2017 Executive Board
Co-Presidents
Sydney Green
Sydney was born and raised in South Florida. She graduated from Harvard College in 2013 with a BA in History and Science. After graduation, she moved to Tallahassee, FL where she did research in public attitudes toward organ donation and implicit bias among medical professionals. She is now pursuing an MD-PhD, with the PhD in the History of Medicine where she hopes to answer the question of for whom the US medical system was built and whether it is flexible enough to provide equitable care for those who seek it.
Throughout her life she has been bolstered by strong communities and joined SNMA-LMSA to continue to build that support system among underrepresented minority students at YSM. She also believes that system should extend beyond the gates of Yale into New Haven, the residents of which we serve throughout our training.
She also loves knitting, crafts, college football, guava & cheese pastelitos, and corny jokes.
Kevin Juarez
Kevin O. Juarez is the proud son of Guatemalan Maya, working-class parents, and was the first in his family to graduate from high school. He went to community college at Mt. San Antonio College and earned an AA in Natural Sciences and Mathematics in 2009 before transferring to UCLA where he earned his B.A. in Psychology in 2012. Throughout his time at UCLA, Kevin conducted research in Alzheimer’s and other dementias in the FTD & Neurobehavior Research Lab at UCLA and the VA of Greater Los Angeles. Following graduation, Kevin completed a service year with the inaugural AmeriCorps Community HealthCorps Program in Los Angeles where he worked to develop health partnerships for low-income communities. After completing the AmeriCorps service year, he returned to the VA of Greater Los Angeles to continue research in Alzheimer’s before matriculating to YSM.
Also in 2016, Kevin helped establish the STEM Center at Mt. San Antonio College during its pilot semester with the goals of improving STEM major retention and transfer rates to 4-year universities among underrepresented minorities at the college. Kevin is passionate about mentoring and healthcare, and hopes to serve as a medical provider in medically indigent communities. He hopes to address educational and healthcare inequalities through his future practice and contribute to the advancement of research within the medical community.
Co-Vice Presidents
Sahana Kribakaran
I was born in India and grew up in the Bay Area in California. I graduated from UCLA in 2015 where I majored in Neuroscience and spent much of my time with the local community through a student-run free clinic, high school STEM mentorship and exposure program, and local community garden projects. I also did a lot of basic neuroscience research at UCLA and then spent one year after graduating doing more neuroscience research at UCSF. I joined SNMA/ LMSA to get to know and serve the local New Haven community, especially youth through HPREP, as well as to become a part of a YSM community passionate about addressing health inequities, diversity in medicine, and more.
Monique Haynes
I am from New Haven. I graduated from Yale University in 2014 with a BA in History of Science & Medicine and an MPH in Social & Behavioral Sciences.
I spent time off doing research on fragile x premutation and premature ovarian insufficiency. I also did an internship at Bellevue Hospital ED in NYC and did medical mission work in Haiti. My interests include: orthopedic surgery and global surgery, health justice, patient health literacy and health education for youth interested in science and medicine.
Fun facts: when I younger, I was a member of a singing and acting group that toured Germany.
Brianna Olamiju
Born and raised in New York, Brianna (or Bri) attended Columbia University where she majored in Race and Ethnicity Studies. She graduated in 2015 and subsequently worked as a medical scribe during her gap year. In addition to SNMA/LMSA, at Yale, Brianna is also involved in leadership in Women in Medicine and the HAVEN Free Clinic. She is very passionate about forming networks of support among classmates and serving the New Haven community.
Treasurer
Social Chair
Secretaries
Political Action Chair
Premed Liaison
Upper Class Liaison
Community Service Liaisons
Ashley Odai-Afotey
Hi everyone! My name is Ashley and I am a first year medical student. I grew up in Olney, MD (outside of DC) and went to Cornell University for college. I graduated in 2015 with a BA in Biological Sciences. After graduation, I worked at N Street Village, a womens' homeless shelter in DC under an HIV AmeriCorps program. I joined SNMA/ LMSA because I want to be an advocate for the New Haven community and for minority students at Yale.
