Laura Blank
I am a second year medical student at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. I am currently involved in intramural sports and various clubs and activities on campus, including Wisely Surgical Association, Internal Medicine Club, Hematology and Oncology Club, and our campus music group, Pulmonics. In 2011, I graduated from Grove City College with a degree in Psychology and a minor in Biology. I am a middle child in a family of five and I grew up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Sandra Kim
My name is Sandra Kim and I am currently a third year undergraduate student at the University of Georgia majoring in Biology with a focus in pre-medicine and minoring in Spanish. I grew up experiencing the grief of family members suffering from illnesses such as severe cases of Diabetes, Hepatitis, and Lung Cancer. These family-related illnesses planted my passion to become a healthcare professional in order to help the lives of others. My love for helping people in need has become a dictating factor in my everyday life, encouraging me to become a leader in several organizations and volunteer on my free time. I am very excited and thankful for AMSA for giving me an opportunity to further my knowledge with the Integrative Medicine Scholar Program (IMSP).
Nathan Barusch
I'm a third year medical student at Creighton University's new clinical campus in Phoenix, Arizona. I'm originally from Salt Lake City, Utah. Growing up in the shadow of the Wasatch Mountains I became an avid skier, rock climber, mountain biker, and backpacker. Whenever I get the chance, I practice Yoga and meditation. I also enjoy exploring the mountains of Arizona with my black lab, Robbins. My academic interests include Psychiatry, Preventative medicine, and, of course, Integrative Medicine. This summer I completed AMSA's LEAPS into Integrative Medicine program where I met some great people and got to learn about some wonderful ways of promoting health in my patients. I am currently starting up my school's first Integrative Medicine interest group. I'm looking forward to learning more about IM and meeting all of you!
Diana Huang
Diana is currently a first year medical student at Temple University School of Medicine, completing a dual MD/MA in Urban Bioethics. Prior to attending medical school, she graduated from the Cortiva Institute School of Massage Therapy in Seattle, WA and became nationally certified in the practice of therapeutic massage. During her time in massage school, Diana experienced improvements in her own quality of life from the regular incorporation of manual therapies and meditation into a healthy lifestyle. She hopes to spread a message of openness in medical education to these and other (currently alternative) therapies. Related causes she advocates include the increased incorporation of nutrition, exercise, self-care, and patient safety education into standard medical curriculums, all initiatives that she believes will ultimately improve the lives of both patients and doctors.
Abraham Young
My name is Abraham Young, I am a fourth year medical student at SUNY Downstate, and I am excited to begin my residency in family medicine next year, wherever that may be. I am also a casual hiker, playground basketball player, novice sou-chef, gardener and poetry reader/writer. Ever since I made the career change to enter medicine in 2006, I've been a believer of and advocate for primary care. Health outcomes are better, and everyone's happier, when we are involved with each other holistically--that goes for both the patient and doctor.
Isha Mahta
Hi, I'm Isha! I'm from Delaware, and I'm a second year medical student at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. I went to the University of Pennsylvania for undergrad, where I was a psychology major with a concentration on social psychology. Some of my hobbies are dance, yoga, reading, and cooking. I've always been interested in alternative and eastern medicine, and I'm very excited to learn about the field of integrative medicine moving forward!
Allan Medwick
Allan is a student in the Penn State Brandywine Accelerated Post-Baccalaureate Medical Sciences Certificate program. He graduated in 2001 from La Salle University with a dual major in economics and Italian; he then went on to earn a doctoral degree in higher education management and a master’s in public administration from the University of Pennsylvania. In graduate school, Allan was active in the Mid-Atlantic College Health Association and received the Lewis A. Barbato award from the American College Health Association for contributions to the field of college health by a student. He is currently working as a Presidential Management Fellow at the National Institutes of Health and is a member of the Greater Bethesda AMSA chapter. Allan has visited China five times and is interested in Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Amy Brown
I am originally from a small town in rural New Hampshire. After graduating from Wheaton College in 2008, I moved to Beijing, China, where I worked in an international hospital and studied Traditional Chinese Medicine. When I returned to the US, I settled in Boston and joined a research study investigating tai chi. I am now in my first year at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine. I hope to develop my skills in osteopathic manipulative treatment and increase my knowledge of integrative medicine, so that I may incorporate them into a primary care practice.
Jeffrey Schacter
Jeffrey Schachter is a 2nd year medical student at IAU in St. Lucia. As an undergraduate, he attended the University of Winnipeg, where he majored in Biology/Biochemistry. Before starting medical school, Jeffrey was doing cancer research with the Kirk McManus Lab at the Manitoba Institute of Cell Biology. He is currently working on a research project performing in-silico protein-ligand docking experiments. Jeffrey is a member of an internationally renowned dance group, and also enjoys practicing gymnastics and martial arts.
