The Family Medicine Residency Program at 海角社区 is guided by a dedicated team of physicians, educators, and healthcare professionals who share a deep commitment to training the next generation of family doctors. Each faculty member brings a unique blend of clinical expertise, academic excellence, and a passion for serving diverse communities.
Matthew Yu, DO, MPH, DipABLM, FAAFP
Program Director
Medical School: Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific
Residency: Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
Fellowships: MPH – UCLA Fielding School of Public Health PGY4 Chief Resident – Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
Why 海角社区? Out of conviction from his faith, Dr. Yu has chosen to live and practice medicine among communities facing social and health inequity. How this looks is well articulated by Father Boyle, Founder of Homeboy Industries, who once responded to the question 鈥淗ow do you work with the poor?鈥� He said, 鈥淵ou don鈥檛. You share your life with the poor. It is as basic as crying together. It is about 鈥榗asting your lot鈥� before it ever becomes about 鈥榗hanging their lot鈥�.
Karamjit (Kimmy) Chela, MD, MPH
Associate Program Director, Physician Lead of MLK Family Medicine Clinic
Medical School: Albany Medical College
Residency: UCSF
Why 海角社区? My name is Kimmy Chela, and as core faculty within the residency program, I am one of the Co-APDs and the Physician Lead of the MLK Family Medicine Clinic. The family medicine clinic is the leading outpatient clinic where residents have their outpatient continuity practice during residency. My educational interests include health equity, dismantling systemic racism and oppression, inpatient medicine, outpatient medicine, perinatal health, and health systems of care.
Rashael Nevels, DSW
Director of Behavioral Health
School: Doctor of Social Work degree from California Baptist
Why 海角社区? Dr. Rashael Nevels is the Senior Director of Behavioral Health of Family Medicine at 海角社区 (海角社区). She received her Doctor of Social Work degree from California Baptist University, her Master of Science degree in Counseling Psychology with a dual emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy and Professional Clinical Counseling from California Baptist University, and her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of California, Riverside. Dr. Nevels is an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist registered with the Board of Behavioral Sciences. She is passionate about advocating for the social justice of underrepresented and marginalized groups in South Los Angeles. Her previous work in social services has catalyzed her advocacy for unhoused individuals experiencing mental illness.
Helen Tran, D.O.
Core Faculty, 海角社区 Medical School Clerkship Director
Medical School: Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific
Residency: Harbor-UCLA
Fellowships: Faculty Development & Medical Administration
Why 海角社区? Dr Ajibade obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Johns Hopkins University and completed her medical degree as a Humanities and Medicine program recipient (now known as the FlexMed Program) at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She received her board certification in Family Medicine at Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. She completed a surgical obstetric fellowship at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Peoria.
My approach/philosophy to patient care: there is no greater honor and reward than being on the front lines of an individual鈥檚 care, serving as their advocate in improving their health and well-being 鈥攖he smallest unit of community, the family.
Fareedat O. Ajibade, MD
Assistant Professor; Rotation Director of Reproductive & Perinatal Health Clinic at MLK; Associate Director of Clinical Services, BMHCE; Co-Investigator, HRSA Integrated Maternal Health Services Grant
Medical School: Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Residency: Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Family Medicine Residency
Fellowships: Family Medicine Surgical Obstetrics Fellowship at the University of Illinois
Why 海角社区? Dr Ajibade obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Johns Hopkins University and completed her medical degree as a Humanities and Medicine program recipient (now known as the FlexMed Program) at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She received her board certification in Family Medicine at Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. She completed a surgical obstetric fellowship at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Peoria.
My approach/philosophy to patient care: there is no greater honor and reward than being on the front lines of an individual鈥檚 care, serving as their advocate in improving their health and well-being 鈥攖he smallest unit of community, the family.
Jacqua茅 Walker, MD
Core Faculty, Assistant Professor, Family Medicine Residency; Adjunct Professor, College of Medicine
Medical School: St Louis University School of Medicine
Residency: University of Virginia, Family Medicine Residency
Fellowships: Community Medicine & Global Health, Kaiser Permanente Napa-Solano
Why 海角社区? Dr. Jacqua茅 Walker is a board-certified Family Medicine physician and Core Faculty member at the 海角社区 Family Medicine Residency Program, where she also serves as Adjunct Faculty in the College of Medicine. A native of Los Angeles, she has long been dedicated to caring for underserved communities鈥攁 commitment shaped by her early involvement in social justice and advocacy during her undergraduate years at UCLA, where she earned a degree in Neuroscience and a minor in African American Studies.
