Meet Us

I grew up in upstate New York, Australia, and Colorado, went to undergrad in Tennessee, medical school at Loma Linda University, graduated from Loma Linda Pediatric Residency in 2021, and now I am a Pediatric Chief Resident. I love to be outdoors, whether that be swimming in the ocean, camping in the mountains, scrambling on the rocks at Joshua Tree, hiking in the hills around Loma Linda, or spending time at the park with friends. I also enjoy baking (my pumpkin cinnamon rolls seem to be a resident favorite), doing various types of crafts, and borrowing people’s kids to play with. I am really enjoying chief year this year, continuing to build relationships with our amazing residents and faculty (the people are my favorite part of this program). After chief year I plan to work as a general pediatrician in the outpatient setting.

I am a Southern California native. I went to the University of California, Berkeley for undergrad and A.T. Still University, School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona for medical school. As part of the Primary Care Track, I had the unique opportunity to work at both Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital and Riverside University Health System during residency. I was a Primary Care Track Chief Resident during my PGY-3 year and I am excited to be a full-time Chief Resident for the Pediatrics Department this year. I enjoy traveling, going to the beach, and trying new foods. I plan to work as an outpatient general pediatrician.

I’m an outgoing and social person that enjoys pretty much any activity. I love outdoor activities like sports, camping, barbecuing, swimming, hiking, and more recently my wife and I have enjoyed taking our newly adopted dog on these outings. I also enjoy relaxing and hanging out playing board/card games, watching movies, or playing video games. My wife and I love having groups of friends over to hang out and play games! One of the main things I’m excited about this year as a chief resident is to get to know all the new and continuing residents better, and to be a “safe” or “go to” person for the residents when they have questions or concerns, or simply when they’re looking for someone to chat with during time off. I also now have a beautiful daughter named Eden who was born July 30, 2021, so that’s pretty amazing! 

I am originally from Miami, Florida but I have loved my time in Southern California. Before starting medical school here in the “IE” at Loma Linda, I went to an HBCU in Northeast Alabama. During my free time I love to listen to podcasts, watch and play basketball, play music, and hang out with my friends, family, my wife and my new daughter. After chief year, I’m interested in a future career in medical education. I am passionate about supporting our next generation of physicians!

I grew up in Northern California Bay Area, went to UC Davis for undergrad, and then went all the way to St. Louis University in Missouri for medical school. One of the best things about Pediatric Residency at Loma Linda was all of my co-residents and our awesome faculty--I’m so excited to continue working with them all this year and our new interns. After chief year, I’m hoping to start fellowship in Pediatric Emergency Medicine. When I’m not at work I can be found climbing, cooking and baking (but let’s be honest, the best part is the eating), painting/drawing, or crafting. I also enjoy spending time outside (when it’s not >100 degrees) and am always ready to try new outdoor activities! My superpower is noticing any and all dogs within a 40 ft radius of wherever I currently am, and a fun fact about me is that my Bacon number is 2

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. Clark grew up in beautiful San Diego but has made Loma Linda her home since residency.  She completed medical school at Albany Medical College in New York and did her residency at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital.  After completing a chief residency year she stayed on as faculty for the pediatric department and has served in leadership positions for both the SOM and the residency.  She is part of the core faculty that developed the Primary Care Residency Track for Loma Linda and is passionate about resident education and faculty development. She is currently the Division Chief of General Pediatrics. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, board games, and being outdoors, especially hiking or reading a great novel on the beach.  She and her husband have 2 children, whom she adores, and a bulldog, who thinks she is their third child!

Dr. Riesen went to medical school at Loma Linda University and then stayed for her pediatric residency. Following residency she served with the National Health Service Corp for several years on Indian Reservations in southern California. She then returned to LLU to follow her passion for teaching and academic medicine.  She has a special interest in Behavioral-Developmental Pediatrics as well as Integrative Medicine. She has two daughters who are constantly teaching her new and exciting things, one a pediatrician and the other an aquatic veterinarian. She also loves learning from the residents and faculty in the program.  Dr. Riesen loves spending time with family and friends as well as playing with her two dogs, Bailey and Chloe. She also enjoys trying new foods, all forms of coffee, boba drinks, watching sports/movies and playing timpani in the local orchestra. She is passionate about helping her residents grow and develop into outstanding pediatricians!

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. 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. 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.