Haroon Rasheed |
Haroon Rasheed is a fourth-year medical student at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Previously, he studied Bioengineering as an undergrad at the Henry Samueli School of Engineering at UCLA and graduated Magna Cum Laude. During his time in medical school, he has been awarded a 'Top 10 Invention of the Year' by the UCLA technology development office for his work on artificial intelligence-based glaucoma diagnostics and grading. In his free time, he enjoys writing, weightlifting, and drawing. He has a passion for eye health and hopes to pursue an ophthalmology residency in the future.
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Jennifer Wang |
Jennifer is a second generation Chinese immigrant who grew up in Dallas before moving and making Los Angeles home. She is a proud double Bruin, studying bioengineering at UCLA and then medical school at UCLA. She is passionate about peer mentorship inside and outside of the medical realm. She loves mentoring premed students, facilitating clinical peer education in med school, and coaching her club beach volleyball team. Jennifer strongly believes in walking and navigating these paths together.
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Randy Tsai |
As a first-generation immigrant, Randy moved to the US from Taiwan at the age of nine. He grew up in Northern California and moved South to attend UC San Diego. During his undergraduate time, he founded a pre-health fraternity and mentored first-generation college students. He graduated from UC San Diego in 2020 with bachelor’s degrees in Biological Anthropology and General Biology. He further pursued a master’s degree in Biological Sciences at UC San Diego, where he studied the role of immune cells in myelodysplastic syndromes disease progression. He is now an incoming first-year medical student at David Geffen School of Medicine. He loves teaching and mentoring students, baking pastries, and is passionate about aging and elderly care.
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Jerónimo Maradiaga |
Ever since he was a child in the Bronx who translated for his mother in clinics where Spanish was rarely spoken by medical staff, Jerónimo has always wanted to be a physician who could communicate directly with his patients without use of a translator. In college and beyond, he acquired proficiency in Mandarin (Chinese), Portuguese, and French so that one day in the not-too-distant future, he could take all the privileges he has received and return to the communities that nurtured him growing up. Jerónimo plans to take his medical, public health and language training to the World Health Organization or Doctor’s Without Borders (MSF), where he can help mitigate the type of suffering pandemics like COVID-19 cause and will continue to cause unless we realize that all our health is bound to that of the “least” among us.
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Michelle Guan |
Michelle is a 2nd generation Taiwanese American and grew up in the Bay Area. She graduated summa cum laude as a regents and alumni scholar from the University of California Los Angeles with a degree in psychobiology and a minor in biomedical research. Michelle worked for a year as a clinical research associate at Cedars Sinai in the field of pancreatic cancer, which sparked her interests in gastroenterology. She is currently pursuing her medical degree at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA as part of the class of 2023. She has been involved in mentorship and teaching throughout college and medical school. During her free time, she enjoys swimming, playing tennis, traveling, and photography.
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Dylan Trinh |
Dylan is a first-generation immigrant from Vietnam. He immigrated to Chicago at the age of 5. Due to economic circumstances as a teenager, he moved to California throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. He completed a bachelor's degree in Biochemistry at UC San Diego with a minor in psychology. In San Diego, he served as an emergency department scribe at Palomar Hospital and a TMS technician. He is currently a fourth-year medical student at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He is dedicated to addressing healthcare disparities in underserved communities and is involved in research projects focusing on food insecurity and access to medical services. In his free time, he enjoys dancing (hip-hop and contemporary), weightlifting, and watching live sports.
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Karen Kikuta |
Karen was born and raised in Sao Paulo, Brazil. As a high school junior in 2014, she moved to Washington state to live with an American family as an exchange student. She finished high school in New York, then began her premed journey at Santa Clara University. In 2020, Karen graduated with a bachelor's degree in Neuroscience, and minors in Public Health and Biology. During her two gap years, she worked as a cord blood coordinator at Stanford Center for Definitive and Curative Medicine. She is now starting her medical education as an incoming student at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Karen is passionate about advancing science and advocacy in medicine, increasing mental health awareness, and supporting other students through mentorship.
