About

Training Future Leaders in Primary Care

Gracelight’s Family Medicine Residency Program was founded in 2023 with the vision of being Los Angeles’ answer to the nationwide shortage of physician residency programs. We are committed to providing broad-based training to graduate highly competent primary care physicians who will deliver holistic, relationship-based care to the communities most in need. developing skilled, compassionate, and community-focused family physicians though our extensive, hands-on residency program. Located in the heart of Los Angeles, our residency program offers a dynamic and comprehensive training experience that prepares residents to meet the evolving healthcare needs of diverse patient populations in Los Angeles and beyond.

The Gracelight Family Medicine Residency Program is an extension of Gracelight Community Health , a leading federally qualified community health center that has been providing care to the Los Angeles community for over 125 years. Gracelight delivers exceptional primary healthcare that is universally accessible to every patient in the communities we serve, irrespective of their financial capabilities or immigration status. Annually, we serve 24,000 patients via approximately 115,000 service visits at five locations across Los Angeles.

What Sets Gracelight’s Residency Program Apart

  • Community Focused Care – Residents will receive hands-on experience treating the Los Angeles communities that Gracelight Community Health serves, working in our five Federally Qualified Health Centers, and in our partner hospital, Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center.
  • Comprehensive Education – Our residency program is built on a primary-care focused curriculum that includes adult primary care, pediatrics, OB/GYN, behavioral health, specialty care such as podiatry and health management programs for diabetes, asthma, and more.
  • Dedicated & Experienced Faculty – Gracelight’s Residency Program provides medical students access to leading physicians, who will be sharing their decades of experience and knowledge with Residency students, mentoring and helping them grow as medical professionals.
  • Culturally Competent Education – Residents will be learning from our top faculty educators and serving the community in our health centers. This training will help prepare residents for their careers as they provide direct care to members of the Los Angeles community.

Welcome to the Gracelight Family Medicine Residency Program!

We are thrilled to have you explore what makes the Gracelight Family Residency Program unique. At Gracelight, our mission goes beyond clinical training. We are providing residents an education rooted in excellence, compassion, and forward-thinking care. Here, residents will not just learn medicine; they will grow into confident, empathetic physicians who are ready to lead in an ever-changing healthcare landscape.

Our commitment to accessible healthcare for all, and lifelong learning shapes everything we do. I’m truly honored to guide this exceptional program and to collaborate daily with a team of passionate, driven faculty and residents. We can’t wait to see the difference you will make in the lives of the patients you will serve here in Los Angeles and beyond.

– Dr. Saira Dar, MD, MBA, MEHP, ABAARM
Family Medicine Residency Program Director, Assistant Professor, Family Medicine, Hospitalist

Meet Our Faculty

Gracelight’s Residency Program is led by exceptional doctors who have years of experience treating patients in community health centers, and also have extensive expertise in training residents to become compassionate and comprehensive doctors, providing the best care for their patients and the communities they serve.

Gisella Olivares-Dunn, DO

Shapan Debnath, MD

Giselle Carvallo, MD

Maria Lim-Heya, MD

Ester Ra, DO

Kraig Golden, MD

Nhan Pham, DO

Stella Lee, MD

Meet the 2025 Gracelight Residency Cohort

Our inaugural group of Residents come from communities around the country and are eager to learn from and serve the Los Angeles community. Click here to learn more about these residents.