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KEEPING PHYSICIANS ABREAST OF THE LATEST NEWS AND INFORMATION AT DIGNITY HEALTH – NORTHRIDGE HOSPITAL MEDICAL CENTERJULY / AUGUST 2023Medical DialogueMedical Sta President’s MessageJeremy Grosser,MD Medical Sta PresidentDear Fellow Medical Sta Members,We hope you are enjoying the Medical Dialogue and nd it useful. It is my hope to keep this periodical informative and thought provoking. Please take a few minutes to read each issue; your comments and contributions are valuable and greatly encouraged.I have now had the pleasure of serving as your Medical Sta President for just over a year, and I am proud of what we, as an organization, have been able to accomplish. In the past few months, NHMC has received esteemed national patient safety awards–an “A’ Safety Grade from Leapfrog, Healthgrades’ Patient Safety Excellence Award™ and the America’s Best Hospitals Award™ for the sixth consecutive year.I take great pride in belonging to Northridge Hospital’s Medical Sta where physicians have been spreading humankindness to our community for decades. I thank each and every one of you for your commitment to providing quality patient care that makes us a beacon of hope here in the San Fernando Valley.Medical Dialogue.33rd Annual Golf Classic Raises $148,000This year’s Golf Classic was great; we couldn’t ask for better weather; and it was perfect for a day of golf. With golfers, many from physician groups, the day was enjoyed by all.The Northridge Hospital Foundation would like to thank all of our many donors and supporters, who helped raise toward the purchase of an upgraded Infant Security System. Our youngest patients are the most precious and vulnerable, and it is our responsibility to ensure their safety at all times during their stay at the hospital. Thank you to all of our physicians for helping us make this happen!Mark Amico, MD, and Gustavo Machicado, MD (center, l-r) with their spouses.Arshad Khan, MD (2nd from left), and his group.Jaime Hernandez, MD (far right), and his group.Renaissance Imaging Medical Associates physicians.
2 Northridge Hospital Medical Dialogue.How to Respond to Media RequestsOur Public Relations team helps to ensure all media and social media mentions reflect our hospital’s mission, vision, and values. If you are contacted by the media to speak on behalf of Northridge Hospital Medical Center, please be sure to first contact Christina Zicklin, External Communications Director, at 310.922.8522 to discuss the request. All media requests involving Dignity Health SoCal hospitals must first be approved by Christina Zicklin and Administration. Thank you.Grace Leland Tribute AwardCongratulations to Sue Shamban, Manager, Employee Health Services, who received the second annual Grace Leland Tribute Award. This prestigious honor is presented during Hospital and Nurse Week to a recipient who displays the dedication and compassion shown by Grace Leland during her years of service at Northridge Hospital. The rst recipient of the Grace Leland Tribute Award, Nina Hirsch, Director of Medical Sta Services, presented this honor to Sue, who was recognized for her immeasurable impact and numerous contributions to the hospital.Save the Date for Steppin’ OutSaturday, October 14, 2023Brian Hammel President, Northridge Hospital FoundationWe are excited to announce that Northridge Hospital’s signature event is upon us!Our Steppin’ Out, “Celebration of Hope” Annual Gala, will be held on Saturday October , at the Four Seasons Hotel in Westlake Village.Each year, we work hard to raise much-needed funds for life-saving equipment and services for our community hospital. This year’s proceeds will allow Dignity Health – Northridge Hospital Medical Center to continue to build programs and services to provide the latest state-of-the-art technology and the most benecial programs to our community.With your support, we know we can continue to make Northridge Hospital the number one choice for our community. Stay tuned for details about Steppin’ Out, which will be shared soon!Physicians in the NewsWe’d like to thank and recognize the following physicians who were recently featured in local media stories.Pamela Davis, MD, DHMG Medical Director, was featured in the Catholic Health Association online publication in a story about the Medical Safe Haven program at Northridge Hospital, which helps identify victims of tracking in health care settings and provides them with trauma-informed care.Sidney Stoll, DO, Oncology, was featured on NBC Channel 4 News in a story about the signs and symptoms of pancreatic cancer, amid recent news that celebrity Maria Menounos is recovering from a rare form of the cancer. Liang Wang, MD, Neurology, was featured on ABC Channel 7 News in a story about the warning signs, symptoms and risk factors of migraines.A surprised Sue Shamban with Northridge Hospital Foundation President Brian Hammel
