About Us
Core Members
Tara Vijayan, MD, MPH
Medical Director, Adult
Tara has been on faculty in the Division of Infectious Diseases since 2015. She currently serves as the Medical Director for the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program. She also serves as the Associate Director of Scientific Foundations of Medicine and is core faculty in the UCLA Multicampus fellowship. Her passions are health equity, implementation science and combating the global threat of antimicrobial resistance. Outside of UCLA she loves doing puzzles, reading and hiking with her two wildlings, her husband and her aging hound.
Ishminder Kaur, MD
Medical Director, Pediatric
In addition to collaborating on hospital wide antimicrobial stewardship efforts, Ishminder leads the Pediatric Antimicrobial Stewardship Program. Her clinical research interests include epidemiology of multidrug-resistant pathogens and diagnostic stewardship. Outside of work, she enjoys cooking while listening to audible books.
Kavitha Prabaker, MD
Associate Medical Director, Adult
Kavitha has been an Infectious Disease physician at UCLA since 2016 and became the Associate Director of Clinical Epidemiology and Infection Prevention and the Associate Director of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program in 2020. She provides oversight to the Infection Preventionists and Infectious Disease pharmacists, creates Infection Control policies and implements Antimicrobial Stewardship projects to decrease inappropriate use of antimicrobial agents. When she is not working, Dr. Prabaker enjoys spending time with her husband and reading, swimming, and playing make-believe with her daughters.
Ethan A. Smith, PharmD, BCIDP
Infectious Diseases Clinical Pharmacist
Ethan is the antimicrobial stewardship/infectious diseases pharmacy lead for UCLA Ronald Reagan and Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital. His primary responsibilities include serving as the pharmacy consultant for five ID consult teams, providing antimicrobial education to house staff, and participating in the ASP's prospective audit and feedback program. In addition, he serves as the Vice Chair of the Vizient Antimicrobial Stewardship Committee and is a voting member of the California Department of Public Health Antibiotic Stewardship/Antibiotic Resistance HAI Advisory Subcommittee. Outside of work, Ethan enjoys spending time on the golf course.
Meganne Kanatani, PharmD
Infectious Diseases Clinical Pharmacist
Meg is the antimicrobial stewardship/infectious diseases pharmacy lead for adults and pediatrics at UCLA Ronald Reagan. She also serves as the Residency Program Director of PGY-2 Infectious Diseases Pharmacy.
Christine Pham, PharmD, BCIDP
Infectious Diseases Clinical Pharmacist
Christine is the antimicrobial stewardship/infectious diseases pharmacy lead for the UCLA Santa Monica campus. She is continuously engaged in UCLA system wide antimicrobial stewardship and education outreach initiatives. Christine serves as the 2021-2022 lead of the UC System-Wide ASP Collaborative. Her Bruin life has come full circle as a former undergraduate alumni and a fledgling UCLA care extender at where she now works.
Lynn Chan, PharmD, BCIDP
Infectious Diseases Clinical Pharmacist
Lynn is the OPAT/antimicrobial stewardship pharmacist. Her responsibilities include managing and monitoring patients discharged on prolonged intravenous and oral antimicrobial therapies and tracking outcomes. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, playing tennis, reading and traveling.
Omai Garner, PhD
Director of Clinical Microbiology
Omai is an Associate Clinical Professor and Director of Clinical Microbiology in the UCLA Health System. He is Board Certified by the American Board of Medical Microbiology.
Suki Chandrasekaran, PhD, D(ABMM)
Assistant Director of Clinical Microbiology Laboratory
Suki is an assistant clinical health professor and one of the assistant directors of the clinical microbiology laboratory. Her main focus is bacteriology, antibiotic susceptibility testing and antibiotic resistance mechanisms. Suki enjoys traveling and exploring Los Angeles with her family.
Key Members
Dan Uslan, MD, MBA
Chief Infection Prevention Officer
Shaunte Walton, MS, CIC
System Director, Clinical Epidemiology & Infection Prevention
Sanchi Malhotra, MD
Pediatrics, Infectious Disease
Prest Oshodi, RN, BSN, CCTC
OPAT Nurse
Patty Rodriguez, LVN
Medical Assistant
Tara Buehring, MPH, CIC
Infection Preventionist
Tiffany Dogan, MPH, CIC
Infection Preventionist
Cecilia Borja, MPH
Principal Data Analyst
Diane Luo, MPH
Principal Data Analyst
Belle Soyfer, PharmD
PGY-2 Infectious Diseases Pharmacy Resident
