One of the World’s Fastest-Growing Digital Agencies is in SD

Every time I drive past Jacobs Medical Center, that hospital with a mirrored façade on the 5 near La Jolla Village Drive, I wave to my dad’s old lungs. Even though his lung transplant was almost two years ago—and in a different building, the Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center 200 feet away—I still imagine his original lungs resting in some nice, shaded dumpster outside Jacobs. They were actually taken to a lab for UC San Diego’s medical students to learn about pulmonary fibrosis, an altruistic second chapter of their life, but in my daydreams, they’re just hanging out in some hospital dumpster speakeasy with other jettisoned organs.

My dad is still kickin’ because of the medical staff at UC San Diego Health (and because of one very kind anonymous organ donor). I don’t just mean his team of doctors who performed the actual surgery; I also mean his nurses, physical therapists, case manager, social worker, transplant coordinators—it takes a village. And that village not only educated me, my mom, and my brother on what my dad was going through, it also kept us calm(ish). As calm as you could be before your dad gets his lungs yoinked out of his body.

During all of this, my family learned that UCSD is the place to go if you need a lung transplant. Its résumé of successful transplant surgeries dates as far back as 1968, and patient survival rates exceed the national average. How lucky were we that our local hospital is the transplant destination for people coming as far as the Middle East. Lung transplants are new in terms of human history—the world’s first successful double lung transplant, the same one my dad got, was in 1986. My dad’s surgery was one of 54 lung transplants that UCSD performed that year. The biggest day of our lives was just an average Tuesday for his doctors. And that’s kind of how you want it.

UCSD helped me and my family, but San Diego’s healthcare system as a whole ranks as one of the top in the country. We have the most hospital beds per population than any other city in the US, and Scripps, Sharp, Palomar, and Kaiser all rank near the top nationally. The whole county’s the epicenter of medical innovation. People like Luca De Vivo Nicoloso and Joshua Pelz saw the flaws in traditional prosthesis development and used a 3D printer and inspiration from the unique skeleton of cholla cacti to create a groundbreaking solution. Also, care at home seems to be a long universal dream, and a few San Diego designers are reimagining home design to cope with the physical challenges of aging and disability while maintaining the elements that make a home feel like home.

And if you’re confronted with a diagnosis that rattles your sense of agency within your own body, what do you do? Mastectomy surgeries can leave scars that turn a part of your body—one tied to personal identity—into a visual reminder of trauma. We feature Pacific Beach–based artist Shane Wallin, who has spent years helping people with scars reclaim their personal space with elaborate, gender-affirming tattoos. He’s even on the board of directors for the Alliance of Medical Tattooing. Even though he’s not a doctor per se, he’s a part of San Diego’s distinct medical ecosystem. We all are.

I’d like to close with a personal plea: Be an organ donor. An organ donor saved my dad’s life. I receive the benefit of a stranger’s generosity every time I come home. Whenever I’m done in this realm, hopefully a long time from now, I hope I get to be that generous, too. In the meantime, I’ll keep waving to that old lung by that shiny building off the 5, on my way to see my dad.

San Diego has beaches, sunshine, biotech, and enough stucco to wallpaper a small country. But what actually gives a city its personality? The artists, musicians, designers, dancers, galleries, theaters, museums, and all the other creative people making things that give a place its identity. That’s the question at the center of this special edition of the podcast, recorded as part of San Diego Magazine’s September arts and culture issue, created in collaboration with the Art + Design District and San Diego FC Playmakers.

Host Troy Johnson sits down with Jonathon Glus, former director of the City of San Diego’s Department of Cultural Affairs; and Grant Oliphant, president and CEO of the Prebys Foundation. Glus now serves as the Prebys Foundation’s senior art & design fellow in residence at the Downtown San Diego Partnership, where he’s helping develop the emerging Art + Design District around the Civic Center. Together, Glus and Oliphant bring two sides of the conversation to the table: what it takes to build the physical and cultural infrastructure for a creative city, and what role philanthropy, government, businesses, and artists themselves play in making that happen.

The conversation gets into San Diego’s recent fight over arts funding, the city’s cultural ecosystem, and why supporting artists means more than simply writing checks. They talk about the Art + Design District’s roots in city planning work dating back to 2016, the cultural institutions already clustered around the Civic Center, and examples from cities like Miami and Austin that used major cultural initiatives to help shape their identities. 

And, naturally, Troy gets nostalgic about San Diego’s old jazz scene, including his best friend’s dad’s club, The Crossroads, and the unfortunate fate of a very valuable vinyl collection.

This summary was provided to you by AI. To hear from the humans, listen to this episode wherever you get your podcasts.

For over two decades, the San Diego County Medical Society (SDCMS) has worked collaboratively with San Diego Magazine to recognize physicians who are held in the highest regard by their peers. Votes and nominations are open to all physicians in San Diego. The voting physicians are asked to vote for physicians within and outside their specialty to whom they would refer their friends and family. Through this process we have identified 968 physicians in 102 specialties.

