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Radiation Therapists
Radiation Therapists at UCLA
Hussen Abdelhayi has been a staff member of UCLA since April 2007. Before becoming a Radiation Therapist, he graduated from Long Beach City College with an Associate Degree of Sciences in Radiological Technologist. He then continued his educations at Loma Linda University where he earned his certificate in Radiation Therapy. He is a member of the American Society of Radiologic Technologists. Hussen is a huge fan of the Phoenix Suns and enjoys basketball and soccer.
Dawn Aberdeen was born and raised in the windy city of Chicago, Illinois, where she received her BA in Allied Health Administration and Education in Radiation Therapy. Her collaborative experience is from institutions that include Rush-Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center of Chicago, Cedars Sinai of Los Angeles, the Cancer Foundation of Santa Barbara, and UCLA Medical center. That experience has allowed her the great opportunity to be part of a team for a remarkable institution and outstanding team of medical professionals at UCLA. In Jan of 2011, she was promoted, after 16 years of service at UCLA, to the Chief Therapist of Radiation Oncology. She is also certified in Pilates and as a Massage Therapist. In her spare time she looks for warm sunny beaches, loves skiing and bike riding.
Ben Blair has been with UCLA since 2009. He came to us from Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Burbank. He attended Washburn University and graduated in 2005 with a Bachelor’s in Health Science and an Associate’s in Applied Science. He became a therapist because he likes getting to know new people, but he also wanted a job that was both challenging and rewarding. In his spare time he enjoys playing sports, hiking, reading, and spending time with family. He loves traveling around the world, and has spent time in Cambodia, Ecuador, Thailand, and Europe. Also of note, Ben likes to talk about the few years he worked as a carni, traveling throughout Canada as a professional moose wrangler and polar bear whisperer.
Kristine Bowlin started college unsure what profession she wanted to get into. Her interests spanned everything from veterinary medicine, to architecture, painting, to graphic design; eventually she realized she wanted a job where she could work with people. She came from a family of Radiation Therapists, but decided that the scientific aspect of therapy coupled with the opportunity to meet people was the best option for her, so she went to Cal State University Long Beach, got her BS in Radiation Therapy, and joined the UCLA team in 2008. Since starting work at UCLA she couldn’t be happier with the people she works with or the individuals she gets to meet. Finding out one has cancer is a life altering event, and she loves the fact that she can help bring a smile to those people who are going through one of the most difficult times in their life. In her small amount of free time she enjoys being out in nature, painting, and rock climbing. She also played competitive soccer for 12 years, so when she can, she tries to get out on the futbol field.
Kelly Clark is a Southern California native and a graduate of CSU Long Beach. She completed a BA in Liberal Studies and continued her education at CSULB where she earned a BS in Radiation Therapy. In 1998, Kelly joined UCLA Radiation Oncology, where she is certified member of ARRT and ASRT and she is currently an Associate Chief Therapist.
Ruben Gomez is a Northern California native and attended the University of California Berkeley. He graduated from the City College of San Francisco Radiation Therapy program and worked for 7 years at the University of California San Francisco Medical Center. He moved to Southern California and worked for 5 years at Glendale Memorial Hospital as a staff therapist for two years and then was promoted to Chief Therapist for the remainder of his time. He started working at UCLA in 1992 and is an Associate Chief Therapist.
John Helzer is an interesting guy; he grew up in Vermont and graduated from the University of Vermont with a BA in English. He then came to California where he got his BS in Radiation Therapy from Cal State Long Beach. Upon graduation in 2008, he immediately came to UCLA to start his career in radiation therapy. John became a therapist because he wanted to help people and treat them with the latest technology available. He enjoys his job because he gets to meet interesting people and tries to make them feel better by putting a smile on their face during a difficult time (and, of course, because he gets to eat lots of cookies from patients). In his spare time he plays music, cooks, rides his bike, and frequently performs in triathlons.
Damien Holman is an easy-going guy who has been with UCLA since 2008. He was born in Cleveland Ohio, and raised in the South Bay of Los Angeles. After graduating from Bishop Montgomery High School in Torrance, Damien attended El Camino Community College and received an Associates degree in English. Thereafter, he transferred to California State University Long Beach. Here, Damien graduated with honors with his BS in Health Science: Radiation Therapy, and was awarded the Varian Student Scholarship. Upon graduating he worked with the Radiation Medical group in San Diego before coming to UCLA. He decided to become a therapist because he enjoyed the technical aspect of therapy along with the interpersonal. He enjoys the people he works with, and the patients he gets to meet as a therapist. In his free time he enjoys playing guitar, surfing, and living life in southern California.
Jesus Jacobo was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco Mexico. Raised in Southern California, he graduated from California State University Long Beach in 1997 with a BS in Health Science. He started working at UCLA in 1998. He enjoys working with people and also works with UCA of Santa Monica to treat cats and dogs. He has three beautiful children, Marlena, Jason and Michael who keep him busy and young.
Alfred Jamison followed Tom in joining the UCLA Brachytherapy team after working with Dr. Demanes’ group in the Bay area. He has a wide range of interests and has worked a myriad of jobs. These jobs have ranged from coal mining, to construction, to truck driving, to literally milking cows to pay for college at the Chico State Dairy. When he has time he enjoys reading about psychology, philosophy, and religion, and sharpens his mind on the chess board when able. All in all, Alfred enjoys his job because he has a heart for people, and likes getting to know them as they go through one of the most difficult times in their life.
