HGHI Student Advisory Committee Photo

Student Engagement

HGHI Global Health Ambassadors

The mission of the Harvard Global Health Institute’s Student Advisory Committee (SAC) is to build a community and idea-sharing space for undergraduates interested in global health at Harvard. The SAC aims to support cross-disciplinary collaboration and communication among students. This space provides undergraduates with opportunities to be involved with and to help inform HGHI’s work, especially on issues that affect student experiences. It also provides a platform from which students can learn about HGHI-supported opportunities, such as global health summer internships and courses, and request support for their own student-led projects and initiatives.

Are you interested in global health? Are you hoping to get more involved on campus but don’t know where to start? If so, talk to a Harvard Global Health Institute (HGHI) Student Ambassador!

We’re always happy to talk about global health classes, internships, research opportunities, and more. Feel free to email us directly if you have any questions and/or would like to meet with us.  We look forward to meeting you!

CONTACT INFORMATION

Email: juliacasas@college.harvard.edu

Julia Casas

Co-President, Student Advisory Committee

  • Gender Pronouns: she/her/hers
  • Year: Class of 2024
  • Concentration: Neuroscience (Mind, Brain, Behavior Track)
  • Secondary: Global Health & Health Policy 
  • House: Mather
  • Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Bio: Hello everyone! My name is Julia and I am a junior from East Los Angeles, California, studying Neuroscience with a secondary in GHHP. Through HGHI, I aspire to help students get involved in global health advocacy and community outreach. I am currently on the pre-med track interested in Neurosurgery. I aspire to become a locum tenens physician who assists underserved communities. My research focuses on 3D modeling rodent motor behavior to determine the function of the dorsolateral striatum located in the basal ganglia. I am a piano instructor through the Harmony Mentoring Program, and have interests in musical theater.  I am President of Fuerza Latina, so you’ll often find me in Latinx spaces on campus. Some of my hobbies include reading, photography and thrifting.  
  • Areas of Interest in Global Health: Migrant health, Mental health advocacy, International health policy, Women’s health
  • Global Health-Related Student Organizations: Partners in Health Engage
  • Other Student Organizations: Harvard Fuerza Latina President, Harmony Volunteer Mentoring Program, College ARCH Mentor, Puente Program College Ambassador, Harvard-Radcliffe Drama Club
  • Research/Internships: Motor learning and behavior in Ölveczky Lab at Center for Brain Science (Harvard University), Microbiome and staph bacteria of the hand at the Broad Institute (MIT and Harvard)

CONTACT INFORMATION

Email: maanasa_mendu@college.harvard.edu

Maanasa Mendu

Co-President, Student Advisory Committee

  • Gender Pronouns: she/her/hers
  • Year: Class of 2024
  • Concentration: Neuroscience (Mind, Brain, Behavior Track) 
  • Secondary: Global Health & Health Policy
  • House: Kirkland
  • Hometown: Mason, OH
Bio: Hi everyone! My name is Maanasa, and I’m a junior from Mason, Ohio studying Neuroscience on the MBB track with a secondary in GHHP. I’m interested in the development and acceptance of innovation in healthcare from the systems to the individual level. To this end, I have taken classes focused on the life sciences, technology, and social anthropology and explored research and internships focused on more precise diagnostics for neuropsychiatric disease and quality improvement for people with HIV/AIDS in a federal public health agency. Outside of course work, I help organize events with the wellness educators, fundraise with Circle of Women, and volunteer as a resource advocate at HSHS. You’ll also find me taking brisk walks, hunting for ice cream places to try, and singing off-key. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions about navigating global health interests, classes, or internships at Harvard or just want to chat!
  • Areas of interest in Global Health: Social determinants of health, Infectious disease, Technology, Quality improvement, Medical anthropology, and Health policy 
  • Global Health-Related Student Organizations: Wellness Educators, IOP Health Policy Team, African Policy, and Development Initiative
  • Other Student Organizations: Circle of Women, Women’s Cabinet, HSHS (Resource Advocacy), Ghungroo
  • Research/Internships: Summer intern (Center for Quality Improvement and Innovation, Ryan White/HIV AIDS Program), Research assistant (Delirium Lab MGH), Medical anthropology research (Radcliffe Research Partnership), Medical content writing intern

