Team

Shaan Bhandarkar

Editor-in-Chief

Shaan Bhandarkar is a rising senior in Morse College from Potomac Falls, Virginia. He aspires to major in Neuroscience and in the History of Science, Medicine, and Public Health. Shaan deeply believes in the merits of communication and journalism in healthcare and that health is a dialogue, not a monologue. With this mantra, he wishes to make a difference in alleviating the stigma around sensitive issues like mental health and end-of-life care. Aside from YGHR, Shaan currently leads Yale’s community health education (CHE) mental health group at local high schools, volunteers at HAVEN Free Clinic and the Connecticut Hospice, and conducts neurology research at the School of Medicine.

sophia de oliveira

Editor-in-Chief

Sophia De Oliveria is a rising third-year in Morse College! She plans to pursue a double major in Sociology (Health Concentration) and Economics. She is originally from Middleton, Wisconsin, but was born in Canada to two Brazilian parents. They moved to the United States when she was three, and she’s lived here most of her life. At home, she lives with my parents, her brother, their three dogs, three chameleons, and a fish. In her free time, she enjoys spending time outside, watching documentaries, and trying to replicate recipes from the food network channel! Her interest in global health stemmed from a summer internship during her sophomore year of high school where she worked with at-risk Latina and African-American women. Ever since then, she’s been ever more dedicated to fighting health inequity. She’s super excited to continue that journey here at the Global Health Review, and she can’t wait to see what this year holds! 

Ann-Marie Abunyewa

Editor-in-Chief

Ann-Marie Abunyewa is a rising third-year in Branford College. Her first involvement in public health was from a study evaluating the effectiveness of the sexual health education curriculum in her home state, Georgia. Since then, she has wanted to explore education as a social determinant of health. She also hopes to integrate her interests in classics, ancient history, and biochemistry to investigate topics in molecular anthropology. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music, dancing with her friends, and taking leisurely walks to East Rock Park.

Shandra Ahsan

Staff Writer

Shandra Ahsan is a first year in Silliman College from Amarillo, Texas. Shandra is interested in finding ways to deal with inequities in healthcare and plans to major in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. Outside of YGHR, she is SAAC secretary and a Silliman intramural secretary. In her free time, she enjoys reading, playing tennis, and hanging out with her little sister. 

VANESSA BLAS

Copy Editor & Staff Writer

Vanessa is a junior in TD and a Global Health Scholar majoring in anthropology. Besides writing for the YGHR, Vanessa serves on the Board of Directors and interprets for Yale’s HAVEN Free Clinic, is part of the Yale Interpretation Network and Yale’s Mental Health Association, and conducts research on adolescent mental health at the School of Public Health. She is also volunteering as a Spanish COVID-19 Contact Tracer for Connecticut’s Department of Public Health. Outside of classes and extracurriculars, Vanessa loves to run, bake Pinterest recipes, play piano, and binge-watch new shows.

Ryan Bose-Roy

Associate Editor & Staff Writer

Ryan Bose-Roy is a First-Year at Trumbull, aspiring in Biomedical Engineering. Outside of the Yale Global Health Review he loves reading, learning, eating, and listening to Brahms’s Wiegenliend: Guten Aben, gute Nacht. 

LAUREN CHONG

Staff Writer & Production and Design Team

Lauren is a first-year in Silliman College hailing from Irvine, California. She is currently undecided about her major but is leaning towards Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. YGHR was the perfect blend of her passion for publications and global health, which ultimately compelled her to apply for YGHR. Lauren is looking forward to a great year at YGHR!

