Meet Our Physicians
Brian Fong, MD
Dr. Fong attended medical school at New York Medical College before his residency training at Cook County Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. He has served on various hospital committees, including the Medical Executive Committee, Chair of the Interdisciplinary Committee, and has been Department Chair. Locally he is a Medical Director for EMS companies. He is our Chief Operations Officer, oversees our APP employees, and serves on the SCEMG Board of Directors. Dr. Fong enjoys playing golf and basketball, volunteering internationally, photography, and autocross.
Matthew Guess, MD
Dr. Guess graduated from the University of Virginia School of Medicine and trained at Harbor-UCLA for his residency. He serves as a valuable member of the hospital Pharmacy and Therapeutics committee. His hobbies include spending time with his wife and kids, as well as hiking, camping, snowboarding, woodworking, watching movies, and learning about architecture/design and theology.
Knef Lizaso, MD
Born in the Philippines and raised in Malaysia and Nigeria, Dr. Lizaso subsequently moved to Los Angeles where he has lived most of his life. He attended Stanford University and graduated with Honors with a major in Biological Sciences. After earning his medical degree from UCSF School of Medicine, he trained at Harbor-UCLA for residency. He has served on various hospital committees, including the Medical Executive Committee, Infectious Disease Committee, Chair of the Sepsis Steering Committee, and has been our ED Chairman since 2017. Locally, he helps interview high school candidates for admission to Stanford University and is a Medical Director for an EMS company. On a national level, he serves as an Oral Examiner for the American Board of Emergency Medicine, and is a Director/Advisor for a national gap-staffing agency. His areas of clinical interest include ED quality performance and improvement, best documentation practices, sepsis, and patient experience. He is a Vice President for SCEMG and serves on its Board of Directors. Dr. Lizaso lives in the South Bay and enjoys music, traveling, fishing, sports, and family time.
Jung-Eun (Jane) Lim, MD
Dr. Lim was born and raised in Arizona and attended both her undergraduate studies and medical school at the University of Arizona in Tucson. During medical school, she volunteered for several months at a women’s clinic in Kenya and also helped launch an online medical educational tool called Picmonic. After medical school, Dr. Lim completed her residency training at Harbor - UCLA. In her spare time, she loves to play sports and was intramural co-ed sand volleyball champion at the U of A and also quarterback of her flag football team in Los Angeles. She currently lives in the South Bay with her husband and daughter and enjoys hiking, traveling and hanging out with her family and dog.
Jason Lu, MD
Dr. Lu is a Los Angeles County native, born and raised in Alhambra, CA. He majored in Neuroscience at UCLA, where he conducted research in mammalian brains. He worked as a scribe at a local ED in Glendale, CA before obtaining his medical degree at State University of New York, Downstate and residency training at UCLA/Olive-View. Dr. Lu serves as our ED stroke champion. In his spare time, he enjoys playing basketball, BBQ’s, watching movies, and travelling.
Douglas McFarland, MD
Dr. Mcfarland attended UCLA School of Medicine before residency training at Harbor-UCLA. He has held leadership positions as Department Chair and Chief of Staff. He is a Vice President for SCEMG and serves on its Board of Directors. Some of his hobbies include backpacking, water and snow skiing, and paddle surfing.
Sameer Mistry, MD MBA
Born in Bulsar, India, Dr. Mistry was raised in Los Angeles where he continues to reside. After earning his B.S. degree in Biology with Departmental Honors at UCLA, he completed his medical degree at USC School of Medicine and residency training at Harbor-UCLA. Since then, he has accumulated an impressive list of accolades, including serving as Department Chair, Chief of Staff, Medical Director of local EMS companies, Chair of hospital committees, Assistant Clinical Professor at UCLA School of Medicine, and ABEM Oral Board Examiner. He has continued his quest for leadership by attending various leadership academies, earning a Certified Physician Executive Degree, and holds an MBA from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst with concentration in Health Care Finance. Dr. Mistry has participated in international philanthropy, serving on volunteer medical missions to Cambodia and Guatemala. At SCEMG, he is the Chief Financial Officer and serves on its Board of Directors. In his spare time, he enjoys pen making, wrenching, healthcare finance, and “just getting after it”.
Neel Shah, MD
Born and raised in the South Bay community of Los Angeles, just a few miles from Providence LCM San Pedro, Dr. Shah comes from a lineage of local community dedication and service. His mother, also a local physician, has served San Pedro for decades and Dr. Shah has continued in this special endeavor. After completing his undergraduate studies in Bioengineering at Rice University in Texas, he attended Baylor College of Medicine for both medical school and residency. He initially completed a surgical internship before transitioning into emergency medicine residency where he was elected Chief Resident in his final year. Dr. Shah enjoys hobbies such as traveling, gaming, and visual arts.
Miles Shaw, MD
Born in Miami, Florida, Dr. Shaw attended the University of Miami School of Medicine where he excelled and was inducted into the AOA Medical School Honors Society. During his emergency medicine residency at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, he conducted research that led to a publication in the American Journal of Medicine. He has continued a longtime tradition of excellence and leadership at Providence LCMSP, serving as a former Department Chair, multiple terms as Chief of Staff, member of the Medical Executive Committee and Board of Directors, a Trustee of the Foundation Board, and actively engages in many other hospital committees. In addition, he is the Medical Director of the Emergency Department and President/CEO of SCEMG. For decades, Dr. Shaw has contributed to the field of Emergency Medicine as a Senior Oral Examiner for the American Board of Emergency Medicine. He has lived in the South Bay area since 1983 and is a piano virtuoso.
Kristi Shigyo, MD
Dr. Shigyo was born and raised in Fresno, California. She completed her undergraduate education at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York with a degree in Liberal Arts and studied abroad in Havana, Cuba. During and after college her primary focus was jazz drumming until she changed course towards a medical career. She completed her post-baccalaureate at CUNY Hunter College in New York City. She attended Weill Cornell Medical School and spent a year in Port-au-Prince, Haiti working at the GHESKIO Center, a tuberculosis and HIV clinic. She also headed a research project on the factors inducing dormancy and reactivation in tuberculosis. She moved back to California to complete her residency at Harbor UCLA. She recently married, has a beautiful baby boy, and enjoys living in Long Beach, camping in her Westfalia, hiking, and gardening..
Akshay Thapar, MD
Dr. Thapar was born and raised in Northern California in Milpitas. He majored in Human Biology with a minor in Psychology at UC San Diego before moving to the New York for medical school and residency. After earning his medical degree at Albert Einstein School of Medicine, he completed his residency training at Jacobi/Montefiore Medical Center. During medical school, he participated in a CDC funded project screening for and vaccinating against Hepatitis A& B amongst IV drug users. He serves as current ED Vice Chair, has been involved in local hospital committees, runs our Mentorship Program, and is generally regarded as our “social chair” and wellness captain. In his spare time, Dr. Thapar enjoys music, food, and travel as hobbies.
Daryn Towle, MD
Dr. Towle is an LA native, born and raised in Santa Monica, CA. She graduated from Georgetown University with a degree in Biology of PUblic Health. She continued her studies at Georgetown University School of Medicine before returning to California to attend UC Irvine Medical Center for residency training. She was selected as Chief Resident in her final year and won an award for excellence in Pediatric Emergency Medicine. Dr. Towle also serves as our Disaster Resource Physician Champion. In her spare time, she enjoys skiing, wine tasting and running in her spare time.
