Summer 2011
The following are biographical notes of students who were selected for the program in summer 2011.
Note: Records are presented in alphabetical order.
Fellows
Aside from their internship obligations, the following students manage the 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, Aireen has completed the pre-medical requirements at Solano Community College in Fairfield, CA as a post-baccalaureate student.
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 this cycle. As an intern, this program gave her a more clear and realistic perspective on what a surgeon encounters on a daily basis, help strengthen her characteristics that are becoming of a physician and helped her identify and resolve any weaknesses, and widened her understanding of health care in America. Now, as one of the academic coordinators, she hopes to provide helpful feedback to the current interns and introduce new and enlightening material to aid them on their journey towards medicine.
Rachel Borthwell
University of California, Davis
Rachel Borthwell grew up in Valencia, California with her parents and one younger sister. She graduated from Saugus High School in 2008 with Honors before moving to Northern California to begin her undergraduate studies at UC Davis.
Rachel is currently a third year student at UC Davis double majoring in Art History and Biological Sciences with an emphasis in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior. As a freshman, she became part of the Biological Undergraduate Scholars Program where she developed an interest in undergraduate research. Rachel has spent most of her time working in the Department of Physiology and Membrane Biology with Dr. Jonathan Widdicombe. Her research focuses on the genetic disease cystic fibrosis, specifically the development of primary pig tracheal gland cell cultures. With the recent advent of the transgenic pig model of cystic fibrosis, she hopes to develop a reliable method of obtaining well-differentiated gland cultures that may help further our knowledge of airway gland physiology and its alterations in cystic fibrosis.
Rachel’s future goals are to attend medical school in the fall of 2013 and to specialize in the surgical field. She is excited for this opportunity to gain clinical experience and to learn more about what it takes to be successful in the medical field. In her spare time she enjoys reading, sports, the outdoors, and spending time in art museums all over San Francisco.
Claire Brownfield
University of California, Davis
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.
Jane YunCheong Chang
University of California, Berkeley
Jane is a graduating senior at UC Berkeley, majoring in Integrative Biology and minoring in Education with the intent of becoming a physician some day.
Being a very active student in school, she serves as a resident assistant in the residence halls during the semester. As a mentor and role model for her residents, she spends most of her time in the residence halls carrying out large-scaled programs or small activities with residents that are intended to aid them in transitioning to college life. On campus, Jane is Editor in Chief of a science, society, and law journal, The Triple Helix. Being in charge of production and publication, she attends annual leadership conferences with other chapters at different schools across the country. Aside from campus-related activities, Jane volunteers her time at the Epstein research lab at the Children’s Hospital of Oakland Research Institute, helping with the identification of the activation and suppression of genes that lead to skin cancer. She has also been heavily involved with a local YMCA after-school program for the past years, dedicating her time serving the underserved low income community.
Jane spends her leisure time studying photography and hanging out with friends and family as she greatly enjoys being in the company of others. Every weekend after volunteering at a local Kaiser Permanente she visits her father who lives close to Berkeley.
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 recently graduated from the University of California, Davis with a Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences, emphasizing in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, as well as with a minor in French. She will be applying to medical school in June.
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 is focused on spreading awareness about the Hepatitis B virus on both 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, she 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.
Elizabeth is currently working as both outreach and evaluations coordinator. She is grateful for the friendships and wonderful experiences she has through her work with this internship.
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 for Psychology students, 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. Muninder believes that her work as a scribe not only provides her with a real example of how medicine is practiced, but also gives 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 returning to the internship program as a fellow, and hopes to help further foster the program so that many other premedical students can be given this amazing opportunity.
Stefan Estrada
California State University, Sacramento
Stefan Estrada is in his third year studying Biological Sciences at CSUS. When he was thirteen years old, he suffered multiple fractures to his right forearm which required two surgeries and six months to correct. During this experience he learned firsthand how exciting, complex and dynamic bones can be. This is what started his interest in bone growth, remodeling and orthopedics.
He has a skull collection of 8 mammalian skulls, and hopes to expand his collection to include full skeletal models. He has been married for four wonderful years and is raising two boys, two dogs and two cats. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family, listening to Lady Gaga, and playing Dance Dance Revolution on Playstation.
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.
Christopher Khoury
Saint Mary’s College of California
Christopher was born in Redwood City California in 1989 during the memorable earthquake that shook the bay area. He was raised in Milpitas as the second child of four and spent his childhood immersed in sports as well as his academics. During the summer after Chris’ sophomore year at Milpitas High, his family moved to Pleasanton where he attended Foothill High. During High School, Chris participated on the soccer and varsity baseball teams.
Chris then chose to attend Saint Mary’s College of California to pursue his BS in Biochemistry with a minor in Theology and Religious Studies. It was here at Saint Mary’s where Chris made the dean’s list while he matured into an adult and found his passion for science as well as medicine, while also being a part of the making of the college’s first men’s club soccer team. Christopher is a TA in General Chemistry after receiving the CRC award for top student in his own General Chemistry class. Chris is also a Health Educator in Peer Health Exchange program at Saint Mary’s, traveling to High Schools in Oakland to teach an HIV and STIs workshop to teenage students. Also while at Saint Mary’s he has taken a prestigious leadership role on campus, becoming a Resident Advisor and being on the frontline of the student residents’ interaction with their college.
Christopher spends a majority of his time at his church, where he has helped establish one of the strongest youth groups in the diocese, participating in fund raisers, volunteer events and lifetime bonding activities. Christopher is the co-director of athletics for his church, managing and coaching two high school teams and one adult basketball team in the Orthodox Youth Athletic Association. It is Christopher’s dream to become a doctor and help those who are less fortunate than himself. Christopher is deeply honored to be a part of this once in a lifetime experience as a pre-medical surgical intern at the UC Davis Medical Center.
Christine Kwong
University of California, Davis
Christine Kwong is a 21-year-old Chinese American currently completing her last quarter 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 at the UC Davis Lung Cancer Research Laboratory as an intern for Chris Mahaffey Ph.D, whom is a researcher studying the p53 gene within lung cancer patients. In addition, Christine is also a proud member of the LGBT community and actively participates in the LGBT activities and organizations on campus. For example, she is currently a mentor for the Queer Mentorship Program at UC Davis, with hopes to be able to provide support, advise, and friendship to queer individuals in need of guidance.
Christine enjoys staying active everyday and dedicates herself equally to all of her commitments. Although she is a full time student with two 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 March of 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 a 25 year old recent graduate of CSU Sacramento as well as a full-time employee at the Java City corporate warehouse in Natomas. In his free time he enjoys playing guitar, reading, as well as spending time with friends and family. 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 pursue an undergraduate degree in Biology at CSU Sacramento. 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 sparked in Lee a great enjoyment of 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 maintained an active role in the UC Davis Dept. of Surgery Pre-Medical Surgical Internship, both as an intern as well as a Student Outreach Coordinator among other activities.
Currently, he is pursing admission to a graduate program at CSU Sacramento and is hoping to continue his journey on to medical school once obtaining a Master’s degree.
Aaron Lee
University of California, Davis
Aaron attended UC Davis where he majored in Psychology with a bio emphasis. As an undergraduate he began working with Professor Nolan Zane on a study looking at the effects of sociocultural effects on problem gambling and other outcomes. Concurrently, he was able to get a taste of MRI research by being a pilot subject in fMRI and ERP studies looking at brain activation in decision-making tasks. In 2005, because of his strong interest in the brain and the underlying biological substrates of behavioral disorders Aaron made the jump over to the UCD MIND Institute where he worked as the manager for the Computational Neuroimaging Laboratory where he both helped to develop new protocols for the volumetric analysis of specific brain regions and trained individuals from various affiliated laboratories in established protocols. In 2009 he joined the Autism Phenome Project as a Junior Specialist on the MRI team searching for differences in brain structures between children with autism and their typically developing peers.
Outside of work, Aaron is an avid kendo (Japanese “fencing”) practitioner and is currently an assistant coach for the UC Davis Kendo Club. He also has had a lifelong affinity for art and design and occasionally finds the time to draw and paint.
Sean Maddox
Sierra College (Rocklin, CA)
Sean Maddox is a full time student at Sierra College in Rocklin. During Fall of 2011, he plans to transfer to UC Davis and receive a B.S. in Psychology. Afterwards, he plans to apply for medical school in the 2013 cycle. He currently maintains a part time job serving at the Melting Pot, a fondue restaurant in downtown Sacramento. In his off time during school, he often spends his time tutoring other students in Human Anatomy and Physiology, his favorite subjects. Outside of work and school, he enjoys snowboarding, wakeboarding, and golf.
