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Medical Student Scholars

The Bucksbaum Institute for Clinical Excellence supports four new medical students a year as Bucksbaum Student Scholars.

Jacob Fries

Jacob Fries

2023-2024 STUDENT SCHOLAR

Bio

Jacob A. Fries is 2021 cum laude graduate of the University of Notre Dame, where he received a B.S. in Environmental Sciences with a supplemental major in Latinx Studies. He spent his first gap year as a Health Corps Fellow through the Washington AIDS Partnership in Washington DC, where he worked in HIV prevention, sexual health education, and human-centered design initiatives at the Latin American Youth Center. Jacob then came to Chicago where he worked as a clinical research coordinator at Northwestern Medicine, primarily focusing on the national REACH palliative care study. At Pritzker, Jacob serves as a co-leader of the Geriatrics Interest Group, is a member of LMSA and serves as the LMSA Admissions Liaisons, and is the Faculty Recruitment Coordinator at CommunityHealth Clinic. He is also involved in research with Dr. Harita Shah looking at HIV prevalence and PrEP utilization in Latinx populations across Cook County, IL. Jacob is looking forward to using his time in medical school to further understand the impacts of community-based health interventions and engage with issues surrounding end-of-life care and shared decision making.

Priscilla Molina

Priscilla Molina

2023-2024 STUDENT SCHOLAR

Bio

Priscilla Stephanie Molina is a 2020 cum laude graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles, where she received a B.S. in Psychobiology and completed minors in Latin American Studies and Public Health. Upon graduation, Priscilla went on to work as a Health Equity Navigator in Southern California’s largest FQHC, AltaMed Health Services, where her work involved addressing the social determinant needs of patients living with diabetes. She then served as a key intern lead in AltaMed’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution efforts throughout Los Angeles and Orange Counties. Simultaneously, Priscilla co-led Spanish-speaking family support groups at a local mental health advocacy organization, NAMI. She ended her third gap year working as a medical scribe, behavior interventionist & an Assistant Resident Director at UCLA. At Pritzker, Priscilla currently serves as one of the student coordinators for Community Health Clinic, one of Chicago’s largest free clinics, and as the undergraduate mentorship co-chair for Pritzker’s chapter of the Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA). She is also co-chairing the Family Medicine Interest Group and is a member of the team engaging in Pritzker’s chapter of REMEDY, a not-for-profit, nationwide medical student organization dedicated to addressing international health disparities through education and recycling of unused medical equipment. Priscilla looks forward to using her time in medical school to further expand her leadership skills, solidify her passion for community and mental health, and engage in issues surrounding migrant and youth health.

Juliana Byanyima

Juliana Byanyima

2023-2024 STUDENT SCHOLAR

Bio

Juliana Byanyima graduated from Cornell University with a BA in Biological Sciences and minor in Health Equity. In college, she was a research assistant in the Life History lab where she studied the role of developmental context and early life stress on brain development. During her gap years, Juliana worked at the Center for Studies of Addiction at Penn, where she coordinated neuroimaging studies on alcohol and opioid use disorder.  At Pritzker, Juliana was elected by her class as a Wellness representative and is a member of the mental health subcommittee. She is the Social Media Chair for the Student National Medical Association (SNMA), the i2i (Identity and Inclusion) representative for the Wellness Committee, and a mentor for the Health Professions Recruitment & Exposure Program (HPREP) at Pritzker. Juliana is eager to explore her interests in interdisciplinary care, psychiatry and oncology, and mental health advocacy.

Aysenur Musaogullari

Aysenur Musaogullari

2022-2023 STUDENT SCHOLAR

Bio

Aysenur (Ayse) Musaogullari graduated summa cum laude from John Carroll University with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and a minor in Peace, Justice, and Human Rights. Prior to joining Pritzker, Ayse performed clinical and translational research in glaucoma at the Havener Eye Institute in Columbus, Ohio. During this time, she also partnered with a non-profit organization and worked on several projects to improve health access and literacy for refugees and asylum seekers.

At Pritzker, Ayse is the Co-Director of the Maria Shelter Free Clinic, which serves women and children experiencing homelessness on the South Side. Currently, she is exploring her research and clinical interests in ophthalmology and global health.

Hecong Qin

Hecong Qin

2022-2023 STUDENT SCHOLAR

Bio

An aspiring physician-scientist, Hecong completed his undergraduate studies at Sun Yat-sen University in China and a Ph.D. in Bioengineering at UCSF and UC Berkeley. His dissertation research focused on developing and translating novel MRI techniques targeting cancer metabolism to identify aggressive cancers and evaluate therapeutic responses. 

While in the Bay Area, Hecong volunteered as a community healthcare worker at the Berkeley Free Clinic for six years, including two years as a section coordinator. Working with and learning from vulnerable patients at the clinic strengthened his passion for health equity, patient advocacy, and building trust with patients. At the Pritzker School of Medicine, Hecong continues to conduct basic science research and engage in community service. He serves as a class representative to Pritzker’s Identity and Inclusion (i2i) committee, as well as on the board of the Bridgeport Free Clinic and Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association (APAMSA).

