Fall 2010
The following are biographical notes of students who were selected for the Surgery Intern Program in fall 2010.
Note: Records are presented in alphabetical order.
- Claire Brownfield
- Elizabeth Constantz
- Marissa Hughbanks
- Christine Kwong
- Lee Lankford
- Crisol Rocio Morales
- Charleen Pfanner
- Brianna Slatnick
- Sebastian Torf
Fellows
Aside from their internship obligations, the following students manage the fall SIP.
Claire Brownfield
San Jose City College
Claire Brownfield was born and raised in San Jose, California where she lived with her parents and three younger brothers. After graduating from Presentation High School, Claire attended San Jose City College to complete her transfer requirements. While at SJCC, she attained her EMT-B certification and began teaching as a volunteer instructor in the SJCC EMT Training Program. This fall, Claire will transfer to UC Davis to complete her B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology before applying to medical school in 2013.
As well as being a full-time student, Claire holds two part time jobs as a life guard and EMT-B. She also volunteers as an EMT-B at concerts throughout the Bay Area. In her free time, Claire enjoys reading fantasy and science fiction books, swimming, and hanging out with friends and family.
Elizabeth Constantz
University of California, Davis
Elizabeth Constantz grew up as only child in Mountain View, California. The daughter of two medical research librarians, she was exposed to medical terminology from an early age. She developed a passion for medicine early on, watching her older cousin begin her path to medical school. As time passed, and her experiences and knowledge increased, this passion only grew.
Elizabeth is currently enrolled at the University of California, Davis. She will be graduating this December with a Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences with an emphasis in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior along with a minor in French. While at UC Davis, Elizabeth has participated in various campus organizations. In her second year she and a friend co-founded the UC Davis chapter of Team HBV, a collegiate branch of the Asian Liver Center at Stanford University. Team HBV aims to increase awareness of the Hepatitis B virus on a national and global scale. Since founding the UC Davis chapter, they have raised money, raised awareness, and most impressively worked with the state of California to provide free HBV vaccines to the Paul Hom Asian clinic in Sacramento.
In her third year, Elizabeth had the opportunity to study abroad in Grenoble, France. During her stay, Elizabeth was able to work with a Ph.D. student conducting research on the differentiation pathway of epithelial cells. The experience left Elizabeth with a greater level of laboratory knowledge and an increased interest in research.
In her free time Elizabeth enjoys white water rafting, and is a certified guide for the UC Davis organization, Outdoor Adventures. She is also a member of UC Davis club field hockey team, and is very excited for the upcoming fall season.
Elizabeth is very grateful for the opportunity to experience medicine from the physician’s perspective, and is excited to learn from this experience.
Marissa Hughbanks
University of California, Davis
Marissa Hughbanks was born in San Jose, California and raised by her two loving and supportive parents in Hollister, California. She is the middle child with an older brother and younger sister.
At a young age, Marissa Hughbanks had a passion for learning. She was an ambitious child who constantly pushed herself to achieve whatever she had set her mind to. Marissa first discovered her interest in the medical field while visiting her childhood pediatrician. In high school, Marissa further developed her interest in the human body and its workings in her biology and human anatomy classes. Her desire to help others, coupled with her fascination with the human body drove her to pursue a career in medicine.
Marissa is currently a junior at the University of California, Davis majoring in Biological Sciences with an emphasis in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior and minoring in Latin American and Hemispheric Studies. She aspires to attend medical school in the fall of 2012 in hopes of becoming a pediatric surgeon.
Marissa currently works as a research assistant for a surgical research lab in the UC Davis Veterinary Department of Surgical and Radiological Sciences. In her spare time she enjoys reading, running, riding horses, and spending time with friends and family. Marissa is an optimistic go-getter who enthusiastically looks forward to what the future has in store for her.
Christine Kwong
University of California, Davis
Christine Kwong is a 20-year-old Chinese American currently completing her 3rd year at UC Davis as a Biological Sciences major with an emphasis in Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior. She was born and raised in Sacramento as a middle child with two brothers. Alongside being a full-time student she also works two days out of the week at the UC Davis Lung Cancer Research Laboratory as an intern for Chris Mahaffey, a graduate student researcher studying the gene p53 within cancer patients. In addition, Christine currently works at Sutter General Hospital, where she has been volunteering for over a year. Although she is now working within the Emergency Room Department at Sutter General, she has also been able to gain experience within several other departments such as the Telemetry Department and Intensive Care Unit.
Christine enjoys staying active everyday and dedicates herself equally to all of her commitments. Although she now has three internships, she still tries her best to find time to help the smaller, more local fundraisers and community organizations within Davis. Christine also enjoys painting/drawing whenever she can and tries her very best to spend as much time as possible with her family.
Christine’s hero and mentor is her mother, Mary Lew, who gives her the motivation and encouragement to pursue her dreams no matter how many obstacles may arise. Christine plans to graduate in 2011 and hopes to continue her education through medical school in hopes of achieving a life career within the medical field.
