Second Year Residents

Meet our 2nd Year Residents

I graduated from medical school in Havana, Cuba, and after completing my residency there, I worked as a pediatrician for several years. I moved to Florida where I lived for 7 years. I have worked as a medical assistant in several clinics while studying to pass my Medical Boards exams. In my free time I enjoy playing tennis, swimming, going to the gym, and most important, spending time with my family. We love to watch movies together! I am very happy to be able to do my residency training at NMC, where I am sure I am going to have the opportunity to become a competent Family Physician.

Jose Espinosa, MD
Institute Superior de Ciencias Medicas

Tyler Hensel, MD
Univ. of Vermont

I was born and raised in S. CA and began my professional life as a firefighter. After five years, I realized that I wanted to be more involved in the medical aspect, and I resigned from the fire service. I completed my undergraduate studies at UC Irvine, where I was introduced to work in research, which I have continued. I took a year off, traveling through the Colorado Rockies and the Teton range in Wyoming and then started medical school at the University of Vermont (UVM). I became involved in an orthopedic study looking at knee replacement and this ultimately lead to a five-year break from clinical medicine and back to UC Irvine. Before I returned to the West Coast, I completed a transitional year at UVM, allowing me to work in a physician shortage area while the knee and hip studies were underway.

Now I am into the next phase of my training and feel fortunate to be here at Natividad. The hospital is full of people who continue to impress me. Strong academics and a friendly environment make this program a good fit. I look forward to exploring the Central California Coast as I train for my first triathlon, and the many farmers markets and vineyards in the area will keep my time off interesting!

I raised my children in Boise, Idaho where we enjoyed hiking, skiing, and adventuring in our beautiful state. After sending my youngest child off to his first year of college, I entered medical school at University of Utah. While in school, I was also able to experience the joy of being a classmate to my oldest son, who entered University of Utah School of Medicine during my 4th year. In Utah my family and I discovered rock climbing and hiking in the beautiful Unitas. Since moving to California, I’ve discovered that there is a wonderful variety of outdoor activities running the gamut from hiking and rock climbing to surfing and strolling the beaches along this coastal state. In addition to the beauty of this area, I’ve found the people of Natividad to be some of the warmest, most welcoming people I’ve met. I am impressed with the collegiality among hospital staff, attending physicians and residents who are all focused on delivering skilled and compassionate care to our patients. I am pleased that Natividad will be my training ground for the next few years.

Becky Kroll, MD
Univ. of Utah

Stefano Lee, MD
Howard Univ

Originally from S Korea, I have been fortunate to have lived in Indonesia and Ecuador. I have come to appreciate the "colorfullness" or diversity of the world. I believe there is much to learn from each other and thus I chose family medicine to further broaden my view and deepen my relationship with others in this enriching journey. Besides medicine, I enjoy reading fiction, tennis regularly, cello sporadically, PS2 whenever I am stressed out!

Few years ago I came for a short visit to the Bay Area and I loved it but the place that left the most lasting impression on me was Monterey County. After finishing my exams it was easy for me to choose Natividad for the great location, friendly residents and attendings, variety of cases and to serve the underserved community of Salinas which is very similar to the patient community I served back home in Egypt. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my family, traveling, cooking and doing arts and crafts with my kids.

Nancy Salama, MD
Univ. of Cairo

Shyni Subash, MD
Med. College - Thiruvananthapuram

Situated in the beautiful Monterey County, Natividad was my first choice for residency. This being an unopposed program, there are plenty of opportunities for hands-on training and for exploring the entire breadth of family medicine. I am particularly interested in obstetrics and women’s health. Beautiful place, great weather, appreciative patients and very supportive faculty, staff and residents make this a wonderful place to be in. I enjoy reading, cooking and spending time outdoors and am looking forward to exploring Monterey County.

I was born and raised in San Jose, CA. I went to undergrad school in Sacramento and medical school at Touro University. During the second year of med school, I married my high school sweetheart and we’ve added 2 dogs to our family! I’ve spent 6 months of last year in Chino, CA, as part of an osteopathic internship. Now I’m very happy to be back living in San Jose, and excited to be part of the intern class at Natividad, a residency program I feel provides a well-rounded and diverse education in family medicine.

Jason Wasche, DO
Touro Univ


Leann Watson, MD Univ. of So. Carolina	I was born in South Carolina and graduated from the Medical University of South Carolina. I have done a total of 5 years of General Surgery at UCSF - East Bay and USF. I worked in an Indiana prison for 6 months, which was quite an interesting experience, to say the least. I am currently completing my MBA and looking forward to my FP residency here at Natividad.