Course Associates 2025-26

Hi and welcome to the HumBio core! My name is Danielle and I’m super excited to be one of your B-side CAs this year! As a HumBio major, I concentrated in Behavior, Bioethics, and Disability Studies, with many of these interests being discovered in the core. I pursued an Honors Thesis in Human Biology where I investigated gene x environment interactions in Veterans with Alcohol Use Disorder. I also served as a TAide for Christopher Gardner’s Human Nutrition (HUMBIO 130!) course. Outside of HumBio, I minored in TAPS, was a frosh and row RA, performed in student theater productions, worked at the Hume Center as an Oral Communication Tutor, and served as Co-President for Stanford Women in Medicine. In my free time, I enjoy singing, logging movies on Letterboxd, and taking walks around campus. I loved my time as a HumBio major and the academic freedom it provided me. I cannot wait to meet you all and am looking forward to an amazing year in the core!

Welcome to the HumBio Core! My name is Valentina, and I’m delighted to be one of your A-side CAs. I began my college journey at City College of San Francisco, where I worked as a TA for chemistry and biology, before transferring to Stanford in Fall 2023. As a Humbio major, I concentrated in Molecular and Cell Biology because I’m fascinated by how cells function as tiny, self-contained worlds that constantly interact with each other and their environment to sustain life. At Stanford, I completed an honors thesis using CRISPR to tag proteins involved in myelination signaling during neural development in zebrafish. I’ve also worked at UCSF developing strategies to enhance CAR T-cell cancer immunotherapies and gained clinical experience as a medical assistant in San Francisco urgent care centers. Outside of school, one of my proudest projects is Ambos Mundos, a nonprofit I founded that provides financial support to hospitalized pediatric patients in Venezuela. I became a CA because my own CAs were instrumental to my success, and I’m excited to pay that forward. In my free time, I love swimming, hiking, cooking, and spending time with my family. I can’t wait to get to know you all and hear about your journeys

Hello, and welcome to the HumBio Core! I’m Binta, and I can’t wait to help you all through the B-side this year. As an undergrad, I was drawn to HumBio because of the flexibility it offered — few other majors at Stanford would let me flip-flop between degree types and concentrations while I got a better sense of what my academic and career interests were. When I finally declared my junior year, I chose to pursue a concentration in Infectious Disease and Immunology. Outside of HumBio, I minored in Medical Anthropology; worked in the Shizuru BMT-CT lab, where I completed an honors thesis on inflammasome activation in hematopoietic stem cells; volunteered with a non-profit to teach patient self-advocacy in an effort to lower the Black maternal mortality rate; and DJ’ed on KZSU (support community radio!). In my free time, I love baking, traveling, trying new dessert spots, listening to new music, scrolling Pinterest on my iPad while screen sharing with my best friend, and intermittently learning new songs on my electric bass. I know Stanford can sometimes be a lot and I remember having an endless list of questions when I took the Core, so please don’t hesitate to reach out about anything. Remember: it’s literally our job to support you!

Hello and welcome to the HumBio Core!! I’m Katie, and I’m thrilled to be one of your A-side CAs this year. I loved the Core and the people in it, so I’m honored to be sticking around for another year to ensure that you do, too. My concentration was Impacts of Environmental Change on Human Health, which allowed me to study infectious disease dynamics, global health, nutrition and food justice, conservation biology, and more anthropology-based takes on cultural and climate adaptation and the relationship between our bodies and environments. I also completed the Notation in Science Communication program, which I ardently recommend to anyone enthused by the unique interdisciplinary freedom of HumBio. I spent a summer in the De Leo lab down at Hopkins Marine Station studying neglected tropical diseases, and another in the Peay lab working on aspen forest restoration and mycorrhizal fungi. I studied abroad in Madrid, discovering a love for solo train travel and a hatred for solo hostel stays. As an actor in the Stanford Shakespeare Company, the rest of my time was taken up rehearsing, memorizing lines, performing manual labor during tech, and taking the stage with my talented friends. I also love reading books on my library app, learning how horror movies are made, singing, yoga, white water rafting, swimming, hikes with high views/difficulty ratios, and my old lady dog Miel. I can’t wait to get to know all of you!

