga, in addition to psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy to empower her patients to achieve their optimal health. During her term as the Clinical Foundations Co-Director, she developed resilience-building and mindfulness curricula for first and second-year medical students. She trained the Practice of Medicine faculty to facilitate mindfulness and promote resilience among medical students in collaboration with the UCSD Mindfulness Center and the Sanford Institute. She has led team-building activities and conducted Professional development seminars for teaching faculty including case discussions to promote empathy and improve communication and active listening. She was impressed by the mindfulness practices in managing stress and became a certified Yoga teacher in 2019.

UC San Diego Department of Psychiatry

Jona Hattangadi-Gluth, MD

Jona Hattangadi-Gluth, MD, is a board-certified radiation oncologist who specializes in treating primary and metastatic brain tumors, as well as breast cancer. As a radiation oncologist, she uses high doses of radiation energy to destroy or damage cancer cells. Her expertise includes stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT).

Dr. Hattangadi-Gluth is chief of the Central Nervous System Tumor Service and a co-leader of the Central Nervous System Disease Team at Moores Cancer Center.

A Professor at UC San Diego School of Medicine, Dr. Hattangadi-Gluth is the Deputy Director of the Center for Precision Radiation Medicine. She is actively involved in research to improve the efficacy and safety of radiation therapy for brain tumors. Specifically, her research lab focuses on developing novel imaging tools to improve radiation oncology treatments and using functional and quantitative MRI to measure response to radiation in cancer patients.

Dr. Hattangadi-Gluth completed residency training in radiation oncology and earned her medical degree from Harvard Medical School. She also completed research training in breast oncology and imaging at UC San Francisco as a Doris Duke research fellow. She was also a Fulbright scholar. Dr. Hattangadi-Gluth is board certified in radiation oncology.

Sean Tutton, MD, FSIR, FCIRSE

Sean Tutton, MD, is a board-certified diagnostic and interventional radiologist who specializes in the treatment of cancer and non-cancer related pathologic skeletal fractures. He treats multiple myeloma patients with skeletal fractures and cancer pain patients, as well as sarcoma patients and patients with desmoid tumors and aggressive (desmoid-type) fibromatosis. Dr. Tutton offers palliative interventional therapies, such as minimally invasive treatments for spine and pelvic fractures, which allow patients to achieve their best quality and enjoyment of life while on their cancer journey.

Prior to joining UC San Diego Health, Dr. Tutton was a professor in the Department of Radiology specializing in interventional radiology and interventional oncology at Medical College of Wisconsin. He is a professor at UC San Diego San Diego School of Medicine Department of Radiology in the division of interventional radiology.

Dr. Tutton completed his fellowship in vascular and interventional radiology and his residency in diagnostic radiology at Northwestern University in Chicago. He earned his medical degree at University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. He is board certified in vascular and interventional radiology and palliative care.

Dr. Tutton is a member of many professional organizations, including the Society of Interventional Radiology, American Medical Association and American College of Radiology, as well as a founding member of the Society of Interventional Oncology. Additionally, he is a fellow in the Society of Interventional Radiology and Cardiovascular of Interventional Radiology Society of Europe.

Outside of work, Dr. Tutton enjoys family hikes, sailing, snowboarding and all forms of live theater.

Jennifer Berumen, MD

Dr. Jennifer Berumen is a board-certified general surgeon specializing in abdominal transplantation and hepatobiliary surgery. As an associate clinical professor of surgery at UC San Diego she performs adult and pediatric kidney and liver transplantations along with general surgeries in the transplant population.  She is the director of the living donor kidney program and the surgical director of the pediatric liver and kidney transplant programs at Rady Children's Hospital.

Dr. Berumen completed her two-year fellowship training in abdominal transplant surgery at Stanford University with a focus on pediatric liver and kidney transplantation and her general surgery residency training at UC San Diego. She earned her medical degree and her undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering from Tulane University.

Dr. Berumen is passionate about wellness and serves as an assistant program director in the general surgery residency program where we have implemented several wellbeing programs since starting the program in 2020.

Seth Bechis, MD

Seth Bechis, MD, is a board-certified urologist who cares for patients with diseases of the urinary tract, including kidney stones, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) or enlarged prostate, and men's health issues. As member of the Comprehensive Kidney Stone Center at UC San Diego Health, he has a special interest in advanced surgical treatment, medical prevention and research on kidney stone disease. He has surgical expertise in percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) for complex stones, ureteroscopy and shockwave lithotripsy.

Dr. Bechis specializes in all procedures of the prostate including minimally invasive procedures such as Rezum water vapor therapy and UroLift, as well as robotic surgery and GreenLight™ Laser photoselective vaporization of the prostate (PVP).

Dr. Bechis is among only a select number of physicians in the country to be designated as a Center of Excellence for GreenLight™ Laser Therapy. He is the first in California to achieve this recognition which marks a high degree of experience with GreenLight™ Laser Therapy and commitment to delivering effective, long-lasting therapy to men suffering from BPH.

As a urologist at an academic medical center, Dr. Bechis is involved in teaching and education. He also serves as the associate program director for the UC San Diego - Kaiser Laparoscopy/Endourology Fellowship in the Department of Urology at UC San Diego School of Medicine. His previous research includes the study of molecular pathways in the progression of benign prostatic hyperplasia, risk factors for stone formation, and analysis of age and other risk factors on predicting prostate cancer-specific survival. His current research includes improving surgical techniques and clinical outcomes in stone disease, as well as tools for stone diagnosis and opiate-sparing pathways for managing pain. His research has been featured in peer-reviewed medical journals, including Journal of Urology, Journal of Endourology, and World Journal of Urology. Additionally, he was editor of First Aid Q&A for the USMLE Step 1, Second Edition and has authored chapters for university handbooks.

Prior to joining UC San Diego Health, Dr. Bechis worked at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, where he taught residents and medical students in the operating room and clinic. Dr. Bechis has won numerous awards and honors over the years, including the Whitehill Award for Excellence in Clinical Teaching in 2019, Plenary Address for Best Abstract from the American Urological Association in 2015, and first place in the 2014 Max K. Willscher Resident Research Award Competition. He has been invited to speak nationally and internationally at conferences on topics including benign prostatic hyperplasia and stone disease.

Dr. Bechis completed fellowship training in laparoscopy/robotics and endourology at UC San Diego School of Medicine, and residency training at Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital. He earned his medical degree from the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine and holds additional Master of Science training in biomedical research, also from UCSF. Biomedical research (or experimental medicine) focuses on ways to prevent and treat diseases. It is a key component of the Comprehensive Kidney Stone Center, which offers patients access to clinical trials that examine newly developed therapies and procedures.

Dr. Bechis is a member of several professional medical organizations, including the American Urological Association (AUA), the Endourological Society, and the Western Section of the AUA.

When he's not working, Dr. Bechis enjoys surfing, cycling, traveling and spending time with his family.