Paola Candia, DO (she/her) - Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences
College of Osteopathic Medicine
My mom immigrated to the U.S. from Nicaragua and growing up I saw firsthand how hard she had to work to give her children a home and food, to survive. Seeing her physical ailments from laborious jobs as a child – and seeing the results today— I yearned to take care of her, and people like her. This eventually led me to family medicine. Family medicine to me is looking at the social determinants of health and tailoring your care to fit the needs of the person. It is also about advocating for quality care to all, regardless of your race, gender identity, socioeconomic class, etc. I have many interests in family medicine – rural and underserved population care, prevention, women’s health, obstetrics, community outreach, and more.
Outside of medicine some things I enjoy are playing soccer, trying new pastries and coffee, taking photos of flowers, hiking, playing Zelda, and reading.
Taylor Wrinkle, MD (she/her) - University of California, San Diego School
of Medicine
What I love about Family Medicine is that it incorporates and prioritizes so many of the things that I have come to value in medicine: public health, social medicine, patient advocacy and holistic care. I worked in global public health prior to medical school and am committed to providing full spectrum care to the underserved. My interests include obstetrics, women and children’s health, and global health. I speak French and some Spanish.
In my free time, I enjoy making bread, skiing, and sailing, and spending time with my husband and our 8-year-old son.
Carina Souflee, MD (she/her) - Dell Medical School, University of Texas, Austin
Growing up in Texas, the Pacific Northwest was a far-flung place with which I had no experience, but after a visit to the region during medical school for an acting internship (sub-internship), I was captivated! I studied anthropology and Latin American studies as an undergrad, lived in several different places around the world, and had a career teaching high school and college English in New Mexico before starting medical school. After all of that, I am so pleased to have landed in Oregon for residency.
I chose family medicine because it felt like my professional home in medical school. Social determinants of health, behavioral health, and chronic illness prevention and management intersected in the primary care clinic and reflected the most important aspects of medicine for me. Furthermore, family medicine allowed me to care for people throughout the entirety of life’s arc—from birth to death—in both acute and non-acute settings. I also appreciated the opportunity to address patients’ concerns of both body and mind holistically and in a culturally responsive manner. Family medicine is a specialty at the roots of a community's healthcare ecology, built by integral relationships between providers and patients.
My professional interests include healthcare transformation and equity, quality improvement through innovative care delivery models, chronic illness prevention, integrated behavioral health in primary care, care for Native American and immigrant populations, substance use disorder, plant medicines and traditional medicine ways, and the mysterious and inexorable aspects of human existence.
Owen Willis, MD (he/him) - University of Toledo, College of Medicine Ohio
Owen is a wonderful resident who has enjoyed moving to Oregon with his wife, Kristina, who is a native Pacific Northwesterner. He desires to practice full spectrum family medicine and is fluent in Spanish. His interests in medicine include obstetrics, transgender and gender-affirming care, and population health. He and Kristina have a French Bulldog named Maggie, and they love to travel, read, and watch comedies.
I have always been inspired by the way family medicine physicians can shape
their communities and act as agents for change and social justice. Growing
up in a town of 90 people in West Texas, along with my passion for working
with the underserved and underrepresented, has naturally drawn me towards
rural family medicine. I speak Spanish, and my interests include LGBTQIA+
health, women and children’s health, osteopathic manipulative medicine,
and in-office procedures.
When I'm not immersed in medicine, you can find me riding my bike, playing
guitar, or spending time with my wife and our pets. We have a black cat
named Boo Radley, a 'chugaweenie' named Eloise, and a pug named Wilson.
Rachel Monroe, MD (she/her) - Washington State University Elson S. Floyd
College of Medicine
I was born and raised in eastern Oregon, in a small town on the Snake River. After graduating from the College of Idaho, I lived and worked in Seattle in clinical research. My focus was first on autoimmune diseases, and later on breast cancer treatments. While I loved learning about the research process, I missed working directly with patients. Medial school had long been a dream of mine, and I finally made the jump and attended Washington State University’s College of Medicine in Spokane and the Tri-Cities. I am so glad to have found my place in the medical community. I love developing my knowledge and skills and using them to serve patients. Relationships bring meaning to the work I do every day and I’m grateful for everything I’m learning from patients. Training in Portland, Milwaukie, and Hood River is an excellent opportunity to learn in varied settings, and I am enjoying building connections in all of these communities.
When I’m not in clinic or the hospital, I spend my time social dancing, exploring the outdoor areas in and around Portland, and connecting with friends, family, and my cat, Henry.
