Paula Nguyen, MD

Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine; Paula was born and raised in Orange County, California by Vietnamese immigrant parents. After graduating from UCLA, she worked as a lab technician and taught reproductive health at Los Angeles County middle schools. Many of her students were from disadvantaged backgrounds and it was during this time that she deepened her passion for preventative health and community outreach. With this reinvigorated ambition, Paula decided to pursue medicine and began volunteering at Venice Family Clinic, an FQHC in Los Angeles. To finance her endeavors, she waitressed at a restaurant where she often rubbed elbows with celebrities. 

The juxtaposition between the patrons at the restaurant and the patients with whom she would interact with at the clinic strengthened her desire to close the inequity gap. Paula was then accepted in VCU School of Medic ine and fmSTAT, a four-year longitudinal track specific to students who are interested in family medicine. If she is not aggressively napping or finding dogs to pet, Paula could be found exploring the local food scene for ideas to recreate in her own kitchen. This SoCal native is excited to return to California and transition into a NorCal family physician working with underserved populations in the Santa Rosa community.