Summer 2010
The following are biographical notes of students who were selected for the Surgery Intern Program in summer 2010.
Note: Records are presented in alphabetical order.
- Laura Constantine
- Marissa Hughbanks
- Christine Kwong
- Lee Lankford
- Crisol Rocio Morales
- Charleen Pfanner
Fellows
Aside from their internship obligations, the following students manage the summer SIP.
Laura Constantine
Brigham Young University/University of California, Davis
Laura Constantine is from Sacramento, California. She worked as a behavioral analyst and therapist for children with autism for several years. Putting her clinical skills to use in research, Laura began working with Dr. Blythe Corbett, Ph.D. at the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at University of California, Davis School of Medicine. She assisted in investigations of neurodevelopmental disorders at the M.I.N.D. Institute and presented the finding through several conferences and two publications. She continues to work in Dr. Corbett’s SENSE Lab (Social Emotional Neuroscience Endocrinology) as a volunteer for SENSE Theatre, a unique theatrical intervention research program designed to improve the social and emotional functioning of children with autism.
Laura received her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Brigham Young University. She completed her pre-medical studies at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of California, Davis. Having mainly shadowed neurologist, psychiatrists, and emergency medicine physicians, she is very excited to have the opportunity to shadow surgeons through the AMSA ARC Pre-medical Surgical Intern Program. Laura enjoys spending time with her husband and two daughters, and tries to fit in studying, volunteering, and applying to medical school.
Marissa Hughbanks
University of California, Davis
Marissa Hughbanks was born in San Jose, California and raised by her two loving and supportive parents in Hollister, California. She is the middle child with an older brother and younger sister.
At a young age, Marissa Hughbanks had a passion for learning. She was an ambitious child who constantly pushed herself to achieve whatever she had set her mind to. Marissa first discovered her interest in the medical field while visiting her childhood pediatrician. In high school, Marissa further developed her interest in the human body and its workings in her biology and human anatomy classes. Her desire to help others, coupled with her fascination with the human body drove her to pursue a career in medicine.
Marissa is currently a junior at the University of California, Davis majoring in Biological Sciences with an emphasis in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior and minoring in Latin American and Hemispheric Studies. She aspires to attend medical school in the fall of 2012 in hopes of becoming a pediatric surgeon.
Marissa currently works as a research assistant for a surgical research lab in the UC Davis Veterinary Department of Surgical and Radiological Sciences. In her spare time she enjoys reading, running, riding horses, and spending time with friends and family. Marissa is an optimistic go-getter who enthusiastically looks forward to what the future has in store for her.
Christine Kwong
University of California, Davis
Christine Kwong is a 20-year-old Chinese American currently completing her 3rd year at UC Davis as a Biological Sciences major with an emphasis in Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior. She was born and raised in Sacramento as a middle child with two brothers. Alongside being a full-time student she also works two days out of the week at the UC Davis Lung Cancer Research Laboratory as an intern for Chris Mahaffey, a graduate student researcher studying the gene p53 within cancer patients. In addition, Christine currently works at Sutter General Hospital, where she has been volunteering for over a year. Although she is now working within the Emergency Room Department at Sutter General, she has also been able to gain experience within several other departments such as the Telemetry Department and Intensive Care Unit.
Christine enjoys staying active everyday and dedicates herself equally to all of her commitments. Although she now has three internships, she still tries her best to find time to help the smaller, more local fundraisers and community organizations within Davis. Christine also enjoys painting/drawing whenever she can and tries her very best to spend as much time as possible with her family.
Christine’s hero and mentor is her mother, Mary Lew, who gives her the motivation and encouragement to pursue her dreams no matter how many obstacles may arise. Christine plans to graduate in 2011 and hopes to continue her education through medical school in hopes of achieving a life career within the medical field.
Lee Lankford
California State University, Sacramento
Lee Lankford is currently a Student Outreach Coordinator for the Pre-Med Surgical Internship program, a CSUS alumnus, as well as a full-time employee at the Java City corporate warehouse in Natomas. He is 24 years old, and in his free time he enjoys playing guitar, spending time with his girlfriend Jessica, friends, and family, as well as reading. Lee was born in Sacramento and grew up in a town just south of there called Elk Grove, where he attended elementary school through high school before moving into Sacramento to attend college. Growing up in Elk Grove helped shape Lee into the person he is today. During his elementary through high school years he spent most of his time playing various sports such as baseball, soccer, and football.
