About Me

Hi there! My last name can be hard to pronounce, so some members call me “Dr. J” or just “Doc.” I’m delighted to share a bit of my background so you can get a sense of who I am before we meet for the first time and start building our relationship.

Biography

I grew up in Northern California, where my family still lives, but moved to Southern California to attend UC Irvine for college and fell in love with the weather, culture, and people, so I stuck around. I had the opportunity of traveling around the country for medical school rotations and ended up back in Santa Barbara for my residency. I moved to Minnesota to do my infectious diseases specialty training at the Mayo Clinic and then moved right back home to California to work for Kaiser Permanente when I graduated. Moving around so much allowed me to meet many people of different backgrounds and upbringings and offered me a profound sense of gratitude and appreciation for being able to treat people from all walks of life. I chose Kaiser Permanente because of its vision and mission to create healthy communities. I have a huge extended family scattered all around the state and now have a small, but growing, family of my own with a young daughter and dog that always keep the house exciting! I like to participate in the annual AIDS walk in LA and the sickle cell run/walk in Bakersfield, where some family lives. I chose medicine as a career because as someone who considers himself a people person, I really feel that it’s a privilege to meet and connect with new people every day. Also, many infections are curable or can be well controlled with the proper management, and watching sick members improve is very gratifying.

About my practice

My personal belief is that leading a healthy lifestyle and taking care of yourself physically and mentally are the best ways to continue to live well. That being said, as humans we get sick and sometimes have habits that are difficult to break no matter how hard we try, and we run into medical issues that were unexpected. Whether you’re in good health and would like to maintain or prevent future issues, or you’re feeling unwell and want to get better, I would be honored to be your partner in health. I like members to feel like we’re part of a team that makes decisions together. I also have been on the other side of the exam room and remember what it felt like to not know what my physician was talking about. I am a strong believer in explaining what is going on and why we’re doing what we’re doing. I think that it’s very important that members are well informed so they can make decisions that are suitable for them. I am an infectious diseases specialist with a particular interest in HIV infection, hepatitis C, and orthopedic infections.

How I thrive

Maintaining a clear mind, a strong body, and a level head is what allows me to live well. I love to get out with my dog for quiet evening walks and early weekend hikes and to go running on my own. I’ve taken up weight lifting recently and have been really enjoying working my way around the gym. I also love to go to the park with my wife and daughter and be a kid with them. I didn’t always put my health first, especially through medical school. As I’ve grown older, however, I’ve learned to make myself and my health a priority, and it’s been such a positive change for me and my family. My hobbies also include cooking, reading, and finding new music. I love listening to a good audiobook and make it a habit to do that every day. I’m not a chef by any means, but I can cook a pretty decent family meal and love to watch my daughter and wife (and sometimes my sneaky dog) enjoy the food I put on their plates. Finally, when I get a chance, I love diving deep into music I’ve never heard before to find new and exciting sounds to add to my ever-growing playlist.