Our Team

  • Michael Mesisca, DO

    Medical Director
    Hometown: Arcadia
    Undergraduate Education: BS Neuroscience Claremont McKenna College

    Medical School: Western University of Health Sciences

    Residency Program: Arrowhead Regional Medical Center

    Passions in life: Family, Surfing, Soccer, Coaching, the Ocean, Drumming and Pearl Jam

    Passions in Medicine: Leadership and Operations improvement; Critical Care; Public Health and Wellness; Correctional Health.

    Awarded Emerging Leadership Award from the RUHS Medical Staff, June 2020

  • Fairuz Harfouche-Despujos, MD

    Assistant Medical Director
    Lead for Sepsis and Patient Satisfaction

    Hometown: Portuguesa, Venezuela

    Undergraduate Education: University of Nevada, Las Vegas

    Medical School: University of Nevada, Reno

    Residency Program: Loma Linda University

    Passions in Life: Family, Food, Traveling, All things wellness

    Passions in Medicine: Site Operations and Throughput

  • Thomas Minahan, DO

    Program Director
    Hometown: Bellflower, California

    Undergraduate Education: UC Riverside, BS Biochemistry

    Medical school: Western University of Health Sciences

    Residency Program: Midwestern University

    Current research: Utility of Instant EEG ability in the ER

    Passions in Life: Family, Family, Family

    Passions in Medicine: All things Epilepsy related

  • Joel Labha, DO

    Assistant Program Director
    Hometown: Dubai, U. A. E.

    Undergraduate Education: Pacific Union College

    Medical school: Western University of Health Sciences

    Residency Program: Arrowhead Regional Medical Center

    Current Research: How to deliver the perfect dad-joke every time: a prospective, randomized, double-blind, meta-analysis... of sorts.

    Passions in Life: Family, Soccer, Music

    Passions in Medicine: Education, Personal Growth and Development

  • Stephanie Loe, MD

    International Operations
    Hometown: Cypress, CA

    Undergraduate Education: UCLA B.S. Biology

    Medical School: Wayne State University School of Medicine (Detroit, MI)

    Residency Program: Loma Linda University

    Current Research: COVID-19

    Passions in Life: Pets, Family, Travel, Challenges

    Passions in Medicine: International Mission Trips, Disaster Medicine

  • Korbin Haycock, MD

    Critical Care Mastermind
    Ultrasound Director
    Hometown: Scottsdale, AZ

    Undergraduate Education: La Sierra University, Riverside CA

    Medical School: Loma Linda University

    Residency Program: Loma Linda University

    Current Research: VExUS, Sepsis, Intrarenal Doppler in resuscitation, Pulmonary ultrasound in CHF. Pulmonary ultrasound in COVID, Hemodynamics in shock

    Passions in Life: Celtic Football Club, Motorcycles

    Passions in Medicine: Resuscitation, Echocardiography, POCUS

  • Amy Russell, MD

    Medical Student Director
    Hometown: Huntington Beach, CA

    Undergraduate Education: UC San Diego

    Medical school: Lewis Katz SOM at Temple University

    Residency Program: Loma Linda University

    Passions in life: Friends/family, beach going, board sports, dogs

    Passions in Medicine: Shock resuscitation and Medical Education

  • Sarah Malcolm, MD

    Wellness Director
    Hometown: Anaheim, CA

    Undergraduate Education: California State University, Fullerton

    Medical School: Albany Medical College, Albany, NY

    Residency Program: Loma Linda University

    Passions in life: Surfing, Singing, Travel, Running

    Passions in Medicine: Lifestyle Medicine, Physician Wellness

  • Andrew Pachon, MD

    EMS Director
    Hometown: Rancho Cucamonga, California

    Undergraduate Education: Claremont McKenna College, BA Psychology

    Graduate Education: USC, Masters of Public Administration

    Medical school: UoI at Chicago

    Residency/Fellowship Program: Loma Linda University / USC EMS

    Passions in Life: Family, Woodworking, Cake Decorating

    Passions in Medicine: Resuscitation, Teaching, Prehospital and disaster medicine

  • Mark Thomas, DO

    Hometown: Garden Grove, Ca

    Undergraduate Education: UC Irvine, BS/BA Biology/Psychology

    Medical School: Western University of Health Sciences

    Residency Program: Loma Linda University

    Passions in Life: Family, Skiing, Mountain Biking and Travel

    Passions in Medicine: Education

  • Melanie Randall, MD

    Assistant Medical Director Research Director QI Director

    Hometown: Loma Linda

    Undergrad Degree: BS Stanford University

    Medical School Degree: Loma Linda University

    Residency Program: Loma Linda University

    Current Research: Pancreatitis in children

    Passions in Medicine include Congenital Cardiac Disease

  • Eugene Hu, MD

    Hometown: Baton Rouge, Louisiana

    Undergraduate Education: Rice University, Houston, Tx

    Med school: Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center - New Orleans

    Residency Program: Loma Linda University

    Resident Projects: Spiked Helmet Sign, Bilateral Tonsillitis Abscess, Bilateral, Asymmetrical Hip Dislocation

    Passions in Life: Being a dad, Baking

  • Susan Munden, MD

    Hometown: East Lansing, Michigan

    Undergrad Degree: UC Irvine Biology

    Medical School Degree: UC Irvine

    Residency Program: UC Irvine 1997

    Passions in Life: Animals and having many pets

    Passions in Medicine: Teaching

  • Timothy Nesper, MD

    ​Hometown: San Clemente, CA

    Undergrad Degree: UCSB Bio Science

    Medical School Degree: Keck School of Medicine, USC

    Residency Program: LAC/USC 1986

    Passions in Life: Family, Faith, and Friendship

    Passions in Medicine: Team Work, Teaching, Patient Wellness

  • Christie Knox, DO

    Hometown- none really, grew up in the military and have lived in various states & overseas

    Undergraduate Education: University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, B.S. in Zoology

    Medical school: Touro University, California

    Residency Program: Arrowhead Regional Medical Center

    Passion in Life: Finding humor in everything

    Passion in Medicine: Continuous challenges and learning

  • Michi Nitahara, MD

    Hometown: Redondo Beach, CA

    Undergraduate Education: University of California, Santa Barbara

    Medical School: Lewis Katz School of Medicine - Temple University

    Residency Program: Loma Linda University

    Passions in Life: Singing, hiking, surfing, and traveling

    Passions in Medicine: Resident wellness, airway management, and teaching

  • Humberto Ochoa, MD

    Hometown: Cenotillo, Mexico; Later moved to San Bernardino

    Undergraduate Education: University of California, Riverside

    Medical School: University of Utah, Medical School

    Residency Program: IM Internship: U of Las Vegas (83-84) ; Kern Medical Center (84-86)

    Passions in Medicine: Teaching, Sharing clinical experience, Patient compassion

    Passions in Life: Golf, Soccer, Military History, Cooking, Foodie, Hot-tubbing with the family

  • Kevin Chen, MD

    Hometown: Simi Valley, CA

    Undergraduate Education: UCLA

    Medical School: Albert Einstein College of Medicine

    Residency Program: Loma Linda University

    Current Research: Obstructive Infectious Urolithiasis, IM vs IV Migraine Treatments

    Passions in Life: Family, Cooking, Traveling

    Passions in Medicine: Medical Education, FOAMed, EM in Geriatric Populations