CONTACT INFORMATION

Email: arsemaaklog@college.harvard.edu

Arsema Aklog

Student Ambassador

  • Gender Pronouns: she/her/hers
  • Year: Class of 2026
  • Concentration: Global Health and Health Policy
  • Secondary: Sociology
  • House: Lionel
  • Home Town: San Diego, CA
Bio: Hi everyone, I’m Arsema! I’m a first-year in Lionel, studying Sociology with a secondary in Global Health and Health Policy. Though I was born in Ethiopia, I grew up in San Diego, California. I’m very passionate about centering marginalized communities in healthcare, particularly through understanding social determinants of health and decolonial/anti-racist healthcare solutions. In the past, I have worked in various sectors within the public health field, ranging from culturally-competent nutrition research or creating equitable health metrics for international NGO health infrastructure projects. On campus, I serve as an Analyst for the Harvard College Consulting Group, an Assistant Director for Harvard National Model United Nations, and the first-year representative for Harvard’s Eritrean Ethiopian Student Union. In my free time, I love cooking Ethiopian food, crocheting, and going into Boston with my friends. Please reach out if you have any questions about classes, global health opportunities, or being FGLI at Harvard!
  • Areas of Interest in Global Health: Social determinants of health; decolonial global health solutions; maternal health in East Africa; health policy;
  • Other Student Organizations: Harvard College Consulting Group; Harvard National Model United Nations; Harvard Eritrean Ethiopian Student Association; Association for Black Harvard Women; Black Student Association
  • Research/Internships: Nutrition Research Intern (University of California, San Diego & Leah’s Pantry); Monitoring and Evaluation Intern (Build Health International); Communications Intern (American Civil Liberties Union); Health Media Intern (San Diego Refugee Community Coalition)

   

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CONTACT INFORMATION

Email: theachung@college.harvard.edu

Thea Chung

Student Ambassador

  • Gender Pronouns: she/her/hers
  • Year: Class of 2025
  • Concentration: History of Science
  • Secondary: Global Health & Health Policy
  • House: Pforzheimer
  • Hometown: Milton, MA
Bio: Hey, everyone! My name is Thea Chung, and I am a sophomore from Milton, Massachusetts. I study History of Science and Global Health and Health Policy. I am particularly interested in migrant health, endangered by inhumane border policies, extractive violence in the Americas, worsening issues of climate change, and the migratory journey itself. I work with asylum seekers at the Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinic, learning about their personal histories and embodiment of trauma. Over a gap semester last fall, I worked at La Clínica del Pueblo in Oaxaca, developing a health strategy for type 2 diabetes, a rampant biosocial health crisis in the area. I am also interested in medical anthropology and the importance of ethnographic methods in conceptualizing the illness experience of patients, which is a first step to improving quality care. During a summer internship with the National Academy for Social Prescribing in London, I supported efforts for global implementation of social prescribing, a growing health initiative that aims to promote a biopsychosocial model of health. On campus, I am the external liaison for the Harvard Undergraduate Initiative of Social Prescribing. I operate as the outreach director, finding social prescribing opportunities across the nation for Harvard students. Aside from health work, I pursue film and digital photography, and I love spending time outdoors with friends. If you have any questions at all about navigating global health opportunities or exploring health interests, feel free to email me, or we can chat over coffee!
  • Areas of interest in Global Health: Social medicine, Health equity, Migrant health, Women’s health, Planetary health, Global mental health
  • Global Health-Related Student Organizations: Harvard Undergraduate Initiative for Social Prescribing (external liaison), Harvard Undergraduate Global Health Forum 
  • Other Student Organizations: The Harvard Advocate (art board), WHRB (DJ)
  • Research/Internships: National Academy for Social Prescribing (summer intern, ongoing collaborator), La Clínica del Pueblo (intern)

CONTACT INFORMATION

Email: anaiscolin@college.harvard.edu

Anais Colin

Student Ambassador

  • Gender Pronouns: she/her/hers
  • Year: Class of 2025
  • Concentration: Neuroscience
  • Secondary: Global Health & Health Policy, Language Citation in Spanish
  • House: Eliot
  • Home Town: Houston, TX
Bio: Hi, everyone! My name is Anaïs, and I’m a sophomore from Houston, Texas currently living in Eliot. I’m concentrating in Neuroscience on the Mind, Brain, Behavior track with a secondary in Global Health and Health Policy and a language citation in Spanish. I am passionate about improving health care delivery and accessibility, especially for marginalized communities, both as a physician and through public health research. In addition, I am deeply interested in pediatric medicine and child development, which has led me to serve as a weekly volunteer at Boston Children’s Hospital. On campus, I work as a case manager and supervisor at Y2Y Harvard Square Homeless Shelter, direct operations for the Harvard Undergraduate UNICEF Club’s annual conference, and write articles and mentor associate editors for the Harvard Health Policy Review. Last summer, I interned with Partners In Health in Lima, Peru, where I developed an interest in psychiatry and global mental health. In my free time, I love to go for bike rides and explore new restaurants or recipes, especially sweet treats! If you have any questions about navigating global health and pre-med opportunities at Harvard, feel free to reach out to me! I would be more than happy to chat with you. 
  • Areas of interest in Global Health: Health care accessibility, Neurodevelopment, Health policy, Mental health, Children’s health, Education
  • Global Health-Related Student Organizations: Harvard Undergraduate UNICEF Club, Harvard Health Policy Review, MEDLIFE
  • Other Student Organizations: Y2Y Harvard Square, IOP Citizenship Tutoring
  • Research/Internships: Partners In Health Peru (summer intern)