Sean currently lives in Roseville, California. He has three step-brothers, one half-sister, and one biological sister, so he has a lot to keep track of sometimes. Sean has many of the same traits as someone with a “Type A” personality, and attributes that to his success in holding a job, school, tutoring, and this wonderful opportunity to see the hospital and its doctors first hand. Sean is a very optimistic person and always has a smile on his face, no matter how good or bad of a day he may be having.
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.
Erica Neuhaus
University of California, Merced
Erica Neuhaus graduated from the University of California, Merced in 2010 as part of the second full graduating class. 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, as well as the teams during 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, enjoying the opportunity to work with students from a wide range of backgrounds. 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. 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 has enjoyed participating in this internship since Fall 2010, and is looking forward to the vast experiences she will encounter through another term. She is excited to be more involved with the program and its development. Erica is one of the Scheduling Coordinators for the program, and looks forward to working with a new group during this next cycle.
Thong Nguyen
Sacramento City College
Thong Nguyen was born and raised in Vietnam. He came to the United States in 2007 with his mother and the little sister. As the oldest son and only man in family, he has been the breadwinner of the family. Even though this role represents him to tremendous challenges, it teaches him to become mature, responsible, determined and strong minded so that he can overcome the language difficulties, cultural difference and other obstacles.
Thong is currently taking classes at Sacramento City College (SCC) to finish the pre-med prerequisites and preparing to transfer to U.C Davis in Fall 2011 with the major in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and minor in Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior. Inspired from previous teaching experience at his church, he works as math and organic chemistry tutor at SCC. Thong is also the student technical assistant at SCC’s Chemistry Stockroom where he helps prepare chemicals for each lab and conducts HPLC analysis of lavender, orange peel, etc.
His interest in medicine was fueled from his mother who had worked as a nurse for 28 year since he saw the humane aspect in her work when she was helping the patients. Also, the death of his grandpa due to brain cancer motivated him to pursue the field studying about cancer and become the Oncologist.
In the free time, Thong enjoys reading, jogging, and playing bowling with his sister. He is also the Lakers’ fan and has not been missing any of its games. He is very family-oriented and likes to spend time with his family. While waiting to volunteer at the U.C Davis Medical Center- Oncology Department, Thong is exciting and grateful for the opportunity to participate in the Pre-Med Surgical Internship as he hopes to gain insight about surgeon’s life and perspective.
Charleen Pfanner
California State University, Chico
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 has applied to medical schools and is hoping to hear back from her 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 tutor 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. She also acts as a Big Sister to one of the teens at the complex. 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 third-year Microbiology major at UC Davis. She began interning with the Pre-Medical Surgical Internship Program last spring. When it proved to be one of the most defining and rewarding experiences in her pre-medical career, she decided to continue as a Surgical Fellow to help afford other pre-medical students the same experience. Brianna now serves as the Evaluations Coordinator and works on the application committee to select new pre-medical students for the program.
In her free time Brianna enjoys traveling, scuba diving, crocheting, ceramics, eating sushi, and going on random adventures. She loves ice cream, and will eat it at any time of the day. This past summer she spent 7 weeks working at a clinic in Costa Rica, learning Spanish and living with a host family. Her clinic routines helped reveal the gaping disparities between medical care offered in the United States and abroad. She hopes to help bridge this gap by continuing to provide medical care abroad and building a medical career centered on giving service wherever she can to others in need. She loves being around people, and believes that medical care is most beneficial when paired with strong patient-doctor relationships. 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 others that she is doing everything she can to help. She is not sure what medical specialty she wishes to pursue yet, but she is very interested in the field of surgery.
At UC Davis, Brianna is currently a physics tutor for the Student Academic Success Center. She is excited to continue expanding the Pre-Medical Surgical Internship Program and offer this wonderful opportunity to other enthusiastic pre-medical students.
Francisco Solorio
Sacramento City College
University of California, Berkeley
Francisco Solorio is a native of Sacramento, California. He was introduced to human anatomy, patient assessment and pathophysiology as an American River College (ARC) paramedic intern. The ARC paramedic program inspired Francisco to augment his medical education and serve his community as a physician. Soon after, he enrolled at Sacramento City College (SCC) as a Biochemistry major with the hopes of transferring to a university. At SCC Francisco distinguished himself as an exceptional chemistry, biology and math student. He used his abilities in math and science to tutor urban underserved Latino youth, and his fellow SCC students. From SCC Francisco transferred to the University of California, Berkeley.
At U.C. Berkeley, Francisco conducted research in biochemistry and structural biology as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Biology Fellow. Along with undergraduate research, Francisco helped fellow transfer students host tours of the Berkeley campus and hold student panels for visiting community college students. After graduating from U.C. Berkeley in 2010, Francisco is the first in his family to receive a baccalaureate degree, and will hopefully also be the first to become a physician. Francisco is currently applying to medical school, tutors urban underserved youth in science and math, and is an Outreach Fellow with the U.C. Davis Department of Surgery Pre-medical Surgical Internship Program (SIP). As a SIP Fellow, Francisco hopes to introduce more community college students to the unparalleled opportunity of shadowing surgeons, and inspire those from disadvantaged and non-traditional backgrounds to pursue a career in medicine.
Randy Tigue
California State University, Sacramento
University of California, Berkeley
Randy Tigue left his hometown of Sacramento, California to attend UC Berkeley as an undergraduate. His most notable experiences come from his time spent with biomechanics researcher Dr. Shelia Patek, Ph.D. He also served as the Delta Omega Chapter President for the national honor fraternity, Phi Sigma Pi, and fulfilled leadership roles for various dance organizations like The Movement and TruElement.
After graduating with a B.A. in Integrative Biology, he was hired by Scientific Certification Systems, an environmental certification body in Emeryville, CA. During his field audits, in agricultural communities, he gained an appreciation for the severity of health care lacking in socioeconomically disadvantaged ethnic labor groups. This catalyzed his decision to pursue a career in medicine.
Randy is a current graduate/post-bac student in the Masters Program of Biological Sciences at CSU Sacramento. He is developing a research grant to investigate the molecular biology of osteosarcomas in canine models, under the guidance of his advisor, Dr. Hao Nguyen, Ph.D. He hopes that his future will involve working in translational medicine.
His non-academic commitments are spent at the Sutter General Hospital, in downtown Sacramento, as an Emergency Medicine Scribe. He also volunteers for UC Davis Hospice. Randy tries to balance his graduate studies, work, and volunteer hours by engaging in active and healthy activities.
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.
Chu Fang “Phoebe” Tseng
City College of San Francisco
Phoebe Tseng is currently a sophomore at City College of San Francisco, majoring in Biochemistry. She was born and raised in Taipei, Taiwan. After graduating from Taipei First Girls’ High School, she immigrated to the United States with her family and started taking classes to fulfill transfer requirements at City College of San Francisco. She will transfer to a UC in Fall 2011.
While in high school, Phoebe volunteered at Country Hospital in Taipei. Working with health care professionals and patients, she developed the longing to become a physician with the capability to provide health care. While at CCSF, she worked as a math tutor, a biology mentor and a chemistry study group leader. She also volunteered for the SHINE Project, assisting ESL instructors to help new immigrants. Besides academic-related jobs and volunteer work, she has volunteered at Chinese Hospital at several clinics. She translates doctors’ presentations from English to Mandarin, creates complete files for patients’ lab examination data regarding to Hepatitis B from 2009 to present, promotes San Francisco Hep B Free Program and helps set up the San Francisco Hep B Free Gala dinner event, assists the Health Fair Day in Daly City Clinic, including examinations, health counseling, translations, event set-up, and promotion of the event. She enjoyed doing various tasks and luckily had the chance to shadow primary care physicians.
Phoebe is enthusiastic about the surgical internship program and thankful for the opportunity.
Interns
The following students, including fellows, were selected for the spring program.
David Anderson
University of California, Davis
David Anderson was born in southern California, where he grew up with his parents, older sister and two younger brothers. After high school, he moved to northern California to attend UC Davis, where he graduated in 2007 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Chemistry. While he was a student, he participated in the Emerging Scholars Program and Biology Undergraduate Scholars Program. David also worked for the UC Davis Fire Department as a Student Resident Firefighter/EMT-B and eventually as a Sr. Resident Firefighter/EMT-B. Shortly after graduating, he accepted a full time position with the fire department, where he is still an active employee.
Over the last several years, as his interest in medicine and health care disparities widened, he enrolled in several graduate level public health courses through Oregon Health and Science University. Though he is passionate about the fire service and loves working with his “second family,” his ultimate goal has become to pursue medicine and work with underserved communities.
David feels very privileged to be able to participate in the Pre-Medical Surgery Internship Program as it has been a very insightful peek into the field of medicine and has reinforced David’s decision to transition from a firefighting career to going back to school this coming fall where he will do an informal post baccalaureate program through UC Davis.
