RESIDENCY PROGRAMS
Our Faculty
Danny Sam, M.D. - Program Director
"In Latin, 'doctor' is derived from ‘docere,' meaning ‘to teach'. The physician should share medical knowledge with medical students, colleagues, and patients. There are many new advances in clinical medicine. I have a great interest in how one can teach and convey complex concepts in medicine. It is a great challenge to teach in many different ways and make it fun!"
Dr. Sam is an internist practicing both inpatient and outpatient medicine. He is heavily involved in the teaching of residents and medical students. He is also an Affiliate Assistant Clinical Professor at Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr Sam won the prestigious "Physician of the Year" award in 2007, chosen by his peers as the top physician here at Kaiser Santa Clara.
Rakesh S. Chaudhary, M.D. Assistant
Program Director
"As long as I can remember, I have wanted to be a physician (with the possible exception of wanting to be a school bus driver when I was six). I cannot imagine a more noble or privileged profession. The partnership of the doctor and patient demands trust, caring, and communication as well as an intelligent application of a comprehensive fund of knowledge. The reward of providing excellent care to a patient is incomparable. It is the preeminent reason for my pursuit of medicine.
The development of my skills as a physician was accomplished through
active mentoring by my attendings and senior residents. I looked to
them as role models on which to pattern my own practice. As a clinical
educator, I feel it is just as important to mentor developing physicians
as it is to further their medical fund of knowledge. I very much enjoy
working with residents in this capacity. These two pursuits of providing
outstanding patient care and playing an active role in the development
of physicians in training provides the fun and excitement I need to
keep enjoying the challenging career of medicine."
Dr.Chaudhary completed his undergraduate degree at Yale University
and his medical degree and residency at UCSF. He is an internist practicing
both inpatient and outpatient medicine, and is an Affiliate Assistant
Clinical Professor at Stanford University School of Medicine. The
internal medicine residents have awarded Dr Chaudhary their "Outstanding
Teacher" award several years running.
Sudhir Rajan, M.D. - Associate Program Director
“The medical profession is undergoing dynamic changes in our current world. The influence of social, religious, ethical, financial, and political issues has changed the scope of practice. I am constantly working to evolve medical education so that it is pertinent to our times. With the implentation of electronic medical records, hospice care, and an integrated health care system, I feel that we can unique prepare a new generation of doctors.
I enjoy teaching residents at a patient's bedside and in a conference setting. I also work closely with residents to improve the learning process and make it enjoyable. I feel it is important to serve both as a career and personal mentor. I am an advocate for a work-life balance which is often hard to achieve in our career.”
Dr. Rajan attended the University of California at Berkeley for his undergraduate education and obtained his medical degree from Ross University. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine at Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara and subsequently served as chief resident. Dr. Rajan completed his fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine at the University of California at Irvine. He is currently board certified in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Diseases, and Critical Care. Dr. Rajan was recently named an Associate Program Director for the Internal Medicine Residency Program and sub-Intern medical student coordinator at Kaiser Santa Clara.
Joetta Maier, MD - Associate Program Director
“Residency
is such a precious, fleeting time. You finally get the opportunity
to be a 'real' doctor, but with a safety net of seasoned physicians
all around you. It is a great opportunity to soak in knowledge and
to ask questions of renowned experts.
That being said, it can also be a very stressful time in your life.
As the mother of three small boys, I’ve had to work hard to
obtain a balance between the demands of a busy career and family,
so I know how challenging that can be. Here at Kaiser Santa Clara
we hope to help our residents develop as many facets of themselves
as they can. We believe in the value of first-hand experience caring
for patients, of enthusiastic and interactive educational sessions,
and of developing our residents as leaders within the organization.
We also believe in the value of rest and time to read, and hope that
our residents will continue to develop themselves as compassionate
people as well as physicians.”
Dr. Maier grew up in Northern California but went East for college
and medical school at Yale University. She completed her residency
in internal medicine at Kaiser Permanente Oakland, where she served
an additional year as Chief Resident. She now practices both inpatient
and outpatient medicine, with an emphasis in primary care. She coordinates
the outpatient resident experience here at Kaiser Santa Clara. Dr
Maier is an Affiliate Assistant Clinical Professor at Stanford University
School of Medicine. She was awarded the "Outstanding Achievement"
award in 2006 by her peers at Kaiser Santa Clara and the Sherman Award
2005 for excellence in medical education.
Susanne Mierendorf, MD - Associate Program Director
“My
first exposure to Kaiser was an eight month rotation when I was a
Stanford fellow. I knew I had to practice in this teaching environment.
The subspecialty and teaching attendings are smart, well trained and
practice evidence based medicine. The bar is set high but here it’s
in a friendly, collegial atmosphere. I love inpatient medicine and
the direct regular interactions with the residents and medical students.
The housestaff are smart, hardworking but we also find time to have
a little fun. They overall feel they have a good balance of autonomy
and responsibility. The most rewarding part of my work is to see interns
blossom into solid senior residents.”
Dr. Mierendorf completed her undergraduate degree at the University
of Michigan and her medical degree from Wayne State University, where
she also earned a Master of Science in cardiovascular physiology.
She came out west to Stanford University to do her post-graduate training
in Rheumatology and Immunology. She practices as a hospitalist and
was formerly the Chief of HBS here at Kaiser Santa Clara. She now
coordinates the resident inpatient experience. Dr. Mierendorf is an
Affiliate Assistant Clinical Professor at Stanford University School
of Medicine.
Thomas M. Burns MD - Associate Program Director
"Being
a physician allows one to partake in the best of both worlds - being
both a perpetual teacher and student simultaneously. One of the challenges
of our profession is to stay current with an ever-increasing field
of medical information while being able to pass along that knowledge
to succeeding generations of new physicians in training. I feel fortunate
to be practicing in an environment that fosters both education and
teaching. Our medical attendings are superbly trained and enjoy interacting
with our staff and our residents in training. Our patient data base
is unsurpassed in challenging cases and allows opportunities to do
clinical research and to practice evidence based medicine."
Dr. Burns is double boarded in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology. He did his undergraduate work at Princeton University, medical school training at SUNY Downstate, internal medicine residency and Chief Residency at Kaiser Santa Clara, and fellowship training at Stanford University Medical Center. He primarily practices Rheumatology. He enjoys teaching at AM report. He is responsible for directing the medical residency research program and their scholarly activities. He has been honored as the Physician of the Year in 1989 and as the Subspecialist Teacher of the Year in 2004.
Sheryl
Sun, MD - Chief, Department of Medicine
"I joined The Permanente Medical Group in 1988. After serving
as the Assistant Chief of the Department of Medicine for six years,
I am now the Chief of the department. I am involved in Kaiser Santa
Clara's residency program and enjoy working with residents periodically
in my clinic or in the hospital. My medical interests include lipidology
and preventive cardiology. I co-direct the Cholesterol Clinic at Kaiser
Santa Clara. I also have two children who keep me busy while I am
away from the medical center."
Dr. Sun is a native Californian. She obtained her undergraduate
degree at UC Davis, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude and received
the University Medal, the highest honor awarded to a graduating senior.
She received her medical degree at UCSF, where she was AOA, a Regent
Scholar, and graduated second in her class. She also completed her
internship and residency in internal medicine at UCSF.
