GLEN ISAMU KOMATSU, MD

Chief Medical Officer, Providence Hospice Los Angeles & Regional Palliative Care Southern California

Dr. Komatsu earned a BS in biological sciences at the University of Arizona and his MD at the Arizona College of Medicine. After completing a pediatric residence at UC Irvine Affiliated Hospitals and a neonatology fellowship at Long Beach Memorial/Miller Children’s Hospital, he entered private practice. He served as Medical Director of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center Torrance from 1985-2004, as well as Director of Bioethics for Providence in the South Bay.

In 2004, Dr. Komatsu pursued the specialty of adult palliative care through a fellowship at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Harvard Medical School. Returning to California in 2005, he now serves as Chief Medical Officer for Providence Hospice Los Angeles and Regional Palliative Care Southern California, Medical Director for Providence Kids Care pediatric hospice and palliative care, Director of the Edmond R. & Virginia G. Doak Center for Palliative Care at Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center Torrance, and Senior Advisor for Strategy & Education to Providence Institute of Human Caring. 

In 2017, in partnership with Keiro, Dr. Komatsu helped launch Iyashi Care, which provides community-based palliative care services to the Japanese American and Japanese-speaking community in Los Angeles and Orange counties.

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YUICHI EDWIN YANAMI, MD

Associate Medical Director
Providence Hospice Los Angeles

Before joining Providence, Dr. Yanami was a staff physician in the Department of Internal Medicine and a chief physician in the Department of Hospice at Adventist Medical Center in Okinawa, Japan. Dr. Yanami earned his BS degree in physics at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan, and his MD degree from Loma Linda University, School of Medicine. He conducted his internal medicine residency at St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital in New York. Dr. Yanami completed his fellowship in hospice and palliative care from the VA/Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. He is fluent in medical Japanese and English.

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KUNIKO CHIBA, RN, BSN

Registered Nurse & Case Manager, Iyashi Care
Providence Hospice Los Angeles

Kuniko was born and raised in Yamagata, Japan. She received her BA in psychology and social behavior from the University of California, Irvine. She later returned to school to study nursing, obtaining an AS from El Camino College in Torrance and a BSN from Western Governors University. Kuniko spent most of her nursing career in the cardiology and surgical intensive care units, eventually becoming interested in whole-person and end-of-life care. She joined the Iyashi Care team in 2021, as a registered nurse and case manager. Kuniko is fluent in Japanese and English. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, hiking, and gardening.

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REINA MENSINK, RN, BSN

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KANAKO FUKUYAMA, LCSW, MSW

Clinical Social Worker, Iyashi Care
Providence Hospice Los Angeles

Kanako received her BS in Psychology from Concordia University, Irvine and MSW from California State University, Long Beach. She worked at Keiro Adult Day Care Center of Orange County for seven years. Upon closure of the Center, Kanako joined The Institute for Healthy Aging at Keiro to reach out to a wider range of Japanese American communities. There she managed community education programs and provided support and culturally-sensitive resources to older adults and caregivers. After working at Keiro for 18 years, Kanako left to join Providence and be a part of the Iyashi Care program. She hopes to use her bilingual and culturally-sensitive skills to help patients and their loved ones navigate the health care system and to ensure they receive the emotional support needed when someone has been diagnosed with a serious illness.

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MIHO YOSHIKAWA

Administrative Assistant, Iyashi Care
Providence Hospice Los Angeles

Miho was born and raised in Japan. She finished junior college and worked in Japan before moving to Pennsylvania to study and work in the hospitality industry. Prior to joining the Iyashi Care team as an administrative assistant, she was a medical translator/interpreter. She enjoys gardening and beekeeping in her spare time.

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ANDREA STROUTH, MSW

Clinical Manager, Iyashi Care & Community-Based Palliative Care
Providence Hospice Los Angeles

Andrea holds a BA in psychology and a Master of Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania. Additionally, she received post master’s education through the Shiley Haynes Institute for Palliative Care at California State University, San Marcos. Andrea has spent the past 12 years working with individuals who suffer from serious illness and their chosen family, in acute, outpatient, and community-based settings.

Andrea joined Providence in 2015 as a clinical palliative care social worker and has held various roles within the palliative care program. She currently serves as the clinical manager for the Community-Based Palliative Care programs, including Iyashi Care. Within this work, Andrea’s hope is that the programs that serve the community will help individuals feel empowered in every aspect of their care. This includes fully understanding their health issues, feeling confident to ask questions and engage with their care providers, and most importantly, to ensure people have the spaces to express how they wish to be cared for.