In 2006 Lee attended the International Scholar Laureate Program Delegation on Medicine in China, which was an educational trip throughout many areas of China where he was given basic classes on the Chinese health care system as well as various forms of Traditional Chinese Medicine. This trip not only developed in Lee a great enjoyment in traveling, but also was his first step in deciding to dedicate his life to becoming a physician.
Since this time Lee has steadily put forth great effort to continue to grow academically and as a full-time employee. He has also devoted over 120 hours as a volunteer at Sutter Memorial Hospital in Sacramento, as well as over 150 hours shadowing the surgeons at UC Davis Medical Center. He enjoys traveling to various schools and speaking with prospective applicants about the Pre-Medical Surgical Internship program as well as sharing his own experiences shadowing physicians and in the hospital. Currently he is completing his secondary applications in the 2010-2011 medical school application cycle, and looks forward to beginning his career in medicine very soon!
Crisol Rocio Morales
University of California, Davis
Crisol Rocio Morales, better known as Sol, was born September 14, 1983 in Culiacan, Sinaloa Mexico. At the age of 3, her and her mother moved to Los Angeles, California where she resided until the age of 22. It was not until 2006, shortly after getting married, that Sol relocated to be with her husband in the Sacramento area. Sol and her husband currently reside in Woodland, Ca and look forward to starting a family together in the near future.
Sol graduated from Gahr High school in Cerritos, CA in 2001 and proceeded onto attend and graduate with honors from both Cerritos College and Sacramento City College. Sol has earned 2 AS degrees and 1 AA degree so far in her educational career. Currently, Sol is a 3rd year Animal Biology major at University of California Davis and expects to graduate 2011. She is interested in pursuing a lifelong career in cardiology and surgery.
In addition to being a full time student and wife, Sol is a proud member of Phi Theta Kappa, AMSA ARC and M.A.R. (Mujeres Ayudando la Raza). She is also the first in her family to earn any kind of higher educational degree, as well as the first to attend a University. In her spare time Sol enjoys hiking, camping, butterfly research and has become a very skilled salsa dancer.
Charleen Pfanner
California State University, Sacramento
Charleen graduated in ’02 from CSU, Chico with a BA in Studio Art and a minor in Business Administration. After realizing that she wanted to focus on a career in medicine, she began taking pre med courses at American River College. She then transferred to CSU, Sacramento and received a BS in Biology.
Currently, Charleen is applying to medical schools and hopes to hear back from her top choices soon. While waiting, she is going back to American River College to keep her brain sharp. She is taking various Psychology courses, expecting that they will help her better understand and relate to her patients. Attending school once more has allowed her to be a Beacon tutoring again, tutoring Zoology as well as Anatomy & Physiology. During her down time, she volunteers at the AIDS Housing Alliance as a tutor for children who need a little extra help with their studies. One Saturday a month she hosts Girl’s Night at a local women’s shelter. Also, for the past five years at Shriner’s Hospital for Children, she has carried out orthopedic research and visited children as a certified Pet Partner with her guinea pig, Cliff.
As Outreach Coordinator for the Program, Charleen has been responsible for getting the word out about the internship, through talking with different campuses, working on promotions and providing information to students. She hopes to see many community college students apply for the next round! Good luck all!
Interns
The following students, including SIP Fellows, were selected for the summer program.
Ali Alvandi
University of California, Davis
Ali Alvandi was born in Sacramento, CA and has grown up in the Sacramento area for his entire life. He is a 20 year old entering his fourth year at UC Davis as a Biological Sciences Major with a Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior Emphasis. Ali loves life in Davis and plans to apply to medical school this upcoming June with the aspiration of staying in California.
