Daniel R. Benson, M.D.
RS’73 (Surgery), F’79 (Orthopaedic Surgery)

Daniel R. Benson, M.D. is a Professor Emeritus of Orthopaedic Surgery at the UC Davis School of Medicine. In addition to serving on the Alumni Association Board of Directors, Dr. Benson co-chairs the “Fingers to Toes” Conference, which he founded in 1979. He also served as President of the Scoliosis Research Society.

Satninderdeep (Deep) Bhatti
MD Class of 2022
Student Representative

Biographical note to follow soon.

Mark V. Blum, M.D.
RS’77 (Internal Medicine)
Awards Selection Committee Chair

Mark Blum, M.D. is a Clinical Professor of Medicine at the UC Davis School of Medicine. He served as a Medical Director for Bristol Hospice, LLC from 2008 to 2017. Dr. Blum worked for the Permanente Medical Group and started the hospice and palliative medicine programs at Kaiser Sacramento. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine and has been active on the Bioethics and Education committees. Dr. Blum has published extensive research about palliative care service. He has lectured locally and nationally on various subjects including prognostication, pain management, and other palliative care related concept. In his free time, Dr. Blum pursues sailing, skiing, scuba diving, foreign travel, wildlife photography and wine appreciation.

Nwando Eze, M.D., M.P.H.
MD’06

Nwando Eze M.D., M.P.H. joined The Permanente Medical Group (TPMG) in 2015 as a member of the Department of Neonatology, Roseville. Dr. Eze received her bachelor’s degree from UC Davis and her medical degree from UC Davis School of Medicine Class of 2006. She received an executive master’s in public health from UCLA School of Public Health and completed her neonatology fellowship at Harbor UCLA, where she served as chief fellow. She returned with her family to Northern California to practice. She currently serves as Regional Medical Director of Neonatology for TPMG Northern California. In her free time, she enjoys wilderness hiking, cycling, yoga, experimenting with vegan recipes, creative writing and volunteering. She also enjoys spending time with her loving husband and 3 children, who are a joy and blessing.

Janwyn Funamura, M.D.
MD’76
Engagement/Mentoring Committee Vice Chair

Janwyn Loy Funamura, M.D. is a lifelong Californian, having attended local schools in Stockton, college at Stanford, medical school at UC Davis and pediatric residency at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. She worked as a primary care pediatrician in the Stockton-Lodi area for 22 years; she then entered the public health field, working in San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties. Currently, she works part-time as a staff physician with Valley Mountain Regional Center in Stockton. She has been active as a volunteer in the San Joaquin Medical Society, the schools and the community since returning to Stockton in 1981. Internationally, she has volunteered with medical and surgical teams in China, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, the Philippines and Ghana. Her husband, Jack L. Funamura, also a UCDSOM Class of ’76 grad, is a retired radiologist. Together they have two sons and a daughter and four grandchildren. Their daughter, Jamie L. Funamura, a pediatric otolaryngologist, is an assistant professor at UCDSOM. Dr. Funamura has always enjoyed community activities, spending time with the family and traveling; recently she has added exploring her Chinese roots to her list of favorite pastimes.

Douglas Gross, M.D., Ph.D.
MD’90, RS’93 (Pediatrics)
President

Douglas Gross, M.D., Ph.D. is a Professor of Pediatrics and senior lecturer in Cell Biology & Human Anatomy at the UC Davis School of Medicine. Dr. Gross also serves as Co-Director of a pediatric specialty care program at the Hôpital de l’Université d’Etat d’Haiti (HUEH). He has worked with the World Health Organization to reduce child and infant mortality and has provided healthcare in remote regions of Africa, Central America, and South America. He is also currently a member of CA-11, California’s federal Disaster Medical Assistance Team. This team was deployed in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, and the earthquake in Haiti. Dr. Gross is also the Founding Director of the UC Davis Haiti Initiative.

