Meet Us

Hello everyone, my name is Tanya and I’m so excited to meet everyone! I lived in the delightfully rainy Pacific Northwest for most of my life - grew up in a tiny town in Southwest Washington, went to University of Washington in Seattle for undergrad, and medical school at WesternU COMP-NW in Oregon. For medical school rotations, my husband and I moved to California and we were so excited to match for residency in sunny SoCal! Some of my favorite things to do are go on hikes with my two dogs, try new restaurants, cook new recipes, binge watch shows with my husband, and travel. After chief year I am planning on returning to the Pacific Northwest to work as a primary care pediatrician.

Hey guys! My name is Michael Min and I'm proud to be one of the chief residents at LLU. I grew up in Nashville, TN (which is why I'm missing the greenery and blue skies) and went to undergrad at Southern Adventist University. I moved to Southern California for medical school and residency, fell in love with the people here (including my wife) and decided to stay an extra year! I started residency with my wife and two senior dogs, and now our lives have been blessed with a little baby girl. We love to eat good food, host dinner parties, and occasionally do some hiking/climbing. If you have any questions about the program please reach out or come visit us in the office!

Hello all, I’m Kristofer Vance and am one of the four pediatric chief residents at LLU for the 2023-2024 academic year. I was born and raised in San Diego, CA and completed my undergraduate training at University of California, San Diego. I did various volunteer work and research projects between undergrad and prior to starting medical school at Indiana University School of Medicine. I was fortunate enough to match into pediatrics at Loma Linda and return to California closer to my family. Throughout my training I felt supported by co-residents, attendings, and administration and they helped me develop into the pediatrician I am today. My hobby is learning about other hobbies so there is a good chance that we would have something to talk about, but my favorite things to do are cook new and varied meals and try all kinds of different cuisines with my fiancée. I am so excited to be a chief and to help the residents and residency to the best of my ability.

Hi! I was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico (yes right next to Walter White’s neighborhood) and spent most of my life in the southwest, until moving to a small island in the Caribbean for medical school at St. George’s University in Grenada. My wife and I were very excited to migrate back to the West Coast for residency, especially to sunny Southern California. Loma Linda has evolved into a home for my wife and I over these last 3 years. From the attendings, to the resident/fellow community, and all of the multidisciplinary team members here at LLU, I couldn’t have asked for a better setting to become a pediatrician. When I’m not in the hospital I love exploring all the amazing food that SoCal has to offer. Whether it’s down in SD, LA, or up the coast there are so many amazing places at your fingertips! I am hopeful to begin a neonatology fellowship following chief year!

Dr. Tsai was born and raised near Chicago, IL. She studied neurobiology and English literature at the University of Wisconsin - Madison, where she met many of her closest friends through Kappa Alpha Theta sorority and Greek InterVarsity. She completed medical school at New York Medical College, followed by pediatric residency and a chief resident year at Loma Linda. She married her med-peds classmate! She chose to stay at Loma Linda due to her passion for resident education, mentorship, wellness, global health, and advocating for women and minority leadership in medicine. She works as a pediatric hospitalist at Loma Linda University Children's Hospital and Riverside University Health Systems, while her husband alternates between Loma Linda internal medicine inpatient and Moreno Valley Med-Peds outpatient clinic. In their free time, they enjoy traveling, eating, cooking, baking, and spoiling their shiba inu!

Dr. Vercio moved from the Pacific Northwest to attend LLUSOM, and stayed for residency in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. Since completing residency, he has practiced at LLU at various locations including Beaumont clinic, Moreno Valley Med-Peds, Redlands, and was the medical director of the Pediatric Residency clinic as it transitioned from being a Children's Hospital-based clinic to SAC. Because he and his wife are committed to global service, they spent a year and a half in India in the small town of Ottapalam which gave him a new appreciation for practicing in a relatively rich resource setting.  He is interested in spiritual care, global health, clinical reasoning, teaching medical students and residents, and enjoys music, mountain biking, surfing, camping and hiking.

Dr. Pina was born and raised in Moreno Valley, CA. She studied Biology with a minor in Religion at Baylor University in Waco, TX. She completed medical school at Touro University Nevada College of Osteopathic Medicine in Henderson, Nevada, followed by pediatric residency and a chief year at Loma Linda. She then transitioned to a full-time attending role as core faculty for the primary care track, with leadership roles as director of advocacy and quality improvement. She is also the medical director of DIME: Diversify, Include, Mentor, and Educate for LLUCH and has a passion for learners, diversity, and inclusivity for all. She is currently the residency track director for the primary care residency track and an associate program director for the categorical pediatric residency program. She and her husband have a blended family, three children, and a ten-year-old Pitbull mix rescue. In her free time, she loves traveling, doing Tae Kwon DO with her two boys, and watching 90-day fiancé and all the spin-offs.

Dr. Loh was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii.  She attended Loma Linda University for both medical school and residency.  You can often overhear her say, “I have the best job ever! I get to have a blast interacting with babies, kiddos, and teens in my University private practice, and then have the privilege to work with residents in the Newborn Nursery and in their Continuity clinic.”  She feels truly blessed to be a part of the Loma Linda Pediatric Residency family. Her special passion is her work with the Professional Development Coaching program for residents. Outside of work, Dr. Loh hangs out with her husband and three sons playing sports, going to the beach, eating out, and traveling. 

Dr. Lima attended medical school at Western University/COMP and completed her Pediatric Residency at Loma Linda University.  After residency, she was honored to serve as a Pediatric Chief Resident for one year. After chief year, Katie stayed with the Loma Linda Pediatric faculty as part of the core Pediatric faculty at Riverside University Health Systems (RUHS).  At RUHS, she serves as Vice Chair of the Pediatric Department and Associate Program Director of the Primary Care Track of the Loma Linda Pediatric Residency. Katie's professional interests include resident education and improving pediatric care to the children of Riverside County.  She was born and raised in Southern California and married her high school sweetheart. They have 3 active children. If she is not on the soccer sidelines, she is likely baking a batch of cookies or planning her next Disney trip!

Dr. Tan grew up in Ontario, Canada but came to Loma Linda University for medical school.  She fell in love with Southern California and completed her pediatric residency at LLU. She spent her first post-graduate year doing locum tenens work in every corner of the country, but returned to Loma Linda to join the Pediatric Faculty Group.  In 2009, she began spending the majority of her clinical time at the SAC clinic and had the opportunity to be part of the tremendous growth of this organization leading to an intimate involvement with our LLU Pediatric program. The growth and education of the LLU Pediatric residents is now one of her passions. Joy outside of work includes snow-skiing, houseboating and traveling with my family.

Dr. De La Pena attended UC San Diego for undergraduate, and the University of Wisconsin, Madison for medical school. She did pediatric residency at Loma Linda. After completing pediatrics, she decided on a Pediatric Rheumatology fellowship, which she completed at CHLA. After completing fellowship, she returned to Loma Linda where she is currently an attending physician in Pediatric Rheumatology. She grew up dancing, and especially likes tap dancing. Her favorite hobby is reading. She is married and has two boys, Tyler and Aiden. 

Dr. Hamra was born and raised in Thailand. He moved to California during high school and attended Loma Linda University for both medical school and residency. After residency, he served as medical director for the craniofacial team before transitioning to a full-time hospitalist. In his spare time, Stephen loves to play a variety of different sports and travel the world. He has now been to more than 40 countries and all 7 continents.