CONTACT INFORMATION

Email: sakshigarg@college.harvard.edu

Sakshi Garg

Student Ambassador

  • Gender Pronouns: she/her/hers
  • Year: Class of 2024
  • Concentration: Human Developmental & Regenerative Biology
  • Secondary: Women, Gender, & Sexuality Studies 
  • House: Adams
  • Hometown: Little Rock, AR
Bio: Hi everyone! My name is Sakshi, and I’m a junior In Adams House originally from Arkansas studying Human Developmental & Regenerative Biology with a secondary in gender studies. On campus, I do research with the Hsu Lab in the SCRB department, direct the Harvard Global Health & Leadership Conference with VISION and HGHI, and serve on the board of the South Asian Women’s Collective. I’m deeply interested in the intersection of healthcare and human rights, specifically women’s health, and am working on a project addressing implicit bias in the identification/treatment of trafficked patients for HEAL Trafficking. Outside of research and global health, you can find me organizing events with the Adams House Committee, playing Sudoku, and going into Boston with friends! If you want to chat about getting involved in research, maintaining interdisciplinary interests while being pre-med, choosing a balanced set of classes, global health opportunities at Harvard, or anything else, please reach out!
  • Areas of Interest in Global Health: Women’s health, Translational medicine/scientific research, Health equity, Education  
  • Global Health-Related Student Organizations: VISION Global Health Society
  • Other Student Organizations: The Crimson, IOP Citizenship Tutoring, South Asian Women’s Collective
  • Research/Internships: Skin regeneration in Hsu Lab (Harvard University), Student intern (HEAL Trafficking)

CONTACT INFORMATION

Email: johnlin@college.harvard.edu

John Lin

Student Ambassador

  • Gender Pronouns: he/him/his
  • Year: Class of 2025
  • Concentration: Human Developmental and Regenerative Biology
  • Secondary: Global Health & Health Policy/History of Science
  • House: Currier
  • Hometown: Boston, MA
Bio: Hello! I am John Lin, a sophomore planning on pursuing a concentration in Human Developmental and Regenerative Biology with a secondary in GHHP or History of Science. I am excited about the intersection between health and policy to drive healthcare equity. On campus, I have been a policy researcher for the IOP Health Policy Team and worked on increasing accessibility to weatherization services. I also care deeply about education and serve as a team lead for the IOP Policy’s Education Team as well as a mentor for BRYE Teen. Outside of campus, I am conducting research on toxic protein accumulation in kidney disease at the Broad Institute.  I would love to hear more about your interests in global health and cannot wait to help you navigate through all the incredible opportunities that HGHI has to offer. Please don’t hesitate to reach out about classes, internship opportunities, interests/global health ideas, or anything else!
  • Areas of interest in Global Health: Health policy, Healthcare accessibility, Education, Healthcare economics, Immigrant healthcare management
  • Global-Health Related Student Organizations: Global VISION
  • Other Student Organizations: IOP Policy, HCURA, Harvard Science Review, PBHA BRYE Teen
  • Research/Internships: Research Intern (Broad Institute); Microbiology Research Intern (Forsyth Institute)

CONTACT INFORMATION

Email: krishapatel@college.harvard.edu

Krisha Patel

Student Ambassador

  • Gender Pronouns: she/her/hers
  • Year: Class of 2025
  • Concentration: Computer Science, Chemical & Physical Biology
  • House: Dunster
  • Hometown: Chicago, IL
Bio: Hi! I’m Krisha, a sophomore concentrating in Computer Science and Chemical & Physical Biology. On campus, I’m a Connections Principal for Harvard Undergraduate Capital Partners, and involved in a biotech project exploring genetic markers of glaucoma for GAMI. Off campus, I conduct research in cognitive neuroscience at Boston Children’s Hospital and computational oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Broad Institute. I volunteer as a student advocate with PBHA’s Best Buddies Program, and as a Resource Manager with the Crimson Care Collaborative at MGH-Revere. In my free time, you’ll likely find me roaming around with my camera, dancing to South Asian music, playing bridge, or obsessing over Secret Hitler to anyone who’ll listen. Please reach out if you have any questions about computational healthcare opportunities, research, freshman-year classes, dancing, or anything else!
  • Areas of Interest in Global Health: Disability equity, Neurodevelopment, Health policy, Language barriers in healthcare
  • Global Health-Related Student Organizations: Harvard Health Policy Review, GAMI, Crimson Care Collaborative
  • Other Student Organizations: PBHA’s Best Buddies Program, Harvard Undergraduate Capital Partners (HUCP), CBE, Ghungroo
  • Research/Internships: Clinical neurodevelopment research (Boston Children’s Hospital); Computational oncology research (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute + Broad Institute)

