Medical Student Scholars

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).

Reem Hamoda graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology and Community Health Assessment; she continued her studies at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, where she received a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology in 2018. Reem is passionate about improving access to and reducing racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in healthcare for chronic disease patients. Her previous volunteering work includes management of a free clinic social services program in Pittsburgh and designing and implementing a quality improvement initiative aimed to improve interpreter services at an Atlanta refugee clinic. As a graduate student and junior epidemiologist, Reem contributed to numerous research and quality improvement projects related to improving access to transplantation for end-stage renal disease patients.

At Pritzker, Reem served as the referrals coordinator for Washington Park Free Clinic, admissions liaison for the Student National Medical Association (SNMA), and mentor for the HPREP program. Under the mentorship of Dr. Milda Saunders, Reem currently conducts epidemiological research elucidating racial/ethnic and gender-specific disparities in placement on the deceased donor waiting list for renal transplantation.

Ashley Hite, graduated from Washington University in St. Louis in 2013 with a BA in Psychology, Neuroscience and Philosophy and a minor in Children‘s Studies. Following graduation, Ashley taught and coached sports teams for a year at a charter school in Newark, NJ.

Under the mentorship of Dr. Beth Plunkett, Ashley completed a research project titled “Exploration of Barriers Facing Physicians in Diagnosing and Treating Obesity.” This summer, under the advisement of Dr. Vela and with two of her fellow classmates, she served as a TA and coordinator for the Chicago Academic Medical Program, where they exposed minority students to the field of medicine through enrichment and mentoring. She also was invited to attend the Hazelden Betty Ford Summer Institute for Medical Students where she gained insight into the approach to treatment of the chemically dependent person through lecture, group therapy sessions and meals with patients with patients and specialty groups.

In medical school, Ashley was the co-President of Students National Medical Association (SNMA) and served on a free clinic board as Education chair of Maria Shelter Clinic, a free clinic for women in Englewood. She also served as the co-director of the Psychiatry Interest Group. Ashley was the fundraising chair for REMEDY, a medical service group, and this summer went on a medical service trip to Peru.

Dr. Hite is a Medicine Resident at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Brenna graduated from Dartmouth College in 2009 with an AB in Economics and Environmental Studies. As a medical student, under the mentorship of Marshall Chin and Monica Peek, a Bucksbaum Institute Jr. Faculty Scholar, Brenna has conducted research on ways to improve diabetes care and outcomes on the South Side of Chicago. Brenna has also conducted research in collaboration with Pilar Ortega to assess barriers to Emergency Department utilization of interpreter services.

Dr. Chase is a Pediatric & Urban Health Resident at Children’s Hospital in Boston, MA.

Tyrone Johnson graduated magna cum laude from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2015 with a BS in Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics. He is a former coordinator of the UCLA Mobile Clinic Project, an interdisciplinary street-side free clinic that provides medical and social services to the homeless of West Los Angeles.

As a 2017 Schweitzer Fellow, Ty developed a holistic wellness curriculum for underserved and housing-insecure adults in Chicago’s Uptown. At Pritzker, Ty has served as co-director of the Maria Shelter Clinic, as a board member of the Student National Medical Association (SNMA), and as a member of the Identity & Inclusion Committee.

Under the mentorship of Dr. Lolita Alkureishi, Ty has conducted research on methods of improving patient-centered communication in the Electronic Medical Record era. He is also working with Dr. Elizabeth Tung to investigate the impact of community violence on chronic disease in Chicago’s West and South Side neighborhoods.

Dr. Johnson is a Medicine Resident at the University of California, San Francisco.

Dominique Jones is a recent graduate of Harvard Medical School’s Master of Science program in Media, Medicine, and Health. With a foundation in classical ballet and a B.A. in Human Health and Dance and Movement Studies from Emory University, she is passionate about integrating the arts and movement into her medical education. During her graduate studies, Dominique created a dance film that depicts the embodied experience of postpartum depression in Black women, offering a novel approach to share stories about perinatal mental health. Her previous research examined how PTSD and stress affect Black women throughout their pregnancies, as well as how motherhood influences the professional and personal lives of ballet dancers. Passionate about maternal mental health and the arts, she hopes to pursue a clinical career that uses humanism and art to serve Black women through pregnancy and beyond.

Tae Yeon Kim completed a BA in Anthropology in 2013 at the University of Chicago, where she graduated with Honors and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Before medical school, she worked as a Research Assistant at the MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics at the University of Chicago. As a medical student, under the mentorship of Dr. Anna Volerman, Tae Yeon has conducted research to identify factors associated with the carry and use of inhalers by children with asthma in schools. Tae Yeon is on the board as the Interpreter Coordinator for Bridgeport Free Clinic, which serves a predominantly Cantonese speaking immigrant population. She also co-leads Big Ideas in Medicine, Reach Out and Read, and Pritzker Community Service Fellowship. She has served as a Peer Educator for the Health Care Disparities course and is a member of the Identity and Inclusion Steering Committee at the medical school.

Dr. Kim completed her residency at the University of Chicago Medicine and is currently a Pediatric Hospitalist for NorthShore Medical Group in Evanston, IL.

Kathryn Kinasz graduated magna cum laude from the University of Notre Dame in 2010 with a B.A. in English and Psychology and election to the Phi Beta Kappa Society. Following graduation, Kate spent two years working at a strategy consulting firm in Chicago and a year completing her post-baccalaureate pre-medical education at Bryn Mawr College.

Under the mentorship of Daniel Le Grange and with a Medical Student Fellowship from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Kate has conducted research on the differences between boys and girls who present for eating disorder treatment. As a 2014 Schweitzer Fellow, Kate is working with the Girls in the Game organization to teach young girls in urban settings health and leadership lessons through participation in sports.

Kate also serves as the co-director of the Washington Park Pediatric Clinic, the co-curriculum director for the Adolescent Substance Abuse Prevention program, and the co-director of the Pediatrics Interest Group. Kate recently returned from a medical service trip to Peru with the REMEDY student group.

Dr. Kinasz is a Psychiatry Resident at University of California, San Francisco in San Francisco, CA.

Sunny Kung graduated with Highest Honors from the University of California, Berkeley in 2013 with a B.S. in Bioengineering. As a medical student, she co-lead South Side Science Scholars and Big Ideas in Medicine. Sunny is a co-founder of the Bridgeport Free Clinic and a Huggins Society Ambassador. She also serves the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) as the Central Regional Delegate to the National Committee on Community & Diversity, as well as the Pritzker representative to the Organization of Student Representatives. Under the mentorship of Jonas de Souza, Sunny completed a research project titled “Cost-coping Strategies in Locally Advanced Head and Neck Cancer.”

Dr. Kung is an Internal Medicine Resident at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA.

Anne graduated magna cum laude from the University of Notre Dame in 2007 with a B.A. in English Literature and minors in French Literature/Francophone Studies and International Peace Studies. Following graduation, Anne spent two and a half years as a volunteer social worker at an orphanage in Honduras.

As a medical student, under the mentorship of Dr. Niranjan S. Karnik and with a Summer Medical Student Fellowship from the Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), Anne has researched the effects of homelessness on the mental health and behaviors of Chicago homeless youth. She presented her initial findings at the AACAP’s annual conference in October.

Anne also serves on the Pritzker student board for the Community Health Clinic, a free clinic in Chicago’s West Town; is Academic Chair for the International Medicine Interest Group; and co-coordinates SAMS, a student-run group that offers practice in medical Spanish.

Dr. Castro is an Assistant Professor in the Anesthesiology Department at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, WI.