Melvin La, M.D. '14


Melvin La, M.D. '14, is an anesthesiologist at UCSF in San Francisco, CA, who traveled to New York City, NY in April as part of an emergency COVID-19 response team. It was a homecoming for Dr. La, who did his residency and fellowship training in New York City. For four weeks, the team provided support to their colleagues at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Many of the patients they saw were treated in makeshift ICUs, where they used anesthesia machines as ventilators. “I witnessed the strength of an entire city coming together, cheering for us every evening, and sending meals to the hospitals every day," said Dr. La of working on the front lines during this pandemic. "Even now that I'm back in San Francisco, my heart goes out to all the health care workers in New York who continue to fight this pandemic.”