Lee Lankford
California State University, Sacramento
Lee Lankford is currently a Student Outreach Coordinator for the Pre-Med Surgical Internship program, a CSUS alumnus, as well as a full-time employee at the Java City corporate warehouse in Natomas. He is 24 years old, and in his free time he enjoys playing guitar, spending time with his girlfriend Jessica, friends, and family, as well as reading. Lee was born in Sacramento and grew up in a town just south of there called Elk Grove, where he attended elementary school through high school before moving into Sacramento to attend college. Growing up in Elk Grove helped shape Lee into the person he is today. During his elementary through high school years he spent most of his time playing various sports such as baseball, soccer, and football.
In 2006 Lee attended the International Scholar Laureate Program Delegation on Medicine in China, which was an educational trip throughout many areas of China where he was given basic classes on the Chinese health care system as well as various forms of Traditional Chinese Medicine. This trip not only developed in Lee a great enjoyment in traveling, but also was his first step in deciding to dedicate his life to becoming a physician.
Since this time Lee has steadily put forth great effort to continue to grow academically and as a full-time employee. He has also devoted over 120 hours as a volunteer at Sutter Memorial Hospital in Sacramento, as well as over 150 hours shadowing the surgeons at UC Davis Medical Center. He enjoys traveling to various schools and speaking with prospective applicants about the Pre-Medical Surgical Internship program as well as sharing his own experiences shadowing physicians and in the hospital. Currently he is completing his secondary applications in the 2010-2011 medical school application cycle, and looks forward to beginning his career in medicine very soon!
Crisol Rocio Morales
University of California, Davis
Crisol Rocio Morales, better known as Sol, was born September 14, 1983 in Culiacan, Sinaloa Mexico. At the age of 3, her and her mother moved to Los Angeles, California where she resided until the age of 22. It was not until 2006, shortly after getting married, that Sol relocated to be with her husband in the Sacramento area. Sol and her husband currently reside in Woodland, Ca and look forward to starting a family together in the near future.
Sol graduated from Gahr High school in Cerritos, CA in 2001 and proceeded onto attend and graduate with honors from both Cerritos College and Sacramento City College. Sol has earned 2 AS degrees and 1 AA degree so far in her educational career. Currently, Sol is a 3rd year Animal Biology major at University of California Davis and expects to graduate 2011. She is interested in pursuing a lifelong career in cardiology and surgery.
In addition to being a full time student and wife, Sol is a proud member of Phi Theta Kappa, AMSA ARC and M.A.R. (Mujeres Ayudando la Raza). She is also the first in her family to earn any kind of higher educational degree, as well as the first to attend a University. In her spare time Sol enjoys hiking, camping, butterfly research and has become a very skilled salsa dancer.
Charleen Pfanner
California State University, Sacramento
Charleen graduated in ’02 from CSU, Chico with a BA in Studio Art and a minor in Business Administration. After realizing that she wanted to focus on a career in medicine, she began taking pre med courses at American River College. She then transferred to CSU, Sacramento and received a BS in Biology.
Currently, Charleen is applying to medical schools and hopes to hear back from her top choices soon. While waiting, she is going back to American River College to keep her brain sharp. She is taking various Psychology courses, expecting that they will help her better understand and relate to her patients. Attending school once more has allowed her to be a Beacon tutoring again, tutoring Zoology as well as Anatomy & Physiology. During her down time, she volunteers at the AIDS Housing Alliance as a tutor for children who need a little extra help with their studies. One Saturday a month she hosts Girl’s Night at a local women’s shelter. Also, for the past five years at Shriner’s Hospital for Children, she has carried out orthopedic research and visited children as a certified Pet Partner with her guinea pig, Cliff.
As Outreach Coordinator for the Program, Charleen has been responsible for getting the word out about the internship, through talking with different campuses, working on promotions and providing information to students. She hopes to see many community college students apply for the next round! Good luck all!
Brianna Slatnick
University of California, Davis
Brianna Slatnick is a second-year UC Davis student majoring in Biological Sciences. She is originally from Rancho Bernardo, CA, where she lived with her twin brothers and parents until going to college.
Brianna graduated from Rancho Bernardo High School in 2008 with honors. Among many activities, she most notably competed on the varsity diving team, participated in Best Buddies, tutored students in biology and math, volunteered at her local hospitals, served her community as Miss Rancho Bernardo Teen 2007, and served as the Editor- in-Chief of her high school newspaper, The Silver Spur.
She enjoys traveling, finding good scuba diving spots, crocheting, eating sushi, hanging out in parks around Davis, and going on random adventures. She loves ice cream, and will eat it at any time of the day. She has a sarcastic sense of humor, and enjoys spending time with anyone who makes her laugh. She loves being around people, and she sincerely cares about the well being of others. She is very dedicated to her schoolwork, and has known she wanted to become a doctor since her freshman year of high school. To her, medicine is like solving a puzzle. She loves the satisfaction she gets from figuring things out, and craves the ability to ensure those in need that she is doing everything she can to help. She is not sure what specialty she wishes to pursue, but she is very interested in the field of surgery. In the future she hopes to travel and provide medical care to other countries in need.
