Lala Forrest

I am from the ancestral lands of the Hewisedawi people from Northern California. I grew up in Shasta Lake/Redding, CA where sports, school, and community were my life. Driven by being a positive role model from my two younger brothers, I decided to become the first one in my family to attend a university. At UCSD I met my first Native American physician, Dr. Dan Calac, and became inspired to pursue a career in medicine and work with underserved Indigenous communities. After college, I participated in the post bac program at the NIH where I studied insulin sensitivity to explain the physiological basis for the high prevalence of obesity and diabetes in Asian and African American communities. At the NIH, I met my husband and we ventured next to New Haven, CT where he began his MD/PhD program at Yale and I worked as an EMT. I matriculated into medical school at the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine. During medical school, co-founded the Perspectives on Equity Advancement: Research and Learning Symposium (PEARLS) where students receive grant funding to pursue DEI initiatives programs alongside placement of a supportive mentorship team. With an interest in rural medicine, I was 1 of 5 students who completed their clerkship in Fort Kent, Maine. It was there that I discovered my love for psychiatry and holistic care. I am interested in developing Indigenous-based mental health care models, the influence of structural racism on mental health inequities, child psychiatry, and psychotherapy. Outside of the hospital, you can find me at the Branford CrossFit gym, exploring different cuisines, attending concerts/plays, going on weekend camping/hiking adventures, and playing with my dog, Tilly!