Ali’s motivation to study medicine stems from his childhood pediatrician who he still goes to for his regular visits. As a result, his medical interests include pediatrics and cardiology although he maintains an open mind. He loves interacting with patients and hopes to open his own practice with his younger brother, Bejan, who will be starting his first year at UC Davis this fall. He also wants to work with disadvantaged populations to emphasize the benefits of preventive medicine through proper diet and exercise regimens.
Ali is currently a Research Associate for EMRAP (Emergency Medicine Research Associate Program) in the UCDMC Emergency Room where he works with EKGs and EMR records to enroll patients in various physician studies. He takes great pride in volunteering at the Imani Clinic which provides free episodic healthcare to the underserved population of Sacramento. In addition, he has served as the Outreach Coordinator of the UC Davis club MAPS (Minority Association of Pre-Medical Students) which aims to help minority pre-medical students matriculate into medical school. He also referees soccer in Davis and Sacramento for a variety of age groups ranging from youth to adults. Ali enjoys an active life and likes to spend time with his friends and family, work out, play intramural sports, raft at the river and eat out.
Claire Brownfield
San Jose City College
Claire Brownfield was born and raised in San Jose, California where she lived with her parents and three younger brothers. After graduating from Presentation High School, Claire attended San Jose City College to complete her transfer requirements. While at SJCC, she attained her EMT-B certification and began teaching as a volunteer instructor in the SJCC EMT Training Program. This fall, Claire will transfer to UC Davis to complete her B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology before applying to medical school in 2013.
As well as being a full-time student, Claire holds two part time jobs as a life guard and EMT-B. She also volunteers as an EMT-B at concerts throughout the Bay Area. In her free time, Claire enjoys reading fantasy and science fiction books, swimming, and hanging out with friends and family.
Jane 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. She also spends time monitoring the safety of the residence halls and responding to policy enforcements. Aside from RA commitments she volunteers 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 tumors, keeping track of the progress in the study. 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. She is also Editor in Chief of a science, society, and law journal called The Triple Helix on campus. Aside from being in charge of production and publication, she attends annual leadership conferences with other chapters at different schools across the nation and across the world.
Jane spends the rest of her leisure time with friends and family. During the weekdays, she likes going to the gym every day and spends time with her friends. Every weekend she visits her father who lives close to Berkeley. She greatly enjoys being in the company of others and as busy as her schedule can become, she tends not to give up her time with friends and family.
Elizabeth Constantz
University of California, Davis
Elizabeth Constantz grew up as only child in Mountain View, California. The daughter of two medical research librarians, she was exposed to medical terminology from an early age. She developed a passion for medicine early on, watching her older cousin begin her path to medical school. As time passed, and her experiences and knowledge increased, this passion only grew.
Elizabeth is currently enrolled at the University of California, Davis. She will be graduating this December with a Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences with an emphasis in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior along with a minor in French. While at UC Davis, Elizabeth has participated in various campus organizations. In her second year she and a friend co-founded the UC Davis chapter of Team HBV, a collegiate branch of the Asian Liver Center at Stanford University. Team HBV aims to increase awareness of the Hepatitis B virus on a national and global scale. Since founding the UC Davis chapter, they have raised money, raised awareness, and most impressively worked with the state of California to provide free HBV vaccines to the Paul Hom Asian clinic in Sacramento.
In her third year, Elizabeth had the opportunity to study abroad in Grenoble, France. During her stay, Elizabeth was able to work with a Ph.D. student conducting research on the differentiation pathway of epithelial cells. The experience left Elizabeth with a greater level of laboratory knowledge and an increased interest in research.
In her free time Elizabeth enjoys white water rafting, and is a certified guide for the UC Davis organization, Outdoor Adventures. She is also a member of UC Davis club field hockey team, and is very excited for the upcoming fall season.
Elizabeth is very grateful for the opportunity to experience medicine from the physician’s perspective, and is excited to learn from this experience.
Parnian Eslami
University of California, Berkeley
I moved to United States from my country Iran at the age of 18. I started Peralta community college when I came to United States and later transferred to University of California, Berkeley in 2008. I graduated from Berkeley with a bachelor of Science in Integrative Biology. When I was a forth year at UC Berkeley, I started a research at UCSF with Dr. Alison Meadows about patients who are having Tetralogy of Fallot sickness. From this research, which I am still working on it, I learned how to read Cardiac MRIs and using different tools and measure what was needed for the research.
