MedCat Companions is a medical student-run organization that provides companionship to hospitalized patients to alleviate loneliness, increase patient satisfaction, and connect with each patient’s experience beyond medicine.

Shubitz Clinic is a family medicine clinic that provides free primary healthcare services to uninsured patients in Tucson. It is led University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson medical students who provide care under the supervision of volunteer physicians. We serve patients who have no other source of healthcare and are able to offer the following services to patients free of charge: routine health care screenings, management of diabetes and other chronic conditions, prescription management, lab work, health education, information on community health resources, and referrals to other student-run free clinics. As the lead clinic coordinator, I fulfill a variety of in-clinic and out-of-clinic duties to ensure smooth operations and high-quality patient care. During clinic sessions, I rotate with other coordinators to oversee the clinic's activities, manage patient check-ins, organize volunteer teams, handle patient paperwork, and schedule return visits. Outside of clinic hours, I manage Signup.com events, coordinate student volunteers, schedule clinics and leadership meetings, and spearhead clinic improvement efforts.

As a member of the Block Advisory Committee Member, my team and I serve as a liaison between students and block directors. We are responsible for reviewing student feedback for each medical school block and discussing it with the current block director. Following these discussions, our committee reports all progress and improvements back to the student body at the end of each block.

Through the research in the Herman/Van Horn Diabetes and Obesity Lab at ASU, I aim to understand the underlying physiological mechanisms of developing obesity and Type II diabetes. To do this, I feed rodents varying diets, measure their weight gain and daily caloric intake, perform intraperitoneal injections, review protein analyses of their blood, evaluate biopsies of their liver and adipose tissue, and lead Zoom discussions on obesity publications. I examine patterns in weekly and cumulative weight gain of rodents, feed efficiency of rodents, and persistence of disease. This information may help guide future therapeutic interventions for obesity. I am currently working on publishing my undergraduate thesis titled, “Persistence of Weight Gain, Energy Intake, and Feed Efficiency in a Rat Population Inclusive of Obesity Prone and Obesity Resistant Male Sprague-Dawley Rats with Controlled Environmental Factors.”

REACT is a student led venture between Arizona State University undergraduates and Mayo Clinic medical students which works to address the healthcare disparities generated by geographic, linguistic and cultural isolation of the refugee community in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Our mission is to empower and partner with refugees and asylum seekers living in Maricopa County by engaging with their communities, understanding their health disparities, educating on knowledge gaps, and providing high-quality patient care at our student-run free clinic. I oversought outreach with refugee communities and asylum seekers in Maricopa County to understand their unique health disparities, executed health education workshop based on community health needs assessments, worked closely with 50+ undergraduate and medical students in launching and operating a student-run free clinic for refugees and asylum seekers, led the social services initiative at our clinic, volunteered as a patient navigator, and created/taught a student-run course (HCR 494: Refugee Health Education) to supplement volunteering at our clinic. From health education to medical care, it has been incredibly rewarding to play an integral role in providing important resources for this population.

I summarized the patient's concerns, typed the HPI, physical exam, imaging dictation, assessment and plan, put in diagnosis codes, orders for office visit, and all inner office procedures. Oftentimes, I would assist in very basic inner office procedures such as suture/staples removal. I learned to function as an effective member of a diverse healthcare team by communicating with and working alongside the orthopedic surgeon, PAs, and MAs to provide superb patient care. I took notice of how debilitating pain and constant worry could be repaired with a combination of medical intervention and empathy. Seeing patients triumph over afflictions and win their life back invigorated me to pursue a career as a physician.

I embarked on my passion for global health by providing educational and professional support to 50+ students interested in diversifying their experiences in the global health realm. I organized global health lectures with world-renowned professors at ASU, discussed current global health research focused on epigenetics, and arranged volunteering events. From listening to an epidemiologist discuss COVID-19 contact tracing to learning about the role of genomics in global health inequity, I gained a new perspective on how factors like location, culture, and religion can influence health outcomes. I understood that someone’s health is beyond just their biological mechanisms, and I became determined to address the social determinants of my patients’ health in the future.

My primary responsibilities were to provide general assistance in the instructional process of the undergraduate course BIO 182 under the direct supervision of the professor. During the semester, I was asked to assist during lectures, lead discussion groups, and tutor students. As an ATA, I could be found drawing genetic recombinations on the whiteboard with different colors for the freshman confused about meiosis, creating a study plan and implementing time management strategies for the non-traditional student balancing school and work, or simply helping a pre-med student understand the nitrogen cycle a few days before the exam. I strove to make academics seem fun and manageable for my students, and it was one of my goals to make sure students cared more about learning than just their grades.

Pre-COVID-19, a select group of ASU undergraduate students would shadow Mayo Clinic physicians, gain hands-on laboratory experience, watch operations in the surgical simulation center, and participate in Mayo Clinic-sponsored research projects. Due to the pandemic, these aforementioned activities were canceled, so it became virtual program that consisted of monthly seminars delivered by Mayo Clinic healthcare providers.

The committee is advisory to Educational Outreach and Student Services regarding policies, educational programs, services, and future directions for Student Health. Myself along with other undergraduates from the different ASU campuses played an integral role in many different health-related projects/decisions, such as launching telemedicine for ASU health services during COVID-19.