At UC Davis, Brianna currently interns in the Wainwright Lab as an analyst on the feeding behaviors of coral reef fish. She is very excited about the Pre-Medical Surgical Program that AMSA and the UC Davis Medical Center has afforded her, and cannot wait to immerse herself into the medical field.
Sebastian Torf
University of California, Santa Cruz
Sebastian is a post-baccalaureate studying Biology, Chemistry, Accounting and Welding at Cabrillo College. He currently calls Santa Cruz, California his home and grew up as the first-born in a family with 5 siblings.
He graduated from the University of California at Santa Cruz with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science. After spending some time working to apply this knowledge, he is now back in school pursuing degree options in the life sciences.
He has spent equal time growing up in both European & American societies and has spent some time working abroad in Asia as well. Sebastian has studied a variety of foreign languages both formally and informally.
In his free time, Sebastian enjoys working on motorcycles & cars. His keen interest is the repair of machinery that was previously broken. He also enjoys staying active by playing soccer recreationally, doing weight training, running in one of the many parks or on the beaches in Santa Cruz and participating in his local community college’s dance programs.
He is hoping to gain experiences in the health care industry and exposure to the different opportunities and types of specialties available to students pursuing medical degrees and was honored to have been selected for the UCDHS surgical internship.
Interns
The following students, including SIP Fellows, were selected for the fall program.
Aireen Agulto
University of California, Berkeley
Aireen Agulto graduated from UC Berkeley in 2008 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a minor in Education. Aireen was a proud and active member of the Pilipino Association of Student Services and the Youth Mentorship Program at Cal, dedicated to helping first-generation Filipino students in San Francisco grow academically and personally, and acclimate to life in America. She loved being a tangible and realistic role model and still continues that enthusiasm as a Sylvan Learning Center Tutor and Teacher today.
Aireen’s college journey in pursuing a medical career started in her first year as a Molecular and Cell Biology major, but her direction abruptly changed as the pre-med cutthroat environment became her demise. However, after her experience in many neurosurgery and sleep lab research opportunities during her last two years at Cal, Aireen realized she wanted clinical experience and her passion for a career in medicine had not died with her change in majors. Thus, for the past two years Aireen has been completing the pre-medical requirements at Solano Community College in Fairfield, CA.
Beyond academics, Aireen volunteers for the American Red Cross at David Grant Medical Center on Travis Air Force Base. She enjoys an active lifestyle of snowboarding, rafting, motorcycle riding, and daily workouts. Aireen can often be found babysitting her two nephews and niece and spending time with her family, with whom she is very close.
Aireen will be applying to medical school during the next cycle. She believes this program will give her a more clear and realistic perspective on what a surgeon encounters on a daily basis, strengthen her characteristics that are becoming of a physician and help her identify and resolve any weaknesses, and widen her understanding of health care in America.
Lisa Babin was born in Cleveland, Ohio, where she lived with her mother, father and older sister until she was 16. She spent the last two years of high school attending The American School in London, England, traveling, studying and playing sports. She graduated from Boston University in 2006 with a bachelors in psychology and a minor in visual arts. As a senior, she wrote her senior thesis on the affects of forgiveness on physiological symptoms in Vietnam veterans who had been in combat. After graduation she moved to the Bay Area where she has been loving life ever since.
Lisa completed her pre-medical requirements from San Francisco State University in 2010, and is now eagerly awaiting her future as a physician. She works in the SFSU organic chemistry department, working on synthesizing treatments for breast and prostate cancer. In her free time, she loves playing with her English Bulldog puppy, painting, reading, and hanging out with friends. She is incredibly excited to have the opportunity to work in the Pre-Medical Surgical Program and is grateful for every opportunity she has.
Joel Breck
California State University, Chico
Joel Breck was born and raised in Sacramento, California. He is the middle child of three brothers. At a young age Joel experienced what it was like to be a patient going through extreme surgery at a large hospital. These experiences led him to find passion in helping others in need.
During his sophomore year of college Joel took a course in Biological Psychology. It was this course that unveiled his innate curiosity of the natural sciences. The medical field then proved to be the perfect combination of his life passions. He completed the necessary pre-medical prerequisites in his remaining college years. He graduated in spring 2010 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from California State University, Chico.
During his undergraduate career, Joel conducted neuroscience research focusing on brain and spinal cord injury and repair. He was also involved in organizing blood drives and spreading general health knowledge through his campus’s student health center. As an active member of the Chico State Pre-Medical association Joel volunteered at local free health clinics. During this time he also worked as an on campus tutor, introducing other students to the amazing world of the natural sciences.
Joel currently interns in the UC Davis Medical Center Emergency Room, shadowing physicians and helping with clinical research. He is preparing to take the MCAT and plans on applying to medical school in 2011.
In his spare time Joel likes to travel, weight lift, play basketball, and spend time with his family and friends. He is extremely excited about taking part in the Pre-Medical Surgical Program that AMSA and the UC Davis Medical Center have set up.
