The LAGMC/USC Pediatric Chief Resident Year
Annually, a group of Pediatric and Medicine+Pediatric residents are selected to serve as LAGMC/USC Pediatric Chief Residents. The chief resident year is an additional year in a leadership role dedicated to working with the residents, medical students, inpatient faculty, and residency administration to improve the program, resident education, and resident well-being.
This leadership position carries a broad range of responsibilities. The chief residents are given the important responsibility of teaching trainees in various capacities, including at the bedside, as part of the core curriculum, as well as at morning report for the inpatient wards teams every morning. Clinically, the chief residents help supervise the care provided in the inpatient wards, pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), and pediatric procedural sedation.
Chiefs serve as advocates and liaisons between the house staff, faculty, and administration. They serve as members of many hospital administrative committees.
Chief residents often go on to competitive and successful careers (primary care and subspecialty) with leadership positions.
Chief Residents (2025-2026)
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Dr. Ankit Chopra
Pronouns: he/him
Languages Spoken: English, Punjabi, Spanish (a little)
Hometown: Bend, OR
Undergrad: Oregon State University
Hobbies: basketball, exploring new places, being outdoors, watching movies/tv shows
Favorite thing about Los Angeles/LAGMC/USC: my favorite thing would be the mixing of cultures in the community and at the Hospital. I also like that each little section of LA is so different and fun that you will always have a different experience depending on where you are.
Fun Fact: I won a pickleball tournament in high school. Autographs are welcome if we meet in person.
Plans after residency: Sports Medicine -
Dr. Yuhung Holy Chou
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Languages Spoken: English, Mandarin Chinese, Taiwanese
Hometown: Taipei, Taiwan!
Undergrad: University of Houston – Main Campus
MedSchool: UIWSOM
FunFact: I love penguins.
Fav LA Restaurant: I have many recommendations stratified by cuisines. But right now, I highly recommend Pho Vit 115 because they sell duck pho. Ask me in person if you want more recs!
Why LAGMC/USC: I enjoy the patient population and really loved the resident vibes when I interviewed. I felt this program was for me.
Plans after residency: I love many things and simply cannot decide. Maybe hospitalist. Or I may switch outpatient? Who knows. Only time will tell. -
Dr. Hashir Qamar
Pronouns: he/him
Languages Spoken: English, Urdu
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Undergrad: University of California - Santa Cruz
Medical School: Touro University-CA COM
Hobbies: Climbing, hiking, swimming, mountain biking, spending too much money working on my car
Fun Fact: After college I went on a 3000 mile/3 week solo road trip through the Western US and Canada.
Favorite thing about Los Angeles: I enjoy being back in the place I grew up and also being close to family. Glad to be part of a program where the attendings are approachable and residents go out of their way to help each other out.
Plans after residency: NICU/PICU/PEM -
Dr. Mitali Dave
Pronouns: she/her
Languages spoken: English
Hometown: Naperville, IL
Undergrad: University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Medical School: Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine
Hobbies: Hiking, biking, spikeball, really any outdoor activity, including tree hugging apparently (see pic above). Also love all things music: singing it, playing it, listening to it, dancing to it!
Fun Fact: I had a brachial plexus injury at birth and 3 surgeries + 28 years later, here I am!
Why Los Angeles, LAGMC/USC: This program cares for an underserved community and as difficult as some days are, the work is as equally meaningful and rewarding. In terms of the staff and fellow residents, they are incredible and you really feel like everyone is there to support you. Why LA? I mean it’s LA, not much explanation needed.
Plans after residency: Gen peds or hospitalist, guess I’m here to figure it out!
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Outside of my subspecialty training, the chief resident year was the year I grew the most as a physician as well as a human. I had so much fun with my co-chief residents learning how to take care of sick children and learning how to be a leader/teacher/mentor. I will always be thankful for that year of important training that set me up for success as a fellow and attending.
Daniel Im, M.D.
Former Pediatric chief resident
LAC+USC Pediatrics residency program graduate -
It's true that having "Chief Resident" on one's resume is helpful, and it is a respected accomplishment. You can think of it as your first job after residency, but in the cozy safety of your "home," where you have many attendings to ask questions of, to learn from. It was a fun and happy year! The year really honed my management/decision-making skills, and it helped so much to feel even more confident in the "outside world" thereafter. As you know, after residency, we have to now figure out what to do with each patient on our own, and after chief year, I felt even more ready to do just that. It was an honor to be able to work an extra year and more closely under our attendings. I'll always be grateful.
Shelly Canlas, M.D.
Former Pediatric chief resident
LAC+USC Medicine + Pediatrics residency program graduate -
I have so many memories of chiefs teaching morning report that made me excited about pediatrics and later teaching myself. I’m the educator I’m today because of those role models and my time as chief! Also, I can say when I applied for jobs some of the places preferentially hired ex-chiefs.
Jackie Vargas, M.D.
Former Pediatric chief resident
LAC+USC Medicine + Pediatrics residency program graduate -
I’m came out the other end a better doctor. Whenever people ask me about my experience, I only talk about learning how to take care of sick, vulnerable children. The amount of clinical work as learning, justifies dealing with the administrative responsibilities.
Pruthul Patel, M.D.
Former Pediatric chief resident
LAC+USC Medicine + Pediatrics residency program graduate -
It was one of the best years for many reasons and it set me up for great job opportunities. I was asked to be a site director based on my chief year experience which led to my current director job which is balanced and sustainable which is quite hard to find in hospital medicine. All of my co-chiefs ended up in leadership roles as well. I can’t believe how many times I use a skill I learned or developed during chief year. It continues to be helpful.
Brittany Middleton, M.D.
Former Pediatric chief resident
LAC+USC Pediatrics residency program graduate -
Many lessons from that year that I keep with me today, both in medicine and with people.
Aslam Khan, D.O.
Former Pediatric chief resident
LAC+USC Pediatrics residency program graduate