HumBio CAs 2023-24 doing spiderman meme pose

Course Associates 2023-24

Hola, and welcome to the HumBio Core! I am very excited to get to know you all and support you in exploring various aspects of the Core and strengthening the passions that inspired you to join this fantastic community in the first place. With the strong foundation that the Core provided, I could delve deeper into a variety of my academic interests, such as neuroscience, child development, and health equity. These experiences led to my HumBio concentration in ‘Physiological and Cognitive Child Development,’ which enriched my understanding of how children operate from a biological and sociocultural perspective. My academic pursuits inspired my choice of research labs, hence my work as a research assistant for both the Language and Cognition Lab and the Presence 5 for Racial Justice Pediatrics Project. Academics aside, while at Stanford, I also was a Donner RA, BOSP Student Ambassador (highly recommend studying abroad!), Camp Kesem Counselor, volunteer at the Menlo Park Veterans’ Hospital, and a Stanford Jump Rope team member! In my free time, I enjoy reading, language learning, adventuring with friends, dancing (belly-dancing, Zumba, pole, and aerial fitness), and going to the movies on discount Tuesdays.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, whether they be related to HumBio content, life at Stanford, or anything in between! I hope to remain a helpful resource for you throughout the year. See you soon

Hi everyone!! I am so excited to meet you! When I was a HumBio major, I concentrated in Human Health and Disease.  I didn’t know what areas I was interested in when I first started at Stanford, but HumBio provided an opportunity for me to explore human health from various perspectives. Through HumBio, I discovered interests in global health, exercise physiology, and human nutrition, which led me to TA the Human Nutrition class. While a student at Stanford, I worked in a cardiothoracic surgery lab bioengineering devices for drug delivery and then at a radiology lab studying the functions of MRI. I also enjoyed being a CTL tutor, working events on campus as an EMT, and volunteering as a support group facilitator for individuals with traumatic brain injury. In my free time, I love traveling to new places, baking, and reading and watching TV shows/movies! We are all here for you, so please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have questions about anything!

Hello and welcome to the HumBio Core! I am beyond excited to return as a CA this year and cannot wait to meet you all. I recently graduated with a degree in Human Biology, completing my concentration in Neuroscience and Child Development. During my time as a Humbio student, I have had the opportunity to explore translational neurobiology research, participate in community-based health initiatives, and develop policy-level solutions to public health crises. After completing research projects in both the Stem Cell and Neuroscience Institutes, I was inspired to pursue a Notation in Science Communication to expand my advocacy for accessible health communication and inclusive scientific discourse. I am passionate about enacting community-led change and have worked closely with the Haas Center for Public Service, completing a Cardinal Quarter with the Food as Medicine Collaborative in SF to address nutritional insecurity in underserved communities. I have also volunteered extensively as a Mandarin interpreter and pre-clinical assistant with Stanford’s Cardinal Free Clinics. Outside of HumBio girlboss-ing, I love spending time outdoors hiking, swimming in the ocean, rock climbing, curating hundreds of random playlists, and making/eating food with friends. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any concerns you might have—I am thrilled to learn more about all of you! Go HumBio!!

Hi there and welcome to the Core! I cannot wait to meet all of you so very soon. When I was taking the core, it often felt like an unfinished puzzle. I would parse out content into clusters of understanding but had yet to figure out a way to connect them. But my CAs could. They could always figure out a way to take the clusters of understandings I would come to office hours with every week and piece them together. While the Core taught me about the African Metapopulation Model and Fluorescent Sanger Sequencing, it also taught me a lot about what I love to study. Were it not for the Core, I would not have been swept off my feet by epidemiology and health policy, I would not have tutored students in the Core as a CTL subject tutor for HumBio (sidenote — CTL tutoring is a 10/10 resource and I could not recommend it more), and I would not have completed an honors thesis which investigated whether a targeted therapy for cancer could be used as a therapeutic for Pulmonary Hypertension (pulmonary hypertension is a fatal lung disease that I have been researching in the Kumar Lab for the last six years — I love talking research so if any of that sounded even remotely cool, feel free to ask me about it). When I was not working on policy papers or chem PSETs in Green, you could find me behind the lab bench, volunteering at the Palo Alto VA’s general medicine clinic, SoulCycling, or ‘foodie-ing’ my way through the Bay Area. The Core is a complex puzzle that every Core student approaches differently and we, CAs, are your partners in completing that puzzle. I cannot think of a more incredible privilege than getting to work with and alongside you this year. 