Angeliki Bundros
University of California, Davis
Angeliki Bundros is a recent undergraduate from University of California, Davis. In the four years, she double majored with a Bachelor of Science in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior and Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She chose this academic route because she believes that approaching medicine needs to be two-pronged: understanding and approaching both the physical and emotional aspects of an individual. Alongside academics, Angeliki was a coxswain on the NCAA UC Davis’ Women’s Rowing Team. This was an irreplaceable learning environment outside the classroom because she learned the price of dedication when giving up precious sleep for early morning practices, the art of communication that one can only learn when talking over a microphone to eight brilliant ladies, and the finesse of leadership when a race plan failed and the motivation factor was the sole responsibility of the coxswain.
Angeliki sought out avenues to give back to the community by joining a women’s community service club, helping at a student run homeless medical clinic in Sacramento, and volunteering at UCDMC and The MIND Institute in the Child Life Department. Through these experiences, she had the opportunity to witness the emotional dyad of suffering and victory in medicine that cannot be viewed by watching medical television shows but understood from experience alone. These experiences solidified her need to be apart of a medical team in order to alleviate the physical and emotional suffering of her community.
Currently, Angeliki works full-time as a Junior Specialist in Dr. Trimmer’s Lab at UC Davis. In the last 2 years, she has learned how to stain rat brain sections using Immunohistochemical techniques in hopes of distilling the relationship between a voltage-gated potassium channel linked to the development of epilepsy. Angeliki is thrilled to be apart of this surgical internship!
Anna Delgadillo
University of Nevada, Reno
Anna Delgadillo is a post-baccalaureate student from the University of Nevada Reno. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in biology, fall of 2007. She currently resides in Reno, NV, where she works as an emergency medical assistant in the emergency room, at St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center. Anna is currently applying to medical school and hopes to matriculate next fall. Anna enjoys volunteering at the Student Outreach Clinic, sponsored by the University of Nevada School of Medicine. The SOC is a free, medical student run clinic, that helps serve the medical needs of the uninsured in the community. In addition, Anna also enjoys teaching human anatomy and physiology to undergraduate students, as the head teaching assistant at UNR.
Anna was born in Southern California, and is the eldest of 4 siblings. She is a first generation college student and hopes to set a good example for her brothers and sister. She later relocated to Gardnerville, NV, and was accepted into the High School Medical Scholars Program. This program gave her the confidence she needed to pursue medicine. She also formed lasting friendships that have helped guide her throughout this rigorous journey. When not studying or working she enjoys spending time with her 4 dogs, 2 cats and last but not least, fiancé. She is looking forward to beginning the Surgical Internship Program and is eager to see what kinds of experiences lie ahead.
Muninder Dhaliwal
California State University, Stanislaus
Muninder Dhaliwal graduated summa cum laude from California State University, Stanislaus with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in chemistry. During her time at Stanislaus, Muninder was an active member of Psi Chi, the National Honor Society in Psychology, and worked as a biology and chemistry tutor for both high school and college students. She was also heavily involved in chemistry research, which focused on applying x-ray fluorescence technology to the field of archaeochemistry. Her research has been showcased at numerous poster and oral presentation events including Hayward, Los Angeles, Burbank, Arizona and Puerto Rico. Muninder’s dedication to her research has not only led to two first place finishes in research competitions, but has also led to her work being accepted for publication in the Journal of Archeological Science.
When not involved in research or volunteering, Muninder works as an emergency department scribe at two valley hospitals. She thoroughly enjoys her job, and hopes to one day start her own scribe company so that future pre-medical students are given the same priceless opportunity she was given. Muninder believes that her work as a scribe not only provided her with a real example of how medicine is practiced, but also gave her an opportunity to learn medicine in a way that is not possible in a classroom setting. Her future goals include trying to learn how to play the guitar, mastering how to do the scorpion position in yoga flawlessly, training for a marathon, and eventually attending a medical school of her choice. Muninder is excited about participating in the surgical internship, and hopes to learn a great deal about how patients and diseases are cared for in a surgical setting.
Kendell Felker
San Diego State University
Kendell Felker is a twenty-three-year-old who graduated from San Diego State University with a Biology degree in 2009. She was born and raised in Orange County, California and is the middle child in a family of five.
As an undergrad, she spent most of her time studying and working as a Scribe in the Emergency Department at Tri-City Medical Center. She also developed and taught a workshop for a cell and molecular biology class for her peers and the College of Sciences. After graduation, Kendell joined the San Diego Eye Bank, where she now serves as a Certified Eye Bank Technician (C.E.B.T) and Family Services Coordinator. There, she procures corneas and whole eyes for transplant and research therapy and supports grieving families in the donation process. She is currently going through the application process for medical school and is interested in primary care and transplant medicine.
In her free time, Kendell enjoys reading, cycling, camping, and soccer. She recently moved to the Bay Area and is looking forward to exploring Northern California.
