Current Residents
Family Medicine Residency Program

Kelly Albin, M.D. | Back to Top

Kelly graduated this summer from the University of California at San Diego School of Medicine. She has a B.S. and M.S. in Food Science and Technology from the University of California at Davis. Kelly hails from Fort Bragg, CA where she learned the importance of community and developed a love for nature.  A former athlete and coach, Kelly has a natural affinity to sports medicine and treating musculoskeletal injuries.  In her free time she enjoys outdoor activities and trips to Lake Tahoe.

Katie Belsky, M.D. | Back to Top

I was born and raised here in Sacramento. After graduating from UC Berkeley with a degree in Molecular and Cell Biology, I spent a year exploring my interests prior to medical school. This included living in New York City volunteering at Columbia's emergency room, working and skiing at Lake Tahoe for the winter, and traveling to South America to learn about new cultures. I then attended the University of Michigan Medical School, where I spent my time outside of school volunteering in the children's hospital, attending football games in the Big House, canoeing, and enjoying the Midwest. While at Michigan, my interest in family medicine grew through experiences such as visiting housebound patients on home visits as well as working in a local community hospital with family physicians. I am very excited to be returning to Northern California for residency - Sutter is a wonderful program. I am humbled to share in my patients' lives and I look forward to advocating for them throughout my career as a family physician. In my free time I enjoy running, playing sports, biking, baking, skiing, canoeing, sailing, traveling, and of course spending time with my husband, family, and friends.

Crystal Blankenship, M.D. | Back to Top

Growing up, I called both Redding and Paradise, of Northern California home. I received my undergraduate degree in Sociology with a minor in Biology from UC San Diego. After graduating, I worked as a clinical research coordinator at UC San Francisco before pursuing my childhood dream of becoming a doctor. I received my medical degree from UC Davis and now I couldn’t be happier to be staying close to family for residency. I am proud to be a part of a program that trains knowledgeable, socially conscious physicians, in a supportive environment. I chose family medicine because I enjoy following patients over long periods of time and helping them heal through the ups and downs of life. My primary areas of interest are maternal child health, community health and preventive medicine. In my spare time I enjoy dancing, cooking with fresh produce from the farmer’s market with my husband, playing with my daughter, having dinner with friends and executing my next craft project.

Shannon Chin, M.D. | Back to Top

I’m a true product of California’s central valley, hailing from Modesto.  I was a Daddy’s girl and even as a small child I insisted he wake me up early to round in the nursing home with him.  At 12, my love of medicine was whetted during a trip to Uzbekistan, where I got to dip urine and count pills.  I went on to study world literature at UCLA, spending semesters in Copenhagen and Madrid.  During medical school at UC Davis, I worked with Sacramento’s homeless at the Willow clinic, learned alongside Nicaraguan medical students in Leon, and provided medical care to rural Honduran villages.  Induction into AOA was a great honor.  Now, I’m excited to be part of the Sutter family medicine residency, providing compassionate, quality, full-spectrum care - and simply being present with my patients.  Being outside is generally my favorite, especially if I’m cross-country skiing, snowboarding, diving or traveling.  I also love postmodern fiction, photography, and, of course, dinner with Grandma.

Jessic Curti, M.D. | Back to Top

I grew up on a cattle ranch in a tiny rural town in the Eastern Sierras called Coleville, CA.  I attended Saint Mary's College of CA, where I earned my Bachelor's of Science degree in Biology, and then I earned my medical degree at UC Davis.  My primary areas of interest include rural primary care, women's health, pediatrics, and alternative medicine.  I love Family Medicine because it provides me the opportunity to care for others as I might my own family, and I am so happy to be a part of the wonderful team at Sutter!  I also enjoy baking, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.

