WiSA Committee

Dr. Priya Krishna was born outside of Philadelphia and spent her formative years in Kansas City. She completed medical school training at the University of Missouri Kansas City School of Medicine six-year BA/MD program. She did an otolaryngology residency at Southern Illinois University School of medicine and then a fellowship in Laryngology and Care of the Professional Voice at the University of Pittsburgh and stayed on as faculty while getting a Masters of Science in Clinical Research. She served as the national Chair of the Section for Women in Otolaryngology of the American Academy of Otolaryngology, representing 2800 women otolaryngologist members. She has been impassioned about strengthening relationships of women surgeons to industry so that instruments can be made with surgeons of all sizes in mind. She enjoyed translational research but has developed a strong interest in clinical research due to the rich variety of clinical issues she sees in the Southern California region. She enjoys music be it playing piano, singing  teaching herself guitar,  traveling with her husband, ethnic food, volunteer and mission based medicine, and shoes (not necessarily in that order).

Dr.  Yevgeniya Ioffe is a native of the former Soviet Union. She grew up in Santa Monica, and did most of her training in Southern California. Upon completion of medical school at UCSD, she completed residency at Cedars-Sinai in Obstetrics and Gynecology. She then completed a fellowship in Gynecologic Oncology at Washington University in St. Louis/Barnes-Jewish Hospital. Dr. Ioffe then returned to Southern California and has been faculty at Loma Linda University Health for almost 10 years. Her interest include translational research and access to care. She enjoys running and learning foreign languages, as well as animal care advocacy. 

Dr. Sarah Walker is a Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgeon at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital. She joined the team at Loma Linda two years ago after completing a Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery fellowship at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles and a residency at SUNY Downstate in Brooklyn. Her areas of particular interest are in hip dysplasia, neuromuscular conditions, clubfoot, lower extremity limb differences, and trauma.

She is involved with both the medical students as well as the residency program, and currently is the associate program director for the Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Program. Last year she was involved with the inaugural Perry Initiative event at Loma Linda that focuses on providing mentorship to women interested in orthopaedics. She is also working to continue to grow the internal mentorship program for women in orthopaedics.

Outside of work she loves to be outdoors hiking and traveling. She also enjoys home improvement projects and plants/gardening. Although she did not grow up in Southern California herself, her family is from the Inland Empire. This is an area that she now considers home and is honored to be able to serve the community. 

Dr. Samantha Garvanovic is an anesthesiologist at Loma Linda University Medical Center. She was born and raised near Chicago, Illinois and moved to southern California for medical school training at LLU. She discovered the field of anesthesia during a preceptorship offered in the summer after first year of medical school. This, along with valuable mentorship from the anesthesia department, resulted in her staying at LLU for residency. After residency, she completed one year of Transplant Anesthesia fellowship, the first of its kind at LLU. Following fellowship, she has stayed on as faculty, this being her fifth year. From her experience as Anesthesia Interest Group (AIG) president as a medical student, to conducting interviews as a chief resident, to WiSA involvement as an attending, Dr. Garvanovic has believed in recruiting trainees by sharing her passion for the field of anesthesia. Outside of work, she enjoys travelling and exploring different forms of art.

Dr. Julia Ritchie grew up in Portland, OR. She attended Scripps College, then headed to New York City where she completed medical school at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. After a year of surgical internship at UCSF, she completed residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at St. Luke's University Health Network in Bethlehem, PA. She is excited to be back in the Inland Empire at Loma Linda University Health for fellowship in Gynecologic Oncology. 

Anaya Abdul-Haqq currently serves as president of the Loma Linda Student Chapter of the Association of Women Surgeons (AWS). She is a second-year medical student, a proud native of the beautiful twin islands of Trinidad and Tobago. She is an alumna of Andrews University (’22). Upon becoming a member of AWS, Anaya fell in love with its mission and sought to be involved as an MS1 representative. Through her new role as president, Anaya seeks to build on the work of those who have come before her to provide resources to women in their journey to become surgeons.

Dr. Tanya Minasian is a Pediatric Neurosurgeon at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital. She has helped lead the Pediatric Neurosurgery division for the last five and a half years, joining Loma Linda after completing her fellowship training at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Her special interests include management of Neurotrauma, Craniofacial disorders, brain and spine tumors, and endoscopic treatment of childhood congenital diseases.

Dr. Minasian is a physician leader within the Children’s Hospital and is currently the vice president of the Children’s Hospital Medical Staff Executive Committee. She enjoys teaching and is the associate program director for the Neurosurgery Residency program and is co-director for the Neurosurgery clerkship at Loma Linda University School of Medicine.

She is a strong advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion, particularly in the field of surgery, mentoring many female medical students interested in pursuing a career in surgery. She works closely with the Association of Women Surgeons (both Nationally and at the LLU School of Medicine Chapter). She is a leader on the national stage of neurosurgery as well, and is currently chair-elect for the American College of Osteopathic Surgeons Neurosurgery Discipline.

Dr. Minasian is a tireless advocate for her patients and their families. She is passionate about providing community education, having founded the only pediatric brain and spine tumor support group in the region. She also works to create awareness for prevention of certain conditions, both here in the community and nationally. She started ThinkFirst For Your Baby, partnering with a national program to provide free seminars to help prevent shaken baby syndrome in the region.

Southern California is home to Dr. Minasian and she is honored to provide care to the children of this region and give back to the community she loves dearly. Dr. Minasian is an avid tennis player, and had the opportunity to attend the Rafa Nadal Tennis Academy in Mallorca, Spain this past year - an adventure of a lifetime!

Dr. Sharon Lum is Chair of the Department of Surgery at Loma Linda University Health. She is a Professor of Surgery in the Division of Surgical Oncology and has been a dedicated breast surgeon for more than 20 years. A graduate of Harvard College and Washington University School of Medicine, she trained in general surgery at Oregon Health and Sciences University, where she completed an American Cancer Society Clinical Research Fellowship. She is president-elect of the Southern California Chapter of the American College of Surgeons, Recorder and Program Committee Chair of the Pacific Coast Surgical Association, and a Governor of the American College of Surgeons. She is vice chair of the Legislative Committee of the American Society of Breast Surgeons, where she was a founding member of the Health Equity Advisory Group. She formerly served on the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons as Vice Chair of the Quality Integration Committee. Her research interests include disparities, quality measures, and the effects of health policy in breast cancer care. She enjoys mentoring trainees in clinical and health systems research.