Zharia Crisp

Zharia Crisp

2022-2023 MEDICAL STUDENT SCHOLARS

Bio

Zharia Crisp graduated from the University of Maryland in 2021 with a B.S. in Biological Sciences and a B.S. in Psychology. She first became interested in research while studying unethical behavior and cheating in her undergraduate Motivated Cognition lab. Following graduation, she worked in medical optometry while conducting research on antiracism in medical education with the National Anti-Racism in Medicine Curriculum Coalition (NAMCC). With the NAMCC, Zharia studied a piloted Georgetown SOM course on anti-Black racism in clinical settings that was presented at the APA 2022 Mental Health Conference.

At Pritzker, Zharia was elected by her class as a Wellness representative. She serves as an Internal Affairs liaison for the Student National Medical Association (SNMA) and as one of the i2i (Identity and Inclusion) representatives for the Wellness Committee. Zharia is also an Education and Outreach Coordinator for the Washington Park Free Clinic as well as a leader of the Psychiatry Interest Group. Zharia is excited to explore psychiatry and pediatrics, with a particular interest in the mental health of underserved and minority populations.

Jasmine Rios

Jasmine Rios

2022-2023 MEDICAL STUDENT SCHOLARS

Bio

Jasmine Rios graduated from Yale University in 2021 with a B.A. in History of Science and Medicine. She continued her studies at the Yale School of Public Health, where she received an M.P.H. in Social and Behavioral Sciences in 2022 with a concentration in US Health Justice. Her graduate research focused on health disparities in breastfeeding and nutrition through community-based participatory research. Jasmine’s work in public health outreach sought to address community distrust in healthcare and the social determinants of chronic disease management.

At Pritzker, Jasmine serves as a class representative for the Identity and Inclusion (i2i) Steering Committee and the Community Service Chair for the Latino Medical Student Association. She is the Education and Community Outreach Coordinator for the newly established Southside Free Clinic. In this role, she also serves as a liaison and member of the South Side Community Health Advocate Leadership Program. Jasmine is excited to further explore the relationship between community and health, with a current research interest in comprehensive care.

Mikhayla Armstrong

Mikhayla Armstrong

2020-2021 Student Scholar

Bio

Mikhayla Armstrong graduated from Williams College in 2019 with a B.A. degree in Biology with Honors and a concentration in Africana Studies. Her passion for research began in college when she was an Allison Davis Research Fellow. Upon graduating, she continued conducting research as a clinical research assistant in ophthalmology at Boston Children’s Hospital. During this time she also volunteered as a Big Sister and served as a co-leader of the Health Disparities and Inclusion group.

At Pritzker, Mikhayla was elected by her class as the AAMC representative. She is on the OUTPatient (for LGBTQ+ people in medicine) board and the Ophthalmology Interest Group board. She also serves as one of the i2i (identity and inclusion) representatives for OUTPatient and SNMA. She is currently exploring her research interests, through projects in ophthalmology and otolaryngology.

Isaiah Brown

Isaiah Brown

2020-2021 Student Scholar

Bio

Isaiah Brown graduated from the University of Kentucky in 2019 with a B.S. in Neuroscience. In 2018, Isaiah was the recipient of a summer internship award from the University of Southern California Summer Program in Diabetes and Obesity Research. This experience sparked his interest in health disparities research, which led Isaiah to become a post-baccalaureate fellow at the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD). At the NIMHD, Isaiah was primarily involved in research focused on identifying the relationships between health access and health seeking behaviors to explain the disparities among those living with chronic diseases, such as Type 2 Diabetes.

At Pritzker, Isaiah serves as the Co-President of the Student National Medical Association (SNMA) and as the Director of Operations for the Health Professions Recruitment and Exposure Program (HPREP). He also serves as the Quality Improvement Co-Chair of the Washington Park Free Clinic and as a member of the Choosing Wisely STARS in which he hopes to promote health care value in medical education.

Alvin Gordián-Arroyo, MPH

Alvin Gordián-Arroyo, MPH

2020-2021 Student Scholar

Bio

Alvin Gordián-Arroyo graduated from Harvard University in 2017 with a Bachelor of Arts in Human Evolutionary Biology while completing a secondary field in Global Health and Health Policy. He continued his studies at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, where he received a Master of Public Health in Sociomedical Sciences in 2019 with a certificate in Sexuality, Sexual and Reproductive Health. His research focused on highlighting disparities among people living with HIV (PLWH) and evaluating the efficacy of technology-based solutions for improving health outcomes among PLWH and sexual minority adolescents at higher risk for HIV transmission.

At Pritzker, Alvin serves as co-chair of the Emergency Medicine Interest Group and class representative for the Identity and Inclusion (i2i) Steering Committee. He is also a volunteer at the free CommunityHealth Clinic and is a mentor with the Health Professions Recruitment and Exposure Program (HPREP).