In his free time, he enjoys running, CrossFit, having a drink at Starbucks and spending time with friends and family.
Shaara Argo
University of South Florida, Tampa
Shaara Argo is a 4th year undergraduate at the University of South Florida in Tampa as a Biomedical Science major and Spanish minor. She is an active member of the USF Kosove Society, a scholarship organization focused on academic excellence, leadership, and service to the community. She recently completed her term as President. Through the Kosove Society, Shaara has participated in many unique service opportunities, from cleaning parks to cooking dinner for patients at Moffitt Cancer Center. The various projects the society undertakes have cultivated her desire to serve others and truly make a difference in any way possible.
Shaara also participated in service work while studying in Panama City, Panama. She worked at Nutre Hogar, a home for malnourished children and babies. While in Panama, she had the opportunity to see the disparity between the quality of health care abroad compared to that in the United States and other developed nations. This experience also established her love for travel, which led her to participate in Semester at Sea through the University of Virginia. Through this program, she lived on a ship and studied in seven countries around the Mediterranean.
After Medical School, Shaara hopes to work in a medically underserved community, providing care to those who need it most. She will continue her volunteer work, hoping to serve her community and give back to those in need.
Alexander Beletsky
University of California, Berkeley
Alexander Beletsky was born in Zaporozhye, Ukraine. Hoping to escape political and financial corruption, Alex’s parents immigrated to Syracuse, New York and eventually settled in San Jose, California, where Alex attended Leigh High School before heading to the University of California, Berkeley. He recently completed his first year at Cal, pursuing a major in Molecular and Cellular Biology with an emphasis in Neurobiology and a minor in Russian Language, Literature and Culture.
Alex’s interest in medicine arose at a young age after hearing from his parents the horrific stories of medical malpractice and corruption in Ukraine. Already passionate about science, he began to understand he had a passion for medicine that anchored his strong negative feelings toward patient mistreatment. The stories of his family’s past continue to motivate him to this day as he further develops his passion for and knowledge of the medical field.
Alex enjoys devoting his time to research and volunteer events. This past semester, Alex was able to work in an Integrative Biology lab with Ph.D. candidate Michal I. Shuldman focused on exploring the adaptive abilities of California native Toyon trees. Aside from pursuing research, Alex is a member Berkeley’s AMSA chapter, serving as a member of the Community Service Committee and attends weekly talks put on by the Neuroimaging club.
In his spare time, Alex loves playing sports and being active. As a swimmer of 10 years, water sports have always been a favorite of his. He also enjoys playing basketball, ultimate frisbee and running. This coming semester, Alex will be a Health Service intern at community-based organization in the Bay Area, where he will focus on improving the health of a particular bay-area community. He will also be traveling on a medical mission to Honduras with Global Medical Brigades at Berkeley. Alex is thankful and honored to have the opportunity to be a Surgical Intern and continue to develop his passion for medicine and surgery.
Nathalie Bennett
University of California, Los Angeles
Nathalie Bennett was born in Oakland, California where she has spent much of her life, with her parents, an older brother, and a menagerie of family pets. A graduate of the University of California at Los Angeles, where she majored in Sociology, Nathalie has had an interest in health for some time. Prior to attending UCLA, she graduated with honors from Oakland’s Skyline High School. A violinist from the age of four, music, dance and stage performance have figured prominently in her life. In college she also participated in a number of community service endeavors, both on campus and off, providing mentoring to inner city high school students, and to youth through the Big Brothers, Big Sisters organization.
Since graduation, in addition to completing pre-med courses, Nathalie has worked at a residential care facility for seriously emotionally disturbed children and youth and as a volunteer at Oakland’s Children’s Hospital. Her interest in medicine was stimulated by her work at the residential facility where she worked as part of a multi-disciplinary team that included psychiatrists, medical doctors, psychologists, social workers and educators. As part of the treatment team, she conducted psycho-social assessments, developed treatment plans and implemented a therapeutic milieu that was based on cognitive behavioral principles. She has taken post-Bac courses in science and math at UC Berkeley and San Francisco State University and plans to apply to medical school within the next two years.
Lovelee Brown
Stanford University
To paint a somewhat accurate illustration “About me” it is necessary to begin with some history. I was born in Clovis, New Mexico as a product of what some may call an international love marriage or others the loneliness of a newlywed couple stationed in the American Southwest. My father was a young Air Force serviceman of multiethnic Jamaican and German ancestry hailing from New York’s best off shore territory, Long Island. My mother is originally from a bit further East, namely the Jeollanamdo Province of South Korea. Through some arguably complicated ethnic algorithms I suppose this heritage also makes me multiethnic. I owe much of who I am to my parents, my heritage, and how these two forces collectively inform who I am today.
I’ll spare the reader the underwhelming details of my childhood, pre-pubescent, and pubescent years and skip right along to the stuff deemed resume worthy. I recently graduated with honors from Stanford University as a proud anthropology major with a concentration in medical anthropology. I have a minor in modern languages (emphasis in Korean and Spanish), and also painstakingly finished my pre-med hazing at Stanford. While in school I completed an honors thesis based on independent research regarding the medicalization of domestic violence against Afro-descendant Creole women in Nicaragua. Much of my philosophy on healthcare and medicine is informed by my anthropological training and experience in Nicaragua where I spent two consecutive summers engaged in community health development projects and research. While on campus, I enjoyed participating in medical mentorships at the Palo Alto VA and Stanford hospital.
When I’m not absorbed in preparing medical school applications and ceaselessly worrying about my future, I enjoy getting down with my gospel choir, playing piano, and practicing Taekwondo.
Ya-Ting Chen
University of California, Berkeley
Ya-Ting was born in Taiwan, raised by her grandparents in a small farming community called Sanyi. She finally had the opportunity in 2002 to fly to the U.S. and reunite with her parents who had already been working there for many years.
While her understanding of English was initially limited, she was eager to learn and improved her English, eventually graduating from Ponderosa High School as salutatorian in 2007. Ya-Ting also participated in the tennis, swim, and ski teams in high school. She moved on to study the environmental sciences at UC Berkeley and graduated in May of 2011 with her B.A. and plans for medical school.
She traveled to Nepal after her first year at Berkeley to help and improve the living standards in local monasteries through working with monks and other volunteer doctors. In Nepal, she learned the importance of bringing medicine and health education to the poor. Today, she hopes to become an emergency doctor and work with organizations such as Doctor Without Borders to bring medical assistance to underserved regions around the world.
Ya-Ting has two brothers who are now a UC Berkeley sophomore and a successful graphic designer. She and her family now live in the town of Shingle Springs. In her free time, Ya-Ting loves to spend time with her family, travel to new places and play sports such as squash.
Varshini Cherukupalli
Northwestern University
Varshini Cherukupalli is entering her second undergraduate year at Northwestern University. She is studying Anthropology with a Human Biology concentration and Biological Sciences; she also hopes to pursue Global Health. Varshini grew up in Cupertino, CA with her parents and her older brother.
Varshini has been passionate about medicine from a very young age. Throughout high school, she was involved in hospital volunteering and research. Both the scientific and humanitarian aspects of medicine excite her, as she believes there is no better way to make a tangible change in society and help people. During her current volunteering at La Rabida Children’s Hospital, she works on the nursing unit and plays with chronically ill children. This experience has given her the chance to understand how much the children’s physicians care for their young patients. She hopes to provide the same optimism and empathy to people someday as well.
Throughout her freshman year at Northwestern, Varshini worked in a neuroscience lab at the Feinberg School of Medicine. She gained a great deal of exposure to various molecular biology techniques, especially those with mice, and a comprehension of neuroscience fundamentals. Next year, she hopes to conduct either clinical or anthropological research. In addition, Varshini is starting an organization at Northwestern dedicated to building medical infrastructure and incorporating long-term health educational initiatives in rural villages of India. She is also a proud member of the sorority Chi Omega.
In her free time, Varshini enjoys reading, painting, and running and biking outside. Most of all, she loves spending time with her family and friends. She is honored to have been selected for this internship and plans to make the best of every opportunity she is given.
Ji Yun Choe
University of California, Los Angeles
Allan Hancock College
Ji Yun Choe is a California licensed engineer with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles. After ten years working in the nuclear power industry, she returned to college in 2010 to pursue a second career in the medical field. Ji recently graduated from Allan Hancock College with a Certificate of Completion in Medical Assisting and plans to become a registered nurse before entering medical school. She strives to understand the intricacies of patient care from as many perspectives as possible in the hopes of learning how to most effectively treat the whole person.