Debbie Dennis
Debbie Dennis was recently accepted into the 2016 class at A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona. Debbie has a Bachelor of Science in Bioengineering from Arizona State University and two Masters of Science from the University of Southern California in Medical Device and Diagnostic Engineering and Regulatory Affairs. Prior to starting medical school, Debbie worked as a human factors engineer at Boeing for several years where she worked on the Apache helicopter cockpit and the Future Combat System. She is an Arizona native and hopes to practice in Arizona when she finishes her medical education.
Elspeth Black
Elsie was raised in New Jersey before obtaining her B.S. degree from the University of Miami in Miami, FL. During her undergraduate career, she had a wide array of interests ranging from tennis to salsa dancing, and also greatly contributed to the University's student-run 'Canes Emergency Response Team (UM CERT). As an EMT, she is an active proponent of preparedness and of using all resources available. She currently attends St. George's University School of Medicine in Grenada, West Indies and will graduate in 2016. She is passionate about her future career in medicine and is always integrating new research and treatment techniques into her knowledge base.
Paige Harrison
I am currently a second year medical student at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. I was born and raised in western Maryland. I love trying new things, running, yoga, dogs, and cooking. I am very intrigued and excited by all of the facets that integrative medicine has to offer, and am thrilled to be apart of the IMSP!
Vera Von-Bergen
Vera is a fourth year medical student at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine with interests in women's health, academic medicine, gender specific medicine, and international medicine. As past-president of her medical school's Complementary and Alternative Medicines Club, she believes that physicians should be educated in Integrative Medicine as it incorporates the best of evidence-based medical treatment from Eastern and Western worlds. The fact that we provide some of the most expensive healthcare in the world yet have the most chronic health conditions is something that she believes is related to the nutrient-poor western diet. Often our diet is overlooked, and not even asked about by our physicians, despite the fact that research has shown that you are what you eat, what you breathe, and what you think. By incorporating this body, mind, and spirit approach, she will be able to assess and treat all aspects of her patients’ lives that may be contributing to their dis-ease state.
Amir Mohamed
Amir Mohamed graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with dual degrees in Molecular Cell Biology and in Near Eastern Studies. Before attending Rush Medical College in Chicago, Amir was a Senior Consultant at Triage Consulting Group, one of the nation's leading hospital revenue consultancies. In his two years working in consulting, Amir worked to reduce hospital revenue loss and implement risk minimization solutions custom tailored to the needs of each of the numerous hospital systems he worked with throughout the United States. With his background in the business of healthcare and his love for politics, Amir avidly follows health care reform and hopes to become involved in the debate in order to help increase medical access to underserved populations and to help advocate for a wider implementation of integrative medicine. In his free time Amir enjoys playing soccer, surfing, playing guitar and exploring Chicago on his bicycle.
Holly Greenwald
I grew up in the beautiful desert town of Tucson, Arizona. After high school, I moved to Philadelphia where I attended college at the University of Pennsylvania and focused on a combination of biochemistry, psychology, and Hispanic studies. Upon graduation, I moved to New York City to conduct melanoma and clinical oncology research at NYU for 2 years. I recently moved to Washington, DC, and started medical school at Georgetown, where I intend to pursue the Health Justice Scholar Track. In my spare time, I enjoy traveling, puzzles, cooking, Latin American fiction, and photography.
Julee Snyder
Julee Snyder is a first year osteopathic medical student at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, CA and masters of public health student at the University of New England. Before her medical studies, Julee was a dancer, choreographer, and arts administrator. She then ran her own business as a bodyworker combining massage therapy, yoga, and Pilates. In addition to working in private practice, she worked for an osteopathic physician and at Duke Integrative Medicine, collaborating with other health providers to create health plans for patients. Additionally, Julee works closely with her Osteopathic physician, Naturopathic physician and Acupuncturist regarding her own health needs.
Zach Morrison
After graduating in 2005 from UC Berkeley with a BS in Bioengineering, I worked for two years in the Neuroepidemiology Lab at UC San Francisco. While the science behind my work interested me greatly, in 2007 I decided to make service the central focus of my daily activities by becoming a member of the Peace Corps. Smiling faces and afternoon soccer matches are the first memories to pop into my head, but my experience in Burkina Faso went much deeper than made-for-TV moments. I observed multivariate links between health care, education, infrastructure, and agriculture, as well as complicated relationships between western aid organizations and Burkinabè nationals. Working at World Education, an international NGO, after returning to the US has strengthened my belief in the critical link between health care and education in communities around the world, and I am eager to use my NGO- and field-level knowledge working as a physician in domestic and international settings in the future.
Mara Motley
Mara Motley is in her fourth year at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She applied for residency in family medicine, and will pursue integrative medicine during residency and beyond. Mara was fortunate to participate in the LEAPS into IM program at Kripalu over the summer, and is currently assisting in chronotherapy research at UIC. She wants to broaden her horizons and learn more about integrative medicine and how IM can be used to help the underserved.