Maria Kebede is our native Ethiopian. She was born in Addis Ababa and came to the States to pursue a higher education at Texas State University. After graduating from Texas in 2008 with her Bachelor’s in Radiation Therapy she came straight to UCLA to start her career, and has worked here ever since. She is an incredibly happy person who loves that her job allows her to meet new people every day. When she is not at work she enjoys spending time with family, watching movies, reading, dancing, traveling, and engaging in interesting conversation. She is multilingual, speaking both Amharic and French in addition to English. If you come through our department you will know Maria by her joyful smile.
Cindy Parker joined the UCLA team in March 2011, bringing her prior experience from the radiation oncology departments at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center here in Los Angeles and at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto, Canada. She earned her Bachelor's in Radiation Sciences from the University of Toronto and The Michener Institute, having previously earned another Bachelor's in Marine Biology from Dalhousie University. In her free time, Cindy is an avid triathlete and has completed various races including two Ironman triathlons.
Kendra Pedersen, though a native Californian, grew up in Colorado. She came to California for her education and graduated from Cal State University Long Beach in 2006 earning her bachelor’s in Radiation Therapy. She remains involved in Cal State Long Beach and serves as an advisor to her sorority, Alpha Omicron Pi. Kendra joined the UCLA family in 2008 and has enjoyed working here ever since. She is a fun loving and joyful individual who enjoys reading, snowboarding, hoop dance, and yoga. She became a therapist because of the unique intellectual challenges of therapy coupled with the ability to work closely with patients on a day to day basis. She likes the fact that she gets to know people, but also likes that she gets to work with other people who she respects and enjoys the company of.
Farhad Sachinvala has a Bachelor’s in Psychology from UCLA, and has worked here as a radiation therapist since 2008. He became a therapist because it is a challenging and unique field in which he gets the chance to grow both personally and professionally. The thing he loves most about his job are interacting with his patients and making them laugh. He particularly enjoys the challenge of learning on a daily basis and being a source of support for his patients during a difficult time in their lives. Making his patient’s smile whenever possible is of the utmost importance to him, so if something as simple as playing a patient’s favorite music during treatment will brighten their day, he will do it. In his spare time he likes the beach and trying new things. He loves to eat (particularly cheese), and enjoys reading Steven King books, listening to music, and watching TV. Some odd facts about Farhad, he can sing the lyrics to most any song we play in the treatment rooms, can wiggle his ears, and has a dog named Sir Sexy.
Justin Silliven began his healthcare career as a Certified Nurse Assistant right out of high school and for several years worked in a special care unit for Alzheimer’s patients. After relocating to Las Vegas, he and some friends started a Jet Ski rental business where they had fun in the sun for a short while. He graduated from the College of Southern Nevada in 2006 with an A.S. in Radiation Therapy. He worked as a therapist at Cancer Care Center for two years, and then found himself in beautiful Southern California. He began his career here in 2009 and couldn’t be happier. If you ask him, choosing this profession has been the best decision he could have ever made. He enjoys the opportunity to brighten patient’s days, and make a difficult time as enjoyable as possible. In his spare time he likes staying active by hiking, working out, and snowboarding. When it’s time to relax he enjoys spending time with friends, traveling, relaxing on the beach, watching football (GO RAIDERS!), and watching Mixed Martial Arts.
Mark Solis is a well-rounded individual who graduated from California State University Long Beach with a BS in Health Science: Option in Radiation Therapy. Mark has an intrinsic passion for photography. He originally started his career as an X-ray technician, only to realize that taking pictures of bones was not enough. He moved on to purse a more gratifying patient involved career as a Radiation Therapist. Upon graduation he has gained valuable experience at various facilities and is now a part of the UCLA team. During his leisure time, Mark enjoys watching basketball and football games (LA Lakers and SF 49ers), taking random adventures, toying around with his Nikon, staying active, and simply just having FUN!
James Takakura graduated from Loma Linda University with honors in 1997, James received his certification as a Radiation Therapist. Prior to joining the team at UCLA Medical Center, James served as a Radiation Therapist at Cedar Sinai Medical Center. His extensive experience in the medical field includes a respected position at Arcadia Methodist Hospital. James has had the privilege of working with many fine therapists over his many years of service in the field; something he feels has given him more opportunities to diversify his training which allows him the ability to share his experience here at UCLA. Introduced to the medical field by his sister, with whom he works with today at UCLA Medical Center, he enhances the experience of working with patients. Previous to the medical field he received a degree in Electronics as well as Photography, something he enjoys very much. He is also certified as a Massage Therapist.
Tom Wong graduated from San Francisco City College in 1977 where he received an AA in both psychology and Radiation Therapy. Upon graduating he practiced for 11 years at Summit Medical Center and from there moved to work for the California Endocurietherapy Cancer Center. Tom joined us from the San Francisco Bay area recently when Dr. Demanes’ Brachytherapy group joined the UCLA team in 2010. Tom has worked hand in hand with Dr. Demanes for the past 25 years and specializes in brachytherapy techniques. He is an energetic guy who enjoys the day to day challenge of therapy. He likes the scientific and interpersonal aspects of therapy, and in his spare time enjoys Astronomy and working out. One way to know if you’ve met Tom is …if you are referred to as a “genius” while in our department, because chances are, you have met our Tom.
