Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Marit UyHam is a rising sophomore at Dartmouth College. She plans to study biology and hopes to attend medical school.  At Dartmouth, Marit works in a biological anthropology lab which analyzes microfossils with a focus on prehistoric China.  Outside of class, Marit is involved in multiple dance programs, and she plays violin with the Dartmouth Chamber Orchestra.

With over six years of experience in healthcare, Amal Sharif has dedicated her career to improving patient outcomes through innovative approaches. Having worked at Highland Hospital, a Level 1 trauma center in the East Bay, Amal has firsthand experience in high-pressure medical environments and understands the critical importance of effective communication and empathy in patient care. Amal holds a Mathematics, Psychology, and Economics degree from Laney College. Amal enjoys exploring her creativity through various artistic pursuits, such as pastel, and drawing.

Halle Boroski is a senior at the College of William and Mary, finishing her degree in Neuroscience on the pre-medical track with a minor in Public Health and a concentration in Health, Society, and Wellness. Halle plans to pursue graduate school post-graduation before pursuing medical school. She is involved in W&M public health club, working at the admissions office and wellness center, and working in a research lab focused on learning and positive study techniques. In her spare time, Halle enjoys being with friends, reading, and walking in Williamsburg.

Meher Gandhi is pursuing her Master’s in Comparative Literature at University of California, Davis. She has a BA triple major degree in English, Psychology and Media and a diploma in folklore and cultural studies. Her interest in medical humanities, especially memory studies and cognitive poetics, guides her work in the intersections between literature and psychology. Her research internship with the Center for Memory Studies, IIT Madras bolstered in her the desire to move ahead in this direction. She also holds experience in publishing (including Penguin Random House India), literary festivals, and art spaces. Her other interests include writing and reading poems, teaching, and exploring art and architecture. She believes that her future research works will feature a trialogue between literature, psychology, and architecture.

Peter Park is a 4^th year medical student pursuing Psychiatry. He has a background in theatre and comedy improv and has integrated his interests in medicine and the arts through hosting local events for medical students to share their experiences on stage via Stethoscope Stage and HuMed Short Story Night in partnership with TCU Burnett School of Medicine. Additionally, he is collaborating with TCU in establishing the Narrative Medicine Consortium of Texas to unite Texas medical schools in increasing Narrative Medicine education. His work has been featured on The Nocturnists Podcast, MedMic.com, and Crohn's & Colitis Young Adult Network. Peter plans to pursue Psychiatry with interests in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Eating Disorders, and GI-adjacent Psychiatry. 

Keren Shafer is a rising MS1 at the John Sealy School of Medicine -UTMB Health-. She is pursuing a medical and master’s in public health degree as a stepping stone to becoming a pediatrician or OBGYN. She graduated with a Distinguished History degree with a double minor in Biology and Chemistry. Her interest in Historical writing includes women’s, Chinese, and medical history. She has presented her research at the College of Liberal and Fine Arts Conference at her Undergraduate institution; her most recent project was “Women in Medicine: A Look at Specialty Clusters.” She is now shifting towards immigrant narratives as a form of self-expression and ownership of her life experiences. Her hobbies include quilting, reading, and board games.

Tabitha Hiyane is an English literature student at UCLA and an Opinion columnist for the Daily Bruin. Holding a vested interest in the medical humanities, her archival research has explored how intimate narratives of embodiment, contextualized through health and illness, are both particularized and shared as part of the human condition - the very stories inscribed in the histories of our humanity. While continuing to grow as a writer, she plans on applying to medical school, aiming to discover and put into practice what it means to care for another in all aspects of being.

Nada Kaissieh holds a Masters of Bioethics from Johns Hopkins University and is currently advancing her medical education at the University of Louisville School of Medicine, working towards her MD. With over six years of dedicated involvement in mental health advocacy, she champions for the betterment of psychiatric care. Combining her expertise in writing and photography, she endeavors to reshape community and cultural perceptions of mental illness. Nada spearheads an ongoing project aimed at integrating mental health education into local elementary schools, striving to increase visibility and accessibility to support and resources.

Sara Temelkova is a first-generation Macedonian-American (photographed here in Skopje) based in Chicago. She holds a BS in Molecular/Cellular Neuroscience from Loyola University Chicago and has worked with physicians who are writers, advocates, scientists, and trained chefs. Now an incoming medical student at Rush Medical College, she hopes to follow in their footsteps. She has been interested in long-form content since writing her first feature story in her high school newspaper. Sara's love of writing matches her love of science, which has led her to work in basic, clinical, and translational research labs. It has also predisposed her to talk often and enthusiastically about food justice, diet, and the gut microbiome. Outside the lab, she can be found feeding goats on one of Chicago's many urban farms, trying to ferment different veggies, and browsing indie bookstores for additions to her Goodreads shelves.

Soo Yeon (Jean) Chun is a rising junior at Stanford University planning to major in Symbolic Systems on the Neuroscience track. Since middle school, she has been fascinated by the creative, emotional, and linguistic capabilities of the mind. An aspiring psychiatrist and writer, she is deeply interested in the power of creative writing—particularly poetry —to guide and heal. In her free time, she enjoys drumming, discovering new music, and reading and writing poetry. 

Anniysh Sivakumar is a freshman at the University of California, Santa Barbara, pursuing a B.S. in both Biology and Biopsychology. At UCSB, he is currently involved in neuroscience research, studying the cortical circuits underlying visual processing, spatial perception, and spatial memory using murine models. As a dancer himself, he is interested in researching the potential of dance as a form of rehabilitative therapy for Parkinson’s patients and is conducting independent research on the differences in visuospatial cognition between dancers and non-dancers.