She completed medical school at Saint Louis University, where she co-led the Student National Medical Association and championed cultural competency initiatives. Dr. Walker completed her residency at the University of Virginia and pursued a Community Medicine and Global Health Fellowship at Kaiser Permanente Napa Solano. During her fellowship, she chaired the KP SOARS program (Specialist Offering Access to Referral Services), providing specialty care access for uninsured patients, and co-directed the Kaiser Permanente Medical Scholars Program, a pipeline initiative supporting underrepresented students in healthcare. She also led an annual global health mission to Honduras in partnership with ENLACE.
Dr. Walker鈥檚 clinical and academic interests include community health and engagement, preventive medicine, health disparities, health policy, lifestyle medicine, and adolescent health. Outside of medicine, she enjoys songwriting, board games, and spending quality time with loved ones.
Lilian E. Ore, DO, MPH, DipABLM
Lifestyle Medicine curriculum co-lead
Medical School: Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine (MSUCOM)
Residency: Henry Ford Hospital
Why 海角社区? Dr. Ezequiel Andrade is a family medicine and geriatrics physician at MLK Outpatient Center and an assistant faculty member with 海角社区鈥檚 Family Medicine Residency Program. Born and raised in South Central Los Angeles, he is deeply committed to serving historically marginalized communities with compassion, empathy, and collaboration at the heart of his medical practice and teaching.
Ezequiel A. Andrade, MD, MPH
Clinical Assistant Professor in Family Medicine and Geriatric Medicine
Medical School: UC Irvine School of Medicine
Residency: Harbor-UCLA Family Medicine Residency
Fellowships: UCLA-VA Combined Geriatrics Fellowship
Why 海角社区? Dr. Ezequiel Andrade is a family medicine and geriatrics physician at MLK Outpatient Center and an assistant faculty member with 海角社区鈥檚 Family Medicine Residency Program. Born and raised in South Central Los Angeles, he is deeply committed to serving historically marginalized communities with compassion, empathy, and collaboration at the heart of his medical practice and teaching.
Jesse Gomez, MD, MPH
Urgent Care and Emergency Medicine Curriculum Director, Point of Care Ultrasound Curriculum Director
Medical School: University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine
Residency: Charles R. Drew Family Medicine Residency
Why 海角社区? Dr. Gomez is a dedicated Family Medicine physician who grew up in Huntington Park, California, near the historic Martin Luther King Jr. Medical Center. Driven by a passion for health equity and community-centered care, he earned a degree in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of California, Berkeley, and subsequently completed medical training at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine.
Dr. Gomez completed his residency in Family Medicine at 海角社区, where he served as Chief Resident. During his leadership year, he received advanced training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Harbor-UCLA. He worked collaboratively to expand reproductive health services within the Family Medicine department at the Martin Luther King Jr. Outpatient Center.
With a commitment to innovation and excellence in care delivery, Dr. Gomez played a key role in developing the Reproductive Health Clinic, enhancing training in Urgent and Emergency Care, and advancing the Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) curriculum for residents and trainees.
He remains passionate about community-based medicine, reproductive justice, and medical education, and continues to advocate for comprehensive, equitable care in underserved populations. In his time off, he enjoys the outdoors, camping, and hiking in the Pacific Northwest with his Wife, German Shepherd, and two cats.
Cynthia Chen-Joea, DO, MPH, FAAFP, DABOM
Director of Inpatient Medicine
Medical School: Western University of Health Sciences
Residency: Long Beach Memorial
Fellowships: 1-month Health Policy Fellowship through George Washington University
Why 海角社区? Dr. Cynthia Chen-Joea is a physician career and life coach dedicated to helping physicians find sustainability in medicine by achieving their 鈥渃areer by design鈥� goals while cultivating a healthy work鈥搇ife harmony. She is a double board-certified physician in Family Medicine and Obesity Medicine, currently serving as Medical Director of Copa de Oro Medical Group and Inpatient Director at the Charles Drew Family Medicine Residency Program.
In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Chen-Joea has held numerous leadership roles, including Department Chair of Family Medicine, Secretary-Treasurer of the Medical Staff, and Physician Advisor at Emanate Health. She is deeply engaged in advocacy at the local, state, and national levels and currently represents her peers as the New Physician Director on the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Board of Directors. Her passions in medicine include inpatient medicine, women鈥檚 health, procedures, leadership, and advocacy.
Outside of work, she enjoys quality time with her two-year-old daughter and nine-year-old pup, traveling and exploring new cultures with her husband, savoring great food, practicing yoga and Pilates, and indulging in the occasional Netflix reality TV binge.