Elizabeth Garamendi, M.D. | Back to Top

I was born in Stockton and spent the early years of my life in the Sacramento River Delta. I attended high school in Washington DC where I developed a love for rowing. I returned to California to attend UC Berkeley where I was on the women’s crew team. After receiving my B.S. from Berkeley, I joined the Peace Corps, volunteering in Honduras. Upon my return to California, I helped conduct clinical research studies in endocrinology at UC Davis. I received my M.D. from Ross University where I also met my husband. We are both thrilled to return to the Sacramento area to start our careers in medicine and raise our daughter with our family close by. My interests include preventative medicine, women’s health and health care advocacy focused on improving patient access to care, especially in underserved and rural communities.

Erin McClellan, M.D. | Back to Top

I grew up in Westfield, NJ and attended Duke University for undergrad (go Devils!) After college I moved to NYC to help develop outreach programs as an Americorps volunteer at a community health center. Providing care to patients at rural clinics in Arizona, Ecuador, and Bolivia during medical school at Weill Cornell solidified my passion for melding social justice and medicine in a career as a Family Physician. I have found Sutter to be a close-knit, academically-minded community that supports its residents extremely well. My husband and I love living in Northern California because there is deliciously fresh produce, great wine, and are unlimited opportunities for outdoor adventure.

Brooke Katerkamp, M.D. | Back to Top

I was born and raised in Phoenix, AZ. I attended UC Santa Cruz, where I earned my Bachelor’s of Science in Molecular Biology and fell in love with Northern California. After college, I moved to San Francisco where I worked in non-profit development at The Ronald McDonald House. I moved back to Arizona in 2006 to start my medical training at the University of Arizona, where I participated in educational programs for at-risk youth, served as Treasurer of the Pediatrics Club, and volunteered at Planned Parenthood. My primary areas of interest are women’s health, pediatrics, preventative medicine and palliative care. Family Medicine offers me the opportunity to work with diverse patient populations and allow me to follow patients of all ages throughout their lives. I am thrilled to be back in California, and couldn’t be happier about joining the wonderful team at Sutter. In my free time, I enjoy running, cooking, watching NBA and college basketball, traveling and spending time with my husband, our dog, family, and friends.

Janice Kim, M.D. | Back to Top

Yelena Lapan, D.O. | Back to Top

Irene Lee-Klass, M.D. | Back to Top

I am proud to become a family physician and to be part of the Sutter program.  I am looking forward to building experience with caring for a diverse patient population, from womb to end-of-life, and to do so in a lively, inspiring and supportive team environment.  I am excited to be in the Davis track and to be part of a small close-knit rural and college community.  My hope is to become a well-rounded physician with comprehensive skills in urgent, preventive and chronic healthcare, patient and primary care advocacy, and clinical teaching.  Upon graduation, I envision having developed a focus area within family medicine and become active in medical education within the academic health professional and patient communities.  Healthcare extends beyond the clinic and beyond the hospital, and as a primary care physician I will work to improve and adapt to the changing needs of our patients and communities.  I studied Human Biology and Visual Arts at UCSD as an undergraduate and finished medical school at UC Irvine.  Whenever possible I enjoy traveling, music and visual arts – not to mention spending time with my husband and our new daughter.

Bianca Roberts, M.D. | Back to Top

Christie A. Romo, M.D. | Back to Top

Joy Shen, M.D. | Back to Top

Maureen Cahill, M.D. | Back to Top

I graduated from UC Davis in 2002 and then graduated from UC Davis School of Medicine in 2009. I love the Central Valley for its diversity, both in ethnic backgrounds as well as the mix of patients from metropolitan areas or rural farming areas. I am honored to be part of the Sutter family, a group that is dedicated to educating and supporting one another, and I look forward to learning from each and every person I can: doctors, nurses, and of course patients! Outside of medicine, I love to spend time with my husband and my two children, to try new recipes, and to indulge my marine-biology-loving-tendencies by visiting aquariums.