Mary Morgan (she/her) holds an MFA in writing and currently works in publishing. She has served on the board of Reach Out and Read Wisconsin for almost ten years. ROR delivers early literacy education to children and families nationwide. She has also volunteered as a patient interviewer with the My Life, My Story national narrative program at the VA Hospital, and trained her dog to become a reading partner in elementary schools as a way to support children's read aloud skills and confidence. The connection between medicine and storytelling has always been a focus and passion. As a writer, interviewer and publisher, she hopes to encourage a cross-disciplinary approach and collaboration between medicine and narrative specifically with pediatric patients. 

Maria Luiza Fernandes is a sophomore undergraduate student from Brazil. She is graduating in Pharmacy and plans to become a neuroscientist. Her research interests cover a range of disciplines under the umbrella of the pharmaceutical profession and cognitive science. As an Immerse Education fellow, over the past year she has worked on a research project on Alzheimer's disease, including the applications of gene editing in the treatment of pathologies associated with the nervous system. She is currently involved in a learning community on psychopathologies and an executive member of FLOTA, a project aimed at developing young female leaders around the Americas.

Mehakpreet Kaur Saggu, a Pearson Scholar at the University of Toronto, is passionately devoted to making neuroscience and psychology approachable for everyone. Her journey into this field began with her love for literature, which sparked a sense of wonder and fascination with Oliver Sacks, and this ongoing saga of inspiration has continued to shape her work. From conducting research in the Decision Neuroscience Lab to helping establish a new Cognitive Science undergraduate journal, Mehakpreet's dedication to simplifying the complexities of the human brain is evident. She is grateful for the opportunity to merge her academic pursuits with her goal of bringing advanced science closer to public understanding. As a researcher, author, and advocate, she endeavors to share the wonders of the human brain, hoping to enlighten and serve the broader community.

Jess Skyleson (they/them) is a former aerospace engineer and Ayurvedic practitioner who began writing poetry after being diagnosed with stage IV cancer at age 39. Currently in remission, they’re now pursuing an MFA in Digital + Media at Rhode Island School of Design, with particular interests in narrative medicine, computational poetry, and sonic art. Their poetry has appeared in journals and anthologies throughout the US and UK, and they have been awarded the 2022 Hippocrates Poetry and Medicine Prize, an Honorable Mention in the Tor House Poetry Prize, and were a finalist for the Yemassee Poetry Prize and Kalanithi Writing Award.  They are presently exploring the integration of the body, poetry, and sound, and one of their sound poetry projects was recently selected for exhibition in the New Media category at Brown University’s Ivy Film Festival. Jess facilitates creative writing and art workshops for patients, medical providers, and caregivers, and they are hoping to develop collaborative pathways across art mediums and personal/professional experiences of medicine.

Robinrenee Hamre is a sophomore undergraduate student at UCLA, majoring in Biology. She is a Native American student, originally from Anaheim, California. Robinrenee is passionate about studying Neonatology and pursuing a career in the medical field, in hopes to become a NICU Doctor.  Some of her hobbies are writing, running, and reading poetry.

Emily Koseck is a medical student at Queen’s University in Canada. She is currently working at Toronto Metropolitan University on the development of a new medical school with an innovative approach to education that will meet the current pain points in the healthcare system. Her interests include improving healthcare delivery and outcomes through bioethics, trauma-informed care, and addressing systemic biases. Emily enjoys being active, spending time outdoors, and volunteering at a wildlife rehabilitation centre.

Grace Reed (she/her) received her Master in Science and has worked in medical research for the last two years, with emphasis on using computational tools to address questions in public health. There, she has found gaps in the delivery of basic care and she intends to bridge some of them over the course of her career. She has interests in developing genetic screening tools to make personalized medicine accessible to all people and volunteers at the California Pacific Medical Center. She enjoys spending time with friends and visiting museums.

Sohini Dasgupta is a Litterateur, who recently graduated from the University of Glasgow, UK completing the Erasmus Mundus Joint International Master’s Degree in Children’s Literature, Media, and Culture studying across multiple European/Canadian university partners within the Consortium. She previously graduated from Jawaharlal Nehru University, India, with a degree in German Studies. Sohini has received numerous prestigious grants and scholarships. She has completed short-term courses in Psychoanalysis and Literature from the University of Vienna, the Vancouver International Children’s Literature Summer School from the University of British Columbia, Child Protection: Children's Rights in Theory and Practice from HarvardX (Online Harvard Uni Initiative) and multiple language courses. She has presented her research at various national and international conferences and has academic and multiple non-academic publications. Sohini is a polyglot proficient in many Indian and foreign languages. She is also interested in poetry, music, dance, drama and other performative arts.

Sanyuktha Venkatesh is a recent graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, with a focus in art history, specifically within the context of decolonization studies. Her work explores the usage of performance as a mechanism of protest and art therapy in northern Sri Lanka. Through her work, she is documenting the experiences of Theater Action Group, an organization from the Jaffna peninsula, whose work pertains to the social rehabilitation and artistic expression of war-affected populations in the northern and eastern regions of the island through performance. Sanyuktha is a native to the BayArea and plans on pursuing a PhD in art history and political science. In her spare time, she enjoys making large-scale batik tapestries, as well as reading.