Talene M. Churukian, DO

Talene Churukian, DO, MPH, received her medical degree from Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences and completed her residency in internal medicine at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA)/Veterans Administration (VA) Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System.  She then continued her sub-specialty training in sleep medicine by completing a fellowship at the UCLA/VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System.

“Patients should play an active role in their health care.  When they are committed to making changes and vested in their care plan, that’s when we see optimal results,” states Dr. Churukian.

Dr. Churukian always wanted to become a physician. “I think it was my mother’s influence that initially set me on the path of medicine,” states Dr. Churukian. “She was a clinical pharmacist at a hospital, so I was exposed at an early age to that environment and felt comfortable. Since my early education, my choices always pointed towards a career in medicine.”

Throughout medical school and residency in internal medicine, Dr. Churukian was planning to practice internal medicine as no particular sub-specialty grasped her interest. That is, until one of her rotations in her third year of residency. “I hadn’t been exposed to sleep medicine until my rotation in the sleep clinic. After a few weeks there I knew this was the area of medicine I wanted to pursue as a sub-specialty,” states Dr. Churukian. “Fortunately my residency program was starting a one-year fellowship in sleep medicine, and I was one of the first to go through the program.”