GME Peer Support Ambassadors
Max Bowman, MD (Urology)
Hi I’m Max! I am from Salt Lake City, Utah where I grew up and went to college before completing medical school at Dartmouth. I matched into Urology at UCSF in 2018 and have loved exploring the Bay Area ever since. I love hiking, exercising, reading, and eating. Next year I will stay at UCSF as a general urologist.
Samantha Fisch, MD (Internal Medicine)
I am a second-year internal medicine resident and spend my time taking care of patients at UCSF, SFGH and the SFVA. I was inspired to pursue medicine after growing up witnessing the impact of chronic illness on my family. I am interested in a career in hematology and oncology or hospital medicine where I can provide compassionate care to patients for whom straightforward medical solutions don't exist. I find meaning in being a source of strength for patients during their most vulnerable moments in the hospital. I was motivated to become a part of the peer support program because of my own experiences with anxiety and feelings of imposter syndrome during my medical training. Having seen my friends and colleagues grapple with mental health challenges, I am motivated to help create a space where others can feel safe and empowered to be candid and feel supported in the collective journey of residency.
Michaela (Micki) Gonzalez, MD (Emergency Medicine)
I am currently a PGY4 in Emergency Medicine. As first generation, Filipino-American, queer women and new mother in medicine I’m dedicated to creating space for people, patients and peers, from all walks of life. I believe that a person’s well-being is directly influenced by the time spent processing our life experiences. The act of sharing and hearing people’s stories is important to making meaning and understanding our humanity and place in the world. For a long time, my focus has been on the patient/client story; creating a safe space for others to be heard and heal. After spending the last three years as a resident, I’ve watched my peers suffering and felt myself crumbing into pieces at various times throughout training. We spend endless hours working hard to provide compassionate and comprehensive care to our patients that often times we are left with zero energy to care for ourselves, let alone each other. When not at work we try to piece ourselves back together, but not always knowing how to do so. These tough times have cultivated my passion to develop better ways to nurture and heal myself. My own healing has inspired me to support other trainees in their own healing process. I believe that medicine can be more human, especially for health care providers, and I want to be an agent of that change. When I’m not at work I find joy traveling and eating my way through any city I’m in, spending quality time with my wife, new baby and dog, teaching myself new things (currently I’m learning acupuncture), meditation, cooking new recipes, and all adventure.
Francie Goodstein, MD (Anesthesiology)
I am an anesthesiology resident and I am passionate about humanizing physicians and the medical training environment. As someone who identifies as neurodiverse and having ADHD, I understand some of the challenges and extra taxes involved with navigating a system that was not built to accommodate a variety of brain types and learning/working styles. I believe that we can only have the capacity to be the best, most authentic versions of ourselves when we are safe, supported and valued in our environment. I hope that my candidness can help even just one physician live in less fear of being stigmatized for having a mental health condition, disability or unconventional way of experiencing the world. I am very fortunate to be in a position to support my peers and look forward to connecting, learning and processing together. When I am not at work, you can usually find me taking long walks in the hills of Sausalito, listening to podcasts, having a good laugh (or cry) and going to brunch.
Ursula Griffiths-Randolph, MD, MPH (Pediatrics)
Ursula Griffiths-Randolph, MD, MPH is a third-year pediatrics resident in the Pediatric Leaders Advancing Health Equity Program (PLUS) at UCSF. She has a background in maternal and child health and is deeply committed to improving health outcomes for Black children and families in the United States and abroad. She is also passionate about near-pear mentorship with more than 20 mentees at various levels of training in a myriad of specialties across the US. She will be starting her chief residency year in 2024 and looks forward to a career in which she can play a role in ensuring the success and well-being of trainees from historically excluded communities and one which will allow her to serve Black infants and families with the care and attention they deserve.
Vivian Ling, MD (Family and Community Medicine)
Vivian Ling (she/her) is a current resident in the Family & Community Medicine Program. Prior to residency, she attended University of Michigan Medical School as well as the School of Public Health, where she completed an MPH in health policy and management. She is extremely passionate about the health and wellbeing of medical trainees. She looks forward to supporting them through the Peer Support Ambassadors program.
Isabelle Wijangco, MD, MPP (Obstetrics and Gynecology)
My work is at the intersection of global health policy and women's empowerment. My background focused on global health dialogues and policies, working at such institutions as the United Nations Foundation, the Office of the Surgeon General, UCSF's Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health, and the Stanford Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies. Now as an OBGYN resident, I can care for my patients while simultaneously standing up for those same principles of gender equity, reproductive justice, and ending violence against women. Training with an eye for reproductive justice, intersectionality, and centering those most marginalized inherently entails meeting others wherever they may be. I gravitated toward trauma-informed care for both patients and peers after experiencing the extent of what we ask ourselves and our spirits in medical training. It is an honor to train with my co-residents. Serving as a Peer Support Ambassador to be present for such incredible individuals is truly a privilege. When not at work, I keep a pack ready for the nearest hiking or backpacking trail!