Welcome to the HumBio Core! My name is Arwa, and I’m excited to be one of your B-side CAs this year. I can’t wait to get to know you all.

One of my favorite things about HumBio is how it connects people from all kinds of backgrounds and interests—you’ll find scientists, artists, educators, and everything in between. The department creates such a supportive community where you can explore your passions while building a strong foundation in human biology. My Area of Concentration was Global Health and Neurology, where I studied everything from epidemiology to neuroscience to global health ethics. As an undergrad, I worked in the Kaltschmidt Lab on the enteric nervous system (the “brain of the gut”), looking at how certain genes in support cells can influence gut health and inflammation. 

Beyond the classroom, I’m deeply passionate about art! For me, art is another way to build connection, share stories, and imagine more caring futures. My Art Practice minor gave me creative tools that I loved weaving together with my science background. As an undergrad, I was an IDA Fellow, which let me explore art and social justice in more depth. I’m also passionate about community work and organizing! Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me—from navigating the Core to choosing classes or finding balance at Stanford. I’m here to support you, and I’m excited for the year ahead!

Hi there! Welcome to the HumBio core! I’m Mary-Tyler and I will be one of your A-side CAs this year. I have always loved biology and decided to major in HumBio because of the flexibility and autonomy in designing a path where all of your interests intersect. Subsequently, my concentration in neurobiology and neuroscience spanned my interests in molecular and cellular biology to systems neuroscience and neurological health. I love research and wrote an honors thesis on the transcriptional mechanisms of maladaptive myelination in epileptic seizures as part of the Knowles Lab. During my time at Stanford, I also minored in Symbolic Systems, studied abroad in Florence, and danced with a variety of teams on campus. Other hobbies of mine include reading, baking, tv/movie watching and film analysis, and soaking up the sun. I can’t wait to meet you all, explore your interests in HumBio, and help you reach your goals!

Hi everyone! I’m so excited to be one of your B-side CAs. As a HumBio major, my concentration was on the Social and Biological Determinants of Health Across the Life Course. Within this, I particularly enjoyed taking classes on race, sex, and gender. During college, I was a TAide for Professor Stefanick’s HumBio classes (124, 140, and 125) and conducted research in pediatric hematology and oncology with the Sakamoto Lab. When I realized I wanted to explore teaching more in depth, I became a Frosh 101 lead and a Cardinal Health Education Collaborative (CHEC) volunteer. Highlights of my time at Stanford (other than HumBio!) was being a RA in Ujamaa and in leadership for BLACKstage Theater Company. Outside of these things, I love reading, watching musicals, trying new craft activities, and painting nails. I’m looking forward to meeting you all soon!

Hello everyone and welcome to the Humbio core! My name is Shuwen and I’m thrilled to be one of your A-side CAs this year. The Humbio program has been such a tight knit and supportive community during my time here as an undergrad, and I can’t wait for you to forge a place that you’re proud and passionate about for the next few years! My area of concentration was Human Health, Physiology, and Epidemiology, which helped me connect my interests in public health advocacy, community-based health initiatives, and the science of human physiological systems. I knew I had a love for teaching starting sophomore year when I helped teach the EMT course (EMED 111A) for fall quarter, and then was lucky enough to be the TAide for Dr. Kurina’s Introduction to Statistics for the Health Sciences (HUMBIO 88, the best population health statistics class at Stanford, my unbiased opinion!) as well as a Seeds of Change mentor during my senior year. Outside of research and teaching, I love to read, hike, or just people-watch in San Francisco whenever I have free time. I’m very excited to know all of you better and accompany you through your Core experience this year, please feel free to reach out with any questions you may have.