Madon Maile
My name is Madon Maile and I am an undergraduate student at Temple University finishing up my degree in kinesiology and the prerequisites needed to apply to medical school in the spring of 2013. I was first exposed to integrative health medicine in the form of macrobiotics when I was fourteen years old and ever since then have spent much of my time reading about alternative and complimentary methods. Some of my hobbies and interests include running, exercise, sports, movies, concerts, and cooking. I would also like to have the opportunity to travel throughout my life and last year I was fortunate enough to attend a holistic cruise where I was surrounded by individuals all passionate about their own health as well as the health of society. I am excited to be apart of this program because from my own experiences and reading, I view integrative medicine as a fast growing field with the potential to produce drastic improved quality of lives and disease conditions.
Heather Mathis
My name is Heather Mathis and I’m currently a third year medical student at the University of Sint Eustatius School of Medicine. I’m originally from Walhalla, South Carolina, a small town located at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. I am an outdoor enthusiast and enjoy all sorts of activities including SCUBA diving, mountain biking, wakeboarding, snowboarding, and horseback riding. I love traveling and spent a month touring 11 different countries throughout Europe prior to starting medical school. I am a graduate of the University of South Carolina with a B.S. in Biological Sciences and a minor in Medical Humanities. Over the years I have developed a passion for health and wellness and realized I wanted to become a physician who approaches patients holistically by incorporating nutrition and fitness education with the traditional practices of western medicine. I am always eager to learn more about the field of integrative medicine and am very excited to be apart of this program
Jarrod McGahan
I did my undergrad at UK, and am currently a 3rd
year at UofL SOM. I just found out about IM early this year and I am
excited to learn more about it. As far as me as a person: I love the
outdoors, and am an avid hiker. I play music every day, drumset, guitar, and am
teaching myself to sing. Music has remained a defining element in my life
and I will continue it throughout my education. I am interested in
nutrition and fitness; I bike, swim, run, and weightlift and love to
cook. My free time is very sacred to me, I spend it in the most
replenishing ways possible and have generally tried to keep a daily meditation
as a part of my schedule. I have a twin brother in CA getting his masters
in therapy; we are very close and I will be joining him there, if possible, for
my residency. Thank you for the opportunity to learn from you!
Srikruthi (Sri) Kakulavarapu
Sri is pursuing her Doctor of Medicine degree at University of Sint Eustatius School of Medicine. Her interests lie in both Integrative and Neuro/Pediatric medicine. She also has an interest in Hyperbaric Medicine after earning her Clinical Hyperbaric Chamber Operator's Certificate on Island. Her ambitions are to be fully immersed in giving back to the community in any way possible via the Healthcare system. After serving as AMSA Chapter president at her Medical School in 2010-2011 school year, her passions now lie in getting more involved in the National AMSA organization and and in becoming a well-rounded future Physician.
Megan Konopka
I am a native to the Chicago-land area having grown up in the suburbs, and consequently attending Loyola University Chicago for my undergraduate degree. Currently, I am a M1 at Rush University. During my time at Loyola, I had the opportunity to study aboard for the year in Rome, Italy and Beijing, China. I learned about healthcare policy and system structure by studying the policies implemented for the H1N1 flu during 2009-2010. Endeavors outside of medicine include cooking, running and soccer.
Claire Newlon
Before leaving for medical school, I lived in North Carolina since I was seven years old. After high school, I made the unexpected choice to attend a larger school: the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It was here that I pursued interests in health, wellness, and service through obtaining a B.S.P.H. in Nutrition at the Gillings School of Global Public Health and as a co-president of a global service organization on campus. Today, I feel grateful to be attending medical school at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
Brad Brooks
Brad Brooks is a second-year medical student at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine (UNECOM). He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from Gordon College and then began contributing to the care of patients in the at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI). While performing hematopoietic stem cell transplants at the DFCI, he collaborated with the Harvard University Center for Human Cell Therapy (CHCT) in developing novel cellular therapies, including patient-specific tumor vaccines and lymphocytes populations. Brad then spent a year monitoring clinical trials with PAREXEL International before coordinating the Testosterone in Older Men (TOM) Trial at Boston University School of Medicine. The findings from the TOM Trial were published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM July 2010; 363:109-122) and the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA 2012 Mar 7;307(9):931-9). Brad is currently the Co-President of the Integrative Medicine Club at UNECOM and has siblings practicing in chiropractic care and studying acupuncture and yoga.
Coordinators:
Jack Temple
Jack Temple is a second year medical student at Rush University in Chicago, Illinois. His interest in integrative medicine stems from a desire to know about the healing techniques of societies past, being able to incorporate these techniques into today's patient care, and the promise of the insights that will come from future research. Although it is early in his training, he hopes to specialize in Integrative Gastroenterology.