Rich Isaacs, M.D., FACS
F’94 (Otolaryngology)
Fundraising Committee Chair

Richard S. Isaacs, MD, FACS, is the Executive Director and CEO of the Permanente Medical Group and he is also the President and CEO of the MidAtlantic Permanente Medical Group. He joined the Permanente Medical Group in 1995 as a member of the Head and Neck Surgery Department at Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento. Appointed to chief in 2000, he became chair of the Head and Neck Surgery Chiefs’ Group the following year. Dr. Isaacs has served as Physician-in-Chief (PIC) at KP South Sacramento since 2005, and remains active in head and neck oncologic, reconstructive, and skull base surgery. Dr. Isaacs also is a Clinical Professor of Otolaryngology at UC Davis and has led the department’s residency journal educational program for 10 years. He is board certified in Otolaryngology, with advanced certification in head and neck oncologic surgery. In his free time, he and his wife Debbie enjoy their older daughter, Dayna, who has just been accepted into medical school, and her sister, Rachel, who is a junior majoring in biology and is also premed. He is an avid skier and an alpine national ski patroller.

Ritu Jain, M.D.
’78, MD’82

Ritu Jain, MD is a private practice anesthesiologist with Central Anesthesia Service Exchange, Inc in Sacramento. Dr. Jain is affiliated with Sutter Hospital Downtown and various outpatient facilities in the Sacramento/Vacaville area. She is a board-certified member of American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA). During her practice at Sutter Downtown, she was a member of the Anesthesia Quality Assurance and Anesthesia Education Committees. She has published articles including “Use of Interscalene Blocks in Shoulder Surgery and Pain Scores in the Management of Post-Op Pain in Shoulder Surgery” with Dr. Steve Weber, an Orthopaedic resident alumna.

Melissa Jones, M.D.
MD’06

Melissa M. Jones, MD is an Emergency Medicine Physician with the Permanente Medical Group in the North Valley Region (Sacramento/Roseville) Kaiser Medical Centers. She is originally from San Luis Obispo, California. Prior to medical school, she spent time as an AFS exchange student in the Netherlands and was an AmeriCorps/Teach for America high school science teacher in Weslaco, Texas. She was excited to return to California for medical school at UC Davis. She completed her Emergency Medicine Residency at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in 2009 and returned to the Sacramento Area. She currently works primarily at the Kaiser Roseville Medical center in the Emergency Department. She is a board-certified member of American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM), an alternate delegate of the California Medical Association, and a member of the Sierra Sacramento Valley Medical Society. She recently began as a volunteer clinical faculty with UC Davis Emergency Medicine Residency Program and member of the UC Davis Emergency Medicine Intern Selection Committee. In her free time, she loves exploring the Sacramento area, spending time with family and friends, gardening, reading, exploring estate sales and traveling.

Joseph Kim, M.D.
MD’17, RS-PGY3 (Internal Medicine and Psychiatry)
Resident Representative
Engagement/Mentoring Committee Chair

Joseph Kim, M.D. is a Sacramento-native and current resident in the combined Internal Medicine & Psychiatry training program at UC Davis. He completed his undergraduate studies in Molecular & Cell Biology and Public Health at UC Berkeley. Returning to Sacramento, Joseph attended UC Davis School of Medicine where he was involved in the Paul Hom Asian Student-Run Clinic as well as various mentorship programs and served as the Class of 2017 Co-President. Dr. Kim’s clinical and academic interests revolve around providing quality care to patients with co-morbid medical and psychiatric illness.

Penelope Kim-Lim
MD Class of 2023
Student Representative

Biographical note to follow soon.

David Lin, M.D.
MD’94

David Lin, M.D. studied Psychology at University of California Berkeley. Dr. Lin graduated from University of California Davis School of Medicine in 1994 as class co-president. He completed his Family Medicine residency at Stanislaus Medical Center/ University of California Davis Family Practice Network in 1997. Dr. Lin currently works at Sutter Medical Group as part time faculty for Sutter Family Medicine Residency program and serves as Physician Care Center Lead Physician. He enjoys playing, watching and coaching tennis.

Aditi Mandpe, M.D.
MD’92

Aditi H. Mandpe, M.D. is an otolaryngologist with the San Francisco Ear Nose Throat Medical Group. She is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and member of the California Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, Triological, California Medical, and San Francisco Medical Societies. Dr. Mandpe has also done extensive work with various international humanitarian healthcare programs.

David J. Manske, MD
BS’77, MD’81, RS’86 (Orthopaedic Surgery)

Bio coming soon.

