Our Faculty | Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science

The Family Medicine Residency Program at Charles R. Drew University is guided by a dedicated team of physicians, educators, and healthcare professionals who share a deep commitment to training the next generation of family doctors. Each faculty member brings a unique blend of clinical expertise, academic excellence, and a passion for serving diverse communities.

Matthew Yu, DO, MPH, DipABLM, FAAFP

Program Director

Medical Education: Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific / MPH – UCLA Fielding School of Public Health

Residency: Harbor-UCLA Medical Center

Fellowships: PGY4 Chief Resident – Harbor-UCLA Medical Center

Why CDU? Out of conviction from his faith, Dr. Yu has chosen to live and practice medicine among communities facing social and health inequity. How this looks is well articulated by Father Boyle, Founder of Homeboy Industries, who once responded to the question “How do you work with the poor?” He said, “You don’t. You share your life with the poor. It is as basic as crying together. It is about ‘casting your lot’ before it ever becomes about ‘changing their lot’.

Karamjit (Kimmy) Chela, MD, MPH

Associate Program Director, Core Faculty, Physician Lead of MLK Family Medicine Clinic

Medical Education: Albany Medical College / MPH- UCLA Fielding School of Public Health

Residency: University of California, San Francisco – Family Medicine

Fellowships: PGY4 Chief Resident – UCSF Family Medicine Faculty Development Fellowship

Why CDU? My name is Kimmy Chela, and as core faculty within the residency program, I am one of the Co-APDs and the Physician Lead of the MLK Family Medicine Clinic. The family medicine clinic is the primary outpatient setting where residents complete their continuity practice during residency. My educational interests include health equity, dismantling systemic racism and oppression, inpatient medicine, outpatient medicine, perinatal health, and health systems of care.

Rashael Nevels, DSW

Senior Director of Behavioral Health

School: Doctor of Social Work degree from California Baptist University

Why CDU? Dr. Nevels is deeply committed to advancing social justice for underrepresented and marginalized communities in South Los Angeles. As a native of the area, she brings firsthand understanding of the systemic barriers patients face when accessing care and underscores the importance of cultural humility in clinical practice. Her work centers on recognizing the psychosocial and contextual factors that shape health outcomes, with a focus on delivering equitable, meaningful, and truly patient-centered care within Family Medicine.

Helen Tran, D.O.

Core Faculty, CDU Medical School Clerkship Director

Medical Education: Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific

Residency: Harbor-UCLA

Fellowships: PGY4 Chief Resident – Harbor-UCLA Medical Center / Faculty Development & Medical Administration

Why CDU? Dr. Helen Tran is Board Certified in Family Medicine. After residency, she completed a fellowship in Faculty Development and Administration. Her diverse professional interests and background include Health Administration, Patient Safety, Quality Improvement, and Clinical Operations. During her clinical time, she leads a Primary Care panel for patients with complex neurologic and developmental conditions, such as Cerebral Palsy, Autism, and Muscular Dystrophy. Her research and scholarly work highlights obstacles and opportunities in health equity, complex medical needs, and the care of vulnerable communities – regionally and internationally.

Fareedat O. Ajibade, MD, FAAFP, IBCLC, NABBLM-C

Assistant Professor; Rotation Director of Reproductive & Perinatal Health Clinic at MLK; Associate Director of Clinical Services, BMHCE; Co-Investigator, HRSA Integrated Maternal Health Services Grant

Medical Education: Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Residency: Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Family Medicine Residency

Fellowships: Family Medicine Surgical Obstetrics Fellowship at the University of Illinois

Why CDU? Dr. Ajibade obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Johns Hopkins University and completed her medical degree through the Humanities and Medicine program, now known as the FlexMed Program, at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She received her board certification in Family Medicine at Rutgers–Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and completed a surgical obstetric fellowship at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Peoria.

Since completing her training, Dr. Ajibade has provided full-spectrum family medicine with operative obstetrics, first in rural North Carolina and now in Los Angeles County, where she currently resides.

Approach to patient care: There is no greater honor or reward than being on the frontlines of an individual’s care, serving as their advocate while improving health and well-being at the smallest and most important unit of community, the family.

Outside of work, she enjoys kickboxing, Zumba, and, more recently, hot yoga, spending time with family and friends over a good meal and dessert, getting immersed in a good novel, picking up new arts and craft projects, and catching up on her favorite TV shows.

Jacquaé Walker, MD

Core Faculty, Assistant Professor, Family Medicine Residency; Adjunct Professor, College of Medicine

Medical Education: St Louis University School of Medicine

Residency: University of Virginia, Family Medicine Residency

Fellowships: Community Medicine & Global Health, Kaiser Permanente Napa-Solano

Why CDU? Dr. Jacquaé Walker is a board-certified Family Medicine physician and Core Faculty member at the Charles R. Drew University Family Medicine Residency Program, where she also serves as Adjunct Faculty in the College of Medicine. A native of Los Angeles, she has long been dedicated to caring for underserved communities—a commitment shaped by her early involvement in social justice and advocacy during her undergraduate years at UCLA, where she earned a degree in Neuroscience and a minor in African American Studies.