Ji is a South Korean immigrant who was raised primarily in Los Angeles, California. Her father passed way when she was fourteen, her first introduction to the world of medicine. Her mother has been living with Ji in Santa Maria, California, since her mother’s disabling illness a few years ago. Ji is the proud aunt of three young children born by her only sister.
In her spare time, Ji sings with the local opera company and tutors college students in anatomy, physiology, and microbiology. Ji also volunteers at community outreach events whenever possible. Besides singing, tutoring, and volunteering, Ji enjoys watching anime, reading manga, and cooking.
Sean Cleymaet
University of California, Berkeley
Mills College
A lifelong resident of the San Francisco Bay Area, Sean Cleymaet graduated with honors from UC Berkeley in 2004 with a degree in Architecture. He practiced in the field of architecture for six years, measurably increasing the quality of peoples’ lives through intelligent and socially conscious design. As his career progressed, Sean realized that his true calling lay in medicine and he enrolled in the post-baccalaureate pre medical program at Mills College. He is currently halfway through the two-year program.
Inspired by his courses and professors, Sean is excited to be the Biology TA for the 2011-2012 academic year. He will work closely with first year students, holding discussion sections and office hours, and ensuring they have access to the knowledge and resources required to excel.
When not at Mills, Sean actively volunteers at Alameda County Medical Center and is currently transitioning to the Healthy Hearts Clinic, which helps educate patients who suffer from congestive heart failure. He believes leading a balanced life is critical to one’s sense of well being and always makes time to pursue one of his two main hobbies, rock climbing and cycling. His goal for the gap year before medical school is to climb the Direct Northwest Face of Half Dome in Yosemite National Park.
Garrett Cohen
University of California, Davis
Garrett Cohen was born in Redwood City, California and raised in Menlo Park, California by his two parents. He has an older sister and a pet black Labrador. Throughout his childhood, Garrett loved sports. He particularly excelled in basketball and played on the varsity team at Menlo School during his high school years. As a junior in high school, his basketball team won the first CCS Div. IV title for his school since 1991. Along with sports, Garrett always had a passion for learning, especially in the sciences.
Garrett is now a 21-year-old undergraduate student at the University of California Davis, where he is entering his fourth year as a Biological Sciences major with an emphasis in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior. Along with being a full-time student, Garrett has started a campus organization aimed at raising awareness about impoverished children in third-world countries. He has also volunteers at the Davis Community Meals Homeless and Resource Center as well as multiple hospitals in the area.
Garrett is honored to have been selected to participate in this unique program, which will provide him with an experience that not many can have.
Michael Cook
University of California, San Diego
Mills College
Mike Cook recently finished a pre-medical, post-baccalaureate program at Mills College in Oakland, California. He is currently applying for admission to medical school and hopes to matriculate in 2013.
Mike graduated from UC San Diego in 2003 with a B.A. in Economics. For the next 7 years, Mike flew as a professional pilot in the cargo industry until transitioning back to school in the summer of 2010. While he is grateful to have had such a rewarding career, Mike is excited to be pursuing his life-long ambition of becoming a physician.
Outside of school, Mike enjoys performing with his country band all over the west coast. He and his fellow band members have had the privilege of performing with multiple national acts, and they look forward to the release of their second album this summer. Mike is also proudly training as a volunteer in the Emergency Department at Alameda County Medical Center where he hopes to contribute to the care of Oakland’s diverse population.
Mike finds surgery to be one of the most appealing specialties in medicine, and he considers the UC Davis Surgical Mentorship program to be the ultimate pre-med opportunity. He is excited to explore a broad range of surgical specialties this summer and observe the duties of physicians at various points in their training.
Mara Couch
University of California, Davis
Mara Couch is a third year Pharmaceutical Chemistry major at UC Davis. Raised in Saratoga, California with her younger brother and sister, she has yearned to become a physician-scientist from an early age.
Mara took up the alto saxophone in fifth grade and continued playing through her senior year of high school, at which time she acted as Drum Major of Saratoga High’s 220+ member marching band. Mara has also tried her hand at the piano, acoustic/electric guitar, and marched bass drum in a single, glorious season of Winter Percussion.
Currently, she conducts undergraduate research in the UC Davis Department of Chemistry and is a member of the Programming Committee for AMSA ARC/UCD’s 9th Annual Pre-Medical and Pre-Public Health conference to be held this October. During her free time, Mara enjoys playing the piano, speaking French, and spending time with her family and friends.
In addition to earning acceptance to medical school, Mara’s five-year-plan includes becoming proficient in social dance, learning how to operate a manual transmission vehicle, completing further Spanish language coursework, and studying abroad in a francophone or hispanohablante country. She feels exceptionally fortunate to have been afforded such an intimate look into the lives of surgical professionals via the SIMP and intends to approach her culminating years at UC Davis with curiosity, dedication, and enthusiasm. Mara looks forward to acting as President of the French Club at UC Davis and expresses a preferential fondness for the color green.
Lauren Cox
University of California, Davis
Lauren Cox grew up in Sacramento, California attending a private home school. She started her college career at a local community college and transferred to UC Davis as a Psychology major.
In her first year, she worked with a graduate student on a research project that analyzed the relationship of coat color and personality in felines. She also worked for a research company that performs preclinical trials for left ventricle assistance devices on ovine subjects and continues to so today.
Within a year of attending Davis she decided she wanted to do a health related career. After some exploration, she finally decided she wanted to become a physician. She is now a fifth year Biopsychology major at Davis and intends to graduate in 2012.
After Davis she hopes to complete a postbaccalaureate program and apply to medical school. She also enjoys hiking, snowboarding, camping and loves animals.
Morgan Davis grew up in Half Moon Bay, California. She has five siblings, including a fraternal twin sister. She graduated from Half Moon Bay High School in 2009. While in high school, Morgan had the opportunity to develop her leadership skills as a wrestling team co-captain and chapter reporter for Future Farmers of America.
Morgan attends Skyline College in San Bruno, California. Morgan’s major is undeclared, but she is currently fulfilling her premed requirements. Morgan is a member of Phi Theta Kappa and the Honors Transfer Program. Morgan helped organize the March 4th walkout on her campus to protest the education budget cuts last spring.
Morgan has always been interested in healthcare and was inspired to become a doctor when she saw Lane Medical Library at Stanford Medical Center. Working as a volunteer in an intermediate ICU has enabled her to better understand the physician’s role in patient care. She looks forward to practicing in a field that is constantly evolving to save lives.
In her spare time, Morgan likes baking and reading. She can be found working as a barista/server at Café Classique on the weekends.
Margaret Doe
Loyola University Chicago (Chicago, IL)
Maggie is a recent graduate of Loyola University Chicago where she majored in Biology and graduated Magna Cum Laude with honors in biology and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. Maggie also “majored” in Division I soccer while at Loyola, where she was team captain, team MVP, and First-Team All Conference for the Horizon League. For the past four summers she has played semi-professional soccer for the Colorado Force in her hometown of Fort Collins, Colorado.
While a career in medicine has been an interest of Maggie’s since a very young age, her time spent in the urban setting of Chicago combined with her experience in athletics increased her passion ten-fold. After a season-ending knee injury her sophomore year, Maggie spent numerous hours with the orthopedic surgeons at Loyola’s Stritch School of Medicine where she discovered her knee was a medical “anomaly.” Maggie learned that the human body is vulnerable, full of irregularities, and that the process of diagnosis is intricate and complex. Her surgeon’s relentless drive combined with his compassionate reassurance and technical competence inspired Maggie to set a career in medicine as her goal.
Recently, in addition to sports and school, Maggie also spent time with a health and wellness expert and executed a free health screening for her local community. She has also volunteered at several hospitals, including the Veteran’s Affairs Hospital in Cheyenne, Wyoming and Poudre Valley Hospital, Fort Collins. Maggie was also a weight room intern this past year for Loyola’s athletic department.
Maggie loves traveling, which she learned at a very young age as a military brat. She also enjoys playing the guitar and eating mashed potatoes. Maggie hopes to begin medical school in the fall of 2012 and plans to pursue the Army’s Health Scholarship Program in the hopes of ultimately becoming a military physician.
Huan Dong
University of California, Berkeley
Huan Dong graduated from UC Berkeley in 2007 where he double majored in Integrative Biology and Theater & Performances Studies. He is currently implementing the passion from both of his majors as an employee of Kaiser Permanente’s Educational Theatre Programs. As a “Performer-Educator”, he travels to schools and community events throughout Northern California to bring messages of healthy decisions and lifestyles utilizing the interactive medium theater and performance.
Huan was born in Vietnam and moved to California at the age of four when his family sought out the freedom for education and opportunity of the American Dream. His journey as a Vietnamese-American inspired him to contribute to his community as he continues to serve as a mentor and advisor for students in Vietnamese youth organizations. He is interested in becoming a physician that not only treats ailments, but provides information and empowers changes to combat the health disparities that affect the Vietnamese-American community.