CONTACT INFORMATION

Email: esiyanbade@college.harvard.edu

Tomi Siyanbade

Student Ambassador

  • Gender Pronouns: she/her/hers
  • Year: Class of 2024
  • Concentration: Chemical and Physical Biology
  • Secondary: Global Health and Health Policy; Language Citation in French 
  • House: Cabot 
  • Hometown: Atlanta(ish), GA
Bio: Hey! My name is Tomi Siyanbade, and I'm an academic-junior social-senior from Atlanta(ish), Georgia, studying Chemical and Physical Biology with a secondary in GHHP and a Language Citation in French. I'm broadly interested in global health at all levels-- from wet-lab development of diagnostic tests, to epidemiological studies of specific health determinants. I'm currently working in the Sabeti Lab at the Broad Institute, where I'm helping to optimize various diagnostics as well as writing a textbook to educate high schoolers on outbreak response (Operation Outbreak-- google it!) Outside of STEM, I love both listening to and playing music; you can find me in various ensembles on campus. I also love talking about movies and tv shows, so if you have any questions about my path here at Harvard or if you want me to tell you why Avengers Endgame is much worse than you remember, feel free to reach out!
  • Areas of Interest in Global Health: Health equity and infrastructure, Infectious disease, Biotechnology
  • Global-Health Related Student Organizations: To be added.
  • Other Student Organizations: The Harvard Undergraduate Drummers (THUD), IOP Women in Leadership, Cabot Musical
  • Research/Internships: Project Lead for Operation Outbreak Textbook, Research Assistant optimizing diagnostic tests (Broad Institute), Research Assistant analyzing C. elegans RNAseq data (Georgia Institute of Technology)

CONTACT INFORMATION

Email: chibuikem_uche@college.harvard.edu

Chibuikem Uche

Student Ambassador

  • Gender Pronouns: He/Him
  • Year: Class of 2024
  • Concentration: Government
  • Secondary: Global Health and Health Policy
  • House: Currier
  • Home Town: Dallas, TX
Bio: Hey guys!! My name is Chibuikem Uche and I’m a Junior studying Government and with a secondary in Global Health and Health Policy! I am from Dallas, Texas and I love the Dallas Cowboys! I am interested in examining the connection between health policy and health outcomes among various communities. A few other things: I love playing sports, podcasting, and getting outdoors! Please feel free to reach out with any questions about global health interests, class suggestions, or any Harvard or non-Harvard related interests and passions! Also, if you’d just like to talk and have a conversation, please don’t hesitate to reach out!
  • Areas of Interest in Global Health: Health equity, Health policy, Social determinants of health, and Infectious disease
  • Health-Related Student Organizations: Harvard Premedical Society, Harvard Society of Black Students and Engineers
  • Other Student Organizations: Nigerian Students Association, Harvard University Sports Lab, Harvard Sports Analysis Collective

CONTACT INFORMATION

Email: izumivazquez@college.harvard.edu

Izumi Vazquez

Student Ambassador

  • Gender Pronouns: she/her/hers
  • Year: Class of 2025 
  • Concentration: History of Science (Medicine and Society)
  • Secondary: Global Health and Health Policy, Spanish (citation)
  • House: Mather
  • Home Town: San Antonio, Texas
Bio: Hi! My name is Izumi Vázquez, and I am a sophomore studying History of Science (Medicine and Society track) with a secondary in GHHP on the pre-med track. I was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. I am interested in advancing health equity (particularly that affecting Latino communities) as both a physician and health policy advocate. I am also intersted in the intersection of art and healthcare — I have previously created and am currently working on art pieces for a major hospital in my hometown. A few other things I love: pottery, dogs, and backpacking! Please reach out if you have any questions about engaging in the medical humanities, research, freshman-year classes, or anything else!
  • Areas of Interest in Global Health: Health equity, Health policy, Migrant health, Mental health advocacy, Social determinants of health
  • Other Student Organizations: First-Year Outdoor Program, Harvard Consulting on Business and the Environment
  • Research/Internships: Getting to Zero Massachusetts Coalition Activist Academy Fellow, Advocating Success for Kids (ASK) Clinic Patient Advocate, research intern (Lee Lab @ UT Health San Antonio), summer business analyst (healthcare consulting @ McKinsey)

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