She completed medical school at Saint Louis University, where she co-led the Student National Medical Association and championed cultural competency initiatives. Dr. Walker completed her residency at the University of Virginia and pursued a Community Medicine and Global Health Fellowship at Kaiser Permanente Napa Solano. During her fellowship, she chaired the KP SOARS program (Specialist Offering Access to Referral Services), which expanded access to specialty care for uninsured patients, and co-directed the Kaiser Permanente Medical Scholars Program, a pipeline initiative supporting underrepresented students in healthcare. She also led an annual global health mission to Honduras in partnership with ENLACE.

Dr. Walker’s clinical and academic interests include community health and engagement, preventive medicine, health disparities, health policy, lifestyle medicine, and adolescent health. Outside of medicine, she enjoys songwriting, board games, and spending quality time with loved ones.

Lilian E. Ore, DO, MPH, DipABLM

Core Faculty, Lifestyle Medicine curriculum co-lead

Medical Education: Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine (MSUCOM) / MPH- California State University, Northridge School of Public Health under Medical Education

Residency: Henry Ford Hospital

Why CDU? Dr. Lilian Ore (she/her/ella) is a board-certified family and lifestyle medicine physician and serves as Lifestyle Medicine curriculum co-lead and core faculty in the Charles R. Drew University Family Medicine Residency Program. She is also a Family Medicine Attending Physician at the Martin Luther King Jr. Outpatient Center in South Los Angeles. Dr. Ore completed her family medicine residency at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit after earning her medical degree from Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine. She has worked extensively in Federally Qualified Health Centers, providing high-quality, culturally responsive, full-spectrum care to Latino and other historically marginalized communities.

Her professional interests include holistic and preventive care, health equity, health disparities, health policy, and mentorship. She is deeply committed to advancing equitable healthcare systems and mentoring future physicians, particularly those underrepresented in medicine.

A proud first-generation Peruvian immigrant, Dr. Ore enjoys exploring holistic wellness practices, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.

Research Interests: Racial health disparities affecting Latino and immigrant communities, lifestyle medicine approaches to chronic disease prevention, and community-based models of equitable primary care delivery.

Ezequiel A. Andrade, MD, MPH

Clinical Assistant Professor in Family Medicine and Geriatric Medicine

Medical Education: UC Irvine School of Medicine / MPH – University of California, Irvine, School of Public Health, Sociocultural Diversity and Health Emphasis

Residency: Harbor-UCLA Family Medicine Residency

Fellowships: UCLA-VA Combined Geriatrics Fellowship

Why CDU? Dr. Ezequiel Andrade is a family medicine and geriatrics physician at Martin Luther King Jr. Outpatient Center and an assistant faculty member with Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science’s Family Medicine Residency Program. Born and raised in South Central Los Angeles, he is deeply committed to serving historically marginalized communities, with compassion, empathy, and collaboration at the core of his clinical practice and teaching.

Jesse Gomez, MD, MPH

Core Faculty, Urgent Care and Emergency Medicine Curriculum Director, Point of Care Ultrasound Curriculum Director

Medical Education: University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine / MPH – University of California, Irvine, School of Public Health

Residency: Charles R. Drew Family Medicine Residency

Fellowships: PGY4 Chief Resident, Charles Drew University, focus on Women’s Health Faculty Development

Why CDU? Dr. Gomez is a dedicated Family Medicine physician who grew up in Huntington Park, California, near the historic Martin Luther King Jr. Medical Center. Driven by a passion for health equity and community-centered care, he earned a degree in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of California, Berkeley. Subsequently, he completed medical training at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine.

Dr. Gomez completed his Family Medicine residency at Charles R. Drew University, where he served as Chief Resident. During his leadership year, he received advanced training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Harbor-UCLA. He worked collaboratively to expand reproductive health services within the Family Medicine department at the Martin Luther King Jr. Outpatient Center.

With a commitment to innovation and excellence in care delivery, Dr. Gomez played a key role in developing the Reproductive Health Clinic, enhancing training in Urgent and Emergency Care, and advancing the Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) curriculum for residents and trainees.

He remains passionate about community-based medicine, reproductive justice, and medical education, and continues to advocate for comprehensive, equitable care in underserved populations. In his time off, he enjoys the outdoors, camping, and hiking in the Pacific Northwest with his Wife, German Shepherd, and two cats.

Cynthia Chen-Joea, DO, MPH, FAAFP, DABOM

Core Faculty, Director of Inpatient Medicine

Medical Education: Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific / Drexel University, School of Public Health, MPH, Concentration: Health Management and Policy

Residency: Long Beach Memorial

Fellowships: 1-month Health Policy Fellowship through George Washington University

Why CDU? Dr. Cynthia Chen-Joea is a physician career and life coach dedicated to helping physicians achieve sustainability in medicine by pursuing their “career by design” goals while cultivating healthy work–life harmony. She is a double board-certified physician in Family Medicine and Obesity Medicine, currently serving as Medical Director of Copa de Oro Medical Group and Inpatient Director at the Charles Drew Family Medicine Residency Program.

In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Chen-Joea has held numerous leadership roles, including Department Chair of Family Medicine, Secretary-Treasurer of the Medical Staff, and Physician Advisor at Emanate Health. She is deeply engaged in advocacy at the local, state, and national levels and currently represents her peers as the New Physician Director on the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Board of Directors. Her passions in medicine include inpatient medicine, women’s health, procedures, leadership, and advocacy.

Outside of work, she enjoys quality time with her two-year-old daughter and nine-year-old pup, traveling and exploring new cultures with her husband, savoring great food, practicing yoga and Pilates, and indulging in the occasional Netflix reality TV binge.