Northridge Hospital Medical Dialogue 3.Welcome New Physicians to the Northridge Hospital FamilyDiagnostic Radiology (Remote)Dianna Chooljian, MDGuillermo Palacios-Lopez, MDFamily Medicine/HospitalistKevin Sonza, DOFamily Medicine (Sports Fellow)Phoebe Bui, DOGeneral SurgeryBabak Eghbalieh, MDAmir-Hossein Mehran, MDInternal MedicineSean Kim, MDNeeraj Patel, MDInternal Medicine/HospitalistCyrus Nensey, MDMedical Oncology/HematologyAlex Ehsan, MDSaghi Esfandiarifard, MDNeurology (Remote Intraoperative Monitoring)Reza Kanani, MDGalen Maze-Rothstein, MDPlastic SurgeryPrasanth Patcha, MDPediatric Endocrinology Christine Reh, MDPhysician Recognition via Patient PraiseCongratulations to physicians who recently received Class Actor nominations, or recognition in complimentary letters to our hospital administration.Marta Almli, MD, Internal Medicine – “Nurses trust that she will do anything for our patients because she is a percent patient advocate. She is awesome!”Saied Dallalzadeh, MD, Gastroenterology, and Christopher Kuhlman, MD, Family Medicine – “I want to thank them for their wonderful care and service.”Jessica Faiz, MD, Emergency Medicine and Rochelle Feldman, MD, Pediatrics – “A very heartfelt thank you to them for saving my son’s life when he was just days old. As an emergency physician, formerly at Northridge Hospital, I have been in their position and it’s no easy feat. They saved my son and our entire family.” Jeremy Grosser, MD, Internal Medicine – “My mother was very well taken care of by all of the doctors and nurses, including Dr. Grosser who was wonderful and assisted us with hospice. When it was time to let go, my mother went peacefully.”Lauren Fryling, MD, Emergency Medicine – “She truly listened to me and my concerns and gave me exactly what I needed. It was the absolute best experience I ever had in a hospital.”Fatima Imtiaz, DO, Internal Medicine; Alan Naim, MD, Gastroenterology; and Suhail Salem, MD, Gastroenterology – “I want to thank my doctors! They listened and made sure I was safe.”Moinakhtar Lala, MD, Cardiology – “He not only helped me, but did so with kindness and compassion. I have a brighter future because of him.”Alfred Pascual, DO, Emergency Medicine – “He was very friendly, reassuring, and part of a superstar sta!”Anish Patel, MD, Diagnostic Radiology – “I want to thank him for all of his expertise and help with my care.”Sasan Yadegar, MD, Neurological Surgery – “He is the best doctor and gave me a second chance at life. He gives our family so much happiness!”In addition to patient praise, Jennifer Solovay, RN, ICU, recognized the following two physicians:Robert Klein, MD, Urology – “He was passing by my room at a challenging moment, thought I might need help, entered my room, and with half a glove helped me reposition my patient to safety. What a save!” Sonho Lee, MD, Pediatric Critical Care – “He recognized how hard we work in the ICU and was very grateful for what we do. We were all blown away with his display of humility!”
4 Northridge Hospital Medical Dialogue.Welcome and Goodbye to Northridge Family Medicine ResidentsChris Kuhlman, MD Program Director, Dignity Health Family Medicine Residency ProgramThe Northridge Family Medicine Residency sadly said goodbye to our graduating residents and sports medicine fellow on June , . Our graduating Family Medicine Residents experienced a unique and extraordinary time learning to practice medicine amidst a global pandemic. Yet, this provided a more in-depth opportunity to explore social issues in health care. It allowed us all to continue to take the necessary steps to improving health care delivery in our society and to have conversations about social determinants of health care. We are proud of our program and all of our residents who graduated in June. Dina Al-Rabadi, DO Annie Jia, DOSahar Askarinam, MD Harika Kaur Sandhu, DODavid Chen, DO Ruixuan Jenny Zhang, DOChristopher Dean Galliosborn, MD Sheeva Zolghadr, DOGraduating Sports Medicine FellowAndrew Pawliwec, MDAs always, we recognize that it is through the support of Northridge Hospital’s exceptional nursing and ancillary sta, and especially our many dedicated volunteer faculty on the Medical Sta, that these doctors will leave us prepared to enjoy rewarding careers in medicine. Thank you, we greatly appreciate your support of our program and your dedication to enhancing the education of our young physicians.Welcome New ResidentsThe Program is excited to welcome and introduce our new intern class of . They began seeing patients on the oors on July st. Please welcome the following new interns to our Residency Program:Katherine Adler, MD Maxime Rappaport, MDHaik Chatalyan, DO Javier Torres, MDNgoc Duong, DO Raymond Phan, DOCecilia Goyette, DO Kiana Panbechi, DONew Incoming Sports Medicine FellowPhoebe Bui, DOCALL FOR ARTICLES: We encourage members of the Northridge Hospital Medical Sta to submit information or articles for publication in the Medical Dialogue. Please contact Tracie Gipson, Editor, at (818) 522-4574 or Tracie.Cheesemangipson@CommonSpirit.org.MEDICAL STAFF OFFICERSJeremy Grosser, MDMedical Staff PresidentUthaiah Kokkalera, MDPresident-ElectLeo Kassabian, MDSecretaryMichael Damavandi, DOTreasurerEDITORIAL TEAMMark Dumais, MD, MBA, FACPChief Medical OfficerNina HirschDirector, Medical Staff ServicesTracie GipsonMedical Dialogue EditorDesiree GarciaMarket Development RepresentativePriscilla BourbonnaisMarket Development Representative18300 Roscoe Boulevard, Northridge, CA 91325