Debbie dada

Staff Writer

murilo enrique dorion nieto

Staff Writer

Murilo is a Sophomore from São Paulo, Brazil, who is interested in the intersection between basic sciences and society and on bridging the gap between those two. Outside of YGHR, he is part of the Roosevelt Institute’s Tech center, writes for Distilled Periodical, and works on developing a personalized vaccine prediction model at GersteinLab. His free time in quarantine has consisted mostly of cooking, reading Brazilian humanities books, and listening to increasingly niche songs.

kelly farley

Associate Editor & Staff Writer

Kelly Farley is a junior in Morse College from Chicago. She is pursuing a B.S. in Chemistry and a certificate in Statistics & Data Science.  Outside of YGHR, she serves as Managing Editor of the Yale Scientific Magazine and Vice President of Peristalsis, a dance group that volunteers at Yale New Haven Hospital. She can usually be found drinking coffee, going on long runs, or listening to podcasts (sometimes, she can even be found doing all three at once).

tomeka frieson

Staff Writer

Tomeka Frieson is currently a senior at Yale College, double-majoring in the History of Science, Medicine, and Public Health and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. She hopes to explore the local, national, and global realities of infant, child, and adolescent healthcare on both biological and legislative scales. While observing first-hand the public health crises that inflicted her local and national communities contributed greatly to Tomeka’s interest in public health, it was truly her international travel to countries in various stages of development that led her to look at issues from a global health standpoint. Outside of the Yale Global Health Review, Tomeka is very active in her community and is keenly interested in music, travel, art, and social service.

melody gebremedhin

Staff Writer

Melody Gebremedhin is a first-year in Saybrook College from Pullman, Washington. She is on the pre-med track and is a prospective Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology major. In addition to writing for YGHR, Melody plays piano for the DPops Orchestra, sings in the Yale Gospel Choir, and plays on the Quiz Bowl team. 

Gianna griffin

Associate Editor & Copy Editor

Gianna is a sophomore in Pierson College ’24 majoring in the History of Science, Medicine, and Public Health. On-campus, she is involved in Women’s Club Soccer, the Yale International Relations Association, and Alpha Phi International. She is entering my second semester with YGHR and is interested in global health ethics and public health policy. As a contact tracer during the COVID-19 pandemic, she aims to connect my experiences in disaster response with systemic health inequities that are perpetuated by crises. 

manuljie hikkaduwa

Production and Design Team

Manuljie is a sophomore in Pierson College hoping to double major in Cognitive Science and History of Science, Medicine & Public Health. She was born and raised in Sri Lanka and is currently living in New York with her family. With interests in international children’s health and advocacy, she is the Director of Publicity of Yale UNICEF and a part of YGHR Production & Design team. Besides global health, she is also very interested in questions surrounding cognitive development and works as a Research Assistant in the Yale Mind and Development Lab. She also enjoys painting, reading, exploring new countries/cultures, and being a part of Yale Archery.

maiya hossain

Staff Writer

Maiya Hossain is a first-year in Davenport hoping to major in HSHM on the pre-med track. She grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, but currently lives in Queens, New York. Maiya developed a passion for healthcare through volunteering at the hospital and teaching oral healthcare workshops in Cincinnati. Outside of YGHR, she is a Community Health Educator, member of South Asian Society, and enjoys playing chess and eating food with friends

josie jahng

Copy Editor & Production and Design Team

dana kim

Copy Editor & Staff Writer

Dana Kim is a sophomore in Silliman college double majoring in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and Psychology on the neuroscience track. Outside of YGHR, she is also a Community Health Educator and a hospital volunteer in the pediatric department at Yale New Haven Hospital. She comes from a small beach town in Maryland, so in my free time, she loves to go to the beach (which she unfortunately has not been able to do too much of lately).

sein lee

Copy Editor & Production and Design Team

A lover of hiking, ink designs, acrylic pours, and plushies, Sein is currently a first-year in Silliman College. Although she was born in Seoul, South Korea, she has fond memories of her childhood in Virginia and growing up in Pittsburgh, PA. Sein is exploring a few biology and neuroscience majors while on the pre-medical track, and you can find her pampering and feeding adorable zebrafish to help the Hoffman Lab study autism spectrum disorders. She is in Yale Daily News P&D and volunteers for the HAVEN Clinic in the referrals department. Sein is always excited to talk about life’s greatest questions, like whether to brush your teeth before or after breakfast, go out to T-swirl Crepe on College St, or share her eclectic music tastes including jazz, French impressionist piano, alternative R&B, electronic, and Jacob Collier.

