How I got here

1. SacramentoHometown. Go Kings!
2. BerkeleyBA, Public Health
3. Bay AreaScribe, caregiver, Uber driver, researcher, clinic director
4. UCSFDoctor of Medicine
5. UCLAEmergency Medicine residency

At work

Off shift

Experience

Training and clinical work

Three UC campuses, one specialty.

Training

1. 2023 – Present

   Emergency Medicine Residency

   University of California, Los Angeles. Ronald Reagan UCLA and Olive View.

2. 2019 – 2023

   Doctor of Medicine

   University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine

3. 2012 – 2016

   Bachelor of Arts, Public Health

   University of California, Berkeley

Clinical work

1. Jun 2023 – Present

   Resident Physician

   UCLA Ronald Reagan | Olive View Emergency Medicine, Los Angeles, CA

2. Dec 2025 – Present

   Physician, High Desert Medical Group Urgent Care

   Lancaster, CA. High-volume walk-in care for patients of all ages: focused workups, labs and imaging, minor procedures, and triage to the ED or specialty care when needed.

3. Jul 2025 – Present

   Physician, City of Los Angeles Medical Services Division

   Los Angeles, CA. Care for people in the City jail system through the Medical Dispensary: exams, histories, and diagnostic testing under Medical Services Division protocols.

Before medicine

• Emergency Room ScribeNov 2017 – May 2019John Muir Health, Concord, CA
• Personal Caregiver and Medication TechnicianOct 2017 – May 2019Carlton Senior Living, Pleasant Hill, CA. Assisted living and memory care, with medications for 100+ residents.
• Uber DriverAug 2016 – Aug 2019San Francisco Bay Area. 4.9 ★ over 3,000+ trips. It paid the bills and taught me to communicate clearly, defuse confrontations, and multitask.
• Concierge Desk AttendantAug 2015 – Dec 2016ASUC Student Union, UC Berkeley

Research

Publications and presentations

• Publication

  Immediate and Sustained Relief of Postherpetic Neuralgia with Erector Spinae Nerve Block in a 60-Year-Old Woman

  Roces MA, et al. The American Journal of Emergency Medicine, vol. 89, March 2025. doi:10.1016/j.ajem.2024.12.080

• Publication

  Emergency Medicine Residents' Performance with National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale and Its Impact on Key Stroke-care Metrics

  Roces M, et al. Western Journal of Emergency Medicine, 2025. doi:10.5811/westjem.39671

• Publication

  Comparing Emergency Medicine and Neurology Residents in Assessing Stroke Severity Using the NIHSS

  Alcala-Arcos T, Chen EH, Addo N, et al. AEM Education and Training 9, no. 3 (2025): e70069. doi:10.1002/aet2.70069

• Oral presentation

  Acute Stroke Assessment by Emergency Medicine Residents Does Not Affect Key Stroke Metrics

  Roces M, Alcalá-Arcos T, Addo N, Boyle M, Hewlett M, Nguyen R, Peabody C, Madhok D. SAEM23, May 2023.

• Oral presentation

  Implementation of a Multidisciplinary, Pre-Intubation Airway Checklist at a Level 1 Trauma Center

  Roces M, Brown J, Teng J, Tang T, Monzon R, Lichtarge R, Liu E, Gonzalez M, Addo N, Nguyen R, Gabriel-Ramos KJ, Santamarina JLK, Enriquez K. SAEM23, May 2023.

• Poster

  Implementation of a Pre-intubation Airway Checklist in the Emergency Department: A Retrospective Study Looking at Peri-intubation Complications

  Monzon R, Nguyen R, Roces M, Addo N, Teng J, Liu E, Brown J, Gabriel-Ramos KJ, Enriquez K. American Society of Anesthesiologists Annual Meeting, October 2023.

• Poster

  Comparing Emergency Medicine and Neurology Residents in Assessing Stroke Severity Using the NIH Stroke Scale

  Alcalá-Arcos T, Roces M, Addo N, Boyle M, Hewlett M, Nguyen R, Wong A, Chen E, Madhok D. SAEM23, May 2023.

• Poster

  Examining the Feasibility of a Virtual Platform in Understanding and Addressing COVID-19 Related Concerns Among Filipino Americans in Los Angeles

  Roces M, Apostol NJ, Del Rosario D, Valerio SM, del Pilar K, Canare K, Palma M. American Public Health Association Annual Meeting and Expo, Denver, CO, October 2021.

• Poster

  Delays in Treatment as a Predictor of Infection Following Open Treatment of Long-Bone Fractures in LMICs

  Urva M, Cortez A, Roces M, Shearer D, Morshed S. Consortium of Universities for Global Health, March 2021.

Extracurricular

Community, mentorship, and informatics

Now

Earlier

• Council of Young Filipinx Americans in MedicineJan 2020 – Jan 2025Social Committee Chair. Helped organize the annual national conference.
• UCLA Big Sib Little Sib Mentorship ProgramJun 2023 – Jul 2024Mentor paired with first-year UCLA medical students
• UCSF MedPeers ProgramAug 2022 – Jun 2023Peer support for fellow medical students
• UCSF Admissions Interview Committee2020 – 21, 2022 – 23Interviewed and evaluated MD applicants over two cycles
• APAMSA National Board and National Conference DirectorAug 2020 – Aug 2021Ran the annual national conference for 600+ virtual attendees. Director on the External Affairs Branch.
• American Diabetes Association Young Professional Leadership CouncilAug 2016 – Aug 2017Oakland, CA. Outreach, fundraising, and strategic planning for young professionals in Northern California.
• Medical Mission VolunteerJan 2016Laoag, Philippines. Five-day medical, surgical, dental, and optometric mission that served 6,596 patients.
• Pilipino Association for Health CareersAug 2012 – Aug 2016UC Berkeley. Co-hosted the annual Minorities in Health Conference for 200+ attendees.
• The Phoenix Scholars MentorAug 2014 – Aug 2015UC Berkeley. One-on-one college application mentoring for students in Oakland-area high schools.

Awards

Scholarships

Support that helped me get here.

• 2022
  Kaiser Permanente Northern California ScholarshipMarch 2022
• 2021
  Philippine Medical Society of Northern California ScholarshipDecember 2021
• 2021
  MacKenzie Foundation ScholarshipSeptember 2021
• 2019
  UCSF School of Medicine Merit Scholarship2019
• 2017
  Pre-Professional Health Academic Program Merit ScholarshipApril 2017