PGY-1:
Foundational training
Foundational training includes up to two months on Harbor-UCLA wards as interns, providing exposure to a wide spectrum of pathology and cutting-edge research.
Together for a healthier future.
The St. Mary Internal Medicine Residency Program offers the very best of academic and community medicine to its 36 trainees in Long Beach, California. As part of Dignity Health, we are a member of CommonSpirit Health's national network of more than 2,200 care sites across 24 states. That broad perspective supports our local commitment to community-based training, health equity and compassionate care. Located in downtown Long Beach, St. Mary Medical Center is a 389-bed acute care facility and Level II trauma center, with core rotations providing "real world medicine" experience. Residents benefit from exposure to a highly diverse community, including a large proportion of Southeast Asians and Spanish speakers, and training at both St. Mary Medical Center and Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. This program offers complete training for residents seeking to be prepared for any career in medicine, balancing academic and community medicine, teaching and hands-on experience.
Program Highlights
- Offers categorical, primary care, and preliminary medicine tracks
- Academic affiliation with UCLA School of Medicine and Harbor-UCLA
- Training at St. Mary Medical Center, a 389-bed acute care facility and Level II trauma center
- Located in Long Beach, California, a large and diverse city
- Exposure to a wide range of everyday medical problems and diverse patient population
- Rotations at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, a 500-bed county hospital
- Access to unmatched pathology, cutting edge research, and top-notch teaching at Harbor-UCLA
- Core faculty dedicated to teaching, patient care, and research
- Emphasis on resident well-being and autonomy
- Commitment to patient care, resident autonomy, and freedom to learn
- Focus on addressing healthcare disparities and structural bias
- Selection process values diversity, altruism, and cultural understanding
Thank you for your interest in St. Mary’s Internal Medicine Residency Program. Our program is academically affiliated with UCLA School of Medicine and Harbor-UCLA. I am proud to passionately serve as St. Mary’s Residency Program Director because of its true strength in patient care, as well as resident’s autonomy and freedom to learn with supervision alongside a dynamic team of faculty. We have core faculty onsite, dozens of volunteer faculty, and access to Harbor-UCLA faculty.
– Bahman Chavoshan, MD, MAvMed, Program Director
Curriculum
The Internal Medicine Residency Program offers comprehensive training balancing academic and community medicine, teaching, and hands-on experience, preparing residents for diverse careers in medicine. Core rotations take place at St. Mary Medical Center, supplemented by subspecialty rotations at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.
PGY-1:
PGY-2:
Expanded clinical responsibility
Expanded clinical responsibility involves approximately 12 months of subspecialty rotations at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, covering a wide array of disciplines.
PGY-3: Independent practice preparation
Independent practice preparation builds upon the robust clinical and academic experiences, further honing skills in patient care, leadership, and practice management.
Additional Curriculum Experiences
Subspecialty exposure
Residents complete about 12 months of subspecialty rotations at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, benefiting from an unmatched spectrum of pathology, cutting-edge research, and top-notch teaching.
Research
The program benefits from an exceptional academic and research program at Harbor-UCLA, providing residents with opportunities to engage in cutting-edge research.
Practice management skills
Residents learn practice management skills from practicing private attendings, preparing them for the realities of medical practice.
Educational Tracks
Categorical Internal Medicine Residency
This is a 3-year comprehensive training program designed to prepare residents for a career in internal medicine.
Primary Care Internal Medicine Residency
This is a 3-year track focused on developing internists with a strong emphasis on primary care.
Preliminary Internal Medicine Residency
This is a 1-year training track providing foundational internal medicine experience.
Training locations
Residents benefit from core rotations at St. Mary Medical Center in Long Beach, California, and complete subspecialty rotations at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance.
St. Mary Medical Center
Long Beach, California
Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
Torrance, California
Compensation and Benefits
Residents are eligible for benefits beginning on their first day of hire.
Salary
For the 2026-2027 academic year, annual resident salaries are:
PGY-1: $78,039.45
PGY-2: $80,380.64
PGY-3: $83,195.04
Health & Insurance
Medical plan premiums paid in full for residents, with low-cost coverage for enrolled dependents
Dental and vision insurance premiums paid in full for residents and enrolled dependents
Life and AD&D insurance (1x annual salary), with optional additional coverage
Long-term disability insurance
Optional spousal and dependent life insurance
Professional liability insurance
Time Away & Leave
Four weeks of paid vacation and holiday leave
Paid medical, parental and caregiver leave
Education & Professional Development
Additional benefits vary by sponsoring institution and program
Resident Perks & Wellness
403(b) retirement plan through Fidelity with employer matching (eligibility requirements apply)
Additional benefits vary by sponsoring institution and residency program
Our Community
Long Beach is the fifth-largest city in California, offering residents exposure to diverse medical problems and patients from all walks of life, including a large proportion of Southeast Asians and Spanish speakers. It provides a balance of hard work and time to play.
How to Apply
Application Process
Applications to the St Mary Internal Medicine Residency Program for a first-year position (internship) will only be accepted through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). The deadline for applications is December 15, 2020. All positions for first-year residents are offered through the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP).
