Program leadership

Hannah Laimer, DO

Founding Program Director

Dr. Hannah Laimer is the founding Program Director of the Innercare Family Medicine Residency Program. She brings direct experience building a new residency: as founding core faculty of the Adventist Health Tulare Family Medicine Residency Program, she helped design its rotations and evaluation systems, recruit its first class, and achieve ACGME accreditation. The program reached a 100% first-time board pass rate. As Associate Program Director, she chaired the Clinical Competency and Program Evaluation Committees and founded the program’s Patient Advocacy Committee, and she received its Faculty Teaching Award in 2023.

A board-certified osteopathic family physician, Dr. Laimer spent seven years as the only physician in the rural community of Caruthers, California. There she provided full-spectrum care, including obstetrics, and served as Medical Director of two rural clinics. She earned her medical degree from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed her Family Medicine residency at Geisinger Wyoming Valley, where she was named Intern of the Year. In 2026, she completed the Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors’ National Institute for Program Director Development (NIPDD) Fellowship, and she is proficient in medical Spanish.

Her vision for Innercare is to train compassionate, evidence-based family physicians who are ready to provide comprehensive care, including maternity care, in communities with the greatest need. She is especially committed to health equity, physician wellness, and building a residency culture where residents thrive. She’s originally from Austria, fluent in German, and enjoys hiking and camping.

Clara Padron-Spence, MD

Associate Program Director

Dr. Clara Padron-Spence is Associate Program Director of the Innercare Family Medicine Residency Program. Born and raised in the Imperial Valley and a native Spanish speaker, she has spent more than 25 years caring for patients along the U.S.–Mexico border. That includes nine years as Medical Director of Calexico Health Center and years in solo practice in El Centro. She maintains active hospital privileges at Pioneers Memorial Hospital in Brawley and practices with Innercare in Calexico.

Dr. Padron-Spence brings deep experience in rural medical education. As Associate Clinical Instructor with the UC San Diego Department of Family Medicine and Public Health, she founded and directed the El Centro Rural Rotation for the UCSD and Chula Vista Family Medicine residencies. She designed its curriculum, supervised residents and medical students, and received the Faculty of the Year Award for advancing rural medical education.

She earned her medical degree from the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine and completed her Family Medicine residency at UC San Diego. She is board-certified by the American Board of Family Medicine and completed fellowship training in primary care psychiatry and addiction medicine education through UC Irvine.

“I view teaching as an act of service — to both learners and the community,” she says. Her goal is to develop family physicians who are clinically strong, socially conscious, and committed to caring for the people of the region she proudly calls home.

Lucia Lopez

Residency Program Coordinator

Lucia Lopez is the Residency Program Coordinator for the Innercare Family Medicine Residency Program and the first point of contact for applicants and residents. A Coachella Valley native, Lucia has dedicated her academic and professional career to improving healthcare access in underserved communities. She holds a Master of Science in Molecular Science and Software Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Bachelor of Science in Bioinformatics from California State University, San Bernardino.

Before joining Innercare, Lucia served as Program Manager with the California Health Collaborative, where she managed a state-funded tobacco prevention program for the California Department of Public Health. She led trainings, coordinated with healthcare providers and community organizations, and prepared state progress reports. Her background also includes healthcare analytics research at UC San Francisco and a research project on physician workforce shortages and graduate medical education capacity. She volunteers as a medical scribe and Spanish interpreter with Coachella Valley Volunteers in Medicine’s homeless outreach program.

Fluent in English and Spanish, Lucia is committed to supporting the next generation of physicians and helping residents thrive throughout their training, from their first application through graduation.

Contact: FMGME@innercare.org

Andres Ruiz

Institutional Coordinator

Andres Ruiz is the Institutional Coordinator for Medical Education at Innercare. He coordinates undergraduate and graduate medical education operations, including residency accreditation activities, school affiliations, and student and resident onboarding, credentialing, scheduling, and evaluations. He also supports Innercare’s HRSA Rural Residency Planning and Development grant and oversees its workforce development and pipeline programs, linking medical education to broader efforts to recruit and retain physicians in the region.

Before stepping into this role in 2026, Andres spent nearly seven years as Innercare’s Workforce Development Manager and Director of the Imperial Valley Area Health Education Center (AHEC). In those roles he built partnerships with schools, colleges, and community organizations; secured grant funding; and created training, internship, and outreach programs that introduced local students to health careers. His work helps build a pathway from the region’s classrooms to its clinics, and now to its residency programs.

Bilingual in English and Spanish, Andres holds a Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences from San Diego State University’s Imperial Valley campus and an Associate of Arts from Imperial Valley College.

Conrado Bárzaga, MD

Designated Institutional Official · Vice President and Chief Academic Officer

Dr. Conrado Bárzaga is Vice President and Chief Academic Officer of Innercare and Designated Institutional Official for its graduate medical education programs. He leads Innercare’s development as a Teaching Health Center, including the Family Medicine Residency Program and a planned Obstetrics and Gynecology residency, and has secured more than $10 million to support residency development and regional workforce initiatives. He also oversees Innercare’s clinical research partnership with San Diego State University, its Area Health Education Center, and its workforce development programs. He co-leads the Eastern Riverside & Imperial County Collaborative for Medical Education.

Originally from Cuba, Dr. Bárzaga has built a career of more than 25 years as a public health and healthcare leader dedicated to expanding access to care in underserved communities. Before joining Innercare, he served as CEO of the Desert Healthcare District & Foundation, where he led regional health equity investments across the Coachella Valley, including a partnership that delivered 50,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses to underserved communities. Earlier, he led the Center for Oral Health, directed health programs at First 5 Los Angeles, and helped develop Community Health Worker and Promotora training as associate director of the Southwestern Connecticut AHEC at Sacred Heart University.

Dr. Bárzaga earned his medical degree from the Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de La Habana (formerly the Instituto Superior de Ciencias Médicas de La Habana). He undertook postgraduate training in Family Medicine at Hospital General Calixto García in Havana. He serves as doctoral faculty in San Diego State University’s Doctor of Public Health programs and adjunct faculty in its School of Public Health. His honors include CEO of the Year from the Association of California Healthcare Districts (2022), the DAP Health Humanitarian Award (2023), and the Lift to Rise Changemaker Award (2026).