As a strong believer in health education and the empowerment of communities, Huan volunteers as a medic and a section coordinator at the Berkeley Free Clinic. The direct interactions with patients at the clinic reaffirm his ability to connect with strangers from all different walks of life. He is especially interested in serving the underserved; he even saved funds for several months so that he could travel to Eastern Africa to educate about HIV/AIDS in the summer of 2010. For 2 months he lived in a small rural village in Tanzania and learned Swahili so that he could raise awareness in schools, churches, and the community at large about the physical and social implications of HIV/AIDS.
Huan also enjoys cooking, swimming, and dancing with a hip hop dance troupe called “Main Stacks”. He is excited beyond words to be participating in the Surgical Internship Program.
Joanna Finn
University of California, Berkeley
Joanna Finn is originally from Roseville, California and has been happy to call Northern California her home. She graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in Integrative Biology with an emphasis in human sciences in May 2011. As an undergraduate, Joanna enjoyed serving the campus community and working with her peers. For three years, Joanna tutored student athletes in writing, calculus, and biology and enjoyed working with the diverse and talented student athlete population. She was also active in the UC Berkeley residence halls as both a Health Worker volunteer and Resident Assistant and carried out a series of large scale programs that served resident’s needs and helped students become acquainted with the Berkeley community.
Joanna’s interest in medicine started in high school after shadowing in pediatrics and Labor and Delivery. Since then, Joanna has been motivated to pursue a career in medicine and to explore various medical specialties. Medicine is a dynamic field, and Joanna enjoys being able to serve the community through medical intervention. Recognizing the obesity epidemic as a serious medical issue in the United States, Joanna helped to implement the Meals for Health Program at Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services. The program introduced a plant-based diet which includes a high variety of fruits, vegetables, and grains and minimal meat and dairy products to reduce obesity and associated metabolic disease in the client population. Joanna is looking forward to tracking the progress of the program and to see a positive impact in her community’s health.
In her spare time, Joanna enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and her new dog Abbey Rose. Believing that the best way to anyone’s heart is through their stomach, Joanna enjoys baking and is always looking for a new recipe to try. Joanna is excited to participate in the Pre-Medical Surgical Internship Program and to learn more about the thrilling field of surgery.
Angelina Garcia
American River College
Angelina Garcia is a recent graduate of American River College with an A.S. in Math/Physics, an A.S. in General Science, and an A.A. in Liberal Arts. She will begin her education at UC Davis in Fall 2011 as a Biological Science major with an emphasis in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior as well as a minor in Communication. While attending ARC, Angelina was a proud member of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society, as well as AMSA ARC.
Angelina grew up in Sacramento, CA and is the oldest of five children. She works in Roseville at a retirement community called Sierra Regency, and has also enjoyed working as an Organic Chemistry Beacon group tutor at ARC. In her free time, Angelina enjoys running, yoga, camping, and spending time with family and friends. She has spent several years volunteering for the Sacramento SPCA, as well as for a mentoring program called Roots and Horizons, where she has had the privilege of a one year match with an eleven year old girl.
Angelina has found her participation in this surgical internship program to be of the most amazing experiences of her life, and urges anyone interested in medicine to apply. She is interested in a career based on women’s health, and hopes to work as a women’s health care provider in an underserved area where she can become a true advocate for disease prevention.
Abdul Hassan
University of California, Santa Cruz
Abdul Hassan is a 2011 UC Santa Cruz graduate. He will be returning in Fall of 2011 to finish his pre-requisites for medical school, and applying in the spring of 2012.
He is the oldest of 3 children, and prides himself on being a role model to his sister, who is also pursing a career in medicine, and younger brother. He believes heavily in the importance of family and believes wholly that if it were not for their love and support, he would not be where he is today.
Abdul has been a residential advisor at UCSC for 3 years and attributes a great deal of his personal growth and cultural diversity to this occupation alone. He continues to be a mentor to many of his ex-residents, whom are also striving for careers in medicine, ready to offer as much advice as he is able to provide.
His passion for medicine came from helping his mother study for her medical assistant exam. He was hooked on the terminology and the intricate functioning of the human body. His ultimate goal is to become a surgeon and support under-served communities, and to travel overseas to aid in parts of the world where there is little in the way of medicine.
He believes that medicine is a life-long journey to better oneself and the community around them. Abdul is very adamant about wanting to be a resource, to pre-medical students, medical students, and other physicians, in the future. “Medicine is a collective effort and at every stage of the journey, we should be working together.”
When not studying or volunteering, Abdul can be found S.C.U.B.A. diving, rock-climbing, taking photos, playing his guitar or piano, but most importantly, spending time with his family and friends.
Ziwei He
University of California, Berkeley
Ziwei He was born in Shanghai, China and moved to the United States at the age of five. She was raised in the small towns of Lawrence, Kansas and Fayetteville, Arkansas before moving to Cupertino, California at age 12.
Ziwei graduated from Cupertino High school in 2009. During her time there, she was active in community service as a member of French Honors Society and National Honors Society as well as a campaigner for the Measure B proposal to increase funding for her high school district. Because of her deep desire to learn and to be challenged, Ziwei entered in the Tech Challenge competitions held at the Tech Museum of Innovation. She won the Judges’ Choice Award for Best Chemistry in the design and operation of an unmanned vehicle in a Mars crater simulation.
Having finished her second year at UC Davis as a Physics and Biochemistry double major, Ziwei is completing her remaining undergraduate studies at UC Berkeley as Chemistry major. Ziwei has previously worked at the UC Davis Medical Center at the Echo and Stress Lab, where she assisted with ultrasound and physical stress tests. Currently, she is a researcher for Dr. Ricardo Maselli in the Neurology department at UC Davis studying the molecular mechanisms of congenital myasthenia. Because of her interest in both research and medicine, Ziwei’s goal is to obtain an MD/PhD degree and conduct research as a medical doctor.
During her leisure time, Ziwei enjoys reading, drawing, playing the piano, and learning mathematics. One of her major interests, besides medicine, is in the development a unifying theory of physics. Ziwei is extremely excited about this internship, and she hopes to gain more knowledge of and exposure to the medical field.
Allyson Jang
University of California, Davis
Allyson Jang is currently an undergraduate student at UC Davis. She will be graduating in Fall 2011 with a B.S. in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior and a minor in Chicano/a studies. She was born in Sacramento, California, where her family still resides. Allyson has one younger brother who is a senior in high school.
Throughout her academic career, Allyson has participated in a variety of internships, including the Emergency Medicine Research Associate Program and the student-run clinic, Clinica Tepati. She has also served as a camp counselor at a pediatric oncology summer camp for the past two summers. In addition, she improved her Spanish skills while studying abroad in Oaxaca, Mexico in Fall 2010, taking courses on bi-national health care issues and volunteering in local hospitals and clinics. Allyson will be continuing as an assistant in Dr. Kit S. Lam’s Laboratory, studying cell penetrating peptides, and as the legislative intern for the American Congress of Obstetricians/ Gynecologists, educating California legislators and the public on women’s health related issues. She is also looking forward to being a student advisor for the Pre-Health Advising Department at UC Davis next year.
In her free time, Allyson enjoys spending time with her family and friends. Her hobbies include snowboarding, playing basketball, watching movies, and scrapbooking. As she completes her degree and prepares to apply to medical school, she will also be learning Chinese.
Dinesh Karamchandani
California State University, Fresno
Dinesh Karamchandani was born in Vadodara, Gujarat, India in 1989. He and his family moved to Modesto, California in 1996. He has an older brother and a twin brother who is older by just seven minutes. He had the opportunity to go back to India in summer in 2005 during which he experienced the wrath of a few floods. Regardless of the environmental conditions, it was an awakening experience to witness a great number of people living in horrid conditions and the lack of health care provided to them. This along with other experiences influenced him to go into the Medical field.
He attended Modesto Junior College to complete his lower division requirements for a major in Kinesiology. He became certified as an EMT-B during his first year of college. He worked as an EMT-B with ProTransport-1 for a year and a half. While at the Junior College, he also volunteered as a Skills Evaluator/Proctor for the EMS 40 Hour Frist Responder course at the Regional Fire Training Center in Modesto, CA. He felt that it was important to instruct and mentor the motivated students to help them succeed in the EMS field.
Dinesh transferred to CSU Fresno in fall of 2009. He became a Behavioral Therapist at the Central California Autism Center. Working with the children helped him learn that trying to change human behavior is one of the hardest things to do.