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Harika Kottakota |
Harika is a first-generation Indian immigrant who grew up in Burbank, CA. She earned her B.S. in Biology with minors in Human Rights and Global Studies at Stanford University. She was involved in numerous global health research and service projects in Uganda, South Africa, and England. She also served as Research Coordinator for the Stanford Human Rights in Trauma Mental Health Program and received the Firestone Medal for Excellence in Undergraduate Research for her honors thesis in Science, Technology, and Society. Currently, Harika is a medical student at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine where she continues to advocate for immigrants/refugees and disability communities. In her free time, she enjoys writing poetry, reading, hiking, wandering museums, and traveling.
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Teja Karimikonda |
Teja is a second year graduate student in the Medical Scientist Training Program (MD/PhD) at the Medical College of Wisconsin. She is a first-generation immigrant from India and immigrated to the US at the age of five. She graduated from the the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a bachelor's degree in Neurobiology and Anthropology. She has been involved in mentorship and teaching throughout college and medical school. During her free time she enjoys playing tennis, hiking, traveling, and trying out new restaurants.
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Mit Patel |
Mit was born and raised in Gujarat, India. He immigrated to the Northeast area at the age of 14. He received a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology with honors from Pennsylvania State University in 2017. Before starting medical school, he pursued research at the National Institutes of Health investigating the pathogenesis of HIV/AIDS and the efficacy of vaccine candidates. He is currently a fourth-year medical student enrolled in a combined MD/MS program at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He is passionate about teaching and mentoring premedical and medical students. Outside of his academic life, he enjoys cooking, spending time with his family and friends, and watching and playing cricket.
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Stephenie Martinez |
Stephenie (Steffy) Martinez is a first-generation Mexican immigrant who grew up in Corona, CA. She graduated from Cal Poly Pomona in 2019, where she earned a B.S. in general biology with a minor in chemistry. During her time as an undergrad, Steffy was very involved with mentoring, teaching, and research. While at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Steffy has served as a social media chair for the Latino Medical Student Association, an Emergency Medicine Interest Group Coordinator, and Med Mentor's peer mentor. She is currently interested in pursuing anesthesia, emergency medicine, or surgery. In her free time, Steffy loves to mentor pre-med students, teach a middle school class at her church, and play soccer through UCLA intramurals!
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Maggie Hui
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Maggie is a second year medical student at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine. She is a first-generation immigrant from Hong Kong who immigrated to Boston at the age of 10. She studied Biology and Psychology at Boston University. She is passionate about teaching, mentorship, and health equity. In her free time, she loves playing ukulele, running, and going to Disneyland! |
Keng Moua
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Keng is a second-generation Hmong American who grew up outside Atlanta, GA. He graduated from the University of Georgia (obligatory go dawgs) with a degree in psychology in 2014. Before attending medical school, he did a number of things including neuroscience research, acting, and scribing. He is currently a fourth-year medical student at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He had few mentors during undergrad and when applying for medical school and hopes to be that person in your corner as you navigate these challenges. In his free time, he enjoys rock climbing, train running, and baking bread. |
Frazer Tessema
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Frazer is a second-generation Ethiopian American who grew up in central New Jersey and Maryland. He is medical student at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. He graduated from Yale University in 2017 with a BA in History. Prior to medical school, Frazer worked as an academic researcher studying ways to improve access to prescription drug medicines. During this time, he also worked as a piano-playing hospice caretaker for largely immigrant communities in the Boston area. Frazer is now involved with projects to address global disparities in sickle cell disease treatment. He loves mentoring students and is excited to be part of the ImmiMedi Team. Outside of school, Frazer enjoys running on the trail and playing sports. |
Mengdong He |