In summer of 2008, I worked voluntarily in emergency room and clinic of Akhtar Orthopedic Hospital in Iran. This volunteer work gave me many different perspectives both in life and medical field. It helped me to learn about medical field and how it works back in my country, Iran. This was my first experience in medical field and it was very new and interesting to me. In addition, I got a lot a chance to talk to patients and understanding what are their main concerns and problems. Interestingly, one of their main concerns was that they were unable to afford the cost of their treatment, so they could not get treated. After witnessing such scenes in Akhtar Hospital, I decided to do my best in order to create some facilities for poor people when I become a doctor.
I play Piano and Daf, which is one kind of an Iranian Drum. Music is always one of the best ways that enables me to relieve my stresses and worries. I can say that playing opens my mind and helps me to think well with a less stressed mind.
I am planning to attend a medical school and trying my best to become a helpful and useful doctor for the people of my society.
Joshua Gabel
University of Nevada, Reno
Joshua Gabel is a senior at the University of Nevada, Reno graduating this Fall with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Bachelor of the Arts in Psychology. Following two semesters to pursue increased language training in Mandarin Chinese in Taiwan, Joshua returned to begin studies in biology, as well as continue his studies in psychology and vounteer work in behavioral therapy clinics and shelters. In addition to continuing research in both the psychology department, concerning cognitive deficits in children with Autism, and the biology department concerning axon guidance of hippocampal neurons, Joshua works as an inclusion specialist for the City of Reno to better integrate children with disabilities into recreation programs.
Joshua hopes to pursue a Masters degree in medical anthropology in conjunction with his medical doctorate in order to better prepare himself for a career with heavy humanitarian focus – ideally at a future date with Medicines Sans Frontiers. In his spare time, Joshua enjoys cycling, hiking, climbing, and snowboarding in the Sierra Nevadas, as well as soccer, his childhood pastime.
Manjot Grewal
University of California, Davis
Manjot Grewal, better known as Kimi, was born in India and moved to Yuba City, California at the age of 7. She graduated from Yuba City High School as valedictorian and proceeded to attend UC Davis. She is currently entering her senior year as a Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior major.
Currently, she is a researcher for John Roth in the Microbiology department of UC Davis and is a member of the Phi Sigma Honor Society. Kimi loves to work with children and has taught eight-year olds how to read and write Punjabi for a few years now. She also participated in a PE program for elementary children in Davis. Kimi has had a passion for medicine since middle school and has tried to take every opportunity possible to learn and immerse herself in it. Earlier this year, she organized a hypertension and diabetes screening in Yuba City in order to raise awareness in the middle-aged population of the Indian community.
Kimi loves to be physically active doing a variety of things. She trained as a martial artist in Taekwondo for six years and played tennis throughout high school. She enjoys Zumba, rock climbing, kettle bells, pilates and more. In her spare time, Kimi likes to read, cook and spend time with family and friends.
Kimi is very excited about this internship. She has learned a ton already, but hopes to gain even more knowledge and exposure.
Sahar Hojjat
American River College
After graduating Folsom High School last year, Sahar began attending American River College in fall 2009 where she is currently majoring in Biological Sciences. She plans to transfer to UC Davis in 2011 and hopes to pursue more opportunities that will get her to her passion of becoming a doctor.
She loves children and wanting to make every child smile, she plans to specialize in Pediatrics. She loves helping people in every way and hopes to make a difference in the lives of every single person she meets.
In the next year, she hopes to pursue a research opportunity in epilepsy in children while volunteering at Shriners hospital. She is extremely excited to be part of the AMSA ARC officer team and hopes to make a difference in the lives of fellow members and the chapter while pursing her journey in medicine.
Kirstie Kampen
University of California, Davis
Kirstie Kampen was born in Visalia, California, the place where she has called home all her life. She is the oldest of three children with two amazing brothers and two wonderful parents. She is also the first in her family to attend a university. She credits all her success to her family and God because their support has given her the motivation and encouragement to pursue her dreams, no matter how many obstacles may arise. On the rare occasion that she has free time, Kirstie enjoys golfing, biking, watching television and learning to hear.