erica lin

Associate Editor & Copy Editor

Erica is a senior who hails from San Jose, California. On the science side of things, she studies IgE biogenesis and allergy in the Medzhitov Lab. On campus, you may find her working on projects with HAPPY or following up with patients as the Co-Director of Social Services at HAVEN Free Clinic – two organizations that have fueled her resolve to advocate for the importance of supporting patients through the non-clinical aspects of quality clinical care. In her free time, she also enjoys cooking night market snacks with Taiwanese American Society and jamming out with Cadence of Yale A Cappella.

anjali mangla

Staff Writer

molly mclaughlin

Copy Editor

Molly is a junior in Silliman College majoring in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology and the History of Science, Medicine and Public Health. She is interested in studying infectious disease epidemiology with a focus on the historical, political and socioeconomic factors that influence disease outcomes. She is currently working on research with Professor Humphries at the School of Public Health on the intersection between hookworm disease and host nutrition. Molly also plays the clarinet with the Davenport Pops Orchestra and is a librarian on the orchestra’s board. In her free time, she enjoys reading lots of books, biking, hiking and cooking vegetarian-themed meals. 

amma otchere

Associate Editor & Staff Writer

Amma Otchere is a Yale College sophomore from Milwaukee, Wisconsin studying Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. As a premed student, Amma is broadly interested in public health and the social determinants of health. She is particularly interested in the intersections between health, history, and the environment. Outside of YGHR, Amma writes poetry with WORD: Performance Poetry at Yale and teaches health to middle schoolers as a member of Community Health Educators (CHE). She also loves to read and eat ice cream (cookies and cream, of course).

natasha ravinand

Associate Editor

Natasha Ravinand (TC ’23) is a rising sophomore on a gap year from the San Francisco Bay Area studying Statistics & Data Science. She is passionate about the intersection of technology and healthcare, with interests in biotechnology and digital health. In addition to her involvement with the YGHR, Natasha is an Account Executive on the YDN Business Team, a member of the Global Research & Consulting Group at Yale, and a part of the Yale College Democrats. She is looking forward to exploring more topics within global health and having a great year with the YGHR!

ishani singh

Webmaster & Production and Design Team

Ishani is a rising sophomore in Grace Hopper College from South Florida. While she’s still undecided on a major, she would like to study something in the intersections of the sciences and social sciences. She is especially interested in addressing the root causes of health disparities and improving public health education. Outside of YGHR, she is a member of the Yale Women’s Swimming and Diving team, researches endothelial cell homeostasis in the Greco Lab, and works on a few other student publications. 

Alice Mao

Arts Director

Alice Mao is a first-year in Morse College, and plans to major in Art with a concentration in Painting/Printmaking. Alice has also illustrated for the YDN, the Record, and the New Journal, and works as a graphic designer at the Yale University Art Gallery. With her free time, she likes to cook, watch movies, and collect independently published zines.

jaiveer singh

Associate Editor & Copy Editor

Jaiveer Singh is a sophomore at Yale University who plans to major in Molecular Biochemistry and Biophysics and get the Data Science Certificate. Although his interests have mainly revolved around immunology, he enjoys applying his research to public health by exploring the interface between data science and healthcare. In his free time, he enjoys catching great views of nature while on hikes with friends and dancing with the Yale Bhangra team.

Sherry chen

Staff Writer

Sherry Chen is a first-year in Pierson majoring in Political Science. She is originally from Brooklyn, New  York. She is interested in domestic health policy and works with the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center on U.S. drug pricing policy. Outside of YGHR, Sherry is a part of the Asian American Students Alliance Board, edits research submissions for the Yale Undergraduate Research Journal, advises for Yale Matriculate, and does policy work for the Yale Health Equity Initiative and Ameelio. In her free time, she enjoys listening to corny love podcasts, practicing calligraphy, and making jewelry.