Ivy Gardner
University of California, Davis
Ivy Gardner is a fourth year student at UC Davis majoring in Biological Sciences with an emphasis in Neurology, Physiology, and Behavior and minoring in Sexuality Studies. As a second year, Ivy worked as a Resident Advisor for UC Davis Student Housing. She carried out her own research project on coastal nutrient recycling at the Bodega Marine Laboratory in the summer between her second and third year. In her third year, Ivy Gardner was a member of the 2009-2010 NSF-funded Collaborative Learning at the Interface of Mathematical and Biology (CLIMB) cohort where she and her colleagues worked on an original mathematical model of the colonial dynamics of Argentine ants. She was a volunteer at Sutter Memorial Hospital for a year on the gynecology floor. She currently volunteers at the UC Davis Women’s Resource Center and the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Resource Center.
Ivy plans to become a physician and be an advocate for women’s reproductive rights and traditionally underserved communities, particularly the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex community. Her ultimate goal is to open a women and LGBTQI-friendly physical and mental health care clinic.
Ivy enjoys reading, traveling, swimming, water polo, hanging out with friends and family, geeking out, and reading comic books with her partner.
Margarita Gaytan
University of California, Davis
Margarita Gaytan was born in Jalisco, Mexico. At the early age of one, she moved to the United States where she was raised and attended school through her high school years in the city of Modesto, CA. Her supporting family, her parents and two brothers, made it possible for her to attend UC Davis for her undergraduate education. At Davis, she majored in Biology giving emphasis to Neurology, Physiology, and Behavior. Alongside her major she minored in Spanish. While working full time to finance her studies, she was involved in CHE (Chicanos in Health Education), LRCD (La Raza Culture Days), and the Chicano/Latino Graduation Ceremony Planning Committee.
In 2008, she earned her Bachelor’s in Science and became the first in her family to attain a Bachelor’s degree. That same year, she interned in the Sundaresan Lab of the University of California, Davis where she conducted research on the Rice Mutagenesis Project. This great opportunity enabled her to apply the knowledge she had acquired throughout her college career. However, the most important lesson learned through this research opportunity was that research alone was alas not sufficient to fulfill her passion for the sciences. Looking to broaden her experience in the field she has always admired and respected, medicine, she applied for a volunteer position at the UCD Med Center in January of 2010.
She currently volunteers in the Labor and Delivery Unit where she enjoys helping the hospital staff, the nurses, and patients. She believe this Pre-Medical Surgical Internship would be a wonderful opportunity for her to progress in the medical field and gain practical knowledge of the profession that she hope to one day become a part of.
Katie Howard
California State University, Sacramento
Katie grew up in the Sacramento area with her older brother and younger sister. Their mother expressed the importance of getting an education early on in their lives and for Katie, it all started with a picture drawing of a nurse in the first grade. Her teacher claimed she would make a better doctor and those inspirational words never left her. Throughout her educational career she naturally gravitated toward everything that had to do with physicians and medicine.
After graduating high school in 1999, Katie immediately enrolled in classes at Sierra Community College where she chose to study the biological sciences. She had to endure working full time while going to school part time in order to support her way through college. For the past eight years Katie has worked for a medical billing company as a reimbursement specialist. She transferred to CSUS, Sacramento in the fall of 2005 where she became an AMSA member. Katie graduated in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology.
Katie has been enjoying a well deserved break this last year while continuing to work full time to pay off her student loans. She lives in the Sacramento area with her boyfriend and his eight year old son. She volunteers her time at Sutter Institute for Medical Research in Sacramento where she assists as a laboratory technician for newly developing medical technologies. Katie plans to apply to medical school in June 2011 and is very grateful for the opportunity to work side by side with physicians and medical students by participating in the Surgical Internship Program.
Christina Maddox
University of California, Davis
Christina Maddox is a 23-year-old graduate from UC Davis with a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. While in school Christina worked with Dr. Li Tian at the UC Davis Plant Sciences Department studying the antimicrobial activity of phenolic compounds. She also worked at the Miyamoto Lab at the UC Davis Medical Center working on the identification of protein markers linked to ovarian cancer.
Christina has a passion for serving underserved communities and volunteers her time as a Spanish language interpreter at the Winters Healthcare Foundation. She also loves to run and ran competitive track and field for eight years. Her proudest achievement was being ranked 11th nationally in the 400m hurdles in 2007. Now she is an assistant coach on the cross country and track and field teams at Mira Loma High School.
She aspires to enter medical school soon and is looking forward to the Pre-Medical Surgical Internship afforded to her by AMSA ARC and the UC Davis Medical Center.
Mikhail Melnik
American River College
Mikhail Melnik is a second year college student who is attending American River College. He was born in Novovolinsk, Ukraine. A year and a half later after his birth, he and his family moved to Sacramento, California and had stayed in the area ever since. Mikhail has two sisters, both born in Ukraine, and two brothers, both born in America.
While in High School, Mikhail volunteered at Mercy San Juan Medical Center. After a couple of shifts, Mikhail saw the way doctors performed their jobs and the kind nature they had for their patients. This inspired Mikhail to become a doctor and he has wanted to become one ever since. In June of 2009, Mikhail graduated from Casa Roble Fundamental High School and applied to American River College, which he subsequently began attending in the spring of 2009. He has been there ever since and has plans of attaining a baccalaureate in chemistry. After earning his baccalaureate, he wishes to apply to medical school and become a medical doctor who specializes in neurology.