Kirstie wears a cochlear implant and a hearing aid. Both devices together allow Kirstie to receive artificial sounds in order to hear the world around her, yet she continuously relies on lip-reading, spoken English and sign language to communicate. Regardless of her hearing disability, Kirstie has always work hard in all aspects of her life to be successful and achieve her dreams – one of which is to become a doctor and give back what she have received by helping others.
She is currently attending UC Davis to complete her Biological Sciences major with an emphasis in Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior. Kirstie will graduate in March 2011 and plans to attend medical school afterwards. She hopes to specialize in cardiac surgery. She feels drawn to that particular field because as a Christian, she has learned about God’s love for all people. So, Kirstie desires to work with the heart, in a physical sense, and to help heal people’s hearts by doing all she can through surgery.
Kirstie is honored to be a student in the Pre-Medical Surgical Internship and embraces the opportunity to learn from the UC Davis surgeons.
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.
Alana Laux
University of California, Davis
Alana Laux is going into her fourth year at UC Davis. She is biology major with a pre-med emphasis. Ever since she was a little girl, she has dreamed of becoming a doctor and caring for others. She is extremely determined to fulfill her purpose and hopes to someday do medical missions around the world.
Alana was born and raised in California, and is the first person in her family to attend a four year university after high school. Although neither of her parents have a college degree, Alana learned from them the value of integrity, hard work and compassion. Besides her dream to become a medical doctor, Alana enjoys painting, working out and dancing with friends. She has always been involved with athletics and currently runs Track for UCDavis. Alana has a strong Christian faith and has grown the most as a person through the trials and joys of her life.
Marisa Leal
San Francisco State University
Marisa Leal is a second year master’s student at San Francisco State University (SFSU). Originally from Salinas, CA, Marisa moved to San Francisco to first pursue her Bachelor’s degree in Cell and Molecular Biology and decided to stay and do her master’s in the new Bridges to Stem Cell Research Master’s Program at SFSU. In this program she got to be involved in groundbreaking human embryonic stem cell research at the University of California, San Francisco.
During her free time, Marisa likes to give back to her community in many ways. At SFSU, Marisa has been involved in the Science Education Partnership & Assessment Laboratory (SEPAL) Spectrum Program. Here she got the chance to teach after school science clubs to women of color in low-income areas in San Francisco. She also was a mentor for the SF Promise Program, a program that helps middle school children prepare to go to college early. And in the Mentoring in Medicine program, Marisa learned about topics such as diabetes and hypertension and went to rural areas in Oakland to teach it to children and adults to raise awareness of diseases that affect minorities greatly.
Marisa plans to be apply for medical school next summer and is currently writing her thesis in hopes of finishing her master’s soon. Coming from a rural community, Marisa would like to work in underserved areas and hopes to one day be involved in Doctors without Borders. Pediatrics has always been Marisa’s department of interest but she is open-minded and is looking forward to her near future in medical school!
Rose Li
University of California, San Diego
Rose was born in Shanghai, China and moved to California with her parents when she was three. She grew up in the small town of Davis and loves the unique culture it has to offer. In high school, Rose rehearsed and performed with the Davis High School Symphony Orchestra, playing the violin and piano on occasion. Rose has always been interested in pursuing a medical career, volunteering regularly through her school community service clubs at events such as the Alzheimer’s Memory Walks and fundraising for the UC Davis MIND Institute. She excelled in her science classes throughout grade school, and decided to pursue a pre-medical major for her undergraduate years.
Rose is currently a Junior at UCSD, double majoring in Human Biology, B.S. and Psychology, B.A. During her Sophomore year, she worked part time as a lab assistant at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California. There, she helped conduct research on epilepsy, in addition to genotyping Galanine mice, maintaining cell lines, and other tasks for the Molecular and Integrative Neurosciences Department.
Over the summer, Rose is working full time at the California Air Resources Board, in addition to participating in this awesome Pre-Medical Surgical Internship. In her free time, Rose loves shopping, playing volleyball, and spending time with her wonderful friends, family, and boyfriend. When she gets the chance, she loves to play the piano. Rose hopes to go to medical school in the Fall of 2012, and eventually aspires to travel the world and aid in health care outreach programs in undeveloped countries.