Welcome to the HumBio Core — I’m so excited to meet you all! When I was a HumBio student, I concentrated in the Global Health Impacts of Infectious Diseases, where I got to learn about topics like epidemiology, virology, and health equity. During my time at Stanford, I did research at the King Center for Global Development, where I worked on projects at the intersection of gender, infectious diseases, and violent conflict. I also got the chance to work in a lab that focused on neonatal metabolic health. Outside of classes, I loved teaching local high school students through Perfusion, being a science reporter for the Stanford Daily, and taking creative writing classes. I also got the chance to study abroad at Oxford, where I studied the History of Medicine, and in Washington, DC, where I worked at the World Bank. I hope to someday become a pediatric surgeon or neonatologist, and I love to play tennis and watch Grey’s Anatomy in my free time!

Hello, and welcome to the HumBio Core! My name is Ashley, and I am so excited to be one of your B-side CAs. I am originally from Las Vegas, Nevada, and my concentration in HumBio was Public Health and Epidemiology. I’ve also completed a coterm in Community Health and Prevention Research where my master’s thesis focused on applying theoretical models to intimate partner violence survivors’ help-seeking behaviors. Outside of academics, I worked as a HumBio student advisor, conducted vision restoration research in Dr. Jeffrey Goldberg’s ophthalmology lab, served as the Community Engaged Learning Coordinator for the Stanford Technology Access Resource Team, took medical Mandarin courses to volunteer as a healthcare interpreter, helped organize INFODEMIC: A Stanford Conference on Social Media and COVID-19 Misinformation, and completed an internship with the Global Health Studies department at the Council on Foreign Relations. In my free time, I love swimming, live music, and traveling. I am beyond stoked to get to know you all in the Core and help you navigate your HumBio journey– feel free to reach out about anything at all!

Hello everyone and welcome to the HumBio core!! I’m very excited to help you discover your passions in the core. My sophomore year, I found myself curious about the intersection between pathophysiology and epidemiology as it relates to public health, so I made it my concentration! I appreciate the connections between understanding how physiology gone awry may inform population patterns of disease. As an assistant in the Nguyen Lab, I had the opportunity to use this perspective to examine liver diseases, particularly those of metabolic nature. I eventually wrote an Honors Thesis examining the effect of bariatric (weight-reduction) surgeries on long-term outcomes of patients with advanced liver disease. At Stanford, I was fortunate enough to TA Dr. Kurina’s Principles of Epidemiology and Dr. Kao’s Human Physiology courses. I also led HELP 4 Kids, an organization mentoring impressionable sixth graders in a variety of health education topics, volunteered at Ravenswood’s vaccine clinic, and served as a lead volunteer for the Berkeley Food Network providing high-quality, free food to those in need.

Born and raised in California, I enjoy exploring hiking trails with my dog (many pictures of Jax to come), playing tennis, reading mystery novels, and watching Warriors basketball (go Dubs!). I am very grateful for the HumBio community and very excited to welcome you this year. Please feel free to reach out for anything that you need. I look forward to meeting you all soon!

Hey y'all! I'm really excited to be one of your CAs this year! My concentration explored the intersections between neuroscience and computer science. I was particularly interested in how modern advances in computer science could be applied to better understand and develop treatments for challenges related to the brain. I loved how the HumBio major gave me the freedom to learn about this by taking courses from a variety of departments and perspectives. I was able to apply a lot of what I learned to my research with the Wyss-Coray lab studying the role of a novel type of microglia in Alzheimer's disease. At Stanford, I also staffed at the Bridge Peer Counseling Center (an incredible resource to check out), helped facilitate a brain injury support group, volunteered as an EMT, and was involved with the pre-med APAMSA chapter. Beyond that, I love listening to K-pop, buying new skin care products, swimming, and traveling. I'm also trying to learn to cook better (if anyone has tips or suggestions). During my sophomore year, the CAs were definitely one of my favorite parts of the core, so I'm looking forward to being a part of this journey for you all as well!