Jaclyn Miyamoto, M.D.
MD’18
Mentoring Committee Co-chair

Jaclyn Miyamoto, M.D. is a resident in the Kaiser Permanente Fontana Family Medicine program. She was the first medical student to join the SOMAA Board as a student representative in 2016. She is originally from Walnut, CA. Before medical school, she attended UC San Diego where she earned a B.S. in Biology and an M.S. studying pancreatic cancer at UC San Diego Moore’s Cancer Center. As a medical student at UC Davis, she served as a co-director for the Paul Hom Asian Clinic, volunteered on the Admissions Committee, and was an officer for the Family Medicine Interest Group. During her free time, she enjoys cooking, being outdoors, and spending time with her loved ones including her Westie.

Aye Chan Moe
MD Class of 2025

Aye Chan Moe is a first-year medical student born and raised in Myanmar. Having lived in Singapore, Los Angeles, and Santa Rosa, she is excited to continue her studies and training in California to serve local Burmese communities. She received a B.S. in Human Biology from Stanford University, where she discovered her passion for community service through health education and patient advocacy. Aye hopes to be involved with student-run clinics and research in medical school as she explores her interests in different specialties. In her free time, she enjoys reading thriller books and spending time with friends and family.

Mayra Mondragón
MD Class of 2024
Student Representative

Mayra Mondragón is a first-year medical student and is originally from Southern CA. She completed her undergraduate studies in Public Health and Education at UC Berkeley. Before medical school, she worked as a medical scribe, health coach, and panel manager at La Clínica, a primary care health center in Oakland, CA. At UCDSOM, she is involved in mentoring programs and hopes to start shadowing student-run clinics (once deemed acceptable given covid-19 protocols). During her free time, she enjoys hiking, being outdoors, crafts, and spending time with family and friends.

John Osborn, M.D.
BS’64, RS’72 (Surgery)
Vice President

John M. Osborn M.D. is a retired Plastic Surgeon at the Plastic Surgery Center of Sacramento. He continues to be a Professor of Surgery on the Volunteer Clinical Faculty (which he has been a part of for 45 years) and is the proud recipient of the VCF Distinguished Service Award for 2019. He also previously received the 2011 UC Davis Cal Aggie Alumni Association Distinguished Achievement Award. He is a Past President of The California Society of Plastic Surgeons and presently serves on the Council as Historian. He has presented papers at national, state, and regional Plastic Surgery Meetings, some of which have been published in professional journals.

Sandra L. Reed, M.D.
MD’85

Sandra “Sandy” Reed retired from the U.S. Navy in 2006. She was a former Captain and Director of Expeditionary Medicine for the U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery. She was responsible for coordinating policy, resources, personnel and training for all medical care provided to the Marine Corps.

She earned her M.D. from the University of California, Davis in 1985. After graduating from UC Davis, Sandy completed a residency in Internal Medicine at Kern Medical Center in Bakersfield. She started a fellowship in pulmonary medicine at the VA in Martinez but left to go on active duty in the Navy. She served for three years as general internist at Cherry Point, North Carolina and then moved to Portsmouth, Virginia to complete the fellowship in pulmonary medicine. She spent a year at the National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland where she completed a critical care fellowship. She then went to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina where she was the department head for Internal Medicine and practiced clinical medicine as a pulmonologist/critical care specialist. In 1999, she was reassigned to the Washington, D.C. area where she completed a Master’s degree in National Security Strategy at the National Defense University.

Sandy is passionate about her training at the School of Medicine at UC Davis and is committed to involving other alumni in student support efforts. She created the Sandra L. Reed, M.D. Award at UC Davis Office of Medical Education to help award scholarships to veterans attending UC Davis that have financial needs and have been in the top ten of their class. Sandy enjoys meeting the scholarship recipients every year, making the trip from her Michigan home every year to attend the School of Medicine’s scholarship reception.

Pope Rodnoi
MD Class of 2021
Student Representative

Pope Rodnoi is a medical student who joined the SOMAA Board in 2018. He is originally from Glendale, CA. Before medical school, he earned a degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from UCLA. At UCDSOM, he is active in surgery student interest, clinical research and homeless outreach. During his free time, he enjoys playing basketball and exploring gastronomy.

Mark Talavera, M.D., FACP FCCP FHM
MD’94

Mark Talavera, M.D. is a pulmonology and critical care physician in practice in Southern California. He specializes in medical group operations and crafting population health programs for medical groups. He is currently medical director for a national health care provider and is part of the volunteer clinical faculty at the Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.