Alex Lu
University of California, Berkeley
Alex Lu currently studies at UC Berkeley as a public health major and bioengineering minor. His favorite classes thus far include modern physics, environmental economics and human reproduction. When not in the classroom or working in his research labs (neural stem cells in the embryonic and adult brains), Alex practices piano, a hobby that almost turned profession while touring Europe. His interests expand from here. Tired of only eating scrambled eggs and Hot Pockets, Alex began a loving affair with the culinary arts his sophomore year of college after moving into an apartment. His gastronomic fetish explores all foods sea- and street-, the chief reason why he religiously watches No Reservations and Bizarre Foods.
Through the Cal Leadership Institute, Alex has found his niche in the large Berkeley pond. As a graduate and proud mentor for the Blueprint Leadership Program, Alex finds the study of group dynamics and leadership theory far more applicable (and exciting) than organic chemistry. He applied his leadership experience as the International Project Director of Nourish International @ Cal by organizing and leading a service trip to Jamaica with the non-profit Blue Mountain Project.
After reading Ultramarathon Man by Dean Karnazes, Alex began running and has yet to stop. He finds running to be the ultimate metaphor for life: you get what you put in. While currently building up his weekly mileage, Alex hopes to complete his first marathon circa April 2011. Outside of these activities, he reads one book a week and tries to webcam with his grandparents nightly. Unlike his peers, Alex still needs to explore the medical field before dedicating his life to the profession; however, his decision becomes easier with each shift through this unique program.
Erin Murray
Saint Mary’s College of California
Erin Murray is a 19 year old college student attending Saint Mary’s College of California is Moraga, California and is in the class of 2013. He was born in Warrenville, Illinois and then moved to Austin, Texas and eventually to Roseville, California. He works for a Primary Care doctor in Lafayette, California and is majoring in Biochemistry.
He volunteers in the Emergency Department at the John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek, California and helps out with various community events including carnival for kids and taking underprivileged children Christmas shopping. He is also the president of The St. Luke Premedical Society at Saint Mary’s.
Erin loves to be around people, play sports and have a good time. He grew up playing baseball through high school but had to give it up in pursuit of a career as a doctor. He goes on hikes and loves to take pictures of the places he has been. Erin also plays the guitar and loves to try new things to keep himself busy whenever he gets a moment to get away from studying.
Madeline Nguyen
University of California, Davis
Ever since she was young, Madeline Nguyen loved soaking in new experiences and knowledge like a sponge. She graduated from the University of California, Davis with a degree in biological sciences and emphasis on molecular and cellular biology. During her time at UC Davis, she participated in a multitude of activities that ranged from clinical-related activities and scientific research, to journalism and a student-run Asian American film festival.
Madeline was a part of the largest collegiate community service organization in the world, Circle K International, and held leadership positions at the university chapter and tri-state levels. As a past service project coordinator for the club at UC Davis, she put together community service projects that impacted children, the elderly, the environment, animals and more. She honed her Vietnamese language skills as an interpreter for VN CARES, a UC Davis student-run health clinic, and during a medical mission in Vietnam, where she was one of five people on the medical team who could speak both Vietnamese and English.
Currently, Madeline is pursuing a Master of Public Health at Touro University-California. Her time spent in health-related activities, especially coordinating a health and safety fair, inspired her to get involved in community health. She is excited to integrate her diverse interests in her future career in medicine. Madeline is drawn to medicine because of the constant intellectual challenge and fulfillment of being able to help others improve their health.
Her other loves include photography, food adventures, travel, tennis and badminton, books, and spending time with loved ones.
Tenzin Norsang
University of California, Santa Cruz
The youngest of five children, Tenzin moved to California from India in 1996 at the age of five. Both his parents are of Tibetan descent and took refuge in India after the Chinese occupation of Tibet in 1959.
Tenzin is currently in his third year at the University of California, Santa Cruz majoring in Biological Sciences. His interest in health and medicine began at an early age when two of his sisters took the nursing school route. Tenzin has always found fascination with living systems and the science curriculum he has taken during his secondary education and as an undergraduate.
