ACGME - 1204800715
NRMP - 1797120C0
NRMP - 1797120C0
Nice to meet you - I am Dr. Aja Eze. I was born and raised in Nigeria which is also where i did my medical school in Ebonyi State University. I worked as a primary care physician before moving to the US; to join my husband in Houston,Texas which is where i have called home in the past years. We have been blessed with our lovely kids. I worked as Clinical medical assistant in different capacities and facilities. I have also had the opportunity to undertake certificate courses in prestigious schools.
Why family medicine? - Family medicine felt like a natural selection for me. Having worked in family practice, i enjoyed that we saw patients of various age groups. I had exposure to varying presentations which was exciting and mind challenging. I loved the continuity of care and relationship fostered with family members across generations. I am passionate about preventive care and working with rural communities. Having lost my dad to hypertensive emergency in resource limited rural community, I can relate to the need. Family medicine as a broad field affords me the exposure to different specialties and trainings to help me become more valuable to these communities.
Why Detar in Victoria, Texas?- I had the opportunity to rotate here. I enjoyed the hospitality, the vested interest in me as a person and the commitment to work with me patiently to help me maximize my full potential. Victoria offered me the serene, family friendly and supportive community. It felt peaceful. I knew this is where i had to be.
I love Watching wrestling, traveling and shopping( deals). In life, I believe that through hard work, commitment and perseverance, anything can be achieved. Don’t give up.
Dr. Gollapalli was born in India and moved to the Dallas-Fort Worth area with his family when he was ten years old. He received his Bachelor of Science in Biology and Business Administration from the University of Texas at Dallas and then completed his medical education at the American University of Antigua. He thoroughly enjoyed his rotation at the DeTar Hospital and loved the welcoming nature of everyone at the program.
Dr. Gollapalli is excited to begin his residency and is looking forward to the opportunity to practice in an unopposed program, especially one that serves such a diverse population. He is particularly interested in preventive medicine and promoting long term wellness in patients. In his free time, he likes to travel, try new cuisine, run, and watch the Dallas Cowboys. Dr. Gollapalli is looking forward to working closely with, and for, the community in Victoria.
Dr. Brian Contreras is pleased to be a new physician at the DeTar Family Medicine Center and is now accepting new patients.
Dr. Contreras was born in New Jersey and grew up with his family in Ecuador for twelve years before moving to Florida for high school. Dr. Contreras received his Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Florida. Dr. Contreras then continued his education by obtaining his medical degree from the University of Illinois College of Medicine.
Dr. Contreras is fluent in Spanish and is very passionate about providing medical services to underserved communities. After completing a rotation at DeTar Hospital, he enjoyed the welcoming community in Victoria and is excited to be part of an unopposed residency program. On his free time, he enjoys staying active and loves to travel.
Dr. Daniel Handayan was born and raised in San Marino, California. He was a recipient of the Los Angeles Police Department Memorial Foundation's Merit-Based Scholarship and received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biochemistry from the University of California, Riverside. He graduated from the Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara, School of Medicine and completed a 1-year clinical clerkship at New York Medical College. Upon graduation, he was accepted to the UCLA International Medical Graduate Program with advanced standing.
He now looks forward to joining the DeTar Family Medicine Residency Program and having the opportunity to care for the residents of Victoria and the surrounding communities. Dr. Handayan’s professional interests include Community Medicine, Preventive Medicine and Addiction Medicine. In his spare time, he enjoys hiking, mountain biking, strength training, and spending time with his two daughters.
Dr. Mitchell is originally from Orange, Texas. He received his bachelors of science degree in marketing and psychology at Houston Baptist University. He then completed his medical education at Medical University of the Americas in Nevis, St. Kitts and Nevis. Upon graduation he completed a preliminary internship in general surgery at the University of Tennessee in Memphis, But then decided to switch his focus to family medicine.
He became interested in medicine at a young age after a four-year bout with a chronic appendicitis and after watching his brother’s long fight with cancer. He has seen the effects that an illness can have on both the patient and their family and this is what steered him into training in family medicine.
He is an avid outdoorsman who enjoys hunting and fishing. In his off time he also enjoys spending time with his wife Julia, who is a board certified family physician here in Victoria and his two young daughters.
Dr. Mitchell is excited to practice at DETAR, as this will provide him the ability to get to know his patients on personal level and to become an integral part of the community.
I went to medical school at Windsor university. I am passionate about community health and preventive medicine and choose family medicine specifically because it gives me the opportunity to provide continuity of care across all age groups. I believe the family is the backbone to a healthy community and through this unit preventive health has a better chance to succeed. I had the opportunity to do a rotation at DeTar hospital and I loved how warm and welcoming the people of Victoria were. Coming from Houston, it was refreshing to live in a town with less traffic and easy accessibility to everything I need.
Dr. Shaikh comes to us from Southern California. Born on the East Coast, he is an alumnus of Rutgers and studied medicine at UAG. As a medical student, he served a diverse patient population in the New York metropolitan area, where he came to acknowledge the importance of Family Medicine. He advocates optimizing patient health through lifestyle modifications, with an emphasis on dietary measures. Dr. Shaikh also has an interest in the clinical benefits and induced autophagy associated with water fasting. In his free time, Dr. Shaikh enjoys weight lifting, hiking, and traveling the world. He is glad to be in Victoria, where he can treat a wide spectrum of health conditions while being part of a community that's always growing.
Dr. Khan grew up in California, and completed her undergraduate degree at University of California, Irvine; she graduated from Atlantic University, School of Medicine. Dr. Khan volunteered in multiple cities in India. Her experience helped her to become aware of cross cultural issues as well as taboos that created barriers to medical care. Her experience solidified her desire to work in medicine especially with underserved patient populations. Her journey in medicine has taught her altruistic elements of sacrifice, hard work and sincerity. She learned that medicine does not just extend to diagnosing and treating but its principles are rooted in life-long learning, teaching and value for humanism. In her free time, she reads and bakes. She is excited to join the DeTar community.