Halfway into his first semester, Mikhail was introduced to AMSA ARC by a counselor after she learned he wanted to become a doctor. Initially, he simply paid the fee and did not involve himself in the club. But, after the second semester started, a friend of his persuaded him to go to one of the meetings, and he continued attending them ever since. Soon after, Mikhail applied to the premedical surgical internship program at UC Davis. He was excited at the prospect of shadowing surgeons since he has an interest in becoming a neurosurgeon. After the interview, Mikhail was excited to learn that he was accepted to the fall 2010 session of the program and has been waiting to start ever since.
Yelena Mikityanskaya
University of San Francisco
Yelena Mikityanskaya was born and raised in Kharkov, Ukraine. After moving to San Francisco with her loving parents and older brother Yelena began studying at the University High School of San Francisco. After high school Yelena went on to study at the University of San Francisco.
Yelena graduated from USF with honors in 2009 with a major in psychology and a minor in natural science and another in neuroscience. While attending USF, Yelena taught art history at the Berkeley Russian School during weekends. During the week Yelena split her time between volunteering at the California Pacific Medical Center labor and delivery department and doing sporadic and familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis research in the department of neuroscience at the California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute.
Yelena is currently working as a physiology, psychology and art history instructor at Heald College which primarily serves disadvantaged individuals. She is also finishing up a certification program in phlebotomy and electrocardiography at the Bay Area Medical Academy because she wants to work in hospitals in addition to volunteering there.
Yelena is very grateful to be part of the Pre-Medical Surgical Internship Program and is eagerly looking forward to learning more about the different types of medical staff involved in the surgical team as well as their unique responsibilities. Armed with the information that she will learn throughout this program, Yelena is sure that she can make a better informed decision about the opportunities that are available in the world of medicine and the path that she should take in the future to achieve her goal of providing excellent medical care to those in need of it.
Anand Mohapatra
University of California, Berkeley
Anand (Andy) Mohapatra is a junior at UC Berkeley, majoring in Bioengineering. He was born in Boston and at the age of 2, moved to Folsom, CA, where he grew up with his parents and older brother.
Andy graduated as Valedictorian from Folsom High School in 2008. During his time there, he served as presidents of Science Club, a science-enthusiast club, and Key Club, the primary community service organization. These science- and service-related activities, combined with his fascination for the sciences through AP and community college courses, led him to major in the up-and-coming field of bioengineering, in pursuit of a career in health care.
At UC Berkeley, in addition to the rigorous Bioengineering curriculum, Andy is a research assistant at Dr Robert Full’s Poly-PEDAL Lab and Dr. David Rempel’s Ergonomics Lab. Andy has also been very active in his community. On campus, he serves as officers of the Bioengineering Honor Society and Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honor society, both large organizations that pride themselves in giving back to UC Berkeley and the Bay Area. Additionally, Andy volunteers as an after-school tutor at Berkeley High School and helps entertain sick children in the playroom of the Oakland Children’s Hospital.
During vacations, Andy enjoys traveling the globe to sightsee and taste exotic foods; he has been all over the United States and in many Asian and European countries as well. In his leisure time, Andy likes playing the violin and solving puzzles, such as Sudoku and Rubik’s cubes, as well as keeping up with the latest movies and popular science fiction novels.
David Moore
University of California, Berkeley
I am a Transfer, Re-entry, Student Parent at the University of California Berkeley. My mother and father are from India and England respectively. I was born in San Francisco California, and was raised in and around the Bay Area. I am married, and my wife and I have two daughters; Madison aged 7 and Sophia aged 8 months. I have charted a non-traditional path to higher education, having departed from high school at the age of 16. I thought perhaps I was stupid, or lazy, but didn’t realize that perhaps I had terrible anxiety as a result of the turmoil of my parents’ marriage and subsequent divorce.
It wasn’t until I met my taiji quan (tai chi) teacher a few months after I left high school that I began to cultivate a love for learning. This love of internal martial arts, meditation and integrative medicine has sustained me well as I have attempted to navigate the academic world as the first in my family to attend a four year college and to earn a degree. I hope to be graduating later this year with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science, Policy and Management. It was an interdisciplinary major, allowing me a great deal of flexibility to take a variety of courses related to health, the environment, sociology, biology, geography, etc. All of which, I believe, have heavy heavy underpinnings in public health and preventive medicine.
In addition to participating in the Pre-Medical Surgical Intern Program at the UC Davis Department of Surgery this semester, I will be continuing my role as the taiji instructor here in the UC Village family housing, I will also be assuming the role of a health worker for the University Health Services Health Promotion program, here in the UC Village. My goal is to apply to medical school in the year of 2012, with my top choice at the moment, being the Joint Medical Program between UCB and UCSF.
