Dr. Gracia L.

Dr. Luoma-Overstreet grew up moving from place to place, living in Nicaragua, Mexico, Benin, South Africa, Poland, and Argentina. She developed an early love for science, and while at the College of William & Mary, she had the opportunity to work as a personal aide to a young woman with special needs. This experience helped transform her love of science into a passion for human medicine. During college, Dr. Luoma-Overstreet taught anatomy and CPR/First Aid at Yale University’s EXPLO Summer Program. She graduated magna cum laude from William & Mary with a BS in neuroscience and biochemistry and spent a year as an NIH post-baccalaureate fellow before attending VCU. 

In medical school, Dr. Luoma-Overstreet continued her extracurricular involvement through research, tutoring and counseling, coaching a sports team, and volunteering as an interpreter at a local free clinic. She founded a project to collect and redistribute MCAT study resources from medical students to local college students, participated on the medical school interview board, and led educational workshops for pre-medical students. After graduation, she spent a year in an agricultural town in northern Argentina, where she became closely involved with the obstetrics center at the local hospital. That experience, among others, ultimately led her to pursue a career in OB-GYN. Dr. Luoma-Overstreet matched into UCSF Fresno’s OB/GYN with her fiancé, an orthopedic surgery resident.

Dr. Luoma-Overstreet’s research spans several disciplines, including ophthalmology, cardiology, and neurology, with publications in International Journal of Molecular Epidemiology and Genetics, Nature Communications, JACC: Case Reports, Global Heart, Ophthalmic Genetics, and Neurology Journals. Her work has been recognized with multiple first-place awards for research presentations and the VCU Dean’s Research Fellowship. She also secured an academic scholarship at VCU and was awarded the Commonwealth SOM Scholars Award for four years, as well as the Glasgow-Rubin Citation for Academic Achievement from the American Medical Women’s Association.

As a first-generation healthcare provider, Dr. Luoma-Overstreet deeply values the mentors who have supported her along the way—an influence that has inspired her commitment to coaching and mentorship. As a BS/MD admissions counselor, she draws on her experience as a tutor, coach, and member of admissions committees in both medical school and residency to help students get accepted to the nation’s top joint medical programs. She helps applicants identify and highlight their unique strengths while keeping them organized and confident throughout the process.