Besides school and work, Dinesh likes to play a variety of sports, lift weights, go hiking, mountain biking, and riding his motorcycle. He is eager to continue expanding his knowledge about the Medical field and the path to becoming a physician. Just like he mentored the students in the first responder course, he wants to mentor the future interns of the Pre-Medical Surgical Program.
Aakash Keswani
Rice University
Aakash Keswani was born in New Hyde Park in New York, but has spent most of his life in the East Bay Area. He has one sister that is two years younger than he is. In 2009, Aakash enrolled in Rice University and will be completing his degrees in Chemistry and Managerial Studies by spring of 2012. During his undergraduate career, he ran a T-shirt screen printing company called California lifestyle, spent much of his time working as an EMT, and pursued blood-vessel remodeling research in Dr. West’s lab at Rice University.
Although Aakash’s father (an orthopedic surgeon) and mother (a pediatrician) come from a medical background, it was the time he spent volunteering at Kaiser Permanente Hopsital in Walnut Creek and EMT experience he received in Houston that inspired Aakash to pursue a career in medicine. Simply put, Aakash strongly values the blend of continually evolving anatomical/physiological knowledge and opportunities for interpersonal connections with patients that medicine has to offer.
In his free time, Aakash enjoys practicing guitar, listening to music, going to the gym, and keeping up with the news.
Justin Key
Stanford University
Born in Washington, DC, Justin Key attended Benjamin Banneker Public High School before moving to the West Coast to be apart of Stanford University’s Class of 2009. At Stanford, he majored in Human Biology with a concentration in Human Interaction with the Environment. Some of his extracurricular activities included leadership in Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and the Black Community Services Center, teaching Public Speaking, NAACP, writing for the Real News, acting in various plays, and tutoring for middle school students. During the summer of 2007 he worked with Professor Dale Kaiser of Stanford University on his research with the bacteria Myxococcus Xanthus. The following summer he took independent study in Ecuador and stayed with a village community on the Cayapas River to learn firsthand about Afro-Ecuadorian culture. In the fall of 2008 he was apart of the Stanford in Australia class and studied ecosystems in Brisbane, Sydney, the tropical rainforest, and on the Great Barrier Reef. He considers that one of his best times while at Stanford.
After graduating, Justin decided to work in research and evaluation consulting to ‘test the waters’ before committing to a medical education. He worked at LFA Group, Learning for Action in San Francisco where, as a Project Assistant, he did data collection and analysis, charting, and report-writing, amongst other administrative duties. In the summer of 2011 he enrolled in San Francisco State University’s Formal Post-Bac Program and is currently finishing his pre-med requirements. He plans to apply to medical school in the next two years. He has an interest in orthopedic surgery or neurosurgery, but wants to keep an open mind. His childhood desire to become a doctor combined has been validated by various experiences including personal loss due to violence and disease and the time he took off from pursuing a medical career. His role model is Dr. Benjamin Carson of Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Justin also has a passion for writing, health and fitness, and traveling. He currently holds a blog, attends a writing group, and aspires to one day publish a novel which incorporates past and future experiences in the medical profession. Since the age of fourteen he has studied and practiced different methodologies in fitness and nutrition. He loves trying new things, and has been skydiving, scuba diving, cliff diving, and white water rafting. In addition, he will be getting married at the end of 2011.
Ilona Kurdyumov
University of California, Davis
Ilona is a fourth-year college student at UC Davis. She was born in Ukraine and came to the United States with her parents and older brother when she was five years old. She has enjoyed learning and challenging herself at a young age.
She began at UC Davis as a Biological Sciences major, yet switched into Human Development her third year. As a Human Development major, Ilona had learned to focus not only on physical health, but also emotional, behavioral, and psychological factors of well-being. She is currently working at an ADHD research lab at the UC Davis MIND Institute.
Ilona plans on applying to medical school in Summer 2012, yet is still unsure of what specialty to pursue.
In her free time, Ilona enjoys reading, napping by the beach, biking, feeding the hungry in Sacramento, and spending time with her family. She is excited to participate in the Surgery Internship Program and learn more about surgery.
Christina Lee
University of California, Berkeley
Christina grew up in Sacramento, California. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 2010 with a B.A. in Public Health and a minor in Public Policy. In the fall of 2011 she is looking forward to starting graduate school at Emory University in Atlanta, where she will be going for a Masters of Public Health before applying to medical school.
While at Berkeley, she had the opportunity to travel to Vietnam, where she volunteered in a medical outreach program and helped provide medical care to children and families of rural villages in Hue. In her senior year, she also enjoyed serving as a research apprentice in a policy project that assessed health disparities among Asian American, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders in California.
After graduating from Cal, she interned for the California Medical Association. While there, she the great opportunity to meet many physicians active in both clinical medicine and health policy. She also authored a white paper on California physician workforce issues and had the honor of presenting the finding to members of the California State Legislature.
During her free time, Christina loves to swim, paint, quilt, try new foods, watch movies, read science and historical fiction, and spend time with family and friends. She also enjoys traveling and, in addition to Vietnam, has been to China, England, France, Italy, Canada, and Hawaii. She is very excited about participating in the Pre-Medical Surgical Internship Program and looks forward to learning more about what physicians do on a daily basis.
Betty Li
Emory University
Northwestern University
Betty Li was born and raised in Chicago, IL where she lives with her amazingly supportive parents and younger brother. Her family immigrated to the United States from Guangzhou, China about 27 years ago. Betty graduated Emory University in 2008 with a Bachelor’s in Economics and Mathematics. While at Emory, she served as a founding member and president of the philanthropic club, Emory China Care, which sparked her interest in medicine. She was also involved in many other aspects of campus life including sophomore advising, tutoring for Emory READ, and dancing for the Ngambika step team.
Betty is currently pursuing a post-baccalaureate at Northwestern University. After starting this program, she has had the opportunity to shadow a number of physicians in various fields of medicine and is extremely excited about her future. Betty loves staying involved in the community by volunteering on the surgical floor of Northwestern Memorial Hospital and is also a Social buddy at Have Dreams Autism Center. She says these experiences have given her a more personal and emotional perspective of patient care and hopes to one day integrate this in her career. Betty is fascinated by surgery and loves working with children. She is now preparing for her MCATs and plans to apply to medical school in 2012.
In her free time, Betty enjoys hanging out with her family and friends, going to the gym, playing tennis, running, and participating in any sort of outdoor adventures like skydiving and rafting. Recently, she’s found a growing love for cooking and photography.
Athena Lin
University of California, San Diego
University of California, Santa Cruz
Athena was born at 4:10am August 7th, 1985 in Oneonta, New York. Eleven years later, she moved to Taipei, Taiwan and attended Taipei American School. At 17 years of age, she moved to San Diego and completed high school at Torrey Pines High with a 4.0 GPA. She then attended UC San Diego; she was awarded a degree in History in 2007. Although she always deemed teaching as a worthy career, she considered medicine to be more challenging and the world needs more people in the medical field. To pursue that goal, she moved to attain a second bachelors program in Biochemistry at UC Santa Cruz.
Athena’s life has been defined by the clang and clash of two cultures that are a world apart in difference. The priceless benefit of this struggle is openness, tolerance and appreciation of different social norms.
She is most proud of her Physics research scholarship where she built a penny-diode functional in a homemade radio. This was also the key to unlocking her love of the sciences on top of history and literature (and the “hey, I can do this” attitude).
Other than school, work in a research lab, the Pre-med Surgical Internship, and driving from San Jose, Athena loves the extreme sports such as skiing, rock climbing and spelunking. Athena is also interested in extravagant social activities like playing Dungeons and Dragons, Magic the Gathering, Starcraft, and watching Star Trek reruns.
Leanne was born and raised in Taipei, Taiwan. In 2007, she moved to Massachusetts to attend Williams College, from which she received her B.A. in biology and English. As a senior, she wrote an honors thesis with Dr. Luana Maroja on the genetics of Heliconius butterfly wing color patterns.
Although she had initially vacillated between pursuing a career in art history and entering the medical field, she has always enjoyed working with others and giving back to the community on a personal level, whether it be through leading tours at the Williams College Museum of Art or volunteering with the Rape and Sexual Assault Network on campus.
In her free time, Leanne loves running, baking, and spending time with friends and family. She also likes trying new things and going on random adventures. She is grateful to have been selected for this program, and excited about the unique opportunities it offers.
Marco Lopez
Santa Rosa Junior College
Butte Community College
I was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico but raised in Nor Cal. I graduated high school from Williams High School were I played every sport from football to golf, took AP classes, worked, volunteered, and excelled in all. I went on to win the Williams High School Senior Athlete of the Year, the US Army National Scholar Athlete, and honored at the Colusa County Sports Hall of Fame.