Erica Neuhaus
University of California, Merced
Erica Neuhaus is a recent graduate of the University of California, Merced. She graduated with honors and earned a B.S. in Biology with a minor in History. By attending the university in only its second year of instruction, she was able to partake in the development and creation of the UC Merced community. As a member of the inaugural volleyball team, and a member of the team for her remaining years at UCM, Erica enjoyed being part of the dedicated group of athletes who were able to build up the sports department. Erica was also a Resident Assistant for three years and helped almost 200 freshmen with their transition from high school to college. Being part of such a new campus allowed Erica the opportunity to watch the university grow not only with the number of students, but in character and traditions.
Erica has always dreamed of a career within the medical field. Since elementary school, she has had her mind set on becoming a physician. After volunteering in the Emergency Department of Mercy Medical Center, Merced for two years, she knew that she wanted to enter another program to get her more exposed to medicine. Erica is very excited for the opportunity to participate in this internship, and is looking forward to the vast experiences she will encounter.
Anish Patel
University of California, Berkeley
Anish Patel graduated from UC Berkeley in May 2010 with majors in Molecular & Cell Biology (Cell & Developmental Biology emphasis) and South Asian Studies. His various experiences as an undergraduate, including clinical and community service work, have proved formative in strengthening his desire to pursue medicine as a career.
While at Berkeley, Anish served two years as the director of the DeCal Program, the country’s largest student-initiated courses initiative. In addition to his role as director, Anish taught courses in Bollywood (Hindi cinema) and Conversational Hindi. In addition, he remained active on campus, working with the Indian Students Association and the AMSA Premedical Chapter. He has conducted research in both the Wildsoet Lab at the UC Berkeley School of Optometry, and with the UCSF Memory and Aging Center. In addition to volunteering with the Tang Center at UC Berkeley and in the ER of the Alta Bates Medical Center, Anish worked as a rural health instructor and medical camp volunteer with the Dil Se Foundation, a US-based nonprofit organization, in Dehradun, India. He currently serves as the organization’s Director of Internal Affairs and oversees all activities, including the summer 2011 outreach program.
Outside of these activities, Anish has an avid interest in web design, creative writing and South Asian languages. He has also nurtured a budding interest in cooking and loves experimenting with new flavors and ingredients. Though aspiring to be a physician, he has a slightly unhealthy obsession with legal dramas; he is also the proud owner of all ten seasons of Friends. In his free time, he is usually catching up on leisure reading, stuffing his face with pad thai or napping.
Enid Picart
University of California, Merced
Enid Picart graduated in May 2009 from the University of California, Merced with a B.S. degree in Molecular Cell Biology & Biochemistry. Aside from being a graduate of the UC Merced pioneering class, she is also a dedicated community member with a passion for community-based work, community-based participatory research, and youth development. Enid has recently completed her second term as an AmeriCorps member and is currently working as the Youth Development Coordinator for The California Endowment’s Building Healthy Communities (BHC) project in Merced, CA. She also puts her bilingual ability to use as a Spanish interpreter for the nonprofit organization, Healthy House, whose emphasis is providing appropriate language services to Limited English Proficient (LEP) Latino patients. Enid is also a founder and advisor to the In-Touch Community Health Initiative, which helps provide free health education and health care services to all underrepresented and low income peoples in Merced. The long term goal of this project is to found a student ran medical facility in Merced where the main focus would be no-cost health education, health services and medical care to the Merced populous.
Enid’s future plans are to further pursue her educational ambition of acquiring a joint MD and PhD degree to practice both medicine and expand community public health and healthcare research in the Central Valley. She also wishes to revisit and continue advising her co-founded organization, the In-Touch Community Health (ITCH) Initiative in Merced where she can help finish the dream of opening a student run clinic in the “Heart of the Central Valley.”
For fun, Enid enjoys volunteering at community events, reading from her eclectic list of “1000-books-you- must-read-before-you-die,” travelling, learning about cultures/languages and spending quality time with her family, friends and pets; Khiah, Hiccup Apollo, Artemis El Capo, and Mighty Squishy Oreo.
Simon Pinsky
University of Nevada, Reno
Simon Pinsky was born in Brooklyn, New York but was raised in Reno, Nevada where he currently attends the University of Nevada, Reno. He is in his fourth and final year of pursuing a biology degree, but is strongly considering staying an extra year to pursue a second degree in economics. Simon has been conducting research since before entering college, actually winning his first grant the summer prior to his freshman year followed by winning more grants in the following years. Currently, his focus is within molecular virology. He has been working in a lab associated with the University of Nevada School of Medicine and plans to finish his senior thesis in this area.
Although he is still unsure of his future medical specialty, surgery as well as infectious disease have always been top candidates for Simon. For this reason he is very excited and grateful for the opportunity being given to him by this internship. Simon is eager to immerse himself in the field of surgery, and get a better understanding and appreciation for medicine overall.
In his free time, Simon volunteered at a local hospital in the surgery department assisting surgeons with pre-surgery patient preparation. He is also an avid skier, cyclist, and ultimate frisbee player who plays for his school.