Nelson Ugwu
Hometown: Abuja, Nigeria
Undergrad institution: Truman State University
Major: Biology
How I spent time off: Did congenital heart disease research at Washington University in St. Louis
Social interests: Playing soccer, cooking, traveling
Academic interests: cardiovascular medicine SNMA-LMSA interest: teaching, mentoring Fun fact: I was once on four different continents within 24 hours
Max Jordan Nguemeni Taiko
I was born and raised in Yaounde, and moved to Washington DC to attend Howard University. I studied Civil and Environmental Engineering, then studied bio-mechanical engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, GA), and focused on medical devices development. I grew and interest in novel technologies and FDA related policies during my time at Georgia Tech, but also refined my interest in clinical medicine. I then worked at Vanderbilt University as a medical devices researcher in the department of biomedical engineering, before finally attending Yale School of Medicine. Some things that I'm interested in include photography, playing tennis, running, listening to music (especially hip hop, R&B, soul) and playing taboo. Some of my favorite elements of SNMA/LMSA at Yale are the fellowship among members, the ways in which we have so far marked our presence on the medical campus including special events and initiatives such as YSEP.
Shunella Lumas
Hi everyone - my name is Shunella Lumas and I grew up in Queens, NY. I graduated from Harvard College in 2015 with a B.A. in the Classics and stayed in Boston after graduation as an AmeriCorps member for the Boston Healthcare for the Homeless Program. I spent a lot of my time in college and during my gap year engaging in community service, which is why I decided to join SNMA/LMSA as its Community Service Liaison. My favorite hobby is photography, and I was part of the school newspaper during college where I dabbled in sports and fashion photography. Fun fact - I'm a classic rock buff
Monica Ferrer Socorro
Monica was born and raised in Venezuela where she promised that she would dedicate her life to a career that would help break the cycle of disease and poverty. She graduated from Brandeis University with a triple-major in Neuroscience, Biology, and Health: Science, Society and Policy, and spearhead many projects aimed at improving the health and education of communities in Venezuela and the US. She also interned at the International AIDS Society in Switzerland working on a literature review on community-based participatory research in HIV, and subsequently worked at Weill Cornell Medical College studying how electrical activity affects early brain development. She joined SNMA/LMSA hoping to serve the latino and underserved communities in New Haven and strengthen the latino community at Yale. In her free time she loves dancing, traveling, eating cheese, drinking wine, and going to the theater.
Zainab Jaji
Zainab Jaji: Born and bred in Lagos, Nigeria. I graduated in 2013 from Gustavus Adolphus college in Minnesota, where I studied Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. I have being a member of SNMA/LMSA since my first year in medical school. I joined SNMA-LMSA because of the community it created for minorities and as a way to mentor younger students.
Maryam Ige
Hello! I grew up in Queens, NY, and attended Stony Brook University where I studied Biomedical Engineering. Broadly speaking, I am interested in global health as well as applying engineering principles to the medical field. I enjoy research, dancing, and reading a good book. Lastly, I joined SNMA/LMSA not only to support pre-med students in their journey to medicine, but also to help foster an inclusive community for underserved members of society. Fun fact: Growing up, I was so sure I was going to become a famous singer.....but then I realized I was a terrible at holding a note
Pavithra Vijayakumar
I'm a first year MD student from Yonkers, NY, and I'm excited to serve as SNMA/LMSA's social chair! I graduated from Princeton in 2015, where I studied Public Policy and Global Health, focusing on the Affordable Care Act and health care delivery systems. I spent last year doing research at the NIH branch in Phoenix, AZ on diabetes and obesity in the urban and reservation American Indian population there. At Yale, I hope to continue working with populations with diabetes and obesity, specifically in the New Haven community, which SNMA/LMSA's programs make possible. I have two younger sisters and I love cooking!