Tenzin balanced taking summer courses at Santa Cruz and commuting over 200miles every weekend to Sacramento for the AMSA ARC Pre-medical Surgical Internship. After the internship, Tenzin plans on continuing his volunteering efforts at the UC SF Medical Center Emergency Department. Tenzin will also be serving as the co-president of the UC Santa Cruz chapter of Global Medical Brigades, where he will help organize a medical brigade to set up temporary clinics free of charge for the rural, underserved villages of Panama. He went on his first brigade to Honduras in June of 2010 and had an amazing experience. His main priority during the brigade is to thrive on fostering principles of preventative healthcare for the people of Panama and Honduras.
Tenzin’s future plans are to attend medical school and successfully complete the path to becoming a doctor. He hopes to be able to go back to India and Tibet as a doctor and serve the people that once took care of his parents when they were young.
Matthew Paranial
American River College
The third of four children, Matthew Paranial grew up in South Kona Hawaii where he graduated from Konawaena High school in 2000 enlisted in the United Sates Air Force in September of that year. During his six years of military service Matt traveled the glob serving tours in Korea, Qatar, and Kyrgyzstan in support of both operation Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. Once he completed his enlistment in 2006 Matt relocated to Sacramento in order to be closer to his mother and siblings. After a year of trying his hand in the work force Matt decided to pursue his education enrolling in American River College in the fall of 2007. Shortly After he began at ARC Matt discovered a passion for medicine and declared biological science as his major with the intent of applying to medical school.
Currently Matt is attending his third year at ARC where he is the Vice President of activities for AMSA ARC as well as acting as a conference coordinator for the AMSA ARC/UCD pre-med conference. Matt plans on transferring to UC Davis to finish his undergraduate work “soon”.
In his spare time Matt has volunteered at the Mercy San Juan Emergency room and practices Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (though school keeps him from going very often and he admits he is not very good).
Matt was honored to be selected from a field of extraordinary applicants for the AMSA ARC Surgical internship and embraces the opportunity to learn from the UCD Medical center surgical staff.
Jonathan Patane
California State University, Sacramento
Jonathan Patane was born in Hayward, California in 1988. He was raised in South San Francisco, California where he attended El Camino High School in 2006. He played two years of Junior Varsity basketball, and two years of varsity basketball, and served as team captains of each. He also participated in music programs and honor societies, including work experience programs. He was raised by his loving parents, along with his older sister Christina, who now teaches high school geometry.
Jonathan currently attends CSU Sacramento, where he will receive a Bachelors of Science in Biochemistry with a minor in Biology. During his studies, Jonathan was invited into the Phi Kappa Phi honor society, which recognizes the top ten percent of math and science majors throughout higher education. He was the president of publicity and recruitment for the American Medical Student Association at CSU Sacramento, and spent ample amounts of time volunteering throughout the Sacramento community.
Jonathan spent many years in college researching antiviral therapeutic agents to fight against the transmission of HIV. During his years in the lab, he held several different research projects and published his work in Carbohydrate Research. He also spent time volunteering at UC Davis medical center in Cardiology, focusing on rehabilitating patients after heart attacks or open heart surgeries.
Morganne Pessereau
University of California, Berkeley
Born and raised in France, Morganne moved to the U.S. at age seventeen to live with her father. The transition was difficult but in retrospective the move proved beneficial by opening her horizon to a future full of possibilities. She attended college as the first person in her family to so and pursued interests in ancient history by studying anthropology and archaeology. Despite field schools and research experiences her heart was set on community service and education as she volunteered in campus organizations and tutored fellow students in science and language courses.
A trip to Nicaragua with MEDICOS sparked her interest in medicine and she returned determined to become a catalyst for change in disease prevention and patient education and advocacy. Since her college graduation, Morganne has been completing medical school requirements by taking night and week-end classes while working in an outpatient psychiatric practice and as a caregiver. Her passion for medicine and patient care is fueled not only by work, but also by volunteering as a health promoter for diabetic patients in a local community health clinic.