Required application materials:
- ERAS application
- Personal Statement
- Medical School Transcript
- Dean’s Letter
- Two letters of recommendation (a clinical LOR from an internal medicine faculty member and a DOM Summary Letter of Evaluation, also known as a Chair’s Letter)
- USMLE Transcripts (sent directly from NBME to ERAS)
- Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) Certificate
NRMP Codes
Categorical Internal Medicine Residency: 1025140CO
Primary Care Internal Medicine Residency: 1025140PO
Preliminary Internal Medicine Residency: 1025140MO
Interview Season Information
The 2020–2021 interview season will be virtual and take place between December 2, 2020, to February 12, 2021. Interviews will be scheduled and held via Thalimus. An optional "Meet and Greet" with current residents is available on Wednesdays from 3–4 p.m. Interview days are Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday, from 1:30–4 p.m., and include an ice breaker, applicant introductions, program introduction, a 30-minute PowerPoint presentation, one or two 30-minute one-on-one interviews, and a 20-minute group Q&A session.
International Medical Graduates
If you are a graduate of a foreign medical school, you must contact the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) for application materials and eligibility requirements.
Faculty
Bahman Chavoshan, MD, MAvMed
Role: Program Director
Role: Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine
Program/affiliation: Internal Medicine Residency Program, UCLA
Medical school: University of California San Diego
Residency: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Fellowship: Pulmonology and Critical Care at Harbor UCLA Medical Center
Nikhil Kapoor, MD
Role: Key Voluntary Internal Medicine Faculty
Program/affiliation: Cardiology
Serap Sobnosky, MD
Role: Key Voluntary Internal Medicine Faculty
Program/affiliation: Cardiology
John Javien, MD
Role: Key Voluntary Internal Medicine Faculty
Program/affiliation: Cardiology
Todd Zynda, DO
Role: Key Voluntary Internal Medicine Faculty
Program/affiliation: Cardiology
Mark Lee, MD
Role: Key Voluntary Internal Medicine Faculty
Program/affiliation: Cardiology
Stanley Kawanishsi, MD
Role: Key Voluntary Internal Medicine Faculty
Program/affiliation: Cardiology
Watson Desa, MD
Role: Key Voluntary Internal Medicine Faculty
Program/affiliation: Cardiology
Minh Nguyen, MD
Role: Key Voluntary Internal Medicine Faculty
Program/affiliation: Cardiology
Lauren Sylwanowicz, MD
Role: Key Voluntary Internal Medicine Faculty
Program/affiliation: Emergency Medicine
Arleen Vernon, MD
Role: Key Voluntary Internal Medicine Faculty
Program/affiliation: Emergency Medicine
Shaghayregh Haghihat, MD
Role: Key Voluntary Internal Medicine Faculty
Program/affiliation: Emergency Medicine
Mark Joyner, MD
Role: Key Voluntary Internal Medicine Faculty
Program/affiliation: Emergency Medicine
Ali Jamehdor, DO
Role: Key Voluntary Internal Medicine Faculty
Program/affiliation: Emergency Medicine
Ricky Mac, MD
Role: Key Voluntary Internal Medicine Faculty
Program/affiliation: Endocrinology
Anoop Shah, MD
Role: Key Voluntary Internal Medicine Faculty
Program/affiliation: Gastroenterology
Timothy Simmons, MD
Role: Key Voluntary Internal Medicine Faculty
Program/affiliation: Gastroenterology
Sassan Farjami, MD
Role: Key Voluntary Internal Medicine Faculty
Program/affiliation: Hematology/Oncology
Andre Liem, MD
Role: Key Voluntary Internal Medicine Faculty
Program/affiliation: Hematology/Oncology
Omkar Marathe, MD
Role: Key Voluntary Internal Medicine Faculty
Program/affiliation: Hematology/Oncology
Rajveer Joea, DO
Role: Key Voluntary Internal Medicine Faculty
Program/affiliation: Hospitalists
Babak Gachpaz, MD
Role: Key Voluntary Internal Medicine Faculty
Program/affiliation: Hospitalists
Iris Partovi, MD
Role: Key Voluntary Internal Medicine Faculty
Program/affiliation: Hospitalists
Stefan Schneider, MD
Role: Key Voluntary Internal Medicine Faculty
Program/affiliation: Infectious Diseases
Marcia Alcouloumre, MD
Role: Key Voluntary Internal Medicine Faculty
Program/affiliation: Infectious Diseases
Henry Su, MD
Role: Key Voluntary Internal Medicine Faculty
Program/affiliation: Infectious Diseases
Sindalisa Hean, MD
Role: Key Voluntary Internal Medicine Faculty
Program/affiliation: Infectious Diseases
Essam Maasarani, MD
Role: Key Voluntary Internal Medicine Faculty
Program/affiliation: Nephrology
Sapna Patel, MD
Role: Key Voluntary Internal Medicine Faculty
Program/affiliation: Nephrology
Gia Tran, DO
Role: Key Voluntary Internal Medicine Faculty
Program/affiliation: Nephrology
Jason Chau, MD
Role: Key Voluntary Internal Medicine Faculty
Program/affiliation: Nephrology
Alice Park, MD
Role: Key Voluntary Internal Medicine Faculty
Program/affiliation: Nephrology
Maged Tanios, MD
Role: Key Voluntary Internal Medicine Faculty
Program/affiliation: Pulmonary/Critical Care
Antonio Beltran, MD
Role: Key Voluntary Internal Medicine Faculty
Program/affiliation: Pulmonary/Critical Care
Twinkle Chandak, MD
Role: Key Voluntary Internal Medicine Faculty
Program/affiliation: Pulmonary/Critical Care
Nayyer Ali, MD
Role: Key Voluntary Internal Medicine Faculty
Program/affiliation: Pulmonary/Critical Care (critical care)
Role: Key Voluntary Internal Medicine Faculty
Program/affiliation: Cardiology
Serap Sobnosky, MD
Role: Key Voluntary Internal Medicine Faculty
Program/affiliation: Cardiology