In a synchronized effort, SDCMS confirmed every individual nominee’s Medical Board of California licensing and current practicing status. Through this exhaustive process, 968 physicians are being honored this year. Many of them have also been recognized for multiple years since we began publishing this list. Multi-year honorees will have the number of years they have been selected listed in brackets behind their name.

Although not all our superb physicians are represented on this list, we still acknowledge and appreciate their contributions. The selection criteria are strict, with only a small percent of physicians selected in each specialty. Many additional physicians received multiple votes from their peers, however, did not reach the threshold to be on the list. The best choice of physician for a patient includes many factors and we all work hard to meet their needs. We are proud to recognize that all physicians in San Diego work collaboratively to provide the very best care for all.

We welcome and encourage all San Diego County physicians to participate in their county and state medical societies as we work toward the SDCMS vision: “Physicians United for a Healthy San Diego.” The strength of our united voice as a medical community depends on the leadership and advocacy of all of us. We appreciate the assistance of all the physicians who voted, and we thank San Diego Magazine for their support.

Congratulations to all of our 2026 Top Doctor selectees! For more information regarding membership, voting, future events and becoming more involved with the medical society, visit www.SDCMS.org. 

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San Diego Top Doctors List 2026

* Brackets denote the number of years chosen as a Top Doctor

Abdominal Surgery

Garth Ross Jacobsen, MD [4]
UC San Diego Health
9300 Campus Point Dr, MC 7220
La Jolla, CA 92037
(858) 657-7025

Addiction Medicine

Long H Nguyen, MD [2]
Kaiser Permanente
3420 Kenyon St
San Diego, CA 92110
(800) 290-5000

Addiction Psychiatry

Kimberly A Fitzgerald, MD [2]
Kaiser Permanente
3420 Kenyon St, Bldg B 1st Floor
San Diego, CA 92110
(800) 290-5000

Adolescent Medicine

Azadeh Shirazi, MD [2]
Sharp Rees-Stealy Medical Group
16899 W Bernardo Dr, 1st Floor
San Diego, CA 92127
(858) 499-2777

Adult Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology

Dalia Abadeer Banks, MD [8]
UC San Diego Health
9500 Gilman Dr, MC 0898
La Jolla, CA 92093
(858) 657-6510

Adam Brent Barrus, MD [3]
Anesthesia Service Medical Group
3626 Ruffin Rd
San Diego, CA 92123
(858) 565-9666

Francesca Betti, MD [2]
Anesthesia Service Medical Group
3626 Ruffin Rd
San Diego, CA 92123
(858) 565-9666

Arsh Chopra, MD [1]
Kaiser Permanente
360 Rush Dr
San Marcos, CA 92078
(800) 290-5000

William T Connell, MD [12]
Anesthesia Service Medical Group
3626 Ruffin Rd
San Diego, CA 92123
(858) 565-9666

Andres Falabella, MD [2]
Anesthesia Service Medical Group
3626 Ruffin Rd
San Diego, CA 92123
(858) 565-9666

Alexander M Girgis, MD [5]
Anesthesia Service Medical Group
3626 Ruffin Rd
San Diego, CA 92123
(858) 565-9666

Austin J Henry, DO [3]
Anesthesia Service Medical Group
3626 Ruffin Rd
San Diego, CA 92123
(858) 565-9666

Paul James Himaya, MD [7]
Anesthesia Service Medical Group
3626 Ruffin Rd
San Diego, CA 92123
(858) 565-9666

Brian Alexander Janda, MD [2]
Anesthesia Service Medical Group
3626 Ruffin Rd
San Diego, CA 92123
(858) 565-9666

Tse-Sun Ku, MD [9]
Anesthesia Service Medical Group
3626 Ruffin Rd
San Diego, CA 92123
(858) 565-9666

Jason Philip Lujan, MD [17]
Anesthesia Service Medical Group
3626 Ruffin Rd
San Diego, CA 92123
(858) 565-9666

Kris Cheryl Lukauskis, MD [1]
Anesthesia Service Medical Group
3626 Ruffin Rd
San Diego, CA 92123
(858) 565-9666

Lars R Newsome, MD [20]
Anesthesia Service Medical Group
3626 Ruffin Rd
San Diego, CA 92123
(858) 565-9666

Deena Helen Perotti, MD [1]
Anesthesia Service Medical Group
3626 Ruffin Rd
San Diego, CA 92123
(858) 565-9666

Gabriel Rene Rubio, MD [2]
Anesthesia Service Medical Group
3626 Ruffin Rd
San Diego, CA 92123
(858) 565-9666

Alaa Saghbini, MD [3]
Anesthesia Service Medical Group
3626 Ruffin Rd
San Diego, CA 92123
(858) 565-9666

David Maged Seif, MD [8]
Anesthesia Service Medical Group
3626 Ruffin Rd
San Diego, CA 92123
(858) 565-9666

Edward Harding Sherer, MD [4]
Anesthesia Service Medical Group
3626 Ruffin Rd
San Diego, CA 92123
(858) 565-9666

