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Remembering Our Power
Keynote Speaker
Dr. Sahael Stapleton
Dr. Sahael Stapleton is a board-certified colorectal surgeon with Kaiser Permanente and a physician leader dedicated to using medicine as a platform for service, leadership, and advocacy. Raised in Southern California, he began his academic journey at UCLA before earning his medical degree at Johns Hopkins University. His training path took him across the country, including completing an Internal Medicine residency at UCSF, a General Surgery residency at Massachusetts General Hospital, and fellowship training in Colon and Rectal Surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
Along the way, Dr. Stapleton also completed a Master of Business Administration, reflecting his belief that physicians can—and should—play a role in shaping the healthcare systems in which they practice. His work focuses on expanding access to care, improving patient outcomes at a systems level, and advocating for underserved communities.
Now practicing in the Napa Solano service area, Dr. Stapleton is deeply committed to mentorship and education. He is passionate about helping students see medicine not just as a career, but as a calling that offers countless paths—from clinical excellence to leadership, innovation, and social impact.
Physician Panel
Dr. Christina Bilyeu
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Dr. Adebusola Adesina
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Dr. Melissa Kelly
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Dr. Anthony Wills
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Luncheon
Dr. Cristopher Smith
Dr. Smith earned his medical degree from the UC Davis School of Medicine before relocating to Los Angeles to pursue training in internal medicine. He completed his internship at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science College of Medicine, followed by a residency in internal medicine at Adventist Health White Memorial Medical Center.
Afterward, Dr. Smith joined the California Department of Corrections, where he served for 30 years and spent the last 17 years as a medical administrator overseeing medical services and primary care clinicians. He retired from the department in 2020.
In addition, Dr. Smith has been a volunteer internal medicine faculty member at the UC Davis School of Medicine since 1987.
Dr. Sydney Orokunle: Family Medicine
I have many years of experience in primary care and family medicine, working in clinics throughout both Southern California and the Central Valley. I chose family medicine because I genuinely enjoy building long-term relationships with my patients. It’s incredibly rewarding to be able to educate and empower people to take ownership of their health, and to help them develop the tools they need to live healthy, fulfilling lives.
I’m a big believer in preventive healthcare — things like routine screenings, regular check-ups, patient education, and counseling can make such a difference. I’m especially passionate about women’s health, adolescent health, chronic disease management, and nutrition.
Outside of clinic, I also love being involved in the community. I’ve been part of health fairs, homeless outreach, and medical mission work, and those experiences remind me why I went into medicine in the first place
Dr. Candace Jones, MD: Pediatrics
I am proud to say that I am a Sacramento native. After graduating from Hiram Johnson High School I attended UC Davis where I majored in Community Health. From there I ventured down to southern California where I worked as a public health researcher before starting medical school. I received an excellent education at the UCLA School of Medicine and after graduation I was delighted to have the opportunity to go to Children's Hospital Oakland. That is where I completed my residency training in pediatrics. I was exposed to children of all ages with a myriad of medical conditions
Dr. Stacey Hunt, MD: Dermatology
I joined Kaiser Permanente in 2002, shortly after moving to the West Coast from Michigan. After practicing medicine for decades, I now understand how skin diseases are often an outward reflection of both physical and mental states. With the integrated approach to medicine at Kaiser Permanente, patients have easy access to excellent medical care.
As an adolescent, I was intrigued by the human body and its physiology, which provoked me to pursue a career in medicine. During medical school, I was intrigued by immunology. While doing my dermatology clerkship during my third year of medical school, I was exposed to how skin diseases could compromise lifestyle and quality of life. For me, dermatology was a natural choice.I attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor for both my undergraduate studies and medical school, graduating in 1989. I completed my residency in Dermatology at New York University Skin and Cancer Center in New York, New York.
Dr. Kermit Jones: Internal Medicine
Dr.Kermit Jones is a Internal Medicine Physician at Kaiser Permanente Vacaville Medical Center. He received my medical degree from Duke University in Durham, NC in 2005. The following year he completed an internship in Bethesda Maryland at the National Naval Medical Center. More recently, I completed my residency in Chicago,at the Rush University Medical Center. I look forward to meeting you and becoming your partner in health.
Dr. Tariq Shaheed
Dr. Shaheed earned his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed his internship and a three-year categorical internal medicine residency at Community Memorial Hospital in Ventura, California. After residency, he went on to complete a nephrology fellowship through the Kaiser Family Foundation, where he focused on addressing the significant burden of kidney disease in the Central Valley of Northern California.
Medical Students
Aliyah Walker
Class of 2026
Hometown: Oakland
Specialty Interest: Orthopaedic Surgery
Bio: Aliyah is a 4th year student applying to orthopedic surgery. She went to UC Davis for undergrad and worked in Alzheimer's research before medical school. At the UCDSOM she is involved with research, student run clinics, and mentorship events. She enjoys playing soccer in her free time.
Branden Brooks
Class of 2027
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Specialty Interest: Orthopedic Surgery
Bio: Growing up in South Central Los Angeles motivated my pursuit of a career in medicine. I am committed to serving underserved communities, mentoring underrepresented students in medicine, and sharing the experience of being a Black man in medical school. I hope my journey can inspire others and help them navigate challenges I encountered along the way.
Chance Bennett
Class of 2027
Hometown: Bay Area, CA
Specialty: General Surgery
Brief Bio: My name is Chance Bennett. I'm a third-year medical student at UC Davis School of Medicine currently completing my core rotations. I'm a Bay Area native who is passionate about mentorship and the diversification of our physician workforce. Looking forward to supporting you all on your individual journeys going forward!