Alisha Dyer, D.O. | Back to Top

I was raised in Santa Rosa, California. After earning my undergraduate degree in Human Biology at Michigan State University, I returned to California and worked for the California Army National Guard Medical Detachment and volunteered at a local hospital. After witnessing some of the inequalities in patient care, I entered medical school with the goal of providing quality healthcare to the underserved. I received my medical degree from Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine. My interest in family medicine developed during my first year of medical school after I participated in a Preceptorship Program, where I found family medicine to be challenging, fun, and rewarding. I am a committed advocate for family medicine and I have been honored to serve as the Intern Liaison for the California Academy of Family Physicians. Sutter is the perfect residency for me because it has supportive residents and faculty, excellent training, a diverse patient population, and room for me to develop my medical interests. In my spare time I enjoy volunteering in the community, attending to my temperamental Bougainvillea and exploring Sacramento/Northern California Region with my husband and friends.

Mikaela Holly, M.D. | Back to Top

I was born and raised in Davis, and after being away for many years, it is good to be home in Northern California. After graduating from UC Davis with a degree in Exercise Biology, I spent two years doing research at the NIH in Washington, DC. I returned to California for medical school to attend UC San Diego. My interests in medicine include sports and wilderness medicine, pediatrics and preventive medicine. Outside of medicine I enjoy skiing, camping, running, rock climbing, cooking and cheering for the Kings, Giants and 49ers.

Cecilia Romo, M.D. | Back to Top

From the capital of the nation to the capital of the state and my hometown, I hope to continue to work in health policy and health advocacy. I also hope to help decrease disparities in our healthcare system by serving primarily those who do not have access to healthcare. I will make good use of my fluency in Spanish as well. In my spare time I like to spend time with my family (especially my nine nieces and nephews), run, travel cook, bake, hot yoga, spinning, boating, snowboarding, wakeboarding and sleeping.

Lisa Sprowl, M.D. | Back to Top

I grew up in Sunnyvale, CA, which is near San Jose, and earned my BS in Biological Sciences from UC Davis. I left California to go to medical school at Chicago Medical School (Rosalind Franklin). During medical school, I was actively involved in the American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) and organizations where I spent time in classrooms teaching children about drugs or HIV/AIDS. It is the continuity of care, variety, and focus on prevention that drew me to Family Medicine. I was looking for a program that was unopposed, strong in OB and pediatrics, and I felt like I fit in well with the residents and faculty; I found all of those things at Sutter. I am ecstatic to be back in California (no more freezing cold Chicago winters) and especially back in the Sacramento area. In my free time, I enjoy doing kickboxing and step classes, trying new restaurants, and traveling.

Erin Nagy Tomlinson, M.D. | Back to Top

I grew up and attended school in Cleveland Ohio where I studied biomedical engineering. I found I was more interested in technology's application to patient care, so I found my way to medical school at Case Western Reserve University. In addition to learning how to apply medical technology (like the electronic medical record), I was exposed to family medicine and the power of communication with patients. I am proud to have been awarded the Betty Jean Frattianne award for compassionate care of patients, volunteer service, and sensitivity to the needs of the poor, the elderly and the handicapped. I married my classmate and together we moved to California to be closer to thrilling outdoor activities. We enjoy playing with our cats, cooking with fresh ingredients from the farmers' markets, and playing getting out into the wilderness. I am happy to be at Sutter because my co-residents are very supportive, understanding, and fun.

Eryn Xavier, M.D. | Back to Top

I grew up in Reno, NV and received my bachelor's degree from the University of San Diego in biology with minors in chemistry and Spanish. I attended medical school at the University of Nevada School of Medicine, spending my first two years in Reno and the second two in Las Vegas. My husband and I love being in Sacramento close to all of our family in Northern California and Northern Nevada. We enjoy traveling, boating, skiing, hiking and spending time with our family and friends. My interests in family medicine include women's health, pediatrics and public health. I feel very fortunate to be in a residency program that offers exposure to such wide variety of conditions in both the inpatient and outpatient settings. The administration, faculty and other residents have been wonderful to work with.