Fellows.Meet our current HIV Fellow cohort.
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Class of 2028
Daniel Namkoong, MD (he/him)
Dr. Daniel Namkoong completed residency training in Georgia, a state that continues to face a disproportionate burden of HIV infection, an experience that strengthened a deep commitment to advancing expertise in HIV prevention, treatment, and health equity. Motivated by the inequities witnessed in clinical practice, Dr. Namkoong pursued the LA County HIV Fellowship to gain specialized training in delivering high-quality, evidence-based, and culturally responsive care for communities most affected by HIV. He is passionate about integrating HIV prevention and treatment into comprehensive primary care and improving health outcomes through patient-centered and community-focused approaches. His research interests include the prevention and treatment of HIV and HIV-related comorbidities in the primary care setting, with a particular focus on expanding equitable access to care.
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Gabrielle Flamm, MD (she/her)
Originally from New York City, Dr. Gabrielle Flamm completed medical school at the University of Rochester in upstate New York and subsequently trained in Family Medicine through Ventura County Medical Center in Ventura, California. Following graduation from residency, she spent five years working at a critical access hospital in Dillingham, Alaska, providing care within the emergency and inpatient departments, as well as the outpatient clinic. She initiated a treatment program for those living with substance use disorder in the region and is board certified in Addiction Medicine. Her other clinical interests include the treatment of viral hepatitis as well as the care of those living with HIV, which is what led her to pursue the HIV Clinical Fellowship in LA County. Her research interests include care-optimization for those living with conditions such as substance use disorder and HIV in resource-limited settings, with an emphasis on how partnership with local community health networks and the use of novel long-acting injectable medications can improve long-term patient outcomes.
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Lucia Vulcan, MD, MPH (they/them)
Dr. Vulcan is a first generation Chinese Romanian physician from New Mexico. They were part of the BA/MD program at the University of New Mexico, a program aimed to increase the number of primary care physicians in the state dedicated to serving the underserved. Since coming out as nonbinary in medical school, they have been an advocate for the advancement of medical school curricula involving gender affirming care and LGBTQI+ primary health care. Furthermore, they were involved at their local transgender source center as a support group coordinator and free medical clinic coordinator. These experiences solidified their passion for inclusive primary care. They completed their Family Medicine residency at Harbor-UCLA where they gained skills and confidence in serving diverse patients in resource-limited settings. Their clinical and research interests are in HIV primary care, addressing stigma and gaps in HIV care in transgender folks and women, gender affirming care, and caring for folks with disabilities.
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Class of 2027
Thomasina Blackwater, MD (she/her)
Dr. Thomasina Blackwater, a Diné (Navajo) physician from New Mexico, earned her MPH in Maternal and Child Health and later her MD from the University of Arizona. Before medical school, she worked on tribal community-based participatory research projects focused on diabetes prevention and education on the Navajo and Hualapai reservations. She completed her Family Medicine residency at Harbor-UCLA. Her clinical focus is HIV primary care, addiction medicine, and caring for medically underserved populations. Her research interests include stigma in HIV and substance use, stigma reduction strategies in clinical settings, and attitudes toward harm reduction.
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Heather Wynne, MD (she/her)
Dr. Heather Wynne is a Family Medicine physician and graduate of Charles R. Drew University. Born in South Korea and adopted by an American family, she was raised in both Massachusetts and South Florida. She earned her undergraduate degree from Florida Atlantic University and her medical degree from Ross University School of Medicine. Dr. Wynne is passionate about working with underserved communities and has research interests in quality improvement, narrative medicine in HIV care, reducing new HIV diagnoses, and addressing disparities in HIV outcomes. In her free time, she enjoys mixed media art and all things related to cats.
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Tiffany Yu, MD (she/her)
Dr. Tiffany Yu grew up in the Philippines and Southern California, experiences that shaped her commitment to health equity. Her passion for serving underserved communities was strengthened through medical missions in Mexico, Honduras, and the Philippines. In medical school, she explored the biopsychosocial factors impacting people living with HIV, which deepened during residency as she witnessed gaps in HIV care among primary providers. These experiences solidified her dedication to HIV medicine. She is committed to advancing health equity and improving outcomes for people living with HIV through compassionate care, advocacy, and continuous learning.
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