Monique Awanyai
Class of 2028
Hometown: Lakewood, CA
Specialty interest: Undecided
Bio: I’m a first-gen Nigerian-American. I majored in Psychobiology and minored in Biomedical research at UCLA (c/o 2020). I spent 2 of my gap years conducting research at the NIH and 1.5 years working as a care coordinator supervisor before coming to Davis SOM in July 2024.
Oluoma Agu
Class of 2029
Specialty Interest: Surgery
Hometown: Elk Grove
Oluoma Agu is a medical student from Elk Grove, California, with a strong interest in surgical specialties and global health. She earned her undergraduate degree from Emory University and later completed graduate studies at Columbia University. Following her training, she spent three years working in the pharmaceutical industry, where she developed a deeper understanding of healthcare systems, drug development, and the structural forces that shape patient care. Her work in pharma was not separate from her path to medicine, but rather formative. It strengthened her perspective on how innovation, policy, and clinical practice intersect — knowledge she now carries forward into her medical training. Oluoma has always known she wanted to become a physician, and her lived experiences have shaped a longstanding commitment to global health. She is particularly interested in global surgery and expanding sustainable surgical care worldwide.
Chris Barnes
Class of 2028
Specialty Interest: Thoracic Surgery
My name is Chris Barnes. I am a second-year medical student at California Northstate University College of Medicine interested in thoracic surgery. I am one of six siblings and enjoy film, reading, and parasailing.
Tips + Resources
Encouraging words and stories from Physicians unable to attend:
What drives you in medicine today?
Dr. Thomas Duncan (Trauma Medical Director, Ventura County Medical Center):
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The opportunity to provide evidence-based medicine to improve the quality of care provided to sometimes unfortunate patients.
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The ability to spread the mantra of preventive care to decrease the number of preventable injuries and diseases that we see.
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The fortune to teach and properly instruct the up-and-coming generation.
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To serve as a role model for AAs aspiring to pursue medicine as a career.
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The opportunity to make change happen at the advocacy level and be a voice for those without one.
Dr. Stan Patterson (Chief Medical Information Officer, HCA, Family Medicine Physician):
My love always present love for science and my desire to help people in any way I can is what drives me the most. My motivation is, and has always been, the same as when I first made a conscious decision to pursue a career in medicine. The satisfaction I get when I can be a part of someone's life, contributing in some way to their overall general physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being is a true gift that I am fortunate to experience every day I see patients. Knowing that I have something, even small, to contribute to those who struggle to find quality health care from someone who care, no matter the circumstances, brings me joy. I want to be a doctor, who my patients can build trust in, and who looks like them and reflects their values and culture, or deeply respects the values and culture of those I serve. It matters to me because I didn't have that growing up.
Why did you pursue this field of practice?
Dr. Thomas Duncan (Trauma Medical Director, Ventura County Medical Center):
As a child/teenager, I was always curious about how objects (radios, model toy cars, etc.) worked and found myself dismantling them to determine how they functioned. As such, my zeal was to work in a field of medicine involving technical skills if/when I became a physician.
Dr. Stan Patterson (Chief Medical Information Officer, HCA, Family Medicine Physician):
Medicine chose me. I was nine years old and through the dedication of my teachers at my school in South Central LA, I got to think about what I wanted from life, beyond grade school. Having my mom serve as a major mentor in my life, showed me what I could accomplish as she demonstrated her strength, perseverance, resolve, dedication, patience, and grace to her 3 sons every day, despite having to do it all as a single parent. She never told us what we should do in life as a career, but she supported and encouraged us regardless of our resources and never let us feel like we were "less than," or "less deserving." This helped us seek other mentors with a similar message and sustained me as I navigated life's path towards my ultimate goal. Family Medicine fulfilled all the things I never knew I needed in a career. I love my work every day and have never felt a moment of regret.
What do you enjoy most?
Dr. Thomas Duncan (Trauma Medical Director, Ventura County Medical Center):
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Seeing a medical student or resident blossom from their infancy stage to a full blown physician capable of managing all works of medicine in their specialty with confidence.
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Patients/families showing gratitude for the healing and/or change in demeanor from pain to near-absent physical ailment after an operation or intervention.
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Audience at conferences display joy when a process that could change their community, city, or state click.
Dr. Stan Patterson (Chief Medical Information Officer, HCA, Family Medicine Physician):
I enjoy the ability to forge relationships with the people I get to meet and see every day. Whether it involves seeing patients, teaching residents and medical students, or working with other clinical professionals in my current role as Chief Medical Information Officer, I cherish the opportunity to impact another person in as positive a way as I can. It means more to me to make that impact on those who have experience less opportunity in their lives. Mentorship molded me and I hope to pay it forward.
What are/have been your greatest challenges?
Dr. Thomas Duncan (Trauma Medical Director, Ventura County Medical Center):
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Dealing with administrative bureaucracy.
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Handling state and federal mandates that do not add up to optimum outcomes.
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Wearing multiple hats in order to be at the table to be part of important decisions that affect under-represented communikties.
Dr. Stan Patterson (Chief Medical Information Officer, HCA, Family Medicine Physician):
My greatest challenges have been balancing with desire of what I want to do and what I think we should do for those who have less health care access and less resources, in general, with what I am able to do with the resources I have. It literally takes a village of like-minded, common-goal oriented individuals to pool what we have to do more. That's always been a bigger hill to climb than I ever anticipated. I have become used to doing more with less...It's the story of my life, but there are always so many circumstances where our patients and our youth deserve so much more than we can give. It's frustrating to see the effect of what happens when we can't do enough and how it impacts those who would have benefitted. I hope we can continually think of ways to constructively overcome those challenges.