Morganne is happily married with Mario from Oaxaca, Mexico whom is a civil engineering student also planning to make a difference in his community. Together they love cooking Franco-Mexican meals, dancing salsa, traveling and watching or playing soccer.
Renata Romero
American River College
Renata Romero is currently a student at American River College where she has earned 1 AA and 2 AS degrees. In the near future, she plans to transfer to Sacramento State. Presently she works full-time for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) as an aviation inspector, where she performs inspections on airlines and airports. She has two children, an 11yr old son and 14 yr old daughter. As well as a 14 yr old niece who lives with her. Along with the general demands of two teenage girls, she is kept busy with her brood’s many activities, travel baseball, soccer, and band.
In addition to working full-time for TSA, she is employed part-time for the Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Center of Yolo County (SADVC), as a sexual assault victims’ advocate. As an advocate she responds and assists victims of sexual assault when they report assaults at a medical or law enforcement facility. While she has always had an interest in medicine it is through this work that she has developed an interest in health care policy and how it affects women and children specifically.
Alex Shaft
University of Nevada, Reno
Alex Shaft is a 26 year old student currently entering his junior year at the University of Nevada in Reno in pursuit of a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry. Alex grew up in Reno, and was an avid wrestler and trombone player through high school. After graduation, Alex joined the Marine Corps, and served five years as an flight navigator for KC-130 cargo aircraft. These five years were some of the most influential of Alex’s life, and the experiences he gained around the world were priceless.
After leaving the Marine Corps, Alex immediately dove into his education, and decided to pursue a career in medicine. He proposed to his girlfriend of 5 years, Angela, and now has two step-children, Nathan and Patience. Alex is currently a volunteer with the Student Outreach Clinic at UNR, and works with the Veteran’s Hospital in the radiology department.
Alex is a very motivated and positive individual, who is very lucky to have had many great learning experiences throughout his life, and the love and encouragement of his family. He is extremely excited for all that is to come on his journey to become a surgeon.
Dan Stoll
Yale University/University of Nevada, Reno
Dan Stoll is pursuing medicine as a second career. After growing up in the Bay Area, he completed his undergraduate studies at Yale University in 1995 and continues to work as a computer programmer, analyst and manager for a financial company, as he has for many years. After achieving some success there, he is transitioning to medicine due to the meaningful work, inherent altruism and opportunities for lifelong learning that the field entails. He is currently completing additional upper-level Biology coursework at the University of Nevada, Reno in order to round out his medical school application, and is involved in the university community as the Treasurer of the local pre-medical chapter of the American Medical Student Association, as a Spanish translator at the Student Outreach Clinic of the University of Nevada School of Medicine, and through his work in a genetic research laboratory.
Dan was an intercollegiate athlete in cross country and track and field, and although he no longer pursues athletics with such determination, he still enjoys outdoor physical activity and the particular opportunities for hiking, backpacking, bicycling and golf that his home Reno-Tahoe area presents.
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.
Paterra Yang
California State University, Chico
I’m a fourth year student at CSU Chico majoring in Biological Science with an emphasis in Cell and Molecular Biology, along with a minor in Chemistry. My interest for medicine developed at a young age through the many hospital and clinic visitations that I attended with my parents. As I progressed through high school my increased interest in science led me to pursue a Biology degree in college as well as become a pre-med student. I currently serve as a volunteer for Enloe Hospital where I have worked in the Children Health’s Center and Cancer Center for the past year. This volunteer work and other local physician shadowing opportunities have broadened my knowledge about the medical field as well as further enhanced my enthusiasm for a career in medicine.
I am also involved in other activities such as Student Support Services, CSUC’s Pre-Med Association, and Omicron, which is a Biology honors society at CSUC. I will be serving as vice president for Omicron this upcoming school year. I have also served as treasurer for my church Youth Group for three years and through this organization have participated in many community service activities. In my spare time I like to spend time with my family and friends, cook/bake, read, or go fishing.
I am especially excited about this program since I have never heard of such a program as this before, and am thrilled to be given the opportunity to learn from the individuals at UC Davis Medical Center. I will be graduating in Spring 2011 and am looking forward to becoming a medical student and pursuing a career medicine.
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