Spring is bringing two new members of the Berkeley Peds family! Dr. Pooja Singal and Jennie Ling, PNP
Annemary Franks joined Berkeley Pediatrics in 1993. She was born and raised in nearby Santa Cruz. She received her B.A. from Santa Clara University and then an M.D. from Creighton University Medical School in Omaha. She returned to California for Pediatric Residency at UC Davis in Sacramento. Dr. Franks is married and has three daughters. She is now the proud parent of two college graduates and a high school student. In her free time, she enjoys travel, theater, photography and gardening.
Olivia Lang joined Berkeley Pediatrics in the summer of 1999. After completing her undergraduate degree in Human Biology at Stanford University, Dr. Lang moved to Berkeley and continued her studies in the UC Berkeley-UCSF Joint Medical Program where she obtained her masters degree in Health and Medical Sciences from UC Berkeley. She received her M.D. and pediatric residency training from UCSF. Outside of the office, Dr. Lang enjoys cooking, hiking, bargain hunting, hosting and party planning and reading. She lives with her husband and their black labradoodle Chanel. She is the proud mom of one daughter who just graduated college and twin daughters who are currently in college. Dr. Lang is fluent in Mandarin.
Lisa Kalar is an East Bay Native, and completed her medical degree and pediatric residency at UC San Francisco. Prior to becoming a physician, Dr. Kalar was Peace Corps volunteer in Mali, Wast Africa, where she worked in maternal and child health care (and met her husband, a fellow volunteer). She has also worked in a Costa Rican health clinic and studied Spanish in Central America. Prior to joining Berkeley Pediatrics, Dr. Kalar enjoyed working in the Alta Bates Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. She lives in Berkeley with her husband and daughters. Dr. Kalar’s interests include support for breast-feeding families, natural disaster preparedness, and community development issues.
Katrina Michel is an East Bay native and joined Berkeley Pediatrics in 2013. She completed her undergraduate education at U.C Davis, medical school at St. Louis University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, and pediatric residency at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford University. Dr. Michel speaks Spanish well and enjoys being outside (hiking, skiing), quilting, and spending time with friends and family in her free time. Most of all, she and her husband (who is also an East Bay native) especially love running after their two children, born in 2013 and 2016.
Nikki Learned joined Berkeley Pediatrics in 2016 after completing her residency and chief resident year at UCSF. Growing up in Hermosa Beach in So Cal, Dr. Learned moved across the country to New York City for her undergraduate study at Columbia and medical school at NYU and also enjoyed playing and coaching Division I volleyball at Columbia University. Dr. Learned lives in Marin with her husband, their daughter (born in 2018) and son (born in 2020) and their goofy bernedoodle, Filbert. In her free time she enjoys exploring (hiking, biking, camping, kayaking) the natural beauty of the Bay Area, traveling, eating delicious food, listening to live music, but most of all spending time with family and friends.
Madeleine Elia is a Bay Area native and joined Berkeley Pediatrics in September 2022. She completed her undergraduate education at Bowdoin College, and received her medical degree and pediatric residency training from Brown University where she focused on medical education and global health. Prior to joining the practice, Dr. Elia worked as an emergency medicine physician and pediatric hospitalist for several years in Boston and San Diego. She lives with her husband, daughter (born in 2020) and their dog Riley. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, exploring the outdoors, and spending time with family and friends.
Pooja Singal is a Maryland native who joined Berkeley Pediatrics in April 2023. She completed her undergraduate, public health, and medical education at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, and then moved to the Bay Area for Pediatrics residency at UCSF. Prior to joining Berkeley Pediatrics, she was an outpatient pediatrician at a federally qualified health center in San Jose, serving a largely Spanish speaking and uninsured population. She speaks Spanish and Hindi and is passionate about environmental sustainability. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, exploring the East Bay food scene with her husband, and going to the Oakland Zoo with her never-tired daughter (born in 2021).
Shirley grew up in sunny SoCal. She attended Wesleyan as an undergraduate before obtaining her Master's degree as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner from Yale University. She worked for several years at a community health center in New Haven, CT, primarily serving immigrant and Spanish speaking communities. Shirley joined Berkeley Pediatrics in 2021. She and her husband now live in Oakland, where she enjoys the diversity of local foods, the natural beauty of the Bay, playing pick-up volleyball, and connecting with friends over tea or a good movie.
Jennie Ling is a San Francisco native. She attended Wellesley College for her undergraduate studies and completed her Pediatric Nurse Practitioner training at UCSF. She worked in Monterey prior to returning home to the Bay Area to join Berkeley Pediatrics in 2023. Outside of the office, Jennie enjoys finding fun ways to be outdoors (most recently she has been learning how to roller skate!), traveling, reading, and sharing a good meal with friends.