Scholars

Angela was born and raised in West Sacramento, California. Her parents are from Guadalajara and Michoacan, Mexico, and immigrated to the United States with her two older siblings in 2001. Angela’s research interests revolve around immunology and virology, specifically in applications to vaccine developments for vector borne viruses affecting communities in developing countries. Combining her passion for research and mentorship, Angela aims for a career as a research professor. Angela looks forward to gaining new research skills and experiences while growing new friendships with her REACH peers.

Daniel was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, but spent most of his childhood in a small town in Connecticut. His dad’s side of the family is from Cuba and currently lives in Miami, where his immediate family recently relocated. Daniel is passionate about neuroscience research—particularly the development of novel, rapid-acting therapeutics for psychiatric disorders and the advancement of personalized medicine in psychiatry. Daniel is really looking forward to meeting the REACH community and faculty at Stanford this year and learning from everyone!

Vaughn grew up in Round Rock, TX and Snellville, GA, and their family is from Augusta, GA and Riverside, CA. Vaughn’s research interests are very broad, but generally they are excited about translational work that has implications in immunology, neuroscience, and developmental/regenerative biology, and enjoy the use of organisms. They also enjoy being engaged in my communities and access/equity projects on my own time. Vaughn looks forward to exploring the city(s) in their free time and, hopefully, taking increased ownership over a research project as they learn new skills from lab mates and their mentor.

Aichatou was born and raised in Guediawaye, Senegal, where her family lives. She spent most of her academic career in boarding schools living away from home: in Dakar, then in Freiburg, Germany and Caldwell, Idaho. Aichatou is working towards becoming an impactful biomedical scientist and be part of the community of scientists working towards advancing human health. Her broad research fields of interest include immunology, aging research, cancer research and translational research.

Joi was born and raised in Richmond, California. Her parents are from Stockton and San Francisco, CA, with southern roots in Mississippi and Arkansas. Joi is passionate about using her molecular biology interest to fill research gaps surrounding gynecological health disparities in the Black community and beyond.

Refugio was born in Los Angeles, California but grew up in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. His parents moved to the U.S from a small town in Mexico named Moroleon, and a lot of his family now lives in Pennsylvania. Refugio’s main goal is to work in pediatrics in the future. Specifically in preventative medicine the treatment of genetic disease.

Maylyn was born (Manhattan) and raised (Brooklyn) in NYC. The majority of her family immigrated to NYC from China in the 1980s and have stayed there ever since. Maylyn’s research interests are broadly the neural mechanisms of socioemotional processes and how environmental factors impact the development of these processes. She is still figuring out her exact career goals but she’s interested in some combination of research, public policy & outreach, and patient care/interaction.

Tyson was born and raised in Kenya until 2019, when he moved to America for his education. Currently, Tyson’ll be joining Stanford’s REACH program from Yale University, where he had proceeded with his research endeavors following my graduation from Wesleyan University in Connecticut. With a deep personal connection and understanding of the unique needs and values of underserved populations, owing to his upbringing in a similar region, his long-term goal is to become a physician-scientist and deliver tailored healthcare services that cater to the distinct needs of these populations. Research-wise, Tyson is looking to go into neuroscience and precision medicine to enable him to conduct studies that would augment personalized healthcare in these regions.

Naseem was born in San Diego, California, but spent middle and high school in Michigan and Colorado. His parents are immigrants from Lebanon, where most of his family lives. Naseem’s primary research interest is in neuroscience, where he wants to combine a career in basic science and medicine to create better health outcomes for patients with psychiatric disorders.

Sophia was born and raised in Portland, Oregon but most of her relatives live back in the Philippines! She’s spent the last 4 years in Los Angeles for undergrad so she is so excited to be heading back up north. Sophia’s career interests broadly encompass obtaining an MD/PhD in oncology/immunology, but she is specifically interested in translational research and developing immunotherapies for cancer treatment.

Yaneth was born and raised in Fresno, California. Her family has roots in Mexico and Honduras. Yaneth’s main research interests are in the fields of genetics, stem cell, and reproductive biology, with the goal of addressing under-researched reproductive health issues.

Kameron was born in Biloxi, Mississippi, but currently lives in Tucson, Arizona. As part of a military family, Kameron lived in over ten states and even spent time overseas in Germany and South Korea. His research interests are broad, but he is especially passionate about immunology and examining racial disparities in healthcare. Kameron aspires to bridge medicine and law as a physician-attorney (MD-JD), delivering compassionate, personalized care while also working to address the legal and systemic factors that impact health outcomes.

Kennedi was born in Georgia, but promptly moved to the Denver metro area where she was raised. Kennedi went to school back in Georgia (UGA, go Dawgs!!) and has family all over the east coast. Research-wise, Kennedi is interested in human population genetics and genetic variation along with its relation to clinical diagnostics. She hopes to make the field of genetics (and downstream) more equitable! Clinically, her interests are quite broad, but Kennedi is interested in being a hospitalist, women’s health, and maybe carceral settings.

Ngan was born in Vietnam, moved to the US when she was eight, and grew up in the suburbs near Detroit. Ngan is interested in translational research and hopes to become an oncologist.

Ellie was born in China but was raised in Austin, Texas. In terms of research, she is interested in protein design and bioengineering. Ellie is excited to hone her research interests, explore a new area, and meet everyone else!