Kevin James Staggenborg, MD [2]
Anesthesia Service Medical Group
3626 Ruffin Rd
San Diego, CA 92123
(858) 565-9666

Sepehr Shokri Tabibzadeh, MD [12]
Anesthesia Service Medical Group
3626 Ruffin Rd
San Diego, CA 92123
(858) 565-9666

Kris Kishore Vasant, MD [2]
Anesthesia Service Medical Group
3626 Ruffin Rd
San Diego, CA 92123
(858) 565-9666

It’s finally fall, and although it may not feel like it (our ceiling fans are this close to flying off their hinges), San Diego is ringing in the cozy season with a heap of fun events. Whether you’re wanting to find your new favorite outfit at Fashion Week, cheer at the Oceanside Shock’s home debut, or practice meditation at the Strength in the City Festival, these are the best things to do in October.

Concerts & Festivals | Theater & Art Exhibits | More Fun Things to Do

Concerts & Festivals in San Diego This Month

3

Go beyond the menu during the Taste of North Park, with over 50 food samples and 15 beverage stops, plus live music and art-driven programming to keep all the senses engaged.

7

Cross the Coronado Bridge—and bring your appetite—for A Taste of Coronado, an island-wide culinary jaunt in support of beloved businesses and the Promises2Kids nonprofit.

Theater & Art Exhibits in San Diego This Month

10/8–11/1

In the Roustabouts Theatre Co.’s newest comedy at Scripps Ranch Theatre, roommate beef has no age limit. In “Ripcord,” a feud between Abby and Marilyn escalates to absurd heights.

10 & 11

Pay it forward to local public schools with each pet adoption, purchased piece of art—from over 170 artists—and sip of wine, beer, or spirits at the free La Jolla Art & Wine Festival.

17

Those in search of creativity and community can find both at Other Places Art Fair South, a free showcase for independent artists and galleries at California Center for the Arts, Escondido.

More Fun Things to Do in San Diego This Month

9/30–10/4

Where can you play pickleball with celebs, sample local eats (including that place you’ve always been meaning to try), and take part in the scenic and delicious Grand Tasting at Surf Sports Park? There’s only one answer: the Del Mar Wine & Food Festival.

2–4

Sashay your way through the 19th annual Fashion Week San Diego, home to stunning runway couture, fall designer collections, and a trunk show—perfect for shopping for your new look.

9 & 10

Dance to Y2K throwbacks all weekend long during Ocean Beach Oktoberfest, which includes a beach party, a stein-holding competition, a brat-eating contest, and for VIP attendees, a custom “OB2K Oktoberfest” liter
mug.

10

First comes the sting, then comes the shock. San Diego County’s newest sports franchise, Oceanside Shock, will make its home debut in the Federal Prospects Hockey League versus the Fresno Falcons at Frontwave
Arena.

24

Working out is just one part of this Waterfront Park wellness experience. Practice meditation, play bingo, and recover with sauna zones during the Strength in the City Festival.

25

At the 25th annual Oceanside DÍa de los Muertos Festival, the Day of the Dead is alive and well. Walk through a chalk cemetery and Por Siempre Car Club’s decorative trunk altars during the free event.

What does a soccer team have to do with San Diego’s arts scene? Quite a lot, as it turns out. When San Diego FC launched, the club could have spent its marketing budget on billboards, bus wraps, and digital ads. Instead, it went into neighborhoods, found local artists and creatives, and started building the club’s identity with them. Through its Playmakers initiative, artists have designed limited-edition merchandise, had their work featured on the stadium’s jumbotron, and found themselves in front of thousands of fans—and, in some cases, a national TV audience.

For this special edition of the podcast, created alongside San Diego Magazine’s September arts and culture issue, host Troy Johnson talks with Sebastián Morúa, SDFC’s Senior Vice President of Brand & Innovation, and longtime San Diego native and creative Tony Martinez of Barrio Junto. The conversation gets into why a professional soccer club would make local art part of its business, how Martinez’s decades in San Diego’s creative community helped shape Playmakers, and the club’s early efforts to connect with artists across the county through its Chrome Ball Tour and neighborhood events. The goal, they explain, isn’t simply to put a local artist on a T-shirt. It’s to let the people who already understand San Diego help define what the new club looks and feels like.

The conversation also gets into the less glamorous—but important—side of supporting artists: money. They talk about how Playmakers pays local creatives, the value of the platform SDFC provides, and what it means to build an ongoing relationship between a professional sports club and the artists who help shape its identity. They also discuss the club’s growing music initiative, which will bring local musicians into the fold, and the many ways artists have already contributed to SDFC through merchandise, murals, Parks & Pitches projects, and more. Ultimately, it’s a conversation about soccer, art, community, and what can happen when a major sports franchise gives the people already making culture in San Diego a bigger platform.

This summary was provided to you by AI. To hear from the humans, listen to the podcast wherever you get your podcasts.