Born and raised in China, Mengdong studied Traditional Chinese Medicine as an undergraduate in Beijing University of Chinese Medicine. She moved to the US in 2013 to pursue a master’s degree in Epidemiology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. At Hopkins, she researched the safety of antiepileptic and lipid-lowering medications and led the student chapter of the International Society for Pharmacoepidemiology. After graduating from Hopkins, she worked at Brigham and Women’s Hospital conducting post-marketing surveillance of pharmaceutical products. She is now a second-year medical student at David Geffen School of Medicine. As a first-generation Asian immigrant, she is passionate about and actively involved in mentoring undergraduates who share similar background. |
Julia Sun |
As a first-generation immigrant, Julia moved to the US from China at the age of six. She grew up in the Midwest and moved to Boston for a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering at MIT. After college, Julia was awarded a US-UK Fulbright Scholarship to study at Imperial College London where she pursued a MRes and PhD in Bioengineering. As a PhD student, she worked on creating bioinspired nanotechnologies for neuroscience. Julia is currently a first-year medical student at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. She loves teaching and mentoring students, traveling, dogs, and is passionate about immigrant and refugee health. |
Leo Meller |
Leo Meller is a medical student at UC San Diego SOM. Leo graduated from UC Irvine with Latin Honors, Campuswide Honors and Phi Beta Kappa. Leo has already co-authored over 60 abstracts, presentations, manuscripts as an MS1. Leo has won multiple research grants and has published in prestigious journals, including Nature Communications and Cell Reports. As a first-generation immigrant from a working-class family, Leo actively helps the underserved and has mentored many middle school, high school and pre-med students from under-resourced settings. Leo comes from a strong athletic background, where he helped trained NBA players in college and serves as a USA youth climbing judge. In his free time, Leo takes his climbing training very seriously. |
Aaron Zaldaña |
Aaron is a fourth-year medical student at Keck School of Medicine of USC. Aaron was raised by his Salvadorian immigrant parents whose journey and struggles have fueled his passion for serving the Hispanic, medically underserved and immigrant populations. Aaron graduated from UC Irvine in 2017 with a bachelor’s in Biological Sciences. During his time at UC Irvine, Aaron led diabetes education group visits in Spanish while also providing mentorship and free of charge SAT/ACT preparation classes for high school students from underserved areas. Mentorship continues to be a passion of his through medical school and is something he plans on incorporating into the rest of his career. Aaron is an aspiring surgeon and is applying to General Surgery for residency. |
Ivonne Verduzco |
Ivonne is a second generation Mexican-Nicaraguan immigrant who grew up in the Coachella Valley in CA before moving to Berkeley to attend university. At UC Berkeley she pursued a Molecular and Cell Biology major and graduated in 2018. After taking a gap year working in research and teaching high school students English as a Second Language, Ivonne started medical school at the Keck School of Medicine of USC in 2019. She is passionate about advocacy, leadership, mentorship and teaching. She is currently applying to OBGYN residency and hopes to be able to continue serving the Latinx and LGBTQ+ community through her work as an OBGYN. |
Jason Ramirez |
Jason Ramirez is a first-year medical student at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. He graduated from the UC Riverside Bourns College of Engineering with a degree in Chemical Engineering. After graduation, Jason worked in the oil and natural gas sector before moving to a career with the Department of Defense for six years. As a Lead Project Engineer, he did work for the Navy's Submarine Fleet. Jason is a first-generation Mexican-American, the first in his family to graduate from a US college, and a native Spanish speaker. His passions lie with underserved populations and increasing the number of underrepresented students in medical school. He enjoys spending time outdoors with his wife and their two pets. |
Natalie Alvarado |
Natalie is a second-year medical student at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. She grew up as a second generation Mexican-Guatemalan immigrant in San Bernardino County and went on to graduate from UCLA in 2020 with a Bachelor's in Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology and a minor in Applied Developmental Psychology. Before applying to medical school, Natalie took a gap year to work as a preschool teacher. She is passionate about mentorship and working in underserved communities. In her free time she enjoys going to the movies, trying new restaurants and going to theme parks. |
Jacqueline Ortiz |