After turning down a spot on the Chivas USA MLS soccer academy I decided to go play for Santa Rosa Junior College and became the first person in my family to go to college. It’s also where my path into medicine really kicked off. I’ve been on my own and a full time student ever since. I worked on campus at student health services and co-found the SRJC pre-med club. I was an active member in M.E.S.A., Pipeline/HWDP (healthcare workforce development program), and Puente (a program for high level writing) I graduated with deans high honors my last semester from SRJC with an AS degree in natural sciences.
I attended Butte Community College where I was an active member in MESA, the pre-health professional club, Microsoft’s California Connects Program, and it’s where I signed my TAG contract with UC Davis to transfer there as a biology major in the fall. I’ve participated in other AMSA UCD ARC programs and was honored to be part of SIP. I’m very excited to expand on my education at Davis and through this SIP as Davis is my number one choice for medical schools. In December I’ll be traveling to Oaxaca in southern Mexico to do research on Tropical Medicine and help out needy community clinics by raising and bringing thousands of dollars’ worth of medical supplies and a complete medical team with Child Family Health International. The medical team with focus on cases and problem regarding malaria and type 2 diabetes.
I am currently getting ready to take my MCAT and should be applying to medical schools within one years’ time. As of now I plan on pursuing a career in orthopedic, urologic, or pediatric surgery. My hobbies include “extreme” sports like mixed martial arts, bunji jumping, and riding motorcycles. I plan on going blackwater rafting, swimming with sharks, and going skydiving all by the end of the year with some friends and family. I’m learning to play the drums and piano and play the guitar when I feel like relaxing. I love studying every kind of art and visiting museums.
Yang Lu
University of California, Berkeley
Yang Frank Lu is entering his third year at UC Berkeley, majoring in Molecular and Cell Biology. Frank was originally from Bozhou, China. His family came to San Francisco for the 1st time when he was three, but quickly moved to Winnipeg, Canada, where he would spent the next 8 years playing on a provincial table tennis team and learning how to ice-fish.
When Frank moved back to San Francisco in the 8th grade, he fell in love with human anatomy at a unique presentation hosted by professors at UCSF. The experience prompted him to find work in medical research. He started in an endocrinology laboratory, which had its focus on lipid and lipoprotein metabolism. Later on, Frank volunteered at a cardiac biomechanics laboratory and studied the muscle contractions of the heart during and after a heart attack. The latter research was carried out through experimental operations on sheep, which inspired Frank’s interest in surgery.
Besides working part time in labs, Frank remains very active in an intramural tennis club on campus called Tennis at Cal, where he runs weekly practices and oversees club events. Playing sports has always been a huge part of his life. Whenever possible, Frank would go to the gym to play basketball or onto the tennis court for a quick match with a friend.
Along with Tennis at Cal, Frank also facilitates a student-led course at Berkeley called Pre-Med 101, a program that brings interesting speakers from all spectra of medicine to a pre-med student body in attempt to give them inspiration and prepare them for the years ahead. Entering in his 4th semester with the course, Frank hopes that he can inspire his students with stories and experiences coming from the Surgical Internship & Mentorship Program.
Matthew Macheel
University of California, Davis
San Diego State University
Pursuing an initial interest in physical therapy, Matt Macheel entered UC Davis in 2002 under Exercise Biology. However, with such an active lifestyle during college – including being elected Vice President and Team Captain for the UC Davis Men’s Lacrosse team and working as a wildland firefighter and rock-climbing instructor – the demands of the pre-med workload were too time consuming for Matt. Accordingly, he graduated from UC Davis in 2007 with dual degrees in Economics and Graphic Design to continue his active lifestyle interests in a professional capacity through a career in marketing & advertising with the action sports industry.
To gain experience, Matt accepted a job working with a boutique marketing firm in San Diego, CA and to his disappointment, quickly realized he made the wrong career decision. After touring around South America and immersing himself entirely in another culture, a new perspective redirected Matt back to his original interest in healing, this time with a focus on the underserved.
Completing his post-baccalaureate studies at San Diego State University this past December, 2010, Matt has since earned his Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) certificate and relocated to San Francisco to pursue interim job opportunities as an Emergency Room Technician while applying to medical school. Matt hopes to work as a Trauma Physician and be able to respond to international relief efforts such as natural disaster emergencies.
Outside of academics and work, Matt devotes his little free time primarily to family and friends. Also, keeping ties to his interests before medicine, Matt enjoys distance running and snowboarding to stay active and freelance graphic design to utilize one of his two majors.
Saba Mashhadialireza
University of San Francisco
Saba Mashhadialireza was born in San Francisco, California and was raised by her two supportive parents in Pleasanton, California. She is the eldest child with one younger sister in which they are twelve years apart.
At a young age Saba Mashhadialireza had the ability to be a leader and overcome challenges within a variety of circumstances. She has played played basketball throughout her life, and enjoys being a team player. She has a passion for cars and is currently pursuing in receiving a her motorcycle license. Saba is very ambitious in trying exciting and risky activities such as cage diving with sharks.
Since she was nine months old she has been traveling the world and has a well understanding of different cultures, religions, and environments. Her passion with medicine began to develop after she saw the harsh conditions many around the world were living in. She always had a soft heart, and decided to enter the medical field as she could assist people in the most vital way possible: their health.
Saba is currently a student at the University of San Francisco, and just recently came back from a global medical brigade in Honduras. She aims high, and her fascination with the medical field along with her compassion towards people will continue to drive her through the medical field. Her dream is to set up a program similar to global medical brigades, where she could facilitate health care for rural areas.
Devan Patel
University of California, Davis
Devan Patel was born and raised in Fremont, California where he lived with his older brother and parents. As a child, he loved playing various sports including street hockey, baseball, soccer, and basketball. After a great high school experience, he went on to University of California, Davis where he got a B.S. in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior.
During his time in Davis he worked at the Center for Urban Forest Research where he worked on a project to maximize efficiency for watering in urban areas. He then went on to work at the UC Davis School of Medicine anatomy lab where he assisted professors and students to work with cadavers and labs. This experience helped him develop his passion for anatomy by learning hands-on about the human body.
After, he began his research in the UCDMC Cancer Center, where he investigated implications of ErbB3 positive breast cancer. While conducting research, he also volunteered in the UCDMC Emergency Room, where he gained valuable experience about the medical field. His experiences developed his passion to pursue medicine and he plans continue his research and apply to medical school in June of 2011.
Jobert Poblete
University of California, Berkeley
Jobert Poblete graduated from UC Berkeley in 2007, where he studied anthropology and city planning. At Berkeley, he was active in the student and social justice movements, advocating for public higher education, workers rights, and global economic justice.
In his fourth year, he conducted ethnographic research in hospitals and nursing schools in the Philippines and completed an honors thesis focusing on the migration patterns of Filipino “nursing-medics,” physicians who re-train as nurses in order to migrate to the United States.
After graduating, Jobert worked in the labor movement, conducting strategic research and designing campaigns to win organizing rights for low-wage food service workers. As a union researcher, he has worked on campaigns in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and nationally. He has also worked as a journalist, writing for the San Francisco Bay Area Independent Media Center and the San Francisco Bay Guardian.
Currently, Jobert is a post-baccalaureate student at UC Berkeley Extension, where he is completing his medical school prerequisites. He is a member and volunteer of the Berkeley Free Clinic, where he helps provide STD testing and counseling services. His interests include medical anthropology, public health, and the intersection between health and social justice. He likes hiking, climbing, reading, getting together with friends to discuss books, movies, and science fiction. His childhood was spent in Manila and Southern California, but he now lives in Oakland.
Scott Refugio
University of California, Davis
Scott Refugio is an undergraduate student majoring in Computer Science at UC Davis and will be graduating in Spring 2012. Scott’s passion for computers seems natural for him being a Silicon Valley native. He discovered his interest in medicine through technological advances such as the da Vinci Surgical system. Since then, he has been exploring the interface where technology and medicine interact. With his background in computer science, he wishes to help advance the field of nanosurgery through a career in medicine. Scott is also looking for highly motivated individuals to create a startup in medical imaging.
To better prepare himself for a future in research, Scott has participated in the 2010 Critical Assessment of Techniques for Protein Structure Prediction. This experiment involves the use of various analytical and prediction techniques to synthesize tertiary protein structures of any given sequence. In particular, Scott was responsible for the utilization of the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center’s supercomputers to complete the various computational tasks. He was also a research assistant in the Division of Pain Medicine at the UC Davis Medical Center. The study involves the administration of vaporized cannabis and finding significant neuropathic pain relieving effects. His current research job allows him to use computer vision to quantitatively analysis blood volume in blood vessel growth. From this, he hopes to complete an honors thesis. As an aspiring researcher, Scott continues to seek out projects in the field of medicine that can benefit from technology.