Will Smith
University of California, Davis / California State University, Sacramento
Will Smith is a student at Sac State working on the final pre-reqs that will allow him to apply to med school next cycle. In 2005 he graduated from UC Davis with a BA in Religious Studies. Not knowing what to do after graduation, Will got a job at a local trauma center to make ends meet and pay the bills. One particularly hectic night an 18-month-old baby came in to the ER, lifeless and not breathing. Along with a team of nurses, doctors and other technicians, Will worked tirelessly for over an hour and gave the baby a new chance at life. That night was a turning point for Will and has set the course for Will’s new goal; becoming a Trauma Surgeon. When not studying or in class, Will works as an Emergency Room Tech at two local trauma centers in the Sacramento area.
Last December, Will married his college sweetheart of seven years. Though he knows that med school is going to be an uphill battle, Will is adamant that he could not possibly make it without his wife’s unwavering support. Recently, Will and Shauna found out that at the end of next January, they will be welcoming their first child into the world, a girl they will name Macielyn.
Between work, school and his new family, there isn’t much time for Will to do much else. However when he can find the time, Will volunteers for a group called Rock Medicine, which gives medical assistance to patrons at rock concerts and music festivals and is always free at point-of-service.
Will is very grateful for the opportunity to participate in such a dynamic internship that is not only going to be educational and give great insight to the life of a surgeon, but more importantly fuel his passion for medicine.
Denis Traore
University of California, Davis
Denis Traore was born and raised in the beautiful city of Frankfurt, Germany. In 2005, he moved to Daly City, California, where he completed his senior year at Westmoor high school. Having to adjust to a new environment, new language, and a different school system was not easy in the beginning. But through his strong and determined mindset, he managed to overcome many obstacles. Denis graduated from UC Davis in June 2010, where he majored in Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior.
Denis knew early on that he wanted to work in the medical field. He has interned at the Institute for Inorganic and Organic Chemistry where he has performed various experiments under the guidance of Dr. Edith Alig and Dr. Lothar Fink. In addition, he had volunteered for three years taking care of an 81-year-old bedridden woman who had suffered multiple strokes.
In his free time, Denis enjoys writing, playing the violin, travelling and karaoke. One of his major interests, besides science and medicine, is to learn different languages and the associated cultures. Having studied French and Spanish in middle and high school, he had decided to take on a new language and minored in Japanese at UC Davis. In the spring of last year, a wish came true when he had the opportunity to take culture and language courses in Kyoto, Japan.
Denis plans to soon apply to medical school with his future goal in mind of becoming a pathologist. But in the meantime, he wants to gain more experience in the medical field. Consequently, Denis is looking forward to participate in this program.
Alice Wong
University of San Francisco
Alice Wong was born in Los Angeles, California and raised by both parents and relatives in Southern California. She is the eldest child in the family and has one younger brother.
It was not until Alice’s sophomore year in high school that she fully recognized her interest in the human body. Since then she has been fascinated with how the human body heals itself, how it maintains its functions, and how pathogens and parasites trigger aliments. In addition, the dissection labs she did during her junior high and high school science courses have heavily influenced her interest in biology and medicine.
Alice is a recent graduate from the University of San Francisco with a B.S. in Biology. During her undergraduate career, she worked as a math and science tutor for the Upward Bound Program. Being a first-generation college graduate, she especially enjoyed tutoring first- generation college-bound high school students. Alice also worked in an amphibian research lab with Dr. Jennifer Dever and in an endocrinology lab with Dr. Christina Tzagarakis at USF. When working in the lab she is eager to learn new techniques and concepts from her professors and colleagues.
Alice is very family-oriented and will always find time for her family. She enjoys keeping herself active and involved in the community. She is always eager to help others and lead others when necessary. Alice is grateful to receive loving encouragement and support from her friends, family, and mentors. She is excited and thankful for the opportunity to participate in the UCD program.
Alfred Yu
University of California, Davis
Alfred Yu was born in San Francisco, California. He was raised by his two loving and supportive parents in Marin County, California and has an older brother. At a young age he was focused heavily on school work and academics.
During a clinical research internship in San Francisco, Alfred developed a passion for health care and more specifically eye care. Having dealt with multiple eye surgeries as a child, Alfred knew that he wanted to go to medical school and become an ophthalmologist. He further explored health care through volunteering at the Same Day Surgery Center at the UC Davis Medical Center. He aspires to attend medical school in the fall of 2011 in hopes of becoming an ophthalmologist.
Alfred recently graduated from the University of California, Davis with a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences with an emphasis in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior and a minor in Technology Management. He was active in the Pre-Med American Medical Student Association and the Campus Rotaract Club of Davis. He is very caring and passionate about helping others, and he has participated in various community service events around Davis and the Sacramento area.
Alfred currently works as a Junior Specialist for the UC Davis Medical Center, Department of Ophthalmology. He works on research involving retinal disease by performing electroretinograms, slit lamp imaging, fundoscopy, and performs immunohistochemistry on various types of tissue.
In his spare time, Alfred enjoys volleyball, bike riding, rock climbing, and spending time with friends and family. With his participation in the Pre-Med Surgery Intern Program, Alfred hopes to gain insight about the medical field from the extraordinary UCD Medical Center surgical staff.