Jacqueline Ortiz is a fourth year medical student at Keck School of Medicine of USC. Jacqueline was raised in Chicago, IL and is a second-generation Salvadoran immigrant. She graduated from The University of Chicago in 2018 with a bachelors in Biological Sciences. After taking a gap year working as a paralegal at a healthcare law firm in Washington, D.C., she moved to Los Angeles to start medical school at the Keck School of Medicine of USC in 2019. She is passionate about mentorship, teaching, and patient advocacy. She is currently applying to Diagnostic Radiology residency and hopes to continue to mentor students and trainees from diverse backgrounds throughout her career. |
Waseem Abdou |
Waseem Abdou is a first generation immigrant and he moved from Egypt to San Diego when he was 9 years old. He went to UCI for undergrad and graduated with a degree in Biology and is currently a third year medical student at UCSD School of Medicine. He is interested in anesthesia. He is truly passionate about mentorship. He has made it a point to engage in mentorship at every stage of my journey, because he understands the challenges and hardships that come with choosing medicine as a career path and having to blindly navigate it. On my free time, he likes to surf, play soccer, and travel. |
Emma Longmire |
Emma Longmire is a second generation Mexican American 2nd-year medical student who grew up in Sonoma County, CA before moving to San Diego for her undergraduate studies. She studied Biology and Child Development at San Diego State University before being accepted to UCSD SOM and their concurrent MD/MPH PRIME-Health Equity program. She grew up part-time with her mother in Michoacán, Mexico, where she spent her free time teaching local children English and helping her mother, a curandera, heal the locals of their town. She is very passionate about mentoring those who are underserved and interested in medicine, and has experience working with students of all ages and from all backgrounds. |
Sumana Mahata |
Sumana is a fourth-year medical student at UC San Diego School of Medicine. She studied Biology at Caltech for undergrad and also spent a year working as a medical assistant in Boston. She also creates medical themed art and patterns, which have been used in conferences, displayed at UNESCO’s Creative Resilience exhibit, and even worn by Dr. Fauci! She enjoys incorporating art into medical education and also enjoys puzzles (jigsaw, crossword, sudoku, logic, Scrabble) and noodling on the ukulele. |
Yomara Mendez |
Hola mi gente, my name is Yomara Mendez, I am a first year at The UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine. I was born and raised in Palm Springs CA with roots in Oaxaca Mexico! Viva Mexico! I am a proud first generation student, I graduated with my BS in chemistry from the University of California Riverside back in 2018. I am a non traditional student, I took four gap years before starting medical school. During these gap years I spent some of my time doing pediatric surgery based research at the Loma Linda Children's Hospital. In addition to research I did outreach/ advocacy work, helping predominantly minority communities in the Coachella valley get access to COVID resources. I am passionate about mentorship, advocacy/representation in medicine, and building community. On my free time, I love to go hiking/camping, listening to Bad Bunny, and creating memories with my friends and family. |
Zaira Chavez Jimenez |
Zaira Chavez Jimenez is a fourth-year medical student at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. She is from Sacramento, CA and is the daughter of Mexican immigrants from Jalisco. She graduated from. UCLA in 2016 with a bachelor’s in Human Biology & Society with a concentration in Medicine & Public Health. After graduating, she conducted research on permanent residency applicants on their willingness to accept latent TB treatment with the UCLA School of Public Health and the LA County Department of Public Health. She completed her Postbaccalaureate education at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA prior to medical school. Zaira is passionate about tackling health disparities through serving medically underserved patients, but also by mentoring first-generation students. Zaira is currently applying to OBGYN residency and hopes to provide excellent care to underserved patients and inspire future generations to pursue surgical fields. |
Becky Lee |
Becky was born in Seoul, South Korea and moved to Chicago, Illinois when she was just 4 years old. After finishing high school in Illinois, she continued her education at UC Berkeley, where she received her bachelor’s degree with honors in Cognitive science, with a concentration in Neurobiology and Artificial Intelligence. During her undergraduate studies, she was very involved in research, mentorship, and education. She continued to mentor and tutor students during her gap years, while also working for a sports medicine clinic and volunteering at 2 different hospitals. Currently she is a second year DO student at Western University of Health Sciences. Outside of school, she enjoys cooking and eating food, reading, and playing with her foster cats! |
More to come!