On the side, Scott likes to create computer programs with the various programming languages he has learned. When he isn’t programming his next project or managing his time between engineering and science classes, Scott enjoys playing video games and spending time with friends and family. Currently, he is anticipating the release of Battlefield 3.
Vincent Trapani
California State University, Sacramento
My name is Vincent Trapani and I was born in San Francisco, California on January 2, 1988. I was raised in Pacifica, California and graduated from Terra Nova High School where I was a four-sport athlete in Football, Basketball, Baseball and Golf. I was raised by my parents Joe and Teresa and have one older brother named Anthony. My father owns Trap’s Tire and Auto Center, an automotive shop in South City, California. I grew up working on cars along side my brother, where he currently holds the position as the lead alignment technician.
I recently graduated Cum Laude from California State University, Sacramento with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and a Bachelor of Arts in Biology. I was invited to become a member of the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, an academic community that recognizes the top 10% of collegiate students in the Department of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. I spent three years of my undergraduate career researching the synthesis of anti-viral therapeutic drugs against the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. I was a first author of a research paper that was published in the journal Carbohydrate Research. I was also rewarded the Howell-CSUPERB scholars award for my research in women’s health studies. This is granted to 10 individuals annually for outstanding research in the topic of women’s health studies throughout the CSU school system.
I am currently volunteering at Sutter Memorial Hospital in the Labor and Delivery Department and at UC Davis Hospital in the Department of Cardiology. At Sutter Memorial the majority of my activities involve triage patient room preparation, lab and patient transferring, as well as patient support during the delivery and/or caesarean section procedures. In the Cardiology Department I aid in treadmill testing for cardiac patients that either have suffered from a myocardial infarction or underwent cardiac surgery. Various vital signs are recorded and echocardiogram results are analyzed to determine the hearts ability to respond to the stress of exercise. I am currently applying to medical school to hopefully matriculate in the Fall of 2012.
Jack Vanbezoyen
University of California, Irvine
Jack Vanbezoyen is 25 years old and graduated from the University of California at Irvine in the year 2008. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in Political Science and is the first member of his family to attend college. While pursuing his degree Jack worked full time to support his educational goals, was chair of philanthropy for his fraternity and participated in student government for two years.
Upon graduating, Jack secured employment at the Neck and Back Medical Center in Laguna Beach, California as a Physical Therapy Aide where he worked to rehabilitate individuals suffering from chronic neck and back injuries through exercise, strengthening, traction therapy as well as other medical interventions. While there he discovered his passion for medicine and decided pursue his medical degree.
Recently, Jack has moved to Davis, Ca and is completing his prerequisite courses and studying for the MCAT in order to apply for medical school. He volunteers his time at the Sacramento Methodist Hospital in the Emergency Room, Intensive Care Unit, Physical Therapy dept. and at the Bruceville Terrace Skilled Nursing Facility.
Jack also enjoys hiking, snowboarding, riding his road bike, using his carpentry skills to build just about anything and taking time to visit family in southern California. He is very loved by his supportive family, girlfriend, three legged dog and cerebella hypoplasia cat.
Anush Vasikaran
Loyola University Chicago (Chicago, IL)
Anush was born in India and lived there for 9 years before moving to the United States with his family. Anush currently lives with his family in Chicago and has a younger brother who is currently in high school. Anush is currently an undergraduate senior at Loyola University Chicago majoring in Biology and Psychology while minoring in Neuroscience. He hopes to attend medical school with the 2012 class to his career goals of becoming a physician.
Anush enjoys playing and watching sports while managing multiple fantasy sports teams during each season. His favorite teams are the Chicago Bulls, Bears and White Sox. On campus, he is currently on the executive board of a nonprofit organization called GlobeMed at Loyola and South Asian Student Alliance. GlobeMed at Loyola is a student led initiative in which we work with a community in Guatemala in order to help provide them with sustainable forms of healthcare. South Asian Student Alliance is a student led club on campus that educates the student body about South Asian culture through various informational events in the University. He also conducts Neuroscience Research and is currently looking at the effect of caffeine on memory in rats. Tutoring is also a big part of his life as he has worked at Kumon Math and Reading Center ever since high school.
Anush also enjoys long distance running, weight lifting, playing video games and reading in his spare time.
Omar Viramontes
University of California, San Diego
My family and I were born in Mexico, where then we were given the opportunity to come to the US. Coming to the US signified a great opportunity for my family, but more importantly for my brothers (3) and I.
I was able to work hard and excel in high school and now I am an entering sophomore at the University of California, San Diego. Also, I am excited to become a facilitator at the tutoring center this upcoming year. I am majoring in Bioengineering: Biotechnology. This major will allow me to explore the engineering, industry, biology and medical realms as they are comprehensive and integrative.
After attaining my degree, I intend to apply to medical school. I hope one day I can become a doctor that can help people in need of medical assistance. Even though I come from a rural community I greatly treasure the opportunities to learn and conduct scientific and medical experiments. Moreover, I want to help those people in rural communities where medical care is rarely available.
I am very excited for the opportunity to participate in this internship, and I am looking forward to the numerous experiences that I will encounter in my journey through the UC Davis Hospital.
Michael Vu
University of California, Davis
Michael Vu is a 20 year old student from Saratoga, California. He comes from a very loving and encouraging family where he is the oldest of 3 children. He graduated from Saratoga High School with honors in 2009. In high school, he was a part of the soccer team and music department.
Currently, Michael is attending the University of California, Davis and is majoring in Biological Sciences with an emphasis in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior and is also minoring in Psychology. He likes the relaxed college-town feel that Davis has to offer. During his free time, he participates in undergraduate research at Dr. Kit Lam’s lab which conducts research on cancer cells. When time allows, he enjoys playing basketball, tennis, and hanging out with friends.
Recently, Michael has discovered a passion for medicine and hopes to one day attend medical school. Upon arriving at college, Michael has found a new found ambition and drive towards accomplishing his goals. He knows the path will be difficult, but he up to the challenge. He believes that as a doctor it is important to be able to relay information to patients in a way that is understandable and that builds trust. Michael looks forward to making the most out of the wonderful opportunity that the Pre-medical Surgical Internship has to offer.
Kristopher Waring
University of California, Davis
Kristopher Waring was born in Lakewood, CA. He recently graduated from UC Davis with a degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. He began his college course work at Los Medanos College in Pittsburg, CA where he remained undecided about his future while taking general education courses. After an introductory course in Biology, he became fascinated with science and the human body and decided to pursue a career in medicine. Prior to transferring to UC Davis, Kris sought to gain medical experience by becoming certified as a Medical Assistant and worked at a private medical office in Brentwood, CA.
Prior to applying to medical school, Kris plans to take a year off to travel and enjoy some free time with friends and family. Outside of academics, Kris enjoys staying physically active by hiking and practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in Brentwood, CA. Kris hopes to practice medicine in the field of Neurology, but he realizes his mind may change through the course of the Surgical Internship and after finishing medical school. Kris is continually reminded of how much support he has received from friends and family and is grateful for the opportunity to follow his dreams of success in medicine.
Adam Yen
University of California, San Diego
Adam Yen was born and raised in San Jose, California, where he lived with his mother and grandmother. He attended Bellarmine College Preparatory, a private all-boys Jesuit high school in San Jose. At Bellarmine, he competed in swimming and water polo all four years of his high school career and dabbled in speech and debate during his freshman year.
After graduation, Adam took an exciting but confusing trip across the country to attend college. During his freshman year, Adam attended UCLA, where he was lucky enough to play basketball with Adam Sandler one sunny Saturday morning. However, he soon began to realize his passion for swimming, and since UCLA doesn’t have a men’s swim team, he transferred to UC Davis for his sophomore year. Due to budgetary shortfalls, the UC Davis men’s swim team was cut in April 2010, and Adam decided to transfer yet again. After spending a tumultuous week at Columbia University, he packed his bags for UC San Diego, where he just finished his junior year as a Human Biology major. Adam is a member of the UCSD swimming and diving team that placed second at D-II nationals this past March, where he achieved All-American status. His goal for this summer is to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Trials.
In his spare time, Adam considers sleeping and eating to be the two most joyful aspects of life. He also enjoys playing basketball and watching the tv-show Scrubs, which he sadly knows is not a real representation of life in the hospital.
Last summer, Adam worked with Lorenzo Berti, PhD, at the UC Davis Department Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. His work revolved around discovering new ways to deliver cancer drugs to highly specified regions such that the drugs do not damage other parts of the body.
In addition to the Surgical Internship Program this summer, Adam will be shadowing Dr. Jason Dragoo, a surgeon at Stanford Hospital.
